COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Midlands woman is using her own difficult childhood experience to help other kids going through the same thing. Her name is Alicia Bradley and she and her team are mentoring and supporting young girls in foster care. Now she is looking for other mentors to help make a difference in the lives of other young women.
One of the women she mentored is Robin Branham. Robin went into foster care when she was 10. When she was 13, she met Alicia Bradley.
"I called on her for stress, for just mental support. I called on her for mental support, I called on her for girly support. Most definitely I called on her for support of family," said Robin.
Robin says Alicia was her emotional, mental and physical support person, "It just made me feel better. I had a support. She was there through everything."
Bradley's organization, called Saving our Ladies, was established in November 2020.
For founder Alicia Bradley, she says she'd been sitting o the ide for four years, until during the pandemic she knew she had to do the something. She says the idea stemmed from her own experience in care. "I was in foster care when I was growing up for about 18 months," said Bradley.
Saving Our Ladies is a mentorship program for girls between 5 and 17, providing everything from tutoring, to college tours, to one on one mentorship. "When I ended up in foster care there was a lot things I was going through that I couldn't tell anybody... I needed a mentor, I needed somebody to be there for me," said Alicia.
Amunique Syas is one of Alicia's current mentees, she says she can turn to Alicia for everything. "Personal problems, school problems, relationship problems, anything. Anytime I have needed someone, if I have needed to cry, yell, scream, anything ... she has been there," Amunique said.
Now pregnant with her first child, Amunique says she's asked Alicia to be the God Mother of her son.
Saving Our Ladies is desperate for more mentors and mentees, for more information on how to become a mentor or to gain mentorship, head to the Saving Our Ladies Facebook page, or website. Or contact savingourladies1@gmail.com.
On August 14, the organization will be hosting a Back to School event from from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at 7201 Parklane Road in Columbia. There will be giveaways, free school supplies, free haircuts and free food.