It’s not everyday you find a woman in a crown that’s also a Fairy Godmother, but Jennifer Garrison is that girl. Serving many in the community as a beautiful fairy godmother, Jennifer is an amazing philanthropic servant. By day, she is a wife, mom, registered nurse specializing in clinical documentation, as well as the reigning Mrs. Indiana Petite 2023, and in her spare time she partners with many community organizations. As co-chair of “Cinderella Chair”, she oversees giving out free prom dresses and accessories to anyone that attends their annual event. Last year, Cinderella Chair was able to give out over 3000 dresses! Jennifer is also on the board and active with the organization Bring it-Push it- Own it”, which helps young ladies and women increase their confidence and self-love, an area that many women can appreciate. As if that wasn’t enough, she has also started her own non-for-profit called “Empowerment through Education”, focusing on awarding scholarships to those in financial need so that they can pursue their dreams and share their gifts to the world. While it hasn’t always been easy, Jennifer is proud of the journey that has led her to have complete joy in her heart. “As long as you have and cherish/protect that, you can get through anything”
What inspired Jennifer down this path of giving back? She grew up in a low-income family and just knew from as young as she can remember that she wanted to help people. “I know it sounds a bit cliche, but I feel an extreme call and passion to give back to others as I would not be where I am today without help from other people as well. As they say, it takes a village. “
When Jennifer was starting her own non for profit, the goal was to raise scholarship money but “I knew from the beginning most people do not like to just give money without receiving something in return”. Jennifer wanted the takeway that people received to have joy and positivity. So, the first year, she designed t-shirts/bags. One of them was “#love yourself”, another one was a tank that said “girl power”, and a mens shirt that said “ladies first”. T-shirts were a great starting point, but only so many people want a shirt, so Jennifer decided to author a book, “Basketball Player Penelope and her Pageant Journey” and donate 100% of the proceeds to “Empowerment through Education” scholarships, which she continues to do. It is available on Amazon and signed copies are available on Etsy. She expanded her fundraising efforts even more this past year, when the team started the annual Purse Bingo party that allows women to come together for a great cause and to celebrate a ladies night out. It was such a raving success and ladies are already lined up to purchase tickets for next year’s event.
All the organizations that she helps with are non for profits and we cannot do these activities and services without the community’s help. So, “if you would like to get involved or want more information, please reach out to me. Also, if you have contacts to possibly work together in other avenues of these organizations, I am always open to hearing how we can collaborate to help each other.”
What does the future hold for this busy lady? “I would love to grow my non-profit someday to give out 50,000 every year to students. It is not impossible, just will take time to continue to grow, but that would make my heart so beyond happy and proud to help others achieve their dreams. We all just need a little help from time to time. Without the scholarships I received I would not have been able to graduate and become the nurse/person I am today. Paying it forward means alot to me.”
Our next Cinderella Dress Day will be at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, IN on February 3, 2024 9am-2pm. Anyone between grades 7-12 is welcome. It doesn’t matter where you live, anyone can participate. Every girl receives one long dress/one short dress/one pair of shoes, jewelry of their choice plus other options there such as makeup on site and minor alterations. All of this is completely FREE and pre-registration isn’t required. “Bring it push it own” offers various programs throughout the year for women and girls. Please check them out on Facebook or online at Bring It Push It Own It. Empowerment through Education’s next annual purse bingo event will be held Spring/Fall 2024. The dates for the venue have not been finalized at this time but feel free to follow us on IG/Facebook at Empowerment through Education or our website Home – empowermentthrougheducation.org
Jennifer would like to remind all of our readers, “as women we have many obstacles, but it is when we help and support each other that we are able to make true changes. I have had so many people help me get to where I am today and I’m here to help others as much as I can. Not knocking each other down, but by fixing each other’s crown”
Want to learn more, attend an event or partner with Jennifer? Contact her!
Home – empowermentthrougheducation.org
IG – empowerment.througheducation
Facebook- empowermentthrougheducation
Email- empowermentthruedu@gmail.com
Leave a Comment