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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - November 20, 2007
Royce Adams Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
November 20, 2007

Desoto, Texas Resident Wins Cash Award To Fund Transitional Assistance Program For Disadvantaged Women


(New York, NY, November 20, 2007) Desoto, Texas resident Royce Adams, 56, is committed to improving the lives of women and their families in her community. Royce was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. Royce will apply the funds towards My Second Chance, a program that assists women in overcoming common and often daunting barriers to re-entering society after exiting the justice system, whether the women had been charged with a crime or incarcerated. The Hello Tomorrow Fund award will be earmarked to help launch “Nona’s Place,” My Second Chance’s new transitional home.

A formerly incarcerated woman herself, Royce founded My Second Chance to provide disadvantaged women in Dallas County with the social services and resources needed to help them overcome the barriers she had faced and which often lead to homelessness. According to a recent report commissioned by the Institute on Women and Criminal Justice, women are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population due to the effects of incarceration, unemployment and chemical dependency. They often have little support from family or community, further impeding their ability to become successful members of society. After passing through the justice system, women often experience challenges and barriers that make it difficult or impossible for successful re-entry into mainstream society, which has profound consequences not only for the women themselves, but also for their families and the communities.

“Without mentoring and support,” Royce explained, “women fall back into a life of unhealthy relationships, substance abuse and criminal activity.” Royce created My Second Chance as a resource to help break this damaging cycle, drawing on her own experience as a formerly incarcerated woman and substance abuser who has, through personal commitment and hard work, earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work and achieved than a decade of sobriety. Through My Second Chance Royce shows women that they have the ability to positively change their lives, overcome obstacles, and secure stable housing for themselves and their families.

My Second Chance helps women navigate through processes and issues surrounding probation and parole, job preparation, numerous legal agencies and, for those who are mothers, Child Protective Services. In addition to supporting these immediate issues, Royce helps the women establish long and short term goals and learn healthy decision making, and assists them in taking practical steps that will have a long-lasting positive impact on their lives and communities. “My goal is to become a one-stop shop provider of services that will empower women to improve their lives, their families, and the communities from whence they come,” Royce explained. For this, her dream is to offer transitional housing.

Now, thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Royce will be able to make this dream a reality. The award will be used to fund “Nona’s Place,” My Second Chance’s new transitional home that will house up to six women at a time for a six-month supportive program led by Royce and volunteers. The funds will be used for program training as well as to purchase critical expenses such as new mattresses, kitchen repairs and internet service, and help underwrite the costs of transportation to job interviews, books and other necessities for residents. Thanks to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, recovering and rehabilitated women will be equipped with the resources and tools to overcome the adversity of their past to lead fulfilling and productive lives in the future.

Royce’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of “Community Service,” one of three areas the Fund supports. Her proposal met the criteria to clearly present unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including Suze Orman, America’s most recognized expert on personal finance. “This applicant is [committed to] providing women with ‘A Second Chance,’” said Orman of Royce’s proposal. “Funding a safe house and roof over their heads is a great first step!”

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