Note from the Executive Director
To our incredible donors,
As the year comes to a close, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement as I reflect on the incredible milestones we’ve achieved together in 2024. This year has been transformative for our organization, our scholarship recipients, and our mission to empower young Black women through education and opportunity. None of this would have been possible without your unwavering support and belief in our vision.
One of the biggest moments of joy this year has been celebrating the accomplishments of our inaugural scholarship recipients, Merom Arthur and Laila Flores, who will graduate in May 2025. My sister and board member, Dr. Alysia Green, M.D., and I will get the honor of attending Merom’s graduation in Atlanta in May. This is why this organization exists! Seeing these incredible young women prepare to take on the world with degrees in hand is a testament to the life-changing impact of your support. From the start, you have been part of their journey, and their success is your success. Read more about them and their journeys below.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a special moment to express our deepest gratitude to our large donors – Juha Tanskanen, Kim Tanskanen, and Dr. David Green, Jr. – for their continued support and generosity. Their commitment to our mission inspires us to dream bigger and reach further. Their belief in the power of education and their dedication to our work has been a cornerstone of our ability to grow and do more for the young women we serve. Thank you for helping us turn dreams into realities.
2024 has also been a year of growth and reimagination for our organization. Thanks to the incredible work of our board member, Terri Sanders, I am pleased to announce that we have agreed upon a new name for the organization – EverGreen Dreams.
This name captures the enduring aspirations of our scholarship recipients and a commitment to supporting their dreams, not just today but for generations to come. Alongside this rebranding, we adopted a bold mission statement and a new vision statement. These updated statements reflect our deep commitment to actively supporting and inspiring the next generation of Black women to dream big, achieve greatness, and lead unapologetically.
Looking forward, I’m excited to announce our plans for a Fall 2025 Donor Recognition Event. This celebration will honor the community of supporters—like you—who make our work possible. It will be a chance to reflect on the incredible impact we’ve made together and share our ambitious goals for the future.
As we close 2024, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the difference you’ve made in the lives of our scholarship recipients and for the role you’ve played in shaping the legacy of EverGreen Dreams. Your support fuels our mission and ensures that we can continue empowering Black women to reach their fullest potential.
Let’s step into 2025 with excitement, determination, and a shared vision of transforming even more lives through education and opportunity. Together, we will keep dreaming, building, and thriving.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Melissa Green, Executive Director
THE INAUGURAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS ARE GRADUATING!
MEROM ARTHUR
SENIOR – EMORY UNIVERSITY, ATLANTA, GA
MAJORING IN HUMAN HEALTH AND A MINOR IN FILM AND MEDIA
Q. How has receiving this scholarship impacted your college experience?
“The B.O.S.S Scholarship, and the foundation as a whole, has positively impacted my college experience! As a freshman preparing to move onto campus. The B.O.S.S. Scholarship provided me with the funds to cover costs for textbooks, fees, and miscellaneous dorm expenses. I was grateful to remove some burdens from the shoulders of myself and my family.
Despite receiving this single-use award, the foundation board members have remained invested in my college journey and in my success. For instance, Dr. Alysia Green has taken me under her wing and mentored me for the past 4 years as I pursue a career in medicine.”
Q. What are you most proud of achieving academically during your time in college?
“During my time at Emory, I am very proud of my scientific research involvements. Growing up in a Ghanaian household, none of my immediate or extended family had medical or doctoral degrees, thus, my exposure to the science sector was minimal. I began my first role as a clinical research intern in the Grady Trauma Project during my freshman year, and since then, I have had the pleasure of working on 3 fascinating projects in relation to mental health and human genetics. Through these experiences, I have had the honor to present posters at 4 conferences and department meetings. My academic involvement in research has permitted me to travel the country, network with prominent individuals, acquire knowledge, and overall better myself. I truly value translational medicine and the significance of bench to bedside work and hope to be involved in such spaces in the future.”
