Mentoring over 800 girls — and now boys — across the East End of Long Island.
With 30 chapters from Bellport to East Hampton and headquarters in Jamesport, the Butterfly Effect Project is led by Tijuana Fulford, who started with eight girls in 2014. The group empowers its young members with experiences and guidance to build the values of integrity, respect, and responsibility, and the strengths of resilience, independence, focus, emotional stability, and self-confidence — all in order to build rewarding futures.
Every year, starting in 2022, Side by Side has supported a critical stage in BEP’s youth programming — preparing for and making decisions about college or career training. The highlight is two bus trips to visit colleges as far away as Virginia. Side by Side has also funded an equally important program designed to support college adjustment and success. These programs are called College Access and College Retention.