Easter Paint Sip & Hip Event

Meet Blake Gifford

Blake is a 31-year-old Chicago based attorney, content creator and former foster kid. After graduating from Spelman College in 2009, she left Atlanta and moved to NYC in search of her next adventure. It was during this time that she began to make a name for herself in the world of blogging, with features on Essence.com, Fashion Bomb Daily and Refinery29—while also earning a Master’s Degree from NYU.

A lifelong student and avid learner, she decided to pursue her life long dream of becoming an attorney and enrolled in law school at Tulane University in 2012. It was during this time that she developed a love for intellectual property law and begun the journey of marrying her experiences as an influencer with her passion for the law.

In addition to her love of the law, she uses her platform to champion the causes near and dear to her heart like diversity and inclusion, women's rights, and advocating for foster youth.

Meet John Renaissance

He is a world renowned artist with over 7,000 personal drawings for families in every continent. He has designed for stars such as: Taraji and Empire’s Lee Daniels, fashion line for Lalah Hathaway, cover art for Gucci Mane and murals throughout Chicago including: The Children’s Hospital And The Dan Ryan Art Wall Project of 2007.
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Meet Marie Rushing

Marie Rushing, is the Founder and President of Foster Nest, Inc., a non-profit organization with a mission to provide access for diverse foster youth to unique educational and interactive programs which will build bridges between current and former individuals who went through foster, kinship or adoptive care systems.

She was adopted and has a passion to help others navigate life’s challenges personally and professionally. Adoption does not define who she is. It’s just a part of her story. Currently, she works as a Senior Digital Consultant at Lyons Consulting Group (a Capgemini Company). She worked in major corporations such as Google, BET Networks and more. Foster Nest will also serve as a legacy for her late mother who battled lung cancer and was also adopted.

Marie aims to impact lives, community and broaden her knowledge cross-functionally, while helping others along the way to discover their full potential. i.e. their "Who I Am". She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising with a minor in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a marketing ad tech aficionado with a positive spirit to inspire others, advocate for diversity and share knowledge to drive strategic growth. She plans to make a life changing impact with Foster Nest.

Meet DJ RAdio Champ

He Is A Radio Personality Turned Public Relations Pro With Both The Skill And Heart For Community Engagement And Events.