Honorees include leaders from 6ABC, Deloitte, and NEST – 21st annual event to take place at Loews Hotel on May 24
(PHILADELPHIA, April 4, 2023) Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey announced it will honor three Philadelphia-area leaders at the 21st annual “Strong, Smart, and Bold Celebration” event at the Loews Hotel on Wednesday, May 24 at 5:30 p.m. The honorees include Niki Hawkins, the Vice President of Community Engagement for 6ABC, and Alyssa Cherkin, the Senior Manager of Corporate Citizenship for Deloitte. Girls Inc. will also recognize Rob Almond as the 2023 Corporate Champion for Girls. Based in South Jersey, Almond is the CEO of NEST, the pioneer of integrated facilities management.
“Our nonprofit is able to make a significant impact in the lives of thousands of girls in the Philadelphia area thanks to hundreds of volunteers and leaders like Niki, Alyssa, and Rob,” said Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey’s Executive Director, Dena Herrin. “We’re looking forward to celebrating with our community and recognizing our region’s Strong, Smart, and Bold girls.”
Alyssa Cherkin leads the Corporate Citizenship strategy for Deloitte’s Greater Philadelphia practice, shaping the firm’s commitment to advance equity through a focus on education and workforce development. She works with the nonprofit community to connect Deloitte’s resources and 1,900 local professionals with opportunities for volunteerism, pro bono projects, intentional programming, board service, and financial investments. Alyssa is the architect and national lead of Deloitte Academy, the firm’s signature mentoring program that helps to advance equity by connecting Deloitte professionals with high school students who aspire to attend college but may be unfamiliar with the critical skills or the pathways to success.
Niki Hawkins is Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships for WPVI-TV. She proudly represents the 6abc brand, and its parent company The Walt Disney Company, in the greater Philadelphia area. She builds strategic partnerships with nonprofits, secures new linear and digital content, and coordinates various Walt Disney Company Corporate Responsibility campaigns and significant philanthropic giving to resonate within the Philadelphia market.
Known for its philanthropic endeavors since it was founded in 1994, NEST established a charitable arm of the company in 2020 under Almond’s leadership. NEST Nurtures has supported over 100 charities in three years, including a partnership with Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey. The two organizations help organize the annual “Mentoring young Women In Construction” (MyWIC) summer camp, where girls obtain real-life experience in the skilled trades industries.
To attend the 21st annual “Strong, Smart, & Bold Celebration” at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 24 at 5:30 p.m., or to donate to Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey, visit https://girlsincpa-nj.org/events/.
About Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey
Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey has been serving girls and young women in the Greater Philadelphia region since 1961, originally as Teen Aid. In collaboration with schools, community partners, the juvenile justice system, shelters, corporations, and approximately 300 volunteers, we provide programs for thousands of girls and young women in the Philadelphia region’s most under-resourced communities each year. Our holistic approach recognizes that empowering girls to be successful, independent women requires that they have the tools to make healthy decisions about their bodies, receive academic enrichment, are exposed to mentors who work in a broad range of careers, have strategies to deal with bullying and violence, and parents/caregivers engaged in their success.
About Girls Inc.
Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy. We work with schools and in communities to provide the mentoring relationships, safe spaces, and evidence-based programming that are proven to help girls succeed. Girls build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead change in their lives and effect change in the world. Girls Inc. also works with and for girls to advance legislation and policies that increase opportunities for all girls. Together with partners and supporters, we are building a new generation of leaders.