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That’s What Friends Are For

Finding Sisterhood, Happiness and Success In South Florida Groups

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Being alone isn’t easy.

It may sound appealing at times, but even science has proven having friends is so vital it actually helps people live longer. Women understand this all too well, nurturing friendships and turning them into a sisterhood — a bond that bends, but rarely breaks. From grade school to golden years, most women have had a female friend to lean on as they navigate the chaotic world together. 

“Despite even having a perfectly supportive spouse, there is something quite special about the female bond that women have with each other,” says Marni Feuerman, a licensed psychotherapist in Boca Raton. “They thrive on strong friend relationships.”

Several of these bonds have been formed right here in South Florida. Highlighted below are just a few of the many groups in our area where friendships have blossomed and grown. Though each group is different and their age demographic may vary, they have one thing in common: the support of fellow females. Each has created a safe space where women can encourage, learn, share, inspire and become better versions of themselves together, forming that unique and priceless bond of sisterhood.

Help In The Darkest Moments 

Exercising had always been a priority for Tracey Hecht, a Cooper City stay-at-home mother of two. A certified running coach, she was at home with her toddlers in the fall of 2019 when she created her business, the Strong Mom Run Club. Before the pandemic, the group met weekly and members bonded while running in parks and picturesque neighborhoods. Hecht served as their mentor, encouraging them along the way.

Friendships quickly formed, but Hecht didn’t realize their importance until she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in May 2020. Life as she knew it came to a crashing halt, but these women helped Hecht pick up the pieces. The day before she started chemotherapy, they surprised her with a drive-by car parade. During her treatment, they organized a run in her honor, taking pictures of themselves at the finish line, then using them to create a photo blanket so Hecht could comfort herself with the love of her friends on extra dreary days. 

Through five months of chemotherapy, Hecht ran as much as she could and kept tabs on her running clients. She spearheaded virtual 5Ks and continued to fill her clients with confidence while keeping her own confidence in check.

Today, Hecht is cancer-free. Because of the pandemic, the running group is virtual, but she’s looking forward to the day when they can be together again.

She acknowledges that the women of the Strong Mom Run Club have been a critical component in her journey towards good health.

“I don’t even want to think what [chemotherapy] would’ve been like without them,” Hecht says. “A lot of cancer survivors will tell you once chemo is over, people stop checking in. But these moms continue to be a part of my life. The moms have carried me through it. There’s no way to ever repay them.”

Friends With A Focus

While friendships change and grow as we age, we start learning how to create those special bonds in our younger years. Rithika Kacham, 17, and Megan Enriquez, 16, are learning how to do just that, but they’re doing so while addressing a pressing issue affecting impoverished women around the world. Both girls have created clubs at their high schools that focus on providing pads and tampons to nonprofit groups that distribute them to girls in need.

Kacham, a senior at Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, and Enriquez, a junior at Grandview Preparatory School in Boca Raton, met while learning about policy change through meetings hosted by Period, a global nonprofit organization fighting to end period poverty. Enriquez runs a local chapter of Period at her school and Kacham started her own club with a similar mission called Girls Help Girls. The two bonded over their common goals and quickly became friends.

They’ve also formed a sisterhood that goes beyond the normal teenage realm through their mutual passion to help other girls their age. “Having a period is something that most girls deal with and it’s so common,” Kacham says. “A friend of mine needed a pad and she was too embarrassed to go to the nurse’s office, so I had a pad to give her. Something as simple as that just shows the sisterhood that women form.” 

Elementary and middle schools are also offering a safe space for girls to form long-lasting connections. Girls on the Run is a nationwide group that focuses on nurturing, not only physical strength, but mental strength. Diane Evans, executive director of Girls on the Run Palm Beach, says the organization tries to build a sense of belonging, while coaching the girls on becoming better runners. 

The goal of the program is to have the girls complete a 5K, but Girls on the Run also covers topics specific to girls, including how to be a good friend. Evans notes how teamwork and cooperation helps to form these friendships, which, in turn, boosts self-esteem.

“It’s really important at this age because it’s when girls start looking around and feeling left out and they start looking at themselves and doing comparisons,” Evans says. “You really start looking at yourself through a different lens. That’s why it’s important to build a sense of confidence.”

