A select group of young girls in South Florida had the opportunity of a lifetime last week, when Susan Taylor, former editorial director of ESSENCE magazine and active leader of numerous charitable and political organizations across the nation, took time out of her busy schedule to share life lessons and words of encouragement. One hundred girls from the Honey Shine Mentoring Program and Overtown Youth Center gathered to hear Taylor speak on Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am at the Overtown Youth Center in Miami, Florida.
Taylor enlightened the young girls by sharing her life lessons in hopes that they would be able to incorporate her teachings into their own lives. She reiterated the importance of being an individual and the power of being in charge of your own destiny. The girls were made aware that every problem has a solution, and it is up to them to discover the path that results in the outcome they want to achieve. The young women, who sat motivated and eager to ask questions, listened intently as Taylor spoke. Taylor reinforced the need for mentors to help them along the way. As a mentor herself to girls across the country, Taylor encouraged each to be resourceful. Mentors can be found anywhere - a teacher, coach, minister, parents, relatives, and especially within the Honey Shine Mentoring Program family.
“This was an amazing opportunity for our girls to interact with a leader in the African-American community whose initiatives are aligned with the core of what we do,” said Tracy Wilson Mourning, Founder of the Honey Shine Mentoring Program. “Honey Shine strives to continuously deliver positive reinforcements, such as Susan and her uplifting speech, which are tools the girls can use to make the right decisions in life.”
ABOUT HONEY SHINE MENTORING PROGRAM
Honey Shine Mentoring Program, a program of Alonzo Mourning Charities, works to empower young girls to shine as women. The bi-weekly workshops and summer camp that make up the program help develop and nurture the mind, body, and soul, of young women by providing experiences that enlighten and create balance in their lives. For more information, visit www.HoneyShine.org.
ABOUT ALONZO MOURNING CHARITIES
Alonzo Mourning Charities (AM Charities) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public fundraising foundation. Its mission is to encourage the educational development of youth by creating programs and youth enrichment centers that promote positive change in low socioeconomic communities. Since 1997, AM Charities has raised more than $6.5 million for various programs that aid in the development of children and their families. In addition to supporting numerous educational initiatives, Mourning focuses his attention to stimulating the development of youth enrichment centers. With the help of donors, Mourning opened the first center in 2003 in the historic area of Overtown, in South Florida, known as the Overtown Youth Center. For more information, visit www.AMCharities.org.
