iChoose Newsletter Issue 4

8/17/2019 iChoose Newsletter Issue 4

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Welcome to the fourth edition of the Newsletter! We are so excited to create a

communication to let you know about the organization and also be a resource in your everyday lives.

The goals of this communication is to quarterly :

Communicate the happenings of the organization Get you acquainted with the members of the sisterhood

Provide encouragement to your soul

Share editorials on current events in our community

WHO IS

We are women with a mission to encourage and promote an open

forum and dialogue to discuss and provide solutions to issues and

circumstances that hinder women. We strive to grow as individuals,

raise our children with passion, keep our communities alive, and be a

source of strength to our men. We must also work diligently to

enlighten ourselves, families, communities and the world of our

magnificent identities and obtain absolution from the

stereotypes. Happiness is a choice, so we choose to embrace

the hindrance and overcome together.

OUR VALUES

SISTERHOOD

ACCOUNTABILITY

POSITIVE SELF IMAGE

RESPECT

PRAYER

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Introduction

Getting To Know…Kimberly

Sylvester

Meeting Rewind

The Encouragement Corner

Our Current Events

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF.

KEEP FIGHTING FOR YOUR DREAMS.

-GABBY DOUGLAS


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GETTING TO KNOW… KIMBERLY SYLVESTER

KIMBERLY SYLVESTER is the Treasurer of . In this issue, we would like to spotlight Kimberly and

give you a chance to learn a little more about her.

•Biologically I am an only child but through iChoose I amblessed to have “sisters” in my life and experience whattrue sisterhood is all about.

WHAT ICHOOSE MEANS TO YOU

•"Every Setback Is A Setup For A Come Back"

ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE Q UOTES

•Heaven sent, comfort, refuge, unconditional love, goodtimes, ride or die, foundation...I’m a newlywed, 6 months

& counting and the mother of a 14 year old “man -boy”.

FAMILY

•I’m actually living my dream as a registered nurse. By it

being a “calling” on my life, I know God is not throughwith me yet. I would LOVE to open a Holistic Healthbased center within the next 5-10 years.

DREAM CAREER/JOB

•Graduating from nursing school while working 2 jobs(one on night shift) as a single mom...against all odds!

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT SO FAR

•"I Bend But I Don’t Break!"

HOW DO YOU HANDLE ADVERSITY


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4 The NewsletterGETTING TO KNOW… KIMBERLY SYLVESTER

KIMBERLY SYLVESTER is the Treasurer of . In this issue, we would like to spotlight Kimberly and

give you a chance to learn a little more about her.

•I don’t like waiting...on anything! I’m very impatient. I also

don’t like to think in the “gray”, it’s very black or white with

me.

WHAT DO YOU NOT LIKE TO DO

•Adore by Prince.

•0 to 100 by Drake.

•My Life by Mary J Blige.

•More Than I Can Bear by Kirk Franklin.

•Me, Myself & I by Beyonce.

•Best Thing I Never Had by Beyonce

WHAT SONGS ARE INCLUDED ON YOUR LIFESOUNDTRACK?

•The loss of my mother not in death but by choice. I truly

know what it means to love someone from a distance andnot let my heart be consumed with bitterness, hatred oranger.

WHAT WAS THE LAST EXPERIENCE THAT MADE YOU ASTRONGER PERSON?

•The cure to Cancer, Diabetes, AIDS and other chronicillnesses that have plagued the lives of so many.

IF YOU COULD WITNESS ANY EVENT PAST, PRESENT ORFUTURE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

•I admire Shaquita’s tenacity . I’ve seen her bounce back

several times over when she could’ve given up. To see her

now with a beautiful home, good job, & how well she’s raised

her kids is a testimony of her faithfulness & favor.

SELECT 1 ICHOOSE MEMBER WHO HAS A QUALITYTHAT YOU ADMIRE AND WHY?


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4 The NewsletterMEETING REWIND

The Ladies of come together monthly. Each month, a member is asked to host a

meeting and provide monthly substance to our members through our daily GROUPME Forum.

The meeting has a theme selected by the hosting member. Here is a recap of February – April

2016.

MARCH 2016 - WHAT’S YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH?

