(Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc.

We are honored to see our President Briana Morales receive the 2024 Community Award by the Illinois Association for Hispanic State Employees (IAHSE) for her work to elevate the voices, power, and brilliance of girls of Color across Illinois through Sisterhood of Hope. It has been her dream to create programming and experiences for Black and brown girls that uplift their identities, accept them for who they are, and have faith in who they might one day become — spaces she wished she belonged to with people she wished she knew as a young girl all those years ago herself. This award means that our tireless efforts pouring into young women in Chicagoland and East St. Louis are seen, heard, and can be free to be their authentic selves. Dreams do come true! Thank you to our team of phenomenal women who work day and night to cultivate magic for our girls: Kim Tate Kelough, Mallory Lawler, Sira Crusoe, Laura Jeanne Penrod, and Nina McLean. WANT TO JOIN US? 🌟 Follow us on social media and share with friends! 🌟 Make a tax-deductible donation to support our work: https://lnkd.in/gYEbz7xC 🌟 Sign up to get involved on our Executive Board, become a mentor, or sign up a high school girl (grades 9-12) to be a mentee in our program: https://lnkd.in/g9fQSnwR

Tune in to hear our founder, Briana Morales, talk about the teacher that had a lasting impact on her life and whose efforts allowed her to create special relationships with her own students, including the inspiration for (Sister)Hood of Hope, her former student Da’Miya.

We are elated to share that our founder Briana Morales, M.Ed has been selected to received the Community Award for her work with (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc. by the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees. Our work is about uplifting the voices, power, and brilliance of girls of Color in Illinois, and she could not be more deserving of this honor.

Toni Morrison once wrote, “…we was girls together.” Today, (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc. welcomed its second program year of high school girls of Color and their mentors. This group represents four Illinois high schools and expands our reach to engage girls across all grades 9-12, a change from our targeted program last school year only for juniors and seniors. Spanning city and suburban Chicago and downstate Illinois, traditional and alternative high schools, basketball players and actresses in the drama club, track stars and future therapists, and so much more… Today, we was—we ARE—girls. Together. What a beautiful thing and space to be. 💗 Our sisters spent the day in the College of Education at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign learning, growing, and loving. This looked like: 🌟 “Speed friending”—a rapid-fire get-to-know-you activity where each girl engaged in a series of conversations with potential mentors, ultimately being paired with her “match made in Heaven” 🌟 Journaling about our hopes and dreams for this program year 🌟 Unpacking our personality types and acknowledging our similarities and differences 🌟 Grounding ourselves in one word for our upcoming year that will remind us of our goals in a friendship bracelet 🌟 Planning levels of support for our mentees by brainstorming responses to potential scenarios 🌟 Reflecting on our shared understanding of girlhood, sisterhood, and bonds (building strong relationships) Our hearts are full and we look forward to this new program year with optimism because we know one thing is certain: sisterhood breaks barriers, heals hearts, and changes lives. Stay tuned to hear all about it! 💌 WANT TO BE PART OF THE SISTERHOOD? OUR PROGRAM STILL HAS OPENINGS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EAST ST. LOUIS AND CHICAGOLAND *AND* ADULTS WHO WANT TO BE MENTORS! Fill out our interest form to get involved: https://lnkd.in/g-2iTpFq. SUPPORT OUR WORK SO WE CAN CONTINUE MAKING AN IMPACT! 💰 CashApp: $sisterhoodofhope 💸 Zelle: 314-732-2422 📲 Givelify (tax-deductible): https://lnkd.in/gYEbz7xC

Our mentors are the heart of our program. Looking forward to another beautiful program year!

💌 MAIL DAY! AUGUST 2024 NEWSLETTER NOW LIVE! 📣 Thank you to our (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc. friends and family for following along on our journey! As we gear up for our second program year, we have many exciting highlights to share and opportunities to look forward to. Check out our August newsletter to read up on new Executive Board members, how to get involved as a mentor or a mentee in our Chicagoland or East St. Louis programs, and MORE! 👇🏽

💞 2024 HEALING HEARTS MENTOR OF THE YEAR: Sira Crusoe 💞 Join us in congratulating Sira Crusoe, Chicagoland mentor, for being recognized with the Healing Hearts award as one of our 2024 Mentors of the Year! Sira is the Coordinator of Student Engagement and Belonging at North Central College. This past year, Sira mentored a rising Bloom Township High School District 206 senior. When reflecting on her experience this past year, Sira shared, “As a mentor of SoH, I can truly say that it has restored my faith that women of Color can be sisters to one another. The support and grace we held for one another when a sister was down is truly remarkable.” JaTaya, her mentee, was recognized for excelling in one of our SoH competency areas of resilience this year thanks to the loving support of mentor Sira. She encountered many obstacles and adversity within and outside of school, but remained committed to chasing her goals of high school graduation and beginning a bakery business despite it all. Pictured are mentor and mentee celebrating JaTay’s birthday on a day out in Chicago earlier this year. Thank you for all you’ve done to break barriers, heal hearts, and change lives!

