The focus of Gwen’s Girls is to support and uplift girls and young women. On Oct. 6, with Lynne Hayes-Freeland as the emcee, Gwen’s Girls held their signature event, From at Risk to Resilient, at the Priory on the North Side of Pittsburgh. The event’s proceeds support Gwen’s Girls programs and the launch of their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) based education, community health and career exploration program for middle and high school girls. According to the White House Council on Women and Girls, “women in STEM jobs earn 33 percent more than those in non- stem occupations and experience a smaller wage gap relative to men.”
Scyatta Wallace, PhD, was the keynote speaker for this important event. Wallace is an award winning psychologist, accomplished scientist and social entrepreneur, and combines her love for arts and empowering youth as CEO/founder of Janisaw Company, a curriculum design firm specializing in creating leadership development and life skills programs/workshops for teen girls and young women. She asks that we “be there” to encourage and support, to uplift, the key is being there if you are a funder or a philanthropist, “be there.”
Guest speaker, Lynn Banaszak Brusco, said we need more role models for young women in STEM and we need to teach girls through words and actions. The evening concluded with remarks from Kathi Elliott. Kathi is the daughter of the late Gwen Elliott and, in August, accepted the position of executive director at Gwen’s Girls. She shared a story of her mother’s resilience and a portion of a letter that her mother wrote to her in 1994. Gwen told her daughter, who was 23 years of age at the time and the single mother of a 2-year-old, that she would be a beacon. Kathi said my mother saw things in me that I did not see in myself. Kathi is purposed to lead Gwen’s Girls in becoming a well-recognized forerunner in the integration of evidence-based clinical prevention and intervention policies, and practices that enhance the child and social welfare system. Her culmination of education, work and life experiences will assist her in continuing the legacy of providing a comprehensive approach to addressing the issues that impact the well-being of girls, women and families.
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