The Barbie Project

So excited to announce that I was invited to be a part of a new initiative called " The Barbie Project" which is launching this month! Growing up I have many memories of playing with my Barbies, picking out the perfect outfits for my dolls, styling my Barbies and taking them on amazing imaginary adventures! As a mom of two daughters ages 10 and 15 (19 days until she is 16...sniff..sniff..so not ready) Barbie has been a big part of my family.  In December my youngest daughter, Kennedy, turned 10. As you all know empowerment of women (especially moms) and girls are what fuels my passion and my non-profit. I love a good party and any chance to empower our next generation of women and girls!  Ms. Kennedy came up with a theme for her party based on the "I Can Be" Barbie line of dolls.

I so love this line of dolls that focuses on careers like doctors, computer engineers, presidents, veterinarians, teachers, artist, and designers.  She thought it would be cool for her friends to come dressed up as who they want to be when they grow up. My daughters are my 'why' and have fueled  my journey to empower girls and women over the last 7 years.  Hearing her ideas for her party made my heart melt, hopefully I am doing something right!  I took her idea and ran with it and it turned out amazing!

My daughter wants to be a scientist/actress when she grows up! Check out Ms. Kennedy in her lab coat ready for her party!

"I Can Be" Party Decor by Kustom Kreations Photography & Celebration Decor

We had future authors, camp counselors, singers, artist, mechanical engineers and several doctors in attendance. Guest were invited to share more details about their dreams and career aspirations during the party.

Since Kennedy loves science we had a special guest come and do a robotics demonstration and all the girls and boys got to team up with a partner and build their own robots.  At the end of the party the robots faced off during a sumo challenge. Proud to say that in the final round the robot built by one of the girl's teams beat the boy's robot!!

 

I am ALWAYS looking for any way to help raise strong and confident girls.  I am truly honored to be a part of this new project that will help moms and daughters explore how to use playtime and imagination in new empowerment ways.  It's only been a few weeks since we have engaged in the project but it has already opened up many new avenues.  I am usually always busy doing mommy things when Kennedy is in her own world playing with her toys.  Since the project launch I have found myself more curious about what goes on in her world. I have actually been amazed to see the creative ways she plays with her Barbies.  She recently got the President Barbie doll and held a campaign with her Barbies!

I really loved the message on the back of the box which we put up in her room.  I reminded Kennedy that until recently we had never had an African American president and now we have one!   We also discussed that their have been no female presidents and this Barbie shows that anything is possible! 

I was also really surprised and happy to see this new song that Barbie released recently which focuses on girl empowerment and the fact that anything is possible for our daughters! I am really honored and excited to see what comes out of this amazing project and hope that my journey over the next six months with my daughters will be filled with fun, creativity, imagination, self discovery, and empowerment!

Check out Barbie's new girl power song, "Anything Is Possible" performed by Fifth Harmony Kennedy LOVES them!!!!! Be sure and share it with your daughters!

Click here to learn more about The Barbie Project! Be sure to follow our journey with this new project on our Empower Her, Inc. blog, social media channels:  Facebook, Twitter #BarbieProject, and Pinterest! To support or learn more about our non-profit organization and mission to empower women and girls visit our website www.empowerherinc.com!

Empower Her, Inc's Gift To Deserving Moms!

Happy Holidays! We have truly been so blessed this year to make a difference in the lives of girls and women in our community! What a great year it has been! We co-hosted a Passport Party that was able to gift 10 girls with passports in our city, helped bring the amazing film, Girl Rising, to Atlanta for a special private screening with over 280 attendees, co-hosted the 1st Girl Mentoring Program Expo and Fair that connected over 50 parents/girls with mentoring resources in the community as well as launched a new Mom University program that focuses on empowering moms! So many great things during our first year! We are looking forward to 2014 and doing bigger and better things thanks to you!

We are thrilled to announce that we have received amazing donations within the last few weeks from some fantastic supporters! This is the best Christmas gift that we could have ever received to be able to bless others! We have decided to use some of the funds to continue to empower moms through our Mom University program!  In the spirit of giving on this Christmas eve we are pleased to launch our 1^st Empower Her Grant that will help send deserving moms to the next UNPLUGGED Signature Escape on February 21-24^th, 2014 in Highlands, NC. 

 

Click here for more information on this amazing escape just for women! http://www.unpluggedwithdrtanya.com/

I have attended two UNPLUGGED events that were life changing as a mom and woman! They are truly extraordinary and really focus on helping women unplug, reflect and recharge.   I think that this is so important for women especially moms! The founder Dr. Tanya Douglas-Holland is a perfect example of why this is so important. Please check out her story here!
 
