Echo Montgomery Garrett's Blog, page 6
July 8, 2012
Orange Duffel Bag Foundation Showcases Coaching Curriculum at Camp…
Orange Duffel Bag Foundation Showcases Coaching Curriculum at Camp Uniting Siblings Separated By Foster Care
ATLANTA (July 8, 2012) –The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF) will take part in the 5th Annual Camp to Belong Georgia (http://camptobelong.org/camp-location...) June 8-13, 2012, at Camp Twin Lakes in Warm Springs, GA. More than 75 siblings will participate in this year’s camp.
Each summer, Camp to Belong www.camptobelong.org brings together siblings who have been separated through foster care or other out-of-home care. During the four-day camp, siblings in care throughout Georgia participate in fun activities such as climbing and kayaking with their brothers and sisters. Camp counselors work in teams with family groups to break the ice among brothers and sisters who have been long separated, repair the wounds of that separation and participate in the joy of new and renewed bonds.
For the second year, ODBF will showcase its coaching curriculum “The 7 Rules for the Road,” which helps teens create a game plan for their future education and career goals. The curriculum is based on My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change, co-authored by ODBF co-founders Sam Bracken and Echo Garrett. This multi-award winning book was just re-launched by Crown Archetype. Last year Bracken shared his story of teen homelessness and separation from his siblings and abandonment by his mom. The kids connected with him. Bracken will speak with new attendees while ODBF Director of Coaching Cindy Hunsinger works with returning campers to go deeper into the curriculum.
The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides advocacy and certified life plan coaching free to youth ages 12-24 who are in foster care, aging out of the system or homeless. www.orangeduffelbagfoundation.org
Camp to Belong (CTB), an international non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has been actively reuniting brothers and sisters placed in separate foster, adoptive or kinship homes through Summer Camp Programs and year-round events since 1995. CTB also has an ongoing commitment to educate the nation regarding the plight of siblings separated by foster care as well as continuing to support foster sibling connections.
Text ORANGE to 85944 and “be the one to help the one.”
Fundraiser Featuring Author Echo Garrett Hosted by Women of WOW and North Georgia Leisure Magazine/Southern Influence…
For Immediate Release
Contact: Echo Garrett
Co-Founder/President of Orange Duffel Bag Foundation
c. 404.538.4983 or echoODBF@gmail.com
Fundraiser Featuring Author Echo Garrett Hosted by Women of WOW and North Georgia Leisure Magazine/Southern Influence Benefits Orange Duffel Bag Foundation At-Risk Youth and Those Aging Out of Foster Care
ATLANTA (July 8, 2012) – On Thursday, July 12, 2012, Women of WOW and North Georgia Leisure Magazine/Southern Influence will host a fundraiser at Sophia’s Bar and Grill at 7 pm ET to benefit Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF) youth at risk and those aging out of foster care. ODBF President Echo Garrett will be on hand to talk about ODBF and sign copies of the multi-award winning book she co-authored with Sam Bracken entitled, My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change, which was just re-launched by Crown Archetype, along with My Roadmap: A Personal Guide to Balance, Power and Purpose. My Orange Duffel Bag is the only self-published book ever acquired by the Random House imprint. Sophia’s Bar and Grill is located at 990 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, GA, and the book sales will be handled by The Book Exchange.
“The needs are overwhelming,” says Garrett, who co-founded ODBF in Marietta. “There are more than two million homeless children and teens in the U.S. More than 500,000 are in foster care, and each year 30,000 age out (usually at age 18). In our home state, 86% of young people who have been in foster care leave the system without graduating high school or getting their GEDs. The national number hovers at around 50%. We are determined to help encourage young people to stay in school and pursue higher education or technical school. Right now we are working with D.H.S. in both Georgia and Utah, where Sam now resides. Our dream is to take our 12-week coaching program and ongoing advocacy nationwide.”
Angela Reign, nominated for Georgia’s Best Female Country Artist, will perform, and a prize raffle will be held to benefit ODBF. Golden Girls will also be onsite to buy gold and silver and will make a 12.5% donation from their proceeds to ODBF.