An “elevator pitch” is simply defined as, a short

summary used to quickly define a process, product,

organization or service. The Ladies of iChoose were

asked to come prepared to share their personal

elevator pitch. The long term goal is to come up with

the “iChoose Elevator Pitch” however, we cannot helpmove something forward if we aren’t clear on defining

ourselves.

APRIL 2016 - THE SUPERWOMAN SYNDROME

Ladies of iChoose, doing all and being all is KILLING Us!

Whether we meet that death as a result of suicide,

stress, heart disease, or other serious life-threatening

illnesses, we are not doing ourselves any favors by

trying to do it all. Being strong and a multitasker

doesn’t mean we have to deprive ourselves of self-care.

This month we will explore the correlation to this

syndrome and our health.

FEBRUARY 2016 - WHAT’S SITTING ON YOUR CRATES?

The monthly topic was inspired by a video clip of Steve

Harvey relating a story about getting his old car out of

his garage that was sitting on blocks, with the

anticipation of getting a new car. The Ladies of iChoose

drew pictures of what we had old and sitting. We

discussed what we needed to get rid of in our lives to

be prepared for what God has already pre-destined forus.

uthor

~LaWanda Thomas


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THE ENCOURAGEMENT CORNERCry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

~Psalms 34:17-18

My Naked Truth

I was born lost. You ever have that feeling that something is missing or that something isn't quite right

but you can't figure out exactly what it is? Well imagine feeling that way every day of your life. The

feeling of living in fear and always unsure of every decision and move you make. I've always felt like I

wasn't good enough; lacking in every area you can imagine from brains to beauty. All this caused me to

become an introverted person (believe it or not) I did not know how to interact with people who were

"better than me".

As a child, I attended very small private schools, which made it easier to talk to people, make friends and

do things in small group settings. I made great friends and met my very best friend Tangilla Monique

Henderson.

I latched on to my sister at an early age. I saw that she was everything I wanted to be but thought I

never could. I would follow her around like a loss puppy hoping that something, anything she had would

rub off on me. That never happened but what did happen was she became my comfort blanket. I could

function a little better when she was around, speak a little louder, and be a little more comfortable in

my own skin.

As time went on I found myself just existing and going through the motions of life. Struggling with this

emptiness, this inner turmoil of wanting to be happy but being very depressed. Fighting this battle didn't

get any easier when one day on a lunch break back in 2004, I was in a pretty bad car accident. My right

arm was completely shattered. Two surgeries and two years went by before I could move it again. The

surgeries left me with a huge scar on the inside and outside of my right arm and an even larger scar in

my heart. Now to some this may seem like a minor thing and for the average person it probably would

be but for someone who was fighting to just exist everyday as is, this was a gigantic step in the wrong

direction. I was 24, just finished college not too long ago, had a job, and a new car. I was trying, really

trying to live and just like that I was knocked back down.

Just a few years later, in 2007 my best friend

Tangilla loss her battle to Sickle Cell Disease.

Needless to say, I was devastated. Just the

day before she passed she asked me to come

see her in the hospital. I was just there a few

days before and told her "not today Tan". Shestruggled with this her entire life. She would

go into the hospital for days, weeks and

sometimes months but she would get better

and always come back home. I just thought

this time would be no different, “I have time”.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwij3NXJ0KrMAhVSz2MKHeFLC5oQjRwIBw&url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/08/28/top-7-bible-verses-to-help-with-sadness-or-suicidal-thoughts/&psig=AFQjCNGyMy6KUOIa-JC5Am9UEwRlekJuwQ&ust=1461702570827845


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The shock of Tangilla’s death did something for my life. She gave me a gift I could never repay her for.

Her passing woke up something deep inside of me that I never knew existed. Her untimely death made

me realize how short life is and how quickly it goes by. It’s important to spend it wisely, not sad not

depressed. I didn’t want to look back over my life and think what a waste. Tan would always tell me

"you sell yourself way to short". I never understood what she meant. But losing her at only 27 years

young I begin to have a better understanding. All this time I was taking life for granted. I wasn't even

trying I only focused on the "bad things" never thanking God for the good. I have a loving family, good

friends and I'm healthy. All this time she was telling me to get out of my own way and live, make the

best of what you have. Things are going to happen, in this life it's not what you go through, its how you

go through it.

