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When life handed lemons to 23-year-old Cherish Thomas, she didn’t throw a pity party. Instead, she made lemon meringue pie.

To see Cherish now – a beautiful, poised and upbeat young woman – you’d never think that she experienced hardships growing up. But she did.

Cherish grew up in the foster care system and experienced more than 20 placements that included group homes, detention centers, foster homes, the streets and three failed adoptions. Over her lifetime, Cherish attended 14 schools, including five different high schools before graduating. On top of that, she encountered physical abuse and experienced depression after being separated from her siblings.

“I was born into a situation that people would deem be designed to cycle disaster,” Cherish said. “In some forms in my journey it did. However, this disaster would not dictate my future.

Cherish’s life after foster care has been far from disaster. Through perseverance and determination, she mapped out a great life for herself. Cherish is a scholar at the University of Michigan where she is earning a master’s degree. Additionally, Cherish is paying it forward to girls and young women who’ve been in the foster care system. A few years ago, she founded Cherish Our Youth (COY), a mentoring program for girls.

On May 21, COY will host the third annual Girl’s Youth Summit. This year’s theme “From Diamond in the Rough to Princess Cut,” is a true testament of Cherish’s life.

For her achievements, service to youth and resilience, Empowered Flower Girl honors Cherish Thomas as a Girl Living Powerfully.

Check out Cherish Our Youth on Facebook.

Chica Chat combats bullying and cliques among tween/teen girls

Could your school or organization use a little help fostering positive relationships and communication among girls? Or would you like to add a fun and interactive workshop to your current activities? If so, consider hosting a Chica Chat – Empowered Flower Girl’s latest program promoting problem solving and combating teasing/bullying.  

What is a Chica Chat?

Chica Chat is a 2-hour workshop for girls and young women 11-18 that gives them the opportunity to be self expressed, heard and understood by their peers and adult mentors. Participants learn the art of networking by participating in fun and engaging icebreaking activities and have the opportunity to ask questions anonymously that are answered by their peers with facilitation by adult mentors.

Empowered Flower Girl is offering the Chica Chat this spring and summer in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. Live outside of these areas, call or email us for suggestions or a consultation.

Other workshops:

Intro to Vision Boards – EFG takes arts and crafts time to a new level. Participants learn the art of positive thinking and visualization as a method of goal setting. This workshop is available for girls and boys. Each participant leaves with a vision board.

Power Tools for Flower Girls – Based on principles from Empowered Flower Girl’s guidebook , this workshop promotes powerful living through knowledge, self-appreciation and integrity. Participants complete written activities and discuss ways they can empower others.

Contact Rasheda Kamaria for more information about our programs and products. Email rkamaria@empoweredflowergirl.com.

 Do you “like” us? Prove it. Visit www.facebook.com/empoweredflowergirl.

Empowered Flower Girl would like to congratulate the Association for Youth Empowerment (AYE) for being selected as the winner of our National Mentoring Month promotion “MenTEEs: T-shirts for a cause.”

AYE, an organization dedicated to challenging and empowering young people to create positive change in their lives and communities, will receive 25% of all sales during the campaign period.

We are proud to support AYE and wish them much success!

If you’re a dedicated high school or college student or concerned adult, consider giving back by becoming a mentor. It may no longer be National Mentoring Month, but positive role models are needed all year round. Visit http://www.mentoring.org to find an organization near you.

This is our news section where you can find interesting information and updates about Empowered Flower Girl!