19th Annual RWF Cares Christmas Celebrations

 Over 100 Secret Santas from Metro Detroit delivered gifts in a drive through at Detroit's Masonic Temple. Then, in the spirit of the season, especially in these unprecedented times, on Saturday, December 12, 2020 led by RWF founder, Rhonda Walker Drumheller and her sister, RWF Board member, Robin Gamble the RWF teens, alumni,  board of directors, volunteers, and staff of the Rhonda Walker Foundation spread holiday cheer and heartfelt compassion to over 100 families living at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries – Genesis House II Shelter for the 18th straight year!  Under a heated tent turned into a Winter Wonderland, families took photos with Santa, received arts and crafts projects, and a bounty of gifts from our generous Secret Santas.

On Saturday, October 24, 2020 our Girls into Women Program visited Avalon Village in Highland Park, MI. The sustainable community just west of Woodward is a shining example of turning blight into beauty.

Our teens had a walking tour of the village with founder Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris where she gave the history of her vision to build up the community on her block. Our girls learned about sustainable and renewable energy, social entrepreneurship, supporting women business owners and most of all why it is important to care for our communities.

In the spirit of our RWF Cares Initiative, our teens helped to pack laundry baskets full of cleaning supplies for area seniors including a special PPE kit from RWF

Camp I Can is a favorite annual weekend leadership and personal development retreat for the RWF Girls into Women Program. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we had to postpone our weekend away. Camp I Can One Day was born and our girls came together on the grounds of the Boys and Girls Club Collingwood Campus for a beautiful day of sisterhood, and teambuilding. Using what they learned during our spring and summer RWF Zone virtual workouts, teens filmed mini workout videos; created beautiful art; planned activities for our quarterly RWF Cares Community Outreach Initiative and engaged in a fun trust building maze led by RWF Program Manager, Arlisa Robinson.

We also had our annual backpack and school supply giveaway so our teens would be prepared for at home learning when school began. Thank you to our sponsors, Laborers' Local 1191, Laborers' Local 1076, Retired Detroit Police Officer, Ron Griffin and GrindTime Fitness.

A special thank you to our guest teen facilitator, Kendyl Barfield for leading our art workshop, and RWF volunteers Kelita McCall and Adrienne Long for facilitating our fitness and community outreach workshops. A special thank you to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Michigan for our ongoing partnership to empower Detroit youth.

 Thank you to the Renaissance Chapter of the Links for inviting our teens to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Ladies Who Lead Luncheon! Our girls proudly served as hostesses for this inspiring afternoon held at the Colony Club in Downtown Detroit. A special thanks to Susan L. Taylor, CEO and Founder of National CARES Mentoring Movement and Editor and Chief Emeritus of Essence Magazine and Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, National President of The Links, for spending time with our girls to talk about celebrating who they are, being empowered and being “Unbought and Unbossed”!  This special celebration of powerful women gave our teens an opportunity to network with some of Detroit's most influential leaders.

On Saturday, February 22, 2020 Detroit entrepreneur, Alyssa Space welcomed the RWF teens to her lab at 4 Her Cosmetics for an exciting workshop on using your passion to build a business.  Space, who is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in chemistry.  She helped our teens to identify their passion and create a business plan.  The highlight of the day was when our girls got to go into the lab and create their own lipstick . With careful instruction from the 4 Her Cosmetics team teens were involved int he process from measuring chemicals to selecting a personal color for their lipstick!

 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.