VOTE L'Oréal 2015 Woman of Worth - Schinnell Leake

Schinnell Leake

As a mother, Schinnell Leake knows how important it is for her children to feel confident and have self-worth. After learning that more than 2,000 children live in homeless shelters throughout the Washington, D.C. area, Schinnell decided to form Extra-Ordinary Birthdays, the only organization of its kind in the capital that throws individualized birthday parties for homeless children to make them feel loved and valued. Using her party-planning background, Schinnell has thrown more than 400 birthday parties since the organization’s inception five years ago, and Extra-Ordinary Birthdays has partnered with six homeless shelters across Maryland and D.C.

Reflections on September 11, 2011

Open letter from our CEO and Founder, Parthenia Warford, US Army Retired

Some don't know that 14yrs ago today, I almost lost my life in the Pentagon on 9/11. I was getting my retirement physical from the Army at Ft Myer (a rock throw from the Pentagon) if the lab tech not been late for work, I would have been in the office where the plane hit the Pentagon and killed my mentor and many more. So today, I ask that you pray for everyone that life was changed, especially our Country's Military Widow families.
Later today I'm going to create a video on Periscope discussing 9/11, my PTSD, and major depression.

Open Letter from Parthenia Warford, CEO & Founder

This is an open letter Parthenia Warford our CEO & Founder wrote last night to single mothers.

As I get ready to call it a night, I want to take a moment as a former Teen Mom and now Single Mom to my two amazing adult daughter's to say children don't ask to be born. Once you become a parent, it is your duty to raise your children in a manner that allows them to exceed all the opportunities you had. You see, if you have children who the streets, teachers, local drug dealer, hustler is raising then you have failed as a parent.

If on the first of the month you are getting your new hair weave, stelleto acryllic nails, rainbow outfits, bushels of crabs, bag of weed, etc instead of purchasing your child a book, computer and Internet connection then you are failing as a parent.

If your young child can sing and rap to all the songs played on the local hip hop radio station, including the curse words but can't say his/her name, their ABC's, or count then guess what you have failed them. Just because you may not have had the best upbringing doesn't give you the excuse to not ensure your child(ren) have a better life than you did.

The excuse of being a product of your environment is a cop out; dust yourself off and find a non-profit organization that will help you have a better life for you and yours. There are plenty of organizations  just like ours that offer FREE services to aid you and your family in the quest of becoming self-sufficient.

When I see innocent children being murdered by people that look just like them, then we need to stop and become as upset as when the white police kills one of our children, men, women for no reason. Until the genocide ny us on us  ends we really can't expect any other race to value our lives; DC just went over 94 homicides in 2015 and it's only August. How many more innocent people have to die before things change and mothers start being mothers and fathers become more than sperm donors?

I just read in Ferguson, MO not far from my hometown of University City, MO a 9yr little girl was killed yesterday; guess what I'm sure that innocent baby was merely minding her business and some coward that hides behind a gun to settle a disagreement killed her for no reason at all.

When I grew up in St Louis, MO and two people had a disagreement they would either have a fist fight, or talk it out but they would be friends again within the week. Guns are not the answer, how did killing someone become they way things are handled?????

We need to find a way to heal this generation, and fast before they kill themselves away. At the rate they are going none of them will be left, and less and less of them are going to college trying to make their lives better.

How do we fix this, and how did we get here?????

Parthenia Warford Best Community Leader

We want to ensure Parthenia Warford, CEO and Founder, The Warford Foundation, Inc is nominated for Steve Harvey Neighborhood Award of Best Community Leader, Wednesday, May 27, 2014 nominate from 6am to 6pm EST online https://www.neighborhoodawards.com/. ‎ She has dedicated ‎her time, and money from permanent disability income to the amelioration of single mother families through various programs:

Adopting a classroom purchasing all student school supplies, providing Thanksgiving meal for each family, creating Easter Baskets for student.

Providing money for textbooks for single mother nursing students‎.

Mentoring Program for entire single mother family including free cooking lessons, help creating budget and financial planning.

All single mother families will be involved in organic community garden project in Parthenia's backyard. 

Please take a moment to nominate her here's the information you will need:

Parthenia Warford
WHUR 96.3FM
Washington, DC
240 838 4144

BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Conference, Saturday, May 9, 2015

We are looking for single mother families with children ages 8 to 18 in the DC metro area to participate in our FREE BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Conference, Saturday, May 9, 2015 9am to 4pm, Clarion Hotel, 6400 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill, MD.

