We are excited to share the Crittenton Chronicle, our new monthly Newsletter!
April 2022 Newsletter
Exciting Things Are Happening At Crittenton
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We’ve been very busy this month, and we’re excited to share what we’ve been up to with you!
S.T.E.A.M PROJECTS WITH OUR SNEAKERS AND GOAL SETTING GIRLS
We built S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) projects into our curriculum to introduce our girls to the many ways science is present in our everyday lives and spur an interest in these lucrative fields. This year, our SNEAKERS and Goal Setting Girls created hand-made molded chocolate hearts and hand-made lip glosses. The girls enjoyed learning these new skills and making products they see and use on a daily basis.
SHOE DONATION FROM VICTIMS’ RIGHTS FOUNDATION
Earlier this month, Greg Wims and The Victims’ Rights Foundation donated more sneakers to our girls at Banneker Middle School. Our girls were so excited and thankful for this unexpected gift. Simple things like new shoes fill our girls with confidence as they re-acclimate to school life.
EASTER FOOD DRIVE WITH WOMEN WHO CARE MINISTRIES AND VICTIMS’ RIGHTS FOUNDATION
Crittenton girls get involved in their community. Over the Easter weekend, our Crittenton girls joined our President & CEO, Siobhan Davenport, and volunteered with the Women Who Care Ministries and The Victims’ Rights Foundation for an Easter Food Drive in Gaithersburg, MD. Over 300 families received groceries, i.e. whole rotisserie chickens, fresh vegetables, and other baked goods for a warm meal. Thank you to Judith Clark and Greg Wims for bringing our communities together for such a great cause.
CRITTENTON IN THE NEWS
Can you imagine what our world would be like if entire communities stepped up together to support and raise future leaders? Our President & CEO, Siobhan Davenport and Built For Impact Host, Amanda Bocik, discussed this powerful vision on the podcast Built for Impact. Listen to this important conversation here.
CRITTENTON SPOTLIGHT
Candice Pal
Crittenton’s First College & Career Readiness Counselor
Goldman Sach’s One Million Black Woman Initiative awarded Crittenton a grant to expand our gender equity work. We hired Candice Pal as our first College & Career Readiness Counselor. Candice facilitates monthly sessions with our 11th and 12th-grade participants to help them plan for successful futures. She has earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of Maryland, Global Campus, and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Washington Adventist University. Prior to Crittenton, Mrs. Pal worked as a PGCPS Teacher, and a College Career Counselor. In her undergraduate years, she worked within the healthcare field, specifically focused on women’s health. Candice also interned at DeMatha Catholic High School as a College Counselor, and currently volunteers as an Online College and Career Advisor for CareerVillage.org, providing online college and career advice for underserved youths. Candice is passionate about counseling and coaching students to prepare them to transition into young adulthood.
LAST CALL
CRITTENTON’S
2022 VIRTUAL HIGH TEA
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 6:00pm
At Crittenton, we believe that inter-generational conversations can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. Our annual High Tea is a cornerstone tradition that brings Crittenton teens together with community leaders from the corporate, government, higher education, nonprofit, and social advocacy sectors. Once again we will gather virtually to give teen girls opportunities to share their views on issues impacting their lives and showcase their leadership and advocacy skills.
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Happy Women’s History Month! From Crittenton’s Advocates for Equity to our partnerships with powerful and impactful women making a difference, we celebrated women who are transforming their community — at every age.
A TOWNHALL WITH OUR ADVOCATES
& MOCO’S COUNCIL PRESIDENT
We kicked off the month with a town hall with Montgomery County Council President and Chair of The Health & Human Services Committee, Gabe Albornoz. Mr. Albornoz met with our Advocates for Equity girls and held a thoughtful discussion on everything from COVID recovery and racial discrimination to how to improve youth mental health services in schools. We see brighter and better days ahead where teens and local government work together to make our communities better and stronger.
