Students, teachers and community members gathered at Poughkeepsie High School last week to commemorate the induction of more than 50 girls into Sister 2 Sister – an organization aimed at providing at-risk youths with an opportunity to give back to their community.
“We both received a vision and we decided to start something,” said Sister 2 Sister co-founder Lynette Williams. “We started with nothing, and now every single Friday we’re in a crowded classroom.”
Williams, a Poughkeepsie High School teacher, began Sister 2 Sister in 2002 with co-worker Jackie Clyburn after noticing self-esteem issues among high school girls. The club began meeting each Friday after school and quickly grew. The girls began performing community service projects, including an annual prom dress drive for prom-goers who may not be able to afford costly gowns, a “senior” prom for senior citizens, and a health wellness and nutrition session for battered women. In addition to community service, the girls attend seminars and workshops, take part in peer tutoring and get to know one another.
“It isn’t just an organization. It’s like we’re family,” said junior Colette Grant. This is Grant’s second year in Sister 2 Sister, and she attended last week’s induction ceremony. “If I had known what I know now, I would have joined earlier,” she says. “The program has really progressed in the last few years.”
Students and teachers were not the only ones recognizing the organization’s progress. When the City of Poughkeepsie was awarded a New York State Division of Criminal Justice Juvenile Violent Crime Reduction Grant, Sister 2 Sister received funding.
“It is a very worthwhile program, it was already in place and it was already working,” said juvenile specialist Dory Marcinelli. “We financially support the program as best we can.”
“These young ladies extend themselves so much to the school and the community. It’s unbelievable, and that’s why we as a funding agency reach out to help them,” said Linda Melton Mann, a former administrator in the school.
Together Mann, Marcinelli and grant writer Heather Sansbury secured the four-year grant.
“We don’t want the kids in gangs,” said Mann, who worked in the district for decades. “I’m sick of seeing bright children get caught up in violence.”
Sparking others
The success of Sister 2 Sister has spawned similar programs throughout the school, including Brother 2 Brother, a male alternative to the program, as well as a middle school version of Sister 2 Sister.
“We’re trying to bridge the gap between the middle school and the high school,” said middle school guidance counselor Anna Wilson, who heads the program. According to Wilson, many of the issues that the high school program addresses begin in middle school. “The issues begin younger and younger.”
Poughkeepsie Middle School’s Sister 2 Sister program began just weeks ago, and already has more than one dozen girls attending regularly. Though the program is geared toward eighth graders, all girls are welcome, and attendance is expected to increase once word gets around.
Both the middle school program and Brother 2 Brother are, like Sister 2 Sister, sponsored by the Juvenile Crime Reduction Grant, but the funding is in its third year and will eventually run out, Mann said.
“We’re looking at sustenance financing from outside resources,” said Mann. “We’re trying to get partnerships with people.”
With more than a year of funding left, the girls of Sister 2 Sister will continue with business as usual. They are currently working on “Crossroads,” an original play brought back by popular demand. The performance is scheduled for May 9. Other upcoming events include etiquette classes and the annual prom dress drive.
“Do I notice a difference in the girls? Yes,” said Williams. “I see differences in their personalities, in the way they speak to one another. They’ve grown.”