Ladies of Virtue Celebrates 10 Years
Ladies of Virtue (LOV), a Chicago- based non-profit established to create excellent programming and mentorship for African American girls, will host their annual fundraiser, “Leading with Virtue,” on Saturday, Nov. 13. The event will take place virtually once again, with the program beginning at 11:30 a.m. CST, followed by a VIP interview and performance at 12:30 p.m. CST with Grammy Award winning artist, Chrisette Michele. Val Warner, host of Windy City Weekend, will emcee the occasion.
The “Leading with Virtue’’ event serves as a celebration of the organization’s 10th anniversary and will help LOV raise money to continue to offer programs and resources and to be of service to Black girls and Black young women in the community. Concurrently, the program will honor eight dynamic women executives and entrepreneurs who lead with
purpose, passion and perseverance, and who have made significant contributions to the community and toward the upliftment of African American young ladies in the Chicagoland area.
LOV prepares nine to 18-year-old Black girls for post secondary education and future careers to become promising leaders in their communities. Studies have shown that young Black girls are often stripped of their innocence and forced to act more mature than their counterparts. They also lack mentors and positive leaders within the education system where they are molded, and thus they miss essential
developmental stages that ultimately limits their overall growth and opportunities to grow as leaders themselves.
“I’m so proud of how far LOV has come in the last ten years,” said LOV founder Jamila Trimuel as she expressed excitement at the activities planned for the 2021 fundraiser. “We are going to screen a special 10-year anniversary documentary at the event, and I already know I’m going to cry watching it. It’s such a symbol of growth. Being able to see the girls we work with grow into strong and capable women, into women just like this year’s honorees, is a blessing,” she added.
The honorees include:
Dr. Victoria Barbosa - Associate Professor of Dermatology, University of Chicago
Tracey V. Bell - CEO, The IBM Company & The FM Omni Channel
J’ai Brown - Director of Human Resources, HUB International
Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, Clinical Psychologist/Associate Professor, Northwestern University
Camille Lilly - State Representative, 78th District
Angel Perez - Director of External Affairs, ComEd
Sharisse Summers Allen - Executive Vice President, Balton Corporation/ Reggio’s Pizza
Melanie Whaley - CEO, Essential Elements
The two co-chairs for the occasion include:
Elayne Granger - Director of External Affairs, AT&T
Marcus Yancey - Flounder of Innovative Economic Solutions
Attendees of “Leading with Virtue” will have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and raffle, as well as have access to the special documentary, “Our 10 Year Journey,” featured during the event. To learn more about “Leading with Virtue” or to purchase a ticket to attend, visit https://www.lovchicago. org/leadingwithvirtue
Ladies of Virtue (LOV), launched in October 2011, is a nonprofit organization developed to instill purpose, passion, and perseverance in girls, ages 9 to 18 while preparing them for college, careers and to become change agents in their communities.
LOV matches participants with mentors and prepares them for leadership through culturally relevant character building, career readiness, and a civic engagement curriculum. LOV provides project management, collaboration, and communication training via two to fourmonth project experiences to empower girls to lead in the modern workforce. After graduating from high school, with successful completion of the LOV leadership program, participants are mentored and supported for six additional years as LOV 4 Life alumni.
