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 Yonkers, NY - Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute announced their new charity initiative, FFAWN: The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc.
FFAWN was created and funded in 2007 by Grammy- winning recording artist Mary J. Blige and marketing pioneer Steve Stoute in order to use Mary’s personal story and success to inspire women from all walks of life to reach their individual potential. Mary hopes to help these women overcome the difficulties they face in their lives and to provide them with the drive and confidence to pursue and realize their goals and dreams.
Through scholarships, grants, and programs that foster strong self-esteem, career development, and personal growth, FFAWN is intended to help women gain the confidence and skills they need to achieve success. FFAWN will initially focus its efforts in Yonkers, NY and surrounding communities in Westchester and then expand its scope to include the Greater New York area and, eventually, the entire country.
“Most of my life was centered around living for the moment. I had very few resources and very little real life education to make good decisions,” says Mary J. Blige. “What I did have was a voice and that ultimately became my vehicle of growth. I, with Steve Stoute, created FFAWN: The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. because I believe every young woman, if given encouragement and a helping hand (a hand filled with resources), can reach her greatest potential. It is my great hope that FFAWN will be a vehicle to help other woman reach greater heights despite their environment, despite low self esteem, despite their immediate circumstances.”
Steve Stoute’s remarkable ability to create an authentic connection between an artist and product is the key to his phenomenal success. He applies this same formula to his next endeavor: helping women in need with FFAWN: The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc.
"Mary is a very special woman. With her music and her life, she has been inspirational to women no matter what their circumstances. We want FFAWN to be the platform to share her story with the world and use the power of her story to help women improve their current situation” says Steve Stoute.
FFAWN will be partnering with Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) to open the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, which will offer a wide variety of services to women and girls of all ages and ethnicities. Initially, the Center will focus on helping young, single mothers enhance their parenting skills, obtain educational and vocational support, and access individualized programs designed to help these women reach their goals and , lead full, happy, productive and healthy lives.
FFAWN will also be partnering with Carol’s Daughter, a company that shares many of the core values FFAWN is built on, to develop an extensive and continuing partnership. Among other events and programs, we will be organizing an educational series that will bring together inspirational speakers and business skills training.
FFAWN will also be working with other partners to help fund scholarships for women for vocational training programs and educational degrees in order to give these women the opportunity to boost their careers and enable them to support themselves and their families.
FFAWN’s Board of Directors includes: Mary J. Blige, Steve Stoute, Kendu Isaacs, Jada Pinkett Smith, Charles Wright and Samantha Fink.
For more information on FFAWN: The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc., please log onto: www.FFAWN.org.
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