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I have always dreamed of changing my country and the world through volunteerism, community service and my entrepreneurial vision to build business ventures that will fund many charities and allow me to become a philanthropist. As a very young African American girl, I thought that I could eliminate all the suffering in my country and in the world. However, my mother told me that if I truly wanted to effect change, I would have to start with myself, my family and my community; and that is what I did.
At the age of 15, in 2004, my younger sister and I founded a charity that we incorporated as Tea Party Charitable Foundation, Inc. to manage an Annual Mother and Daughter Charity Tea and Clothing Drive. For our annual event, we ask mothers and daughters to bring used clothing in good condition that we donate to a girl their age or size. Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and friends enjoy tea, poetry, entertainment and a variety of cakes while strengthening their relationships and contributing to a worthy cause. At first I thought that all I was doing was providing much needed clothing to under privileged girls, but I found that it has grown to so much more. By bringing people together in service of their community we empowered and inspired them with a new optimism. I learned that through community service I can not only help meet the material needs of those less fortunate, but I can spark the spirit of volunteerism. One of the greatest gifts I have ever given anyone is the opportunity to experience the fulfillment that comes from helping your community and ultimately your country.
In 2006 our charity created the "Stepping Out On Faith Award" to honor women from the community in the areas of Community Service, Entrepreneurship and Special Achievement. We have also awarded book scholarships to deserving high school female graduates. Some of the organizations that have benefited from our charity's donations include Children's Orphanage (Monrovia, Liberia), Embrace Kid's Foundation (Somerset, NJ), FISH (Piscataway, NJ), Fountain Baptist Church Katrina Fund (Summit, NJ), and Spelman College (Atlanta, GA).
Nia is currently a high school sophomore and I am a junior at The University of Maryland.
Respectfully,
Kiara Carty
Co-Founder, CEO
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