ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- During her time in the Air Force, Tammy Vesey had the values of "service before self," "integrity first" and "excellence in all we do" drilled into her.
Although she left the service several years ago, she kept those values and used them when founding Quad Cities Women in Action, an organization which mentors area youth. The 3-year-old organization gets teenage girls involved in the community, while providing them leadership and direction for the future.
"I always try implementing those military values when I'm talking to those kids," Vesey said. "The biggest thing I teach those girls is, 'Do what's right when nobody's looking.' I also teach them about being leaders."
Vesey, who processes mobilization orders for First Army Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, is a 1997 Rock Island High School graduate. What started out as an informal extension of track coaching duties at her high school alma mater morphed into a formal organization that currently has eight mentors and 19 mentees. About seven times a year, Quad Cities Women in Action holds events that focus on having girls make a difference in the community and give them information about college, scholarships and careers.
"It started with the girls on the Rock Island High School track team and, at first, it was just word of mouth," Vesey said. "Now we have a season from September to June, and we advertise to get the word out."
As word spread, the organization blossomed. "This year, we have four girls who saw our stuff on Facebook and their parents contacted us about joining," Vesey said. "We also have some contacts who work with teenagers, and they let us know when someone might be interested. We also have informational meetings to let them know what it's about."
Vesey and Quad Cities Women in Action have given her more drive and focus, said Melanie Anderson.
"It gets me out and more involved with people. Tammy is a good person. She's always there for you when you need her. She's a big help in my life," Anderson said. "We've helped to feed the homeless and have had people talk to us about colleges. It opens your mind to a lot of different areas. We have different speakers and get to ask them about their experiences and how they like their professions."
In high school, Vesey ran relays and hurdles, earning a track scholarship to Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and she also ran for Augustana College. She knows the value of scholarships, she said, and she and the other adult volunteers pass that on to their mentees.
"Each mentor is assigned at least two mentees and will work with them, contact them, and make sure they have anything they might need," Vesey said. "We also have education seminars, where we bring in women with master's and doctorate's, who tell their story as a way to motivate the kids to do well in school. We also have ACT prep, information on how to find scholarships, and the importance of academics before athletics."
So far, four girls who have been involved with Quad Cities Women in Action have earned college scholarships.
Another focus of the mentoring organization is building leadership abilities. Once the girls have been mentees for a while, they get a chance to test their new-found skills. "We have junior leaders who run and host an event," Vesey said. "We're there, but we let them do all the leg work."
The hard work of running and organizing Quad Cities Women in Action pays off when the teenagers tell her how they were helped, Vesey said.
"They will tell us, 'We're glad you did that. We loved it.' To me, that's the greatest success, when they come back and say that. I like seeing the happiness in their faces and the drive they have. Some come to us shy and not knowing which way to go. By the time they leave us, they say, 'I know exactly where I want to go, what I want to do, and how to do it.'"
Mentee Arika Allen is planning to attend the University of Iowa to study biomedical engineering. "Tammy has been a family friend all my life and she's always been a mentor," Allen said. "Quad Cities Women in Action gives me a chance to get out and meet other people and be involved in the community."
Meanwhile, Cevreahna Kenneey is still "searching and exploring" what path she wants to take, and the organization will continue to help her. "It has opened my mind to colleges and has gotten me more involved in the community," she said.
Cynthia Myers-Miles said Quad Cites Women in Action has been beneficial for her, as well.
"They give us a lot of good information about scholarships and colleges," she said. "I also like the bonding that we do with girls our age."
For more information of Quad Cities Women in Action, visit qcwomeninaction.webs.com.
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