Shaw University News November 2017 Entrepreneurship Initiative Launched with Girl Scouts Young women in Southeast Raleigh now have a new resource for developing their entrepreneurial skills thanks to a new partnership between Shaw University, the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, and the Girl Scouts. On Tuesday, October 17, Bank of America presented a check to Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines at the university's Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center to launch an entrepreneurship series targeted to girls in Southeast Raleigh. "This is not just a check presentation today. It's the beginning of a movement," said Laura Ridgeway, Director of Community Partnerships for Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines. "Entrepreneurship is one of four program pillars of Girl Scouting. We know these skills are the building blocks to develop young girls and women who may one day wish to develop a business or use these skills to better their communities." "I hope that this check is just the beginning of a more robust relationship," said Virginia Parker, Bank of America's Triangle Market Manager. "We have so many members of our Bank of America Raleigh team who could be great mentors and who would love to get involved." The program series will be delivered in collaboration with Shaw University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, and the Girl Scouts. The program is intended to promote entrepreneurship among girls and young women by teaching them the concepts needed to take their ideas and turn them into action. For over 100 years, Girl Scouts has provided innovative leadership development programs designed with and for girls, allowing them to build confidence alongside a 21st-century skill set. The organization's success in programs that foster an entrepreneurial spirit and hone-in business and financial literacy skills is demonstrated by the fact that over half of U.S. business women today were Girl Scouts. The education sessions will be held at Shaw's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and other locations around the Triangle. A culminating event for girls will be held on the campus of Shaw University on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Talib Graves-Manns, the center's Executive Director, says that he believes the investment in Southeast Raleigh's young women today will pay off for the university and city in the future. "We want these girls to come back 20 years from now when they're successful young women and say that they went through our program." SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/