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The feature below is brought to you by 3D Girls, Inc. an organization that has received a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  My mother brought my sister and I to Atlanta, GA when I was three years old to build a better life. This city and particularly the women and girls of this city have my heart. Why? Because I see myself, my sisters, my former students and daughters in them. In 2008, I became a mother right out of high school. The stress of trying to balance a full-time job, going to college and becoming a mom was a lot! Thankfully, I was enveloped by a system of supportive mentors, teachers and leaders who would not let up until my potential had a chance to bloom. Not only did they safeguard me during one of my most vulnerable times, they also helped me accomplish my goals. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I wanted to provide that same network of support to young girls who did not have it. So I started my first mentoring group of eight girls, and from there, 3D Girls, Inc. was born. 3D Girls, Inc. is a non-profit created to educate and empower young women to be advocates for themselves and their families through mentoring, prenatal and parent education as well as social/emotional wellness. Our work is grounded in addressing the critical disparities that limit young women's access to educational tools, financial empowerment and health resources that are needed to thrive. We envision a future where the next generation of young women are self-sufficient leaders. We do this through a number of services and programs. They include: COVID-19 Relief - Emergency Assistance Program providing rental assistance, utility assistance and resources for new and expected families in metro-Atlanta. Mom Circles - Through our partnership with Restore More, 3D Girls, Inc. is committed to equipping, empowering and educating mothers in the community with resources to support their social and emotional health. Girls Link Up Mentoring Program - The Girls Link Up Mentoring and Subscription Box connects girls to a community that nurtures their curiosity in S.T.E.A.M. and social wellbeing. Over the past ten years, we have supported hundreds of girls and young mothers through these programs. We have been able to distribute over 200,000 diapers, wipes, blankets, and other essential baby care items to over 500 mothers through our outreach programming. In addition, we have hosted over 75 sessions bringing awareness to social and emotional wellness through creative healing. This year alone we have hosted 40 mentors that educate, empower, and advocate for 132 girls participating in our after-school programs. Not only that, we have provided over 90 families with emergency rental and utility assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic . Despite all that we have accomplished, there was still a nagging conviction that we could do more. There were still questions we needed to answer. After the young women and girls leave our programs, how can we ensure that they are safe? What about the girls who age out of foster care and do not have a home to return to? What barriers are impacting their graduation rates and them not completing college? How can we curve the generational poverty that plagues the women in our community so deeply? The answer to our questions and this glaring discrepancy is, The Rose House. The Rose House is an economic and efficient living program that provides multilayered support to transitioning mothers. This program provides access to transitional housing, support groups, work-based training, recurrent pregnancy prevention, individual counseling, and structured recreational programs. Each resident will have a continuum care plan that connects parents to early childhood learning resources, healthcare options, and other social services tailored to their needs. This housing community is designed to nurture women and children over a six-month period following the delivery of a baby. Through our coaching and engagement, 3D Girls, Inc. will focus on ensuring that residential clients are mentally, socially, and emotionally well and have the resources that need to thrive in motherhood. Our goal is to build a strong community that supports families who have been faced with obstacles to develop a plan for their future successes. It will undoubtedly empower them to become advocates for themselves and their growing families. This is truly a full circle moment for our organization. The Rose House will be a transitional housing facility, a resource center, office and the headquarters for all of 3D Girls, Inc. programming. The support of The Rose House will help women and girls build resilience and be a springboard for their dreams, much like my network of support was for me when I became a young mother in 2008. Submitted by: Raioni Madison-Jones
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 | Here is a small letter that was written by one of our families who is benefiting from the daily meals and food boxes. “I want to start by saying thank you for everything you and the rest of the staff do to help everyone. The meals you bring are always great and the time it takes to prepare them is very appreciated, and thank you for always including a little treat, my boys enjoy it. Mostly I wanted to say how awesome you guys are with the food boxes every week it helps us so much it saves us from getting on the bus and hauling everything back and my youngest son is especially happy for the mac and cheese, just wanted to express this and so you do know that everything you all do is very much appreciated.” Thank you to the See Beautiful Program for continuing to believe in the daily work done at Lantern House. |
Submitted by: Lauren Navidomskis
The feature below is brought to you by READ AND RIGHT ATL, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
The summer of 2020 proved to be a racial awakening for our country. Although systemic racism has been prevalent in our society for centuries, horrific acts of police brutality against Black people were now seen by millions. More and more stories of injustice unmasked and recharged the dire need for social change. The time to speak up and stand up was right in front of us.