So during this busy holiday season when we could all use a break we want to gift deserving moms with an opportunity to step away from it all and focus on herself! For more information and to apply click image below or here! Deadline is January 18th, 2014 so apply early! Also please spread the word to a deserving mom in your life!

 

Finally a BIG THANK YOU to our amazing supporters! Through your donations and support we are able to continue to uplift women and girls through your generosity. Please consider making a year-end tax deductible donation to our organization and help us continue our mission this holiday season and in 2014!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Thank you for helping make our dreams a reality!

Visit our website www.empowerherinc.com or click on Donate button below to show your support and help us continue making a difference! 

 

Empower Her, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based out of Atlanta, GA

Contact Information:

www.empowerherinc.com

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 1912, Duluth, GA 30097

Office: 678-667-4035

One Girl Can Change The World! ~ International Day Of The Girl 2013

Click to view Girl Rising: Everyday Heroes on GLOSSI.COM

As International Day of Girl 2013 wraps up, I am in awe that on this special day, we were honored and celebrated as an everyday hero by Intel.  Let me back track for a quick moment and give a little history as to how this all came about! 

In March, I stumbled across a great film, Girl Rising, that focused on the power of education and it highlighted 9 amazing girls around the world that were overcoming extreme obstacles just to obtain a basic education, something that we take for granted in this country. At the time in order to see the film you had to find a screening in your area. On their website they gave steps to host your own screening. So I decided that I wanted to host a screening in downtown Atlanta the day after the film was released!  In order to secure the film you had to have a certain number of tickets reserved for the screening to 'tip'.  So we got busy trying to get these tickets sold! My youngest daughter, who is a big fan of the Kid President, came up with an idea to do a YouTube video to garner support!

Founder's Daughter's YouTube Girl Rising Campaign Video

 

Her video went viral and tickets started to be sold. I decided to post her video on the film's facebook page. They Loved It!

Message received via Facebook by the Girl Rising 10 x 10 team!

 

 

My daughter and I were so thrilled, and worked even harder to make sure we could bring the screening to our community! Thankfully our screening tipped and we were able to work with another captain and bring the film to Atlanta! We even had Sara Blakely the founder of Spanx in attendance! I was fortunate enough to connect with a wonderful woman that worked with a local Intel Office and she was able to get sponsorship through her local office to host a pre-screening party (thanks Karen)! It was amazing! See more pictures by clicking >> HERE .

 

Photo credit Kustom Kreation Photography and Celebration Décor 

 

 

The event was absolutely amazing and was everything that I wanted Empower Her, Inc. to provide. Fun empowerment events but with a purpose! A typical night out to see a movie, but not just any movie, a movie that creates social change!  The Girl Rising team also featured our screening and my daughter's efforts/videos in their blog!  See the post here: http://10x10act.org/2013/03/kennedy-rising-star/

 

 Fast forward to today! I was contacted last week by the Girl Rising team to let me know that Intel Corporation who is one of the sponsors of the film, was looking to highlight everyday women/girls who are making a difference on International Day of the Girl 2013. They immediately thought about my daughter asked permission to be submitted! I was blown away when we were contacted and selected to be featured!  Today the beautiful article was released on Intel's websites and networks that have over 22 million+ fans!  It was also shared by the Girl Rising Film as well.  So very honored!!! God is sooooo amazing, always working behind the scenes! Never lose faith!!!

 

 

Click Here To View Intel Article:

 

http://intel.ly/1fpyMfy

 

In reflecting on todays events, I realized that my daughter's one idea, lead to all of this.  One girl can make a difference! Through her actions, my dreams/vision to empower women and girls was shared with the world!  What a great way to wrap up this beautiful International Day of The Girl!  I am inspired by both my daughters and that is why I work so hard to make a difference. I encourage you all to continue to make a difference not just today, but everyday in the lives of those around you.  The beautiful thing about this film and this movement is that it shows the power of education and how ideas and action create change!

 

We are very excited about the things to come for our agency! Thrilled to launch a new series of programs starting next week,  Mom University, that seeks to educate and empower Moms, especially moms raising girls!  To learn more about our new program visit: www.tinyurl.com/ehmomuniversity

 

I close by wishing you all a Happy International Day of The Girl! Let's continue empowering one another and creating a better world everyday!

