Girls participating in the G.R.E.A.T. program.

The vision of Simply Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be the best version of themselves, and they received an Operation Round Up grant to make that happen.

Students participating in a function at Simply Girls.

“Founder Kimberly Breeden wanted a program that truly addresses the needs of young girls in Harnett County,” said Executive Director Tanya Roper.

Working in partnership with schools and business leaders, the organization focuses on the development of the whole girl, to value herself, take risks and develop her inherent strengths.

Simply Girls offers different kinds of programming that includes educational, STEAM, Girls on the Move, financial literacy, cooking and cultural enrichment.

This is all done with a staff of three and about 20 volunteers.

The organization applied for an Operation Round Up grant for its girls reading enhancement activity time, or G.R.E.A.T program.

"We learned about Operation Round Up from the PAL organization," said Roper.

G.R.E.A.T is designed to reach students who struggle early with reading, providing them with an individualized reading assistance plan to meet their needs.

The program has been in place almost three years. Girls are improving in reading and are finding a love for it, their comprehension is also improving.

The grant was used to purchase books, new tables and chairs, as well as a bookshelf for the organization's education room.

“Girls were struggling with reading and grades were reflecting it along with end-of-grade testing,” she said. “Our goal is to improve their reading skills so that they can be successful at school and life.”

The program is staff created, using educational reading programs and software to address the gaps in reading with girls. Parents and teachers help to identify needs so that Simply Girls can build a program to meet the students' needs.

"Referrals come from Harnett County Schools, social services and word-of-mouth," said Roper. "The G.R.E.A.T. program works with elementary and middle school age girls."

Each girl has a notebook they use to track their individual progress and goals.

"The program has been in place almost three years," she said. "Girls are improving in reading and are finding a love for it, their comprehension is also improving." Simply Girls works with girls from ages 5-18 and is located in Dunn.