Ten Caroline ladies – the Leadership Team of the "Divas With Promise" – will rendezvous at the stately Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, January 30, to be feted and honored with the presentation of the 2008 Virginia Mentoring Partnership Award. With mentoring groups from across Virginia competing for the award, the ladies from Caroline, who mentor 100 Caroline middle and high school girls, established and executed the winning program in just two years. "I am past words that could describe how we feel as women in the community doing something for so many girls," said Leadership Team member JoNi Rollins-Davis. Also on the team are Kriztina Pierce, Jacquelin Richardson, Sophilia Rollins, Sonya Lewis, Darlene Keener, Emily Skinner, JoWanda Rollins, Georgette Willis and LaTonya Garnett. Sponsorship comes from the Divine Divas' Social Club, Caroline's Promise and Caroline Parks and Recreation. Caroline County Schools also support the Divas With Promise. "Everyday someone walks up to me and says, 'I can't wait to sign my daughter up when she gets to middle school,'" said Rollins-Davis.
Empowering themselves for success in school and as adults, the Divas With Promise learn about appropriate dress, manners, social skills, job skills, fine dining and financial planning, while exploring educational, career and cultural opportunities. On the first and third Mondays, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., they meet at the Social Services Building. "The population of young women we serve includes many who come from broken homes, poverty, or other risk factors related to teenage difficulties and trouble. Yet, many are also from very supportive circumstances. This uniqueness allows friendships to develop that are carried beyond the program, back into the school and community environment," said Darlene Keener.
The Divas focused this fall on health and well-being with sessions on "Healthy Relationships." They traveled to Virginia Beach and the "Youth Careers Skills Building Conference" hosted by the Hampton Roads United Way, where they learned about budgeting, goal setting, fitness and fashion.
Also this fall, the Divas met with Health Alliance representatives who encouraged exercising and avoiding smoking. Their body mass was calculated and they were given pedometers to measure their walking exercise. A representative from American Family Fitness taught them exercises.
This spring the Leadership Team of the Divas with Promise will focus on career and culture. The young ladies will take a trip to see a play. On March 25, the "Parade of Divas" will feature career women from the county who talk with the girls about work, success and careers. Throughout the spring, the Leadership Team will work to enable the girls to present a positive image to their teachers.
The Virginia Mentoring Partnership, which will present the award, is a nonprofit group with an office at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Partnership supports and develops mentoring programs in Virginia. Their representative, Rebekah Holbrook, said the Divas With Promise Leadership Team won because the two-year-old Caroline program "is really embraced by the County of Caroline, has a strong infrastructure, dedicated mentors, crosses cultural lines and has an early success."
Darlene Keener, Executive Director of Caroline's Promise, had been cautiously optimistic about winning the award. "I sent in the application with referral letters and was hopeful but not overly confident. The competition is fierce," she said. The award will improve the chances for the Divas With Promise to win grant money. The Divas recently received an $11,000 grant from the Self-development of People Committee of the Presbyterian Church. The money funds learning-trips for the Divas. "Recently the young women loaded a bus and drove to another county to dine at a nice Italian restaurant. They were thrilled to put their newfound knowledge of table manners and place settings to the test!" said Keener.
Caroline businesses, which raise funds for Caroline's Promise, the primary financial backer of the Divas, have also impacted how the girls think about their clothing choices.
"A highlight was when local stores allowed the program to borrow outfits to represent business, casual, school and formal appropriate attire," said Keener. "The girls divided into groups and modeled that you don’t have to show everything to get attention and look nice."
The Divas With Promise have steadily grown in numbers. Last year there were 60, now they number 100.
"Results are hard to determine but at the last meeting a young lady through teary eyes said, 'Thank you for having this program – I had nothing else,'" said Keener. The executive director of Caroline's Promise also quoted Oprah Winfrey who said, “When you change the direction of a young girl’s life, you have changed the direction of the next generation.”
The morale of the Leadership Team is soaring. Keener is receiving calls from other localities about starting up similar programs. "It indeed takes a village to raise a child and Caroline is doing just that – one child at a time, one program at a time," said Leadership Team member JoNi Rollins-Davis. "The effort is paying off. We will see!"
Executive Director of Caroline's Promise Darlene Keener can be contacted at
(804) 916-9619
Empowering themselves for success in school and as adults, the Divas With Promise learn about appropriate dress, manners, social skills, job skills, fine dining and financial planning, while exploring educational, career and cultural opportunities. On the first and third Mondays, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., they meet at the Social Services Building. "The population of young women we serve includes many who come from broken homes, poverty, or other risk factors related to teenage difficulties and trouble. Yet, many are also from very supportive circumstances. This uniqueness allows friendships to develop that are carried beyond the program, back into the school and community environment," said Darlene Keener.
The Divas focused this fall on health and well-being with sessions on "Healthy Relationships." They traveled to Virginia Beach and the "Youth Careers Skills Building Conference" hosted by the Hampton Roads United Way, where they learned about budgeting, goal setting, fitness and fashion.
Also this fall, the Divas met with Health Alliance representatives who encouraged exercising and avoiding smoking. Their body mass was calculated and they were given pedometers to measure their walking exercise. A representative from American Family Fitness taught them exercises.
This spring the Leadership Team of the Divas with Promise will focus on career and culture. The young ladies will take a trip to see a play. On March 25, the "Parade of Divas" will feature career women from the county who talk with the girls about work, success and careers. Throughout the spring, the Leadership Team will work to enable the girls to present a positive image to their teachers.
The Virginia Mentoring Partnership, which will present the award, is a nonprofit group with an office at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Partnership supports and develops mentoring programs in Virginia. Their representative, Rebekah Holbrook, said the Divas With Promise Leadership Team won because the two-year-old Caroline program "is really embraced by the County of Caroline, has a strong infrastructure, dedicated mentors, crosses cultural lines and has an early success."
Darlene Keener, Executive Director of Caroline's Promise, had been cautiously optimistic about winning the award. "I sent in the application with referral letters and was hopeful but not overly confident. The competition is fierce," she said. The award will improve the chances for the Divas With Promise to win grant money. The Divas recently received an $11,000 grant from the Self-development of People Committee of the Presbyterian Church. The money funds learning-trips for the Divas. "Recently the young women loaded a bus and drove to another county to dine at a nice Italian restaurant. They were thrilled to put their newfound knowledge of table manners and place settings to the test!" said Keener.
Caroline businesses, which raise funds for Caroline's Promise, the primary financial backer of the Divas, have also impacted how the girls think about their clothing choices.
"A highlight was when local stores allowed the program to borrow outfits to represent business, casual, school and formal appropriate attire," said Keener. "The girls divided into groups and modeled that you don’t have to show everything to get attention and look nice."
The Divas With Promise have steadily grown in numbers. Last year there were 60, now they number 100.
"Results are hard to determine but at the last meeting a young lady through teary eyes said, 'Thank you for having this program – I had nothing else,'" said Keener. The executive director of Caroline's Promise also quoted Oprah Winfrey who said, “When you change the direction of a young girl’s life, you have changed the direction of the next generation.”
The morale of the Leadership Team is soaring. Keener is receiving calls from other localities about starting up similar programs. "It indeed takes a village to raise a child and Caroline is doing just that – one child at a time, one program at a time," said Leadership Team member JoNi Rollins-Davis. "The effort is paying off. We will see!"
Executive Director of Caroline's Promise Darlene Keener can be contacted at
(804) 916-9619
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