SHERO Award- Marilyn Gibson
Catch the W.A.V.E of changing Buffalo one SHERO at a time!
The one thing I know for sure is that Marilyn is passionate about making a change for the youth and her community. Her dedication pours in all she touches. She is the front runner of ending violence and creating peace. Please congratulate an amazing woman who goes above and beyond. It is my honor and privilege to call her a SHERO.
She works to change the tone of Buffalo, to bring peace and shine light on how beautiful Buffalo is. She is not only just reaching the youth but teaching them they are as Pretty As A Daisy. Her heart is undeniably pure when it comes to bringing life to not only to the youth of Buffalo but her community. She is more than just talk but the woman who applies action. You can find her handing out juice and hot dogs to the youth on Bailey and Kenningston, holding a sign shouting from the top of her lungs, “Honk For Peace” or mentoring a group of young women and men by holding weekly groups at her church Elim Christian Fellowship.
Marilyn is more than advocate she is on a mission for change. You can guarantee she show up and speak the needs of our youth and the inner city of Buffalo, N.Y. She mentors, volunteers, educates but most of all she is genuine . Her willingness and compassion pours out into every one she touches by a hug or a kind word. She offers of herself because she is that dedicated to seeing the best outcome for our youth and community.
She understand that in order for a change to come we have to look inside of those hearts often shattered by pain, lost and feeling unloved. Reaching out is one thing but understanding that there is more to our youth and community is what makes her SHERO. Her journey continues to change lives but more than anything enhance a community. I had the wonderful opportunity to ask six questions about her organizations and what she like to see in the near future.
- Tell us about your non-profit Organization W.A.V.E Buffalo Inc.?
God has blessed me with a group of women who have a big heart for others just as myself and want to see change in our community.
WAVE Buffalo Inc is a coalition of women led organization whose primary goal is to decrease youth violence, by way of mentoring programs events and activities, with an emphasis on young girls. WAVE is a 501C3 nonprofit organization. In addition we provide Peacekeeping for girls events, we provide several Outreach events where we hit the hot spots in our communities, hear the concerns of the people and seek to point them in the right direction. We completed a documentary called Buffalo Street Memorials, to bring about healthy conversations concerning memorials erected after a homicide in an effort to find alternatives to memorializing loved ones slain on the Streets of Buffalo.
“Helping Girls To Bloom WHEREVER they are planted”
Pretty As A Daisy Mentoring, is a mentoring program for girls 9–18 yrs old. The programs name was inspired by the Late Daisy Eddington, who was shortly by a buffalo police officer in 1993, and later died. She was my mother through adoption, after being abandoned by my biological parents. “Mrs Daisy” was a foster parent who would take youth into her home at the drop of a dime whenever they were removed from their homes for protective reasons. Her former home is now the location for HOMESPACE transitional home for girls who have aged out of Foster care. coincidentally, Marilyn and Pretty As A Daisy Mentoring along with WAVE has been blessed to provide group mentoring services , on the very same property that Marilyn.got a second chance of life at some 46 years ago. Pretty As A Daisy Mentoring tagline is “Helping Girls To Bloom WHEREVER they are planted”. We teach girls that there are no excuses to not achieve, that with hard work and determination they can do anything they put their mind to. The program is in several schools and community centers. Its runs consecutively with the school year. The program concentrates on three areas, Healthy Self- esteem , Positive Decision Making , and Conflict Resolution.
2. If you had to give a speech to a room full of legends and the President Obama what would you share about our youth in the Buffalo?
I would share with the President that our youth are not all bad and that mentoring works. A LOT of the youth have anger that is really pain, hurt and sadness, they lack hope and some deal with serious problems in the home. A caring loving adult in their life could change their lives forever, knowing someone cares and is cheering for them can aid in self love and confidence., I would encourage the President to put more money into mentoring programs and youth centers and less in prisons and other correctional facilities. Several WAVE members have been trained in restorative justice practices and peace circles, I would tell the President to invest in these practices within the schools and jails.
A caring loving adult in their life could change their lives forever, knowing someone cares and is cheering for them can aid in self love and confidence.
3. What is the biggest obstacles in reaching today’s teenagers to follow on the path to success?
I think one of the biggest obstacles in reaching youth is the competition.of other things in their ears and the the things they see. The music our youth is listening to, is arresting their intelligence, teaching them to be violent and glorifies negative behaviors, not the mention the things they watch on TV, especially reality shows. Pretty As A Daisy has a workshop called “Smash Hit or Trash Hit” where we examine the lyrical content of songs, we have been amazed at some of the lyrics.. Our youth are attracted to the beat, not being aware of the subliminal messages, that are being downloaded in them.
The music our youth is listening to, is arresting their intelligence, teaching them to be violent and glorifies negative behaviors, not the mention the things they watch on TV, especially reality shows.
4. What changes would you like to see in stopping violence against everyone?
Changes I would like to see in stopping violence is simple, help/teach people to loved themselves first, then teach them how to love others as they love themselves. If we model this approach, what wonderful world it would be.
If we model this approach, what wonderful world it would be.
5. One word to describe you?
One word to describe me, Compassionate! I have a huge heart for the lost, forgotten, overlooked, unheard, abandoned, abused, bullied, lonely.
6. Complete the sentence What I know for sure is….?
Hmm….. What I know for sure is…. God has blessed me with a group of women who have a big heart for others just as myself and want to see change in our community. They volunteer tirelessly and give endlessly. I know for sure we are making WAVES in our community, by changing it for the better!
Please take a moment to congratulate her and take a moment to connect with W.AVE Buffalo,Inc. and Pretty as a Daisy. Like their Fanpage, support and help make Buffalo a safer place to live and empower our youth to see their full potential.
