Hi Danielle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory
Growing up, I knew there were a few things that I was very passionate about, helping people, sports, and the arts (dancing, singing and acting). I was raised by my mother and grandmother, who endured me exploring all of these at a young age. I was definitely the child that broke tables and mirrors in the house while trying out new flips and tricks. Every weekend I would find myself planning a living room talent showcase with my cousins to put on for our family. I come from a musical family so they enjoyed watching us grow in singing, dancing, and performing. They critiqued us and also blew our heads up to think that we would be the next Destiny’s Child. I always knew I wanted to be a performer of some sort. I remember always wanting to take my love for dance outside of the home but we were never quite able to financially support this dream, so I remained making up choreography and learning through YouTube.
When it came to sports, my twin sister and I spent countless hours outside playing basketball and racing the other kids in the neighborhood. I was in middle school when I was able to participate in sports (basketball, track, tennis, volleyball & cheerleading ). I remember being so excited because I always wanted to learn from others and grow on a team. Unfortunately, my experience was cut short as I developed a heart condition that would prevent me from playing any type of contact sports. Finally, I ended up in choir. Choir took off for me with competitions and. performances. I was in choir from middle school to high school. When you’re young, you don’t realize the financial strain that participating in extracurriculars can cause. My mom was paying for three children to try their hands at different sports and activities. I can even recall her working extra jobs just to stay afloat and afford extracurricular fees. Again, until I got older, I didn’t realize the financial strain that it placed on my mom just by me wanting to be involved in so many activities. I knew we were struggling, but it didn’t cross my mind that I could be apart of that reason.
At about 15 years old, I began to sell candy, chips, brownies and cake at school to make money. I would stuff my old cheer bag with all types of snacks and bring it to school every day. (Although we weren’t supposed to sell outside items in school, some of the teachers would let me slide if I gave them something free!) This quickly taught me the value of a dollar and not to mention began my drive in wanting to be an entrepreneur. I also began working at Burger King and Krispy Kreme to pay for activities and school fees. It was the best feeling in the world to take some of that stress off my mom and take care of my own self. Today as I watch my five-year-old nephew grow, I see so much of myself in him. He’s always wanting to learn new things and participate in different activities. Seeing so much passion and drive in him and knowing that his parents can’t really afford to put him in any activities fueled my desire to start the Mama I want to Foundation.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been an easy road, but resiliency has been instilled in me since I was young. I was taught to never let your circumstances define you. Growing up, I always felt like the underdog because we couldn’t afford what the other kids had. When I participated in any activity that required a fee, it was very short lived as the fees began to add up. I found myself downplaying it to my teammates before I had to leave a team so it wouldn’t look like I left because of money.
My passion for dance followed me throughout college so I decided to jump back in once I graduated. I was in for a huge surprise. Once I entered the professional dance world, I began to once again feel like the underdog, but this time it wasn’t due to finances. I found myself in rooms with people that had years of professional training compared to my years spent at home learning dances through YouTube. I often felt defeated because I felt like I couldn’t compete with the technical dancers, but being who I am, I just keep pushing myself to reach those heights. I often remind myself that it’s not about when or how you start it’s about how you finish. It’s a bit of a struggle getting the foundation off the ground, but that is expected with every new project. I am enjoying the growing process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Mama I Want To Foundation?
The purpose of the Mama I want to foundation is to financially support low income, homeless and foster children/teens in pursuing their goals and dreams, starting with extracurricular activities. I have my bachelors of science degree in psychology and I am working towards a Masters degree in Social work, so I do a lot of research dealing with children. I have found that extracurricular activities have many positive effects on children, such as increasing their social skills, academic performance and confidence. I know how I felt when I wasn’t able to participate in activities and I know that there are a lot of kids like me out there.
What sets this foundation apart from others is that it merges my love for children’s well-being, the arts, and sports into a cause. The first big fundraiser I am planning is a Dallas Community dance battle. This will be set up like a raw street battle and each team that enters will actually be competing to sell the most tickers or collect the most donations. The battle will be mainly for fun but the winning team will still receive a prize! I’m also able to connect this foundation with my second business that I am partial owner of (with Mo Maddox and Christin Moore) called Culture Queenz. Occasionally we sell our products (hair, lashes and accessories) and allow for proceeds to go towards the foundation. It’s such a blessing to have multiple avenues available to help the children.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next five years, I plan for the foundation to not only operate off of fundraisers but sponsors as well! Starting off, the foundation will be providing full or partial scholarships to applicants based on the amount of funds within the organization. Families will apply by listing the number of children they have, the activities that each child needs financial coverage for, and copies of original documents stating costs. Within the next year, I will obtain my master’s in social work and prayerfully my LSW. This will allow me to provide case management to children and families in need. Case management will be utilized to assess needs of the families outside of the activities for things such as food, housing, and other resources. Within the next three years, it is my desire to begin having items donated, such as dance shoes, track spikes, football cleats, dresses for pageants and more! These donations can come from the community and be new or gently used.
By the 5-10 year mark, I plan to make partnerships with dance and sports stores or vendors that will donate these items in bulk. The Foundation will have a building by this time that can house these items in different sections, allowing the children to come in and find their necessary items. During this time, I will be able to hire on case managers to assign to every child and volunteers. This will help to ensure that each child is thoroughly taken care of. If something the child needs cannot be found within the agency, case managers will work to get their needs met. Once the building is obtained in the form of a studio space, I will begin to provide in house lessons by bringing in instructors from different fields and also utilizing myself for dance. The Mama I want to foundation just might have it’s own agency one day where we develop young talent through sponsors and send them out on gigs and auditions!
Pricing:
- Music Videos/Model/Video Girl – $100+
- Music Videos/Model/Video Girl – $100+
- Live Shows/Events – $100+
Contact Info:
- Email: mamaiwanttofoundation@gmail.com
dani.harper87@gmail.com – Personal email for bookings and inquiries - Instagram: https://instagram.com/mamaiwantto_foundation?igshid=tct5co3i6q57
ttps://instagram.com/jadore.danii?igshid=19a87327ga3re
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/MamaIWantToFoundation/?tsid=0.7053339604198954&source=result
Image Credits
Rodney Hamilton
