|
Graduation Day, May 2011
 This May, proud and excited students gathered in Houston and Pasadena for a graduation ceremony recognizing their hard work in completing the Business Creation classes. At the Alliance, the students were inspired by the passion of instructors Barbara Bellomy, Vilma Vasquez, and Lin Cheng. At North Pasadena Community Outreach in Pasadena, the students enthusiastically thanked Karen Carter and Aaron Smith for teaching a wonderful set of classes. As part of the graduation ceremony, the participants presented their elevator speech they had prepared for the audience. Following the ceremony, the graduates celebrated their accomplishments with cake and shared samples of their goods and services with the entire audience. New graduate Furqan Haq commented, "Because of the classes, I have found the confidence to pursue the idea I had given up on." Photos of both classes can be found on our Facebook page (Here) or Picassa (Here). Classes are set to resume July 21st at The Bridge Over Troubled Waters in Pasadena. If you are interested in serving as a business seminar leader, you can volunteer (Here) and see the dates of the class (Here).
|
|
Thank You, UBI Volunteers
 As we forge ahead with activities in 2011, we would like to thank our volunteers for the passion and dedication that allowed us to achieve an amazing amount during 2010. Our volunteers gave over 1,300 hours of service providing personal and entrepreneurial training to those eager to learn how to start or expand a business. Adam Adil managed the Alliance/Daya classes and recruited an exceptional set of instructors with a wide breadth of skills. In Pasadena, Karen Carter and Kara Carter taught the classes to a diverse audience with the help of a translator so everyone could benefit from the instruction. When asked about the classes, student Marisela replied "I'm so thankful to UBI and Miss Karen for these courses... I learned that you need to think about your business before starting."
In addition to our traditional business seminars, UBI collaborated with other organizations in new methods of teaching business. Comedians, business owners, and subject matter experts created an engaging series entitled "How to Ruin Your Business" which used humorous sketches to illustrate some common mistakes small business owners typically make. Thanks to everyone who donated their time and money towards teaching survivors of domestic violence how to create a new life through business.
|
|
How You Can Extend a Hand to Others
 As a volunteer organization, we depend on the time our volunteers give and the financial assistance of those who believe in what we do. We need your help to continue bringing services to survivors of domestic violence. Help women like Marisela learn how to tap into their inner strength. Teach those like Furqan to re-ignite their dreams. Sponsor a participant, a single class session, or the entire series through a variety of sponorship levels which you can find on our donation page (Here). For those who wish to give their time and energy, we welcome new volunteers. Current opportunties can be found on our volunteer page (Here). Thank you for your continued support of empowering survivors of domestic violence.
As a 501(c)3 organization, your contributions are tax deductible.
|
|
|
|
Mission
Urban Business Initiative (UBI) empowers survivors of domestic violence through business education and mentoring to achieve financial and personal independence, breaking the cycle of violence.
|
|
|
