Lisa Church is dedicated to guiding young girls toward a brighter future.
That’s why she joined about 20 Bettie F. Williams Elementary students for lunch to talk about friendship.
“What do you want in a friend?” she asked them.
Fifth grader Serenity Smith answered, “loyal, real, honest, trustworthy, funny, comforting.”
“A friend is someone you can talk to and who shares in your happiness and doesn’t judge you,” she said.
The monthly meeting of the Girls with Goals Foundation was in session.
Church formed Girls with Goals seven years ago. The nonprofit organization was officially founded in 2022 and recently joined VBCPS as a community partner.
She and her volunteer mentors spend the second Friday of each month during the school year travelling from one school to the next, including Rosemont, Bettie F. Williams and Parkway elementary schools.
Her mission? To bring together like-minded adolescent girls to promote self-motivation, personal responsibility, leadership and teamwork.
Honesty, commitment, courage, perseverance, respect and service are incorporated into the monthly lessons.
“I hold these values so near and dear to me,” Church said. “I want them to use these tools outside of this door.”
“We are empowering our future.”
The program is designed for those with limited resources, socioeconomic barriers and in need of guidance.
Selected by school counselors, the girls — mostly fourth and fifth graders — spend about an hour with Church and volunteers. They discuss a variety of topics, such as self-awareness, prevention of bullying and relationships.
Bettie F. Williams technology support technician Khadijah Kelly is one of the mentors.
“We believe that social emotional learning will help our mentees to build better work habits and social skills,” she said.
During a recent meeting, students were asked, “If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Answers included “to help other people in need,” “be able to fly,” and “be invisible.”
Church allows the students to share their answers and explain why.
“It’s a no judgement zone,” she said. “Things we talk about and discuss stays here.”
Parkway Elementary fourth grader Sarabii Bell said she likes being in Girls with Goals.
“We get to talk about things that we don’t like to talk to others about.”
Sometimes they get off topic, but Church said that’s OK. Recently a participant shared something unpleasant that happened on social media while talking with friends.
“Always share with an adult if something is not right,” Church reminded the group.
Church grew up in Norfolk and was a finance manager for 20 years before retiring. She is now a certified life coach, realtor and grandmother of eight.
She always had an open-door policy when it came to her daughters’ friends.
“We would sit at the dining room table and talk about things and have an open dialogue.”
She realized the importance of mentorship. In fact, during high school, a teacher provided her with much-needed guidance.
Church called her “my guiding light.”
One of Church’s three children is Rosemont Elementary principal Brittney Church Green.
Green said the foundation connects girls with positive role models who guide and support them in making informed decisions about their futures.
“Girls with Goals aims to create a lasting impact, ensuring that these young girls have the opportunity to pursue higher education, meaningful careers and a brighter future.”
Girls with Goals plans a 5K fundraiser run in June at Williams Farm Recreation Center. For more information, visit http://www.girlswithgoalsfoundation.com. For more information about VBCPS Partners in Education, visit vbschools.com.