Q. How do you plan to give back to your community or field with your newfound knowledge and skills?
“I believe that my purpose in this life is to serve, and story tell, and I intend to fulfill these purposes through science/medicine and in my entrepreneurial aspirations. As a physician, my primary role will be to serve and care for others. However, I have also identified an artistic element in my experiences in research and medicine: during my summer research experiences, I had the opportunity to work with a transformative machine, the High Resolution Episcopic Microscope (HREM) and created 3D stop-motion videos of mice embryos to observe the morphology of the heart. As a film minor with passions in post-production work, this was such a fun method that I could take full ownership of and optimize. Moreover, staining antibodies and capturing immunofluorescent images has quite a beautiful appeal to it.
In terms of working with patients, in the same way that I enjoy films and television for the plot, character analysis and problem-solving, medicine also possesses an aspect of narrative. Since January 2022, I have interned in the Pregnancy Study at Grady Trauma Project where we evaluate the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on the lives and moods of pregnant African American women. During participant appointments, I administer questionnaires relating to trauma history. In the population we work with, most are low-income and have difficult experiences to share, demonstrating the theory of narrative medicine- that patients unfold like stories and are not numbers in a spreadsheet. These encounters have shown me the importance of facilitating spaces for my patients to be vulnerable with me while I extend my empathy and resources.”
Q. What are your post-graduation plans?
“I will be graduating from Emory University in May of 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Health and a minor in Film and media. I intend to apply to medical school next cycle and begin working as a Medical Assistant in Washington DC.”
LAILA FLORES
SENIOR – HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D.C.
MAJORING IN BIOLOGY (PRE-MED) WITH A DOUBLE MINOR IN CHEMISTRY AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Q. Can you share a moment in college that made you feel particularly proud of yourself or affirmed you in your journey?
“My most memorable moment occurred during the summer of 2024 as a Research Intern with the prestigious UPENN Perelman School of Medicine Translational Research Immersion Program (TRIP). In partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), I engaged in novel stem-cell research of a rare pediatric, multi-organ neurodegenerative disease called TBC-1 domain containing kinase syndrome (TBCK). I also uniquely presented my research project by illustrating and discussing my findings and observations through my artwork. The audience was extremely captivated, engaged, and gave me a thunderous applause at the conclusion of my innovative presentation at Venture Café’s Art Gallery in Philadelphia. As an HBCU student, I felt at that moment that my ten weeks of passionate work embodied Black Girl Magic as well as Black Excellence in an Ivy League setting. It also reaffirmed my belief that that I have a bright future as a Biology (Pre-Med) major with a double minor in Chemistry and Health Sciences at the illustrious Howard University.”
Q. What are some goals you’ve set for yourself to achieve before graduation?
“The insightful knowledge I acquired as a freshman in XULA’s BioMedical Honor Corps coupled with the skills I have gained from summer internships and community service work have equipped me for sustained academic excellence as an aspiring physician-scientist. As a result, I am a Dean’s List student and a member of many prestigious academic honor societies. For this reason, I will continue to challenge myself so that I am well-positioned as a highly-coveted, medical school applicant for the 2025–2026 admissions cycle. At the same time, I will achieve my ultimate goal of being the first in my family to graduate from college with summa cum laude accolades from the illustrious Howard University in May 2025.”
Q. How do you plan to celebrate your graduation milestone?
I will celebrate my college graduation by spending one week in Roatan Island (Honduras).
Q. What are your plans and aspirations after graduation?
After completing my undergraduate studies, I will pursue my dual MD/PhD degree. My ultimate goal is operate my own medical practice to focus on critical health issues—like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes—that disproportionately impact underserved Black & Brown women.
FUNDRAISING UPDATES
As we reflect on the 2024 fundraising year, the MGAM Scholarship Foundation is filled with immense gratitude for YOU—our generous donors and steadfast supporters. Your contributions have played a pivotal role in easing financial hardships for the deserving recipients of the Building Opportunities for Sistas to Shine (B.O.S.S.) Scholarship.
