My Inspiration for Giving
My inspiration for giving began in 2011 when my daughter, Teaira turned 16. Teaira was a very smart girl, but had very low self-esteem, had a hard time making friends, and was very unsure about her future. My husband and I discussed the problem and decided that a mentor or a youth program would be helpful to her. We were surprised to find out that most mentoring programs were income contingent, were very expensive, or automatically disqualified our daughter because she didn’t live in a single parent home. I started talking with other mothers and women in my community and realized that they were having the same problem. The non-profit organizations in our area did not support or focus on the needs of middle income families. This inspired me to create an organization that would support everyone in our community based on need and not income.
Fast forward to 2012, my inspiration to help children in need led to the formation of Women of Distinction Network. This organization is comprised of 13 ladies, who work together to mentor young girls, empower other women, and assist people in need within our local community. In 2013, we were able to mentor our first group of young ladies and offer two, $500.00 scholarships. Since then, we have started offering brand new laptop computers as part of our scholarship program. This strategy allow us to mentor young girls and women for college and meet a need that is based solely on an essay and a desire to attend college. It warms my heart to see a young woman smile, because of our desire to support her college journey and to motivate her.
Every time that I have the opportunity to mentor a young girl, encourage another woman, or give out a laptop, I am once again inspired by my daughter, Teaira. Her life completely changed when her Youth Pastor became her mentor. Her self-esteem improved and she was excited about attending college and making new friends. I pray that I have the same impact on the girls I mentor and that they become successful women who give back to another woman and their community. I also pray that Women of Distinction Network will continue to make a difference in the lives of individuals in our community through mentoring, motivating and uplifiting.
Review from #MyGivingStory