April 13, 2026 – Springfield, Massachusetts – While there are only a few meetings left for the school year, the HERizon program is not slowing down yet, with several more important topics to be discussed.

HERizon, which launched at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, is a leadership and empowerment program for young women across Hampden County. The initiative aims to equip participants with tools, confidence, and community to navigate life’s challenges and opportunities with purpose.

During the March 24 meeting, it kicked off with a presentation from Alexandra Maggio, chief of community engagement for the United Way of Pioneer Valley.

Maggio explained the work United Way does, which brings people together to create change in the region by connecting volunteers, supporting youth leadership, and more. She also emphasized the importance of nonprofit work and volunteering, asking the young women if they have volunteered before.

The HERizon group then took part in a “Nonprofit Building Workshop,” using existing nonprofits in the area and essentially creating a spinoff of that – utilizing their own ideas to create a new nonprofit under the same umbrella. The workshop allowed the groups to think outside the box – coming up with a name for the nonprofit, a targeted audience, skills needed to operate it, and so on.

When it was time to share, Maggio noted a common theme throughout all the group’s responses: it involved and served members of the community, but most importantly, all local.

Maggio finished by encouraging the HERizon girls to volunteer and noted that United Way of Pioneer Valley has a portal on their website with many volunteer opportunities.

“Volunteering is good for your health,” she said, receiving smiles from the group.