Message from Executive Director
Ethelind B. Kaba
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Dear friends and champions of the Ann Bancroft Foundation,
It is my utmost pleasure and honor to join the Ann Bancroft Foundation as the new Executive Director. I am excited to lead an organization whose mission and values resonate deeply with me.
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At this moment, I'm reminded of the many alchemists I've met along my leadership journey. It begins with my grandma, Dada (pictured); a woman who toiled a small farm for yams she made for dinner, raised chickens, and was always the best dressed on any given Sunday. She taught me many values including grace and hard work. I think to my mother and my aunties, who nurtured as single mothers, and demonstrated the values of patience and resiliency. I think to my sisters at Wesley Girls, an all-girls Methodist boarding high school. We were the marching band, the fastest runners, the computer coders, the flag bearers, and the entertainers. From them I learned the values of boldness and connectedness. I think to my community of young mothers who refused to be defined by stereotypes or the unfortunate aspects of our circumstances. They taught me the values of courage and inclusion while harnessing the vision and support of allies to architect robust, sustainable, and scalable solutions. I think to my mentors of strong women who taught me the value of authentic leadership, people who made bets on me even before I became aware of the extent of my capacity. I think to Ann Bancroft, who said to me recently, "people perceived me as small" and we all know how wrong they were. I think to young girls—those coming into their power and those who don't yet know the power of voices—whom society may perceive as small yet whom we know as powerful.
As we head into our 25th year, I'm motivated by these mentors and inspirations and the unique opportunity to collaborate with our community of trailblazers, supporters and investors, partners, board, and staff to accelerate progress for gender equity.
As we advance collective leadership toward our impact goals, I look forward to knowing many of you. Please reach out!! Share your ABF stories and ideas for a Minnesota where girls dream big and are supported to thrive and change the world.
With utmost sincerity,
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Help Us Spread the Word!
Fall Grant Deadline October 17
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Help inspire the next generation of trailblazers! We are accepting grant applications through October 17. Girls in Minnesota from age 5 to 18 can apply for a grant of up to $500 to pursue their dreams. After girls choose a mentor and activity, the application goes fairly quickly. We need you to spread the word to girls and to their mentors.
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Nneka Obiazor Still Reaching for the Stars! |
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Nneka (Nikki) Obiazor received a grant to play AAU basketball with the Minnesota Stars and went on to lead her Eden Prairie varsity team to state, ranking #6 best player in Minnesota her senior year. Today, she’s living her dream to play college D1 basketball thanks to a full-ride scholarship at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is studying business administration. Happily, she’s joined there by her sister Isy, who is studying psychology and sociology at UNLV. Isy also received a $500 scholarship from ABF to play with the Minnesota Stars when she was in high school.
It has not always been easy for Nneka. Like our founder, explorer Ann Bancroft, Nneka has dyslexia, making school challenging. Nneka was also diagnosed with ADHD and has worked hard to overcome these learning obstacles. From her early days, sports has been the place she excels. Nicknamed “The Beast” by her teammates, Nikki is unstoppable on the court. She was first recruited by Youngstown, Ohio on a full athlete scholarship. Nneka was named freshman of the year before deciding to transfer to UNLV.
We can’t wait to see what Nneka does next!
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YOU are the ones who help empower girls, give them a voice, and the chance to fulfill their dreams.
Please donate to help us reach more girls with this life-changing program.
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