Minnesota Girls Apply Now: Achieve Your Dreams Through New Grant

I grew up in the country spending lots of time with my brother and cousins until I was school age. Overall, you might not know it today; but I was quite shy when it came to meeting anyone outside of my family, so when it was time to head to school, life was quite different. Where many kids had spent part of their childhood meeting other kids in preschool and daycare, I didn't know anyone when I began school.

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However, I was lucky enough as a child to have parents that were able to give me experiences in life to help me figure out who I was; what I was capable of doing; develop skills that really helped me figure out what I liked, what I was good at, and who I wanted to be. Camps, Brownies and Girl Scouts, piano lessons, arts and craft classes, and then on to things like marching band and community theatre, I learned so much by having the opportunities to learn new skills, and develop my confidence and self esteem. Many young girls don't get these kinds of opportunities for a variety of reasons; but through the Ann Bancroft Foundation, all that is about to change.

Ann Bancroft led the very first all woman expedition to Antarctica, and became the first woman to reach both the North and South Pole. Ann Bancroft and another woman Liv Arnesen, were the first women in the world to cross the Antarctica landmass.

Through the Ann Bancroft Foundation, all Minnesota girls in grades K through 12^th grade have an opportunity to apply for a grant that will give them the opportunity to participate in many different activities that they may not have ever experienced otherwise, such as going to sports camps, riding horseback, traveling, taking writing classes, taking piano lessons and much more.

Each grant is $500 per girl. Each girl who applies is taking through the application process by someone she chooses to be her mentor. This could be a school teacher, a family friend, or maybe even a coach.

The whole goal of the program is to help girls build their self confidence and self esteem.

To apply for this grant, anyone interested in the program should apply by going to www.annbancroftfoundation.org. The grant will be available and open August 1^st through October 1^st of 2021.