Girl Forward
Blair Brettschneider
The Organization
Girl Forward was created by Blair Brettschneider in 2010. The idea came to her after she heard the story about a girl who lived in a refugee camp her whole life and was resettled in the United States at 15. Being the oldest girl in the apartment with her four younger siblings struggling to get by, her focus was not on her or her academics. She was able to get a part-time job and opened a savings account. She is now the first one in her family to graduate from high school and is now attending college. Blair heard about this story and thought about how she could help. She started the organization Girl Forward and that helps girls who are resettled get an education, job and savings account. It give these girls an opportunity to not just survive, but flourish in their new enviornment.
Comparing Entrepreneurs
Vera Wang and Blair Brettschneider have many things in common. They both saw a problem and instead of sitting back and watching it play out, they created a solution. Vera Wang's issue was not being able to find a wedding dress that didn't look like a cake. Blair Brettschneider's issue was seeing these resettled girls not be able to live a life with the basic necessities covered. Wang opened a bridal shop with wedding dresses that fit her style and Brettschneider created an organization to solve this issue. Although they are similar they are very different. Wang's solution was to open up a business and make money along the way. Brettchneider just wanted to help these girls begin to live a normal life. Even though they are different, they solved two problems that are encountered everyday.
CNN Hero: Blair Brettschneider