Growing up in Atlanta, Cherise Davis had a solid foundation, but in college, she knew that she needed an extra layer of support, so she created God’s Ladies Of Significance & Service, also known as GLOSS.
“I grew up in a two-parent household. I went to church. I had my mom and dad, but life is still challenging,” said Davis who was 19 when she founded the organization for girls between the ages of 5-25. Now in its 19th year, the organization opened an Augusta chapter about four years ago, and on June 7, it celebrated its end-of-year programming with its Kaleidoscope brunch at the Pinnacle Club.
Members celebrated each other and the crowning of this year’s Miss Butterfly, Mehetabell Muchemi, a student at John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School.
Willow Ogonga, another Davidson student, was the 2024-2025 Miss Butterfly and gave a few comments about her title.
GLOSS has seven core tenets, one of which focuses on healthy eating. Willow said she began to be more mindful of caring for her body through better food choices this year.
She also appreciates her GLOSS sisters, she said, because whenever she needs help, she knows where she can turn.
GLOSS members have bi-weekly virtual meetings plus in-person monthly gatherings to perform community service with organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House and Dream Center. It’s a faith-based group so members learn Bible verses as part of the program.
More than 120 girls and young women have gone through the group in its history, and on Saturday, some returned to take part in the event.
Jacqueline Lamothe, who serves as GLOSS’s communications director, didn’t become part of GLOSS until she was in college even though she’d known about it when it first started. Her college roommate was a member and continued with the program throughout college. After overhearing the roommate on a GLOSS call, Lamothe knew it was her time to participate.
From the time she joined, she knew she wanted to volunteer and help mentor its members. One scripture that inspire her effort with GLOSS is in Matthew 5, in which Jesus calls believers the salt of the earth.
“Salt is a preserver. I think of this group as a preservation of young women, bridging the gap between having good moral values and having a community and doing life with people.”
“GLOSS exists to empower young ladies ages 5-25 through mentorship, sisterhood, spiritual guidance under the direct influence of Christian values and making a tangible difference in the broader community.
“The butterfly is the organization’s mascot reflecting the beauty, delicacy, uniqueness and dynamic transformation of each GLOSS member,” according to a news release.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s a Georgia Press Association winner and the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
