MILWAUKEE — The former PEARLS for Teen Girls executive director, Gerry Howze, died Sunday at the age of 56 years old, following a battle with cancer.
Her passing was reported on first by Milwaukee Mag and the Milwaukee Business Journal.
PEARLS for Teen Girls started in 1993 to help middle school girls develop social, emotional and practical skills. Those skills would in turn help them become empathetic and strong leaders in their communities, according to Milwaukee Mag.
Since then, the group has expanded to helping girls 5th through 12th grade as they face all sorts of challenges.
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Howze was part of PEARLS for Teen Girls for almost 30 years. She stepped down as she faced a stage-4 cancer diagnosis. She battled cancer for two years.
Howze was PEARLS' first program facilitator before being promoted to executive director in 2015.
Howze first arrived in Milwaukee as a teen parent and survivor of domestic violence. She came to Milwaukee from Chicago. She worked at Aurora Family Services before coming to PEARLS for Teen Girls, according to Milwaukee Mag.
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