By Jessica Tuggle

jtuggle@hometownnewsol.com

WABASSO - Helping young girls learn to be young ladies is one of the goals for volunteers at the Dasie Bridgewater Hope Center in Wabasso.

On March 14, more than 20 girls showed their mothers and friends just how proper they could be in Dasie Hope's first "Tea by the Sea" at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

The tea party marked the beginning of a new mentoring program called Girls With a Future.

The Dasie Hope Center opened in 2001 and offers free after-school programs for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Verna Wright, executive director, encourages the students who come to the center to strive for academic success and develop strong character.

"I love all these kids like they're my own," said Ms. Wright.

The new girls program is designed to inspire the girls to become self-confident, responsible and well-rounded individuals, through positive influences, according to the Girls With a Future mission statement.

Ms. Wright said she is looking for volunteers to participate in the program as mentors for the girls.

"It can be a great investment in a girl's life," she said.

In addition to munching on triangle-shaped sandwiches, fruit kabobs and tiny desserts, the girls performed a fashion show for their mothers, mentors and Dasie Hope volunteers.

"I've never been to a tea before. I thought it would just be, you know, tea and crumpets, but I liked this much better," said one of the models, Verlande Derisse, 11, of Sebastian.

Special speaker for the event, Jimita Jones, goddaughter of Verna Wright, admonished the girls to think about their future with long-term and short-term goals in mind.

"Success is one part talent and one part planning, and it's never too early to start planning for the future," said Ms. Jones.

Iesha Goodman, 17, an honor roll senior at Sebastian River High School, helped plan the tea party with Ms. Wright and other volunteers.

She has been a mentor to younger girls at the center and also benefited from being mentored by the volunteers.

With encouragement from family and friends, Iesha decided to apply to Harvard University, and is currently preparing her application to major in psychology.

"Dasie Hope can give you some of the tools that you can use to better your future," said Iesha.

"Before I came to Dasie Hope, I had no idea how to do any of this stuff, how to fill out scholarship applications or anything," she said.

Kathleen Horskin of Sebastian has three daughters who will be in the Girls With a Future program and has noticed a difference in her girls' behavior patterns since they began going to the center several years ago.

"I've seen a lot of improvement in them and I know it's had an impact on them, academically and emotionally, because they're getting along better with each other and others," said Ms. Horskin.

A longtime volunteer, Jackie McCorkle of Vero Beach, attended the tea party and was excited about starting the new girls mentoring program.

"I think it is wonderful to be able to take a group of girls and turn them around and teach them to respect themselves and others and be ladies," said Ms. McCorkle.

"It's just awesome to see these kids going off to college and everything, I just wish more people would see how great this program is," she said.

For more information about Girls with a Future, or other programs at the Daise Bridgewater Hope Center, call Verna Wright at (772) 589-3535 or visit www.dasiehope.com.