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With community at its core, Beloved Atlanta supports women on their path to overcome commercial sexual exploitation. Women complete three phases over the two-year commitment to the residential program. Through an individualized plan, which includes restoration, education, and employment, women are supported in healing past trauma in order to ultimately graduate from the program with a full-time job and three months of living expenses saved. Seeing the transformation in the lives of the women they serve inspires the BeLoved Atlanta staff. Amelia Quinn, the Founder of BeLoved, shares, “Last Monday we celebrated the college graduation of a BeLoved resident. When she came into the BeLoved Program, she had lost custody of her daughter and had been in and out of addiction for years. I sat in the school auditorium with her daughter, the BeLoved staff and volunteers as we watched her walk across the stage and all yelled and celebrated as loud as we could. The next day she went to her full time job and found out the company was giving her a car.” This kind of success begins with allowing the women to heal from past traumatic experiences. As BeLoved has supported more women, they have witnessed first-hand just how important this foundation of healing can be in each woman’s overall journey. The See Beautiful Milestone Grant funding will help to provide individual counseling to the women of BeLoved Atlanta. Big victories begin with small victories, and counseling helps women to begin building confidence in those small victories.  BeLoved Atlanta seeks to change the perception that women in prostitution are criminals. Rather, they are survivors and leaders. They are “gifted, strong, and trustworthy.” They are beautiful and capable of seeing and creating so much beautiful in themselves and their communities. See Beautiful is honored to support an organization so committed to community and empowering women. Thanks for letting us help celebrate those small victories. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator
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“I learned that your beauty is powerful & priceless... Each and every word is going to benefit me in life”. –Precious, age 14, former student of Realize Your Beauty  Powerful and priceless. That is the impact of promoting positive body image, self esteem, and kindness through the arts, and that’s exactly what Realize Your Beauty does. Through plays, workshops, and camps, Realize Your Beauty helps young people recognize their own unique gifts and the inner beauty they possess. As Stacey Merkl, Realize Your Beauty’s Founder and Executive Director, shares, students are taught to “put their energy into kindness, integrity, and respect toward themselves and others.” Realize Your Beauty’s lessons encourage self-confidence and an understanding that being oneself is the best way to be, and they do so in a fun, engaging, and memorable way. Kids may be told that it’s important to respect themselves and one another, but the way they learn through Realize Your Beauty is more likely to stick with them because they get to experience it for themselves and see it come to life through theatre arts. Currently, there are two different high school programs as well as a late elementary show. Realize Your Beauty carefully makes sure everything meets the level of the students the programs are designed for. Workshops for older students, for example, address issues such as eating disorders, always in an age-appropriate way. With the See Beautiful Milestone Grant, Stacey and the folks at Realize Your Beauty will finally get to create and implement a program for the lower elementary school age group. They often get asked to provide a show for this age, but haven’t had the resources to do so until now. With the $1000 grant funding, they will be able to realize their vision to develop a play and production full of magical realism, classic clowning techniques, and puppetry, suitable for the younger audience. Several hundred children each year have the potential to be reached once the program is developed. That’s several hundred children each year who will have the opportunity to hear that they are beautifully unique, from the inside out. This kind of creating beautiful with a sustainable impact and is exactly what See Beautiful was hoping to support when we dreamed up the Milestone Grant. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator There is so much beauty in the simple act of reading a book to a child. A book ignites imagination, encourages literacy, and creates a connection between the child and the reader. A book on its own cultivates beautiful. But, add meaningful lessons of friendship and unity while also funding causes for kids, and the beautiful multiplies. That’s what happens at The Joy Market. The Joy Market’s first published book, Animals of the Nativity, provided food for children in the West African country of Benin. Through their partnership with the non-profit Aide La Vie, special life-saving food was distributed to malnourished kids, such as Liana, who was unable to walk. Once she received the special food, Liana was walking again. Luckily, the Joy Market’s idea and impact have grown from that first book. They’ve since published two more books, with another on the way. Last year, the book, The Bear Hug, helped to fund a school of 150 refugee children in Syria. The book addresses the “us versus them” mentality, and kids in the US wrote cards to the Syrian children, who then in turn wrote cards back. As founder Erin Burchik wrote in her grant application, “It was so beautiful to hear them talk about their new, cross-cultural friends and to see this grassroots peacemaking shape the hearts of these precious children.”  