Today we’d like to introduce you to Keesha Breed.
Keesha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a child, I never thought that I was pretty. I knew that I was smart and funny, but not pretty. Watching the “pretty” girls in school made me feel inferior; and in retrospect, I can see how I ended up with two kids in high school, and later, seven children and no husband.
I didn’t value myself because I had not yet connected with my purpose. I started attending the College of Biblical Studies in Spring 2019. There, the truth of God was unveiled to me. I began to understand that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. I learned that my life has purpose and that my perception of ME should only be through the lens of God’s eyes.
It was then that I realized why I was placed on Earth…to unveil the unequivocal, never-ending, unconditional love of God to little girls like me. I truly believe that the value of human life can only be fully understood and appreciated when we reunite with our Heavenly Father.
That same year, I started a girls group at a local YMCA. We called ourselves, Y Girls Rock. Because of the different cultures, I was limited to how much scripture I could quote. A few years later, in 2015, I left the YMCA and started a ministry, HisGirlsRock, in Fifth Ward. We met once a month at Clayton Homes Apartments. The ministry was opened to girls from all over Houston. Through mentoring and various field experiences, the ministry grew, and we began having annual conferences.
On Fathers’ Day 2017, God spoke to me about the name of the ministry. While in service at my church, God’s Spirit of Faith Fellowship Church, God had me to survey the girls in our congregation. Each of them love their fathers, but, their relationships were estranged. It was then that the name Daddy’s Girls was revealed to me, It is derived from the title that many girls and young women pride themselves on having, yet, in this arena, the girls would be known as daughters of the King.
Daddy’s Girls is a ministry for every girl. Our desire is that every girl we encounter would connect with God, thereby, understanding her importance to Him and His purpose for her. The outcome of this is healthy self-image and confidence, compassion, empathy, and service. From those character traits, well rounded young ladies are created. These ladies grow up understanding that life is not about what you get; it’s all about what you give.
Has it been a smooth road?
The most difficult parts of running a girls ministry is commitment and money.
Some of the girls have extracurricular activities, and the parents typically prioritize those activities above ministry. In such cases, we have very low attendance, but we do not cancel meeting because of low attendance. Every member is important, and if one girl gets what she needs to make it through the next month, then, we have fulfilled our obligations.
Girls are expensive. We need things… lots of things. Many of my girls don’t have daily necessities (i.e., sanitary napkins, clothes that fit, school supplies, shoes, etc.). This limits the type of activities that we are able to do.
Currently, we are looking into different fundraisers to help fund the application to become a nonprofit. Then, we will be able to solicit donations for the members. We started off with dues, but, again, every girl can’t afford the $10. So, for now, I pay for everything out of pocket, or I get my girlfriends to help.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Daddy’s Girls story. Tell us more about your work.
We cater to young girls ages 6-18 (1st -12th grade). We offer Biblical truth through practical life lessons. We focus on building self-awareness and confidence through the Word of God while still allowing the girls to be children. We shop, go to the movies, have sleepovers, talk about boys and school and all of the other things that girls do.
The Christian aspect is what sets us apart. We strive to give our girls a solid foundation; something that they can turn to when life hits hard and that’s a relationship with God. They understand that if everyone else fails them, God never will.
I am most proud that we will never waver or be shaken by what society deems as okay, normal, or typical. We are set apart because we give our girls everything they will need to be successful.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
My biggest goal is to take the girls on mission trips around the world so that they can fully understand what service is about. We intend to mirror Oprah Winfrey and build schools for girls in other countries. However, our schools will be Christian based.
We also want to be able to sponsor trips abroad so that the girls can be well rounded and cultured. Obtaining our nonprofit status will definitely assist us in those areas.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8322080907
- Email: daddysgirlsministry18@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daddysgirlsministry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daddysgirlsministry18/
Image Credit:
Marcus Jones
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