Delegation is one of the main tools an effective leader uses. As an ambassador for Jasmine’s Murray “13 Going on 30” platform, one of my duties is to spread the program. I knew there wouldn’t be a way to do everything by myself successfully. The program is to encourage girls to be age appropriate and not grow up too fast. I had a vision of how I wanted the day camp to go, but I also know I only have two hands and two feet. Not to mention, I was three hours away in Starkville, MS and the event was going to be in Brookhaven, MS. As I pondered on how to plan such an event, I first called the Daily Leader, a newspaper distributed in Brookhaven and throughout Southwest MS. It wouldn’t do any good to have an event and no one know about it. They added the event to the calendar and published a detailed article the week of the event. Also, the radio host for Supertalk Brookhaven 102.1 F.M. volunteered free airtime to promote the camp. I was delighted! Perfect, now I need a team.
I sought out my biggest supporters, my family. My parents gave me insight and suggestions. My twin sister, a PR major, has experience conducting interviews and went on air. My awesome cousin aka the best marketer I know gave me ideas and told me the best times to post to social media accounts. My brother took on the task to setup the stereo and speakers. My aunt used her savvy Excel skills to create a sign-in sheet. My co-workers made name tags for all the volunteers and created the informational flyer. My other lovely mother, a high school photography teacher, gladly took on the task to take photos. My other mother with the most beautiful spirit I know would be the motivational speaker. If anyone knows about love, perseverance, and faith in God it’s her. By now I am sure you’ve caught on to this…Delegate tasks to people who do what they do well. It’s not about credit or spotlight, it’s about working together towards a common goal.
Now that we have those roles out the way, I needed mentors. I know my attention span can be short at times, so if I wanted to connect with as many young girls as possible it wouldn’t be the best idea to do a lecture type speech. So I recruited three more ladies to help relay the information in an one-on-one style setting. The girls(ages 8-16) would feel more comfortable in opening up and receiving insight from a mentor. The topics would include peer pressure, social media, bullying, goal-setting, self-respect, and much more. I encouraged the mentors to dress in business causal. Children copy what they hear AND see.
We all love food! I thought to myself..how can I feed 35 people and just graduated college a month ago? My career hasn’t launched yet. No problem, I’ll get vendors to donate food, beverages, and goodie bags. The first restaurant I called was Broma’s Deli. It was the first job I ever had at age 15, and I knew they would love to help me out. The manager gladly agreed and recommended other local businesses to call. Side note: Your reputation precedes you. I worked hard. I was respectful, and I always kept a good rapport with management. That matters. I made a few other calls and before I knew it, I had food donations from Janie’s Bakery, Bowie BBQ, and Fox’s Pizza Den. Trustmark National Bank and Wal-mart agreed to supply beverages, paper ware, and goodie bags. I was straight to the point after introducing myself. Managers/Owners are extremely busy. When you’re asking for donations, Be professional. Be direct. Be thankful.
So let’s do a checklist:
1) The Word is out ✔️
2) Support team organized & working towards a common goal ✔️
3) Mentors on board & share the same enthusiasm as I do ✔️
4) Food donations confirmed ✔️
WE ARE READY!!!!
Saturday, June 7th, is the day. We will warmly welcome all the sweet girls who have decided to spend two hours with us to make steps to grow as individuals. We will dance to Happy by Pharrell because we all have sooo much to be happy about. We will talk, we will laugh, and we will leave God’s touch in as many hearts as He sees fit. I am thankful for every single person who made this event a success. To get the job done, you need a TEAM.
PATH TO QUEENDOM 