We (Asia Brown and Abby Stolz), two coworkers and the cofounders of Read and Right, both felt committed to doing our part in the fight against racism. In our efforts and personal research, we both felt strongly that racism was a learned act. As we continued these conversations with each other, it was evident there was a lack of diverse representation of the books we read as children. These younger years are developmentally crucial for racial awareness. White children need to see diverse characters for positive attitudes about race and BIPOC children deserve to be represented in the literature they learn from.
With this in mind, we founded Read and Right, an approved 501(c)(3) organization that strives for racial equality and opportunity within the education system by providing the necessary resources for children to accept and respect all races. Our continued goal is to donate books to elementary schools that encourage these positive conversations about race and feature important Black leaders, pioneers and protagonists. Based out of the Atlanta area, our efforts have started out in the Atlanta Public Schools, serving grades Pk-5.
After our launch in June 2020, we began collecting monetary donations as well as books with diverse characters. We received an outpouring of support from people who shared a similar passion of equal representation and anti-racist attitudes. With the generosity we received, we began to prepare for our first donation at the start of the 2020-21 school year.
We (Asia Brown and Abby Stolz), two coworkers and the cofounders of Read and Right, both felt committed to doing our part in the fight against racism. In our efforts and personal research, we both felt strongly that racism was a learned act. As we continued these conversations with each other, it was evident there was a lack of diverse representation of the books we read as children. These younger years are developmentally crucial for racial awareness. White children need to see diverse characters for positive attitudes about race and BIPOC children deserve to be represented in the literature they learn from.
With this in mind, we founded Read and Right, an approved 501(c)(3) organization that strives for racial equality and opportunity within the education system by providing the necessary resources for children to accept and respect all races. Our continued goal is to donate books to elementary schools that encourage these positive conversations about race and feature important Black leaders, pioneers and protagonists. Based out of the Atlanta area, our efforts have started out in the Atlanta Public Schools, serving grades Pk-5.
After our launch in June 2020, we began collecting monetary donations as well as books with diverse characters. We received an outpouring of support from people who shared a similar passion of equal representation and anti-racist attitudes. With the generosity we received, we began to prepare for our first donation at the start of the 2020-21 school year.
Since our launch, we have donated over 1000 books to 11 different Atlanta Public elementary Schools in addition to school supplies we had collected. We also coordinated a reading guide that was passed along to each school, that can help teachers and media specialists guide their students into these honest and raw conversations about race. All schools have greatly appreciated the donations and it has only fueled our drive to expand our reach.
With our goals of stretching our reach to different communities, we understand it’s time to grow our exposure. Our Instagram page has been continuously growing and has tremendously helped our efforts in receiving donations, educating and updating the public on our progress. We are ready for the next steps of our journey.
We understand Read and Right’s efforts can seem small in the fight against systemic racism, but the thought of having an impact on children's attitudes about race and representation motivates us. We hope that our once small nonprofit will continue to positively affect the lives of many children to come who will be able to look back and remember the diverse books they were able to have in their classrooms and libraries.
With our goals of stretching our reach to different communities, we understand it’s time to grow our exposure. Our Instagram page has been continuously growing and has tremendously helped our efforts in receiving donations, educating and updating the public on our progress. We are ready for the next steps of our journey.
We understand Read and Right’s efforts can seem small in the fight against systemic racism, but the thought of having an impact on children's attitudes about race and representation motivates us. We hope that our once small nonprofit will continue to positively affect the lives of many children to come who will be able to look back and remember the diverse books they were able to have in their classrooms and libraries.
Submitted by: Abby Stolz and Asia Brown
The feature below is brought to you by Fertile Ground Mentoring, an organization that has been awarded a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
Fertile Ground's mission is to deliver a high-quality mentoring program that supports young women in developing positive self-images and inspires them to be extraordinary individuals. Our mentorship program was specifically designed to empower young girls from traditionally marginalized communities by exposing them to new possibilities for their lives through innovative educational workshops, authentic cultural arts activities, college tours and more.
Most importantly, we strive to develop in them a spirit of giving back through vital community service projects. Fertile Ground serves as a safe space for our culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse members to belong, be heard, and be MORE! In addition to our engaging in our monthly activities, members are matched with a trained mentor who is committed to being a stable, trustworthy, and positive role model in their lives. The mentor-mentee relationship is cultivated through interactions during our meetings and a minimum of one additional connection in-between our monthly events.
Submitted by: Dr. Cassandra Matthews
The feature below is brought to you by Community Connections, an organization that has been awarded a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
Community Connections was recently awarded a generous grant from See Beautiful, a philanthropic organization committed to funding projects that create more beautiful in the world. Thanks to See Beautiful, our agency has the opportunity to invest into the Closet Connection, a place where children in foster care can find clothes and toys that represent their unique interests and tastes.