⭐️ CALLING ALL HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS! WE’RE LOOKIN’ FOR YA! 📣 (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc. rising seniors Loriahna, My’Elah, and Michelle attended the East St. Louis School District 189 high school orientation this past week to recruit new mentees for school year 2024-25! Over 50 high school girls expressed interest in joining our sisterhood — WOW! If you didn’t get a chance to sign up, there’s still time! 💞 WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR: 40 high school Girls of Color (grades 9, 10, 11, and 12) who live in or around Chicagoland or East St. Louis, Illinois, that believe in the voices, power, and brilliance of GIRLS and want to join a true SISTERHOOD. 💞 WHAT YOU’LL DO: - attend our kickoff orientation event to meet all of the girls in our program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (full day event on a Saturday in September) - meet 1x monthly with your mentor in-person and check-in weekly via phone or text - attend monthly Positive Youth Development sessions in-person one Saturday per month (October-May) - present at our end of the year celebration on a social issue you are passionate about in Chicago, IL (full weekend event, June) 💞 HOW WE’LL SUPPORT YOU: - you will work with a mentor who is dedicated to helping you succeed both in & out of school - we will work with you to identify your strengths and set goals for areas you’d like to improve on over the next year - opportunities to attend mentee & mentor outings to build sisterhood among you two & the other women and girls in our program - we will help you investigate an issue In your community or the world and complete a project proposing how you might solve or improve it - we’ll have your back — no matter what! INTERESTED? LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE! FILL OUT OUR INTEREST FORM BY SEPTEMBER 7 TO SECURE YOUR SPOT: https://lnkd.in/gC5rh9pi For questions or other inquiries: sisterhoodchangeslives@gmail.com

🩷 SISTERHOOD MEANS WE WAS G I R L S TOGETHER! SoH NOW RECRUITING MENTEES FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2024-24! 🩷 (Sister)Hood of Hope, Inc. is actively recruiting high school girls of Color in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 to join our Chicagoland and East St. Louis chapters! Girls must commit to attending program sessions and meeting with their mentor from September 2024-June 2025. We only have spots for 40 total high school Girls (20 Chicagoland, 20 East St. Louis). You do not want to miss this opportunity! SIGN UP TODAY AND JOIN THE SISTERHOOD! ✨ https://lnkd.in/gC5rh9pi ✨ GIRLS IN OUR PROGRAM RECEIVE: • a mentor dedicated to helping them succeed in & out of school • assistance with goal-setting • monthly meetings to get to know other girls in their chapter & across the state where they will learn about critical topics such as confidence, competence, critical consciousness, resilience, resistance, connection & caring, and contribution to your community • opportunities to attend outings to grow in sisterhood with their mentor & the other women and girls in our program • sisters who have your back — no matter what 🌸 Girls should fill out the Interest Form by September 7 to be considered. 🌸 For questions or other inquiries: sisterhoodchangeslives@gmail.com

💞 2024 BREAKING BARRIERS MENTOR OF THE YEAR: LAKENDRA MOFFETT 💞 Join us in congratulating LaKendra Kadiri , MHA, CHES, East St. Louis mentor, for being recognized with the Breaking Barriers award as one of our 2024 Mentors of the Year! LaKendra is a Community Health Educator with BJC HealthCare’s School Outreach and Youth Development program. This past year, LaKendra mentored rising East St. Louis School District 189 senior Michelle. Advice she gives to others working with girls of Color is that “building relationships is critical for our mental wellbeing. We all have something to offer others: Smile, advice, words of encouragement, a listening ear or simply a shared moment or experience.” Michelle, her mentee, shared that throughout the program year, LaKendra helped her establish a newfound sense of confidence by always reminding her to be authentically herself in all spaces she entered. Michelle was able to overcoming several personal fears with LaKendra’s loving support, including public speaking where she surprised both her family and community members when she gave a congratulatory speech for Kendra at the Sister Symposium in June 2024. Michelle stated, “The most valuable lesson I learned from my mentor is the importance of self-confidence and self-care. With every meeting we had, she made sure to remind me to take a breath after rough moments passed and reassured me that confidence is key to pursuing my dreams. I am ever-grateful and appreciative for her patience and wisdom.” Thank you for all you’ve done to break barriers, heal hearts, and change lives!