Tag: Role Model Dinner

Meet Deborah LaBelle, another one of our 2018 Role Models. Deborah is an attorney and writer whose advocacy focuses on the human rights of people in detention, the intersection of race and gender, and the rights of children in the criminal justice and education systems in the United States. In addition to her private practice, Deborah is the Director of the Juvenile Life Without Parole Initiative for the ACLU of Michigan and Coordinator of Michigan’s Juvenile Mitigation Access Committee. She has been lead counsel in over a dozen class actions that have successfully challenged policies affecting the treatment and sentencing of incarcerated men, women and children, utilizing a human rights framework. She has represented clients before the United States Supreme Court and in international forums with an integrated model for reform utilizing concurrent litigation, documentation and advocacy strategies. She is being recognized for her outstanding professional accomplishments and commitment to fighting for human rights at this year’s Role Model Dinner.

Here are some clips from her recent conversation with AFG. 

Alternatives For Girls (AFG): For many of the women we serve, AFG provides a support system to help them make positive choices. Was there anyone in your life or career who has helped guide you in making important decisions?

Deborah LaBelle: 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. I try to [provide mentorship] myself. We always have four or five students in the office that we bring in to work on cases, not just law students but undergrads, journalism, social work, etc. I’m proud of how many people have gone on to do incredible social justice work.

AFG: Can you tell us about some of the challenges you’ve faced throughout your career?

LaBelle: I’m a first-generation college graduate. So I didn’t know any lawyers. There were none in my family, and I’d never had been in a courtroom. I wanted to do trial law, and that was unusual for a woman. Most lawyers in the room were white men, and since I do trial law, I’m in front of juries and they have their own ideas of what a lawyer should be. So I have to work harder to create that bond and identity, as opposed to white men who walk into a room and people identify with that because of what they see in TV and movies. I’m sort of grateful for my challenges. I came in with a background and a history that many lawyers don’t have. It informed me and it created more opportunities for me in a way because I understood things. I had a deeper understanding of my clients and how the world works.

AFG: Which of your accomplishments are you the most proud of?

LaBelle: The work that I did with girls and women in detention, both from the work to get rehabilitative programming and to eliminate custodial abuse. It started in Michigan, but it resulted in a federal law that applies all across the country and eliminates custodial abuse for women, girls, and youth. It was a hard-fought case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. This one resulted in a transformation of the way that women are held in custody all across the country. [I am proud of] the impact of that and seeing the number of people, women, and girls, coming out of the experience being incredibly self-empowered. Their courage transformed them and gave them a sense of citizenship that I think was gone because many of them had been poorly treated by the justice system and had lost hope in it. So seeing that they could engage in it and change it was really inspiring.

AFG: Why do you believe that it is important to empower girls and young women?

LaBelle: [It is important to empower girls and young women] because they are the hope for transforming the world for the better. The vision of those who are controlling things from the top down hasn’t worked well. The wealth, the strength, the courage, the breadth of experience, and really the kind of depth of character to get beyond the difficulties, to do what it takes. I want their vision. It has to come from them. That’s who I want to rule.

Meet Monica L. Martinez, our third 2018 Role Model. Monica is Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Comerica Bank, which includes the dual roles of managing the corporate contributions function for the Michigan market as well as overseeing all aspects of the bank’s involvement of Hispanic Business Development nationally. Monica oversees charitable contributions budgets in addition to all corporate philanthropic giving in including day-to-day program management of Comerica’s charitable foundation and sponsorship programs in the state of Michigan. Her responsibilities also include developing and maintaining relationships with key community stakeholders. In the capacity of National Hispanic Business Developer, Monica serves as the liaison for the bank within the Hispanic community, directing Comerica’s Hispanic business and community outreach in the bank’s primary markets, which are comprised of Texas, Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan. She is being recognized for her outstanding professional accomplishments and service to the community at this year’s Role Model Dinner.

Here are some clips from her recent conversation with AFG. 

Alternatives For Girls (AFG): Which of your accomplishments are you the most proud of?

Monica L. Martinez: The accomplishment that I’m most proud of is my commitment to mentoring young women. I mentor eight girls, basically working with them and meeting them where they are at in their lives. It creates an unlimited amount of proud moments. I’ve seen them graduate college, in their pivotal highest moments, and I’ve seen them in their times of need. If by sharing a story or my life experience shortens their learning curve and helps them reach their goals faster, I’m happy to do that and it makes me feel like I’ve done some good.

AFG: Clearly, you have felt inspired to give back to the community. Is there any part of your personal story that has led to this?

