National Association of Professional Women Inducts Erna Blackman, Founder, Butterflies BBI, Into its VIP Professional Woman of the Year Circle
Garden City, NY (PRWEB) September 08, 2015 -- The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) honors Erna Blackman as a 2015-2016 inductee into the NAPW VIP Woman of the Year Circle. She is recognized with this prestigious distinction for leadership in business. With more than 700,000 members and over 200 operating Local Chapters, NAPW is the nation’s leading networking organization exclusively for professional women.
“I’m pleased to welcome Erna into this exceptional group of professional women,” said NAPW President Star Jones. “Her knowledge and experience in her industry are valuable assets to her company and community.”
Founder of Butterflies BBI, Erna Blackman’s mission is to help children be the best that they can be during the rough periods in their personal lives. It is an enormous and emotional task, but she is grateful for the opportunity to touch so many lives. During her 20-year career in law enforcement, Ms. Blackman has seen the devastating effects of low self-esteem in the underserved communities and wanted to give back. In 2012, she established the nonprofit organization, Butterflies BBI.
Butterflies BBI is a 501c3 nonprofit organization which provides free hair replacements and solutions to children experiencing hair loss due to medical conditions. Special consideration is given to inner-city children because they are a group that is often overlooked. Butterflies BBI also offers self-esteem workshops and nutritional seminars to clients who elect to enroll in the Pink Butterflies program.
Ms. Blackman’s responsibilities include fundraising, budgeting, event planning and management, volunteer and donor recruitment, developing future operations, networking and office management. The most challenging for her is fundraising. Although the organization has received a lot of recognition, she would like to raise more funds to help more children.
“I’m rewarded when I am able to watch a child who is dealing with his or her own personal condition, transform into the happy, self-assured person they were meant to be, with the help of our services,” she says.
Extending the services to children nationwide is Ms. Blackman’s main goal. She hopes to achieve this by informing the public of Butterflies BBI’s services, creating partnerships with more donors and maintaining client satisfaction.
Awards & Accomplishments: Bachelor’s, Delaware State University, Journalism, 2015 Recipient of: Community Service Award, The Elmer Blackburne Democratic Club, Congressional Achievement Award – US Congressman Gregory Meeks, Citation of Honor – NYC Queens borough President Melinda Katz, Certificate of Recognition ~Senator Leroy Comrie, City Council Citation / Community Service Award – NYC Council
About NAPW
NAPW’s mission is to provide an exclusive, highly advanced networking forum to successful women executives, professionals and entrepreneurs where they can aspire, connect and achieve. Through innovative resources, unique tools and progressive benefits, professional women interact, exchange ideas, advance their knowledge and empower each other.
Lisa Mancuso, NAPW, +1 (516) 453-6111, [email protected]
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