W.I.S.E. Girls Empowerment Camp Hosted at Barton College on Saturday, March 31

WILSON, N.C. — Barton College is excited to host the W.I.S.E. Girls Empowerment Camp for girls in grades 6-12 on Saturday, March 31. W.I.S.E. stands for Women Inspiring Success and Empowerment, and this camp’s focus will be to empower and inspire young females through a series of fun activities and workshops that will also educate them about positive body image, self-esteem, goal-setting, leadership, health & fitness and more. Coordinating the event will be campus counselor Heather Brewer and juniors Catherine Okafor and Alyssa Bain.

Dr. Kelly M. Thompson, vice president for external relations at Barton College, will be the featured keynote speaker. A recipient of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire Award by North Carolina’s Triangle-based “Business Leader” magazine, Dr. Thompson has been employed with Barton since May 2007, and serves as chief enrollment and advancement officer for the College. Her responsibilities include supervision of admissions, financial aid, institutional advancement, alumni and parent relations, public relations, publications, and web services. In addition to serving as a member of the President’s Senior Cabinet, Dr. Thompson also leads the College’s Marketing and Recruitment Initiatives Team as well as the Board of Trustees’ Growth and Marketing Task Force.

“I want to encourage teachers and counselors to nominate girls in their schools for the W.I.S.E. Girls Empowerment Camp at Barton,” shared Heather Brewer, campus counselor at Barton. “This is a wonderful opportunity for mentorship as Barton’s female students reach out to serve as amazing role models for young girls in the Wilson community. Barton juniors Catherine Okafor and Alyssa Bain developed the plan for the camp, and they are working hard to incorporate a number of female leaders from the Wilson community as well as Barton upperclassmen to assist them in making this a great success for all participants.”

The all-day camp will be held in Hamlin Student Center from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and will be limited to 40 participants: 20 middle school and 20 high school students. Students must be nominated by a teacher, counselor, principal, or other leader in the community. Nomination forms have been distributed to Wilson County schools’ counselor offices, and an electronic copy of the nomination form is also available by contacting Heather Brewer at 252-399-6587 or hcbrewer@barton.edu.

Cost for registration is $5 per camper; light morning refreshments and lunch are included. The event cost has been offset by support from the Barton College Student Government Association, Barton College Health Services, and the Thomas and Farris law firm.

In addition to Thompson, Brewer, Okafor, and Bain, other presenters for the workshops include: Monique Betters from the Goldsboro Toastmasters; Ashley Gardner, visiting instructor of psychology at Barton; and Katherine Alphin, Barton senior physical education and health major.

Space is limited, and students who are nominated will be added to the participant list on a first received, first registered basis. Heather Brewer will contact the nominees to confirm their attendance and to share additional details for the day.

END

Questions?  Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.