To Cameisha Brewer, the word ‘classy’ has nothing to do with red lipstick, expensive dresses or stilettos.
Brewer wants all girls to celebrate the little things that make them unique.
In 2015, Brewer founded the Classy Lady Awareness Foundation in Searcy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young women in the community.
“The main goal of the organization is to teach girls how to live their lives every day knowing they are chosen, loved, accepted, set apart, spirit filled, and yielded. Classy,” she said.
While the group officially became a nonprofit organization in 2015, Brewer said the it all started in 2010.
Each month, Brewer said the girls participate in an event or activity that promotes wellness and strengthens sisterhood.
Past activities have included movie nights, sleepovers, yoga, Christmas service projects, mental health awareness events and cookie-decorating workshops, she said.
Brewer said each girl who participates in the organization is assigned a “big sister” to mentor and support her as much as possible.
“Our big sisters are responsible for a small group of ‘littles.’ We support our littles as much as we can. We attend their choir concerts, dance recitals, basketball games, softball games, church services, graduations, birthday parties and so on. We want our girls to know that we care about the things that are important to them,” Brewer said.
Having small groups allows the growing organization to meet the needs of the girls it serves, she said.
Brewer said she noticed a need for positive female role models in the White County area while she was growing up in Kensett.
“Instead of complaining about what was lacking, I decided to be the change I wanted to see in my community. I wanted the girls in my hometown to know that they can reach their goals and pursue their dreams if they are willing to work for it,” she said.
As a teenager, Brewer said she didn’t know any women in their twenties to reach out to for inspiration and guidance, which meant she had to figure things out on her own.
“It was hard and I made a ton of poor decisions. I wanted to use my life story to help girls who were in my same situation,” she said.
“We work with a lot of teens who come from broken homes. Our organization allows them to feel like they belong to a family who loves them and who will not abandon them if they make a poor decision. It is an absolute joy to watch our girls grow into classy young women,” Brewer said.
The organization gives teenage girls an opportunity to connect with mentors who will be honest about the realities of life, she said.
Brewer said mentors are open with the girls, and don’t shy away from difficult conversations about dating, sex, alcohol, domestic violence, drugs, eating disorders and grief.
“We work with our local schools, churches and community organizations to educate and empower the teens,” she said.
On Oct. 7 at 6 p.m., the organization’s annual Red Carpet Event will take place in the Riverview High School Cafeteria in Searcy.
Tickets are $10, and the event brings girls, friends and family together for a night of inspiration, food, vendors, music and guest speakers, she said.
For more information, visit www.classyladyawarenessfoundation.org.
Brewer said teenagers and young adults feel a lot of pressure to be like others, especially with the influence of social media in recent years.
The constant mental comparisons make it difficult for teenagers to enjoy life, she said.
“Positive female role models, particularly classy ladies, know their worth. They know who they are. They know what they believe in. They are goal-driven hard workers. They understand the importance of valuing themselves and others. They know what love is and how to communicate it. They respect their bodies as well as their partners. They are disciplined and content with whatever stage of life they are in. They lead by example,” she said.
Breanna Harris, director of the Classy Lady Awareness Foundation, described Cameisha as dedicated, hard-working, caring and compassionate.
Harris said the girls look up to Brewer and find it easy to relate to her.
“She is led by her purpose in God, and her desire to help others is genuine. I have known her my entire life, and she has always been serious, but she is also laid-back and fun which greatly adds to her ability to be a leader,” she said.
Harris said she admires Brewer’s resilience, endurance and tenacity.
While Brewer has faced many hardships in life, Harris said, she has never allowed them to hold her back or stop her from doing something.
“She used them to propel herself forward into her dream of helping and reaching younger generations. She is transparent about her life, which shows our girls that they can make it through anything life throws at them and still become successful,” she said.
Harris said it’s important for girls to have positive female role models to look up to because it’s difficult to become what you can’t see.
“It is difficult to believe that you can break through poverty, hardships, and limited opportunities if you have not seen other people do the same. We strive to be transparent about our lives and struggles with the girls so that they can see a real and tangible journey rather than the idealized and romanticized journeys that are often portrayed on social media,” she said.
Harris said the foundation gives girls a safe place to be themselves and grow in a positive environment.
Over the years, she said, several young ladies have left the foundation to go to college, start families, open their own businesses and come back to the foundation to serve as mentors.
Brewer and Harris both said they are passionate about their relationships with God.
“Through everything that I’ve done God has continued to love me. This makes me love him even more. I’m more empathetic toward other people now that I understand what God’s grace and unconditional love looks like,” Brewer said.
Brewer said her parents, Ben and Marilyn Brewer, were two people she looked up to.
Her father was a pastor, and her mother was a teacher and coach.
Brewer described her family as loving and traditional, and said that while she was growing up, life was all about church, school and sports.
After dinner everyone went outside to play ball, she said laughing, but her parents never put sports before responsibilities with ministry and serving people in the community.
“My mother was my biggest role model. She was a strong leader who advocated for education, spiritual growth, community service and overall wellness. She inspired and challenged people to make a difference in the lives of the people around them,” she said.
Brewer’s father died when she was 17 years old, she said, then her mother died a year later.
“This was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced in my life. I was forced to grow up quickly and become an adult. I hope to honor my parents and to impact as many lives as I can through the Classy Lady Awareness Foundation,” Brewer said.
Brewer said she also admires Michelle Obama for her ambition, intelligence and strength.
Listening to the former first lady speak, Brewer said, inspires her to become the person she feels she is destined to be.
“I love the way she carries herself with integrity and class in spite of adversity. She cares about people and she’s passionate about what affects them. She’s an eloquent speaker. Watching her be a wife, a mom, a friend, a leader, a business woman, and still be the first lady of the United States of America was mind-blowing to me,” she said.
In her free time, Brewer enjoys reading, bowling, listening to music, watching movies, shooting pool and playing foosball.
She also enjoys cooking and trying out new recipes, she said, along with researching psychology and spending time with friends and family.
Journaling is a new hobby she recently started, she said, and it’s a great way for her to focus on self-care.
Brewer graduated from Riverview High School, then earned bachelor’s, master’s and educational specialist’s degrees from Harding University in Searcy.
Her favorite bit of advice to offer young girls is to always be yourself, and to never compare your life to anyone else’s.
It’s important to make your story personal and unique, she said, and to enjoy the time you spend being a kid.
“I had so many expectations — I’ll be married by this time, I’ll have this number of kids, I’ll live here — and when those things didn’t happen on my scheduled timeline I felt disappointed. I just wish I wouldn’t have had all of those expectations. My life is great, but because I expected it to be different, sometimes I struggle,” she said.
“I wish I had known to just expect the unexpected and enjoy the journey.”
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.