Information: selfloveinc.com or selflove001@gmail.com
A survivor of abuse and domestic violence, Brandy Harris wanted to find a way to give back to those who are experiencing what she once did. She launched Self Love Inc., a nonprofit organization that hopes to end domestic violence through advocacy and self-empowerment.
"I knew I wanted to pay it forward to someone who is in the shoes I once walked in," said Harris, founder and CEO of Self Love.
Self Love provides resources to prepare the ladies at the local shelters to be self sufficient after being with an abusive partner. The organization hosts financial literacy workshops once a month and is preparing to start technology and career readiness workshops. It also collects and donates numerous of hygiene products to the victims referred to Self Love through the local domestic violence shelters.
Knowing exactly how hard it can be as a single mom trying to care for children and providing basic needs, the focus also turned to the children who already being exposed to traumatic situations such as domestic violence.
Harris and her team came up with the Be Beautiful, a campaign to provide free haircuts to boys at the local domestic violence shelter once a month. Cuts for Kids campaign was inspired the day Harris and her team went to visit the battered women’s shelter to host a financial literacy workshop for the women.
“Looking at them with their children, it was apparent that some of the boys’ hair hadn’t been groomed in a while and it was heartbreaking,” said Harris. “My team and I wanted to offer something to the boys and moms so that could be one less thing they had to worry about.”
In partnership with Good Look Barbershop in Marietta, Self Love now hosts Cuts for Kids once a month.
"The main reason I wanted to give back by offering free haircut services for the children is due to my mother being in a verbally and physically abusive relationship when I was very young," said Y'Kheyo Underwood, founding member and CEO of Good Look Barbershop.
The community can host and collect hygiene items for the organization to donate or find ways to get involved with its many programs to give back to deserving women.
“Being able to see someone smile and their eyes light up after receiving his or her grooming service, you automatically know that you’ve raised his/her self-esteem and confidence to another level. That moment is so gratifying and I hope to bring that same feeling to the victims and less fortunate from the shelters that Self Love Inc. is working with,” added Underwood.
In other news: FastSigns, in Peachtree Corners, held a food drive to help feed the children who participate in free or reduced lunch programs over the summer. Owner Ben Wilson and his staff collected non-perishable food donations to benefit the children of Peachtree Elementary and Summerour Middle schools. About 90 percent of the local school children participate in free or reduced lunch programs, which makes summer the hungriest time of year.
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