Truly Valued: A Value To Girls

Truly Valued girls with director Shavonne Simon (4th from the left)

Truly Valued, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Its goal is to create an environment of learning and explorational growth for young ladies in order to cultivate positive relationships and give back to their local community. Truly Valued – TV – creates a mentor network partnership with local churches, schools and various organizations to support its mission to provide services to adolescent girls ages 11 to 17 focused on building self-esteem, confidence and character in order to promote a positive selfimage, positively impact educational and career aspirations and improve academic achievement. On Saturday, September 22nd, TV will host its second annual Taste of New Orleans Benefit Dinner at Michael’s on the Bay at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota. The reception begins at 6:00 p.m. and the dinner and program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event support the organization’s efforts to expand services that will make a greater impact on the youth being served throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Truly Valued offers a myriad of programs for the young girls they serve. The Priceless Girls Mentoring Program is designed to help cultivate skills adolescent girls’ need to develop as successful adults with a strong sense of their own identity. The innovative, group-style program empowers youth through direct instruction, experiential learning, as well as trust and team building activities designed to improve confidence and respect for others. The Dreamers Outreach Program is designed to bring youth together from diverse backgrounds through a series of events and the Tea Party 4 Girls which Empowers youth through conversations with professional women who live and work in their own community. They share their experience and expertise, bringing a wealth of knowledge from backgrounds in law enforcement, politics, entrepreneurship, arts and entertainment. In 2017, TV partnered with various community organizations to provide direct services to 60 youth in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. These peer-led sessions provide an atmosphere of trust so that the girls can share their emotions without feeling insecure or misunderstood. It also runs a summer enrichment program for at risk youth to experience the great outdoors and provides a safe environment for them to gain self-confidence as they learn new skills such as problem solving and interpersonal skills. Camp is also a place where youth develop a variety of social skills (i.e. communication, conflict resolution). Activities include workshops in character building, self-awareness, team building and evaluation, while incorporating daily physical activities such as horseback riding, high ropes course, and archery. The Brains, Beauty and Business Workshop and Brunch is a seven month series that focuses on empowering young women through a cumulative series of seven workshops that work to enhance and strengthen their identity, self-esteem, and academic and professional abilities. The primary goal is to mold young women to fit their standards of beauty and strength, not society’s. The Brains session focuses on education, utilizing and finding essential resources, student success, college preparation, and life and opportunities after graduation. The Beauty session focuses on building selflove and self-esteem, positive body image representation and personal development. The Business session focuses on their vision and niche, professional development, building a brand, and achieving success. Truly Valued celebrates two years of non-profit work in the community, providing mentoring and support services that empower youth to follow their dreams and aspirations. Since 2016, it has been inspiring young girls to continue their education and accomplish their goals. Even though the benefit dinner is sold out at this writing, donations are accepted on line at trulyvalued.org or can be mailed to P.O. Box 381, Palmetto, FL 34220, or call 941-222-0645.