A Note from Jo-Naizah McBeath: 2024 Alumna Chrysalis Award Winner
Dear PEARLS Supporter,
We are so grateful to all in attendance at Inspired to Lead – Legacy in Motion, and all that joined us in spirit. With about 400 guests in attendance, we were able to raise over $205,000! A night that was all about inspiring all of us to step up and lead our community towards a better, brighter future.
We are not done quite yet as we were just presented with a wonderful opportunity. Thanks to a generous donor, we can match gifts up to an additional $25,000. This donor was inspired by PEARLS girls and alumnae, this movement of girls and then women who become leaders to make our community a better and brighter place.
PEARLS is a program that empowers girls to define and achieve their own success. To do this, we support girls through peer groups during or after school, coaching, and unique experiences. These pieces work together to guide girls as they discover themselves, build community, and learn skills to navigate challenges. Girls face many difficulties as they grow up, from social pressures to mental health. PEARLS was created by girls for girls as a place to express themselves, find guidance and receive support from trusted peers, coaching and our programming team. The resulting bond forms a true sisterhood, making girls feel safe and supported as they pursue their own path to make a positive impact on the world.
Through the support and empowerment, I have received from my PEARLS sisters, I was able to overcome these feelings of self-doubt and embrace my uniqueness. I learned to love and appreciate my dark skin as a beautiful part of who I am. I learned to go where I am celebrated and never where I am tolerated. I have learned to celebrate my strengths, realizing that I am worthy of love and respect. I have found strength in speaking out against colorism and working towards creating a more inclusive and accepting space for all.
I am the proud first recipient of the PEARLS Chrysalis Award. Currently hold a BA in Sociology and an AS in Psychology and seeking certification in Trauma Counseling. Trauma-Informed care is vital when it comes to serving youth as it provides a holistic and sensitive approach to understanding as well as addressing the impact of trauma, I strive to be what my Program Coordinator at PEARLS was for me to the PEARLS girls I serve today.
It is a full circle moment to continue to inspire youth all while being a catalyst for change. This is a movement forever in motion because as we know, “Once a PEARLS girl always a PEARLS girl.”
Here are the ways you can make a donation:
Donate online at www.pearlsforteengirls.com/itl
Call (414) 265-7555 or email sydney.zahradka@pearlsforteengirls.com
Send a check to:
PEARLS For Teen Girls | 1805 N. Martin Luther King Drive Milwaukee, WI 53212
PEARLS has a transformative impact in the lives of girls, their families and their communities. This matching gift will help us do more for our girls. With your help, we know we can do it!
Sincerely,
Jo-Naizah McBeath
PEARLS Alumna and Board Member, Dr. Que Parnell, honors Jo McBeath with the Alumna Chrysalis Award at Inspired to Lead 2024
