About

The Why

Wi Not Me, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by Matoaka Berry who is passionate about empowering and equipping today's girls with the tools needed to advance in the world.

​

Matoaka spent over a decade working for Richmond’s Bon Secours Health System which is now Bon Secours Mercy Health, a nonprofit health organization. After leaving Bon Secours, she moved to San Diego, California where she continued her career in healthcare management.  Working in healthcare has allowed Matoaka the opportunity to fulfill her purpose of helping others. She was able to volunteer with many organizations and contributed to starting a backpack drive that allowed her department to donate filled backpacks to an area school.

While living in California, Matoaka realized that she wanted to start a nonprofit aimed at helping young girls, particularly girls of color from backgrounds similar to hers. Matoaka was raised in a non-traditional home with her mother and grandmother. Her mother was a young single parent who worked sometimes multiple jobs, while her grandmother was the caretaker for not just her but neighborhood children as well. She learned early in life what society thought her life would look like and used that to fuel her determination to prove society wrong.

For Matoaka, the opportunity to be a part of various organizations throughout her childhood and young adult life has helped her gain different insight and have a different perspective on life. With this desire to break societal norms and set new standards, Matoaka wants to give other young girls of color opportunities and chances to succeed.

With her background, both professional and personal, Matoaka knows she can make Wi Not Me, Inc.,
a success.

​

The How

Wi Not Me, Inc. has crafted an educational curriculum and invited guest lecturers to facilitate weekend sessions during the academic school year. The program allows young girls from age 8 to the second year of college (age 20) to gain skills and build beneficial relationships. Classes and seminars are held on an alternating Saturday schedule from 9 am-12 pm—allowing breaks for holidays and summers.  Saturday sessions will be taught by business professionals with various backgrounds in our main categories.

​

Throughout the program, participants will experience educational trips to business establishments, colleges, museums, financial institutions, and more. They will get involved in the community and learn
to give back through volunteer work like, feeding the homeless and volunteering at Wi Not Me's annual Back to School event. In addition, there will be opportunities to raise money through fundraisers like fashion shows, father-daughter dances, grandparents brunches, and mother-daughter teas.

 

Past participants will have the opportunity to engage in monthly virtual meetings to support their college-level or working needs. During the summers, college students can volunteer as mentors to high school seniors to assist in easing their transition into college or a trade.

 

Wi Not Me, Inc. provides a place where every girl is welcomed, heard and encouraged—giving them the tools to improve their lives.

​