Information: www.mygirltalk.org
A room filled with Disney princesses brought happiness to young Metro Atlanta girls and their mothers as they came together for afternoon tea to support Girl Talk, a national nonprofit that holds peer-to-peer mentoring programs for middle school girls.
The Mommy and Me Princess Tea was held on May 31 at the Atlanta Event Center at Opera in Midtown Atlanta. The event featured a princess musical arts show performed by senior high school girls from Atlanta starring 15 favorite fairytale and movie princesses. Following the show, the young girls met the princesses, took photos and enjoyed a mother-daughter tea party reception with desserts and beverages. Other activities include nail painting, crafts and storytelling.
All activities are mother-daughter oriented to emphasize the importance of this special relationship and to open conversation between mothers and daughters about various issues that girls face as they grow up.
In its third year, the Mommy and Me Princess Tea was founded by Rachel Hamilton, and her mother, Beth. Having gone through the program of Girl Talk, Rachel felt compelled to give back.
“This program gave me confidence, developed my leadership skills and helped me to realized my true potential,” said the rising college freshman. “This program has really grown and we are excited about raising awareness for Girl Talk and the work it’s doing in the community.”
The Princess Tea has raised more than $10,000 for the nonprofit’s summer camps and other programs.
Girl Talk’s mission is met through high school girls mentoring middle school girls to help them deal with the issues they face during their formative early teenage years while building self-esteem, develop leadership skills and recognize the value of community service. It was started in 2002 by Albany native Haley Kilpatrick, who was inspired to create a forum for girls to discuss their issues after reflecting on her own experiences in middle school.
Today, the nonprofit has grown to over 300 chapters across seven countries and has mentored over 40,000 young girls. Girl Talk is always seeking high school girls to start chapters or volunteers to offer their time and skills to help the organization grow.
When it comes to seeing the success of the Mommy and Me Princess Tea, Program Director Courtney Johnson identifies it as a true representation of Girl Talk’s goals.
“What Rachel has done with this program is exactly what we hope our young girls take away from Girl Talk,” said Johnson. “We encourage our girls to be confident leaders while giving back to our community.”
In other news: North Highland, a global management consultancy, hosted its annual Day of Giving Back on May 16. Employees, clients, friends and family of North Highland offices from around the world spent the day volunteering with local organizations to better local communities. In Atlanta, more than 120 North Highland employees sorted and packed food at the Atlanta Community Food Bank; sorted donated Books for Africa; beautified the Hillside campus through cleaning and landscaping; supported a "pit stop" at the AIDS Vaccine 200 Bike Race for Jerusalem House; and created literacy kits and snack packs for children served by the United Way.
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