The Girls Opportunity Alliance supports Chicago organization mentoring Black girls
- Girls Opportunity Alliance
- Community Engagement
- Education
Ladies of Virtue (LOV), is a nonprofit empowering Black girls in Chicago's underserved communities. With a mission to instill perseverance and prepare girls for college, careers, and leadership, LOV is transforming lives—one girl at a time.
“Positive role models can literally change the trajectory of your life,” Jamila Trimuel, Founder and CEO of Ladies of Virtue reflected.
Jamila shared that her parents empowered her and instilled in her the belief that she could achieve anything she set her mind to. She established LOV with the mission to uplift and support adolescent girls.
“I became a mentor as a sophomore in college. I tapped into my purpose, and really something bigger than myself. I started mentoring and I have not looked back since,” Jamila said.
LOV runs in-school programs at South Shore High School and other schools across Chicago. These programs, lasting from 15 weeks to the entire school year, focus on character development, career readiness, and civic engagement. The signature mentoring and leadership program is available both in-school and on Saturdays.
“Regardless of the program you're in, you know you're going to get at least one mental health workshop that talks about managing your emotions and coping with life's challenges,” Jamila shared.
LOV also offers a STEM program called STEMutiful, which combines girls' interests in fashion and beauty with careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The organization started with only six girls in 2011 and now serves over 2,000 annually.
"Six-hundred are enrolled in our mentoring and leadership program, and we reach over 1,500 through our community outreach initiatives,” Jamila said.
Jamila says the support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance has boosted her programs with funding, allowing her to expand her network and outreach. LOV was one of 14 Chicago-based girl-serving organizations awarded a share of $500,000 through the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund. This funding aims to serve thousands of adolescent girls in Chicago, especially as we anticipate the future Obama Presidential Center on the South Side in 2026.
Thanks in part to the support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance (Opens in a new tab), LOV was able to enhance its school-based LOV club at South Shore High School, support girls at its Black Girl Rest event, and launched its new civic engagement program, Fannie's Fight for Freedom.
“The Fannie's Fight for Freedom program educates girls about the importance of voting, drawing inspiration from the life of Fannie Lou Hamer,” Jamila explained.
Jamila hopes to continue her impact by extending her reach to serve more girls.
“We mentor girls from ages nine to 18 and continue to support them until they turn 24. Our next goal is to serve 3,000 women and girls by 2026. This will mean 800 enrolled in our leadership programming and over 2,500 women and girls served through our community outreach initiatives,” she said. “Additionally, we train educators on how to build authentic relationships with Black girls. Other organizations seek our guidance on our mentoring model, and by partnering with them, we aim to reach even more girls in Chicago. I believe our girls, especially Black girls, have the power to transform their neighborhoods, schools, communities, and families.”
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