Students with the local Sassy Frassy program showed off dresses they made that will soon be shipped to help less fortunate youth.

The dresses will go to underprivileged little girls in Africa. 

Sassy Frassy is a nonprofit and evidence-based mentoring and life skills development program for middle- and high-school girls, Sheila Hill, founder and president of Sassy Frassy, said.

Hill said the goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed professionally. 

She founded Sassy Frassy so young women could have strong role models and mentors to aim them down the right path, she said.

“It’s important because when I grew up, I did not have a role model,” Hill said.

The program focuses on critical life skills such as character value identification, academic goal setting and support, career exploration and planning, short- and long-term goal setting and job readiness skills. 

The program operates at George Rogers Clark High School and Campbell Junior High School on the fourth Friday of every month, Hill said. Sassy Frassy students are making the dresses to send to Africa as part of a community service project. They are also working with the Winchester Beacon of Hope Emergency Shelter. 

The young women who participate in the program are also eligible for scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. 

Austina Burton, a guidance counselor at GRC, is also involved with the program. She said this year, Sassy Frassy has 14 students at GRC.

“Next year, we plan to allow our freshman and sophomore students to join along with our juniors and seniors,” she said.

Hill said if anything, she hopes the young women realize how important education is to success. 

“The importance around mentoring education to really change, if you will, to allow the young lady to see a different path in life that they can take to dream big,” Hill said.

Hill currently lives in northern Kentucky, but started the program here because she grew up in Winchester. 

Hill has a master’s of science in health care administration and a bachelor’s degree in health information management. She has worked with numerous organizations such as Alpha Kappa Sorority, Super Sibs!, Whole Again International, Boone County Executive Board of Election, and is a participant in the 2018 Emerge Kentucky educational program for women to pursue public office.