Personal Empowerment | Tyra Garlington

SECOND STORY, a sanctuary for youth who have been left out, left over, and left behind featuring Cathy Benn, Vice President of Residential Services.

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Consider this: “On any given night, approximately 41,000 unaccompanied youth ages 13-25 experience homelessness. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the US is 12 to 14 years old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children. Many “latchkey” children experience stressful and even dangerous situations without ready access to adult guidance and support. It is estimated that as many as 10 million American children care for themselves before or after school. Many latchkey kids begin their self-care responsibilities The US teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years) has been declining since……
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What story do you tell yourself when the White House calls?

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

This month’s theme, “Stories We Grew up with,” expands our appreciation of who we have become due to the stories we have been told and the ones we have told ourselves growing up. We look at how these stories have impacted our thoughts, our dreams; ultimately, I believe everyone has a story and is a story. Author Richard Kearney says in his book On Stories, “telling stories is as basic to human beings as eating. More so, in fact, for a while, food makes us live; stories are what make our lives worth living.” Isak Dinesen says, “To be a……
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This is Us: Featuring Karyn A. Temple, Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Question: Who fights to recognize the power of our stories, reward creators, and allows the industry to produce, distribute, and protect creative content that audiences love? Answer: The Motion Picture Association; the leading advocate of the film, television, and streaming industry around the world. Their members are Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Brothers. “Free speech empowers creators to entertain and inform, to challenge and inspire. Copyright ensures creators can benefit from their works and protects against piracy. Combined, these fundamental rights enable creators to thrive and bring great stories to global audiences. Combined, these fundamental rights enable creators……
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Voices from the Future. Meet the Praise Warriors and Script Hop 101!

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

The recent challenging cultural and societal circumstances have forced my heart to turn to our future and ask the question, “What About the Children…and those who love them”. The children are both our future and our now. What they see us do, what they hear us say, shapes who they become. To give the question a platform, Frankly Speaking, has been highlighting stories where young people speak for themselves through their testimonies, their gifts, conversations with peers, siblings, and parents. The outcome has created a dramatic landscape that is entertaining, creative, courageous, and inspiring. I title these stories “Voices from……
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Rotary Opens Opportunities Through Service Featuring Ambreen Rizvi, President of Tysons Rotary Club District 7610

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

What comes to mind when you hear the words, ” compassion without borders”? For global citizen, civic leader, local non-profit CEO, mother, and president of Tysons Rotary Club, Ambreen Rizvi, it is her life’s strategy. Ambreen embodies Rotary International’s motto, Service Above Self. She is a woman of action who has the gift of intellect, a servants’ heart, and determination to get the job done. Both Rotary International and Ambreen are examples of how a person living in Northern Virginia can make a huge impact globally through service. Ambreen’s story began in Pakistan, continued in Paris, and exciting new chapters……
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Rotary Opens Opportunities Through Service: Kenyan Rotaract leader builds service bridges with Virginia.

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Consider this: He walked 10 miles every Saturday with his family to borrow books from the nearest library growing up. He learned he could travel the world while sitting at home reading a book. His dad told him that, Determination has no barrier.” He believed him. He became fluent in several languages and passionate about literacy. He learned a full scholarship for high school and college from E3Kids International, a US-based nonprofit supporting schools, libraries, orphan care, and clean water projects in Kenya and Guatemala. He is currently 22 years old, a scholarship student at the University of Nairobi in……
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Rotary Opens Opportunities Through Service: Leadership in Action with District 7610 Governor Harry Henderson Jr.

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

In 1930, Rotary Founder Paul Harris said, “The world is a changing place, and Rotary MUST change with it.” And it has. Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you cannot change it, change your attitude.” And we have. Frances Hesselbein said, “Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the Culture reflects the realities of people working together every day.” And it has. Change is an external alteration. Transformation is an internal process. Both are necessary to sustain Rotary’s mission, Service Above Self. To deal……
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Rotary Opens Opportunites Through Service with Meesh Peters in Swaziland

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

I echo the words of author and coach Iyanla Vanzant in her 2000 book, Until Today for her view of service. And I quote: “The greatest service I can offer is standing confidently in my power. It does not serve you or the world for you to behave as if you are powerless. You can think yourself into and out of any situation with which you are confronted. You have the ability to speak for yourself. You can defend yourself! Promote yourself. Encourage yourself. Teach yourself! Correct yourself. That is power. You have a heart. Through it, you can experience……
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Black History Month Salutes Woman of Wonder, Erni Sheperd

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Author Ms. Iyanla Vanzant says, “Life loves you enough to live like you, to breathe through you, to express itself as you. Life loves you so much; it does everything in its power to stay in you, to be with you, and allow you to depend on it. Life is, at this very moment, totally and absolutely in love with you! Life wants to look like you, live like you, be like you, live as you because it respects and honors that you are. When life sees you coming, it gets exciting! It can hardly contain itself! Life is ready……
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Rotary Opens Opportunities Through Service Resulting in Opportunities for Peace Featuring Ralph Menzel, President of the Rotary EClub of Global Peacebuilders Virginia

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Rotary creates environments of peace. “Many people use the end of one year to reflect on things they would like to accomplish in the coming year. What better resolution than to sow the seeds of peace in 2021? Peace underscores much of the work that Rotary members do in improving their communities around the world. Rotary’s peacebuilding initiatives seek to create environments where lasting peace is possible. We do this by continually investing in sustainable and measurable peace programs throughout our communities and across the globe; by creating an extensive network of peacebuilders and community leaders dedicated to peace and conflict……
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