We are delighted to announce that Jada H., a participant in our Empowerment Center, was recently chosen to speak at Mayor Randall Woodfin’s “Blueprint 2024: The Woodfin Way” event. Jada introduced the mayor by reading a story entitled “Randall’s Big City Dreams” and delivering a speech on the importance of reading. The mayor praised Jada’s performance, citing it as an example of why instilling a lifelong love of reading in children is crucial.
After Jada’s introduction, Mayor Woodfin delivered an address on the latest developments of local initiatives. One major success the Mayor noted was securing more than $3.5 million for Birmingham Talks, a program aimed at fostering literacy in children from birth to age 3.
Other updates from Woodfin’s address included 173 miles of streets paved, 8,900 potholes repaired, and $5.5 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 Birmingham students as part of The Birmingham Promise program. Read the city’s strategic plan to read the full list of the Mayor’s updates!
We were tremendously proud to see Jada confidently take the stage with Mayor Woodfin. Jada was chosen out of all third-graders in the district, and her mom, Jennifer, says Girls Inc. programs are a big part in shaping Jada’s success.
At Girls Inc., we firmly believe that every girl possesses the innate ability to make a positive impact on the world. It is a joy to witness young women like Jada take center stage and make a difference in their communities!
This story was featured in the January 2024 issue of our monthly e-newsletter, the Bold Bulletin. For more stories like this one in your inbox, sign up below!