It’s Women’s History Month and local artists are coming together in Broward County to empower at-risk girls and young women. Students returning to campus at Pace Center for Girls in Wilton Manors for in-person learning and counseling, will be welcomed with inspirational murals.
Pace Center for Girls Broward is getting creative this year with their biggest annual fundraiser. Because of the pandemic, their annual Believing in Girls Empowerment Luncheon luncheon is now an art project, where local artists create murals to help create a welcoming space as more students return to campus.
“The themes are about the girls being strong and girls believing in themselves. It’s one of the things we really try to help our girls achieve while they’re here, is that they know they are resilient, strong and they can do what they want to do and I think these murals will be very inspirational for them,” said Executive Director of Pace Center for Girls Broward, Sarah Nunez.
Artists are asked to add their unique talent and inspiration to the project by creating vision of empowerment, love, and hope.
“We have an alumni here that graduated in 2020 and one of the first girls that came here at Pace. So to be able to have new girls coming in and look back in the past to see where they’ve gone and where they could possibly go, that’s what I wanted to do with this mural,” said artist Michelle Bentley.
“For me personally I though back to when I was a teenager. I thought of a message that could really help them go inward, to really know that they are powerful and the have it within themselves,” said artist Priscilla Perez.
“The butterfly is made out of hands. It’s to signify when people come together from all walks of life, we can reach higher,” said artist Haena Bitton.
Pace Center for Girls provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, and training.
“They helped me with self-acceptance and self-love. They helped me with my anger and with how I perceive the world,” said Pace Center for Girls Broward student, Skyla.
Skyla enrolled at Pace Broward in 2018, after a traumatic incident.
“Pace helped me learned that not everybody is wrong or bad and that a lot of people in your life aren’t going to be the best but it’s good to learn from what they do,” added Skyla.
Skyla plans to graduate this summer and continue her education in hopes of becoming a flight attendant.
“A lot of the girls who come here are struggling. To see someone like Skyla to blossom in their time here, has been incredible,” said Sarah.
There are three campuses in South Florida. To find one near you or to support the nonprofits mission, click here.
