RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond-area nonprofit's long-planned trip to Ghana hit a major setback when a powerful East Coast storm grounded their flight out of John F. Kennedy Airport, leaving a group of young girls and their chaperones stranded in New York.
Girls for a Change spent two years preparing for the trip, called "Her Journey Home: Ghana 2026."
The group spent after-school sessions getting ready to travel, this included lessons in African and Ghanaian history, travel preparedness, African dance, and filmmaking.
After group leaders learned that hotels within a 30-minute radius were fully booked, Dani Brown Lewis, the organization's development manager, said the group spent nearly 12 hours at the airport before securing a hotel between 3 and 4 a.m.
They then spent another few hours waiting to actually get in the room, finally getting some rest around noon. She said the unplanned costs for hotel, food, and transportation were not part of the original budget, but they have been receiving some relief through donations.
Despite the setback, Lewis said the girls have stayed positive throughout the situation. On Monday as group leaders worked to try and secure new flights, the girls woke up in high spirits wanting to make the best of their situation spending some of the day exploring New York City.
"They have remained uplifting of each other, uplifting of us, which has been wonderful as well," Lewis added.
She said the entire group is still hopeful they will make it to Ghana and are working with their travel agent and airline to secure 20 seats on a flight to Ghana. She said they're exploring a few options, including possible departures later in the week.
With it being a 10-day trip, she says the girls still look forward to some of the things on the itinerary including visiting local marketplaces, wellness activities, a naming ceremony, cooking classes, nature excursions, and a day trip to Cape Coast to visit the Door of No Return. The girls were also scheduled to tour Wesley Girls Senior High School in Cape Coast for a cultural exchange with Ghanaian students.
Lewis added that any support including resources that can help them get to Ghana or help them while they're in New York would be greatly appreciated. Those who want to support Girls for a Change can click here or email info@girlsforachange.org.
"This is a life-changing opportunity for the girls," Lewis said. "One of our girls, had said, you know, I don't really, care. I just want to get there. I just want us to be able to get to Ghana. We want to see this through."
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