OMG Photography Fourth Annual Gala
#omggala16
OMG Photography fourth Annual Scholarship and Community Awards Gala
Hosted by: Makeba Green
Guest Speaker : Madison Jaye
Loyally known to her international kingdom of JayeRoyals as "Media's New Queen", Madison Jaye has interviewed some of the industries elite. Artist such as Grammy Award Winners, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Estelle, Fatman Scoop, 11 time Grammy Nominated artist Musiq Soulchild, Marsha Ambrosius, Lisa Raye, Tristen “Mack” Wilds, Grammy Nominated Luke James,, Sean Paul, Ty Hunter, Supermodel Shaun Ross, Stellar Award winning artist Deitrick Haddon, Tahj Mowry and many more. Her event coverage ranges from Oprah's “The Life you Want Tour”, Rihanna’s "Unapologetic" album release party, Khloe Kardashian exclusive bookcon release and everything in between.
Specializing in digital marketing, Jaye has over 4 years of Internet sales experience from 3 of the top car dealerships in the tri state, she has also created and/or aided with the online campaigns for McDonald's,Ihop, Honda, Lenny Green of "The Quiet Storm", Maybelline Cosmetics, Steve Harvey, TD Jakes, Bobby Brown, Joss Stone, Matthew Knowles, Hill Harper, The Braxtons, Cityplex Movie Theatre, WBLS, Hot 97, One Direction and more.
With her new title is "Author", her first audio-book "Gaining Wealth" dropped 1/15/2016 and is quickly changing lives all over the world. The award winning journalist as also worked with the likes of Beyonce, Rent the Runway, WLIB AM, Kelly Rowland, Rev Al Sharpton and more.“The Madison Jaye Show Podcast season 1 was recorded at Siriusxm. Now reaching an international audiences of listeners in South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, Peru, Mexico, Jamaica, Norway, Spain, Israel, and Brazil, Madison Jaye is excited to announce season two of her life altering show
Keynote Speaker: Essynce Moore
Essynce Moore started designing clothes at the tender age of 6 with just for fun doodles in her school binder and notepads. Her passion was and still is, to find her own style and to share her creative UPSCALE clothing ideas and styles with youth around the world. Essynce is a “TWEEN” that has turned her passion into a business for 2013, with the launch of her official clothing line branded Essynce Couture, LLC with the motto “a child’s passion for fashion.” Essynce Couture also has a natural body product line for children, tweens, and teens labeled “Wynk” by Essynce Couture. In 2015 Essynce launched Essynce Couture Spa and Boutique EXCLUSIVELY for Children, Tweens, and Teens to give the youth a place of their own to visit and be pampered, inspired, and educated.
Essynce is an entrepreneur, child’s fashion designer/stylist, author, actress, celebrity, motivational speaker, and fashionista that brings a positive vibe to her peers and others. She’s been in numerous fashion shows, pageants, karate tournaments and has spoken at numerous conferences and/or workshops. In 2016-17 Essynce is in the following movies: King of Newark, Custody, Darker than Blue, and Maggie’s Plan. She has SHOWCASED at both NY Fashion Weeks and Atlanta Kids Fashion Week while also ripping the runway. She’s released her first book 6th Grade Middle School Chronicles in 2015 and has been featured on Verizon Fios News, BlackNews.com, MadameNoire, The Record newspaper and a host of other news and media outlets. Essynce has also been awarded by the State of New Jersey – Senate and General Assembly upon the auspicious occasion of the Grand Opening of her business Essynce Couture Spa and Boutique, LLC in 2015 in the City of Passaic. In 2014 she was interviewed and featured on NBC (Channel 4 News), Jeff Foxx of WBLS FM, BuzzFeed, Yahoo, Verizon Fios Channel 1 News, NBC Channel 4 News, she was awarded “2014 Young Emerging Leader” by Alpha Kappa Alpha, she’s been featured in the 2013 TIME for Kids Magazine, Honored 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Vashti School for Future Leaders, she’s been seen on the Uncle Majic Commercial (BET, VH1, Channel 11, etc), HBO (Bored to Death), and has involved herself with a host of other events and projects.
Essynce is also a member of the New York Youth Chamber of Commerce (NYYCC).
This young “phenomenon” is BUZZING and she can’t wait to see children being pampered, as well as, wearing her Essynce Couture brand all around the world.
The Essynce Couture Brand
What makes us unique?!? Essynce Couture, LLC is one of the 1st children’s clothing lines designed by a child with “education” in mind. We focus on styling our clothes to compliment all sizes, races, and colors of all children around the world. In addition, we offer great incentives through our Essynce Couture membership program to the children who support Essynce Couture, LLC by allowing them the opportunity to show and prove. They can upload either their report cards, certificates, awards or any other form of achievement(s) to one of the Essynce Couture social networks (instagram, twitter, or facebook) and may be selected to be rewarded by Essynce Couture, LLC incentives. This will encourage children to continue to do well in school and remind them that education is very important, rewarding, stylish, and can be fun!