BLACK GIRL SUMMIT AT SENECA VALLEY HS
Meanwhile, at Seneca Valley High School we hosted a Black Girl Summit led by our Program Consultant, Kahlil Kuykendall, in partnership with the MCPS Equity Initiatives Unit team. The mission of the summit was to educate and empower Black girls to heal themselves and change their school, their community, and the world. Girls started the summit with questions about how to engage their peers effectively. They left with a better understanding of their inner power and equipped with proper communication tools and a desire to connect better with their peers and community.
Crystal is an experienced President & CEO with a demonstrated history of working in the philanthropy, government, and nonprofit sectors for transformative community development. She has over 20 years of workforce experience in Nonprofit Management and Development, Community Outreach and Planning, Government, Team, and Coalition Building, Strategic Planning and Advancement, Program and Policy Analysis and Evaluation, Advocacy, and Public Speaking. She is a strong community development professional focused on racial and social justice and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) focused on International Development from Rutgers University.
We want to take this time to give a huge thank you to Crystal and her team at HIF for all the incredible work they’re doing in Montgomery County, MD. We also want to share our immense gratitude for the grant they’ve awarded us to support our newest developments in mental health support for our teen girls.
We sat down with Crystal and asked her a few important questions about her philanthropic and nonprofit work and the partnering of HIF with CSGW.
What leads your organization, HIF, to support and partner with the work of Crittenton Services?
HIF believes that mentoring is an essential strategy for community wellness as part of a multi-prong approach to delivering accessible behavioral health and wellness services in the community. We know that trusted individuals are guiding posts for our youth, supporting them on their social-emotional and educational journeys to reach their dreams.
What advice or a memorable experience as a teen girl would you share with teens girls today?
Mistakes and setbacks happen to us all and are essential to the journey that forms us. These supposed failures do not define who we are or who we are going to be, but rather teach us lessons about who we are and what we value, build our resiliency, and ensure that we surround ourselves with supportive networks that are the gentle hands of support along our journey.
What inspires you to do the impactful work you’re doing in Montgomery County?
Through the Foundation, we support and seed innovation for impactful and actionable change that is transformative at the individual, organizational, and community levels. Creating the vital Foundation through our investments and convenings and enabling our leaders and nonprofits to address the challenges is genuinely inspirational. We stay motivated through the essential work of cultivating the change we want to see. We don’t just see the challenges, but have the utmost privilege to be apart of the community solutions. Truly grateful.
Save The Date!
CRITTENTON’S
2022 VIRTUAL HIGH TEA
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 6:00pm
At Crittenton, we believe that inter-generational conversations can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. Our annual High Tea is a cornerstone tradition that brings Crittenton teens together with community leaders from the corporate, government, higher education, nonprofit, and social advocacy sectors. Once again we will gather virtually to give teen girls opportunities to share their views on issues impacting their lives and showcase their leadership and advocacy skills.
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In February, our programs celebrated love, sisterhood, and Black History Month!
A SNEAKERS AND GOAL SETTING GIRLS DAY OUT
Erin Jackson recently made history as the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in speed skating for the United States. Our SNEAKERS & Goal Setting Girls in Montgomery County celebrated the occasion and went ice skating at the Silver Spring Ice Skating Rink with their fabulous program leader Kahlil Kuykendall. Later, they grabbed some pizza, hot cocoa, and special Crittenton t-shirts.
THE SISTERHOOD CELEBRATES GALENTINE’S DAY
Our SNEAKERS girls at White Oak Middle School kept the festivities going and hosted a Galentine’s Day-themed lunch complete with gift baskets, food, candy, and even a BFF (best friends forever) proposal!
Meanwhile, at Briggs Chaney Middle School, Siobhan Davenport, our President & CEO, met with our SNEAKERS & Goal Setting Girls for a festive Galentine’s Party. Thank you, to Principal Robinson, and Greg and Rachel Wims of The Victim’s Rights Foundation, for a generous donation of stylish Puma sneakers, and for supporting our girls.
“I’m happy to be in partnership with Crittenton over the years. The programs – SNEAKERS and GSG – have made an impact in the lives of the girls, especially during COVID.” -Principal Robinson
TEAM SPOTLIGHT:
THE INCREDIBLE BLACK WOMEN
ON OUR PRORGRAM TEAM
At Crittenton, we make Black History by supporting teen girls in the DMV. We couldn’t do it without our program coordinators and their dedication to advocating for and uplifting youth voices across the region. Each of our leaders has unique abilities and strengths they bring to our team, to their sessions with the teen girls they serve, and to their communities. We’re proud to shine a special light on the excellence of the Black women on our team during Black History Month.
We have immense gratitude for all of our supporters that stood with us and provided their support during the tumultuous times of living in a pandemic.
Will you continue to join us in supporting teen girls that are in need?
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2021 was about resilience. Take a look at some of our favorite moments from last year and see how our girls persevered despite the pandemic.
JANUARY – MARCH
The first quarter of the year was all about Montgomery County. Our Montgomery County Teen Advocates kicked off the new year with an important community conversation with Councilmember Nancy Navarro and Antonio Tijerino, CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation about how to overcome obstacles as teens of color. Then, Siobhan Davenport, our President & CEO, sat down with the one and only Harold Fisher of WHUR-FM, to discuss how to keep teen girls from sliding into crisis situations. Finally, Siobhan spoke with Kim Jones of Montgomery County Media’s Studio 501c3 to highlight our work empowering teen girls to overcome obstacles and make positive choices in their lives.
APRIL- JUNE
The spring brought two of our signature events. First, the Talk with A Teen Girl High Tea is a cornerstone tradition in which our teens meet with community leaders from the corporate, government, higher education, nonprofit, and social advocacy sectors to showcase their advocacy skills and share their views on issues impacting their lives. This year’s event was hosted by Juliana Valencia of NBC 4, and we honored, Catherine Leggett, a longtime Crittenton supporter and First Lady of Montgomery County. We also hosted a virtual Teen Leadership Summit. The day was filled with fun and sisterhood as our girls discussed topics like Taking Back My Crown, Empowering My Community, Manifesting My Dream, My Voice Matters, and Yoga & Mindfulness.
Thanks to the generous support of the Tikun Olam Foundation,12 Crittenton girls also participated in an Advocates for Equity spring training. Over the course of 10 weeks, the girls learned the fundamentals of civic engagement, governance, community building, and advocacy campaigns.
JULY – SEPTEMBER
During the summer we made MAJOR headlines. July was Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Siobhan shared her best tips for parents to support their children’s mental health with Successful Black Parent Magazine. Then, she had an inspiring conversation with Daniel Bauers, Chief Ruckus Maker of Better Leaders Better Schools, the #1 leading podcast for educators who think out-of-the-box and make change happen. Siobhan and Daniel reflected on the school year and the need to increase trauma-informed care in our schools.
Last, but certainly not least, we made The New York Times! For four months, Alisha Hardistani Gupta, a gender reporter at the New York Times, followed several Crittenton girls to capture the impact of the pandemic on their lives. We could not be prouder of Yanica and Jamese, two of our brave and brilliant Crittenton girls, who participated in the story.
OCTOBER- DECEMBER
We end 2021 full of gratitude. Although teen girls today face many challenges, we’re proud to report that Crittenton girls are beating the odds!
100% graduation rate
99% grade advancement
83% of graduates are moving on to higher education or job programs
None of this would be possible without you!
Thank you for supporting and sustaining us in our 133rd year of service to DC and Maryland. Because of you, we were able to show up when our girls needed us the most.
We look forward to sharing more success stories in 2022.
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The holiday season is filled with magic, love, and memories. So we’ve been busy spreading love and cheer to our Crittenton girls in Montgomery County & D.C.
