Kaffie received her Master of Science degree in Community Counseling in 1986 and launched a successful 10-year career as a licensed professional counselor, focusing her work on female clients. Working with many women around issues of self-esteem, Kaffie wanted to find a way to insure that today’s young girls were not in therapists’ offices as women.  Through her experience in her own private therapy practice, in which she saw a number of middle school age clients, Kaffie identified that age as the pivotal time when the decline in self-esteem began. Drawing on experience gained volunteering in a week-long outdoor leadership camp for young girls at Wells, Kaffie founded the not-for-profit organization, Girls’ Opportunities for Adventure and Leadership (GOAL). Started as a week-long summer camp, GOAL now offers numerous programs for, primarily, girls in grades 6 through 9. The mission of GOAL is to promote self-esteem, self-awareness and a respect for individual differences in girls and young women, resulting in an enhanced capacity for leadership. 

Kaffie had a vision, but knew nothing about starting a new organization. So she educated herself, networking with many community leaders, teachers, mothers and girls themselves. She made inroads with educators, health care professionals, advocates for girls, local politicians, women’s professional groups and area university researchers. Kaffie learned that the organization she was envisioning would have to be a non-profit, would have to have a board, would have to have seed money, etc. She knew none of this, but every step of the way she listened to people, learned from them, and took the next step. All along her journey, people she met were impressed by the fact that when Kaffie saw this need and decided to go about meeting it, she simply went for it. They were amazed at the speed with which Kaffie went from envisioning GOAL to making it happen. 

A GOAL board member told us “I’ve come to believe that Kaffie is the most remarkable woman I have ever met. She has a tremendous amount of integrity, compassion, insight and determination. And she employed all of these as she took a dream, formed a vision and sought every avenue to help bring that vision to life.”

Another early supporter of Kaffie’s wrote “I could write a detailed excerpt of the process that Kaffie took to succeed with GOAL, but that’s not what Kaffie is about. She’s incredibly humble about her part in establishing GOAL. What’s amazing is not that she started a successful program for girls; it’s that she challenged herself and those of us on this path with her, to become better women. Kaffie invites all women to accept the responsibility for raising and mentoring girls to their full potential. Kaffie with humility, humor and warmth and a strong sense of determination taught us that we can make a difference.”

When it was decided that GOAL would offer backpacking experiences to girls, Kaffie felt she, herself, first needed wilderness training. She obtained a scholarship, and, for an entire month, this 55-year-old woman wilderness camped and hiked in the southwest with a much younger group of men and women, in extremely strenuous terrain. It was a “no impact on the environment” trip, so everyone carried the barest of equipment and comforts.  To prepare, Kaffie hiked her neighborhood with a loaded backpack. It was the most grueling experience of her life, but she felt strongly that she needed to learn both what the girls would be experiencing and how to keep them safe. 

In addition to their signature summer camps, GOAL has offered numerous other programs including team-building workshops with school athletic teams, a Women Author Series, half-day workshops for teachers and youth workers, wilderness backpacking weeks, Mother/Daughter Weekends focused on communication and conflict resolution, and many more.  And the impact of GOAL on young girls’ lives has been invaluable.  One camper wrote: 

“I was 11 years old when I started attending GOAL. I didn’t know what to expect; I had never been to a sleep away camp before. A week later, as my Mom and Dad were driving me home……I was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions……. I didn’t want to leave GOAL. That past week had changed me in a way I never thought possible. I went back the next year and the years after that … because GOAL had grown to be a part of me. Without it, I wouldn’t be the person I am today: a girl who is not afraid to speak her mind, stand up for what she believes in and is more aware and proud of herself and the gifts she possesses than ever before. The people, atmosphere and activities (of GOAL camp) helped me realize that I am as good as I want myself to be, no matter what other people say or do. The activities, and modules, the free time, the journal writing, the closing ceremony, “improv”, and the ropes course have all had an impact on me and my growth and development. GOAL helped me become me, and I am so incredibly thankful for the role it played in my life. GOAL is a spirit lifting, self esteem building, awareness building, fantastic experience. The fun I had there is immeasurable and I will carry my GOAL experiences with me for the rest of my life.”

And Kaffie’s work continues - not only with GOAL today, but as a speaker, resource and advisor for other groups in the Atlanta community also working on programs for girls and young women. Over the last year, Kaffie has been working with a group of individuals who are developing a consortium of nonprofit consultants to support new groups and organizations that are preparing to move to the next stage of their development. 

In addition to her entrepreneurial successes, Kaffie has been a mentor to many women. She provided an internship at GOAL for Jinzhou “Lulu” Zhao ’02, who had only been in this country two years when she went to work with Kaffie. Lulu told us “Kaffie to me is not simply a businesswoman or entrepreneur, but more importantly, she’s a friend, a teacher and a mentor. I worked independently under the direct supervision of Kaffie and learned from the best. I was fortunate to see how a business grew from its very foundation, and even more fortunate to meet and work with Kaffie. Kaffie was very hard working and focused. She taught me first-hand what strength and persistence are; she taught me how to grow to be a confident woman. Kaffie is a person with strength, energy and integrity. Knowing her and being able to work with her was an honor and an inspiring experience.” 

Click here to read Kaffie's Acceptance Address.