The first 25 families that register will be eligible to participate in our Organic Community Garden Project as well.

Additionally, single mothers and their children ages newborn to 18 are automatically enrolled our BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Program beginning Saturday, May 16, 2015.

If you have any questions, please email BBBConference@thewarfordfoundation.org thank you and we look forward to meeting you soon.

Marvin Jones, New York Jets Retired Football Player Mentoring Children

We are excited to announce Marvin Jones, New York Jets retired football player will be mentoring children (grades 6-12) of our single mother families attending BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Conference May 9, 2015. The first 25 families to enroll in BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Program will attend our conference for free, applications must be postmarked by March 30, 2015.

Marvin Jones is one of the finest linebackers in the history of college football. A stunning combination of speed, strength, and instinct, Marvin was such an intense competitor that opposing offenses all but conceded running in his direction. Marvin became the first Florida State University (FSU) player to capture two national awards in the same year when he earned both the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the Lombardi Award as the nation's top linemen and went on to become a 3-time all American and Hesiman candidate while leading his team to an amazing record of 32-5.

Marvin was a first round draft choice in the NFL, it was the highest a FSU player had ever been selected in the NFL draft. He played 11 seasons with the New York Jets and started all 80 games of his last five seasons. Marvin ranks third in Jets’ history with 1,200 tackles (811 solo), notching eight 100-plus tackle seasons. For all his contributions on the field Marvin was recognized with several MVP awards and honored as team Captain and selected as a 1st team All Pro in 2000.

Most recently Marvin was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame, selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary Football Team and the NFL presented Marvin with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is unique among NFL honors. It is the only NFL award that recognizes a player for his community service activities as well as his excellence on the field.

For information about enrolling in BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring  Program please email info@thewarfordfoundation.org or call (301)  292-6034 and leave a message.

One Billion Rising Global Campaign To End Violence Against Women

One Billion Rising Global Campaign To End Violence Against Women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIRST WOMEN #VETSRISING SET FOR WASHINGTON D.C. ON VDAY

Operation 2.2 Million Raises Awareness About Military Rape, Sexual Assault, Military Justice Improvement Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  An initiative titled, Operation 2.2 Million, signifying the nation’s more than 2 million women veterans at large, sets to bring attention to the military rape, sexual assault, and harassment epidemics plaguing military services, and service academies, with a #VetsRising 11a.m. Saturday, February 14 in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Military sexual trauma, or MST, is the descriptor used to denote incidents of rape, sexual assault, harassment, and the impact of retaliation, isolation and stigmatization within military units, that often occurs after reporting the crimes to unit commanders. Victims report the aftermath is often more traumatizing, than the sexual trauma itself.

Outcry by men and women survivors has inspired reforms in recent years, including the introduction of the Military Justice Improvement act, by N.Y. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Veteran advocacy group VET USA, spawned this first #VetsRising initiative, as part of the One Billion Rising Global Campaign to end violence against women, reaching out to women veterans nationwide.

“Now is the time, for women veterans to join women around the world, across the U.S., and on college campuses, to stop violence against women,” said Ms. Colleen Bushnell, VET USA founder, and president, who herself was a victim of rape and sexual assault, while working at Lackland Air Force Base in 2004.

“We couldn’t be more optimistic about President Obama’s statement at the Grammy’s and the launching of the ‘Its On Us Campaign’ to end sexual violence on college campuses,” she said. “The #VetsRising clarion call is imperative because women veterans have been fighting for real reforms for decades. The conflict of interest that exists for victim and accused in local chains of command, are too significant to overcome. The MJIA takes the important step of taking the justice process out of not legally trained, local-unit commander’s hands.”

Ms. Veteran America Competition, Maryland non profits The Next Chapter Corporation, and The Warford Foundation, Inc joins the group, during the Break The Chain smart-mob dance, in front of the memorial, as well as several activists, authors, and national women-veteran lead service projects. 

“President Obama gave the DoD one year to significantly improve military culture, and response to these crimes. The deadline has passed, and the burden has not been met,” she said. Citing the most recent survey commissioned by the DoD, through the Rand Corporation, which indicated the number of prosecution of felony crimes has gone down, while the number of servicemembers who report fear of retaliation has increased.

