Boyd: G.L.A.M. founder mentors the little girl in her and little girls like her in Indy
I have a soft spot for people who care about other people. Not in an abstract way, but in a tangible, put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is kind of way. Where your passion is helping others, and you will sacrifice your needs for someone else — who isn’t related to you. I get it when it’s your children or parents, but when you have a heart for strangers and treat them like family, those people are different. They’re special. And I’m awed by them.
That’s how I feel about Shanel Poole. She’s someone who’s been through enough pain, struggle and disappointment — some her doing, some at the hands of others — to make her become bitter, angry and cold, but that’s not the direction she chose for her life.
Poole chose to become the person she needed growing up while helping other girls by starting Guidance, Life-skills and Mentoring, better known as G.L.A.M., a nonprofit, while still a student at Indiana State University.
Her philosophy: “Why not pour into the little girl in you and the little girls like you?”
Poole officially began G.L.A.M. March 26, 2008, but it really started years earlier when she found herself bullied at school, a victim of molestation and sexual assault, incarcerated at Indiana Girls’ School (“I spent my Sweet 16 in girls’ school with a bunch of girls singing Whitney Houston ‘Count on Me.’”) and eventually homeless, suicidal and living in her car at 18. Her story could’ve ended there, and there are times she thought it would, but it didn’t, obviously. Or her story could’ve continued on a self-destructive path as she died a slow death. But that’s not her story either. Poole found the grit inside herself to start writing a different story for her adult life. Poole will be the first to admit she didn’t do it all alone.
“I prayed, ‘God, if you don’t do something tonight, I’m going to kill myself,’” Poole said. She was 18 and driving in an unknown neighborhood. “I was determined I was going to self-destruct.”
A few minutes later, she found herself in front of Christamore House. With Christ in the name, Poole wondered if this was the answer to her prayer. Turns out, it was. The leaders at Christamore House helped Poole get her GED, get into college, find employment, win a car through an essay contest and supported her as she started G.L.A.M. There’s a saying among church folk about God ordering your steps, and this seems to be the case for Poole.
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G.L.A.M.’s curriculum is designed for girls ages 9-18, focusing on four areas: positive self-esteem, academic achievement, personal development and professional choice. Girls must commit to the program for two years. They spend four hours on Saturdays working through the G.L.A.M. curriculum.
“G.L.A.M. is designed and G.L.A.M. is owned by the girls,” Poole said. “They know everything belongs to you. This is your program. Our job is to go over for you and beyond and that’s it. Every single thing I learn I give to the kids.”
Poole, 39, is studying for a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy and plans are in the works to take the G.L.A.M. curriculum nationwide as well as create a program for boys.
Thanks to a grant from IU Health Foundation and other sponsors, G.L.A.M. also has a new space for the G.L.A.M. Legacy Center. This space, formerly the Indiana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubhouse at 2034 N. Capitol Ave., has significant historical and cultural meaning. Lillian Thomas Fox organized the Indiana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs in 1904, and it was affiliated with the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. The goals of the organization were improving education, health, living standards and interracial understanding. You can hear the pride in Poole’s voice as she talks about the amenities the young ladies will enjoy: a library, computer lab, beds for girls who need a place to stay, salon and even a museum dedicated to the Indiana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs. Seems like the perfect home for G.L.A.M. and another example of God answering Poole’s prayers.
Anyone interested in learning more about G.L.A.M. can visit glamindy.org, or call 317-500-2800.
“I feel so grateful to God that he allowed me to care of others,” Poole said.
Contact IndyStar Public Engagement Editor Oseye Boyd at oboyd@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @oseyetboyd.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis girls benefit as G.L.A.M. provides safe space, mentors
