Honoring the past, applauding the present, and inspiring the future will be the order of the day during the inaugural G.U.T.S (Girls United To Succeed) Awards Gala on Friday, October 7, 2022.
The benchmark event is presented by Gertrude’s Gifts Foundation and sponsored by Sam’s Town Casino & Hotel and local Shreveport businesswoman, Yolanda Taylor. The event will be held at Sam’s Town Casino & Hotel .
This year’s honorees, all Shreveport female natives, are violinist and opera singer, Marsha Thompson, ballerina and dance instructor Ashley Murphy-Wilson, celebrity makeup artist and businessowner Ebony Parson and celebrity hairstylist and hair designer Andrea “Mona” Bowman. While the awards ceremony is the foundation’s crown event and held in the evening, the priceless jewels of the daytime will be more than three hundred girls attending from Caddo Parish schools who will be part of a special presentation to hear the successful business and personal stories of these four women.
“It is our honor to celebrate and reward these great women for their successes and ignite and support the passion and promise to younger ladies coming behind them with mentorship and scholarships as they continue to matriculate through life,” Williams said.
In addition to empowerment sessions and demonstrations for the girls that day, five $1,000 scholarship recipients will be announced during the awards gala. The scholarships are being provided by Shreveport native and entrepreneur, Yolanda Taylor, who owns private schools across the state of Texas. The scholarships will be paired with five new laptop computers, furnished by Gertrude’s Gifts.
Gertrude’s Gifts isa 501c3 nonprofit, inspired by Gertrude Hill, Williams’ grandmother, and was created to support young girls and women who are navigating and recovering from traumatic situations such as abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, and depression.
For more information and to purchase a ticket, please go to the My Spa My Way facebook page.