The Joy Market is well on its way to fulfilling its mission of bringing joy to children through cultivating “compassion, creativity, and curiosity through a crazy love for books.” With the See Beautiful Milestone Grant funding, the Joy Market plans to expand programs in schools, introducing more children to the joyful and beautiful acts of reading and giving. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator “If we give girls and women the chance to change their lives, they can change the world.” -Frida Giannini  A wise and trusted teacher or counselor. A guide, adviser, influential supporter. Someone who helps a less experienced person. A mentor can be all of this and more. And for high school girls who are underserved in their communities, a mentor relationship can mean everything. The right mentor can help build confidence, skills, and self-worth and help open the space for girls to see and create more beautiful. Girls Grow Inc supports college women to serve as mentors to high school girls through weekly meetings. Through the Girls Grow curriculum, mentors lead activities and small group discussions “to help foster a sense of Growth, Openness, Respect, and Worth.” College women guide the high schoolers through defining their values, coping with negative emotions, and developing positive self-esteem. The curriculum also covers how to prepare for the future, create and maintain healthy relationships, and even how to develop mindfulness.  In addition to the amazing individual growth that occurs as a result of the mentorship, the group aspect of Girls Grow demonstrates something else transformational to the mentees: the realization that they are not alone. This core element of Girls Grow inspires Natalie, the founder, to keep building and growing the organization. In the two years since its inception, Girls Grow has supported 77 mentors who have empowered more than 230 high school girls. And the impact of Girls Grow is certainly not stopping there.  The $1000 See Beautiful Milestone Grant will allow Girls Grow to develop more training for the mentors. The skill-building that occurs through increased training not only strengthens the impact for the high schoolers, but the mentors carry with them lessons in leadership and relationship-building as well. Relationships and the deep connections formed through Girls Grow are beautiful, indeed, and we are honored be a small part of this uplifting community. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room. Just because kids are small does not mean they are not able to make a difference and create beautiful in the world. In fact, children see beautiful in their own unique way. By giving kids the chance to follow their own ideas about how to create beautiful, Kids Boost helps build confidence in kids and invests in their creative ideas to positively impact a cause they are passionate about. It works like this: A donation is made to Kids Boost (that’s where you come in!), and a child chooses a cause that is meaningful to him or her. With coaching provided by Kids Boost’s awesome coaches and some start up funds for the kids, the child is able to carry out their idea. The start-up funds are the launching point for the idea, which then earns more money and awareness for the charity or cause the child has chosen to support. Eighty percent of the child’s earnings go directly to the charity, while the remaining twenty percent go back to Kids Boost to help pay forward the good work they are doing.  In the words of Kristen Stock, Kids Boost founder, “I’ve learned that kids of all ages have the innate need and desire to do something great in the world. I’ve also learned that adults don’t always give kids enough credit. Kids are capable of so much; they just need the opportunity and the support.” With Kristen’s dedication and passionate spirit, Kids Boost has grown from supporting three kids to fifty, and has helped kids earn more than $50,000 for a host of deserving charities. Nudging forward with a big dream to encourage kindness, self-confidence, and generosity in kids, Kids Boost has already had a huge, multi-layered impact to those lucky enough to enjoy its successes.  With a waiting list of 75, the demand and interest from kids to create beautiful exceeds the current resources. As a See Beautiful Milestone Grant recipient, even more kids will be able to sign on with Kids Boost. We are thrilled to support Kids Boost and the wonderful kids who aren’t afraid to not only dream big, but to also take the action to help make others’ dreams come true, too. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator  In 2016 Terence Lester, co-founder of Love Beyond Walls, walked 648 miles from Atlanta, Georgia to Washington D.C. to be a voice for people living in poverty. Beyond a voice, the goal was to lift them above the status of poverty and bring together a community of you and I to become part of the story of empowerment, light and love.
