&Rise

I am applying for the Elevate Prize because &Rise has already began working on initiatives to help women and are in need of more funding. &Rise is a NFP that empowers women to be the ultimate versions of themselves no matter what adversities they've been through. 

If we receive the prize, the funds will be used to hire counselors to assist our community with their mental health and healing. Additionally, we will use the funds to train and hire victim advocates to add additional support groups for women. We currently offer support groups for trauma survivors but we plan to add support groups for women around other topics such as single motherhood, postpartum depression, child bearing issues, body image issues, etc. Any additional funds will be used to offer single moms free college tuition, supplies, and childcare so they can get their college education to provide their children with better lives.

I am a survivor of sexual, domestic, emotional, and financial abuse. I also have been a single mother since pregnancy. When I was a broke single mom I felt alone and like I would be stuck forever. Due to my sexual abuse as a child, I lacked boundaries, had really low self esteem, and constantly settled for less. I never loved myself because no one ever showed me love as a kid. I grew up in a vicious cycle of being in abusive relationships and it wasn't until I hit rock bottom that I decided to change my life. 

Now I share my story with other women to inspire them and help them through their rough times. My vision for &Rise is for it to be a worldwide nonprofit organization to help women all over the world. Women tend to suffer in silence and feel like they are the only person going through something and its powerful to be around other women with similar experiences. Our long-term vision is to put millions of single moms through college and millions of trauma survivors with free counseling so they can be the ultimate versions of themselves. 

1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. More than 1 in 3 women in the US will experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner. 40% of women reported expressive aggression, and 41% of women reported coercive control. 

When people experience trauma it effects them mentally, emotionally, and can even take physical toll on their bodies. When they do not deal with their trauma the effects it can have are detrimental to their emotional and mental health. Repressing painful memories also causes an array of physical health issues as well. 

This is why &Rise offers women free counseling since we believe money should never be the reason why someone can't get help. We also have received amazing feedback from our support groups and hear it sometimes is more helpful than therapy or counseling. Our events are always intended to inspire or empower women, our goal is to make sure everyone leaves our events better than how they came in. We also want to help single moms with their college education as 33% of single parent households live in poverty. 

Creating community around trauma and sensitive topics. Most people find these topics unsettling and uncomfortable but at &Rise we believe when people are uncomfortable they are growing. Unsettling things happen everyday in our world and the more we talk and bring issues to light the more we can prevent them from happening in the first place through education prevention. 

&Rise is unique because we care about healing and empowering women and ensuring they are living their best life. We have support groups that are done via zoom every single week (even holidays) so that women can join from anywhere even if they aren't from Chicago. We offer tons of resources on our website to help women cope with whatever issues they are facing and we plan to hire counselors to help the women in our community.

We are unique because there are very little organizations that help single mothers with their college education and helping them with other major expenses such as childcare, tuition, and supplies. 

We understand that through community and empowerment that women can feel inspired to reach and achieve their dreams and their goals no matter what hard times they are facing or have faced.

The pandemic has shown us how important the work we do is at &Rise. So many women are still suffering from anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues and have told us our services and resources have helped them immensely. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced women to be stuck at home with their abuser so coming to our groups or having counseling has helped a lot of women thus far. We also receive amazing feedback from any of the events we hold and how helpful and empowered women feel from them.

Women are the backbone of the household and women are the people who are mainly raising our children. Our children are our future, if women are not taking care of themselves then our children will lack a better future. When women are strong, happy, and motivated the world is truly a better place. 

When women are able to speak up and contribute to greater peace in their home countries, they contribute to greater peace across borders, regions, and the world. Empowering women makes the world a better place.