How it all began.
I met a young woman at a school for girls, and her story really touched my heart. I sat with her, two counselors, and another volunteer. She told us about her accomplishments and challenges and shared her daily routine of catching the city bus at 5:00 a.m. with her two-year-old son.
I looked at her and exclaimed, "You are only 14 years old!" and she then said to me, "I don't want him to grow up in foster care like me.'"
I couldn't believe the strength of this young woman - only a child herself. I think about her every day. I felt compelled to help her and other young women secure a future they can look forward to and change their circumstances.
I have built a community of professional women that will meet the young women where they are in life and help them take their next steps. Believing in them until they believe in themselves.
Every young woman deserves a life defined by responsibility, dignity, peace & courage.
Mary Lourdes Saenz
Entrepreneur and community advocate, Mary Lourdes Saenz vision is to build a world where young women feel empowered, supported, and valued so they are able to thrive in work and life. Inspired by community leaders over the past couple of years, Mary restarted her entrepreneur journey after closing a business impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is grateful for those that invested and believed in her when she needed it the most and has made a commitment to building an organization that will give that same inspiration to young women aging out of foster care in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
On the left- Mr. Dwight Hibbard. His kindness and belief in Mary gave her the confidence to restart her business and not give up. Because of him, she looks forward to a better future where she can help others, just as he did for her.
On the right - Mr. and Mrs. Marx are the parents of Mary Marx, President & CEO of Pace, an organization that transforms girls' lives and changes direction for a better future. Mr. Marx volunteers his time by tutoring students in math. Because of them, Mary learned of the challenges the girls face every day.
Meet our Co-Founder
Steph McFee
A random search for a local business coach brought Steph and Mary together in the fall of 2021. As a veteran of nonprofit work and a 20 year women's diversity champion, Steph was eager to jump in and help bring Sisters-in-Arms to life.
Steph has a diverse background including building curriculum as a university lecturer, overseeing giving as a corporate leader, and helping women build and grow businesses as a coach.
She brings her knowledge of systems and program development, along with a passion to help build a world where women and girls can dream and grow without fear.
Steph is mom to daughter Elise, lives in St. Augustine Beach, and is an avid Disney Adult. Her mantra, "because WHY Not?" shapes how she lives, works and thrives in life.
Growing our board of directors.
As we enter our 3rd year, we are transitioning our working board of advisors to develop our formal Board of Directors.
We will be looking for individuals from our community that are not only committed to our mission of helping young women thrive, but who are connected to key influencers who will help propel our program goals and support our financial interests.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know, please click here to submit a form. Our Founder will be in touch.