Esther Productions, Inc Announces Winners for the 3rd Annual Discovering Me..Without You Essay Contest with keynote speaker, Ms. Yasmin Arrington Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Esther Productions, Inc
202-829-0591
estherproductionsinc@gmail.com
Esther Productions, Inc Announces Winners for the 3rd Annual Discovering Me..Without You Essay Contest with keynote speaker, Ms. Yasmin Arrington
(Washington, DC) - Esther Productions, Inc announces the Winners for the 3rd Annual Essay Contest with keynote speaker, Yasmin Arrington, on December 11, 2021 from 11am - 12noon on ZOOM. They told their stories about meeting the challenge of father absence triggered by abandonment or death and how they developed resilience and personal power. Come hear their voices. Come celebrate their personal discoveries.
About Esther Productions, Inc
Esther Productions, Inc. is dedicated to using a variety of vehicles—traditional and nontraditional—to develop communities throughout the United States and Europe. It was created in 2004 by Jonetta Rose Barras, award-winning journalist and author of Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl?
About Discovering Me..Without You Essay Contest
Discovering Me…Without You Essay Contest was launched in 2019 by the Fatherless Daughter Empowerment Project, a division of Esther Productions Inc. The essay contest is designed to educate the public about the importance of fathers in the lives and development of girls and women. Nationally, more than 24 million children are growing up in homes without their fathers. In the Washington Metropolitan region at least 60 percent of homes are single parent households, many of them headed by women. The contest is intended to provide a platform for some of those children, particularly fatherless girls.
Each contestant also is given the opportunity in essays of up to 2,000 words to voice their pain but also demonstrate their resilience in the face of the trauma and challenges caused by father absence. Most important, the teen girls are asked to reveal that story of self-discovery: how she has come to know her worth and value; how she has come to recognize her imperfections but also her strengths; and how she believes she can succeed in the world despite the challenge of fatherlessness.
The entries were judged by a team of successful professional leaders including Ana Acevedo holds a degree in psychology and is a manager in the DC government; Patricia Bitondo is a board member of the Educational Foundation of the Woman’s National Democratic Club and a businesswoman; Ana R. Harvey is a former senior executive in President Barack Obama’s administration who focused on the development of women-owned businesses; Alicia Henry, former nonprofit executive; Winfield Swanson is Director of Communications for the Woman’s National Democratic Club; Addison Switzer is an actor and CEO of BuckWild Media; Shelley Livingston and Jerry Malmo.
It is supported through generous contributions from Kerry S. Pearson LLC, Emmanuel Bailey, Veterans Services Corp, Pepco, an Exelon Corporation, Fort Myer Construction Corporation Charitable Foundation and Esther’s Friends.
About Keynote Speaker, Ms. Yasmin Arrington
The author of Daily Reflections for Social Entrepreneurs Journal, Arrington has been featured in Essence, Black Enterprise, Forbes Magazine, The Washington Post, and on ABC7 News WJLA and NBC4 for her community work with ScholarCHIPS.
While a high school junior, Arrington founded the non-profit organization that provides college scholarships, mentoring and a peer support network to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. To date, ScholarCHIPS has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to 76 scholars, with 30 graduates to date.
Arrington has received several awards including the Washington Business Journal Top 40 Under 40, the Linowes Leadership Award from the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Peace First Prize, the DC Social Innovation Prize, Angel Among Us Award by the Negro Council of Women, the Samuel Huntington Public Service Award, and the Samuel Halperin Public Service Award.