photo caption: King Greenleaf Recreation staff member and Young Ladies on the Rise mentor Safiyyah-Aleem Woods stands in front of an ice cream serving table at the YLOR Ice Cream Social held at the King Greenleaf Recreation Center in SW.
Ice cream bar with toppings, a moon bounce, snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy, games, and prizes. Sounds like a carnival, doesn’t it? Well, it was not a carnival, but this event was plenty of fun for all who were in attendance. What was taking place with all these goodies on hand at the King Greenleaf Recreation Center was an ice cream social in honor of the participants of the Young Ladies on the Rise (YLOR) mentoring program. YLOR at King Greenleaf Recreation Center is lead by Safiyyah Aleem-Woods, who organized the event along with support from DPR colleagues and community volunteers. She is a tireless advocate for all children that arrive at the recreation center and works diligently to promote activities and outings for young girls that enhance their self-esteem and educational prospects. Not surprisingly, the paper ice cream cone decorations were hand-made by the participants of YLOR. Thelma D. Jones, Chairperson, SWNA Youth Activities Task Force (YATF), not only served popcorn but also championed the YLOR program with YATF’s support by assisting in sponsoring the occasion for the young ladies who were so deserving of such an event. Ms. Aleem-Woods personally thanked me for the continued support of the YATF youth programs and stated that the event could not have taken place without it.
By: Dena Walker