May 15, 2003 Lady Rose was founded in Hollywood, Florida. May is my birth month and for me the new year of life brings about a burst of motivation. I wanted to start something new. As a single parent with school aged children at the time, I felt an urgency to stay focused on my goals more than ever. My children deserved a positive example and my goal was to be the best mom that I could be. Several of my close friends were also single parents working diligently to strike a balance between motherhood and their careers or careers and starting a family. Our list of issues seemed to have a common top five!  Making time for our spirituality, relationship goals, family goals, educational goals, and career goals. Those were the topics of most of our conversations. We needed support, we offered it to each other and I thought, why not extend this bond to other women. So, I sat down and typed ideas surrounding a support group for women. I can remember feeling excited. I went to Kinko's and printed out the Lady Rose Overview and registration applications on pink paper. I passed them out to my friends, cousins, and a few business colleagues.

The  presentation was all about Lady Rose Women's Association. After one year and seven months of planning, promoting, and hosting brunches. I presented Lady Rose to my cousin Leonca Woods (former Vice-President) and friend Natasha N. Calloway (former Chairperson). They both agreed to help me push forward with the plans. On Thursday, December 23, 2004, Lady Rose Women's Association was incorporated as a non profit organization in Hollywood, Florida.

Years later I continue to be inspired by the stories and accomplishments of the sisters I have met over time. It is my hope to be an inspiration to my sisters and women in our communities. Mentorship for young ladies is a service that I personally aspire to achieve.  Especially the mentoring of teenage mothers, because I was a teen parent. My college experience was non-traditional. That's how I was registered, as a non-traditional student. Options for sisterhood and mentorship were not available to me. As a teen parent in high school, my counselors did not recommend higher education, but I thank God for having parents who did. My parents encouraged me then and continued to do so now. Unfortunately, every young lady doesn't have parents or a support group. Which is why Lady Rose Sorority strives to foster an environment of support for women and girls. My hope is that Lady Rose will be known for our unmatched bond of sisterhood and service. We have a purpose and that purpose is to evolve into the women we were designed (by God) to be, and use our love and strength in unity to rise above.

The article above on Lady Rose features (left to right) Leonca Woods and Lakesha Woods. The article was published inside Enjoy Life Newsletter January 25, 2005. Click the image to view closer or view our Archive to see more clips.