Philanthropist

Philanthropist/Founder
Girls Taking Action

Girls in Action™ (Renamed Girls Taking Action in 2019) founded by Dr. Verna Cornelia Price in 2005 when a North High School located in Minneapolis, MN asked her provide positive mentoring for the female students. Dr. Verna partnered with local organizations to write grants to begin a program she named Girls in Action that would dramatically decrease violence, suspensions, delinquent and destructive behavior among girls. Dr. Verna created the Girls in Action program with a formal curriculum based on her first book, The Power of People: Four Kinds of People Who Can Change Your Life then created a train the trainers for women leaders who would become Lead Mentors to small groups of girls during the school day. Sixteen years later, Girls Taking Action had impacted over 5000 junior and high school girls across Minnesota, the USA, Guatemala, Kenya, Liberia and Ghana. The positive influence of this program has had a profound impact on the education and life of girls. The program has documented a 75% increase in academic engagement and a 75% decrease in suspension rates and unexcused absences among the participants. Moreover, girls involved in the program for more than two years maintained higher grade point averages and even more consistent attendance records than the first-year participants. In addition, participants are twice as likely to attend post-secondary as other students in their high schools with 95% graduating from high school on time and 75% attending college.

Mission

Motivate, Mentor, Empower, Engage and Educate Girls to Succeed in School and Life.

Girls Taking Action participants have gone onto become teachers, lawyers, marketing specialist, pharmacist, accountants, scientist, entrepreneurs and public figures across the USA and World. Learn More at www.giaction.org