| Thank You to Our Partners |
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Click on a logo to visit our Partners' website 
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Board Members |
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Jennifer Valoppi*,
Television Journalist and Author Don Browne*, President, Telemundo Network The Honorable Katherine Fernandez Rundle*, Miami-Dade State Attorney Betty Amos, President, The Abkey Companies Judge Judith Kreeger*, Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Jamie Byington, CPA, Partner, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland L.L.P. Donna Feldman*, CPA, PA Lisa Stewart Hughes,
Vice President, Compliance, Telemundo/NBC Universal Marisa Toccin, President, LineaLuxe
Dr. Diane Walder, MD, PA
* Denotes Founding Board Member | |
Dear
Friends:
I
hope you're enjoying your summer. At Women of Tomorrow we are gearing up
for the new school year in many exciting ways.
We
have a new Executive Director, Tish Sheesley. Tish comes to us with
nearly 20 years of non-profit work including most recently as the Executive
Director of the Alzheimer's Association, Central and North Florida Chapter and
the Executive Director of the Charlotte County Public School District's local
education Foundation where she administered Take Stock in Children. Tish
has been working closely with WOT's outgoing Executive Director, Bianca
Erickson, to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. If you need to
contact her, Women of Tomorrow's number remains the same, (305) 371-3330 and
Tish's email is t.sheesley@womenoftomorrow.org. Thank
you to Maria Browne for all her work in the executive search.
It
was great to see many of you at Bianca's going away party at Perricone's and
while she is now settling in at her new Massachusetts home, Bianca has not left
Women of Tomorrow entirely. She continues to work with us as a consultant
and can still be reached at her email address, b.erickson@womenoftomorrow.org.
Women
of Tomorrow has many exciting prospects on the horizon and I look forward to
providing you all updates as we move forward.
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Best Wishes for a wonderful summer, |
Jennifer Valoppi,
President & Founder | |
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 Mark Your Calendar
- Tuesday August 18, 2009 - First day of school for Palm Beach County
- Monday August 24, 2009 - First day of school for Miami-Dade and Broward Counties
- Saturday March 20, 2010 - Annual Gala
- Thursday April 29, 2010 - Graduation Luncheon
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Women of Tomorrow Bids Farewell to
Executive Director Bianca Erickson
On May 21, 2009, a farewell dinner was held at
Perricone's Marketplace and Cafe in downtown Miami for outgoing Executive Director Bianca
Erickson, pictured below with Mentor Judge Judy Kreeger, Women of Tomorrow
Founder Jennifer Valoppi and Mentor Millinda Sinnreich .
It has been my honor and pleasure to serve
as Women of Tomorrow's Executive Director and to work with all of you for the
last six years. I love Women of Tomorrow
- I love what we do, I love the people involved and I love our girls. Their hope, passion, ambition, excitement,
energy, sophistication and perseverance humbles, inspires and motivates
me.
Thank you to all our Mentors, School
Coordinators, friends and supporters - your kindness and generosity towards
Women of Tomorrow and our Mentees is endless and inspiring - you're always one
email away from helping WOT with any request we have - you've volunteered your
time, donated scholarships, donated furniture, hosted special field trips and
so much more - you make this program the success it is.
I am very proud of our growth and all we've
accomplished together and look forward to staying connected to Women of
Tomorrow as we move forward.
Warm wishes for a wonderful summer,
J. Bianca Erickson
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Women
of Tomorrow Recognized by
The School Board of Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade
County School Board Member Dr. Larry Feldman recognized the Women of Tomorrow
Mentor & Scholarship Program (WOT) during the Miami-Dade County School
Board meeting on May 20, 2009. The School Board of Miami-Dade County
presented Women of Tomorrow with a proclamation acknowledging the success and
benefits of the WOT program in our community, including a 90% mentee high
school graduation rate and over $2.3 million in scholarships awarded to 838 mentees. Women
of Tomorrow Executive Director Bianca Erickson, Miami-Dade Program Coordinator
Pam Edwards and Mentor Karen Tynes accepted the honor from Miami-Dade County
School Board Member Dr. Larry Feldman during the Miami-Dade County School Board
meeting on May 20, 2009.
