KAREN PALKA

If you haven’t been to Port Huron lately, there’s a lot of good stuff going on with downtown revitalization efforts, and on the main drag, you’ll find a dress shop with the dual purpose of growing businesswomen out of teenage girls.

This Michigan-based program is designed to boost girls' self-esteem in a signature workshop that goes directly to schools. We want to reach as many girls as we can, Palka says of her mobile program that first started in 2008. As of early 2020, the programs workshop and events have reached over 9,000 girls in south Michigan. A Beautiful Mes signature offering, the be-YOU-tiful Workshop Series to Build Self-Esteem, is held after school for four weeks. This particular series teaches third-12th grade girls (a minimum of 20 girls must attend) for $100 per individual.

This one features a woman who empowers girls to find their most beautiful selves in the Heart of Detroit. Her after-school workshops focus on empowerment topics to help the self-esteem and self-worth of girls in third grade grade and older. Palka said she watches the girls grow before her eyes and knows the classes give them the ability to handle different situations. With the help of partners and 30 volunteers each year, "A Beautiful Me" reaches 1,000 girls. Palka said these classes will not only affect the girls' self-esteem it has helped some improve their grades and promote healthy life habits.