On Sunday, June 11, 2017, TV Personality and Entrepreneur, Marlo Hampton and the National Youth Advocate Program will host her annual Glam It Up, Inc., event, “LESSONS, LAUGHTER, and LOVE!” at the Lake City Community Center in Lake City, GA. Glam It Up is a one-day mentoring program for teen girls in foster care featuring make-up and spa treatments, life skills training, entrepreneurial and education guidance.
Co-hosting this year’s event is the National Youth Advocate Program, a private, not for profit youth and family advocacy organization that currently serves youth and families in Georgia, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and South Carolina. NYAP provides cost-effective, community-based services and support to children, youth, and families since 1978. “On behalf of NYAP, we can’t thank Marlo enough for her commitment to serving our most vulnerable youth and families in Atlanta and the greater region,” says Stacie Conliffe, Executive Director for National Youth Advocate Program, Inc. “Her Glam IT Up event provides our youth and families with a day of fun, laughter and love which is needed by all and is so deserving. Marlo is a true leader who walks the talk. We can’t thank her enough.”
“Every year I really look forward to the Glam It Up event. It’s definitely one of my favorites,” says Hampton. “I love spending time and bonding with the girls over our shared experience as I too was once in foster care, she continues. Hopefully, I can be proof positive that the life they want is possible, despite this difficult time. I just want them to know they can live their dreams if they just believe in themselves.”
Marlo was also a ward of the state who grew up in the foster care system due to her mother’s battle with addiction and abuse. She founded Glam It Up, Inc., in 2011 as a means to encourage and build self-esteem in young girls in the system who often lose their sense of self during this unfortunate time in their lives.
“My Grandma Arrie always told me I had worth and value. I was God’s masterpiece, not a mistake or a foster care statistic,” Hampton shares. “I’ve been fortunate to have people like her invest in me when I was in these girls shoes. Now, it’s my turn to give back and hopefully make a difference in their lives like Grandma Arrie did in mine.”
Today, Marlo is a positive example of what’s possible after foster care. Despite the turmoil in her younger years she went on to defeat the odds by becoming a breakout star of the RHOA (Real Housewives of Atlanta) franchise and I Love NeNe, The Wedding. She currently hosts the digital segment #AskMarlo, and a weekly web series, “Marlo’s Closet”where she is both host and Executive Producer.
Prior to her television debut, she owned the Red Carpet Boutique that featured high-end fashion apparel and catered to the who’s who of Atlanta’s elite. Marlo is also a college graduate who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida where she studied Social Work and Interdisciplinary Science – proving that self-love and hard work absolutely pay off if you don’t give up.
This year Marlo’s sponsors include: Neiman Marcus, Deepa Gurnani, Fendi, Vamp Boutique and DJ Khaled to name a few who will provide gift bag items or monetary support for the event. The girls will also be pampered by beauty industry experts and hear from business leaders and financial advisors including Valerie Moore, Brand Consultant at Chantelle, who will hold a bra fitting workshop, Tarmel Wallace, Small Business Consultant at the Bank of America who will lead the ladies in a workshop on Credit and Finance. The event will close with a musical selection from R&B Singer Kenya Jori. Learn more or donate to Glam It Up: marlohampton.com/glam-it-up.