United For A Common Cause

Fighting for women’s rights and watching women thrive in leadership roles are the reasons why Takeata King Pang, executive director of the Women’s Foundation of Florida, is so committed to her job. She’s the only full-time paid employee of the Palm Beach County-based foundation, making her workload intense. But she talks about her job — and the foundation — with such love that it doesn’t sound like work at all. Friendships are discovered in many ways, and the ones created in the foundation are often formed because the women are fighting for the rights of women whose voices are not often heard.

Paid leave, childcare, racial injustice and free access to reproductive healthcare are just a few of the topics the 150 active members advocate for. The women are from all walks of professional life, with some just out of college, others starting second careers, while some others are happily enjoying retirement. They have monthly meetings (on Zoom now, due to the pandemic) to discuss subjects they are dealing with, such as how to maneuver the job market during COVID-19 or how to manage grief and loss. 

The connections women make here go far. They not only become friends, some have become business partners. Others serve as mentors, creating a support system that many of these women otherwise may have never had. 

“They’re building each other up,” Pang says. “A lot of the women have this amazing power within them and it’s just a matter of them finding it.”

One of the women Pang met through the foundation is Shirley Koo, president of the American Association of University Women Northern Palm Beach County chapter. More than 50 members are a part of the local branch, with most ages 55 and up. Their mission includes fighting for gender equity.

Koo, who taught high school math in New York for more than 30 years, learned about the group from a friend at church. The group has not only kept her days busy since retirement, it’s also managed to spark new friendships.

Out of this local chapter new social groups such as a book club, bridge group and dining club have formed. Unfortunately, social distancing has temporarily halted group gatherings, but the women still meet on Zoom and several connect online to play bridge. Koo is thankful she can still socialize with her friends, even if it’s from a computer screen.

“It’s very good for companionship and for some of the women who live alone, it’s so important to keep in touch with them,” she says. “Each of us has some contact with somebody.”

Fly Fishing And Camping — Why Not?

Companionship is something that the national female outdoor adventure group, Sisters on the Fly, knows all about. Finding someone to travel with and do things most believe men are only capable of doing — like fly fishing and camping — is the exact reason why the organization started 21 years ago. 

Today, there are state chapters all over the country and Florida’s has spent many weekends camping in South Florida. They’ve explored the KOA campground at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, enjoyed the serenity of Jonathan Dickinson State Park and witnessed the beauty of the Florida Keys. Sally Campbell oversees the Florida chapter from her Central Florida home. She says members, comprised of women of all ages throughout the state, are drawn to the foundation because they are independent, adventurous and seeking camaraderie.

Campbell didn’t know a soul when she first started camping with the group, nor had she camped before. But she didn’t let either of those things stop her.

“One day I saw this cute little travel trailer that looked vintage, and I said if I was ever going to camp, that’s what I want,” she recalls. “Then I lost some friends who were too young not to be here anymore, and I’m a breast cancer survivor. My friend said, ‘You may not be here tomorrow.’ So, I guess that’s all I needed.”

Sisterhood is something this group thrives on — with each meetup, more and more women connect. Campbell, 69, shares that most of the members said they felt like they were missing something in their lives and that they found it within this group. “It’s given me a whole big band of friends,” she says. “All of us feel that way. Some have said it saved their lives.” 

‘You Need Friends To Have Fun With’

Though one can make hundreds of friendships over the years, not all friendships last a lifetime.

According to Feuerman, research shows that the average female friendship lasts 16 years and friendships that last longer are usually the ones most flexible around the different stages of life.

Campbell notes she has experienced both. She is proud to still have friends from her college days but notes she has lost touch with other friends made years ago because she was busy raising her children and focusing on family life. She’s learned, though, that once the children are older and retirement is in sight, you can make yourself a priority again. 

“That’s when you can really have fun,” Campbell says. “And you need friends to have fun with.”

The Ties That Bind: Groups That Foster Sisterhood

Strong Mom Run Club  

American Association of University Women Northern Palm Beach County Chapter

Women’s Foundation of Florida

  • Channeling resources to guide, educate and inspire women and girls to become better leaders. 
  • Visit womensfoundationfl.org.

Girls Help Girls

Period

Girls on the Run 

  • This organization inspires girls to be confident and strong through a curriculum that integrates running — nurturing strength on and off the track. 
  • Visit girlsontherunpbc.org.

Sisters on the Fly 

  • An outdoor adventure group for women of all ages. Activities include kayaking, fishing and camping. The Florida chapter plans events throughout the state, including South Florida. 
  • Visit sistersonthefly.com.