Sharing God’s Goodness Fall 2023 Grant Nominees

Please review ministries then vote at the button below.

Dress for Success                                                         

Executive Director – Juanita Ingraham                              

Locally launched – April 2020

About our ministry:

Dress for Success Chattanooga is a Black-founded and Black-led organization in Chattanooga that is an affiliate of Dress for Success Worldwide. We partner with Stanley United Methodist Church in supporting our community. Our global mission is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to thrive in work and in life. We help women find meaningful employment and provide a network of support to help them sustain employment. Supporting a woman changes the trajectory of her journey and enables her to be a positive role model for her children, have a positive impact on our community, invest socially and economically in her surrounding area, and be less likely to rely on welfare, resulting in savings for the local economy. We improve the financial acumen and stability of women, providing workforce development to women in the Hamilton County and surrounding areas. Our four key services are as follows:

• Career Coaching & Readiness: We support women as they navigate through the initial steps of the employment process, e.g. job search support, resume review, and mock interviews.
• Upskilling and Reskilling: We help women advance in their careers through critical thinking, skill building, and technology upskilling.
• Networks & Community: We provide group learning experiences and networking opportunities that allow women to learn from experts in diverse industries and expand their professional network.
• Styling & Professional Attire: We provide the clothing and accessories women require to look and feel their best as they interview or start a new job.

Our Request:

It is increasingly difficult to obtain donated undergarments that are new with tags on them. As one can imagine, for hygiene purposes, supplying women with used undergarments is not only unhealthy but also undignified. We have a robust inventory of donated apparel, but we struggle to source the foundational garments that are critical to a woman looking and feeling confident in her interview. 2023 is a critical year for us as we set a goal to serve a minimum of 40 women.

Budget Items:

• New undergarments for the women who come through our doors
• Providing services for 40 women through our programs

Reach One Teach One                                                  

Reginald Yearby – Director

Established in 2018

About our ministry

Reach One Teach One UCA is an early intervention resource for disenfranchised youth.  Serving predominantly African Americans, we provide educational programming, leadership training, and service to empower and inspire at risk youth to become leaders. Our two leadership programs, Girls in Leadership (GIL) and Boys in Leaderships (BIL) instill skills such as problem solving, communication, creativity, team building, and good sportsmanship. These programs teach accountability through peer- to-peer coaching and mentorship.  There are opportunities to participate in sports, tutoring, mental health resources, and community service. Events such as food and clothing drives, back to school bashes, leadership banquets, and feeding the homeless involve both the young people and their parents in activities.  We partner with Southern Adventist College for daily devotions and our youth financial literacy program.  We also partner with pastors, counselor, and therapists at local churches and organizations including Mt. Canaan, Calvary of Nazarene, Brainerd Baptist, and Access Point, integrating Christian principles into discussions on values/ethics, meditation and prayer sessions, and teachings on resilience, compassion, and gratitude.

Our request:

Expansion of our mentorship banquet to include a Creative Art Showcase. To support this Art Showcase, we will host a weekly classes to build vocabulary, encourage creative storytelling, and critical thinking. The goal is to build and master a skill each week adding to their portfolio.

Budget Items for 60 youth:

• Leadership Academic After School Program- curriculum/materials
• Art Supplies
• Interactive Journals
• Awards for youth and mentors

Second Missionary Services’ Project Success                 

Pastor Ernest Reid and Deborah Maddox

Established in 2005

About our ministry

Project Success is a comprehensive educational outreach serving primarily inner-city youth. We nurture youth through seminars, hands-on training, and field trips that develop their potential and teach them to set personal life goals. Grown out of the hearts and minds of members of Second Missionary Baptist Church, the program uses Christian principles to teach young people to see themselves as Christ sees them – worth saving. Mentors and local role models help each participant recognize, understand, and overcome personal and social barriers and, most importantly, believe in themselves. Our program, which is immersed in Christian principles, has a wide range of offerings including: abstinence education, gang prevention, behavior control, financial management, college prep, field trips to colleges and historical sites, scholarship opportunities, teen dating/relationship building, the Beatitudes, choices, job preparedness, community service, and cultural identity. We open each session, each day, each program in prayer.

Our request:

Young Ladies of Power, Inc.                                                      

CEO-Joyce Smyer Watson

Established in 2012

About our ministry:

Young Ladies of Power empowers and strengthens girls between the ages of 4 and 18 to know their self-worth and confidence. Recruited by community contact, word of mouth, and media, the young ladies experience mentoring, enrichment opportunities, art programs, and group discussions. Our main goal is to create and uplift our girls by broadening their horizons and outlooks on life. We are here to guide and educate the girls on self-improvement, encouraging them to:

• Value the opinion of others.
• Never stop loving yourself or educating yourself.
• Respect yourself so that others can and will respect you.
• Focus on unity – there is power together.

We are a Christian based organization using biblical review and prayer sessions to introduce our young ladies to the body of Christ. Our Fall Retreat, which takes place at Booker T. Washington State Park, provides the opportunity to learn from spiritual mentors and volunteers from Southern Oaks Senior Living facility. Experiences include outdoor activities to discuss the planet’s alignment during an eclipse or to view the big dipper on a beautiful clear night, to earn Bibles through participation, and to paint about their experiences – resulting in treasured memories for the girls.

Our request:

Facility and supplies for our Fall retreat:

Budget Items:

• Retreat Space at Booker T. Washington
• 25 Bibles
• Art supplies with Easels
• Telescope
• Transportation and gas
• Gift bags for mentors
• Food allowance for 4 days and 4 nights
• Games and activities