Newark Group Has Helped Girls ‘Live, Love, Laugh’ For 10 Years

NEWARK, NJ — The following article comes courtesy of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

It’s Girls; Live Love Laugh, Inc. Day in The City Of Newark.

During a time when black and brown girls are being ignored, Mayor Ras J. Baraka proclaimed September 16th Girls; Live, Love, Laugh Inc. Day in The City Of Newark; making Newark the only city in the country, to dedicate an entire day to celebrate girls, to show them that they are important, that they are loved and that they are supported in all that they do.

This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of the founding of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides Youth Mentoring Programs to at risk girls, ages 6 – 16, in Newark.

Executive director, Allison “The YouthPreneur” James-Frison, is a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, was born in Newark, who also grew up an at-risk girl from the Stella Wright Projects. Because of her childhood struggles, Allison founded Girls; Live, Love, Laugh Inc. in 2009, to provide a safe-haven for girls to go every Saturday, where they can thrive.

“My goal is to make sure all these girls have a chance to live, love and laugh and that they reach their highest potential. Giving back to the city means a lot to me. When some people think of Newark, they think it’s a bad place to live. But Newark is a beautiful city! So, I give all of my time and I provide all of my resources, just to help girls in need,” pledged Mrs. James-Frison.

The purpose of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. is to make a difference in girls' lives, by removing obstacles that threaten to stand in their way, so that they can become respectable, successful, productive and happy young ladies. The organization’s mission is to give every girl between six - sixteen years of age, in the city of Newark and neighboring communities, a chance to live, love, and laugh out loud, through mentorship, entrepreneurship, building their self-esteem, proper etiquette, proper hygiene, and participation in core workshops on leadership, career development, education, communications, health & wellness, anti-bullying programs, time management and civic engagement.

Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. implements a variety of programs that focuses on tackling many of the pressing issues girls face today - The Young Scholars Academy (YSA) – For girls ages 6-9, featuring two 8 week workshop series entitled ‘RoyalTEA Sip & Paint Art,’ that spotlights their cultural awareness and creative expression, where all the artwork created is donated to homeless shelters and hospitals, and ‘Pink Tea Etiquette Series,’ where girls learn basic table manners, how to use the proper forks and proper napkin placement; Club10EN (C10) – Is specifically catered to girls age 10, featuring an 8 week budgeting workshop series entitled ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fund$’ were they learn the difference between savings and checking account, how to budget, pay bills, open up a savings account and write checks; Royal Tweens – Is for girls ages 11-12, featuring two 8 week series entitled ‘The Passport To HBCU,’ a college readiness program specifically geared toward interesting girls in going to Historically Black Colleges, and ‘A Different Digital World,’ introducing girls to branding and creating positive content for social media and digital platforms; Becoming Queens – For girls ages 13 – 15, featuring an 8 week workshop series entitled ‘Fit TEENS Rock Health & Wellness Clinic,’ where they participate in Zumba, healthy cooking, mediation, yoga classes and healthy relationships seminars. They are exposed to arts and culture of the HeARTS.

At Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., young ladies learn the importance of giving back though Community Outreach work which includes – preparing Bags of H.U.G.S to donate to a Women’s Shelter; providing Bags of Hope to people in need every holiday season; hosting an annual Health & Wellness Outreach Day to provide free health screenings, medical information, a blood drive and free yoga class; hosting the #GirlsLLL #WeCare Youth Breast Cancer Awareness, to teach girls starting at age 10 and up, how perform a breast self-examine; participating in the West Ward 2nd Annual Clean Up Day; working the Annual Plates of Love Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner, to feed those that are in need of a hot meal and warm smiles for the holiday; preparing food for the Prospect Presbyterian Breakfast at Prospect Presbyterian Church in Newark, to feed the homeless; and donating thousands of toys during the holiday season at their Annual Toys of Hope Christmas Party.

Girls who participate in the GLLL programs, get exposure to college life, leadership skills, education excellence, fall and summer leadership retreats, traveling, professional networking and access to engage with like-minded girls and alumnae that attended GLLL. There are currently five GLLL Inc. campuses located throughout the city of Newark, N.J.; Fit Girls Rock Health and Wellness Clinic (ages 6-8) Central Ward, The Center of Hope, 179 Boyd Street, Newark, N.J.; Club Tween (ages 9-10) Central Ward, The Clubhouse, 205 Spruce Street Newark, N.J.; Southside Belles (girls 11-13) South Ward, T.R.E.C., 55 Ludow Street, Newark, N.J.; East S.T.E.E.M. Girls (girls 11-13) East Ward, Ironbound Community Center, 317 Elm Street, Newark, N.J.; The Duchess (girls 11-13) North Ward, The Waterfront, 2 Grafton Ave, Newark, N.J.

The young women of Newark, NJ are intelligent, courageous, and dedicated, but are also very vulnerable to the everyday dangers that the city faces. So every year, Girls; Live Love Laugh Inc., hosts its 3rd Annual #GirlsMatter Walk, in support of girls and women reclaiming their purpose and letting the world know that #GIRLSMATTER! Each year, the community comes out in mass, to walk with the girls to help promote positive sisHERhood, self-love, equal education and the power of using their voice. In commemoration of this year’s 10th anniversary of the founding of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh Inc., they’ll kick off a festival following the #GirlsMatterWalk, starting 9:00 a.m., Sunday, September 15, 2019, at Lincoln Park, Newark, NJ, 07102. This is a FREE, family friendly, event, where all ages are welcome to attend and join in on the fun.

Mrs. James-Frison, experienced first-hand what limited resources can do to the life of a young girl. Which is why the organization encourages #GirlsMatterWalk attendees to bring new socks, winter gloves, hats and/or personal hygiene items, pillow cases, to be donated to homeless shelters, girls and families in need throughout the city of Newark. This year’s walk kicks off with a welcome speech from the founder, Allison “The YouthPreneur” James-Frison, followed by words from Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Councilwoman Lamonica McGiver and other special invited guests to be announced. The Festival begins immediately after the walk with DJ music, dance performances, singers, poets, face painters, clowns, sip & paint, a bouncy house, a game truck, vendors and more.

Each year, Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., hosts various community fundraisers, to raise money to help the organization provide additional services and scholarships for girls in need. The 10 Year Anniversary Gala, Saturday, October 5, 2019 held at the Best Western Robert Treat Hotel in Newark NJ; The Princess Ball, which takes place every spring; The Fall Community Barbecue, the last Sunday every October; The 5th Annual Women Who Clap Awards Ceremony; The All Girls PJ Party; and the second Saturday every December, to name a few. For more information on those, stay connected with Girls; Love, Laugh, Inc. on all their social media platforms - Facebook: @girlslivelovelaugh, Instagram: @girlslllinc, Twitter: @GirlsLLL.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com