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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - March 11, 2008
Wendy Ernzen Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
March 11, 2008

Royal Oak, Michigan Resident Wins Cash Award To Support Mentoring Program For At-Risk Young Women


(New York, NY, March 11, 2008) Royal Oak, Michigan resident Wendy Ernzen, 33, is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of creating a better tomorrow for her community. Wendy 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. Wendy’s award will support Intense Mentoring – an educational and mentorship program for female high school dropouts in Detroit and Highland Park, while they complete their education and overcome adversity.

According to Education Week, less than 25% of Detroit’s freshmen class goes onto complete high school. Intense Mentoring targets women in Detroit and Highland Park, who without a high school diploma, would earn one-third less than those with a degree, resulting in a lifelong path of financial stress and poverty. In order to complete their education, many women that the Intense Mentoring program seeks to help, must often overcome adversities such as poor finances, complex family history, single motherhood, domestic violence and substance abuse.

In Wendy’s experience working with women’s empowerment non-profit organizations, they were often overwhelmed and their efforts frequently fell short. When Wendy’s mother-in-law became a mentor with Intense Mentoring, she urged Wendy to get involved. Wendy met with the Executive Director and heard the story of a capable girl who joined Intense Mentoring when she was homeless, drug-addicted and had lost custody of her children. Through Intense Mentoring, she found temporary housing, schooling and a supportive adviser. After graduation, she found a job and permanent housing. Today, this young woman lives independently, is employed, sober, in school, and has begun the process of reconnecting with her children. It was with that touching story that Wendy realized she had found the right fit for a program to volunteer her time.

80% of Intense Mentoring participants graduate with their own happy futures, and it is success stories from the program that bring further meaning to Wendy’s life. Wendy serves on the board of directors for Intense Mentoring and volunteers her time writing grants, planning events and fundraising. “I grew up in Detroit but with more opportunities than the young women we work with. This is a way for me to give back,” said Wendy.

Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Wendy will provide more women the opportunity to complete the Intense Mentoring program that offers a broad curriculum including, drug prevention, family and career planning, healthy lifestyle choices and social etiquette to women of any age who have dropped out of high school at some point in their lives. Additionally, each woman in the program is paired with a mentor – successful, independent women who volunteer their time and expertise. Thanks to Wendy and the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, these young women will have the opportunity to build successful and productive lives and perhaps one day become mentors themselves.

Wendy’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of “Community Service.” 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. “Intense mentoring sounds like the kind of program which makes a significant difference in young girls’ lives,” noted judge, Lynn Stekas. “Mentoring is a perfect way to encourage school completion, job prep and life skills.”

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