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Magnolia Monthly: January Newsletter
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Check out this month's highlights...

Partner Spotlight: Girls Going Global


Advisory Board: Welcoming Areva Martin and Connie Orlando


Good Governance Tips for Non-Profits: Strengthening Your Organization


Healthy Her: Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate


Patrik's Pick: Wisdom of the Path by Yasmine Cheyenne


Mindfulness Tip: Set Your Intention


Breaking Barriers:

* Celebrating the Legacy and Legendary Voice of Nikki Giovanni

* Air Force Names First Female SERE Specialist to Chief Master Sergeant Rank

* Prof. Opoku-Agyemang to Become Ghana's First Woman Vice President


Featured Favorites: Kickstart a Positive New Year with our Foundation T-shirts

A Message from Shaun

Headshot | Shaun Robinson

Happy New Year, Family!

 

There's something so magical about January – it's filled with possibility and promise, and I hope this year is your best yet!

 

I have such excitement about what 2025 holds for the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls and the girls and young women we serve.

 

First, you've probably noticed the Magnolia Monthly’s new look! I'm incredibly grateful to our brilliant Executive Assistant, Kristen Zeedyk-Williams, who poured her creativity into this beautiful redesign. I hope you love it as much as I do.

 

My heart is overflowing as I share some wonderful news – our S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls’ family is growing! I'm thrilled to welcome two extraordinary women to our Advisory Board: Areva Martin and Connie Orlando. I've had the privilege of calling both of these powerhouses dear friends, and their passion for empowering girls matches our own. Their expertise and vision will help us reach even more young lives.

 

Speaking of reaching more young lives, I'm absolutely delighted to announce our newest grantee: Girls Going Global! This incredible organization opens up the world to young girls through transformative travel experiences and cultural exchange programs. Their work perfectly aligns with our mission of empowering girls to dream bigger and reach higher. Congratulations!

 

We're also expanding our newsletter with voices I know you'll love. Dr. Jayne Morgan will continue sharing her important medical insights, while our foundation Treasurer (and my dear friend) Ivy Walker will guide us through the intricacies of nonprofit excellence. Also, I'm beyond excited that my friend Patrik Henry Bass will curate our new "Book of the Month" feature – trust me, his selections will inspire and move you! And my friend - the amazing Laura Saltman - joins us as our mindfulness expert, helping us approach 2025 with intention and spiritual awareness. I’m so grateful to all of them!

 

This month's Breaking Barriers section honors the incomparable Nikki Giovanni, whose poetry has touched countless souls and opened minds for generations. And for those who've been asking – yes, our foundation t-shirts are now available for purchase!

 

Every time I sit down to write this letter, I'm reminded of how blessed we are to have this community. Your support makes every milestone possible, every dream achievable. I can feel that 2025 will be transformative for the S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls, and I'm so grateful to share this journey with you.

 

Here's to a year of breaking barriers and building dreams!

 

With love and gratitude,


Shaun

Shaun Robinson

President and Founder

S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls

“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.” – Nikki Giovanni

Girls Going Global | Peru
Girls Going Global | Costa Rica

Partner Spotlight

We're thrilled to team up with a globetrotting nonprofit that’s changing the world one journey at a time! Girls Going Global empowers girls to become global citizens through life-defining travel, civic engagement, and leadership opportunities, inspiring them to make their mark on the world and explore limitless possibilities.


We loved connecting with Founder and Executive Director Martice Sutton at our inaugural SHE Leads Conference. As a recipient of our $10,000 SHE Leads Grant, we’re proud to support the impactful work of Girls Going Global!

LEARN MORE

S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls Advisory Board

Headshot | Areva Martin

We're excited to welcome Areva Martin and Connie Orlando to our Board of Advisors! Their expertise and passion for empowering young women will help us take our mission to the next level and make an even greater impact in the year ahead.

Headshot | Connie Orlando
Headshot | Ivy Walker

Ivy Walker

Serial Entrepreneur, Author & Risk Management Expert

Treasurer, S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls

Good Governance Tips for Non-Profits

Strengthening Your Organization

Governance is the process of overseeing an entity to ensure it is effectively managed and held accountable. In non-profits, good governance is essential for fulfilling the mission, maintaining trust, and maximizing impact.


It’s about aligning resources, making informed decisions, and upholding ethical standards to achieve sustainable success. Here are a few practical tips to strengthen governance in your non-profit.

READ MORE

Healthy Her

Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate


Did you know that if you have a choice between dark chocolate and milk chocolate, dark chocolate is better for you? In fact, it actually may have some real health benefits for both the heart and Type 2 Diabetes.


In fact, in a recent study, in comparison to dark chocolate, those who consumed more milk chocolate experienced more weight gain. Increased weight is a risk factor for developing diabetes as well as heart disease. Why is this?

READ MORE
Headshot | Dr. Jayne Morgan

Jayne Morgan, M.D.

@drjaynemorgan

Cardiologist

Creator of Stairwell Chronicles

V.P. of Medical Affairs, Hello Heart

Advisory Board Member,

S.H.A.U.N. Foundation for Girls

Headshot | Patrik Henry Bass

Patrik Henry Bass

Executive Editor,

Amistad Books

Patrik's Pick

Book Cover | WISDOM OF THE PATH: The Beautiful and Bumpy Ride to Healing and Trusting Our Inner Guide by Yasmine Cheyenne

The only way to cope with change is to first create it within. Reading Yasmine Cheyenne's practical, principled, and purposeful book Wisdom of the Path will help you to not only confront uncomfortable surprises that life throws at you, but also how to ultimately prevail and evolve over each situation. Subtitled The Beautiful and Bumpy Ride to Healing and Trusting Our Inner Guide, Cheyenne's timely book is a reminder that breaking bad habits begins with the mind and that is the true foundation for a peaceful soul. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to connect more closely with their best self.

Mindfulness Tip: Set Your Intention


January is all about new beginnings and fresh starts. It’s for getting rid of old emotions and stuck energy. So take time this month to think about what you would like to create for 2025 and tap into your heart for why you want what you want. If you feel resistance it’s because it’s most likely not aligned to something better but perhaps about an old paradigm instead. It’s time to shift into NOW where real change happens and create from love and freedom.

Headshot | Laura Saltman

Laura Saltman

Mindfulness, Meditation and Metaphysical Teacher

Breaking Barriers: This Month's Must-Reads

Nikki Giovanni | National Writers Series

Celebrating the Legacy and Legendary Voice of Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni, acclaimed poet, author, civil rights activist, and educator who explored Black life through verse, has died at 81.

READ MORE
Tiffany Zaloudek | U.S. Air Force

Air Force Promotes First Female SERE Specialist to Chief Master Sergeant

Tiffany Zaloudek became the first female survival, evasion, resistance, escape specialist to reach the Air Force's highest enlisted rank.

READ MORE
Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang

Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to Become Ghana's First Woman VP

A win for gender inclusivity in politics, Professor Opoku-Agyemang made history as the first female vice president elected in Ghana.

READ MORE

Featured Favorites: Kickstart the New Year with Positivity - Get Your Foundation T-Shirt Today!

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