Girls with Pearls show 84.51° the future is bright

84.51° recently had the pleasure of hosting 35 students through Girls with Pearls, a program of Most Valuable Kids, for a real-world look inside our offices and the opportunity to learn about setting goals and the teamwork it takes to achieve them.

Girls with Pearls (Purpose, Empowerment, Attitude, Responsibility, Leadership, Service) is a school-based program that fosters leadership to change the outcome for girls by empowering them to plan for a bright future through education, personal responsibility and social awareness. The program is provided by Most Valuable Kids of Greater Cincinnati, a non-profit dedicated to bringing inspiration to underserved kids in the community.

The event was attended by girls in grades 4-6 from three Cincinnati elementary schools: Ethel Taylor Elementary, Parker Woods and the Cincinnati College Prep Academy. Miska Spaulding, 84.51° vice president, enterprise commercial operations, kicked off the morning by welcoming the girls, sharing the story of her career journey, and encouraging them that they are capable of doing anything they put their minds to.

Miska was joined by Renáe Banks, MS, director of youth programs at Suga in the City, an organization dedicated to the personal and professional development of young individuals. Renáe talked to the girls about setting goals. She explained the components of SMART goals (those that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound), from having a vision and being specific with measures, to putting together an action plan to achieve those goals. She also walked the girls through a “Human Knot” teamwork exercise, and led a discussion where the girls shared their goals for the current school year with a focus on being specific, time-bound and defining expected outcomes.

The girls broke from the discussions to work on a fun vision board activity to express their broader selves. Their vision boards featured a bold and bright variety of photos and phrases capturing ideas ranging from their current interests, hobbies and favorite celebrities to their future interests and aspirations — such as jobs they’re considering, cars they want to buy and places they want to visit.

After the activities, the girls toured the 84.51° building and took a group picture before enjoying lunch together. They wrapped up the day with some parting words and a goody bag. In addition to making new friends and learning about teamwork, the girls left with a clear idea of what it means to have a goal and why goals are good to have, as well as how to create and set SMART goals for themselves.

Thanks to all who donated supplies for the activities and snacks, as well as the drinks for lunch (Kroger EDGE). Thanks also to the event volunteers from 84.51° Women’s EDGE, Kroger EDGE and KAAARG (Sydni Berkhalter, Erin Wish, Connie Ross, Tony Gast, Cindia Wren, Kandi Bails, Amy Herzog, Karissa Morton, Stephanie Leuck, Rachel Geiger and Mylynn Lynch).