The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. MECCA Chapter 2015 Scholarship Fundraiser will be nothing short of fabulous. The annual fundraiser will showcase national and international African American fashion designers on the runway on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at Atlanta’s City Hall Atrium.
“This year’s event will be a fabulous display of our Little Ladies of MECCA. We have seven young ladies who have met the requirements for the program and will be receiving their $5,000 scholarship,” shares Shirley Langley, vice president of finance and fund administration for the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. MECCA chapter. Langley took out the time during the busy tax season to vaunt about the nonprofit organization’s annual showcase to honor the young ladies who complete their nine-month program over the course of three years. The Little Ladies of Mecca is an empowerment program for young African American ladies faced with personal, economic, and social issues, to give them the tools necessary to grow into powerful leaders.
“One of the things that we do is educate them through monthly training sessions. Every month they show up and we have different people come in and talk to them about getting into college, etiquette, etc.,” Langley informs. The volunteers teach participants writing and communication skills, money matters, time management, presentation, extreme makeover (inside and out), health and fitness, teen pregnancy prevention skills, relationships and interpersonal skills, go on college-bound campus visits, and much more.
Hailing from New York, legendary fashion show producer Terence Taitt will be overseeing the runway show and Tri-Cities High School’s Performing Arts program members will provide entertainment. The 2015 Scholarship Fundraiser is in its third year and is the organization’s fundraiser that focuses solely on the Little Ladies of MECCA.
The young ladies are looking forward to attending college this fall, including one Gates Millennium Scholar who is attending Spelman College, and others who were accepted into Georgia State University and Savannah State University. With seven young ladies exiting the program, 100 NCBW is currently recruiting young ladies to participate who are in the 9th or 10th grade, ages 13 to 16.
“We need the help of the corporate community. We have a wonderful list of 21 sponsorsm including PNC Bank, BMW, Southwest Airlines, Walmart, Capitol City Bank, Georgia Perimeter College, Pamela Jules of State Farm Insurance, Drs. Jimmy Graham and TL Hughes, Publix Super Markets charities, Home Depot, Antioch Baptist Church North, Robb Pitts and more. We really appreciate our sponsors because their dollars go directly to the scholarship fund. The ticket sales cover entertainment,” she says.