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Women of Tomorrow
Mentees Attend DeVry
University's HerWorldŽ Conference
On
January 28, 2009, WOT Mentees from Plantation High School, Hollywood Hills High
School, Blanche Ely High School, McArthur High School, South Broward High
School, Piper High School, Atlantic Technical High School, Miami Jackson Senior
High School, North Miami Senior High School, Miami Edison Senior High School
and North Miami Beach Senior High School attended DeVry University's HerWorldŽ
Conference hosted by City of Miramar Cultural Arts Center.
Approximately
200 WOT Mentees participated in this interactive workshop designed to help
young women visualize their potential success in careers in the fields of
business and technology.
The
event began with a series of highly successful professional female speakers who
encouraged Women of Tomorrow Mentees to pursue careers in technology.
Thank
you to Keynote Speaker Diane Sanchez, CEO and President Telefonica USA, Inc,
Barbara Ann Fox, Nola Garcia de Quevedo, Ana Farrand, Sherry Thompson Giordano
and Victoria Usherenko for taking
the time to speak to our Mentees.
The
students then formed project teams which competed against each other to finish
different assignments, including building a robot and creating a marketing
plan.
Women
of Tomorrow would like to give a special thanks to Mentor Keisha Smith for
coordinating this wonderful event!
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Merrick Park Project Prom Dress
On
Tuesday, March 31, 2009, WOT Mentees from Miami Southridge Senior High School,
Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Miami Killian Senior High School, Design
& Architecture Senior High School, School for Applied Technology, Robert
Morgan Educational Center, DM Wallace COPE South, and Coral Reef Senior High
School attended the Village of Merrick Park and Women of Tomorrow Project Prom
Dress event. WOT Mentees who visited
Village Merrick Park were once again given the opportunity to try on and select
from dozens of donated, gently worn designer gowns. Mentees were also able to participate in make
up demonstrations as well as prom etiquette presentations - all in preparation
for the prom.
Thank you to all who donated gently-worn designer
gowns!
Click here to view photos of 2009 Project Prom Dress
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My Irene Marie Experience
I never thought I
would actually be sitting in front of the Irene Marie, let alone
actually speak to her personally. Once I received the news of her visit to the
school, I almost went into a state of shock. She has been one of my idols since the
age of 14. I have attended most of her events and have had the chance to meet
some of her models at the annual Nikkipalooza tournament. The mentoring session
was one of the most emotional yet, but kind words and motivational speeches
made it one of the best. Her caring and insightful message made the girls and I
reach a new inspirational level; it made us appreciate an education more than
we already do. During the session I threw in a "mentee mentors a mentor" moment
where I gave her a few words of encouragement as well. Not only did that
session end with memorable pictures, and a get-to-brag to my friends about
meeting her card, but an appreciation of education and the future. I was very
thankful to have her at the session and wish her the best in life.
-Sai Oicata,
WOT
Mentee at Miami Lakes Educational Center
 WOT Mentees from Miami Lakes Educational Center
with Mentor and Guest
Speaker Irene Marie
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South Beach Food and Wine Festival
Fun and Fit as a Family
Women
of Tomorrow would like to thank Mentor Susan Gladstone and the 2009 South Beach
Food and Wine Festival for donating tickets to the Fun and Fit as a Family
event on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22 at Jungle Island. This
two-day event allowed WOT Mentees and their parents, like Mentee Schesly Jules,
pictured left, to participate in various fun-filled, educational activities
geared toward promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles. The event also
featured live culinary demonstrations by top Food Network stars such as Rachel
Ray, Tyler Florence and Paula Deen.
