Local nonprofit SEEDS will be presented with a 2015 Project of the Year Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in February at the annual conference of The Corps Network, a national association of Conservation Corps.

The project, "GURLS! Corps – Girls United for Resilience, Leadership and Service," was created through a partnership with Child and Family Services of Northwest Michigan to provide opportunities for teenagers aging out of the foster care system and supported financially by the Biederman Foundation.

Throughout the summer, the GURLS! Corps worked alongside local women who work for the National Park Service, regional land conservancies and local businesses. They worked with and were mentored by women who are historical architects, farmers, chefs, business owners, skill trades workers and biologists.

"We were fortunate to be connected with five extraordinary young women – two of whom are sisters – and we knew that creating a girls-only team with a female team leader would free them of the complicated social pressures that arise when young men and women work together," says Bill Watson, director of youth programs at SEEDS. "The safe space that was created allowed them to share their difficult family backgrounds and really explore and cultivate their own resilience and leadership."