This year’s fundraising journey was incredible! We kicked things off in March with the lively Dares for Dollars Fundraiser, where supporters enthusiastically bid on fun dares for our board members. The Dollars for Dares Fundraiser was a huge success, raising $4,010 towards our efforts to alleviate and/or minimize financial hardships for the MGAM Scholarship Foundation scholarship recipients.
Next, on October 27, 2024, we celebrated our cornerstone event, the “Annual Give $20 for ‘20”, honoring the inception of this remarkable foundation where we raised $1,670. Finally, we wrapped up the year by participating in Giving Tuesday, the global movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.
Together, these efforts raised an astounding total of $5,950, and we are thrilled to welcome one new recurring donors bringing our total number of recurring donors to five. Each of you has made a meaningful difference in the lives of the young women we aim to empower.
While our key fundraisers have concluded for the year, we remind you that the opportunity to support our mission never ends. Donations to the general fund are welcome year-round, allowing us to continue investing in the futures of bright, talented scholars. Please feel free to donate at any time on the website (www.mgamfoundation.org) or by using a QR Code (see below).
Stay connected with us on social media to keep up with upcoming events and milestones. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with us in building opportunities for sistas to shine!
RECURRING DONOR HIGHLIGHT
MEET MICHELLE NEEDLES
Q. What motivates you to donate? What shapes your giving?
“As someone who was raised without a lot of financial advantages, I was raised by parents who gave what they could of their time and their income. As I rose in my career, it was important to me that I follow their lead and find opportunities to engage with causes I care deeply about. I aim to keep my giving as personal as I can, so that I can impact the communities directly, be they geographic or social community structures.”
Q. Why is the mission of EverGreen Dreams (f/k/a MGAM Scholarship Foundation) important to you?
“This mission is important to me for a number of reasons, and it starts with its founders. To be able to support a cause which elevates women of color, promote their successes, all under the leadership of some of the most accomplished women you’ll meet? It’s a no brainer. Since the murder of George Floyd, we’ve seen countless promises go unfulfilled by companies, communities and individuals. While those unfulfilled commitments are disheartening, I know that my support of EverGreen Dreams allows me to continue to serve and support women of color in a meaningful way.”
Q. How do you feel when you make a charitable gift?
“I love to give both financially and with my time, and I strive to be the same example to my children that my parents gave to me. It reminds me that I am fulfilling the promises I’ve made to myself, to help others live their fullest and most wonderful lives.”
CELEBRATING OUR NEXT CHAPTER: THE REBRAND OF THE MGAM SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
As the year comes to a close, we are thrilled to announce an exciting transformation: the rebranding of our organization to EverGreen Dreams. This marks a pivotal moment in our journey as we honor our legacy and boldly embrace the future.
For years, we have worked tirelessly to support and uplift Black women, empowering them to achieve their dreams and reach their full potential. However, as we look ahead, we recognize the importance of ensuring our name and identity reflect not only who we are but also who we aspire to be.
Our rebrand is more than a change in name—it’s a reflection of enduring growth, resilience, and perpetual renewal. The name EverGreen Dreams symbolizes timeless aspirations and a deep commitment to fostering opportunities that last generations. It also thoughtfully honors our roots by incorporating the legacy of our founder, Melissa Green, in a way that feels both intentional and forward-looking.
This rebranding journey began with a brand strategy workshop in July 2024, where we took a deep dive into our mission, vision, voice, and tone. Through this process, we refined our purpose and future direction. Our updated vision and mission statements reflect this evolution:
• Mission: Creating pathways to success: paving the way for educational and professional triumphs for Black women.
• Vision: A world where Black women embrace their limitless power, thriving and celebrating their talents as they shape their own destinies.
We also spent time mapping out how our organization and its programs will evolve over the next ten years, setting the stage for new initiatives, including expanded scholarship awards, special events for recipients, and impactful fundraising opportunities. With EverGreen Dreams, we are creating a foundation that speaks to the boundless potential of those we serve and the community we aim to inspire.
Thank you for being part of our story. Together, we look forward to building an even brighter future.