What started out as a single holiday gift drive for disadvantaged teenage girls has transformed into a nationwide platform of programs that inspire ambition, connect adolescent girls with a network of peers and mentors, and supplement basic personal needs. For the past 10 years, Project Glimmer has helped more than half a million girls across the United States and partnered with more than 1,000 community organizations, as well as through their various programs, in order to help girls envision and realize an empowered future.

The national 501c3 nonprofit organization’s incredible programs include:

• Gifts + Goods is a Social Supply Chain for Good where girl-centric brands and retailers donate excess inventory; Project Glimmer’s network of volunteers transform these into meaningful gifts and essential goods which instill personal confidence. ​

• Day of Empowerment and Empower Hours are hosted by companies and inspire girls to achieve success in school, work, life, and open new career pathways. 

• Career Coaching follows Empower Hours and Corporate Volunteers have the opportunity to provide one-on-one ​coaching ​to attendees and can read a LinkedIn page, review a resume or talk about career paths. Corporate partners include Sephora, First Republic Bank, PwC, GILT, Zynga, Birdies, Redken, Kendo, Broadway Angels, and more.

Project Glimmer also offers multiple opportunities for companies and their employees to join their Social Supply Chain for Good, Host an Empower Hour, and volunteer remotely. ​Individuals, families, and groups​ can sign up for a remote Boxing Joy volunteer opportunity, host a fundraiser, and share ​Project Glimmer’​s message on social media.

“In 2009, when I asked the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program how I could help, their answer shocked me: ‘We never have enough holiday gifts for teenage girls,’” says Sonja Hoel Perkins, founder of Project Glimmer. “So I launched the first Glimmer Drive, asking friends to donate jewelry, gift cards, and new beauty products. 10 years later, we're helping girls in all 50 states, thanks to our incredible corporate partners, individual donors, and volunteers. We've expanded into education, career, and life coaching—a life-changing experience for everyone involved! We still give gifts, because for these girls, who have so much potential and so little support, a special something goes a long way toward communicating our confidence in their futures: ‘We believe in you.’”  

This year, Project Glimmer will host their annual benefit, An Empowered Future, on October 20 at 5 p.m. (PDT) to celebrate 10 years of helping women across the country. The evening of inspiration will be held virtually and will include appearances by inspiring women such as four-time Grammy nominee Jewel (who will also perform), gymnast Simone Biles, Emmy-winning journalist and “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, as well as Wicked Broadway stars Lindsay Pearce and Ginna Claire Mason (who will also perform).

General tickets cost $100 per person and Young Professional Tickets (guests 35 or younger) cost $50 per person. Several packages and sponsorships are also available. Project Glimmer will not turn anyone away due to financial reasons. If you would like to inquire about receiving complimentary tickets, please contact: info@projectglimmer.org. 

“The last 10 years have been nothing short of extraordinary, exceeding all hopes and expectations,” shares Perkins. “Project Glimmer has grown from a single holiday gift drive for forgotten teenage girls to a nationwide platform of programs that inspires a girl's ambition, connects her with a network of peers and mentors, and supplements some of her most basic personal needs. Over half of Empower Hour attendees identified a new career path and 91% of attendees feel inspired to accomplish her goals. At Project Glimmer, we help girls envision and realize an empowered future—this is the work we do every single day.”

Please email donate@projectglimmer.org if you would like to make a contribution via wire transfer, grant or donor advised fund. Checks can be mailed to: Project Glimmer, 269 Stratford Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132.

To buy tickets for the event, click here. Visit projectglimmer.org and follow on Instagram: @projectglimmer

[Images courtesy of Project Glimmer]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk