Bronx Based Girl
Vow saving one black
woman at a time
BY JASON COHEN
Lifelong Bronx resident
Dawn Rowe battled depression,
suicidal thoughts and had many
issues as a teen. Today, she is
making sure young Black girls
succeed and have an outlet to
deal with trauma.
In 2015 Rowe founded Girl
Vow, a nonprofi t organization
launched to address the gender
specifi cs needs of disadvantaged
girls, femmes and genderexpansive
youth in New York
City.
Through education, mentorship
and life skills training,
Girl Vow has opened
doors for girls impacted by
juvenile justice, poverty and
the New York City foster care
system. It has served over
3,000 girls, conducted over 1,068
workshops and dispersed more
than $70,000 in stipends.
“I grew up in a single parent
household,” she said. “During
that time I was a high school
dropout. I was dealing with multiple
family traumas.”
Prior to becoming the
founder of Girl Vow, Inc., Rowe
was once slated for an alternative
to the incarceration education
program and placed in
drop-out prevention during her
high school years while suffering
from family turmoil.
However, the love for academics
and the push from mentors
caused her to attend an alternative
high school where
she received her diploma. The
earlier academic confl icts still
haunt Rowe because the school
never tried to help her.
But, Rowe did not let demons
from her past get in her way.
She took on menial jobs and began
to volunteer at various organizations.
She obtained a dual bachelor’s
degree in deviant behavior
and criminology from John
Jay College, a master’s of arts
in sociology from Brooklyn College
and a master’s of science in
higher education administration
from the Baruch College
City University of New York.
Rowe worked for the Bronx
District Attorney’s Offi ce in
Girls from Girl Vow
youth development, interned at
the Department of Juvenile Justice
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 48 AN. 15-21, 2021 BTR
and in the foster care system.
All of this put her on the
path to Girl Vow.
“I knew I wanted to do something
to help girls,” she said.
She eventually joined the
board of directors of the Mt.
Hope Housing Company, which
was where she learned about
nonprofi ts, policy procedures
and how things work behind
the scenes.
Rowe recalled how she
would write out details of plans
for Girl Vow on the train and in
Starbucks on Fordham Road.
As many kids don’t get mental
health help, she has taken
the burden to assist as many
girls as she can. When she tells
them her story they are often
drawn in and keep coming
back.
“My work is not your cookie
cutter mentoring program,” she
explained.
She advocates for young people
in court, provides job training,
resume building, helps
girls fi nd housing, adjust to life
after jail, fi nd jobs and much
more.
When COVID-19 arrived she
did not stop working. She holds
Zoom workshops and participates
in virtual court cases for
teens.
In the end it is very emotional
for her and the teens, but
the juice has been worth the
squeeze.
“Sometimes you need someone
to advocate for you in order
for things to happen,” she
stressed. “I know this is the work
I was put on this earth for.”
James E. MaQuade, Owner
Family Owned & Operated for over 60 years
3535 East Tremont Avenue
Bronx, New York
718-792-0270
www.schuylerhill.com
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