Company Overview
-
Operating for nearly 20 years/ two decades
-
Over 1,200 children served
-
9 school partners
-
2 local community partners
-
83% returning campers
-
3 counselors were prior campers
-
Over 260 community service hours completed
-
100% parent satisfaction
Mission & Programs
Mission Statement
Perfectly Me’s mission is to cultivate kindness, confidence, courage, and community commitment in children through immersive programs and experiences that help them understand who they are and how they impact the world.
What We Do
Founded in 2007 by Raquel Whiting Gilmer, Perfectly Me is a youth development movement that cultivates citizenship as a childhood practice. We help children in kindergarten through fifth grade across Maryland develop the values, identity, and sense of agency needed to become compassionate leaders and engaged community members.
Our model goes beyond traditional enrichment or academic support. We're building a generation of young people who see kindness as a civic skill, empathy as a responsibility, and service as part of their identity, not a checkbox on a college application.
This work happens through:
-
Summer Hero Camps that immerse children in intensive, joy-centered character development
-
In-school and after-school programs that integrate values formation into daily learning
-
Family-engaged community projects that make civic participation a household value
The HeroValues Framework
At the heart of Perfectly Me is our HeroValues framework, which fosters positive behaviors and mindsets that give way to healthy relationships and good citizenship.
Courage/Fearlessness
Willingness to try new things and face challenges
Kindness/Compassion
Considering others' feelings and showing empathy
Positivity/Flexibility
Getting along well with others and practicing patience
Discovery/Curiosity
Learning about other people, places, and cultures
Independence/Confidence
Making good choices and taking initiative
Gratitude/Generosity
Helping others and expressing thanks
Creativity
Making new things through art, stories, and expression
Respect/Listening
Treating others the way they want to be treated
Cooperation/Community
Thinking about how to do good in the community
Perfectly Me’s Proven Impact
Overall Program Quality
Positive Social-Emotional Growth
Family-Reported Strong Friendships
Children Served Across Communities
Perfectly Me’s programs deliver measurable social-emotional growth, community-minded behavior, and exceptional youth development quality. Perfectly Me invests in independent evaluation to validate its work and ensure that every program meaningfully strengthens a child’s social, emotional, and community development. Each year, Perfectly Me conducts formal assessments to understand how children grow, how families experience the program, and how camps can continue delivering the highest level of youth development practice.
2025 Independent Evaluation (Hero Camps)
-
4.8/5 overall program quality
-
13/13 perfect scores across youth development categories, including belonging, emotional safety, leadership, and hands-on learning
-
97% of campers consistently demonstrated kindness, empathy, responsibility, and resilience
-
100% of families reported their child gets along well with others, likes helping people, and forms new friendships
-
94%+ of campers showed strong conflict-resolution and positive behavior choices
-
396 campers served across three locations, including two fully subsidized community-based camps serving primarily first-time campers
2023 Evaluation (Pre/Post Growth Study)
-
13-point increase in children’s demonstration of HeroValues with statistically significant increases in: Confidence, Relationship skills, Community-minded behaviors, Social-emotional competencies
Families consistently reported transformation in their children’s self-esteem, leadership, and ability to form friendships
Perfectly Me Testimonials
It’s actually enhanced our entire household. The SuperHero bands gave us a way to talk about kindness and values, and all the kids want to participate.
We’ve seen impressive changes. She went from being nervous to showing incredible empathy and confidence in ways we’d never seen before.
We only planned one week, but she loved it so much we rearranged our entire summer so she could attend every week.
Leadership
Raquel Whiting Gilmer, Founder & Executive Director
Raquel Whiting Gilmer is a social impact innovator, educator, and the founder of Perfectly Me, a values-driven youth development program serving thousands of children across the Baltimore region since 2007. Drawing from her own journey toward self-love and confidence after experiencing teasing as a child, Raquel created Perfectly Me to ensure that every child feels seen, valued, and supported as they grow.
With a deep background in education, community development, and social programming, Raquel has spent nearly two decades developing immersive experiences that teach children kindness, courage, resilience, and citizenship through action. Under her leadership, Perfectly Me has expanded from a single after-school club to a regional network of summer camps, school partnerships, and community-based programs — all designed to help children understand their identity, their impact, and their role in building a compassionate society.
Raquel is also the architect of the “HeroValues” framework, a values-based curriculum that empowers children to practice kindness, empathy, courage, and service in real-world settings. Her thought leadership has been featured in editorials, community panels, and school partnerships, and she is emerging as a national voice on the role of early childhood experiences in shaping cultural change.
Signature Stories
Stop Checking Boxes: Community Service Requirements Are Failing Our Kids
For years, schools have treated community service as a box-checking requirement. Raquel Whiting Gilmer believes this approach is backwards. Through Perfectly Me, she is advancing a new model: community contribution not as an assignment, but as part of a child’s identity. Instead of logging hours, children at Perfectly Me engage in meaningful, kid-led community projects that teach them how their actions shape their world. This shift, from compliance to identity formation, is at the heart of Raquel’s thought leadership.
Mikey’s Story: Kid-Led Civic Action:
A 7-year-old camper noticed overflowing trash cans in Lafayette Square Park and said, “There aren’t enough trash cans.” What began as a single observation evolved into a child-led civic movement: Mikey organized a cleanup, recruited friends, and sparked a community-wide effort involving 30 volunteers and local partners. This story represents Perfectly Me’s philosophy in action: children as capable citizens, not future ones.
Building Community Commitment in the Next Generation
Evaluation data shows a 23-percentage-point increase in children thinking about how they can do good in their community after attending camp. Perfectly Me is cultivating a generation of young people who don't just think about themselves, they think about their impact on the world.
Community Impact Stories
Hallie came to camp looking for belonging and quickly grew into a quiet, compassionate leader. She naturally supported other children, helping them feel seen and included, qualities that led her to join the Counselor-in-Training program. Now a junior counselor, Hallie models patience, empathy, and courage for younger campers. Her journey shows how Perfectly Me helps kids discover who they are and the leaders they’re capable of becoming.
Evidence-Based Youth Development
In an era of increasing concern about children's social-emotional development, Perfectly Me offers a proven model. Independent evaluation shows 100% family satisfaction and statistically significant improvements in key character traits. This is youth development with measurable results.
Media Angles
-
The Values Crisis in American Childhood
-
Kindness & Empathy as Civic Infrastructure
-
How Children Will Fix What Adults Broke
Perfectly Me Media Contact & Assets
For Media Inquiries:
Perfectly Me Press History
Perfectly Me Universe uses kid superheroes to teach values like kindness, compassion
WMAR-2 News – GoodToKnow