Remarkable Women: Jennifer White celebrates sisterhood, supports community with her ‘Forever Girlfriends RVA’

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- 8News is honoring Remarkable Women this month. Today, we're introducing you to Jennifer White. She's the founder of Forever Girlfriends RVA, a nonprofit that empowers women and gives back to the community.

"Hey, Girlfriend!" is not only the nonprofit's tagline -- it's a representation of what White wanted at the time of its formation.

White has always been about sisterhood. One of four sisters and part of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she started Forever Girlfriends RVA after feeling isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forever Girlfriends RVA. (Photo: Jennifer White)

She wanted to foster friendships with women in her area who had a heart for entrepreneurism and community service.

"I'm always a girls girl, I love connecting with my girls and networking -- but during the pandemic, I kind of felt isolated and I wanted to be able to connect with other women," White said.

So White -- a process manager, wife and mother -- put out the call on social media in 2022 to get women 25 years and older to join.

About 30 women joined the organization, which offers various programs for its members.

It also puts on several events throughout the year, including a Mother's Day brunch, prom dress drive, community harvest meal, New Year's Eve ball and a back-to-school drive that gave out 400 backpacks last year.

"I love it like we will go places and people will be like, 'Thank you for what y'all did, thank you all for what y'all did,'” said Rondell Dixon Harvey, who has been a member of Forever Girlfriends since day one.

Forever Girlfriends RVA's Back to School drive event. (Photo: Jennifer White)

“I'm going to be real honest with you -- I grew up in a community where there were a lot of mean girls, so it took a lot for me, in the beginning, to actually reach out to want to attend a lot of things,” Harvey said.

Since then, Harvey has been inspired to start her own nonprofit, Strength In Unity, which will do more community drives.

Harvey’s cousin, Tasha Hamilton, said she enjoys Forever Girlfriends RVA for its Grieving Daughters support group. It's been a great help to her after she lost her mother and brother in 2017.

"People don't understand [that] somebody can go through grief where you can be happy and smile a lot and stuff like that, but behind that smile, you would be crying ... and some people need that support -- and a lot of times, [at that meeting] once a month, we have a ball,” Hamilton said, adding that her daughter had strongly encouraged her to join the support group.

Hamilton said that, in just a few months of meetings, she’s seen a dramatic change in herself and in others in the support group.

“After I went to the first meeting, I loved it, and now, I don’t want to miss [it,]" Hamilton said. "It’s so uplifting, because you can be in a dark space and don’t want to talk. I just celebrated my mom’s birthday without crying for the first time. I felt like I was happy, she wasn't suffering anymore from cancer and her legacy of strength lives through me."

White said she added the Grieving Daughters group in 2024. Both that and the Someone’s Muva Day Brunch are closest to her heart.

"I lost my mother in 2017 to breast cancer," White said. "So, for me, being able to honor her with the Mother's Day award we give out each year is a way for me to honor and remember her."

Each member of Forever Girlfriends pays about $200 in dues, which goes toward its community projects.

Finance director Shannon Bonner said they fundraise all year long and apply for grants.

She added that she would love to help out young men for their prom drive.

“Something like renting a tuxedo for them, getting him a haircut, things that his family may not be able to do -- we would love to be able to pour into other people that way,” Bonner said.

Bonner, who is also part of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., said she is in awe of how White gives her 100 percent to Forever Girlfriends RVA.

"Sometimes, you got to get on her, because she likes to do it all," Bonner said, laughing. "It's like, 'Jen, we got a committee. I need for you to allow some other people to assist.'"

As for being named a Remarkable Woman? White had this to say about her nomination.

"I was floored and left speechless -- I’m so excited to be nominated and chosen as a Remarkable Woman," White said. "Making a change in Richmond is truly, truly something that I enjoy."