The GIVE girls raised $18,000 to benefit Bethesda Pediatrics. The youth organization is an initiative of the Women’s Fund of Smith County, pattered after the fund’s model of collective giving with the goal to foster philanthropic values in high school aged girls. (Symone Sheppard/Tyler Morning Telegraph Freelance)

GIVE (Girls Invested in Volunteer Efforts) awarded its largest grant ever Sunday. The $18,000 will benefit Bethesda Pediatrics, officials announced during a special grant presentation event held at The Venue at Cantina Laredo in Tyler.

The community gathered to celebrate the presentation, as Bethesda Pediatrics joined to accept the check worth $18,000 – the largest total of dollars raised and awarded by GIVE.

GIVE is an initiative of the Women’s Fund of Smith County (WFSC), was launched in 2014, and is patterned after the Women’s Fund model of collective giving, with the goal of fostering leadership and philanthropic values in high school aged girls (grades 9-12). Since their current year began in 2023, the girls have studied various nonprofits in Smith County, learned about different issues facing the community, and worked to raise their own funding, all while narrowing down their potential grant recipients as a team.

“Being in GIVE has given me an opportunity to learn about a world I had no idea existed. The community that GIVE creates, full of women who want to help each other, is a community that I have grown to love,” said Ryleigh Lewis, GIVE Senior. “I have learned many lessons about philanthropy, compassion, and community being in GIVE.”

Members of the Women’s Fund of Smith County volunteer to help mentor the girls, organize the monthly meetings, and facilitate the fundraising activities. This year’s Co-Chairs are Johnna Fullen and Christi Khalaf.

“It’s truly heartwarming to see this diverse group of girls come together united by a desire to learn about their community and make a difference in the lives of people in need,” said Fullen. “This year, we tried something new and talked about how to leverage the GIVE experience with college applications and jobs, and we have been excited to see the impact of GIVE on the girls themselves as they begin their futures beyond high school. My wish is that the girls take these experiences and continue to help individuals in need. I know they will continue to make a difference.”

WFSC President/CEO Zoe Lawhorn said the girls sold handmade bracelets and jewelry to raise the funds, and to make the pot even sweeter, the Women’s Fund matched the amount raised.

Lawhorn said Ferrell Clyde, owner of Lauren Ferrell Designs, donated materials then helped the girls make original bracelets. The jewelry was sold at the WFSC’s annual Power of the Purse luncheon, which is the organization’s big annual fundraiser.

The funds will make a great impact on Bethesda Pediatrics, which was established in 2023 through a partnership with St. Paul Children’s Medical and Dental Services. As an extension of Bethesda Health Clinic, which has been serving uninsured working adults since 2003, Bethesda Pediatrics is dedicated to offering outstanding healthcare services for children.

GIVE girls were especially interested in Bethesda Pediatrics’ focus on providing dental services to children who are uninsured or enrolled in Medicaid. There is a shortage of doctors who will see Medicaid patients, so these children often go untreated. Furthermore, the expense of traditional dental care is often cost-prohibitive to low-income families. Bethesda Pediatrics can provide these services regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay.

GIVE’s grant award will fund the equipment needed to fully outfit an additional pediatric dental room, which will allow Bethesda Pediatrics to hire additional staff and treat many more children by expanding their capacity to serve. The impact will be far reaching and touch the lives of children in need for years to come.

Preeti D’Souza is the general dentist for Bethesda Pediatrics and accepted the check on Bethesda’s behalf.

“This grant is important in many ways. Right now, we are very limited in the rooms that we use and we have children waiting a longer time because we don’t have the availability to fit them into longer appointments. With having this room set up with a brand new chair, we’re going to be able to bring more dentists on board whether it’s part time or full time. We’re going to be able to bring patients in sooner and provide more services and reduce that waiting time for them. That’s critical in many cases because sometimes children are in pain, and we want to try and get them in as soon as possible,” said D’Souza.

Megan Riaz, director of community relations for Bethesda Health Clinic, said the organization could not be more thrilled about the donation.

“We are overjoyed to receive this amazing grant from GIVE to improve our dental clinic with a new dental chair,” said Riaz. “The dental clinic at Bethesda Pediatrics is growing, and the GIVE grant will allow us to repurpose an existing room to serve more patients with dental care. We are so impressed by the young philanthropists of GIVE and their desire to give back to underserved children; it is a blessing to our patients.”

Lawhorn said it can be hard for nonprofits to get the things they need, so donations and grants are critical. D’Souza reminds community members can donate to the organization through Bethesda’s website, especially on April 30 which is East Texas Giving Day.

“The great thing about grants like this is that equipment stays there and they will see more patients well into the future. That equipment is going to last for years to come,” Lawhorn added.

Since 2014, members of GIVE have awarded $77,912 to nonprofit organizations in Smith County, including most recently, Hope Haven of East Texas, For the Silent, and Gold Network of East Texas.

Membership in GIVE is open to any high school aged girl in Smith County.

Lisa Ellis, member of the Women’s Fund of Smith County, encourages all girls to sign up.

“Being in GIVE is a stepping stone,” she said.

Lawhorn added that the group will continue to build on leveraging the experience with college and job applications – “kind of those next steps after high school.”

GIVE meets monthly during the school year, and participants can receive service credit for their participation. GIVE girls also participate in community service projects throughout the year. Past projects have included packing meal kits at the East Texas Food Bank and assisting with Coats for Kids at PATH.

Lawhorn said the group has grown to be representative of many schools in Smith County.

“We’ve really grown to have students in almost every school. But we just want to make sure that girls know about it,” Lawhorn said. “GIVE is a really unique opportunity, and also there’s no cost to be in GIVE.”

GIVE will resume in September 2024. For more information about GIVE and the Women’s Fund of Smith County, visit www.womensfundsc.org.