(WCIV) — A Lowcountry woman is making a difference in the lives of hundreds of at-risk youth. The founder of Every1 Voice Matters and the author of The Lil Herbie Series, Sherika Myers, shared that the Lil Herbie mascot started here in the Lowcountry and has since expanded reaching kids across the world. “The Lil Herbie mascot is all about teaching kids how to have self-esteem, trust themself, and believe in themselves,” Myers said. The Lil Herbie doll acts as the mascot for the nonprofit Every1voice Matters which targets at-risk youth and their families through education, positive mindset and community outreach. The series provides kids parents and teachers with educational tools as the character promotes the power of positive thinking. The doll features dozens of prerecorded positive affirmations and has a recording device so kids parents and coaches can record their own affirmations or positive messages. “If they [kids are] having a bad day,” Myers said, “they have their affirmation doll to uplift them and they also can record their own affirmation and play it back.“ Myers said she was called to create this series after facing adversity and bullying as a child. “I came up with the mascot because when I grew up, I had a speech impediment,” Myers said. “I was laughed at, I was teased, I was ignored. I used to have my siblings actually speak for me. So, I kept how that felt inside. Nobody really knew how much, when kids laugh and tease, how much it really affected me.” The inspiration behind the mascot came years later when her grandson suffered the same speech impediment. She says that’s when she went back to school, became a life coach, and started the Every1voice Matters foundation to bring Lil Herbie to life. “I wanted him to be about providing tools to kids,” Myers explained. Myers said the animated series is filled with videos geared towards social-emotional learning, financial literacy, diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-bullying, early drug prevention, gun awareness, and more of the challenges that kids go through every day. Myers brings the Lil Herbie series to schools, libraries and community advocacy programs and sells the doll and books separately. Earlier this month hundreds of Lil Herbie affirmation dolls were given away to kids at Every1voice Matters ‘Christmas at City Hall’ event each with a personalized affirmation from Myers herself. In the North Charleston community, the Lil Herbie dolls and curriculum have been so impactful that as of 2023. Feb. 22 is now considered Lil Herbie Day in North Charleston. Categories: News, State Tags: South Carolina