With the Cornerstone Cottage programs in place, we designed an exit strategy for our volunteer work in Madison Elementary School and surrounding neighborhood by the end of 2006.

At the same time, we embarked on a new signature project called “Girls Rock!” to endow adolescent girls with the understanding of their potential and the skills necessary to reach their goals. “Girls Rock!” provided unique and innovative developmental learning experiences for middle school girls that positively impacted their lives and strengthened their personal foundation for the future. This program nurtured the physical and emotional health as well as the well being of every girl it touched, allowing them to develop life skills and support healthy, authentic relationships.

We adopted three programs under the Girls Rock! umbrella: BodyWise, a girl’s fitness and wellness conference; Be R.E.A.L., a series of seminars for girls and their parents/guardians that focus on healthy relationships; and Side by Side, a mentoring program for girls and JLP members to nurture their volunteer spirit as they gave back to the community.

BodyWise (2006 – 2011)

BodyWise was a one day conference for middle school girls and their caregivers in which they come together to learn about and participate in interactive workshops dealing with important topics such as positive body image, self-esteem, nutrition and much more.

BodyWise was developed to meet the growing need for services directed towards middle school girls by providing unique and innovative developmental learning experiences for underserved girls in grades 6-8 and their parents/caregivers. Participants are drawn from all across the San Gabriel Valley; participants came from as far away as west Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Side By Side

Side by Side (SBS) was a mentoring program designed to help middle school girls realize their full potential by providing them with opportunities to become more involved in their communities. The program partnered women in the Junior League with girls living within the Pasadena Unified School District in order to participate in volunteer experiences. Past projects have included creating animal toys for abandoned pets following Hurricane Katrina, wrapping packages for home bound senior citizens during the holiday season, and planning a community/job fair for students at Wilson Middle School.

Be R.E.A.L.

In partnership with The Institute for Girls’ Development, Be R.E.A.L. was a program developed for middle school girls and their parents or

caregivers to learn more about the social world of middle school and to gain strategies to empower girls to have positive friendships.