Our Mission is Growing Disciples of Jesus Christ
Cool Girls
Cool Girls, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is breaking the cycle and beating the odds of inner-city girls by offering the gift of friendship, the hope of a better life, and the tools to make dreams come true.
This year, we donated backpacks for 86 elementary school girls, 45 middle school girls, and high school girls! Thank you for empowering a Cool Girl and helping to change a life!
What is Cool Girls?
Cool Girls, Inc. serves girls in the East Lake and West End communities of Atlanta with after-school programs. Founded in 1989 in the East Lake Meadows Housing Project which was known for its high crime rate and related problems, Cool Girls was created by community volunteers who identified the need for girls to learn life skills, pregnancy prevention, conflict resolution, and wellness.
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Today, the Cool Girls Club is a weekly after-school program for 2nd to 12th grade girls. Their programs provide academic support, life-skills development, physical fitness and nutrition programs, and exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Students are taught by volunteers, staff, and school personnel on topics impacting girls, like puberty, self-esteem, and conflict resolution.
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Each year, St. Peter & St. Paul provides support to this organization. Initially, our Parish Hall became a mini-mall for the girls to come and “shop” for back-to-school clothes, book bags, school supplies, and other personal necessities. Only those girls who had actively participated in the Cool Girls program throughout the school year could attend. In 2020, we changed how we support the organization and girls. We now take the backpacks and other goodies to the organization in Decatur on Saturday in July, a week before most schools start, and the girls join us there to get the items. For more information, contact Kristi Story.
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Cool Girls News
The Cool Girls committee at SPSP plans the items in the backpack and those available for the girls to select from at choice tables. We organize and fill the backpacks with school supplies and other items provided by the parishioners or furnished by our committee. On the day of the event, the girls chose their backpacks loaded with school supplies, and they chose books, room decor items, and jewelry. Finally, we provide them with lunch from Jimmy John’s. These Cool Girls start the school year ready!The Cool Girls committee at SPSP plans the items in the backpack and those available for the girls to select from at choice tables. We organize and fill the backpacks with school supplies and other items provided by the parishioners or furnished by our committee. On the day of the event, the girls chose their backpacks loaded with school supplies, and they chose books, room decor items, and jewelry. Finally, we provide them with lunch from Jimmy John’s. These Cool Girls start the school year ready!
Mission of Cool Girls, Inc.
Cool Girls’ community partners, mentors, and volunteer networks support the girls in all aspects of their development. Their mission is to break the cycles of poverty, low self-esteem, and teen pregnancy through their life skills programs. They work to develop girls into confident women through education and exposure to a broader world of opportunity.
Today, Cool Girls, Inc. serves over 350 girls through partnerships with 8 Title 1 schools in DeKalb and Fulton Counties. They provide motivation, encouragement, and reinforcement to help girls make smart choices that deter risky behaviors while giving guidance for positive transformation. Over their 27-year history, over 6,000 girls have come through their doors. Cool Girls, Inc. develops bonds with the girls and their parents, giving support as early as seven years old throughout womanhood.
Mission of St. Peter & St. Paul Cool Girls
We are dedicated to the self- empowerment of girls.
We Grow Disciples of Jesus Christ Through . . .
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For 30 years at St. Peter & St. Paul, Cool Girls has been a popular and active community outreach program for men and women of all ages. The friendly fellowship throughout the event has achieved the goal of our church’s mission statement as we are growing disciples of Jesus Christ.
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Over the years, this ministry has developed into a committee of about 20 people who help shop, plan, prepare, sort, and work hard to give Cool Girls items that prepare them for the upcoming school year.
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Cool Girls enjoy a delicious lunch on the event day and receive a new backpack filled with school supplies and other goodies. The Cool Girls also leave with items to decorate their room, locker, and themselves.
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Each year, over 100 SPSP parishioners participate by donating backpacks and/or money to support this ministry.
Value of this Ministry in One’s Walk with Christ
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For Participants – it provides a setting to understand further and receive the application of the loving and living Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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For SPSP Volunteers – “Being a part of this committee allows me to serve God and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the greater Atlanta community. Knowing that I have helped girls become their best selves gives me a sense of accomplishment. As a mother of two daughters and a teacher, the mission of Cool Girls, Inc. is very important to me.”
SPSP Volunteer Time Commitment
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The time commitment to the Cool Girls committee allows our committee to get involved with other activities within our church. We have one monthly meeting from April to August in which we plan, prepare, and shop. During each meeting, which lasts about an hour and a half, we work on a project for the big event and talk about any news or updates. In July, we typically meet more than once to prepare for the big day. The time commitment can be as much or as little as you have. We would love to have you join us!