Melanie Lawson is turning 50 this month, and instead of just throwing a party, she’s using the milestone to shine a spotlight on a Jacksonville nonprofit that has spent more than two decades helping local girls and families. Her celebration, called Dear Jacksonville: A Love Letter, 21 Years in the Making, is set for Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Ritz Theatre & Museum, with part of the proceeds benefiting Empowerment Resources, Inc.
Lawson describes the night as both a personal milestone and a tribute to the place she now calls home. As reported by News4JAX, she described the evening as “my 50th birthday celebration and love letter to the city” she has called home for 21 years. She said she chose Empowerment Resources, Inc., known as ERI, as her charitable beneficiary, directing part of the night’s proceeds toward the organization’s work with girls, young people and families.
The connection between Lawson and the nonprofit goes back further than the party planning. She knows ERI founder Elexia Coleman-Moss personally, and over the years she has emceed events for the organization, helped connect it with resources, and shared her own experiences with young women in ERI’s Journey Into Womanhood program, according to the same report.
A Nonprofit Built Over Two Decades
Empowerment Resources was founded in 2002 and incorporated in 2003 by Coleman-Moss, according to the organization’s About page. The group describes itself as a 501(c)(3) grassroots nonprofit based in Jacksonville, Florida, that serves at-risk youth and families through programs and services meant to positively affect the whole family, per its website…