Eden is a shy, introverted girl who doesn’t come out of her shell easily. Staying in the house during the pandemic made it difficult for Eden to stay positive and active. Always passionate about art, Eden hadn’t touched her art supplies in months. That is, until Cool Girls hosted its first virtual paint party and sparked her creative mind once again. Her mother reported that Eden dug out her old art supplies and has begun painting regularly again ever since the first paint party. It is now one of her favorite Cool Girls programs.

Cool Girls’ is dedicated to the self-empowerment of Atlanta girls. They develop girls into confident women through education and exposure to a broader world of opportunity. In April 2020, Cool Girls adapted to the pandemic by offering a series of virtual programming to create spaces for connection and support for their community of participants and volunteers. Donations, like the one from the Maximus Foundation, helped make their transition to a virtual platform seamless. In addition, they began providing gift cards to further support the girls and their families, like Eden’s.

Eden’s mother is a single parent who has always been able to provide for her family. As the pandemic worsened, the price surges and added presence of everyone at home all day made it difficult to make ends meet as she did before. Eden’s mother shared, “The money [Cool Girls gave] us has been used to buy everything from food to Lysol, making it easier for me to not have to choose between getting more masks and hand soap for my household. Also, [they] managed to deal with this in a way that has left us not feeling like our dignity was at stake. All of this is to say, thank you.”

Learn more about Cool Girls.