Hi my name is Nakaiya , a Spelman graduate from the class of 2012 and I am fundraising for my dear friend and Spelman sister Ms. Annie, a 102-year-old member from the Class of 1943 who is mentally healthy for her age. We met at a National Alumnae Association of Spelman College - Atlanta meeting back in 2015 and have remained dear friends ever since. She will be turning 103 on September 20th and I am raising funds to assist her living conditions.
Let me tell you a little about Ms. Annie.
She was born on September 20th, 1919, in Daytona Beach, FL. When she was in grade school, her parents moved to Atlanta, GA where she grew up right off Palmetto St. in the West End. She graduated top of her class from Washington High School and then went on to become a graduate of Spelman College, Class of 1943, where she was an Economics major. Post-Spelman she started pursuing a career in fashion design, where she went to study in New York and Paris, France, before opening her couturier called Ann Moore Couturier in Detroit, MI. Ms. Annie lived in Detroit with her sister, Minerva, for almost 25 years before they relocated back to Atlanta in the early '70s. Since the '80s, Ms. Annie lived in her childhood home off of Palmetto St, a home she loved. Ms. Annie became her sister's sole caretaker when she was 94. Can you imagine being 94 and taking care of someone else?... But as Ms. Annie was healthy for her age, she was able to do it, as she is the epitome of a sister. In 2017, as her sister's health declined, they were placed in an assisted living center without notice. The thing about it was that Ms. Annie was a very established fashion designer and budding entrepreneur who did not have any pension but had social security and other government funds. Her sister, a past nurse, had a pension, and her funds helped support their lifestyle. Which, although not lavish, was a quality lifestyle. With her sister passing away in 2018, Ms. Annie has had quite a difficult time. Her home was sold without her consent, her bank accounts/funeral fund that she had saved $8000 for were depleted to pay for her living facility, and any funding/savings she thought she had no longer existed. This resulted in her being uprooted from the comfort of her own room and placed in a nursing home where she has a roommate who can no longer communicate in a dorm-style room. Yes, we understand when you are older, you go to a nursing home or whatever you can afford, but in 4 years Ms. Annie hasn't had any mental rest. She has been uneasy since the day she left her house for the last time, not knowing that was the last time. She says she is living today because God has shown grace over her life, so how can she complain? But Ms. Annie is not your average 102-year-old; she reads daily, has close to perfect vision, can tell you the history of Atlanta, is a faithful servant, is still a class act, and is an Atlanta treasure! Her life is a testimony. She lived well and comfortably for 98 years, only to have negative funds and reduced living conditions for the last years of her life. Ms. Annie was never married and did not have kids. I, her Spelman sister, the Spelman Community, and her church family ensure she has what she needs. Every time I visit her, I tell her that things will improve. And although she is grateful to be living still, I know the quality of her life would be heightened if I could change her living conditions in some capacity, replenish her funeral fund, and provide her with funds to buy what she wants. If you can find it in your heart to donate, you have added years to Ms. Annie's life. Her days will no longer be filled with stress and constantly thinking about how she will receive what she needs, from items to doctor appointments to comfortable mattresses. To know Ms. Annie is to love her, and all of these funds will go directly to returning her lifestyle to what she was accustomed to for 98 years. She is a legend who paved the way for many black woman entrepreneurs and inspired the masses. If she cannot live in Buckingham Palace like the Queen she is, she should at least be able to live...comfortably...with peace of mind.
Thank you all,
Her friend - Nakaiya Turk
Ways to learn more about her and her contributions:
Organizer
Nakaiya Turk
Organizer
Atlanta, GA