MAY 2012 PR SPOTLIGHT
Stylist Daphne Ali is a business savvi, mother of three with fashion and style on the brain 24/7. Founder of Madame Ali Management she dips and dabbles in fashion and clothes. Style is her business. Her business nearly a year old has taken root in the Augusta area and is prepared to take Atlanta by storm. Her claim to fame is in doing fashion shows and the way she markets herself. Doing her styling on a budget is a focus although she has been a stylist to artists and models alike. She encourages that people continue to learn about their craft. If you love what you do, there is not a time where you should stop learning about it and how to improve it.
Her biggest fashion advice to women is that everyone should invest in a body shaper.
Her first love is Public Relations.
Her mission is to provide her clients with what they are looking for, whether it be to be successful or just to boost their self esteem.
Advice for men is that the shoes make the outfit.
Her vote for best dressed male is Common.
Her vote for best dressed female is Beyonce.
Top designer to look for Tina Knowles.
JUNE 2012 PR SPOTLIGHT
These days it's no surprise to people when they hear reports on the news that yet another young child has been beaten, murdered, or even bullied in school or in their neighborhood. At times the community looks at those exact children and feel that they are products of their environment. They shake their heads and go on about their lives as if nothing happened. It takes an extraordinary person with a big heart to see the things that plague our youth and not just shake their head and pretend like nothing happened. Making changes are always talked about amongst ourselves but very few actually step up. This month it is my pleasure to feature Ms. LaRonda Young in the PR Spotlight. She is one of the few that have seen problems in the neighborhoods with children and opened her heart to children and parents.
The College Park native grew up as the only girl in a home full of brothers. She was the care taker for her younger sibblings growing up. Her nurturing spirit eventually spilled over into her becoming the neighborhood nanny and caregiver. The turning point that pushed her to create her organization started with three students that she met while tutoring. The were not bad kids, she described them better as "troubled". What troubled LaRonda was the fact that these children knew all the songs on the radio but they had difficulty understanding their school work. Instead of being like others in the community that have a tendency to talk but not act, she acted. Her caregiving dream then evolved into becoming a positive force in the community with children when she noticed the negative affects of music, video games, and other factors that are prevalent these days that capture children's attention and possibly hinder their learning abilities. She not only turtored those children, she mentored them. They became a success story that she is proud to tell: "[Currently] these guys are "A" students, they don't deal with negativity, and they help other students in school do the right thing." The construction LaRonda did in those children's lives inspired her to name her organization Constructive Kids. The purpose of her organization is to eliminate the exposure of peer pressure, senseless violence/crime, and unsupervised activity by utilizing programs to benefit the youth, providing a safe and secure atmosphere where a kid can be a kid, and mentoring youth to success. And her acronym for her business is just as inspiring as she is: CONSTRUCTIVE: Challenge Others IN Strengthening Their Resources Under Constructive Training Interaction, Values, & Ethics.
2011 became a milestone year for LaRonda. She became a fulltime mentor, and tutor. She held her first event during the summer and during the Christmas season that same year, she heald her first talent show.
Tutoring became her passion because she knows that children are different and they learn differently. Some times teachers may not have the patience and time to decifer the special way a single child may learn so the student, in turn gets left behind. LaRonda has changed the lives of several students and parents with her program.
I attended one of her events and I instantly saw the impact that she has made in several children's lives. With the Capital City Showcase heald last month, she featured children with talents from singing, rapping, and dancing to DJ-ing. The best thing is, they get to showcase their talent in front of parents and their peers. The prizes range in monitary value, but the largest prize LaRonda gives is her presence and her ability to care for and nurture the minds and spirits of young children in the community. The children she mentors are amazing in so many ways. The talent displayed by them is one thing, and their courage, strength and resilliance is another.
LaRonda Young is an inspiring force in the Metro Atlanta Community. The founder and creator of Constructive Kids Organization is celebrating her third year of making a change in the community this month. If you would like to contribute to, attend, or just learn more about her organization, I encourage you to contact her through her website:
