Milwaukee woman creates free prom drive, youth foundation to support teens

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MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee lady is taking her struggles as an adolescent and turning it right into a ardour to assist youth who could also be going via the identical issues she did.

Jessica Johnson was pressured to develop up shortly, coping with each loss and duty at a younger age.

“I used to be in foster take care of some time and I used to be adopted at 10,” mentioned Johnson. “The girl who adopted me ended up passing away in my highschool years. My mom died about two or three years earlier than that.”

Different relations sorted her for some time after her adoptive mom handed, however she says for more often than not, she was on her personal.

“How did that have an effect on you as an adolescent?” TMJ4’s Mariam Mackar requested her.

“Man, it affected me rather a lot,” she mentioned. “I used to be working generally two jobs in highschool. I used to be ready, my senior 12 months, to solely have half days, so I might go to work after college and just about deal with myself at that time.”

Her experiences rising up have impressed Johnson to provide again as an grownup. In 2016 she created the I Owe Youth Basis which focuses on workforce preparation and being a help system for teenagers.

They’re most well-known for his or her annual Promenade Drive, a free purchasing expertise to provide excessive schoolers every thing they want for the large day.

“You want a gown, you want sneakers, you want your make-up, you want your nails, all of those various things which all value cash,” defined Johnson.

Every year, via gracious group donations, the occasion hosts racks of beautiful robes, fits and raffles for nail, hair, and make-up providers.

Deja Carter, a junior at Pius XI Excessive College, picked her dream gown at this 12 months’s occasion.

“I find it irresistible, I’m 100% offered,” Carter instructed us beaming. “Promenade and issues may be very costly and one thing like this might help me and my mother out tremendously.”

Over the previous seven years, the occasion has helped a whole lot of teenagers and Johnson says extra is on the way in which for the inspiration.

“I simply assume it’s actually necessary for them to have a stage of help in all issues, whether or not it’s promenade associated, or workforce preparation associated or something of the type.”

Johnson says her subsequent aim with the inspiration is placing on a job truthful for teenagers earlier than college begins within the fall.

Johnson can also be a broadcast writer. You could find her books linked right here.

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