CINCINNATI — An after-school program is celebrating 10 years of empowering girls from 4th to 11th grade in the Cincinnati area.
What You Need To Know
- Never The Less is an after-school program for girls in the Cincinnati area
- Girls learn school, career and life skills in a program created by Doris Thomas
- Thomas started the non-profit after retiring from The Cincinnati Enquirer
Doris Thomas created the non-profit Never The Less after retiring from The Cincinnati Enquirer. She said she knew she had more to do and one day at church, her bishop used the phrase “never the less” in a sermon and inspired her to start the charity to help young girls.
“That purpose is to speak to young girls who feel like they don’t have a purpose,” Thomas said. “We want to give them an understanding that education has value and that they have value.”
Purcell Marion High School sophomore Elia Davis is a believer in the program. She has been learning how to start her own business braiding hair, getting help in creating a logo and learning what it takes to run a business.
“They helped us to figure out what we needed to do in order to start a business instead of just saying ‘Oh, I want to run a business.’ Like what does that really mean?” Elia said. “They ran over virtues it takes to run a business.”
One of those virtues is confidence. Davis said going to school during the pandemic made her start to doubt herself.
“My mentality was not where it was supposed to be at that time,” Davis said. “Coming here to Never The Less, they helped me be more confident in myself.”
Fellow participant Madeline Russell said she also has learned a lot in the program. She’s made some friends too.
“It helped me socialize more and I got to meet more girls my age who are interested in the same things I was,” Russell said.
“We are here to inspire them, motivate them, and empower them to walk confidently into their future. Because they have one,” Thomas said. “It may look very bleak and it may feel like it doesn’t exist. But it does.”
“They always try to be in your life no matter what,” Russell said. “They basically try to be your family and they are my family.”
