Kaila & Jalisa's Road to Mercy

The pressures to engage in unhealthy lifestyles are immense in the Cameron neighborhood. There are many factors that create an environment for young girls to make poor choices and engage in negative behaviors that can have life-long consequences. To counter these risks and set girls up for future success, we created a small group called The R&R for Girls group. R&R stands for Respect and Responsibility. Our motto is "Be strong, be confident, be fearless, and stick to your goals."

This year the R&R group toured Our Lady of Mercy School. Mercy is a private all-girls Catholic school teaching grades 6-12. Every year 100% of the girls graduate and 98-100% go on to attend college.

Seven of our R&R girls toured the school, five decided to take the placement exam and two were accepted with flying colors! Kaila Toppin and Jalisa Egues will be attending Mercy this Fall. We couldn't be more proud of them!

Mercy costs $8,800 per student per year to attend. The families will receive 50% of the cost in financial aid. The girls have applied for scholarships and are fundraising for themselves as well. However, we need to help cover the gaps for Kaila and Jalisa. We want to level the playing field. The girls deserve to have the same opportunities that all of the other young women at Mercy have. This includes, uniforms, school lunches, yearbooks etc...

We know that R&R for Girls has given Kaila and Jalisa the experience and background that they need to succeed in this environment. They are strong, confident and ready to take on their dreams. This opportunity is life changing. Can you help them?!