Martinez: I started out with humble beginnings. I was born in southwest Detroit and didn’t have a whole lot. But I had a loving family who always told me that where we start out in life does not define where we’ll end up. When people believe in you, it changes how you feel and when you feel positive about who you can be and aspire to be, it can change your story. It can be something that changes your destiny.

AFG: For many of the women we serve, AFG provides a support system to help them make positive choices. Was there anyone in your life or career who has helped guide you in making important decisions?

Martinez: My mother and grandmother in my formative years. Then in certain situations, I’ve had other people who have provided guidance. Some of them helped because I was reaching out and asking for it. And in some cases, there may have been someone who was kind and recognized that I may have needed help and was there for me. Maybe we don’t recognize it, but someone older than us sees something in us and lends a hand and you don’t even know it. Sometimes in our careers, those people act as a guardian angels who tell others about your abilities or potential and because of that an opportunity or a door opens. We don’t succeed without the help of others, we don’t succeed alone. I truly attribute my success to people who have come along my path or journey and have been observant of my enthusiasm to succeed and who have encouraged me along the way. That’s why I turn around and do it for others.

AFG: What advice would you give to the young women that AFG serves? 

Martinez: Where we start out in life does not define where we end up, and when people believe in you it changes how you feel about what you think you can accomplish. It changes your destiny. It is important to know that even If you have humble beginnings, that isn’t going to define you. Having people who care about you, like AFG, is life changing.

AFG: Why do you believe that it is important to empower girls and young women?

Martinez: 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.

Meet Alicia Boler Davis, one of our 2018 Role Models. Ms. Boler Davis is the Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing at General Motors (GM) and has been with the company since 1994. Throughout her time at GM, she has held many other roles and was the first African-American woman to be a plant manager at a GM vehicle manufacturing plant. Ms. Boler Davis has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in engineering science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Indiana University. She is being recognized for her outstanding professional accomplishments and demonstrated leadership throughout her career at this year’s Role Model Dinner. 

Here are some clips from her recent conversation with AFG. 

Alternatives For Girls (AFG): For many of the women we serve, AFG provides a support system to help them make positive choices. Was there anyone in your life or career who has helped guide you in making important decisions?

Alicia Boler Davis: Yes, I’ve been fortunate. I had my parents who were very instrumental to me as I was growing up. My older sister, who was a straight-A student, everyone loved her, set the bar really high for me because I wanted to be like her. I wanted to get good grades, that was important to me. Bill Boggs was a mentor to me. He was a plant manager and I had a goal to become a plant manager. He taught me a lot and helped me along the way; making career choices, how to handle certain decisions that came up and helped me work through assignments. He pushed me to [become a plant manager]. He was instrumental to me, not only as a mentor but as someone who supported me in my career.

AFG: Can you tell us about some of the challenges you’ve faced throughout your career?

Boler Davis: I’d say, even starting from when I decided to study engineering in college, it was a challenging curriculum, there weren’t a lot of females and African Americans in my classes. I had to build my confidence to believe I had what it takes to succeed. I also had to learn to build relationships with people that seemed different on the surface, although we really wanted the same things. I learned to work with diversity. Having the belief and tenacity to not give up, even when things are tough, which is something I’ve had through my childhood, college, and my career. I choose to take jobs that are challenging because I think I’m at my best when I’m at challenged. Working at GM and choosing to work in manufacturing, those are challenges I’ve turned into opportunities.

AFG: Who are your role models? 

Boler Davis: Our CEO Mary Barra, she has been a role model to me, inside of the company. We had a lady who retired from GM, Barbara Mahone. She was an African American executive in the company and was somebody that I could look up to and learn from.

AFG: Which of your accomplishments are you the proudest of?

Boler Davis: Being a mother, that’s the thing that I’m most proud of. And being able to, with my husband, raise my two sons to be responsible young men, to follow their passion, to help others, and to just be positive people. I’m very proud of my sons.

I’m proud of my career, but I don’t know if I could pick just one thing. I’m very proud to, not only have a bachelor’s degree but to have achieved two masters’ degrees while working, in engineering and business. I’m proud that I’ve been able to do that while working and also use my education to make an impact at GM. And the positive impact I’ve been able to make with the women at GM, providing resources and leadership support so we can continue to support the women at GM.

AFG: What advice would you give to the young women that AFG serves? 

Boler Davis: 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.

AFG: Why do you believe that it is important to empower girls and young women?

Boler Davis: Girls are a big part of our world. They have skills and capabilities that can make our world a better place. If we empower girls it can help everyone because they can make a difference in a big way. Breaking down the roadblocks that are in the way of girls achieving their potential is all of our jobs. Here and around the world, we have to make sure that girls are able to contribute.

