Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Ford.
Candace, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a single parent home but thankful that I was in a situation where we lived next door to our grandparents. This was important in shaping the woman that I have become. I saw my grandparents as God-fearing, hard workers who loved us with everything they had. I have two older brothers and two younger sisters and my brothers have always pushed me to be the best I could be. They set the tone and I knew I had to follow in their steps. I was always active in sports which allowed me to get a scholarship in track and field and with that scholarship, I was able to get my undergraduate degree in Chemistry with a minor in Biology.
After graduation, I worked in the Petro-Chemical field as a Chemist, and during this time I met my husband, TJ Ford. When I met my husband he was a player in the NBA, he played for the Milwaukee Bucks and several other teams in the league. We have 3 children, TJ Junior (12), Peyton (8) and Austin (5). I have always known that I wanted to make a difference in my community, especially young girls. I decided to go back to school and get my masters. I received my masters in Economic Development. I knew that I particularly wanted to work with young girls in my community.
When we take an investment in the growth and empowerment of our young girls, who will one day become women, we raise the quality of life for everyone. It is important for women who are business owners, mothers, community leaders, and celebrities, to set examples for our youth, because they are watching us, especially with all of the social and tv media that is out there. I created Project Beautiful Me so that I could make a difference, something totally from my heart with no strings attached.
Project Beautiful Me is a non-profit organization developed to offer mentorships, college tours, and our Beautiful Me Prom Day. It gives the young ladies a sense of belonging to an organization that cares about them and helping them face many challenging issues that our youth face today. Our programs are designed to educate, equip and inspire young girls to become successful. Our goal is to teach them to love, honor, and esteem themselves. We have been in existence for 6 years and have grown each year.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been an easy road, but something that has its struggles and rewards. When running a non-profit it is not always easy to get the funding needed to make the organization run smoothly or to have the funding needed for all of the programs that I want to have. This is even harder for smaller non-profits such as myself.
Please tell us about Project Beautiful Me.
Project Beautiful Me is a 501-c-3 Organization who has a mission to empower young girls between the ages of 12-17 by building self-esteem and teaching life skills. Our programs include Mentorship which has character building workshops to promote positive self-esteem and developing life skills.
College tours, which encourages and bring awareness to higher education by visiting institutions from private to state-supported schools. Beautiful Me, which provides prom dresses, accompanying accessories, and hair and makeup to disadvantaged girls who can enjoy their prom, to help offset those expenses for their parents.
We are known for our Prom event. There are other organizations who provide dresses as well and are doing well too, but what sets us apart is that we offer a whole day of empowerment to the girls. In addition to us setting up a room as a boutique, we bring in guest speakers from all over to inspire the girls and give them a message. So they not only leave with a dress but leaving with something much more.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
So many to share. One of my favorite childhood memories is when my grandparents would take us to see the fireworks, My grandmother would pack food for us to eat and we would get to ride in the back of his truck to watch. We loved being able to ride in the back of the truck.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6260 Westpark Dr. Ste. 231
Houston, TX 77045 - Website: projectbeautifulme.org
- Email: info@projectbeautifulme.org
Image Credit:
RMFOTO, Tanya Rawlins
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