PEARLS Moms & Babies Christmas Drive-By
We partnered with the fabulous Shawn Yancy and her organization, Girl’s Night Out, to host a beautiful gift-giving party for our PEARLs moms and their children. Our girls received everything from clothes, groceries, and toys to put smiles on their faces and get them through the holidays.
Spreading Holiday Cheer In The Classroom
School may have looked different this year, but our support for teen girls remained the same. We hosted holiday parties for the girls in our SNEAKERs and Goal Setting Girls programs. The holiday bags were filled with books, scrunchies, candy, games, and even Crittenton branded cups!
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
LaTara Harris
Our final Board Member spotlight of the year belongs to LaTara Harris. LaTara serves as regional director of external & legislative affairs for AT&T in the Mid Atlantic with a focus is on local legislative and regulatory affairs in Maryland, and in D.C. She is also on the board of the District of Columbia’s Workforce Investment Council, the DC Chamber of Commerce, the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, Maryland Free, The Faunteroy Community Enrichment Center, Youth Leaders In Training, and is the Chairman of the Board of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington. Talk about dedication to her community! She has been recognized for her contributions to her community, and for her professional success by being named the 2017 Washington Business Journal – Minority Business Leader Award winner, the 2015 Maryland Daily Record – Maryland Top 100 Women Award winner, and a host of others. Harris earned her undergraduate degree from Bowie State University and her MBA from the University of Maryland. We appreciate you, LaTara!
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We’re full of gratitude for our Crittenton community. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our amazing girls.
CELEBRATING MOMENTS THAT MATTER
We had an incredible Anniversary Celebration! Our theme was ‘Moments that Matter,’ and you created an evening that mattered. Thank you for joining us and renewing your commitment to transforming the lives of teen girls.
Your support will help us remain a stabilizing force in the lives of our girls and their families.
If you missed this special night, don’t worry, we captured the whole evening. View the replay on our Youtube channel to celebrate our girls and community champions. Just click the image below.
CSGW IN THE NEWS
Adultification bias is a serious issue that impacts the well-being of Black and Brown students across the country. According to a study conducted by Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, Black girls as young as 5 years old are seen as less innocent and more adult-like, compared to their white peers. During the ‘Our Girls, Our World’ webinar, Siobhan Davenport, our President & CEO, joined other thought-leaders and experts to discuss why we must combat adultification bias and allow girls to experience their youth without fear or shame. Click the image to watch this important conversation on our YouTube Channel.
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
AARON L. MEYERS II
First, we want to thank Aaron for all of his hard work in making our Anniversary Celebration spectacular! Secondly, when it comes to how he serves his community, Aaron is a jack of all trades. He is a DC-based entertainer, activist, and entrepreneur. Aaron is a veteran of the United States Army and attended Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas majoring in business and theater. When he’s not busy empowering teen girls, he serves as the Resident Artist at Mr. Henry’s Lounge in Washington, DC, and Minister of Music at Covenant Baptist Church of Christ. Aaron chairs the board of directors for the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation and sits as a member of the board of directors for CTE Vision Foundation and Covenant Full Potential Development Center.
We are delighted that he is serving his second term as Crittenton’s Secretary of the Board, and member of the annual event task force. For some extra holiday cheer, click his photo above to visit his website and learn about his fourth jazz album, The Pride Album.
Halloween Edition: Do You Know What’s Really Scary?
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Black and Brown teen girls are still recovering from the nightmare of the last year, but our Crittenton groups are saving the day.
GROUPS ARE BACK! HOW SPOOK-TACULAR!
We are overjoyed to see our Crittenton programs back in person. Our girls have made it clear that our organization’s support and weekly group meetings are vital to their well-being. That’s why we need your help more than ever to sustain our programs, our girls, and their families through this ever-evolving pandemic. Join us on November 18 for our anniversary celebration. You will hear directly from our girls about what your support has meant to them, and why it’s important to preserve Crittenton’s sacred sisterhood.
CSGW’S SPINE-CHILLING NEWS STORIES
This month, we were honored to be featured not once but twice in The Washington City Paper.
