Paladin

Issue date: 3/31/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Sheronda Witter Furman sophomore Sheronda Witter (not pictured) has helped local middle school girls build self-esteem and develop relationships through her program, Ladies of Distinction, through the Heller Service Corps.

Media Credit: Sheronda Witter Sheronda Witter (center) poses with some of her Beck volunteers.

Last spring, the assistant principal of Beck Academy, a public middle school in Greenville, contacted Furman in hopes of finding mentors for some of the girls enrolled at the school. These young ladies desperately needed positive influences in their lives, as many of them had endured experiences that negatively affected their self-images and attitudes.
Heller Service Corps, Furman's central volunteer agency, responded to the call.
In the spring of 2005, sophomore Spanish major Sheronda Witter asked Volunteer Services Coordinator Nancy Cooper if any HSC programs were in need of help. Cooper informed Witter of the situation at Beck Academy, and the foundation for "Ladies of Distinction" was laid.
Witter spent her summer planning and forming the program. In her own words, Witter fashioned a mission "to develop a sisterhood through the act of mentoring."
Senior biology major Carie Prue, student director of HSC, said Witter "set out to help these girls learn the basic principles of self-esteem and good manners."
Witter's program has had such success that it recently received recognition on the state level by the Commission of Higher Education for the Best Service Learning Project for the year of 2005-2006.
During the fall of 2005, Witter gathered a group of 42 volunteers to provide trust and build relationships with the girls. Their main goal was to mentor the ladies in the areas of "self-identity, self-esteem, anger management and positive reinforcement, as well as a host of other areas that arose," according to the mission statement of Ladies of Distinction.
"All of the young ladies at Beck have the potential to be successful in life," said Witter. "The only problem is that they don't know it."
The title for this program developed because Witter wanted each young girl in the program to mature into not just a lady, but a lady of distinction.
Witter asked the girls how they would define such a lady, and the girls formed a list including qualities such as beautiful, caring, confident, honored and independent.
There are currently 50 girls at Beck involved with the program. Witter and her volunteers visit the school several times per week, boosting self-confidence and forming bonds of friendship and sisterhood.
Each volunteer has two girls that they are responsible for mentoring. The commitment is substantial because, in order to gain the trust of these girls, the volunteers must commit to being permanent fixtures in their lives.
"Establishing this type of relationship with the girls has allowed them to overcome social barriers that their parents and teachers could not surmount," said Witter.
"We have taken on the responsibility of showing these girls who they are and what they can become," she added.
In May, Witter and her volunteers plan to debut the girls involved with the program in order to honor the strides they have made in becoming Ladies of Distinction.
The girls will "have an opportunity to look and feel beautiful in the presence of their parents, teachers and friends," said Witter.
At the formal ceremony, which will be held in the Chapel, each girl will stand up, state their name and say "I am a Lady of Distinction."
Each girl will be a graduate of the program, equipped with confidence and guidance to become what they aspire to be. They will receive first-class treatment, getting their hair, nails and makeup done by professional volunteers and wearing beautiful dresses, all thanks to the efforts of Witter and her volunteers.
In order to raise money for this "night to remember," Witter plans to have a raffle in the University Center next week and a car wash in the near future.

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