Honoree: Them Cloud Kids Non Profit
Mission Statement
To Unite, Uplift and Empower all through Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a South African Ideology comprised of behaviors that exude human kindness and compassion. We ultimately want to make Ubuntu a lifestyle, embedding it into the everyday lives of people will create a positive and open-minded society. We are ultimately creating a new way of thinking, being and living, which is Ubuntu. Through advocating Ubuntu we will allow people from various racial, cultural and religious background to come together as a community. We invite everyone to recognize that all people are equal. There is a common bond that exists amongst all people and that is Ubuntu.
“I am who I am because of who we all are”
Vision
Them Cloud Kids non-profit organization is creating a future that is impossible without us being in it. We are creating our own universe, The Ubuntu Universe, where kindness and compassion reigns. We are creating a future where compassion is contagious. By making compassion contagious we are promoting selflessness in all people. Promoting compassion promotes caring for those around you despite differences. Them Cloud Kids aims to inspire our peers to become better role models for the youth. By empowering the youth we hope to change the path of our generation in order to create positive pathways for the upcoming generations.
Them Cloud Kids (TCK) is a Pro-People Service organization that aims to Unite, Uplift and Empower all people through Ubuntu. Ubuntu is the Nguni Bantu South African philosophy of human kindness and compassion. TCK strives to embed the values of Ubuntu into our everyday lives in order to create a positive and open-minded society. Our generation has a lot of power and we believe that by coming together we can utilize that power to bring forth change. We capitalize on using social media for the greater good and we've created a hashtag, #TCKUBUNTU. TCK stands for Them Cloud Kids but it also stands for Togetherness, Compassion and Kindness, three values of Ubuntu that we are pushing out into the world. Through our events TCK strives to foster a positive and resourceful relationship between Colleges/Universities and their communities.
Newark Mentoring Movement
Honoree: Danita Puryear
Danita Gregory-Puryear is a wife, mother of 3 children, PreSchool educator, mentor, entrepreneur, and community service advocate.
Danita believes in giving back and making a difference in her personal and community environments. Community service holds a special place in her heart and she has taught and shared this with her children. Working with and empowering females of all ages is one of Danita's deepest passions. She works to help women and young girls realize, gain , and maintain their self worth to know that they are worthy of great things and that their lives matter.
Unity and sisterhood are also important to Danita. As a result of this, Danita is a member of various organizations that promote these attributes: Supporting Our Sisters, Inc.: Outreach Coordinator, Mentor-Esteem Academy for Girls, Ms. SOS 2013; Curve Appeal Tri State: City Movement Manager/ FOCA ( Face of Curve Appeal); Heal A Woman Heal A Nation: Ambassador; S.O.F.I.A.: Safe Teen Dating Facilitator; Girls:Live, Laugh, Love, Inc.-Mentor, National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment, Inc. (NABFEME), and Newark Circle of Sisters.
As an entrepreneur and Traci Lynn Fashion Jewelry Consultant, Danita has the pleasure of adorning women and men in small and large fabulous statement pieces that speak volumes and light up every room walked into. This is also an empowering outlet for Danita.
Danita exudes positive energy and helping hands in various ways to extend sharing and caring characteristics to family, friends, and community at large.
Honoree:Tara Williams-Harrington, MBA, CEBS, PHR
Born and raised in Newark, NJ, her parents Timothy and Sandra Williams instilled in her a commitment to academic excellence and service to others; so she obtained her undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Duke University, and her Executive MBA from Rutgers Business School, in Newark. Tara started her career in employee benefits at Prudential Healthcare, as a large Group Underwriter, where she was selected for the Advanced Management Develop Program; she went on to become a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist, and Profession in HR, first as a consultant with William M Mercer, Inc , Senior HR Manager with Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., and Benefits Director at Brookfield Asset Management. In August 2013, Tara began fulfilling her dream of instilling in children a love of education through fun and games, by forming Caring for Children Corporation dba Brick City Bricks 4 Kidz® an “edu-tainment” social enterprise— with a mission to expose children in Essex County to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and architecture concepts in an educational yet entertaining environment; thus igniting their interest in STEM related classes and while creating an atmosphere of sustained educational success.
