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
THANK YOU Tampa Women for Good
THANK YOU @tampa women for good for allowing us to pitch at your Quarterly Gather & Grant event. We enjoyed the networking and collaboration amongst all of the member and charities. If chosen, all grant money will be paid forward to future Business Builder Grant recipients.
Jon Tibben, Owner of Raining Berries is our newest grant recipient! Enjoy his story.
If you would like to donate to a future grant, scan the QR code above and give. If you would like to Sponsor a grant, please reach out to Karen Albino at kalbino23@gmail.com. We have many ways you can particiapte. It’s a joy to give!
Tina Brunsman of Sweet Soap Confections was awarded a $1000 Business Builder Grant in honor of Josephine Mason
On April 19, 2018, at Fulfill Your Destiny’s Annual Spring Chari-Tea Event, Tina Brunsman of Sweet Soap Confections was awarded a $1000 Business Builder Grant in honor of Josephine Mason, a Personal Banker at American Momentum Bank.
Tina’s venture into business began back in 2015, when her youngest daughter brought home a soap making kit on a weekend visit from college. What started out as a fun mother/daughter project, grew into a passion. With the encouragement of her friends, Tina and her daughter decided to take some of their soaps to sell at a local holiday market. To their surprise, they sold over 80 bars of soap within 2 hours! This was the start of Sweet Soap Confections. As the recipient of this grant, Tina was able to pursue her business goals of creating her website and offering her products online. They now offer luxury soaps, bath products, and hand poured candles, which are all a labor of love for this mom and her daughters. In addition to offering signature soap scents, that smell so yummy you may want to bite (but don’t please!), Tina also offers the option of customizing an order to your desired scent. In more recent years, Tina’s business has continued to grow as she participates in vendor fairs and events locally. She has also impacted her community by participating in the Great American Teach IN, where she was able to teach some young minds the fun of making soaps; as well as partnering with another local company to donate over 100lbs of soap to victims of Hurricane Ian. We love to see how much Tina has accomplished and grown these past years, and are proud that we were able to help her on her mission of expansion with our Business Builder Grant. We wish continued success to her!
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Clemmie Perry, Founder of Women in Color Golf was awarded a $1000 Business Builder Grant
At Fulfill Your Destiny’s 2018 Spring Chari-Tea Event, Clemmie Perry, founder of Women in Color Golf was awarded a $1000 Business Builder Grant, sponsored by Independent Financial Services.
Women of Color Golf, began back in 2014, when Mrs. Perry was inspired to create an organization that would spark some interest into the game of golf. Her mission was to use the game of golf to help young minority women, from challenging environments, improve their business awareness, health and wellbeing, and opportunities in the world of commerce. Her inspiration quickly grew to include golf clinics, recreational golf events, as well as business networking and mentoring opportunities. She has successfully implemented a mentoring program for elementary children primarily at two local Hillsborough County schools, Clemmie Ross James Elementary and Doris Ross Reddick Elementary, appropriately named after her mother and grandmother, who both were influential in the Hillsborough County School system. With this grant, Mrs. Perry was able to continue expanding her business as well as her community outreach. Through her organization, she has successfully introduced over 600 minority women and girls to the fundamentals of golf. Women of Color Golf has been featured in numerous television segments, has been the recipient of the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Award, and was most recently nationally recognized by President Barack Obama as a U.S. White House Champion of Change for After School Programs for Marginalized Girls. We are honored to have presented this grant to Mrs. Perry, and we continue to be proud of her achievements with her organization!
A sobbing Perry told the guests: “Just as the business was growing, I ended up losing about 50 percent of my hearing.”
Check out the beautiful write-up by Tampa Bay Times: https://www.tampabay.com/news/Fulfill-Your-Destiny-s-annual-tea-serves-up-inspiration-charitable-giving_166769743
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STIX – Artist Awarded Business Builder Grant to Create Mural
Last Year, with the support of Alicia Campos and On Point Executive Center, I received a Fulfill Your Destiny Business Builder Grant. My proposal was to paint a mural that inspires those dealing with thoughts of suicide to choose LIFE. I teamed up with Michele Stone at Carrollwood Cultural Center to present this humble mural for the people who flow in and out of this Center to feel inspired about Life no matter the CHAOS (I am in a constant state of reminding myself to feel this same way. It meant a lot for me to be able to complete this meaningful project.)
Title: I Feel Safe
Lex Lang: “Here exists diverse seeds of play. Here in this place, grow the best versions of self. Here, I belong to a community that thrives because I choose to nurture my Artistic Soul. We are Culture in motion : .”
Karen,
I wanted to write to tell you, Thank You for sharing your story. It is always interesting how people are drawn together. I really love the people Alicia surrounds herself with. I’ve never had as much fun at Art shows as I do participating in Alicia’s events. More than a good time, she puts us in an environment with healthy people that love to create, she is a true Artist.
The grant that you saw fit to share with me will go towards a mural here in Florida. This will be my first Florida mural and I am truly honored. Paint22 came about as Belicia and I were discussing possible business ventures. Belicia said, “You know, we need a for-profit and a non-profit.” This is a way longer story of mentors, inspiration, tough decision, and sacrifice, but I’m sure you already know all about that. Long story, short Belicia and I run 3 businesses. We have a lot of Dreams.
This mural is a representation of everything I have learned this far in my life, if not more. This mural tells the story of Americana Distortion, true to all of its valor and honor. This mural is inspired by my work with #PAINT22. This is a great time to be alive.
“I choose to live because… I choose to create”.
-STIX
I am excited for the interactive portion of the mural. Everyone will add to the mural, why they choose to live.
Karen, You have dedicated your life to connecting with others. Your journey is relative and necessary. We are grateful for this opportunity to create in your kindness.
Thank You so much for this opportunity. We are HONORED.
#businessbuildergrant #fulfillyourdestiny#chamabay #fyd #mertes #forthewin #RemarkableWoman #WFLA # #takingkarenback #champabay #forthewin #CharityChics #BusinessBuilderGrants #grantwinner #businessowners #entrepreneurs #tampabusinessgrants #tampabusinessowners #businessbuilder #tampabusiness #BusinessGrants #tampasmallbusiness #businessgrantservices #businessplans
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.
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