In adolescence, children are learning who they are, figuring out what they like, and discovering their skills and interests. Our goal as a foster care agency is to provide safe spaces where the children in our program can just be kids. In the Closet, children find t-shirts with their favorite princesses and superheroes, toys for building and playing pretend, and books whose stories take them to far off lands. The Closet Connection is a place of exploration and self-discovery, where the needs of every beautiful, unique child are met.
The Closet Connection is stocked with donations from the community around us, and we are so grateful that our friends and neighbors see the importance of this resource and give regularly. With this grant from See Beautiful, we have the flexibility to buy new items that our children need but that aren’t often donated. Items like new toothbrushes, cribs, and underwear are necessities for our families, even though they aren’t often in the donations we receive. Funding is essential to fill donation gaps and ensure a positive shopping experience for families and children in our foster care program.
Children entering foster care often come with little to none of their belongings, so we provide them with an entire wardrobe from the Closet, as well as comfort items like knitted blankets and toys. Providing these items allows our foster parents to focus on welcoming children into their home, rather than needing to immediately go out and buy essentials. The transition into foster care can be a busy and stressful time, but we simplify the process by having supplies ready, so our foster families can concentrate on making a good first impression.
In adolescence, children are learning who they are, figuring out what they like, and discovering their skills and interests. Our goal as a foster care agency is to provide safe spaces where the children in our program can just be kids. In the Closet, children find t-shirts with their favorite princesses and superheroes, toys for building and playing pretend, and books whose stories take them to far off lands. The Closet Connection is a place of exploration and self-discovery, where the needs of every beautiful, unique child are met.
The Closet Connection is stocked with donations from the community around us, and we are so grateful that our friends and neighbors see the importance of this resource and give regularly. With this grant from See Beautiful, we have the flexibility to buy new items that our children need but that aren’t often donated. Items like new toothbrushes, cribs, and underwear are necessities for our families, even though they aren’t often in the donations we receive. Funding is essential to fill donation gaps and ensure a positive shopping experience for families and children in our foster care program.
Children entering foster care often come with little to none of their belongings, so we provide them with an entire wardrobe from the Closet, as well as comfort items like knitted blankets and toys. Providing these items allows our foster parents to focus on welcoming children into their home, rather than needing to immediately go out and buy essentials. The transition into foster care can be a busy and stressful time, but we simplify the process by having supplies ready, so our foster families can concentrate on making a good first impression.
We are open to providing homes for all children needing a foster care placement, but Community Connections specializes in providing quality foster care placements to children with medically fragile needs. Given the number of children in our program with medically fragile needs, we make sure a variety of clothes and toys are available so that children of all abilities can benefit from the Closet. Whether it’s the same pair of shoes in different sizes for our child with a prosthetic leg, or pajamas with an adaptive opening for our child with a feeding tube, the Closet is an inclusive resource for all.
We firmly believe there is nothing more beautiful than a safe and happy child, which is why we created a space where children can safely express themselves and their interests. Every time a child smiles, there’s a little bit more beauty in the world. The Closet is a place that inspires smiles and builds confidence, and it is made possible through a community of donors who see this as true. Thank you to See Beautiful for trusting in our mission. We can’t wait to work together spreading beauty through the Closet Connection.
We firmly believe there is nothing more beautiful than a safe and happy child, which is why we created a space where children can safely express themselves and their interests. Every time a child smiles, there’s a little bit more beauty in the world. The Closet is a place that inspires smiles and builds confidence, and it is made possible through a community of donors who see this as true. Thank you to See Beautiful for trusting in our mission. We can’t wait to work together spreading beauty through the Closet Connection.
Submitted by: Emily Stone
The feature below is brought to you by Art in the Paint, an organization that has been awarded a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.
Wow! Just wow! It’s been a year since we received our first See Beautiful Grant. I’ll never forget when Kayla and Jeff from Plywood suggested that we apply. At the time we’d never received a grant and we’d only completed 3 courts. Fast forward and we’re on court 15 in country #4.
We’ve been able to serve over 10,000 people and turn neglected neighborhood basketball courts into community centers without walls. These beautiful, safe spaces are open for any and everyone who wants to play. Thank you See Beautiful for believing in us and helping us to promote art worthiness and play equity in places that are often void of both.
We’ve been able to serve over 10,000 people and turn neglected neighborhood basketball courts into community centers without walls. These beautiful, safe spaces are open for any and everyone who wants to play. Thank you See Beautiful for believing in us and helping us to promote art worthiness and play equity in places that are often void of both.
Submitted by: A.R. Cooper
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