Dear Women of
Tomorrow,
Thank you so much
for allowing me the opportunity to go to the Food and Wine Festival. It was the
first time I ever attended one of these events and I loved it. I brought my family and we had so much fun
together. We got to see animals like monkeys and birds. My little sister
and I got our faces painted like tigers. We learned about healthier food
choices and got to taste food! We were also very privileged to see Rachael
Ray. Overall it was an amazing
experience and I hope I can do it again next year.
Sincerely
Schesly Jules,
WOT Mentee at
Atlantic Technical High School
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Spanish River Luncheon
Mentees from Spanish River High School were
treated to the 4th Annual Mentee Luncheon hosted by Mentor Laurie
Silvers in early January 2009. Women of Tomorrow Mentees from Spanish River High School pose with Kris Beakey, School Coordinator Elizabeth Calvente-Torres, School Coordinator Candace Habersham and Mentor Laurie Silvers at Seasons 52 Restaurant in Boca Raton.
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Mentees
at Young Women's
Preparatory Academy Give Back
by Shaquira Robinson
 HIV/AIDS is a complex issue that affects all lives despite gender,
class, caste, religion, or sexual orientation. At Naz Care India they are
committed to raising awareness to prevent the spread of HIV and providing
support to those living with the virus and those affected by it, with
sensitivity and utmost confidentiality. They help those with HIV and prevent
others from getting it.
The members of WOT at Young Women's Preparatory Academy (YWPA) had the
opportunity to work with Naz during this past holiday season. The Naz Care Home is home to 36 children
ranging in ages from 2 to 15. Each WOT
member provided a shoe box filled with school supplies, books, and holiday
candy to each child in the Naz house.
Attached to the shoe box was a picture of each respective student
sending the materials and a little note letting each child know that someone
out there cared about them. Our contact
was Alisha Miranda, a daughter of YWPA ESE teacher, Ms. Fernandez.
In return, the
WOT members received a thank you note with each of the children's signatures.
There was also a letter detailing how each child was delighted to know that a
stranger loved them enough to send them a special gift. The children really
enjoyed their gifts and put them to good use. This told the Women of Tomorrow
group that their gifts were greatly appreciated and it really touched them to
know this.
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Mentoring Sessions
Each month mentors conduct mentoring sessions with Women of Tomorrow Mentees from schools throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. This spring Mentees from American Senior High School, John I. Leonard High School, John A. Ferguson Senior High School, Miami Coral Park Senior High School and Coconut Creek High School were among those who treated to guest speakers from various career fields.
Click here to view photos of Spring 2009 WOT Mentoring Sessions
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College Campus Visits
This spring Palm Beach Atlantic University and DeVry University hosted campus tours for Women of Tomorrow mentees.
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Women of Tomorrow Partnership with
OneCommUnity Continues
Mentees from Hallandale Adult Community Center, Dave Thomas Education Center,
Stoneman Douglas High School, Dillard High School and Boyd Anderson High School
attended a Cultural Competency Workshop on January 8, 2009 at Children Services
Council.
Mentees from Hialeah Senior High School, Miami Edison Senior High School and
School for Advanced Studies North attended a Cultural Competency Workshop on
April 24, 2009 at St. Thomas University. 
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Women of Tomorrow
Mentor & Scholarship Program
Mission:
To inspire, motivate and empower at-risk young women to live up to their full potential through mentoring by highly accomplished professional women and scholarship opportunities |
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Women of Tomorrow
Program Personnel
Bianca Erickson, Executive Director
Pam Edwards, Miami-Dade County Program Coordinator
Jennifer M. Gonzalez, Program Coordinator
Cristin Tanner, Executive Assistant
Silvana Arias, Data Management Assistant
Wanda Robinson, Broward County Schools Liaison
Shelley Parpard, Palm Beach County Schools Liaison
Bonnie Hutton, Volunteer, Newsletter Editor | |
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Donate If you would like to help Women of Tomorrow by making a donation, you may click here to Donate online. |
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