The honor came as council took note of March as Women’s History Month.
March is designated as Women’s History Month, and so with that, Evesham Township Council decided it was time for some Girl Talk.
Specifically, council wanted to honor the local chapter of the program known as Girl Talk, through which girls in high school can act as peer mentors for younger girls in middle school.
As outlined at Girl Talk’s website, Girl Talk meetings can cover topics such as female empowerment, relationship issues, managing stress, leadership skills, perfectionism, mental health issues, social media use, anxiety, financial literacy and more.
Together, girls in Marlton’s local chapter also participate in fun activities with one another, as well as help complete community service projects in the local area.
With that in mind, council used a portion of its meeting last week to honor the Marlton-based chapter of Girl Talk, which started at the hands of resident Mary Beth Iannarella.
Iannarella, a sales professional, started the chapter in part due to the role community service has played in her life, such as taking part in Boys & Girls Clubs of America as a child, to teaching CCD, to volunteering with the youth group her children were in at church.
According to Iannarella, when she first learned of Girl Talk and the program’s work years ago, she simply decided Marlton had a need for the program as well, so she began to work to make a local chapter a reality.
Currently, the local chapter has more than 100 members.
“It’s grades five through 12, and the premise is that the older girls are the leaders and they mentor the younger girls to help them through all the drama and trauma of being a young girl,” Iannarella said.
Iannarella said her group meets several times a month, with meetings covering a wide range of topics, from various speakers presenting to the girls, to completing community service projects such as making sandwiches for local homeless, to even just girls getting together for crafts.
“We do a lot of fun things,” Iannarella said.
In commending the group, Mayor Jaclyn Veasy spoke to its community service work and its work building new women leaders in Marlton.
“One of the things that really stuck out to me when I met the group is that younger girls are mentored by the older girls, and I think that is such a good thing for anyone who is growing up to have that mentorship program … that’s how you build stronger leaders,” Veasy said.
Several young members of Marlton’s Girl Talk chapter also spoke at the meeting about how the group has positively affected them as they’ve grown.
Ashley Rotindo, a ninth-grade student, said the program “changed her life.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten through middle school if it weren’t for any of these people,” Ashley said. “I’ve had the older leaders who graduated to teach me, I’ve met a bunch of new friends and I’ve become a leader, so I know what it’s like to go out with the girls and help them with their problems.”
Nicole Lafferty, a seventh-grade student, echoed Ashley when she said Girl Talk has also helped her during her time in middle school.
“When I went to Girl Talk, they really showed me that they cared, and they made me feel like I could fit in,” Nicole said. “I had another family.”
Also speaking at the meeting was Kenikki Thompson, a current eighth-grade student who recalls facing bullying before joining Girl Talk in fifth grade.
“I was bullied for the way I dressed, for the way I acted or for my personality, but when I joined and met all of these other girls who have struggled through the same things as me and who were so encouraging and so kind — I felt like I was in a way bigger family than the one I have,” Kenikki said.
For more information about Marlton’s local Girl Talk chapter, email Iannarella at girltalkmarlton@gmail.com.
