Mayor Jones to Commend Local Girls for Creating Social Change Event
WHO: Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody
10 teen girls from Girls For A Change/Camp Diva Summer Retreat
WHERE: City Hall Lobby (Marshall Street side)
900 East Broad St.
WHAT: Event to commend Richmond girls for creating a social change event
WHEN: Tuesday, March 17, 2015, at 2 p.m.
BACKGROUND:
In advance of the 2015 Date With Dad Weekend, March 20-22, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones will commend girls belonging to the Richmond non-profit organization that started the event. The event began as part of a Girls For A Change (social change) project by girls in Richmond-based Camp Diva. Now, this event is in demand around the country, and is being recognized in national media, to include CNN, ABC World News, Inside Edition, and The Washington Post. Mayor Jones will publicly commend the girls during a press conference on Tuesday, March 17 at 2 p.m. in the lobby of City Hall, 900 East Broad St.
In 2008, girls taking part in Camp Diva, a local non-profit program aimed at preparing teen girls for womanhood, were asked to identify an issue in their community and create a project aimed at changing something about that issue. The girls chose fatherhood, and created a special dance aimed at improving father-daughter relationships through a ‘date.’ That dance grew into a weekend full of events, which includes a dance for incarcerated fathers and their daughters inside the Richmond City Jail. This weekend has become a movement in which other cities around the country want to be involved. Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody will join the mayor to commend the girls for creating events that not only connect fathers and daughters, but also promotes healthy families.
Camp Diva is a program of national organization Girls For A Change. Date With Dad was originated by girls taking part in a Girls For A Change program as part of the Camp Diva Summer Retreat. For more information on Date With Dad or Camp Diva, visit www.campdiva.org.