As an entrepreneur, Tara is the 2015 GNEC Entrepreneur of the Year, winner of the 2014 Newark Innovation Acceleration Challenge, a member of the first class of the Newark Community Storefront Program; and she continues to serve as a leader in many volunteer organizations. She is a past president of the Roche Employees of African Descent, Education Ministry at Metropolitan Baptist Church, Duke University Black Alumni Connection; as well as, current member of the United Way of Essex and West Hudson-Women's Leadership Council, Steering Committee of the Night of Miracles Gala, supporting the Raise a Reader program; Kent Place School Alumnae Board, and an A Better Chance, Inc. DreamBuilder. Tara has always championed the cause of improving the experience everyone she came in contact with and thus was the founding member of the Black Student Association at Kent Place School, now the Black Cultural Organization, the Tri-State Chapter of the Duke Black Alumni Connection, now Duke Black Alumni-Tristate, and the West Runyon Street Block Association.
Tara has also given over $4,000, in scholarships to members of Metropolitan Baptist Church, through the Geraldine “Archie” Lyle Memorial Scholarship, in honor of her late grandmother. Tara continues to live in Newark, with her husband, Daryl Harrington and her son, Gregory Tyler Richardson.
Honoree: Al-Tariq W. Best
Al-Tariq W. Best
CEO/Founder, FP YouthOutCry Foundation, Inc.
Al-Tariq W Best, has over 20 years of supervisory, operations management and multi-media technical experience. Best also has more than 20 years in the music industry as a performer, writer, and producer. Born and raised in the city of Newark, he would discover his “calling” and become a voice and change agent for today’s youth and their families, through his work as a community leader, activist, motivational speaker and mentor. Best and the foundation have received numerous awards, among them: “The Spirit of Newark” award by Newark Now and Mayor Cory A Booker, Citizen of the Year Award from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Central Ward Community Champion Award from Newark Youth Connection and the “Excellence in Community Service Award” by Odyssey International Productions. He continues to live true to the FP mission “Entertain, Educate and Empower!”
FP YouthOutCry Foundation is a 501c3 organization who builds up youth, families and the communities within the City of Newark and surrounding areas. The organization was founded in 2006 by Al-Tariq Best, a native of Newark who grew up in Georgia King Village housing. FP YouthOutCry is one of the more progressive non-profits in the city and has impacted the lives of more than 10,000 children and families with innovative programming and events. We believe you cannot solely help the youth without meeting the needs of their families.
Our mission is to increase opportunities for success by providing programs, services and events to under-served youth and their families through experiences that Entertain, Educate and Empower.
For the last two years Mr. Best has been constructing The H.U.B.B. (Help Us Become Better), which will serve as a Community Empowerment Center. This facility has been strategically constructed into three major categories of human development: Entertainment, Education and Empowerment. The HUBB will represent community empowerment in the truest form on a Newark street which was unfortunately attached to a lot of negativity…Prince Street. Mr. Best has vowed to change the labeling of notoriously violent Prince Street to a place of positive and innovative energy that will change lives.
Because of the need, The H.U.B.B. has already opened its doors through the winter of 2014-2015 for the homeless population as a “Warming Station” and a summer camp for fifty youth in 2015. Best is gearing up for an official grand opening of The HUBB and 10 Year Anniversary of FP YouthOutCry Foundation in 2016 and is planning to take advantage of implementing The H.U.B.B. in other states, such as Georgia, Virginia and Florida, which are in the process bringing Newark’s uniquely built community empowerment center to their urban communities.
A charge from Best’s 14 year old son, 10 years ago, has changed the lives of so many youth and families but more importantly the life of Newark raised Al-Tariq Best.
Honoree: Joshua Walker ( AMG)
Honoree : Zeta Phi Beta Inc
Honoree: Michellene Davis, Esq.
Michellene Davis, Esq. is Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs for New
Jersey’s largest healthcare system, Barnabas Health, directing the system’s
strategic policy decisions and strengthening the system’s position with state and
federal elected officials and agencies. She oversees strategic messaging and
corporate communications, community partnerships, external affairs, policy and
governmental affairs, healthy living, community and employee wellness,
marketing and the Barnabas Health Institute for Internship. Ms. Davis is the first
woman and first person of color to serve as an Executive Vice President in the
system’s history.
Frequently appearing in publications, she has graced the cover of Positive
Community and most recently been featured in Montclair Magazine. She has been
named to NJBIZ Magazine’s Health Care Power 50 list in 2015, and ranked by
NJBIZ as the State of New Jersey’s top lobbyist in the healthcare industry and by
PolitickerNJ as one of the most politically powerful people in the State of New
Jersey, prior to her current position, Ms. Davis served in several high-ranking
statewide political appointment positions.
