On Nov. 7, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center hosted a celebration honoring John and Janet Kornreich, founders of the John and Janet Kornreich Charitable Foundation, who fund the monthly outings that are a big part of the Latina Girls Project.

The Guidance Center’s Latina Girls Project is an innovative program that employs rapid response to emergency calls, individual, group and family therapy and monthly outings and other activities, all designed to tackle the epidemic of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and suicidal ideation in young Latinas.

“In addition to individual and family therapy, monthly outings to places such as museums, theater and other cultural sites are crucial to the Latina Girls Project’s ability to transform these girls’ lives,” said Guidance Center associate executive director Regina Barros-Rivera, who heads up the Latina Girls Project. “The trips serve to boost their confidence and sense of independence. They also discover that there’s a great big world of opportunity out there for them, which allows them to feel hopeful about their futures.”

The Nov. 7 event, which featured speeches from several of the girls who’ve participated in the program, was not only a celebration of the girls’ success but also an opportunity to honor John and Janet Kornreich.

“The therapy helped my mother and I communicate and become very close, and the monthly outings showed me a world I never would have seen,” one girl said. “I felt that I wanted to be a part of the larger world. The trips gave me the feeling that I could be truly happy in my life.”

Barros-Rivera said that the Kornreiches were “angels,” explaining that John walked into the Guidance Center one day and said “tell me how I can help.”

Toward the end of the celebration, both John and Janet Kornreich told the girls that they were proud of them and that they should be proud of themselves. The couple also pledged their continued support for the Latina Girls Project.

“We are deeply grateful to John and Janet for their dedication and contribution to this very important Guidance Center program,” said Malekoff. “They make these trips possible, and the trips make the girls see wonderful possibilities in their lives.”