Tamara is teaching kids with low self esteem how to be leaders.

What kind of philanthropic or volunteer work did/do you do?

Tamara: I work with youth. Through the arts I teach self esteem, motivation, and self worth.

What is the name and location of the organization?

Tamara: The Angel Hair Network in Orlando.

Tell us about the project, especially who benefited from this work.

Tamara: I take low self esteem kids and teach them how to be leaders. I take doubtful dreamers and show them how to make their dreams a reality. I love people especially young people—I am a young person myself.

What inspired you to get involved?

Tamara: I was once told by a prophet that I'd be working with many young people. It felt natural to me.

How did you first get involved?

Tamara: My parents were always into the world of entertainment.  I've seen the positive impact the arts have on our youth.  Later on in high school, I met teenagers that were into different things than I was used to, such as teen pregnancy, drugs, and prostitution. Never once did I look down on them.  These issues just made me want to learn what caused this to happen, and I found that most teenagers are very talented, and more than half don't even know what their talents are and feel they’re not  good at most things.  But when you find out what a child is good at and bring that forth, it eliminates most of those problems.  See, growing up, I was always kept busy with the arts—dance, music, acting—there was always something for me to do.

What is/was the best thing about your experience?

Tamara: When a parent came to me in tears and told me that since I've been working with her daughter, she now has her daughter back.  Her grades are back up, and she's amazed at the changed that occurred in just a few weeks, and I’d only met with her daughter one time a week.  She had a beautiful face and a kind heart. I allowed her to become one of my Angel Face Models. The first thing she told me was, "Oh I could never be a model. I'm too fat." I taught her how to love herself regardless.

What was the hardest part?

Tamara: The hardest part was working with people that knew nothing about the entertainment industry, and the fact that I ran 2 different departments of Angel Hair, both Angel Face Models and Faith Records.  I taught the models runway, makeup, and print, and I taught the vocalists vocal technique, stage presence, how to dance, and how to make a successful demo.

What was the biggest surprise?

Tamara: When I did a show with both departments, I was able to see all the work/ time/money I invested in these kids come together.  I was truly amazed—not that I doubted them, but it was just the difference in their confidence from the first time I met them.

What new things have you learned as a result of your experience and how have you changed as a result?

Tamara: Even though I was teaching, I received so much. I learned how you can change someone's life by not judging, just listening and showing love. Because I had to take on the leader position, I'm a lot less shy than I used to be.  That's helped me in my career as an artist.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of getting involved in philanthropy or volunteering?

Tamara: Do it. You may put in a lot of time with paper work and making phone calls, but when you’re making a difference, you receive so much more.