About

Our Story:

For Girls Like Me burst onto the scene in October 2024 with a mission that's equal parts audacious and necessary: to flip the script on how girls, young women, and their families get the support they deserve.

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Here's what we know: adolescence—that wild ride between ages 12 and 17—is when everything's on the line. It's peak vulnerability time for dropping out of school, experiencing trauma, and getting caught up in systems that weren't built to help. But here's the thing we also know: those same years? They're pure possibility. Get it right during this window, and you don't just change one life—you transform generations.

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And let's be real! You can't support a girl or young woman like she's an island. Her mom needs childcare so she doesn't lose her job. Her grandmother is trying to figure out VA benefits. Her brother could use some tutoring. Her dad needs substance abuse support. When you support the whole family, magic happens.

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But traditional social services? They're basically designed like an obstacle course from hell. One office for food stamps. Another for Medicaid. A third for housing. A fourth for job training. Different hours. Different forms. Staff who've never even heard of each other. It's like they're trying to make you give up.

Yeah, we're not about that life.

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Pathways to Promises! One roof! One team! People who actually know your name, believe your story, and coordinate everything you need. No more telling your trauma to six different strangers with clipboards. No more missing doctor's appointments because they conflict with benefits paperwork. No more feeling like the system was built to keep you out instead of welcome you in.

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Our Vibe:

Look, poverty isn't just about money—it's about dignity. And here's the truth bomb: families living in poverty face what scholars call "epistemic injustice." Translation? Society systematically acts like you don't know what you're talking about. Like your experiences don't count. Like your struggles are somehow your fault.

We call BS on all of that.

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Here's how we roll:

→ YOU ARE THE EXPERT ON YOUR LIFE. Period. We're here to listen, believe you, and follow your lead.

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→ INTEGRATION REDUCES BURDEN. Making you navigate 15 agencies isn't a test of character—it's unnecessary nonsense we eliminate by bringing services together.

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→ FAMILY SYSTEMS MATTER. Supporting just one person? That's like trying to fix a car by only looking at one wheel. We support the whole ecosystem.

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→ GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN ARE OUR FOCUS. We center girls aged 12-17 during their most crucial years, and keep supporting young women as they level up into adulthood.

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→ MILITARY FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER. If you served our nation, you shouldn't have to battle bureaucracy for basic care. We've got your six.

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→ DIGNITY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. Every single interaction should make you feel one thing: You matter.

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Our Dream Team: ──────────────

Rayshondia N. Swoopes, Program Director & Board President (yes, she's the founder with the audacious vision)

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Devoria Gordon, Outreach Director (the one making sure everyone knows we exist)

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Advisory Board

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Our Advisory Board isn't just suits in a boardroom. We've got community members who've lived the service fragmentation nightmare, academic experts who study epistemic injustice and poverty intervention, government agency partners who get it, foundation reps, and service user advocates who make sure the community's voice isn't just heard—it's leading the charge.