Prior to joining Barnabas Health, Ms. Davis served as Chief Policy Counsel to
former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, the first African American to serve in
this role. Before that, Ms. Davis served as Acting State Treasurer of the State of
New Jersey, the first African American and one of only a few women to hold this
position. Prior to Treasury, Ms. Davis led the $2.4 billion New Jersey Lottery as
Executive Director and CEO and served as a senior policy advisor in the New
Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
Ms. Davis has a proven record of supporting women throughout her career and,
while Acting State Treasurer of New Jersey founded the New Jersey Department
of the Treasury’s Office of Supplier Diversity and Division of Minority and
Women Owned Businesses in order to ensure that women and minorities were
especially included the state’s contracting opportunities.
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At Barnabas Health, Ms. Davis led the effort to create the Barnabas Health
Women’s Leadership Forum. The Forum was created to advance access to
leadership development for dynamic leaders from diverse backgrounds and to
encourage collaboration among the exceptional women of Barnabas Health in
order to advance their positions within the organization and to enhance their
personal contribution to the world.
Ms. Davis is also active in her civic community. She serves as: a member of the
Board of Governors of Rowan University – Rutgers Camden; Trustee of the New
Jersey Women Lawyers Association; Secretary to the Board of the New Jersey
Legislative Black Caucus Foundation; and President-elect of the Executive Women
of New Jersey. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Caucus
Educational Trust, and is a member of the Seton Hall Law School Diversity
Council, the Association of Black Women Lawyers, the New Jersey State Bar
Association, the Garden State Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the
American Bar Association, and the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey.
Formerly, she served on the Corporate Advisory Board of the Boys and Girls Club
of New Jersey, the Board of Trustees of Essex County College and Sacred Heart
University in Connecticut.
Ms. Davis has received national and statewide recognition for her dedication and
career accomplishments, including most recently being named the 2015 LUPE
Amiga of the Year, 2014 Business Advocate of the Year by the Statewide Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce and selected as one of The Network Journal’s 2014 Top 25
Most Influential Black Women in Business in the United States. She has been
honored by numerous civic organizations, including the New Jersey Primary Care
Association, the State NAACP, the Coalition of 100 Black Women of
Bergen/Passaic County, the YWMCA, the Newark Community Health Centers,
Babyland Family Services and others.
She began her legal career as a trial litigator, is an Honors graduate of Seton Hall
Honoree: Alisa Walker
Alisa Walker
President/Founder of Sultry Sista’s Inc.
Jersey City New Jersey
Mentor/Speaker/Entrepreneur
Alisa is a mother of one son, grandmother of three, was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. Alisa was educated in the Jersey City Public School System. She also attended Bloomfield College and Hudson County Community College.
Alisa hobbies are event planning, gardening, thrifting, and remodeling.
Alisa has worked as an education activist and youth mentor since 2001. She worked as program director of a successfully afternoon and summer program at Tinyville Learning Center in Jersey City, NJ. She served on the parent board for Gateway Charter School from 2002 – 2004. Alisa worked at the Discovery Charter School in Newark, NJ as an Administrator Assistant from 2005 – 2006. Alisa served on the parent board for the first graduation class from the New Jersey City University Charter High School from 2004 – 2007.
Alisa has a combined interest in activism for the community youth and a social change for the quality of life within her community. She began her career at the Hudson County Juvenile Detention Center as an officer in 2007 to Present.
Alisa has received numerous certifications and hours of training and development in all aspects, from legal and policy guidelines, child protection issues, recognizing the signs of drugs and alcohol misuse, behavior modification techniques, domestic violence and health/safety first aide.
Alisa and a group of women sharing the same passion and power for helping youth and their families formed Sultry Sistas, Inc.in 2012. Sultry Sistas is a community based outreach organization that provides educational and mentoring service through training, empowerment workshops and self-care programs that would help enhance their knowledge and skills through life experiences and also by giving them the fundamentals to transform into a healthy life style.
Alisa has been the driving force behind Sultry Sistas, Inc. for 5 years, providing recreational services, programs and events. She has demonstrated true commitment toward promoting healthy growth and development to strengthening the family.
Sultry Sista’s, Inc. currently partners with other organizations that share the same vision of developing opportunities to the community to help bring hope that will help improve lives through wisdom and creativity. We also help raise funds and promote awareness for charitable nonprofits and empowering organizations via entertainment or related events.
Charities: Jersey City Back to School Drives, Stop the Violence Movement, Domestic Violence, Jersey City Coat Drive, Jersey City Feedings, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Mental Illness, Breast Cancer, Sickle Cell, Blood Drive, Autism, HIV/Aids and Jersey City Shelters.
Alisa hopes to use her experience and her love for working with young people and their families to inspire them and the next generation to a higher level to make a positive difference in the community.