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Greetings!
"I've never been to the Role Model Dinner before," Shameeka smiles, "but it will be a good experience!" Shameeka is a current Shelter resident who will introduce Dr. Patricia Maryland, one of AFG's 2013 Professional Role Models, at this year's Role Model Dinner. Click here to sneak a peek the myriad of items available in this year's silent auction. Read on to hear more from our Role Models, to here about ways AFG is working with community partners to benefit our participants, and more.
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Members of Young Women Changing Communities participate in a Chadsey-Condon Community Organization Paint-Up John Kronk event at 555 Gallery.
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Helping Young Women Become Independent
AFG reaches out to community partners
Over the next month, AFG is excited to welcome over 20 community partners, businesses and organizations to meet with AFG staff at three Transition to Independent Living (TIL) Collaboration Breakfasts.
Building Relationships
These events will be held at AFG on February 20th, February 27th, and March 6th. The three breakfasts with focus on education and employment opportunities, financial and banking services, and affordable housing and childcare options, respectively.
The purpose of the collaboration breakfast series is to develop resources and relationships that will be useful to the young women of the TIL program. "We deliver the best services through community collaboration," explains Melody Moore, TIL Life Skills Curriculum Coordinator and organizer of the event. "If we establish these partnerships, we can better meet their needs."
Gaining Independence
Such partnerships and resources will help many of the young women to meet different TIL requirements, such as enrolling in education programs, finding employment and opening a bank account to learn about financial literacy. Learning about housing and child care options will also help to reduce some significant barriers to living independently.
"I am looking to learn of varying opportunities that will benefit each young lady," shares Melody. "Every young lady has different needs, and we want to assure that upon completion of our program, they have been served to the highest capacity."
A big thank you to all the community partners for supporting the work of the TIL program, and for providing countless resources to the young women of AFG.
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Meet the Role Models
Meet Dr. Patricia Maryland, President and CEO of St. John Providence Health System and Ascension Health Ministry Market Leader--Michigan Region; and Regina Sharma, Senior Corporate Philanthropy Officer with Wayne State University and Sharma Analytics. Here are some clips from their recent conversations with AFG.
AFG: Clearly you have felt inspired to give back to the community. Is there any part of your personal story that has led to this?
Maryland: I think most people can trace their values back to their parents, and I am no exception. I come from a family of
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Dr. Patricia Maryland
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eight, and all of us kids grew up to feel that we need to be a contributing member of our community and do what we can to make the world a better place. My father was a larger than life figure to me - he served in the military - and he had very high expectations of all of us. He simply expected each of us to develop our talents and contribute to the best of our ability, no excuses and no sandbagging. My mother was our rock, a true North symbol for what was right and wrong. I was very fortunate to have these parents.
Sharma: I grew up in the thumb area of Michigan-a very rural area. Of course, in communities, just as in life, we tend to often focus a lot of time on our differences, but when I moved to Detroit at 18, I tended to connect more to the similarities between my new home of Detroit and my hometown in the Thumb. Resonating with the people in our community and the challenges that we all have the opportunity to respond to was ultimately what lead to my path of service.
AFG: Who are your role models?
Sharma:
Hard-working women like my mother and my grandmothers. My
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mother's work ethic and determination to become a highly educated woman has driven me to succeed and challenge myself in all of my endeavors. Growing up in an environment where higher education wasn't always necessarily the norm, she made a college education a requirement (not just an asset) for both my brother and I.
Maryland: I am reluctant to name names because there are so many inspiring people! I have had both role models and mentors in my life. I think of role models as people who have qualities I want to mimic. I think of mentors as people who can teach me and help me figure things out. Maybe they are the same people, sometimes not. I have two notable mentors in my career - both white men, both in my field of health care. They offered guidance and advice at key tipping points in my career, and I fortunately had the common sense to listen to them! When it comes to cultural role models on a larger scale, I guess I am like a lot of African Americans who are inspired by historical or modern-day figures who achieved societal milestones against daunting odds, and demonstrated grace in the process. One of them, for example is our United States President.
AFG:
Why do you believe that it is important to empower girls and young women?
Maryland: I was once an impressionable young woman myself and I was raised to feel I could do anything I set out to do. Not all young women have that confidence instilled in them from an early age. Maybe I can help. Secondly, I have a daughter. I want her to have a world of opportunity.
Sharma: If no one tells you in your life that you are of value, that you have the ability to achieve great things and be successful, you don't tend to magically come to that conclusion on your own. That sense of value comes from the empowerment driven by other women, leading by example and having real conversations that inspire young girls and women to reach beyond the norm and achieve at an outstanding level. This reciprocity creates the next generation of leaders and that's why it's important to empower young girls and women.
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Pocket Angel Club
Event honors the memory of an avid AFG supporter
On February 10th, Don Manvel, Myra Moreland, and Vivian Pickard hosted a fundraiser for AFG, held at Don Manvel's lovely home. The party celebrated the life and work of Shelly Manvel, an AFG volunteer and supporter. Family and friends were often the recipients of pocket angel coins from Shelly as a token of her compassion and caring for all. To further Shelly's memory following her death in 2012, the AFG Securing the Future Campaign Committee established the Shelly Manvel Pocket Angel Club for AFG. Though AFG is not a religiously affiliated organization, the club and logo were selected to honor Shelly's numerous gifts and her angelic spirit.
The event raised $23,000 for the Pocket Angel Club. Contributions to the Pocket Angel Club will provide unrestricted support for AFG's future. For example, this summer a portion of the funds from this event will be used to extend AFG's Rise N' Shine summer camp program by one week, from six weeks to seven weeks. Shelly volunteered at the camp, which provides free fun and educational opportunities for at-risk girls in southwest Detroit.
AFG would like to thank Don Manvel, Myra Moreland, Vivian Pickard, and all of the event attedees for making the event a success; and of course Shelly for sharing her warmth and wisdom with the young women and staff of AFG.
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Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us, and I hope to see you at the Role Model Dinner!
Sincerely,
Amanda (Amy) L. Good
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Role Model Dinner Tickets on Sale
Tickets for the 2013 Role Model Dinner are now on sale! The annual event will be held on Thursday, March 21st at The Fillmore Detroit. Tickets are $150 each. To learn more, visit the RMD webpage or purchase tickets online now.
Glimpses of Joy
Here is a quick glimpse into some of the amazing things that have been happening at AFG:
- On February 22nd, AFG Shelter staff took four Shelter residents to a job fair. All four received on-the-spot interviews, and all four were hired!
- One of the members of Young Women Changing Communities just moved into her first apartment and started a new job (and credits AFG with helping her accomplish this).
- On February 26th, AFG will host a celebration in honor of the 10th anniversary of our New Choices program. New Choices is a comprehensive program for women who want to exit sex work. The event will feature current and past participants, staff, and volunteers, and is sure to be an inspiring reunion for all!
For more glimpses into the incredible things happening at AFG every day, please "like" AFG on Facebook.
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