How Did I Get Started?!

As an 18 year old Freshman at DePaul University, I never could’ve imagined what I would began as a small, student led campus organization would continue on throughout the years ahead. My heart’s desire had & has always been in helping, serving, leading, teaching, & inspiring others; irregardless of race, ethnicity, social class or circumstance – as the Community Editor of the article expressed in “Spreading the Spirit”.

Throughout my high school years and up until that point, attending & inviting people to church served as the only “hub” & sanctuary for me to offer support. Things changed as I continued my college experience. I now had a huge responsibility centered around the mission of my own organization that became an increasingly full schedule of weekly meetings & positive, social activities outside of my course work, personal life, & music obligations.

Every road traveled leading into those years helped define & shape my character and talents. Yet, I would accredit my college experience in offering me the kind of support I needed to fully tap into my leadership abilities.

In 2004, I took this budding organization that was growing in numbers and decided to incorporate my first business into a non-profit, Divine Global Empowerment. Together…I, along with seven dedicated Board Members, were ready to make an impact. By the Fall, we were operating out of a small, corner office located on the Near North Side of Chicago. The ‘Berezny North Branch Commercial Lofts’ would serve as a base for the organization during its primary stages. The mission was straight-forward – “Provide services & programs to enrich people’s lives; and assist other social change groups that would seek to do the same.” As a Board of Directors we initially focused our efforts on domestic violence. Later that year we decided in the best interest of our resources & mission we would incorporate a separate non-profit, named Women In Need of Godly Services.

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“Public Charities”[pure_button size="small one-third" link="http://www.divineglobalempowerment.org"]Click Here to Visit the Website – Divine Global Empowerment[/pure_button]

Divine Global Empowerment is a 501(c)(3) multipurpose, human services organization upholding various charitable missions. The organization addresses housing needs, economic empowerment, community capacity building, and leadership & citizenship engagement. Our programs include: Affordable Housing; Community Service Scholarships; a Health, Wellness, & Finance Program; and lastly, Fiscal Sponsorship, where we allocate our resources for other programs & projects to leverage to meet and fulfill their own goals and mission.

Women In Need of Godly Services (d/b/a/ W.I.N.G.S. Domestic Violence Agency)served as a Chicago-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated to operate as a full service domestic violence agency for battered women & their children. From 2004-2018 our services included linkage agreements with other domestic violence agencies, as well as, direct-supportive services, such as counseling, referrals, and in-kind gifting.

All the Best,