Today we’d like to introduce you to Formeka Watkins.
Formeka, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, I struggled dealing with educational and emotional trauma. Throughout my school years, I carried a lot at such a young age, I did not have the best childhood but I did not have the worst either. By my 8th grade year, I mentally dropped out of school but always had the natural passion to help others. I believe it was due to the mentors I had in my life. They saw in me what I could not see in myself. I wanted to give that same feeling to others. I can recall times where I would meet individuals that were experiencing hard times and I would ask my father if it was okay for them to stay with us or if we could help them. Even though my family was experiencing some of those same hard times, I felt because we had just a little more than others, we could help someone.
After finally completing high school, I was not sure what career path I would take but life kept pulling me towards the social service field. I started my career off working at an emergency shelter for children in McDonough, GA. By age 26, I decided to go to school for an Associate’s Degree in Business. I always wanted a business where I could assist others. My personal and professional experiences lead me to keep pushing educationally to obtain my BA in Behavioral Science and a Masters’s in Social Work. After experiencing more setbacks as an adult such as a divorce, homelessness and financial difficulties, I made the decision to always help others. I worked in different areas of the social service field from At-Risk Youth, head start, domestic violence, foster care, homeless, HIV/Aids and mental health. I currently work as a mental health counselor and social worker. I have finally become the CEO of my own business, Purses of Hope. The development of POH started with a basic conversation between me and two other co-workers about some of the individuals we serve. We were curious about if the women are not able to buy food or hygiene products, what did they do around their time of the month. We decided to collect old purses, pull together some resources, and hit the streets. We collected over 100 purses, filled them with products and positive messages. I just remember seeing the look on some of the women’s faces and the excitement it brought to them. I always wanted to keep it going and felt it should not be a one-time thing because it is not a one-time need. So, I decided to turn it into a business, and I wanted to bring awareness to homelessness. The purses are provided to help relieve some stress but to also start a conversation about what people who we call “overcomers” experience. I feel people do not want to discuss the issue. In the southern part of Atlanta such as my hometown Henry County, GA, there are little to no resources to help families that are homeless. I started working with the churches and schools to help bring the awareness and provide the needed resources to our community. Purses of Hope is looking to change lives one purse at a time and help bring effective resources to people in need.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, the road has been very bumpy. Some of the main struggles is getting Purses of Hope out into communities with little to no funds, meeting genuine people, keeping the products coming in, and bringing the awareness about homelessness to our communities. I believe that homelessness is a subject within some communities but it is not a priority. There are so many homeless people that are known but in many cases, they are just as many unknown individuals or families who are homeless. I believe that there is a way to help everyone in need but without the resources and support from others, it makes it very difficult to meet the needs.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Purses of Hope, LLC – what should we know?
Purses of Hope is an organization that was created to promote awareness to the disparities that individuals, specifically women, facing homelessness and financial difficulties. We work to ensure that the basic everyday feminine hygiene needs of women experiencing these challenges are met. We are a community organization that desires to connect with other community partners in order to bridge the gap of inequalities, promote awareness, and provide linkage of services such as healthcare, housing, counseling, meal assistance and other resources individuals may otherwise not have access to.
We are known for providing purses filled with feminine products to women that are experiencing hard times. I am proud that Purses of Hope has been able to get into our local schools (Academy for Advanced Studies and McDonough High) and work with the youth. We are teaching them about giving back to our community, promoting awareness to homelessness within the school system and teaching them to be community/business leaders.
What sets Purses of Hope apart from others is that we focus on the needs of women’s health, we are also reaching counties that people do not normally consider. We take the time to educate the people we meet and provide empowerment by promoting health, healing, providing assistance with contacting agency resources and teaching individuals how to advocate for themselves. We also network and partner with other agencies that provide effective services. Just as well POH works within the schools and churches to assist individuals becoming involved in community outreach.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I would have to give credit to the following individuals:
An’Renae Watkins, COO of Purses of Hope- she has been instrumental in helping bring Purses of Hope vision and mission to fruition.
Monique Watkins- she is the Entrepreneurship & Financial Services teacher with the Academy for Advance Studies. Mrs. Watkins has opened the door for our vision to be a light into the lives of youth so that they can become better leaders.
The students of Academy for Advance Studies and McDonough High school for their dedication in supporting our vision, creating events and bringing awareness within their school.
Bosschicks (Jackie) she supported our vision and provided encouragement before anyone knew who we were. She helped to promote our cause and provided tools to build our network.
Shaniqua Taylor, CEO of Healing women of Atlanta Inc. – she has been supportive of our events, educating us to be a success in business strategies, and provided tools and connected us to resources.
Pastor Bernard Miller of North Griffin Community Church for taking Purses of Hope under their SABA Association of Ministries and Pastor Anthony Wilson of Church 180 for their support & community partnership.
We have a team of volunteers that have been very supportive.
Pricing:
- Donations are welcome at www.paypal.me/pursesofhope or www.gofundme.com/purses-of-hope
Contact Info:
- Address: P.O. Box 189 Jonesboro, GA 30238
- Website: pursesofhopes.com
- Phone: 470-269-0161
- Email: fwatkins@pursesofhopes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purses_of_hope/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pursesofhopes
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pursesofhopes
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/purses-of-hope-jonesboro
Image Credit:
Kreative images By Kim
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