GIRLS. BUILDING STRONGER FUTURE· SINCE. 2014
Where Families rise together.
GLOW is a family-centered nonprofit equipping youth, adults, and families with wellness resources, leadership development, workforce pathways, and community support that help people thrive.
OUR MISSION
We invest in the whole family — whole community, whole life.
GLOW provides wellness, leadership development, workforce pathways, and life skills that equip youth, adults, and families to build stability, opportunity, and lasting change.
Mental Wellness
Physical Wellness
Nutritional Wellness
Self-Efficacy
Literacies of Power
OUR STORY
What began in 2012 as a research-driven pilot — and was recognized as the best of 55 across the Midwest — became Girls Light Our Way in 2014. Dr. Dawn Harris Jeffries built the organization on a simple truth: children don't grow up in isolation, and lasting change requires investing in the whole family.
From empowering girls to strengthening families.
2012
Pilot launches
Dr. Jeffries launches the GLOW pilot in Peoria — recognized as the top youth pilot in the Midwest.
2014
GLOW is founded
Girls Light Our Way is incorporated as a 501(c)(3), African American-led and family-run.
2020+
Expansion after COVID
Programming opens to boys, caregivers, and elders — answering the needs neighbors brought to the door.
TODAY
A family-centered organization
Ages 11–70. Parallel youth and adult tracks. Mommy & Me, Daddy & Me, Caregiver & Me.
WHO WE ARE
We serve youth, adults, caregivers, and families through programs that strengthen well-being, create opportunities, and build thriving communities.
Neighbors of every age, walking forward together.
Youth · Ages 11–21
Leadership, wellness, academic support, and career readiness.
Services are provided regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or immigration status.Resources and support that strengthen family well-being.
Families & Caregivers
Workforce pathways, wellness initiatives, and wraparound support.Adults • Ages 18–70
HOW THE MISSION LIVES
Programs woven across the whole family.
YOUTH · 11–21
Mentorship, Leadership & Violence Prevention
GLOW KEYS Violence Prevention
RYDS Youth Development
21st CCLC After-School Enrichment
Three connected tracks — youth, adult, and family — each grounded in the same five mission areas, delivered side by side.
YOUTH + ADULT
GLOW Works Trades Pipeline
NCCER & OSHA-10 certifications
Stipends, PPE & wrap-around support
Direct path into Registered Apprenticeships
Family Engagement & Summer SHINE
Mommy & Me · Daddy & Me · Caregiver & Me
Summer SHINE leadership intensive
Parallel tracks so families grow together
OUR IMPACT
A decade of measurable hope.
GLOW measures success the way families do — across years and generations. Dr. Jeffries is leading a 10-year longitudinal study of the original pilot participants, an evidence base few peer organizations can match.
60%
of current youth participants employed and on a path to economic mobility
of current youth participants employed and on a path to economic mobility11–70
the full lifespan of community need we walk alongside
80%
of original pilot alumni employed, in school, or thriving
5 ZIPs
Peoria's most under-resourced neighborhoods we call home
"GLOW didn't just change my daughter. It walked with our whole family — and three years later, we are still walking together."
-Parent & alumni family · Peoria, IL
GET INVOLVED
Four ways to light the way.
Join a Program
Enroll yourself, your child, or your whole family.
Volunteer
Share your time and skills.
Partner With GLOW
Help expand opportunities in our community.
Support the Mission
Every dollar fuels wellness, leadership, and family pathways.
TOGETHER, WE RISE
Help us empower the next generation of families and leaders.
STAY CONNECTED