Our girls regularly tell us how caregiving responsibilities have weighed on them during this pandemic. More work at home on top of uncertainty at school has led to increased stress and poor mental health. This is not exclusive to DC. A 2020 World Economic Forum report further confirmed that COVID contributed to gender inequities among women and girls.Click here or on the image above to read about how young girls are holding our city together.
Girls in DC are waking up empty fridges and going to bed wondering whether they can continue to live in their homes. As an organization, we work diligently to support Black and Brown teen girls in managing the disproportionate effects of the pandemic. We know first-hand that, normal wasn’t always great for everyone, and it certainly has been hard for teen girls. Read this powerful story about how the pandemic has triggered a housing and food insecurity crisis in DC.
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KYMBER LOVETT-MENKITTI
We are screaming for Kymber. She is the Co-Chair of our 133rd celebration and serves as the Regional Director for the Maryland/DC Region for Keller Williams Realty International. In that role, Kymber leads the growth of 19 offices with close to 5,000 real estate professionals across the region. She is one of the youngest female executives named to the role in the company’s history. In addition, Kymber was the President of Sales for The Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties (KWCP), two companies recognized for growth, innovation, and demonstrated success and achievement in the residential real estate industry. She led strategy for the MG Residential sales team and built a local team of real estate professionals who have brokered the sale of over $1 billion in residential real estate, representing over 2,300 homes sold. Kymber is also Chair of the CPMG Foundation, a joint project of The Menkiti Group and KWCP created to support the housing, education, and youth needs in the DC Metro area.
THIS YEARS CELEBRATION IS A REAL TREAT!
NOVEMBER 18, 2021 @ 6:30PM
Get Ready For A Night To Remember!
Transformational moments: We’ve all experienced them. Those moments—some big, some small—ultimately have an enormous impact on our lives. This year’s Crittenton Celebration theme is “Moments that Matter”—and we’ll be highlighting some of those moments in the lives of our girls and the distinguished community leaders we will be recognizing. Join us as we applaud the amazing girls of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington at this crucial annual fundraising event that powers our organization’s vital work. By attending our Anniversary Celebration, you too can create a Moment that Matters for hundreds of teen girls. Register for the event HERE.
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School is back in full swing and so are we. All of our groups are back and better than ever. Here’s how…
NEW CRITTENTON PROGRAM COORDINATORS
We’re excited to announce that our program team is growing. We’ve brought on four new program coordinators to support our girls in the new year. Each coordinator is certified in trauma-informed care and their invaluable skills and experience will help teen girls achieve any and every goal they set their mind to! Without further ado, meet our new program coordinators and read their bios on our website.
CRITTENTON PROGRAMS ARE BACK
The last year has been so difficult for our girls, so we are over the moon to be back in the classroom. We start each year off with team-building exercises so that girls can make new friends and feel comfortable joining our sacred sisterhood. Over the next 22 weeks, girls will learn how to take control of their mental, physical, and emotional health, and also how to set positive goals and create healthy relationships. We can’t wait to share their journey with you. Visit our website to learn the schools we’re currently present in and how you can enroll your teen girl.
CRITTENTON IN THE NEWS
This was a big month in the news for Crittenton. Read about some of our biggest media moments yet.
HOW TO DEAL WITH BACK TO SCHOOL STRESS
At the beginning of the month, our President & CEO, Siobhan Davenport, sat down with Jeanette Reyes, an anchor at FOX5 DC, to share tips for dealing with back-to-school stress. According to recent Center for Disease Control data, there was a 50.6% increase in suicide ideation among teen girls. Siobhan connects with parents of teen girls in this segment and lends some helpful advice on connecting with your daughter and supporting her this school year. Listen to this important conversation here!