Meet Carol Goss, our second 2017 Role Model. Ms. Goss is the former President and CEO of The Skillman Foundation and will be receiving the Community Award, in honor of her lifetime commitment to helping those in her community, at this year’s Role Model Dinner. 

Here are some clips from her recent conversation with AFG.

Alternatives For Girls: Clearly, you have felt inspired to give back to the community. Is there any part of your personal story that has led to this?

Carol Goss: I’m from Detroit, I grew up on the west side, and I had two parents who worked very hard at their jobs. They had not gone to college, but they wanted that for their children. And they always made their children realize how important education was and how important it was to get a college degree so that they could have a better life. I think that because my parents and my neighbors, they all encouraged me, I feel that it’s part of my responsibility to give back. I’ve been successful in my own life and in my own career and I think you have to bring others along with you, you have to reach back and make sure others are doing well. I just think it’s important to do it.

AFG: For many of the women we serve, AFG provides the support system for them to help them make positive choices. Was there anyone in your life/career who helped guide you in making important decisions?

Goss: Well yes! I grew up in the 50s and the 60s and the communities that we grew up in were pretty insular because our parents were worried about racism. And our parents were pretty protective of us. They wanted us to be successful in our careers. So we had to find adults that could be supportive of us and help us make the right decision. There was one family, a family that I’d been babysitting for, and this family really saw something in me. They were African American and the mother in the family just really encouraged me. I remember in high school she took me to Wayne State so I could see programs and what opportunities and options could be open to me. I didn’t end up going to Wayne State, but I did see myself in the future because she introduced me to different experiences which were really wonderful. She was a really wonderful woman.

Another person who was so encouraging, was my mother. She was determined that we were going to be successful and that there was nothing that we couldn’t do. She was supportive and helpful. I was hesitant going away to college [to the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor]. Which doesn’t seem like it was very far, but growing up in Detroit, going away and living on campus, I remember being hesitant about that. And my mother kept saying this is something that you can do. And whenever I was unhappy, being in Ann Arbor in 1955 where there were very few black students on campus, it was an amazingly challenging experience, my mother was very supportive. We had teachers, professors, counselors, who didn’t believe in us, who didn’t believe we should be there or could do the work. You have to have a support system to be able to get through it. Those people were the two people who really supported me and helped me become who I am today.

AFG: Why do you believe that it is important to empower girls and young women?

Goss: It’s a real passion of mine. I think that in our society and culture, women and girls haven’t always had the resources and opportunities that men have had, particularly women and girls of color. I think that we have to support their confidence, their development, and their realization that they can do whatever they want. They can be whatever they want to be. The young woman that I mentor now, who has been homeless, she’s 23 with 3 young children, she got her high school diploma, she now has a job and is working on permanent housing. It’s really easy to become discouraged. I just keep saying to her you can do this. You can accomplish your goals and objectives. I think it’s important that we have the right things in place that help women and girls reach their potential. They have so much potential, so much to contribute to our society and to our world. It’s one of the most important things we can do is to make sure women and girls are included and that they feel empowered and that they feel like they have the capacity to accomplish all of their goals.

Meet Dr. Rosemary Sarri, our third 2017 Role Model. Dr. Sarri is Professor Emerita of Social Work at the University of Michigan and will be receiving the Champion Award, in honor of her steadfast support of AFG’s mission, at this year’s Role Model Dinner. 

Here are some clips from her recent conversation with AFG.

Alternatives For Girls: You’ve been involved with AFG since its conception. When and how did you become involved?

Dr. Rosemary Sarri: I became involved largely through Amy Good (AFG CEO), who was a student of mine. I was doing some work with some agencies in the community at the time, while I was teaching and doing work at U of M. [Amy] contacted me about starting a shelter for girls and young women and the needs of high risk girls at the time. So I agreed to help. We did some work before the agency was formally established and that took placed at the church on the corner of Trumbull and Michigan Avenue. I helped in various ways once we got things started, we did some studies of girls in the programs and provided that to AFG so we could improve the programs.

One of my primary areas of interest was juvenile justice and I helped Alternatives get some programs started in that area. We had a program at Alternatives, a mentoring program for children whose parents were involved in the justice system and programs for young women who got involved in the juvenile justice system. I was particularly interested in high–risk youth involved in the justice system.

So, I played a lot of roles and they were more related to my professional competence, like evaluating services for high-risk youth and the impact on their families. I was also a board member for twenty years.

