empowering inner city teen girls since 2003
RWF Celebrates International Day of the Girl
Rise Up for Girls Leaves Everyone Inspired
In a packed room, the Rhonda Walker Foundation celebrated International Day of the Girl with our inaugural Rise Up for Girls Breakfast at the Detroit Golf Club on October 11, 2019. Supporters were inspired by the moving testimony of our President and Founder, Rhonda Walker as she shared her vision and why she was moved to found RWF. What followed was a morning of unforgettable testimonies. RWF, senior, Makiah S. brought everyone to their feet when she proclaimed, "not everyone can be an RWF Girl, but when you encounter an RWF Girl you become a part of the Rhonda Walker Foundation."
Thank you for making give and get fit 2019 a big success
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our annual golf challenge raises $250K for detroit teens
7th Annual Automotive Industry Golf Challenge is a great successes
Over 300 of the auto industry's best and brightest gathered once again at the prestigious Oakland Hills Country Club for our annual Automotive Industry Golf Challenge on Monday, July 29, 2019. Our day included brunch, great silent auction, an exciting live auction, dinner, live entertainment and a great round of golf.
A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors for their generous support, Lear Corporation, our Title Sponsor a, BASF, Diez Group, Denso, Linamar, Hitachi/Hitachi Metals, Joyson Safety Systems, Magna Seating, On Semi, Faurecia, Celani Family Vineyards, Flex n Gate, Cobra Metal Works, Gallagher Kaiser, Windsor Machine Group and SET Enterprises.
RWF awards $55,000 in scholarships to our class of 2019
13th Annual Scholar Power Scholarship Breakfast a Big Success
We are proud of our Sweet 16 Class of 2019, our largest class ever, who were awarded $55,000 in scholarships at our annual Scholar Power Scholarship Breakfast, April 27, 2019 at the Westin Hotel in Southfield. In a room packed with RWF Board members, parents, volunteers, mentors, and special guests, everyone was so moved by the testimonies of our graduates. The celebration also served as a time to honor and recognize the support of our amazing volunteers and mentors. Congratulations to our volunteer of the Year, Quintell Foster and our Mentor of the Year, Cynthia Amacker. A special thank you to the Rizik Family Philanthropic Fund and the Lear Charitable Foundation for providing scholarships for our teens who excelled in community service and academics.
your contribution matters
Every year girls in our city face challenges that impede their future success. The Rhonda Walker Foundation works tirelessly to empower girls in Detroit to navigate any challenges and step boldly into a bright future and take their place as leaders in our community.
Rhonda's Story
“In 2003, I spent 6 months visiting Detroit middle schools and talking to hundreds of teen girls about making positive life choices, believing in themselves, striving to be their best, becoming leaders and not followers in hopes of influencing teen girls to become the best they can be. Along the way, I met a teen that asked me how she can do that when everyone around her tells her she won’t accomplish anything and won’t amount to anything better than the people around her in her family and inner city neighborhood. These were family members putting her down, discouraging her and lowering her self-confidence and self-esteem. I realized at that moment one speech cannot change lives and that I needed to connect these kids with positive role models and reinforce my message over a longer period of time. I founded the Rhonda Walker Foundation “Girls into Women” program shortly after the day I spoke to that girl. I am proud to say many years later along with my committed board, staff, volunteers, mentors and countless friends and professionals in this community that we have been a positive influence on many lives. We have groomed these teens over 16 years from 8th-12th grade and they have gone from shy to outgoing, from average performing to excelling, from fearful to fearless. They are role models themselves with dreams they know they have the tools to accomplishment. They each now walk with confidence. I am honored and committed for life to supporting and serving these inner city teen girls and thankful to be able to make a positive difference in their lives.”
Our Mission
The Rhonda Walker Foundation’s mission is to empower inner-city teen girls towards becoming strong, confident, successful and moral future leaders.
We do this through our award winning five -year, comprehensive Girls Into Women Program. Whether it’s academic preparation, career development, mentoring, personal development, health and wellness, financial literacy, self-defense, public speaking, community service and outreach, self-esteem, or etiquette, we strive to positively affect the lives of the girls who are part of our RWF family. Doing all this requires dedicated volunteers and generous sponsors. If you would like to support the RWF by volunteering or making a financial contribution, please contact us or click on one of the many donate buttons placed on the site. Your contribution today will change a teen’s life forever.
We focus on making the maximum positive effort for our girls through consistent engagement and mentoring. Our board of directors, staff, mentors, and volunteers provide the momentum that helps us affect change. Using data driven models, we provide solutions that make a long-lasting difference.
Life changing events like our annual cross country college tour for our high school juniors provides our teens with a broader vision for their future.