News Photo by Darby Hinkley Major Prezza Morrison of the Salvation Army of Alpena holds up one of the journals young ladies are given as part of an after-school girls program.

ALPENA — A new program for young ladies in grades 6 through 12 aims to give them the tools they need to succeed.

Called “BU … Under Construction,” the program takes place at the Salvation Army of Alpena, on North 2nd Avenue, on the first Wednesday of each month. The Salvation Army van picks up girls at 2:30 p.m. at the high school and takes them to the Salvation Army office, where snacks, a program and dinner take place from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m. Parent/guardian pickup is at 5:30 p.m., or the Salvation Army will transport the girls home.

The mission statement of the program is “To assist in giving young ladies the ability to create a healthy mind, body, and soul. To use these abilities to reach out to others and the community through service. To help them see who they were created to be and understand it is a lifetime experience.”

“We want young women to recognize who they really are, and to understand that they’re special, and we hope that if they understand that they’re special and they’re unique, that they will make better choices based on who they are,” said Major Prezza Morrison of the Salvation Army of Alpena. “Not based on the people that are around them and the people that try to encourage them to do things that are not who they are.”

She explained that each young lady is given a journal to write down whatever they are feeling, and the journals are locked up safe in the Salvation Army office so they don’t have to worry about anyone reading them.

“And then, the next time we meet, we’ll open it up for them to write some more feelings,” Morrison said. “This is a safe place where they can come and speak and know that they’re not going to be judged or ridiculed.”

She and Bronwyn Woolman and Nancy McClung started the program, with the first meeting on Oct. 6.

McClung said the three of them will act as mentors to the young ladies.

“The kids do not have any heroes anymore,” she said, adding that they need role models and mentors. “It’s open to every girl that would like to be involved.”

Woolman said this program is dear to her heart. She is also a Girl Scout leader at St. Paul Lutheran Church.

She had, years ago, volunteered with a girls program at the Salvation Army, and she said some of those young women will be coming back to volunteer with this program.

The girls will be participating in crafts, hearing from speakers, journaling, socializing, and volunteering in the community.

“It’s real important for them to be able to give back,” Woolman said.

Morrison said getting the girls out into the community to do good works will help instill in them a sense of purpose and realize that they are needed.

She said today’s world is so different from the world she grew up in.

“Us three can say that, if I was a teenager now, I don’t know if I’d be where I am today,” Morrison said. “There are so many pressures. It’s so scary.”

She added that social media perpetuates problems such as bullying.

“And what they don’t realize is, whatever they put on there, is on there forever,” McClung said of the internet.

Organizers hope to meet weekly in the winter or spring, as the program continues to grow. They would be happy to accept volunteers who want to help out with the program, as well as speakers from community organizations.

For a registration form, or more information, contact Morrison at the Salvation Army office at 989-358-2769, ext. 12.