News

FULFILL YOUR DESTINY IS AN OFFICIAL #WEDUBEMORE AWARD WINNER!

Video of Karen Mertes, Fulfill Your Destiny, Inc., being awarded the WEDU Be more…Entrepreneurial C1 Bank Engaged Philanthropist Award at the WEDU Be More Award Ceremony and Luncheon. View photos and videos from the ceremony at www.wedu.org/bemore..

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING COMMUNITY HERO KAREN MERTES

Fulfill Your Destiny Awards Grant to Gerene Keesler

Gerene Keesler of Admissions Untangled, has earned the Fulfill Your Destiny Business Builder Grant. Fulfill Your Destiny founder Karen Mertes developed this grant to help small businesses grow and achieve what they may not have been able to do without the grant money. The grant enabled Gerene to attend the 3 day IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association)  Fall Conference in San Diego. The conference would enable her to elevate her business by meeting like minded professionals to share expertise.

Gerene Keesler is a Tampa native with over 25 years of invaluable experience in higher education and admissions offices. As an independent college counselor, she established Admissions Untangled which offers assistance gaining admission, graduate planning, and helping to streamline the college experience. Her background includes working in both undergraduate and graduate admissions offices, conducting countless mock interviews, refining essays, facilitating scholarship searches, and guiding students through the intricacies of college admissions. 

What sets Admissions Untangled apart is the wealth of experience and a personal connection to the challenges many students face. As stated by Gerene, “ As a high school student, I navigated the education landscape feeling lost and undiagnosed for decades. It was only later that I discovered I am on the spectrum with various comorbidities, including epilepsy. This personal journey has given me unique insights into the struggles of doing poorly in school, not knowing how to study, and searching for the proper support.” Gerene now works to help make the college experience for students a much easier and enjoyable process. 

As a testament to her dedication to the field, she is a member of NACAC and SACAC, as well as an associate member of IECA. These affiliations underscore her commitment to staying abreast of industry trends and best practices, ensuring that Admissions Untangled remains at the forefront of college counseling.

#businessbuildergrant #fulfillyourdestiny#chamabay #fyd #mertes #forthewin #RemarkableWoman #WFLA # #takingkarenback #champabay  #forthewin #CharityChics #BusinessBuilderGrants  #grantwinner  #businessowners #entrepreneurs #tampabusinessgrants #tampabusinessowners #businessbuilder #tampabusiness #BusinessGrants #tampasmallbusiness  #businessgrantservices #businessplans #Admissionsuntangled #higher education #collegeadmissionscounseling

Morning blend

Congratulations to Palm Harbor Phish Smokehouse Company

Recently, Palm Harbor Phish Smokehouse Company received the Fulfill Your Destiny Buisness Builder Grant. The grant was founded by Karen Mertes. It enables local entrepreneurs the opportunity to expand and grow their businesses.

Phish is a family owned and operated shop specializing in Willie T’s mouthwatering smoked salmon dip and spread, along with a tantalizing Mahi spread. At Phish, they take pride in their hand crafted fish spreads. Frozen fillets are NEVER used, only fresh! “We make it fresh every week, following a 3 day process of marinating, smoking and blending to provide the freshest, most flavorful fish spread-choked full of fish too! All of our products are gluten free. Our Salmon spread is dairy free as well.”  Phish has been selling their products for the last 3 years at the local markets. Being awarded this grant has made it possible for Phish to open a commercial production kitchen and retail storefront in Palm Harbor. Stop by and check them out.

#businessbuildergrant #fulfillyourdestiny#chamabay #fyd #mertes #forthewin #RemarkableWoman #WFLA # #takingkarenback #champabay  #forthewin #CharityChics #BusinessBuilderGrants  #grantwinner  #businessowners #entrepreneurs #tampabusinessgrants #tampabusinessowners #businessbuilder #tampabusiness #BusinessGrants #tampasmallbusiness  #businessgrantservices #businessplans #palmharborsmokehouse #fishspread #salmonspread  #shoplocal #mahispread 

Post 911 Veterans Annual Women’s Brunch

Mayor Jane Castor and Karen share a moment at the Post 911 Veterans Annual Women’s Brunch.

Karen is an Advisory Board member for Post 911 Veterans as well as a dedicated champion of their 911 Campaign, granting veteran’s wishes for only $9.11 per month!

If you care to join Karen in giving, click here: https://post911veterans.org/programs/granting-wishes-honoring-heroes/

About The Program

Our non-profit runs on the generosity of our supporters, who make monthly recurring donations of $9.11 to fund our wish-granting services. By donating just $9.11 a month, you can make a real difference in the lives of our veterans and help us fulfill their wishes.

