3/11/2022 Local Football star Anthony Lanier II host ‘Undefeated’ Community driven Fashion ShowRead NowCommunity service goes back a long way for Savannah native Anthony Lanier II. As the founder of the Undefeated Warrior the Anthony M Lanier II Foundation, Inc. he has given back to the Savannah community in many ways over the years and his foundation is hosting the Undefeated Warrior Fashion Show on March 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to raise funds to continue to support their initiatives.
“The event is a local community effort. It will feature local music artists, poets, art, food, businesses and we want people to come and network and learn more about being a voice in taking care of the children,” said Lanier. Lanier will also be releasing his line of athletic gear at the fashion show as well. From the age of four his mother Yolanda Powell Lanier, a former basketball coach and now a retired school teacher, raised Anthony by herself. Though he was raised by his mom, Lanier had plenty of strong male influences in his life. “Anthony had my father and several uncles, like Sonny Powell, Elijah Powell and Terry Powell to be with and they kept him really busy and involved in activities in the community,” said Powell Lanier, COO, and momager of the foundation. Lanier grew up in Carver Village and is a graduate of Herschel V. Jenkins High School where he played different sports. While growing up he spent time working with the city and local churches, picking up trash on senior citizens’ lawns, helping out with food banks, and more. “I grew up in Carver Heights in the urban area most people call the Carver Village. One thing that was really big for me was the fact that it took the village to raise the child. There was my grandfather and the people in the community that poured so much into us children in the community,” said Lanier. Now he is a defensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He spent five years in the National Football League before joining that league. While abroad playing in the NFL Lanier still had a heart for giving back to the communities of the cities he was living and playing in but he always had a heart for coming back home and pouring into the youth in Savannah. This was one of the reasons the foundation was born. “Giving back is the missing piece for a lot of children. Also, a lot of the children in Savannah didn't get to connect with a famous Savannahnian. When he comes back and he talks to the kids and tells his story and they see what he was able to accomplish. It inspires and motivates them to believe it could happen to them. That's what I love about it the most,” said his mom. The foundation promotes a heavy emphasis on education, good health, character development, social skills, and values to youth across the city. The same values that were taught to Lanier by his family. “I thought about how we took care of the community growing up and things were together but that is disappearing because of people moving away, gentrification, and people passing away but I am inspired to keep the community together and pass the torch as it was passed to me,” said Lanier. Lanier’s mother recalled the time when her son and then councilman Van Johnson both participated in the beautification project Operation Clean Sweep program in Savannah. Van Johnson told him that he would be mayor someday, and that he could give Lanier a key to the city for his good work in the community. On November 21, 2020, Mayor Van Johnson did present Lanier with a key to the city at a food giveaway Lanier was hosting. The foundation also hosts football camps in the Savannah-Chatham County area to encourage teamwork and develop character and everyday life skills and established a mentorship program for high school student-athletes to assist in preparing student-athletes for post-secondary options. They also provide school supplies to families, work with other organizations that host school events, and have started doing a turkey drive. The youth in his program are volunteering at some of these events as well including the upcoming fashion show which Lanier and his mother are looking forward to. “As the mask mandate is dropping I am looking forward to people coming out, socializing, and having a good time. These funds will be helpful in the long run to help take the pressure off a family. The payoff is when I see the smile on a parent's face, the smile on a child's face. That type of influence gives them hope to do something better with their life,” said Lanier. The Undefeated Warrior Fashion Show takes place Sat. March 12, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Grand Lakes Club, 815 Southbridge Boulevard, Savannah, GA. Tickets are $25 dollars which includes the show, entertainment, two drinks, and heavy hors d'oeuvres. Tickets can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3vYbcnF
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March is Women’s History Month and the organization Operation Changing the World One STEM at a Time, Inc. is honoring women in STEM at their event STEMpowered on March 10, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Front Porch Improv 210 W. Victory Drive.
Operation: STEMpowered, a Women in STEM Panel and Awards Ceremony will honor and have a panel of six women from diverse backgrounds in computer programming, engineering, medicine, and education. These women will be highlighted for their achievements and efforts to support STEM education in the Savannah community and beyond. “I am just very excited that this is happening. It's been two long years. I'm excited for everyone to just meet these women and just know and learn that these women are just like us,” said Ambria Berksteiner, Founder of Operation: Changing the World One STEM. Berksteiner, a Savannah native, launched the organization in 2016 while attending Spelman College where she majored in mathematics and engineering. She saw that gifted African American girls interested and involved in STEM needed more role models from the industry. “In the Spring of 2014 I received a mentor through The Georgia Power Women in STEM Mentoring Program. This program changed my life and view on whether or not women in STEM could survive, but here I was actually seeing women thrive and being successful in these professions,” said Berksteiner. Now Berksteiner’s organization provides mentoring to young women of color who are interested in pursuing STEM-related careers. Giving these young women more exposure, encouragement, and relatable role models from the industry. “I was always preaching about coming back to my hometown and pouring back into youth here. That is so important to me. I wanted to unravel these hidden figures in Savannah that are making a difference in encouraging youth to pursue STEM,” said Berksteiner. Berksteiner platform ‘Operation Changing the World One STEM at a Time’ grew during her reign as Miss Black Savannah USA 2017 with an extended reign until 2019. Berksteiner made significant headways toward implanting the importance of STEM throughout the area. She received the “STEM Ambassador of Savannah” award from former Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach. The first STEMpowered event was a STEM and coding camp held in 2019 but pandemic halted the event in 2020 and 2021 and though the organization has been at work in other capacities they are now back with this event. Now Berksteiner is back in partnership with the Creative Coast and the State Farm – Mike Holland Agency to honor: Marsha Tomlin- Engineer Process Analyst- Gulfstream Aerospace Alexis Burkes- RVT, MS Practice Manager-Case Veterinary Hospital Jessica Wynn- STEM Educator Naomi Pitts - Creator of the Cancer in College Blog Victoria Baylor - Mindset & Clarity Coach Sage Batchelor- Founder of Girls Who Code Savannah Chapter Melodie Welch -Projects Controls Supervisor- Southern Company (Georgia Power) “Each of these women I have met myself. Whether they play the role of a mentor or just a positive inspiration they mean so much. Naomi Pitts, was a classmate of mine, she is a cancer survivor. She had cancer while she was graduating this year while she was pursuing her biomedical degree, medical engineering degree. All these women and their journey are inspiring and uplifting,” said Berksteiner Welch was one of Berksteiner’s mentors and they met while she was at Spelman College. Berksteiner credits Welch with being a strong influence on her seeing and know that women can thrive in STEM. The evening begins at 6 p.m. for networking, and the panel discussion and award ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m. The price to attend is $15 and this includes hor d'oeuvres. A cash bar will be available. Berksteiner wants all members of the Savannah community to attend, including K-12 youth which she has invited to the event. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Operation One STEM at a Time Change Agent Scholarship fund, which will be presented to a Savannah-Chatham County Public School young woman who plans to major in a STEM-related field. For tickets click HERE |
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