FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2022
CONTACT: Racine Tucker-Hamilton, 301.922.8417 or racinehamilton@gmail.com/peopublicity@gmail.com
Student Entrepreneur Receives Cash Award from Local Sorority to Build
Black-Owned Small Business
Bowie, Md.— Running a business is not an easy task for most adults, so imagine being a 17-year-old business owner. Thanks to Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter (PEO) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® and Pearl Elegance Foundation, Inc. (PEF) a teen entrepreneur gets a financial boost for her business.
Kaci M. Harris, owner of KM Beauty presented a business pitch to the sorority in February. She was surprised with a $500 award during a March 6 small business workshop organized by PEO. The virtual event, Promising Pioneers: Transforming Your Business Idea Into Reality offered business best practices, marketing tips, and a Q&A session for local business owners. Nearly 170 participants joined the webinar which included presentations by business owners Renay Butler, CEO of Renay Butler, Inc. and Goal Grinders Inc., and Donna Barnes, president of Black Horse Alliance, both members of the sorority.
“This workshop was a community service that offered free resources and services to all business owners whether they were just starting out or had been in business for many years,” said Benita A. Swindell, president of PEO and PEF. “What we are most proud of is being able to support a teen business owner. We were very impressed with Kaci Harris’ pitch to grow her current business, her ambition, and overall entrepreneurial spirit.”
“I was so surprised and grateful when PEO and PEF presented me with a $500 award to help support and build my business,” said Kaci Harris, owner of KM Beauty. “It means the world to me that these ladies are not only investing in my business but, that they believe in me.”
Harris is a Bowie High School senior and has been in business for about two years. She plans to attend Bowie State University in the fall to study business. The webinar was part of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Target 3 program, Building Your Economic Legacy, which includes supporting African-American entrepreneurs.
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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated®, Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter was chartered in 2007. Since its founding, the chapter has implemented its service programs in Laurel, Bowie, and Greenbelt, Maryland.
Pearl Elegance Foundation, Incorporated is a non-profit 501(c)3 charity established in 2014 in Maryland. PEF is a direct outgrowth of the Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Student Entrepreneur Business Pitch Winner - March 2022 - Press Release Download