2nd Annual Girl Power Back To School Bash

Girl Power of Central Florida's 2nd Annual Back to School Bash was a success! We had a blast spending the day with the girls connecting with them on various levels such as: beauty and pampering, journaling, sharing stories of confidence and inspiration, teaching them self-defense techniques, and more! A special "THANK YOU" goes out to each and every Sponsor and Volunteer who contributed to the event, without you none of this would be possible!

Thank you for your selfless devotion of time (and money) to our girls (20+ girls were sponsored and attended the event for free). The girls know for sure they are loved by many in our community. Each attendee was able to show her gratitude by writing a "Thank You" letter to the individual/companies who sponsored her to attend the event. This is our most favorite part of the event and it gives the girls' the opportunity to reflect and show their appreciation.

Again, a special "THANK YOU" goes out to our Sponsors, as we like to affectionately refer to as our "COMMUNITY SUPERHERO'S":

Corporate Sponsors:

- The Winter Haven Police Department, Winter Haven FL

- Red Lobster, Winter Haven FL

- Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Orlando FL 

- The Florida Aquarium, Tampa FL

- Claire's, Eagle Ridge Mall, Lake Wales FL

- Bushikan Karate, Winter Haven, FL

- COBB Theatres, Davenport FL

- MOSI, Tampa, FL

- Chick-Fil-A, Winter Haven FL

- Skate World Lakeland, Lakeland FL

- Beautique, LLC, Sebring FL

- Glamour Kids Braiding Studio, Orlando FL 

- The Dynasmiles

- Eccentric Designs, Winter Haven, FL

Individual Sponsors:

- Carol B., Winter Haven, FL

- Karen D., Winter Haven, FL

- Ericka J., Haines City, FL

- Tiameka H., Kissimmee, FL

- Anne V., Winter Haven, FL

- Jaremiah & Sherunda A., Lake Wales, FL

- Takeshia J., Winter Haven, FL

- LaQuan B., Haines City, FL

- Lamont Floyd, Winter Haven, FL

- Miranda. H., New York

- Anita W., Lake Wales, FL

- Dwann B., Winter Haven, FL

- Annitra B., Atlanta, GA

- Abreiel M., Winter Haven, FL

- Merissa G., Dundee, FL

Because of our Sponsors we were able to give every girl attending the event a backpack for the upcoming school year along with, giveaway prizes, coupons, and several other freebies. 

Our special guests for this year's B2S Bash included:

Host (Phoenix Jenkins, Children Advocate)

Ms. Jenkins positive energy and spirit radiated throughout the building! The event attendees and parents are still raving about how wonderful and hands-on she was with the girls. Ms. Jenkins was the true definition of an Hostess with the Mostess!

Special Guest (Latosha Thomas - Demonstrated Fun/Healthy Exercises)

Ms. Thomas did a fabulous job with breaking the ice and getting the girls up and moving! They were a little shy at first, however she was really patient with them. Ms. Thomas' upbeat music and dance moves had the girls smiling from ear to ear.

Special Guest (Juan Burgos, Bushikan Karate, Demonstrated Self-Defense Techniques)

Mr. Burgos self-defense seminar was a crowd favorite. He spoke to the girls about bullying and ways to protect themselves if they were ever to face a bully or find themself in a dangerous situation. Mr. Burgos seminar was very interactive and captivating he left the girls wanting more. Mr. Burgos also, handed out five certificates for five girls to attend his summer class for FREE!

Special Guest (Shauna Hart, Glamour Kids Braiding Studio, Demonstrated & Shared Healthy Hair Tips)

Ms. Hart shared with the girls and parents a variety of healthy hair tips and the importance of caring for your hair/growth. She also demonstrated fun and easy age appropriate hairstyles for easy maintenance for those busy moms on the go!

Special Guest Speaker (Kamaria Laffrey, Empowered Legacies, Spoke to the girls about Self-Love & Confidence")

Mrs. Laffrey is an advocate for HIV and shared her own personal story with the girls - her journey to self-love and confidence. Mrs. Laffrey shared helpful tips and ideas to keep the girls motivated and learn to love themselves the way God made them.

Snapshot of our various activity stations: 

Fun in the Photo Booth:

Words of Inspiration For Our Girls:

Throughout the event there were signs sporadically placed around the building to encourage the girls to love themselves, to motivate them to make the right choices, to encourage leadership and confidence, and to accept the cultural difference(s) of others.

Please feel free to view more photos on our Facebook Fanpage!

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If you're interested in learning a little more about the background of this event and how it was started please - click here - 

We're already gearing up for our 3rd Annual event and accepting donations. If you would like to contribute to this event or our program in general then please - click here - Thank you in advance for your contribution and support to our program.

You can check us out in the news by - clicking here - here - and here! 

xoxo,

Latisha Horton
Program Founder 
Girl Power of Central Florida