This year, Love Beyond Walls Documentary, Voiceless, will be released and we are honored that the $1000 See Beautiful Milestone Grant will be used to create a workbook used alongside the film to deepen conversation, move to action, and create more beautiful in the lives of those experiencing poverty. People experiencing poverty are often some of the most vulnerable, yet most worthy of love and kindness - two things that we are ever-free to give and cost nothing. Together we can use our voices and we are honored walk alongside you, Love Beyond Walls. A small book published in 1923, Kahlil Gibran’s work The Prophet has stood the test of time and offered simple guidance to countless readers (almost 2,000,000 copies have been sold of the American edition alone). With a short chapter devoted entirely to the concept of giving, his careful words share some insight into one of See Beautiful’s favorite topics. “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” - Kahlil Gibran “There are those who give little of the much which they have--and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire to make their gifts unwholesome. And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life, and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.” - Kahlil Gibran “There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.” - Kahlil Gibran  A reminder of the joy of giving from our friends at Be Glorious “Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors’.” - Kahlil Gibran “You often say, ‘I would give, but only to the deserving.’ The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.” - Kahlil Gibran AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator Can you imagine giving away fifty percent or more of your income? For most people, this is totally unrealistic, because...bills. But, for the mega-wealthy, (aka billionaires), even if they give away ninety-nine percent of their wealth, they are still a millionaire ten times over. This is the idea behind the Giving Pledge. The world’s super rich commit to giving away a lot of money to do good in the world. Despite the fact that committing to the Giving Pledge may not actually change these folks’ lives at all, it’s still a huge commitment. It's interesting to think about the reasons why someone would make this pledge and where they find their giving spirit. Every person or family that joins the pledge submits a letter stating their reasons or intention in joining. A prevalent them throughout the letters is the reluctance of many people to join initially. As Ted Forstmann stated, “I’ve always believed that you don’t really talk about giving; you just do it.” But, part of the purpose of the pledge is to encourage others to also pledge. By publicly stating one’s intention, the hope is that others will join in as well. This also echoes another theme that emerged, which is that the influence of others often profoundly impacted an individual’s propensity to give. Whether it was parents, a teacher, a mentor, or a friend, many of these individuals had great examples in their lives of what it means to give. I think this further demonstrates the above point as well as the nature of giving in general. We all give in our own way, but one of the strong messages the Giving Pledge sends is don’t be afraid to share with others that giving matters and that it’s important to you as an individual or family. The act of sharing on its own may just change someone else’s life.  Here are ten great quotes from the letters from individuals that committed to giving away the vast majority of their fortunes. "It is much easier to be generous if you have more than you need, so this is not a difficult thing for us to do. That said, I don’t think being charitable is innate. In my experience, it is learned from the examples of others." - Bill Ackman "Fortunately, early on in my life I realised that personal ‘stuff’ really didn’t matter. Joan and I lived on a houseboat and one day it sank. We realised that we missed nothing except our treasured photo albums. Later our house in London caught fire, destroying everything inside. Last year our home in the British Virgin Islands was completely gutted as a result of a lightning strike. We were so relieved that everyone got out safely that even the loss of photo albums and notebooks were of little consequence. ‘Stuff’ really is not what brings happiness. Family, friends, good health and the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference are what really matters." - Richard Branson "Making a difference in people’s lives—and seeing it with your own eyes—is perhaps the most satisfying thing you’ll ever do. If you want to fully enjoy life—give. And if you want to do something for your children and show how much you love them, the single best thing—by far—is to support organizations that will create a better world for them and their children." -Michael R. Bloomberg "While there is often a defined division between “for profit” and “not for profit” sectors—with for profit focused on making money and not for profit focused on making a difference—our experiences suggest that can be an overly simplistic way of looking at the world. Instead, we first focus on a societal problem or opportunity that needs to be addressed, and then decide the right strategy to achieve the greatest gains. Sometimes that is backing or starting a non-profit organization. Other times, that is backing or starting a business that is focused on doing well while doing good." -Jean and Steve Case "From day one, my parents have been instrumental in instilling in me the ethos of philanthropy, particularly my responsibility as a Muslim to give and care for the less fortunate in our society. Our role as citizens of this world is to truly support the betterment of our society so that future generations and their offspring grow up to live even better lives and strive for even more than they think is possible today." -Mohammed Dewji "Many years ago I asked my young children what two things they needed from their parents. They said ‘food and money.’ I told them ‘roots and wings.’ My goal in pledging 99% of my assets to philanthropy is to help others with roots—food, warmth, shelter, healthcare, education—so they too can have wings." -Judy Faulkner "As human beings, we will carry nothing with us to the other world – the only things we shall take are the good deeds that we accomplish in this world. We are in this world to be tested, and each one of us must grant the fruit of his abilities." -Elie and Susie Horn "But for the vast majority of people who are tirelessly devoted to a particular cause; devoted to making the world a better place - giving is hard. When you’re barely able to pay the bills, every dollar matters. When you’re working around the clock and raising a family, every minute counts. Yet, remarkably, people still find a way to give. Whether it’s writing a check in whatever amount they can afford, or volunteering to serve on a committee, people somehow find a way. It’s this spirit that has always inspired me and my wife, Liz, to give." -Eric Lefkofsky '“In poverty, sustain yourself. In prosperity, help others.” This time-honored philanthropic principle, which has been passed down through generations in China, has given me great motivation and inspiration." -Gensheng Niu "Looking back, if I had to live my life over, there are things I would do differently, but the one thing I would not change is my charitable giving. I’m particularly thankful for my father’s advice to set goals so high that they can’t possibly be achieved during a lifetime and to give help where help is needed most. That inspiration keeps me energized and eager to keep working hard every day on giving back and making the world a better place for generations to come." -Ted Turner Oh, and there’s so many more! Check out the full summary of letters if you want to read more. Where did your giving spirit originate? What inspires you to give? How do you feel about the idea of sharing with others that you give? AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator Plant flowers in others’ gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! — Unknown Plant the seed of giving and watch it grow. As spring emerges (well, at least here in the south), this quote reminds us to stop and ask, what are we doing to plant flowers in others’ gardens?  Photo used with permission courtesy of Unsplash We often think that giving has to be grand gesture rather than a kind word, or a giant check rather than a collaboration. When we define giving only as money, we forget that often a helping hand might really be what’s needed. Even a simple act like smiling at a stranger might be what you can give that day. And smiles are beautiful! Practice Random Acts of Kindness A kind note left on a teacher’s desk. Picking up trash in the park. A home cooked meal for your family or a neighbor. The opportunities to share a bit of kindness with those around you are endless. If you need a little inspiration on how to practice kindness in your daily life, we at See Beautiful love the book Kindness Boomerang by our friend Orly Wahba. Kindness Boomerang lays out one simple act a day to make a big difference in the lives of others, as well as our own lives. Because kindness, after all, like a boomerang, always comes back around. Ask How You Can Help Sometimes it’s pretty clear what kind of help is needed for an individual, family, or organization. For example, an organization may have a list on their website of donations needed. Simple enough. But other times, you may know of an individual, family, or organization in need, but you are not sure what would be most helpful. In this case, don’t be afraid to ask. Offer what you can to help.  Photo used with permission courtesy of Unsplash Volunteer This one almost goes without saying, but often, time and attention are the greatest gifts you can deliver. It’s great if you can consistently volunteer, but even helping at a large event every once in awhile counts. Volunteering is also an opportunity to find and share your unique gifts. Check out volunteermatch.org or idealist.org to find the perfect organization or event to offer your time to. Be an Example of Giving to Others This doesn’t mean you need to shout from the rooftop, “Look at me! I give!” But, rather, this means exemplifying a spirit of generosity and helpfulness to others. When others catch wind of your giving spirit, it may inspire those around you to do the same. Children especially are influenced by your actions. One of the best ways to encourage giving in children is do it yourself. Nourish Yourself Sometimes we need to stop and plant flowers in our own garden before tending to other’s gardens. Sometimes we are in such a season of giving, that our soil is depleted. We might begin to feel tired, uninspired, or even resentful. When this happens, you must give to yourself before you can give to others. Don’t forget to regularly check in with yourself and take time to recharge. Do what energizes you. Whether it’s taking a walk in nature, finding time to catch up on your sleep, or finally checking out that yoga class, self care will go along way in getting you back on the path of giving. This list only scratches the surface. How else do you give? Please share your brilliance in the comments below. AuthorJannan Poppen, Giving Coordinator “Love knows nothing of short hauls because it has committed itself for the long haul.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough We're in it for the long haul. Our love isn't going anywhere. I stare at the faces of these amazing, resilient, loving, trusting, hope-filled girls and they make me see beautiful. I listen to their conversations that empower each other and come together to plan ways to make the world - THE WHOLE WORLD - a better place and it gives me chills. I watch them turn dreams into action and I cannot imagine not having learned from them. Their lives have been filled with much fear as refugees, losing their home and all they know. Can you imagine? As a child? Their lives have been shaken in ways children should never experience. I love knowing that when they needed comfort and love our Country had open arms and provided a home of refuge - a place where children could run and play and feel safe. We are a people who love and serve and give. We love our neighbor. We love strangers. This is why we are here: To love everyone. Always. When our ability to love others is threatened, we dig in. We're strong and awesome like that. Love can't be stopped. The girls in our See Beautiful Clubs know this and I'm so glad they do. I'm so glad they'll never have to wonder if they're valued and loved here. They are. We work to reinforce this understanding all the time. We're a country of WE - a WE that brings love to the table and we're in it to win it. Love always wins.  Author: Lydia Criss Mays; Founder of See Beautiful |
See beautiful in yourself.
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