Crittenton Girl Yanica Mejias, 17, Gaithersburg High School
Crittenton Girl Jamese Logan, 15, DuVal High School
“No Time To Be A Child,” discusses how teen girls, especially Black and Brown girls, took on extra responsibilities during the pandemic like caring for younger siblings, working additional jobs to contribute to the financial stability of their families, and even fighting for dignity and racial justice— all while struggling with young adulthood and virtual school. We could not be prouder of Yanica and Jamese, two of our brave and brilliant Crittenton girls, who participated in the story. We are also grateful to our program coordinators who serve as that trusted caring adult and support system to Crittenton girls in need.
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
ANTONIO TIJERINO
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are delighted to share that Antonio Tijerino is this month’s board member spotlight. Antonio is the President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, an organization that identifies, inspires, prepares, and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community, and workforce. He has also served as the director of public relations in the communications department for the Fannie Mae Foundation, a manager for corporate communications and spokesperson for Nike, and an account supervisor for the Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolf public relations firms in Washington. Antonio’s commitment to Crittenton’scommunications task force and the governance committee make him a major contribution to the work we do and the vital connections we have in our community. We are proud and honored to have a powerhouse like Antonio on our team.
SAVE THE DATE: NOVEMBER 18, 2021 @ 6:30PM
Get Ready For A Night To Remember!
Transformational moments: We’ve all experienced them. Those moments—some big, some small—ultimately have an enormous impact on our lives. This year’s Crittenton Celebration theme is “Moments that Matter”—and we’ll be highlighting some of those moments in the lives of our girls and the distinguished community leaders we will be recognizing. Join us as we applaud the amazing girls of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington at this crucial annual fundraising event that powers our organization’s vital work. By attending our Anniversary Celebration, you too can create a Moment that Matters for hundreds of teen girls. Register for the event HERE.
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Summer is in full swing and we are helping our girls RISE and reach BEYOND the pandemic. Here’s how…
RISE Summer Program
Helping Girls RISE Above The Pandemic.
In Montgomery County, we are hosting the RISE Summer Program– a four-week internship and career development opportunity for rising juniors and seniors. Our Crittenton girls engage in hands-on learning in potential career fields while also learning about employer expectations, professional and transferable technical skills, and various career options.
BEYOND Summer Program
Meeting Our Girls Where They Are, Empowering Them To Move Beyond
In DC, we launched the BEYOND Summer Learning program in response to COVID’s impact on our girls’ grades and emotional wellbeing. For six weeks, our girls will work alongside our phenomenal team of positive youth specialists and have a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment that is focused on building their literacy skills, social-emotional learning, and trauma response. Our girls will also participate in mindfulness activities, and field trips, cooking lessons, and more to relieve some of the stress from this past school year.
CRITTENTON IN THE NEWS
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Siobhan Davenport, recently sat down with Janice Robinson (JR) Celeste, Founder & Publisher of Successful Black Parent Magazine to share tips for parents to support their children’s mental health.
During our spring needs assessment, 63% of our girls reported feeling more stressed than usual. That is not surprising when you consider that our youth suddenly took on additional caregiving responsibilities at home, lost loved ones to COVID-19, and were thrown into a completely virtual learning environment without all of the tools or resources needed to succeed.
This month, we are proud to spotlight our phenomenal Board Member, Natali Fani-Gonzalez. We cannot say enough positive things about her. She co-chaired our Crittenton Cupboard Campaign which raised over $5,000 to for the emergency fund to support our girls this summer.
Her impact doesn’t stop there. She’s a social, economic, and environmental justice advocate who is leading change in Maryland. She currently works as the Vice-Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board and serves as Commissioner for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, a bi-county agency established by state law that regulates real estate development, plans transportation infrastructure, and manages the park systems in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
Save the date for our 2021 Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, November 18, 2021 @ 6:30 PM
Join us as we applaud the amazing girls of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington and honor distinguished community leaders, at this crucial annual fundraising event that powers our organization’s vital work. By attending our Anniversary Celebration, you can make a fundamental difference for hundreds of teen girls. Invite to follow but save the date on your calendar today!