Tangilla made me realize just how short life is and

why we have to enjoy every day. Now each

morning I wake up I thank God for this gift and ask

that he use me to do his will. My struggles didn't

just magically go away overnight (I wish they did)

but I am way better than I was before. I've learnedto take chances, speak up for myself, and most

importantly forgive myself. Mistakes are going to

happen along the way. Something else I had to

stop doing was comparing my life to everyone

else's, that alone was making me question my own

life and bringing me down. Why does everyone else

have all this going for them? What am I doing

wrong? No need for that, which is why I stay away

from social media as much as possible I no longer

want to see how everyone else is living I want to live my own life!

I now know I wasn’t born loss , I was born to live and although I don’t always know it I am touching

lives in ways I never imagined just by being me (who knew? ). Everyone has their own story, their

own struggles, no need to compare myself to someone else. We have to trust that what doesn't kill us

truly only makes us stronger. God has a purpose and a plan for my life and yours. Trust in him and

have faith, those two things alone get me through so many of my bad days. What I've also learned is

that every day is a blessing, another opportunity to try and get things right, all we have to do is put in

a little effort. We are all God’s children he wants nothing more than to see us succeed.

uthor

~Monique Bradley

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjCw9Dg0KrMAhVM6mMKHWqdCrUQjRwIBw&url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/183732859773502390/&psig=AFQjCNGyMy6KUOIa-JC5Am9UEwRlekJuwQ&ust=1461702570827845


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CURRENT EVENTS

Is The World Ready For A Woman President?

This 2016 presidential election has had a lot of controversy thus

far. The number one reason for the buzz is because of a woman

candidate named Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton. We have never

had a woman president before and just like the shock of our

current black president, people don’t like change. Most people

will vote for her because they don’t want Donald Trump in office,

others may even vote for her because she’s a woman. Then, on

the flip side, people will not vote for her just because of that

same reason. They could care less about what she can do for this

nation because all they can see is a woman. The world that we

live in is so crazy, we say we want peace and change, but most

people really don’t mean that.

Hillary is most known for being married to the 42nd President of

the United States, Bill Clinton. She has been trying to establish a name for herself since her husband’s

presidential term ended. Now she is running for president, and asking for the Democrats vote. She has

spent four years circling the globe as the U.S. Secretary of State. More Americans think a woman would

outperform a man on the domestic agenda, while a quarter still believe a male candidate would be

better on the world stage. While many voters polled said that women and men would do the job equally

promoting national security and education, some still believe a woman is stronger than in all areas.

Politics are a touchy subject and a lot of people don’t like talking about it, but as a woman I say why not

let a Hillary have a go at it. If I had it my way Obama would stay in office, or I would have loved to see

Michelle run for president. As women, I don’t feel like we get the credit that we deserve. If a man can d o

it why can’t a woman? My 2016 presidential vote is going to Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton.

HOW WILL YOU VOTE?

uthor

~Kia Bailey


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Mission Statement

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.ichoosenfp.org

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/iChoose2

INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/ichoosew

DESIGNED BY THE “WE-SO-MEDIA” TEAM

APRIL 2016

From this day forward, every day will be my own, being free of the past and living to

improve my future. iChoose to be free of guilt, let go of pain, negativity, and focus on

accomplishments to inspire me when I feel weak. iChoose to conquer life’s challenges

with prayer and courage, while gaining wisdom along the way to help strengthen my

sisters in their time of need. Through God’s grace, I am regaining my strength, getting

closer to my goals and inspiring the change for a better me. I understand that this life is

not mine alone, but iChoose to start living life for me

Monique

BradleyLaWanda

Thomas

Kia

Bailey
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ichoosenfp.org/http://www.ichoosenfp.org/http://www.ichoosenfp.org/https://www.facebook.com/iChoose2https://www.facebook.com/iChoose2https://www.facebook.com/iChoose2http://instagram.com/ichoosewhttp://instagram.com/ichoosewhttp://instagram.com/ichoosewhttps://www.facebook.com/iChoose2http://www.ichoosenfp.org/mailto:[email protected]

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iChoose Newsletter Issue 4