Marvelous Girls’ Summit Recap: Part I

“If I could change one thing about this summit, it would be to make it longer!” –
13-year-old MGS attendee

When I first started writing this blog post to recap the Marvelous Girls’ Summit, I thought I would do a simple post to tell you about the day, show a few pictures and give a few testimonials throughout the post. And then 1,407 words later, I realized I should split the post up so that you could do other things in your day. Here is Part I of the Marvelous Girls’ Summit recap.
Enjoy! 🙂
Shanterra
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What could I possibly say to describe one of the best days ever?

Would marvelous be too predictable?

Oh well! I have to say it anyway.

It. Was. MARVELOUS!

The Marvelous Girls’ Summit, a day designed for girls to be more than what’s expected, more than what’s required and more than what’s modeled was all of THAT! Held October 15, 2016, at SMU, was unforgettable and totally, wonderfully marvelous! We were graced with 50 girls from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, including seven girls who drove all the way from Houston!

“I liked that we got to talk about being brave and loving our jiggle,” 11-year-old MGS attendee

There are so many thank you’s and I truly hope I don’t forget anyone! First, our gracious host and partner, SMU. This is my alma mater and to partner with them in this way was a dream come true. A huge thank you must first go to Jennifer “JJ” Jones. There is so much I could share and I still feel like I would leave something out.

JJ is the Executive Director for Student Life at SMU. She is also one of my mentors, who I’m thankful to have met my first year at SMU way back in…oh never mind. JJ  is special because she believed in the vision for the summit from the very beginning when I wasn’t sure what the full vision was!

JJ also had the brilliant suggestion of having two student groups partner with this event, Sisters Supporting Sisters and the PanHellenic Council. The girls LOVED these intelligent, fun, and gifted young women who served as group leaders. They were truly a blessing!

“The group leaders were really cool and treated us like their friends,”
13-year-old MGS attendee.

Another great reason the day was so marvelous is because of our wonderful sponsors! In addition to Sisters Supporting Sisters and the PanHellenic Council, we are so thankful for Leticia McGowan and Capital Reserva who served as Bronze Sponsors. The Dallas Women’s Foundation sponsored our beautiful t-shirts and drawstring gift bags, done with care and a lot of patience by Ricochet Promotions. 

One very generous sponsor the girls spent a lot of time with was The LAB Photo Booth. What preteen or teenage girl do you know who does not like to take pictures? And even if she doesn’t, add a boa and a pair of fancy shades and I can almost guarantee, camera shyness leaves the room.

The girls could take as many pictures as they wanted in the “booth” and I think it’s safe to say, they took us up on our offer at every single break. I can’t help but smile as I scroll through the pictures. So much fun! And it was also a great gift for the girls to take home.

Other contributing sponsors included: The Cali Cousins,  six successful individuals – led to Cali by their careers – formed a community of unconditional love, support, and faith. Although now separated by distance, destiny sustains their bond;  Ignite Texas, a non-partisan 501c3 that builds political ambition in young women; Park Place Volvo, Vanessa O’Neal and Wayne and Jennifer Armstead.

The day would have also been impossible without the HUGE support from marvelous volunteers! There isn’t a perfect way to thank them for how my heart overflows with gratitude. My family volunteered, dear friends volunteered, even traveling from Atlanta and Houston to help bring this vision to life. One dear sorority sister/Cali Cousin even surprised me by traveling from Chicago! My childhood friend volunteered. My lifetime friend volunteered. Friends I met for the first time that day volunteered. And my BFFLS served as my planning and execution partner. I am extremely grateful!

There is so much to share and over the next few days, I’ll try to get it all in. For now, I’ll leave you with this: having a vision is great. But, it means nothing without having people in your life who believe in you, support you, pray for you and encourage you to keep going. I am grateful for these folks because this is just the beginning 🙂

Love,

Shanterra

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