Our Story

In 2006, my daughter Reya was in the 6th grade and I was looking for a way to help connect her to other girls in our church community as well as expose her to other women who had a heart to mentor and teach life lessons/skills to young girls.  I found exactly that, plus so much more, when I was introduced to the Rites of Passage Program for Girls, Inc.

Reya completed the program, as did my 2nd daughter Kyra.  As a result of being in that program, both of my daughters have a strong identity of who they are, willingly try new things, and they were highly prepared for independent life after high school.  Their wealth of exposure far exceeded what I could have ever done on my own.  One example of that is that Reya has launched her own clothing line.  I attribute this to the Rites of Passage Program introducing her to sewing, 

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The program ended in January of 2019, and because of how beneficial it was for my daughters, our family, and the other involved families, I am compelled to continue the impact and to extend its benefits to boys, as well.  We were part of that rites of passage for 12 consecutive years and I am so excited about continuing that legacy. 

Each board member is already a committed community servant in their own right.  Fortunately, personal values aligned with Sankofa's vision and mission, which makes us well positioned for a bright future.

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Please see Our Programs for more information on the types of classes and experiences that we will offer,  If you know youth who can benefit, please go to our Join Us page.  If you are an adult who has a heart for future leaders and would like to share your expertise or facilitate classes, please go to the Help Us page.

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Anita B. Roussel