Ladies In Waiting, Inc.

Vision Statement
To produce young ladies who will hold themselves in high regard by building character & increased self-esteem, improving their academic performance, their interpersonal relationships with peers, family members & other adults, and who will honor their future by not disrespecting their bodies through pre-marital sex or substance abuse.

Description:
Ladies In Waiting” is a non profit organization with its focus on the needs of females grades 8 – 12. It is an organization that will help them in several aspects, including but not limited too educationally, socially, & culturally.

Participants will be apart of age appropriate open discussions on general teen topics. Participants will also receive help with applying to colleges & universities and trade schools and assistance with applying for Financial Aid and Scholarships. This portion of the program runs from September to May to coincide with the academic year.

The Final portion of the program, during the academic year will allow our girls to be exposed to the culture of the Atlanta area and surrounding states. Educational and recreational trips will be taken monthly to places such as museums, musicals, local professional sports games, etc. We will also expose the girls to different career paths by allowing them to spend time in the lives of lawyers, doctors, accountants, teachers, bankers and entrepreneurs.

Graduating seniors will have the opportunity to participate in a Debutante Scholarship Cotillion. The amount of the scholarship will vary depending on what is available on a yearly basis. This is also when our graduating seniors will be introduced to distinguished members of society, i.e. the Mayor of Atlanta, City Council members and many others.
During the summer, uprising juniors & seniors, will participate in a six week residential program at a local Atlanta Historically Black College, yet to be determined.

All participants are classified by grades:
12th Graders – Diamonds
11th Graders – Emeralds
10th Graders – Pearls
9th Graders – Sapphires
8th Graders – Rubies

Participants are classified as “Precious Jewels.” It is important that our young ladies acknowledge their value, and using precious stones is an excellent way to introduce that concept.

History:
HerStory

Founded in December 1997, in Jersey City, NJ, Ladies In Waiting, Inc. was known as “Somebody Cares” Foundation. The idea of the foundation was birthed when Crystal R. Moore and close friend, Keri C. Orange, felt a need to do something for the girls residing in the inner city of Jersey City. They wanted to focus on girls ages 11-18 to keep them out of trouble. The foundation was to target abstinence from any activity that would lead to drug & alcohol use, gang activity or pregnancy among girls that age. The idea was great, but neither one pushed to get it off of the ground.

After relocating to the Atlanta, Georgia Metropolitan area in early 1999, with her husband and newborn daughter, Crystal got the idea to try and implement a program similar to the one she and her friend had discussed years earlier. While things did not take off right away, she spent as much time as she could with a newborn, researching programs for girls in the Atlanta, GA area. While she did notice there were some out there, none were as unique as what she came up with the more she researched. She decided that this is something that would be of great value and decided to proceed with the vision. She first had to come up with a name for the organization. For some reason, “Somebody Cares” didn’t seem to fit the new area she was targeting. Choosing “Ladies In Waiting” reflected what she saw in the young girls of the new millennium. They were girls, rushing to become women, but missing out on being a lady.

With that in mind, and being a former debutante herself, Crystal decided to incorporate a Debutante Cotillion into her program, and call the program, “Ladies In Waiting”. Incorporation of the organization eventually came in November 2003, and 501(c) 3 status was granted in January 2005.

 With 2005-06 being the inaugural year that the organization will be accepting girls, there is nothing but excitement brewing about how this will be an effective tool to keep our girls informed, safe and prepare them for the future.

“Ladies in Waiting, Inc.”, a non profit organization with its focus on the needs of females grades 8 – 12. It is an organization that will help them in several aspects, including but not limited too educationally, socially, & culturally. Affectionately called, “Jewels”, our goal is to allow the girls to feel they have a positive support system in addition to their families & school system, a place to turn when they feel like giving up.

“Enriching & Empowering the lives of girls”, not only a mission, but a passion.

Contact person: Crystal Moore, Exec. Director/Founder, (phone), (email)

Address:

PO Box 1534 Lithia Springs, GA 30122

Web Site: http://www.LadiesInWaitingInc.org

Last updated on December 14, 2009