When I started this blog, I wasn't sure how I would find stories that were diverse enough, and wanted to make sure that I was able to highlight women in my age group and the great things that they are doing. What I wasn't expecting was that, once I started, how quickly I would find so many inspirational women, and how hard it would become to choose a person to highlight each week - there were so many to choose from!
But Veronika Scott and the Empowerment Plan really just jumped off the page, and I have found myself incredibly moved by her mission. I first heard about Veronika when she received the New Frontier Award at the JFK Library last year, and have been inspired by following her progress since. As many great ideas happen, Scott conceived The Empowerment Plan during a school project. She was a product design student who received an assignment to fill a need, and visited a local homeless shelter to brainstorm ideas. After coming in to meet with women at the shelter three times a week for five months, they created a coat that transforms into a sleeping bag, and is revolutionizing the way of life for the over 20,000 homeless people in Detroit bearing the frigid winters.
Soon after producing the prototype, Scott realized that she needed to make more impact than individually sewing each coat in her basement. She hired two women from the shelter, and paid them to learn to sew, and began producing higher quality coats. The Empowerment Plan now has over ten employees who from local shelters, who have become full-time seamstresses, and are able to make a living and even afford their own apartments again.
Every day, Veronika and her team are touching the lives of others, and are just getting started. To learn more about the project, watch this incredibly inspirational TEDx Talk:
"Everyday, I enjoy proving that the homeless women I hire are powerful and driven. I am so privileged to be a part of their lives.”
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