Who
We Are
Founded in 2019 by Kelly Fair, Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing professional skills for school-aged Black, Brown and Latina girls to prepare them for career readiness in the future workplace.
Our Mission
In collaboration with schools that feature our mentoring curriculum and corporate partners who host work study opportunities, Polished Pebbles develops professional skills to promote career readiness for Black, Brown and Latina girls to ensure the employability of diverse women in the future workplace.
How We Close The Hope Gap
Polished Pebbles equips girls in the greater Chicago metropolitan area with skills that allow them to develop the confidence and ability to:
Speak up in class
Join Groups and Leadership Positions
Peaceful interactions with peers
Communicate effectively and respectfully
Prepare for future careers
Our
Purpose
We fulfill our mission via our Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program, through which we seek to close the Hope Gap through developing a strong school-to-career pipeline for Black, Brown and Latina girls. No other program for girls of color in Chicago combines our communications-based Social Emotional Learning, career readiness, and career connections components.
Our
Vision
To us, success is a girl who not just attends school but who is engaged in school and taking leadership in her classroom, school, home, and community. We are training the future leadership of corporate America, the nonprofit sector, and the civic sector. We are helping girls who are far too often trapped in a cycle of poverty and the criminal justice system to discover that they are entrepreneurs, scientists, CEOs, managers, and leaders.
“It has been a privilege over many years for Bloomingdale’s in Chicago to partner with Polished Pebbles and to invest in the future careers and success of these young women through job shadows and career mentoring with our employees.”
— Bruce Ford, HR Business Partner, Bloomindale’s
Our
Programs
Polished Pebbles’ signature programming is designed to close the “Hope Gap” that begins to set in for Black, Brown and Latina girls as early as elementary school. Some of the organization’s most popular offerings include: Pink Hard Hats – Chicagoland’s first offering dedicated to increasing the number of BIPOC women in trade professions, Every Girl is a CEO summer program, workbook curriculum and annual conference, Mommy & Me entrepreneurship incubator and the community-driven Saturday Sessions which allows opportunities for families to network with various professional leaders.
Our History
Our History
Polished Pebbles School-Based Girls Mentoring Program
Organizational Reach 2022 – 2023
Number of Girls Served This Year
Paid Summer Employment
Number Of Mentors and Volunteers
Schools and Community Sites
Our Leadership
With a team of nearly 30 full-and part-time staff and dozens of mentors and program facilitators, Polished Pebbles core leadership casts the vision for developing diverse talent in the future workplace in Chicagoland and across the globe.
Kelly Fair
Founder & CEO
Kelly Fair is the Founder and Executive Director of Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program, an Illinois Gold Star rated mentoring program that enhances the life skills, career readiness, and leadership ability of girls and young women. She is the author of They’re All the Same Girl! and Every Girl is a CEO! Kelly is an award-winning social entrepreneur and sought-after speaker who advocates for girls, women, mentoring, and workforce pipelining.
James Jackson
Workforce Development Manager
Lisa Olinda
Operations Manager