Charlene Carmichael & Danielle Smith

Our main goals is to give young girls in the Pee Dee a chance to be able to express themselves and who they are without being judge. Teaching them the ropes of life. The goodness of life and how to be a successful woman when it’s their time.

We recognized a need for positive role models who could empower young females, and guide them toward a better and brighter future. Dillon County is in huge need of mentoring for our young women. Being in an area with a high level of poverty. Approximately seventy-four percent of the young girls come from low-income households, with about twenty percent qualifying as homeless. In such an impoverished community as this, many young girls are at risk of suspension in school, chronic absenteeism in school, teenage pregnancy, retention, low self-esteem, low academic achievement, and other challenges that can prevent or delay their graduation.

As a result of wanting to see young girls in the Pee Dee area succeed, We decided to start the Girls With Knowledge movement in 2022, resulting in the creation of GWK, a mentorship program serving girls ages 7-17. Our goal is to be able to serve 6 young ladies, and recruit 4 mentors primarily from the school district if possible and community. Each year and possibly more.