Bushnell said the group remains committed to advocacy until Senator Gillibrand’s MJIA is passed into law. The MJIA’s fundamental component is requiring the DoD to handle reporting, investigation, adjudication and prosecution of most felony crimes outside of the local unit chain of command. The law garnered a majority vote in the Senate last year, but was filibustered by Senate Republicans lead by Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

The Bele Bele Rhythm Collective is an intergenerational group of women the Washington D.C., and surrounding areas, who come together in the sisterhood of the drum. Founded in 2008, and led by Drumlady Kristen Arant, the BBRC performs tightly sewn compositions of polyrhythms on West African dun-un, and djembe drums, complete with exciting breaks, contagious songs, and dancing. The BBRC performs to celebrate unity and diversity, and to spread the joy and healing power of West African drumming to the community at-large.

For additional information please contact:
VET USA President and Founder #VetsRising Creator Ms. Colleen Bushnell, U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. (Ret.), colleen.bushnell@gmail.com Cell: 832-706-5610

MST Advocacy Media

Helpful VET USA links:
Facebook

Website

Twitter

Carrie Lambert, Volunteer of the Year 2014

We are elated to announce that one of our own Carrie Lambert, Vice President for Special Events and Community Relations was selected by Black Celebrity Giving (BCG) as one of three finalist to compete for 2014 Volunteer of the Year! This is BCG 4th Annual Awards, as you may or may not remember we won Best Nonprofit in the Southeast Region for 2012.

Please take a few minutes to #VOTE for Carrie Lambert, Volunteer of the Year everyday until January 18, 2015 11:59pm PST.  Only one Vote a day is allowed per person, but if you Vote via Facebook click on Awards. (check the auto post button your Vote will count 5 times and let others know you Voted) If you don't have a Facebook account you can Vote via BCG website .

The Contest.Is platform has a spam block component which will prevent unverifiable votes. The social media Official Awards Hashtag for BCG 4th Annual Awards is #BCGAwards.

We have included the nomination that was submitted for Carrie to compete for BCG 2014 Volunteer of the Year Award:

"Carrie Lambert, Vice President Special Events and Community Relations, is a dedicated volunteer that consistently goes above and beyond on everything she places her hands on. This year she planned our first #BeautyBrainsBelief™ Mentoring Conference from Atlanta, arriving the morning of the conference in Maryland to execute it. It went of without any glitches, which is keeping with her stellar reputation for planning and executing top notch events.  

Carrie single handedly plans our annual coat drive we received 180 like new coats for children, women, and men in all sizes along with donation of $200; created 44 Easter Baskets for our adopted classroom in SE Washington, DC; planned and executed back to school supply drive for our adopted classroom in SE Washington, DC; created food drive to get fixings for the turkey baskets we give to the families of our adopted classroom, CEO and Founder purchased the turkeys. 

She is instrumental in getting the community involved in all our giving events, and our annual fundraising efforts and we always garner great support and donations of school supplies, Thanksgiving fixings, back to school supplies, and winter coat donations. 

Please consider this amazing young woman who is a volunteer with the title Vice President Special Events and Community Relations because you won't find anyone with her work ethic and refusal to take no for an answer. Carrie Lambert will always find a way to do the perceived impossible and is well deserving of this award."

We thank you in advance for Voting for Carrie to receive BCG 2014 Volunteer of the Year Award.

Stuart Scott, Dies of Cancer at 49

This story broke my heart, I cried today because just like Stuart Scott, I'm battling my several severe chronic illnesses with every ounce in my body for my two daughters, Moma and Dad.

Everyday I push myself to find away to help make a single mom family easier; I've been there and done that! God has shown me my purpose it is to give back purely to single mom families (including military widows), because you see, I've already beat every obstacle that was put in my path. The Warford Foundation, Inc stands to share my story and be the role model that being a single mom is NOT a bad thing and we aren't all living off the system. We have highly educated and successful children; heck we have Presidents that were raised by a single mom!! I give my own money to fund our programs, because I feel if I don't support my own vision who will?

Sending love and sincere condolences to the family of Stuart Scott especially his two daughters, who meant the world to him. God please wrap your loving arms around those two young ladies and help them heal, losing a parent can't be easy especially to cancer. In Jesus mighty name I pray those girls are able to cherish the good times they had with their Dad. 

Here's the full article from USA Today about Stuart Scott