Sara-Lou Morgan-Walker
Touching Precious Lives
There is nothing wrong with the world that cannot be fixed by what is right
with the world. Sara-Lou Morgan-Walker is passionate about helping at-risk
girls become successful young women. Others may think of these young ladies
as a menace to society. Sara-Lou, on the other hand, sees their beauty and
created a non-profit organization in 2008 to help them also see this beauty.
It is difficult to give ourselves willingly to others when we face our
own battles. Someone who creates an organization that impacts
people’s lives has a heart for service. I caught up with Sara-Lou
Morgan-Walker recently to learn more about her business. Let her
story inspire you.
"There is nothing wrong with the world that cannot be fixed by what is
right with the world."
Why The Angelic Ladies Society?
It has been said that teaching is a work of
“heart”. It is more than helping students solve
a Math problem or write a complete sentence.
Instead, it is about developing their character
and helping them look beyond their current
circumstances so that they become the people
they are destined to be.
Eleven years ago, Sara-Lou was working at
her mother’s school Superior Preparatory and
Extension High as a grade 7 teacher. The
extension portion of the school catered to
students who did not pass for a traditional
high school. Sara-Lou’s class consisted of 28
girls and 4 boys between 12 and 14 years old.
Little did she know that these young children
were facing so many challenges. Many of
them came from broken, poverty-stricken
homes. They had no role models and no hope
for a promising future. Sara-Lou became
more than a teacher to them; she became
another mother. The girls readily came to her
to
discuss
menstruation
issues,
family
problems, self-perception and other personal
topics.
Sara-Lou saw their desire for something
better, for someone to give them hope.
Therefore, she created The Angelic Ladies
Society. It began as a school club but quickly
evolved into an organization extending
inception, the Society offered:
- Mentorship
- Counselling
- Life skills sessions
- Opportunities for the ladies to get involved
in charitable initiatives
- Opportunities for the girls to meet affluent
Jamaican women Begin by spending a year volunteering for
projects within your company, church or a
social club. Doing this helps you understand
what’s happening on the ground and learn
about other non-profit organizations and
government entities in your field of interest.
You will get a chance to build your network
and assess your skills and expertise.
What services does this non
-profit organization offer? Do the legal work. It is not financially feasible
Sara- Lou left her teaching job in 2010 and
continued to run the Society part-time. The
mandate of the organization changed to
include capacity building for high-risk and
vulnerable girls in settings such as juvenile
facilities, foster homes and women’s centers.
Capacity building is achieved through
workshops,
mentorship
programs,
empowerment talks and life skills sessions.
Efforts are being made to transform the
organization into a social enterprise so that it
can be self-sufficient. Sara-Lou now operates
the business full-time, but there is no steady
stream of income. Funding mainly comes from
small grants, donations and sponsorships of
specific projects.
What advice would you give to
someone who wants to start a non-
profit organization in Jamaica?
to run a non-profit that is not registered. An
unregistered non-profit cannot apply for big-
ticket grants because it does not have
credibility. Registering the business also
creates opportunities for it to grow and
expand.
What advice would you give to
new entrepreneurs?
Do not believe that you can run your
company without the assistance of others,
even
minimally.
Collaboration
and
partnerships are important.
Establish your brand. Understand what you
offer and have a vision that allows you to be
flexible enough to partner with others but
ensure that your voice isn’t lost behind these
partnerships.
Build yourself while you build your business.
Your business will be weak in the areas in
beyond the school’s boundaries. At its
Issue �: July ����
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