Hey Everyone!

If you’re reading this post, it is 4:11 am EST (or past it) and the information about our nonprofit organization, The Strong Hinkson Organization (The SHO), has been publicized. Why did I choose 4:11? Simple, my daughters, my nephew and my niece are my everything, and my eldest daughter is born in the 4th month, whereas my youngest daughter, nephew and niece are all born in the 11th month. What can I say? I love numbers (my mom is an accountant, I must have inherited that from her!) lol,

Anyhow… As my family begins this journey, there are some people that I, the president of The SHO, have to thank because they had a direct contribution to this endeavor.  I know that as time goes by, and as this project grows, I will have lots of people to thank…However, for the moment, I would just like to thank the people who helped me get this project off the ground!

Thank you to:

• My children, Kiara and Taneia…Without them, my dreams would be mediocre, and my achievements would be minimal… They give me the motivation to dream big and push forward! Without them, I wouldn’t be the woman that you see today…Kiara, keep reaching for the stars, you make me so proud… Taneia-Zayviah, I know that you’re going to do big things and continue to bring joy to so many people!
• My nephew and niece, Micah and Taylor… You guys will never know how much I love you guys… I definitely don’t look at you guys as just my nephew and niece… You guys are like my own children, and everything positive that I do, I have you guys in the back of my mind…You guys motivate me… I want you guys to be proud of your aunty!
  • Kiara, Taneia, Micah and Taylor: I believe the sins of the parents fall on the children, but I also believe that blessings flow down from top to bottom: so if I “sow good seeds,” the blessings will continue to pour over you guys, even long after I’m gone.
• My mom…My mom was the first person I told about this vision/project, and she told me to go for it, and that she would support me all the way… Mind you, this is nothing new, my mom supports ALL OF MY DREAMS.
• The rest of The SHO for jumping on board from the beginning (Dad and Kifana), and for reading my 10 million whatsapp messages about The SHO.
• My cousin, Che Hinkson, who took my kindergarten drawing of my vision for the logo and made it into something beautiful…
• Jennifer Holmes… She has been a voice of reason for me over the years, and she always puts her seal of approval on my ideas (although sometimes the may seem out of this world).
• The principal of Beurling Academy, Mr. Alix Adrien… Any academic/youth-related project that I wanted to do (i.e. the school supply drive, the Fall Celebration) he found a way to help me set it in motion…
• My bestie Atiya Brown who supported my dream from the get, offered her accountant knowledge and always expressed how proud she was of me, although she was busy starting her own business! Check out Pop Up Beauty Spa! Yes, of course I just gave my bestie a plug! Duh!
• My boyfriend Ed for putting up with the cranky me because of all of the sleepless nights I spent brainstorming about this project and building this website. And thank you for always feeding me! (“Tattoo bump!”)
• The parent-scholars who sent me pics, which I placed on the front-page of the website… I went on my FB page, and asked for pics of parents who also went to school, and right away, these ladies sent me their pics. Thank you so much Sarah Paris, Shanna Collins, Shannon Isaacs, Rebecka Douglas, Shielle Lee (her sister is so proud of her and sent in her pic), Ashley Gray and Amanda Petit-homme! Your pics are truly inspiring, and they really bring to life the vision that I had for this website.
• Brian Smith, the Vice-President of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education… As soon as I contacted him and said that I needed some links for financial literacy, he sent them to me ASAP. As if sending the links wasn’t enough, he also gave me permission to put his contact info on the site so that individuals could contact him anytime if they needed his advice about finances.
• To my PACC Adult Education family…The moment I reached out to my colleagues and  for helpful links for the resource page of this website, some of the faculty and staff responded right away… Kataryna Bianchi Lutter, Erich Kohler, Adrian Bracisiewicz, Kristina Tellier, Susan Diamond, Nancy Zerabny, Melinda Doucette and Troy Bradley, you guys really helped me build that resource page!
  • Ann Meldrum, my colleague and good friend…Thank you for volunteering your English skills, your love and for telling me that I’m “awesome” on days that I feel like I’m not.
• My Facebook family… Where would I be without you guys? Information-less!  You guys are so resourceful, and whenever I ask a question, there are a handful of you who always ready with amazing responses!
  • Special shout-out to Kimberly McIntyre: Kim ALWAYS gives me good information when I request it, and when I said that I was looking for a volunteer to do face-painting at the 2017 Fall Celebration, she volunteered right away.
• God for putting this project in my spirit…I asked for You to show me a project that I could be passionate and enthusiastic about, and you showed it to me clear as day…The joy in my heart that I feel whenever I do anything related to The SHO is overwhelming, and this is because of You…