BFF is an all women organization, not by choice, it just happened to work out that way. We joke about it sometimes, but we are always supportive of each other and strive to be strong examples for the girls we work with. We want them to know that equality should be a part of their lives. We want them to be empowered to reach their potential.
At a recent holiday luncheon for the Women for Excellence our co-founder, Donna Biase, spoke about how important it is that organizations like theirs, and ours, work together to provide scholarships and opportunities to young women. President of the group Jacqueline Qualters agrees, adding “partnerships like we have with Best Foot Forward is what is going to be the difference and help make our community better and stronger. One girl at a time.”
For some of our students who want to attend a 4-year university, scholarships are vital. Along with Donna, one of our students spoke. She shared the impact the scholarship she received has had on her life. She talked about being placed in foster care at the age of 4. At the age of 10 she was moved to a second foster home and those foster parents decided to up and leave. Her and her little brother got themselves to school every day and went home every day in hopes that their foster parents would return, but they never did. One day the little brother went to school and started a fire in the bathroom which got the attention of the teachers, then DCF, and so on. That was then. Today, this young lady is in college for business and is soaring.
Every young girl benefits from having a strong female role model, and for those in foster care, it is particularly important for them to have someone in their life that they can look up to and learn from. Here are 5 things we try to teach our girls:
1. Think Big! Never put limitations on yourself
2. Be Ambitious! Embrace your ideas and always strive to reach your goals.
3. Rejoice Your Success! Celebrate even small accomplishments as you work towards a bigger goal.
4. Work Really Hard! Thomas Jefferson said “the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have”.
5. Be Inspired! Spend time with someone who inspires you to be the best you can be.
Supporting our agency is a way to help our girls (and boys) find success in life. The more backing we have, the greater the impact we can make!