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2531 Jackson Ave. Ann Arbor
Hero Story
Sue started Girls Group over 21 years ago, using just her personal time and treasure to fuel her passion for helping others. She made a very deliberate decision to walk away from her role as an automotive executive and to dedicate her life serving others. Since that time, she has grown the Girls Group organization from a small, intimate sisterhood serving 10 girls, to a large, intimate sisterhood serving 1,100 young women annually.
This past year, Girls Group served 1,100 young women in the Washtenaw County area. What started as an adolescent support group in 2003, evolved into a program focused on helping girls stay in school and avoid pregnancy, drug abuse, and in-school fighting. The group then pivoted to provide college prep, then later, support of young women who had graduated from the Girls Group high school programs, and then were working towards their college degrees. Over the past 21 years, Girls Group has served over 3,000 young women in Washtenaw County.
Under Sue Schooner’s leadership, Girls Group extended programming into the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor school systems, to reach more young women and build even stronger relationships with teachers, guidance counselors, and principals.
As the current Executive Director of Girls Group, Sue has strategically developed strong relationships with the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Eastern Michigan University, Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ypsilanti Public Schools among others. As a four time breast cancer survivor, Sue is an inspiration to everyone she encounters. She says that her cancers do not define her, rather cancer is something that happened to her, and she continues on, finding strength in the mission of Girls Group and its participants.
Sue is driven by kindness, and love, and you can see that in her interactions with the participants Girls Group serves, staff, donors, and community members. According to Sue, “In my 21 years of operating Girls Group, my life has been enriched beyond any measure I ever expected. In creating a loving community, I’ve found the love that I was searching for during my youth and young adulthood. Girls Group participants have shown me bravery, resilience, humor, acceptance, and love."
2531 Jackson Ave. Ann Arbor
Hero Story
Sue started Girls Group over 21 years ago, using just her personal time and treasure to fuel her passion for helping others. She made a very deliberate decision to walk away from her role as an automotive executive and to dedicate her life serving others. Since that time, she has grown the Girls Group organization from a small, intimate sisterhood serving 10 girls, to a large, intimate sisterhood serving 1,100 young women annually.
This past year, Girls Group served 1,100 young women in the Washtenaw County area. What started as an adolescent support group in 2003, evolved into a program focused on helping girls stay in school and avoid pregnancy, drug abuse, and in-school fighting. The group then pivoted to provide college prep, then later, support of young women who had graduated from the Girls Group high school programs, and then were working towards their college degrees. Over the past 21 years, Girls Group has served over 3,000 young women in Washtenaw County.
Under Sue Schooner’s leadership, Girls Group extended programming into the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor school systems, to reach more young women and build even stronger relationships with teachers, guidance counselors, and principals.
As the current Executive Director of Girls Group, Sue has strategically developed strong relationships with the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Eastern Michigan University, Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ypsilanti Public Schools among others. As a four time breast cancer survivor, Sue is an inspiration to everyone she encounters. She says that her cancers do not define her, rather cancer is something that happened to her, and she continues on, finding strength in the mission of Girls Group and its participants.
Sue is driven by kindness, and love, and you can see that in her interactions with the participants Girls Group serves, staff, donors, and community members. According to Sue, “In my 21 years of operating Girls Group, my life has been enriched beyond any measure I ever expected. In creating a loving community, I’ve found the love that I was searching for during my youth and young adulthood. Girls Group participants have shown me bravery, resilience, humor, acceptance, and love."