Contact: Sarah Pichardo

sarah@familybridgesusa.org
Phone: 708-524-1600
ww.familybridgesusa.org

Family Bridges/Lazos de Familia Receives $200,000 from The Allstate Foundation to Fund Wise Up Girl Program

Oakbrook Terrace, IL (January 11, 2022) - Family Bridges/Lazos de Familia was recently awarded $200,000 of grant funding by The Allstate Foundation to support the Wise Up Girl program in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2006, Family Bridges has been committed to ending the cycle of family trauma through innovative programs that empower, equip, and encourage underserved communities.

“In light of the pandemic and economic and social injustice crises, there has never been a better time to increase our investment in solutions that address the ever-growing needs of today’s youth,” said Laura Freveletti, Senior Program Officer for The Allstate Foundation.  “We’re incredibly proud of our long-standing commitment to empowering young people with the tools to help prevent relationship abuse before it starts.”

Wise Up Girl is an intensive, 2- year series of workshops and coaching geared toward young, Hispanic women to help them articulate a compelling vision for their lives and avoid the abusive and/or toxic relationships that threaten that vision. For each year in the program, participants receive a $500 scholarship toward their college tuition or vocational degree to facilitate their education and orient their lives toward future success and independence.

“Our experience has been that Latina girls living in low-income communities...are incredibly resilient, pressing forward despite remarkable adversity. However, many struggle with deep insecurities and shame, and this may lead them to adopt self-sabotaging behaviors,” explains Dr. Alicia La Hoz, Family Bridges’ founder & CEO. “Their emotional needs make them vulnerable to enter into abusive relationships that initially entice them offering the nurturance and attention they crave.”

The goal of the Wise Up Girl program is to help young Latina women from low-income backgrounds advance in society by cultivating the knowledge, skills, habits, and mindsets necessary to achieve their dreams and avoid falling prey to unhealthy relationships. We believe that by helping Latina women advance, we are also helping create a more equitable society for future generations.

At Family Bridges/Lazos de Familia we are seeing firsthand the urgent need to disrupt the cycle of relationship abuse and empower young women to advance in their vocational goals.

To learn more about Family Bridges/Lazos de Familia and the Wise Up Girl Program, visit familybridgesusa.org.

About Family Bridges/Lazos de Familia

Family Bridges/Lazos de Familia is a non-profit organization committed to transforming communities by delivering services and training that empowers families, couples, and individuals to prepare for, build, restore, and maintain healthy relationships. Our vision is to help build resilient communities where flourishing families raise purpose-driven children.

About The Allstate Foundation

The Allstate Foundation pursues equity so people and communities can thrive. Since 1952, the Foundation has led national programs, partnered with leading organizations and offered grants to local nonprofits to create innovative, long-term solutions for those in need.

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