 

 

 

 

 

To support our mission please consider making a tax deductible donation by clicking HERE !  Empower Her, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization based out of Atlanta, GA.

 

Visit our website for more information: www.empowerherinc.com

 

 



Empower Her, Inc....My Dream Has Come True!



Super duper thrilled to receive the news that I have received my official 501(c) 3 status!!!So as many of you know I have had a dream to empower women and girls for the last 10 years.  Working with G.E.M.S and Jewels Empowerment group fulfilled a big part of my dream, but I always had a desire to empower women as well especially when it comes to their dreams.  I remember volunteering at a resource center for women in Virginia about 7 years ago and when we decided to move back to Atlanta, I contacted the non-profit director and told her how much I enjoyed volunteering there and asked her if she had ever considered having a center in Atlanta. The lady practically laughed in my face when I told her I didn't have my degree (that was the first question out of her mouth when she found out I was 'only' a volunteer).  My spirit was crushed that day as I had dropped out of college and gotten married and had a family and all I had was a passion to help women/girls.  So we returned to Atlanta and I enrolled back in school and finished my degree with a BS in Psychology and a concentration in women's studies. I graduated with honors while juggling family life. 

Me and My Girls After My Graduation in 2007 :-)

While in school I volunteered at the Atlanta Women's Foundation and found out that there were  organizations and funds out there for people who wanted to work with women and girls. It was the first time I realized what philanthropy meant. I was able to learn about women philanthropist (hope I will be one as well) who donated millions to causes for women and girls and about grants and resources. I was blown away!!!

I got a job after finishing school in recruiting and that is where I connected with the founder of G.E.M.S. & Jewels, Adriane Simmons. She had a passion for working with girls and I had a dream to help women with their dreams. It turned out that in helping her I realized that I too had a desires to help girls not go through the same things that I went through with low self esteem and other issues. We have been running the community based program for 5 years now and it has been so rewarding. 

G.E.M.S. & Jewels 5 Year Kickoff Celebration 2011

It didn't hit me until early last year that my desires to work with women were still there and I had an added passion with planning and designing events that would uplift and inspire.  I decided in the fall of 2011 after being the event planner at Kim Thomas' (founder of Afro Puffs & Pony Tails) 1st Professional Leaders of Women & Girls Conference that I wanted to do more and combine my many passions into one organization that I hoped would become my own 'empowerment center' (forget you lady in Virginia :-)! I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Vanessa Parker of Pink Boss and decided to use her business services to form my non-profit. Vanessa was amazing she took my vision and completed all of the paperwork within a matter of weeks!  I got the 1st draft on Christmas Eve and was in tears as that was the best present ever, having it on paper! I mailed my application the day after Martin Luther King's birthday, which was symbolic to me as this was always my dream to make a difference. 

Today I posted on facebook about how everyday since that day I run to the mailbox checking to see if I got my status. Shortly after posting I get a post by Camille Allen (another fabulous woman doing big things) that maybe I should call and see if it had been approved. So I picked up the phone and called. My hands were shaking as the IRS representative said...."Mrs. Norman, Empower Her, Inc. was granted tax exempt status two days ago, March 13th, 2012 (which is also VERY symbolic as March is WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH..my favorite month...making history for sure!) and the official letter went out in the mail yesterday."  I almost screamed in my cubicle but instead ran outside in tears!!! I called and texted my hubby, my family and friends who have supported me on this journey.

My friend who has been so instrumental in helping me walk in my new event design/planner passion, Elisha Akram of Kustom Kreation & Photography happened to be in the area and dropped me off a celebratory cupcake from Gigi's Cupcakes with a star on it (I was told years ago that God would turn my scars into STARS) to celebrate this special day! Once again I was in tears..Thank you Elisha!!

Celebration Cupcake from my friend Elisha!!

I came home and shared the news with my daughters and they were so happy.  My youngest daughter who is 8 ran to her bookbag and pulled out a mini report she had done on a woman in history that she thought was just like her mommy and shared the same dreams! What a coincidence that she did this the same day I got the news!

I had to record her sharing how Abigal Adams and her mommy rock..check her out below!! !

Empower Her, Inc..is about helping women like myself and girls like my daughters to celebrate and live an empowered life everyday
Thank you to everyone who has supported me in my dreams, this is only the beginning, I am so excited!! Please keep me, my family and my dreams in your prayers!! With God all things are possible!!

Hugs,


Kara
http://www.empowerherinc.com/