Passionately Managing Life

I just had a Shonda Rhimes Year of Yes kind of moment. I'm sitting here thinking about all of the great things that my organization Dana's Resources has been able to do for the community over the past year. I am also taking stock of all the things that I have been blessed with because of my non-profit organization. People ask questions like what do you get out of giving to your community? Helping kids go to college, why? Collecting items to give away, what for? And it's genuinely just the satisfaction of knowing that I helped someone or I was in a position where I could connect someone to something to better their life. Pretty often, however I am offered gifts from folks that are just as generous as I am. I started Dana's Resources as an access platform because originally I thought of it as me providing access great opportunities of which people were unaware. Connecting people to things that they had no idea were in existence. What I've come to realize though is th...

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I feel the entire choice process is admirable, yet incredibly flawed and ultimately an unfortunate disservice to our children. As a life long Philadelphian I have attended Philly schools where I was pleased with the education and environment (parochial elementary and magnet high school). My parents selected the schools and helped me to apply and gain admission. The process was not nearly as daunting then as it is now. I fully believe that I would have attended a charter school had they been around in the late 80s as my parents were looking for an alternative moreso to the negative influential environment that existed within our neighborhood schools. Fast forward to last year I had two daughters who both would be entering a new grade/school the following year. There was so much choice within the city of Philadelphia and we as a family explored every option. My oldest was entering high school coming from a small charter school which offered tremendous support. We were concerned about he...

It has taken some time for me to write this post. My child has graduated. Yes she's my student. Yes I teach seniors and normally I form relationships during the course of one school year, but this one is different. In the middle of 8th grade she became one of mine. Always in trouble. Arguing with this one or that one. Cursing out teachers. Somehow some way she got on my radar (I have Shelia Moffitt-Hinton to thanks for that) for whatever reason she listened to me and only me. We formed a bond that grew stronger each year. As she made her way through each grade she began to mature a little more. Each year conquering the classes and milestones associated with it. Internship, exhibition night, college, senior project, hard classes everything. She pushed through. And like every other student she did what she was supposed to do, but with a twist. She was a leader. And she was my child. All of the students in her senior class would ask her questions pertaining to college or deadlines bec...

I'm so tired of being angry. People just aren't getting it. I am TERRIFIED for my husband, father, nephew, brother.. It shouldn't be this way. I'm terrified for me.. this feels like some kind of police state.. a war torn country or a country on the verge of a civil war.. I am literally at a lost of what to do now.. I pore my life into my family, my work.. trying to create positive opportunities for growth.. for people to see their purpose.. how can I combat this plague of deadly violence from law enforcement towards our Black men and women.. you can say all of the "he should or shouldn't have done this or that" but at the end of the day it's just one less ______ on the street.. How can things be better? I really feel like I (or my family) could be next and this feeling just won't go away... I don't know what to do..

My birthday is Thursday July 14th and I know what I want! There are some young people in Philadelphia who have worked extremely hard throughout their time on this Earth. They have not only attended and graduated from high school, but some have worked to support their family while doing so. Others have taken care of younger siblings while studying, while others have taken care of ill parents. Others have just pesevered through a system not set up for their success. Through adversity however these students have committed to attending a college this fall! There are so many young people who are AMAZING in our very own city. In this time of turmoil please consider donating a dorm room item for students who will be going off to college this fall. This year my organization, Dana's Resources, Inc will be giving away at least 10 trunks (or trunk like containers) to deserving youth from the Philadelphia area filled with donated items from people like you! We always ask the question what can ...

Being a mom is hard. A working mom is even harder. When not balanced properly working full-time, being a wife, a family caretaker, entrepreneur and mom can sometimes feel unbearable. This week has been one of the hardest balancing acts of my life. I found myself late Friday night contemplating all of the decisions I have made in regards to my family and career. If you know me you know I am constantly on the move. Every day brings new challenges and the balancing act of wife, motherhood, career woman is generally in full effect. With this balancing act comes lots of decisions and emotions, many of which drive your effectiveness. After dealing with a serious family situation I found myself back at work Wednesday trying to put all of my own life's pieces back together. The challenge had become not just taking care of my career and entrepreneurial needs but also making sure that my husband and daughters felt supported and taken care of and all of their needs. My go-to organizational sy...

The Black women in my circle are amazing. Like really really amazing. Everyday I find new inspiration in the things that we contribute to this world. Beginning with my mother who tirelessly showed us a shining example of a working wife and mother. To my sister who is so creative effortlessly that she doesn't even know her own strength and that humbles me. To my best friends who show me the true value of not only friendship but being employed multifaceted adults. Working mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives. To my work sisters who I can have multi level conversations with about social class, race, politics, favoritism. These women are principals, administrators, business owners, they are creative gurus, social workers, nurses, grad school student, doctors. They are human resource Analysts, single moms, working moms. They are daughters, sisters, mothers. They are world travelers. They are community organizers, caregivers. They are the epitome of strength. When I think of my journey a...