We offer a wide range of wish-granting services to Post 9/11 veterans, including travel opportunities, educational scholarships, home improvement, medical assistance, and more. Our goal is to make sure that every veteran feels valued and appreciated, and that their needs are met.

How You Can Help

As a monthly donor, you will provide critical support to our organization, allowing us to continue our mission of honoring and supporting our Post 9/11 veterans. Your recurring donation of $9.11 will help us fund our wish-granting services, ensuring that every veteran receives the recognition they deserve.

Get Started Now!

Sign Up & Support A Veteran!

By joining our monthly donor program, you are making a commitment to support our veterans and honor their sacrifices. We appreciate your support and look forward to working together to make a difference in the lives of our veterans. Thank you for your generosity!

Roots and Ritual Awarded FYD Business Builder Grant

Fulfill Your Destiny, founded by Karen Mertes, has awarded a Business Builder Grant to Sandi Hein and Amber Wilson to benefit their company, Roots & Ritual. With the money from the grant they have purchased a new weather resistant tent for their events.

Roots & Ritual is a unique blend of Ayurveda and Apitherapy – sacred self-care through ancient remedies.Sandi is an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Amber a Reiki Master and Ayurvedic Yoga Instructor. Both have incredible love for bees, beekeeping, rescuing and rehoming bees, and a passion for learning how to mend the body through plant medicines. 

Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old healing modality with roots in ancient India. As a practitioner, Sandi treats her clients with all types of remedies, from herbal to dietary to lifestyle. She and Amber create herbal teas, churnas (personal spices), salves, oils, ghees, tinctures, elixirs, balms, and herbal-infused honey elixirs personalized for each client. We’ve re-developed some of these to serve a broader audience, and we have many more in progress.

They create all of their products at home. All of the Roots & Ritual beehive-based products are created with ingredients from their hives. Only about 5% of the herbs for their Ayurvedic teas are grown on their property. They try to locally source as much of the rest of the herbs as possible, and all are organic. “Being beekeepers, we are hyper aware of our impact on the environment. All of our labels are printed on recycled paper. All of our packaging is either glass, paper or tin, and our new resealable tea packaging are recyclable stand-up pouches. “ 

Congratulatiions Roots & Ritual!

#businessbuildergrant #fulfillyourdestiny#chamabay #fyd #mertes #forthewin #Roots&ritual #RemarkableWoman #WFLA # #takingkarenback #champabay  #forthewin #CharityChics #BusinessBuilderGrants  #grantwinner  #businessowners #entrepreneurs #tampabusinessgrants #tampabusinessowners #businessbuilder #tampabusiness #BusinessGrants #tampasmallbusiness  #businessgrantservices #businessplans 

Joseph’s Tea House Awarded Fulfill Your Destiny’s Business Builder Grant

Joseph’s Tea Room is a family-owned business specializing on it’s own high-quality tea blends made with all-natural ingredients. Joseph’s Tea Room provides a warm and inviting atmosphere and is located in Clearwater, FL. 

Owners, Shannon and Guerby Joseph are two hard-working entrepreneurs from NYC. They moved to Tampa Florida in June 2020, launched Joseph’s Tea as an online tea shop in July 2020, got engaged September 2020, bought their first home in November 2020 and got married on May 23, 2021!  They opened Joseph’s Tea Room and Shop in Clearwater in September 2021.  They opened Joseph’s Tea Room and Shop in Clearwater in September 2021.  This first brick and mortar location took a ton of hard work and love to open. 

Winning the Fulfill Your Destiny’s Business Builder’s Grant, founded by Karen Mertes, has provided Guerby and Shannon with the opportunity to expand to a larger space which is perfect for hosting afternoon tea parties, bridal showers, baby showers, holiday parties, corporate events, weddings and more.

Fortune | Forbes | Entrepreneur

Meet Our Mascot 'Destiny'

2019 Spring Chari-Tea





 

Imagine how strong every community could become if hands eagerly reach out to help others when and where needed.



Buy Plaintiff 101 Today!

The Black Book of Inside Information Your Lawyer Will Want You to Know

Karen Mertes named a 2015 Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida

Karen Mertes Winner of Most Online Votes in Tampa Bay’s Dancing with the Stars charity event hosted by Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay

2014 WEDU BeMore Winner

Learn about our Honey Baked Ham Fundraising

You can help FYD by purchasing gift cards at no additional cost to you!

Order Your Book Today!

or email Karen Mertes at karen.mertes@yahoo.com or karen@fulfillyourdestiny.org

In The News