Annual dinner honors exceptional women in Detroit and raises funds to support homeless and high-risk girls and young women
On March 28 at 5:30pm at Cobo Center, the Detroit-based nonprofit organization Alternatives For Girls (AFG) will host its annual Role Model Dinner. Tickets are now on sale and available for purchase at www.AlternativesForGirls.org. This year’s dinner is co-chaired by Faye Nelson and Pam Rodgers and will be emceed by Rhonda Walker of WDIV Local 4 News. The event will celebrate the accomplishments of extraordinary women in the community, and the achievements of the young women AFG serves. It promises to be an inspirational evening.
Three outstanding women will be honored with Role Model Awards: Alicia Boler Davis, Executive Vice President, Global Manufacturing, General Motors Company; Deborah LaBelle, Partner, Law Offices of Deborah LaBelle; and Monica L. Martinez, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Michigan, and National Director of Hispanic Business Development, Comerica Bank. Each awardee exemplifies the values of Alternatives For Girls, including recognizing the importance of empowering girls and young women. “Empowering girls and young women is important so that we don’t put limitations on their dreams or what they can accomplish. It builds strong self-esteem and creates positive future leaders,” shares Ms. Martinez.
All three women also believe in the power of role models and mentors. “I think that mentors were very important to me all along the way. Besides my family, who were mentors for helping me believe in myself, I’ve had many mentors throughout my career. If it was one thing I wouldn’t give up, it would be that. Mentors are crucial. Most of my skill set and vision were forged through mentorships,” explains Ms. LaBelle.
For the girls and young women serve, the 2018 Role Models serve as concrete examples of what can be achieved when hard work and a supportive community are combined. Each Role Model also shared advice for the girls and young women at AFG, “I would tell them to look beyond their circumstances and to dream big. To believe in themselves and that even when things get tough it doesn’t mean that they can’t [do something] it just means that they have to find a way to overcome. They may have setbacks but the setbacks don’t have to stop them from achieving their goals or becoming the person they want to become. They should continue to pursue that with passion. It’s their life, they shouldn’t let anyone tell them that they can’t believe in themselves or believe in their goals,” shares Ms. Boler Davis.
Tickets for this event are $200 and includes a reception and dinner, as well as complimentary valet parking. The event features an awards presentation to honor the 2018 Role Models as well as silent and live auctions. For more information on purchasing tickets, please visit www.AlternativesForGirls.org or call Anna Weaver at 313-361-4000 ext. 230.
AFG’s 2018 Role Model Dinner is made possible by generous support from individuals and corporations. Sponsors for the dinner help assure that AFG’s shelter, prevention and outreach programs continue to deliver critical services to girls and young women in crisis or at-risk. Opportunities are available at several levels to support the 2018 Role Model Dinner. Please contact Alexandria Armstrong at 313-361-4000 ext. 223 to learn how to support AFG’s programs.
AFG gratefully thanks this year’s Role Model Dinner sponsors to date:
Presenting Sponsor: DTE Energy Foundation
Diamond Sponsor: PVS Chemicals
Platinum Sponsors: AVL, Ford Motor Company Fund, The Rush Group, and The Suburban Collection
Gold Sponsors: Beaumont Hospital and The Piston Group
Silver Sponsors: Argent International, Comerica Bank, Corporate F.A.C.T.S., General Motors, Greektown Casino-Hotel, Health Alliance Plan, Home Depot, Marathon Petroleum Company, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Metro West Chapter of Credit Unions, Pam Rodgers, The Skillman Foundation, Special D Events, Trinity Health, Willis Towers Watson, and Yazaki North America
Patron Sponsors: George Johnson & Company, Michigan First Credit Union, and University of Michigan Credit Union
Media Sponsor: WDIV Local 4 News
Magazine Sponsor: Hour Detroit Magazine
Design Sponsor: Union AdWorks
About Alternatives For Girls
Alternatives For Girls is a Detroit-based 501(c)3 nonprofit serving homeless and high-risk girls and young women. Since 1987, AFG has provided critical services to the girls and young women it serves, including safe shelter, street outreach and educational support, vocational guidance, mentoring, prevention activities, and counseling.
AFG’s mission is to help homeless and high-risk girls and young women avoid violence, teen pregnancy and exploitation, and help them to explore and access the support, resources and opportunities necessary to be safe, to grow strong and to make positive choices in their lives. More information about AFG can be found at www.AlternativesForGirls.org.
###