AFG: Clearly, you have felt inspired to give back to the community. Is there any part of your personal story that has led to this?

Dr. Sarri: I’ve been a professional social worker and a teacher for most of my life. And before that, I was practitioner and when I learned about the needs of youth and families, I had the desire to help them in any way they could. Particularly helping them get an education.

AFG: For many of the women we serve, AFG provides the support system for them to help them make positive choices. Was there anyone in your life or career who helped guide you in making important decisions?

Dr. Sarri: Oh, gobs of people! Hundreds of people have provided wonderful guidance to me over the years, from the time I was in grade school. Especially my parents. My mom was a strong pusher that all of her children would get an education and achieve. It was critical for that to occur in my entire family.

I’ve had wonderful teachers and guidance people. I had so many teachers who were critical in helping me get started and get me through the steps I needed to go through. I happened to be the oldest in my family so I had to do it first. Besides my own mother, I can’t think of anyone but the teachers that I had that really made a difference to me.

AFG: Can you tell us about some of the challenges you’ve faced throughout your career?

Dr. Sarri: I suppose a big challenge was being able to successfully complete my education because I came from a relatively poor, rural background. So getting a PhD meant a great deal of sacrifice and hard work on my part. There was a lot of resistance against women getting a doctorate, it was a big battle. I kind of enjoy the battle, that’s the way it is. I’ve fought all my life, I’ve had to really be willing to take on things and take on challenges and I’ve been willing to do that. There was a lot of discrimination against women in professional careers, particularly if you were married. There were a lot of serious obstacles. I’m 90 years old, so I’ve gone through a lot of this.

AFG: What advice would you give to the young women that AFG serves?

Dr. Sarri: Be active in community affairs in whatever way incorporates your particular talents and interests. Be active in trying to advance the status of other women and girls!

On March 16, Alternatives For Girls held our 27th Annual Role Model Dinner at Cobo Center. The event raised over $231,000 to support our critical work!

The evening was full of fun and inspiration. After an hour of mingling and a silent auction, the program kicked off with a live auction. Luther Keith, ARISE Detroit CEO and former AFG Board Member, emceed the event. The dinner, co-chaired this year by Don Manvel and Barbara Whittaker, provided an opportunity for us to hear from many of the young women whose lives have been changed by AFG’s programs. We heard stories of struggle and triumph, and many reflections on the theme of the night, A Beautiful Chain of Events: A Link that Lasts a Lifetime. The evening closed with the thrilling “Fund the Mission,” led by auctioneer Chris Aslanian, during which event guests pledged monetary support to AFG.

In between was a time of reflection and inspiration as the young women of AFG and the 2016 Role Models shared their stories. Many shared empowering messages, like this statement from community volunteer and Champion Role Model Awardee, Janet McAuliffe “The investment in helping girls and women to be safe, to grow strong and to make positive choices has far reaching benefits for all of us. We know that as women grow through education, they have a strong positive influence on their children and their extended families. When they have good job skills and earning opportunity they can provide an economic competitive advantage to our community and to our country.”

We would like to thank our dinner co-chairs, Don Manvel and Barbara Whittaker, and the entire Role Model Dinner Committee, who helped make the event such an incredible success! We would also like to thank Luther Keith, our emcee, Chris Aslanian, our esteemed auctioneer, and all of the amazing volunteers who helped make the event possible. Thank you to all of the young women from our programs; Guadalupe, Diedre, De’Anna, April, and Jamese, who shared their stories and showed us the courage and determination it takes to make key choices.

AFG also gratefully thanks this year’s Role Model Dinner sponsors: AVL, Flagstar Bank, Ford Motor Company Fund, PVS Chemicals, Suburban Collection, Brooks Kushman, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, UAW Chrysler National Training Center, UAW Ford and Jimmy Settles, Argent International, BW Limited, Comerica Bank, Corporate F.A.C.T.S., DTE Energy Foundation, FirstMerit Bank, Global Automotive Alliance, GMAWOV Book Club, Health Alliance Plan, Henry Ford Health Systems, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Metro West Chapter of Credit Unions, MGM Grand Detroit, Plate Moran, Rush Group Family of Companies, St. John Providence, Trinity Health, Willis Towers Watson, Beaumont Hospital, Carole Ilitch, George Johnson & Company, Kerr-Russell, Miller Canfield, Roger Garrett, Grigg Graphic Services, Hour Detroit Magazine, and Union AdWorks for donating design services.

Finally, we want to thank everyone who attended the event for spending the evening with us and for showing such overwhelming support for AFG’s programs!

To see photos from this year’s dinner, check out the Hour Detroit photo album here!