Springfield Dollhouse Project provides mentoring services for young women

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Springfield Police Officer Timara Pflug was inspired by her daughter to start a mentoring service.

"Having a daughter made me realize I need to be a better woman," said Pflug "Not just for myself, but mainly for her, and I really started looking to improve who I was because I want her to be an amazing woman and person and be able to empower other women as well."

The idea around the The Dollhouse Project came from the idea of play. One of the first thing the Dollhouse Project did was give dollhouses to young girls to help spark their imagination.

"With a dollhouse, it's their home and they can orchestrate it however they want instead of what is going on at home in the environment they are experiencing," said Pflug. "They create that imagination for themselves and spark that imagination in themselves to become a better person."

This spark in creativity will help girls be encouraged to better themselves. Now, the Dollhouse Program revolves around mentorship, with several 12-20 year old girls being paired with a group of local leaders.

The program is focused on bettering the mental and physical well-being of participants. This part of the program is inspired by Pflug's job as a Springfield Police Officer.

"That pre-teen to teenage age is where we've been having schools have issues with girl fights and stuff like that," said Pflug. "We can focus on that and nip it in the bud before they get to college."

Pflug was recently recognized by Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza as a Black History Month Honoree for her work within the city.

The Dollhouse Project is looking for mentors to join their program. If you are interested, you can apply through The Dollhouse Project website.