The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides advocacy and certified life plan coaching free to youth ages 12-24 who are in foster care, aging out of the system or homeless.
www.orangeduffelbagfoundation.org
Text ORANGE to 85944 and “be the one to help the one.”
July 6, 2012
ODBF Honors 25 At-Risk Youth Graduating from Intense 12-Week Life Skills Coaching Course
For Immediate Release
Contact: Echo Garrett
Co-Founder/President of Orange Duffel Bag Foundation
c. 404.538.4983 or echoODBF@gmail.com
The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation Honors 25 At-Risk Youth Graduating from Intense 12-Week Life Skills Coaching Course
ODBF provides life plan and goal achievement coaching for youth in and aging-out of foster care
ATLANTA (July 6, 2012) – On Saturday, July 7, The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF) will honor graduates from its comprehensive 12-week coaching program based on the 7 Rules for the Road from the multi-award winning book My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change. Twenty-five at-risk youth from Macon/Bibb County between 15 and 19 years old, all in foster care and many close to aging out of the foster care system, have successfully completed the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation coaching program. The program coaches them to find their passions, create a comprehensive Life Plan, set and achieve meaningful goals, and learn strategies to overcome obstacles and remain focused on achieving their education.
To celebrate their accomplishments and further their education, each graduate will receive an orange duffel bag containing a laptop computer with technical service provided by Radio Shack. The ODBF program was created in partnership with the State of Georgia Department of Human Services, UGA Fanning Institute, GA EmpowerMEnt, and Clark Atlanta University.
During a closed morning session, graduates will present what was most meaningful to them from the course. The graduation ceremony will then be held from 12:00 until 3 PM in the Professional Sciences Center, Room 211, at Macon State College, 100 College Station Drive, Macon 31206.
Sam Bracken, Orange Duffel Bag Foundation co-founder and co-author of My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change, will be the special guest speaker and will present each graduate with his or her certificate.
“We could have never have helped these youth without the partnerships and support of businesses and community leaders such as Macon Chamber of Commerce, Xerox Foundation and Xerox Georgia, Radio Shack, Staples, Dab’s Cafe, Chick-fil-A, Peyton Anderson Foundation, Miller-Motte College, and Macon State,” notes Mike Daly, ODBF Board Chair. “Together we have positively impacted these young lives. It’s often said we need to invest in our future’s most valuable resource, Georgia’s kids, and these partners have demonstrated that passion through their investment in our program and these youth.”
The foundation, co-founded in 2010 by Sam Bracken and Echo Garrett, is a 501c3 nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta and provides coaching, training and ongoing advocacy to at-risk youth ages 12-24 in a spirit of offering hope and enriching young lives. Bracken was once a homeless teen who earned a football scholarship to Georgia Tech and became a successful executive. His story of triumph over adversity is the basis of the ODBF curriculum.
About The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation
The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit, provides coaching, training and ongoing mentoring to at-risk youth ages 12-24 in a spirit of offering hope and enriching young lives.
www.OrangeDuffelBagFoundation.org
Text ORANGE to 85944 and “be the one to help the one.”
July 5, 2012
New Booksigning Event to Benefit Orange Duffel Bag
Join me on the 12th for this wonderful networking event to benefit the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation. Yes, I will be on hand to sign your very own copy of our MY ORANGE DUFFEL BAG: A Journey to Radical Change. Winner of the 2011 Outstanding Book of the Year in Young Adult Category by The American Society of Journalists and Authors. Grab your copy and come out and join us for a night you will always remember.
Networking & Fashion for a Cause
Please join the Women of WOW and John Bickford of North Georgia Leisure Magazine to Mix, Mingle & Market the night away!
Angela Reign will perform (nominated for GA’s Best Female Country Artist)
Fashion Show featuring the models of Southern Influence
Prize Raffle to benefit the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation
We are looking for vendors, raffle items, etc. For more details please message Jennifer Vanderhoff for Vendor and Raffle Donations
Note: Golden Girls will be onsite buying gold & silver to raise support dollars for our Charity of Choice this month! Golden Girls make a 12.5% donation from its proceeds – so dig out your old, broken jewelry and come make some cash!
LOCATION:
990 Whitlock Avenue
Marietta, GA 30064
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Questions?
Email us @ contact@wownetworkalliance.com
