With Made 2 Glam, Inc, we just completed our first fundraiser of the year, and we had the most amazing time. I cannot begin to express how I feel after a great first quarter. Our fundraiser, Made 2 Glam Dance-A-Thon, was a HUGE success! I mean the participants were serious about dancing to make a difference. One participant danced so hard, he fell out on the floor towards the end of his “dance run.”
You may ask, “What is Made 2 Glam?” and “What was the mission being supported by the Dance-A-Thon?”
I am glad you asked.
Six years ago, Made 2 Glam started an all-girls summer camp, Young Ladies of Glam. The summer camp focused on enriching the lives of young ladies ages 11-16 with a curriculum centered around self-confidence and discovering their purpose in life. It was during this time, I met a very special young lady that would inspire me to shift the focus of our organization.
If I may be honest, the young lady wasn’t the most pleasant and was very “stand offish.” Strangely, I would notice the young lady secretly smiling while other young ladies engaged in several enrichment activities. However, once my eye would catch her eye, her smile disappeared. I couldn’t figure out why the young lady would not allow herself to freely enjoy life.
One day, a visitor came to camp and I learned she was the young lady’s case manager at a local foster care agency. The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. The counselor shared with me how much the young lady enjoyed camp and often spoke of the camp’s activities. I was left speechless and had to make sure we were talking about the same young lady. The young lady she was describing was not the same young lady I witnessed at camp.
Unfortunately, the young lady did not continue to camp’s program as her foster care mother was not able to continue to take care of her. I began to read about the statistics of young ladies in foster care-50% of young people in foster care are least likely to graduate by the age of 18, 32% of the young ladies engaged in sexual intercourse did not use birth control. Learning of these daunting statistics, I knew Made 2 Glam had to offer more services and programs to increase graduation rates, reduce teenage pregnancy, and offer the young ladies a rewarding life experience. In 2017, Made 2 Glam relaunched with a mission to focus on young ladies that have been displaced from their home realize they were born with a purpose and a vision to do great things and to be MADE-Making A Difference Everywhere!
With Made 2 Glam, we provide monthly Glam Sessions with Meritan Social Services and Glam Summer Camp. This year, we are pleased to announce the first annual Be Made Summit. This is a FREE event for young ladies in foster care throughout the city of Memphis. This conference is specifically designed for young ladies in foster care. During this event, attendees will engage in a vision board party, team building exercises, participate in a panel discussion, and experience the first ever Made Talk. Several foster care agencies throughout the city of Memphis are participating in this event. We also have representatives from FedEx Women in Leadership that will serve as mentors for attendees. During this event, young ladies will participate in the following sessions:
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Vision Board Party (Promote academic success for the 2018-2019 school year)
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Panel Discussion
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MADE Talk
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Pro"GLAM"ations
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Breakfast & Lunch
During this event, we will empower young ladies in foster care to realize they have the potential to be MADE-Make A Difference Everywhere to Make Life GLAMorous!
For more information regarding the Be Made Summit or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Made 2 Glam at info@made2glam.org.
Owner/Editor - Chris Chmielewski