GEM is on track to reach 900 girls over 5 years!

Why GEM?

Girls EMpowered, or GEM, is a weekly after school program designed to increase self-esteem and school success for girls, and to help ensure that every girl in our Henderson County Public School system has the opportunity to thrive as they reach for their goals. The program is offered to both 5th graders and 8th graders, as these are pivotal years where students prepare to transition from elementary to middle school, and then from middle to high school.

History of GEM

GEM’s inspiration came from a project developed in 2015 by a high school student, Sierra Gallman (née Fender), who created and implemented a program at Glenn C. Marlow Elementary School. It was called Girls Leading Our World (GLOW). GLOW focused on positive character traits and female role models for fifth grade girls. A school counselor and teacher led this after school club for 10 sessions per year through 2018. Former HCPS school administrator, Dr. Jan King, who is a member of United Way's affinity organization Women United, immediately recognized the promise in the GLOW program and suggested that Women United volunteers work with teachers at Upward Elementary to develop a modified version of this program, “Girls EMpowered” for 5th grade girls. Hence the GEM program came into being at Upward in the spring of 2017 and expanded to Hillandale Elementary and Hendersonville Middle School (for 8th grade girls) in subsequent years. To date, GEM has provided meaningful opportunities to more than 400 fifth- and eighth-grade girls, many of whom come from families with relatively limited resources. Though it has creatively evolved over the years to meet the dynamic and changing needs of our community, GEM remains a cherished program receiving generous sponsorship from Women United, and benefits tremendously from a diverse and caring network of engaged members supporting United Way of Henderson County.

GEM Expansion

UWHC met with members of HCPS administration and other stakeholders and created a proposal to expand GEM from 3 locations to a total of 12 by the end of 2026. UWHC received full grant funding for this proposal and has been energetically implementing this expansion. As we grow in reach, GEM sessions have been revisited, refreshed, and refined in both content and structure. The focus of each GEM session is now supportively aligned with relevant, grade-level curriculum, and the model of embedded community mentors has now grown into a more student-centered model where a variety of dynamic guest speakers bring their passion, experience, and insight to creatively-aligned GEM sessions.

GEM Locations

Summer & Fall 2025

Apple Valley Middle School
Boys & Girls Club (Summer)
Dana Elementary School (new in 2025)
Hendersonville Middle School
Hillandale Elementary School

Spring 2026

Bruce Drysdale Elementary School (new in 2026)
Flat Rock Middle School
Rugby Middle School
Sugarloaf Elementary School
Upward Elementary School

Overview of GEM Structure

Teachers and counselors at these 9 locations throughout Henderson County facilitate weekly GEM sessions in partnership with an amazing pool of volunteer guest speakers and dedicated United Way staff. These 9 locations include Apple Valley Middle School, Hendersonville Middle School, Dana Elementary and Hillandale Elementary in the Fall; Flat Rock Middle School, Rugby Middle School, Upward Elementary and Sugar Loaf Elementary in the Spring; and the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County during the Summer. The elementary and middle schools offer 9-10 weekly sessions, while the Boys & Girls Club plays host to a dynamic 6-8 week GEM season for its Summer participants. GEM participants are invited by school teachers and counselors, and the aim is to provide participants with both the encouragement and the opportunity to strengthen their self-confidence and to nurture the skills that will improve their academic success. As noted, a signature feature of the GEM program is the recruitment of inspirational female community leaders to be guest speakers. Each weekly session introduces a particular character trait or topic as a theme, such as empowerment, confidence, inner beauty, perseverance, passion, and leadership. Guest speakers are carefully chosen so as to represent a variety of educational backgrounds, professions and career genres, both corporate and non-profit. They lead engaging discussions with the GEM Girls, share inspirational stories of how they faced challenges, endured setbacks, and overcame these obstacles to reach their goals.

Want to engage as a guest speaker? Email Mary Ellen Kustin.