Leave it to Samantha Busch to bring together the NASCAR world through the Kyle Busch Foundation with fashion and prom dresses benefitting the girls who participate in the Girl Talk Foundation. And it all began with a chance meeting at a fashion event involving shoes.
“I met with Samantha a couple of years ago at an event where shoes were involved and Girl Talk was the beneficiary,” Janine Davis, Founder and Executive Director of the Girl Talk Foundation, said. “At that point, we were actually collecting prom dresses. She liked the idea of what we were doing, helping young girls who could not afford their prom dresses, so she actually came up with the idea to purchase dresses for some of our girls.”
“So, the first year, she bought one hundred new prom dresses for some of the girls in our program. The following year she did the same thing. This year she actually had a girls’ night out exclusive event for some young ladies that we hand-picked in our organization based on their participation and grades, behavior, etc.”
“Those girls were given the opportunity to shop for their own dresses at Macy’s. They received the dress, a goodie bag and were able to get their makeup done for that day. Samantha and her crew have supported us beyond what we could ever expect.”
The Girl Talk Foundation has been in existence since 2003 and has the unique mission of empowering girls ages 13 to 16 to find their voice and to become the success they are destined to be.
“We’re everything girls,” Davis said. “We know girls haven’t been able to express themselves sometimes, so we have empowerment programs to maximize their potential and gain the confidence to show up in the world being who they were meant to be.”
“So, we have a sixteen week curriculum, college tours and then they graduate to the ‘Jewel’, which is the second part of our program. That’s where Samantha has been involved with these girls. The girls stay with us until they are sixteen. Then they graduate and they can become a volunteer. So, at least 30% of our girls volunteer and become a part of the Girl Talk family.”
“I am the founder,” Davis continued. “I do believe that it was divine intervention for me to start Girl Talk. My first profession was as a radio personality. I did radio and TV and our target audience was the 12 to 18 year olds because I worked for a hip hop station.”
“As part of that, we would be in the community and go to several schools each year. There was one school that I attended alone and there were 20 girls there talking about goal-setting and what they wanted to be when they grew up. At the end, I was packing up and one of the girls wanted to talk about the real issues they were facing, at home, on the school bus and between their peers.”
“All of that came oozing out and so I said we should just organize an event for just girls. So, I went on the radio and talked about it. We hoped to get 50 girls and instead got 200. So, that sent the tone and there was clearly a need for girls to have a safe space for girls to talk about their issues and to realize their full potential.”
“That’s how it started in 2003. In a year, we help 600 girls with all of our programs. We work with the schools, counselors, principals, going through the Ys and rec centers. Radio has been a huge help. And at this point, because we’ve been around awhile, a lot of our girls come via word of mouth. It’s really grown based on people’s experience with the program.”
Davis acknowledged that all girls are welcome in the Girl Talk program.
“Any girl is eligible if she is 13 to 16 years old, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, whatever,” Davis said. “This is for any girl, no matter your socioeconomic background or ethnicity, all girls are facing the same issues.”
“The hardest times for young ladies is when they are transitioning from middle school to high school. That’s when they need us the most to deal with peer pressure, teachers, responsibilities and are really coming into their own. A lot of time they get lost and there is depression, eating disorders or other issues. We are hoping to take the sting out of all that by providing them a place to talk and understand they are not the only ones who don’t like their bodies or are the only ones that are having problems with other girls.”
So, has the prom partnership between Girl Talk, Samantha Busch and the Kyle Busch Foundation converted Davis into a NASCAR fan?
“I can’t lie. I’m not an avid NASCAR fan,” Davis said. “But I have started watching and I have friends who watch.”
“I have been to one NASCAR race at Charlotte. It was quite an experience. I kept asking why we had to have ear plugs. But as soon as the race started, I got it and understood completely.”
“So, I loved it and had a great time. It was really cool to try something I had not tried before. I used to work in Concord so I was always immersed in the hoopla that I got accustomed to. We’d get out and go to the vendors. But it was just fun being in that environment.”
“So, I followed Kyle and I understand that he got roughed up a little bit in a race here recently,” Davis continued. “So, if nothing else, I follow him. I had not seen Samantha in months and was surprised that she was expecting with a little boy. It’s a shame we don’t stay in contact more face-to-face but we do keep in touch through email. It’s been a great partnership.”
While Davis has grown her program dramatically since its inception, she passionately spoke about the fact that the partnership with Samantha Busch and the Kyle Busch Foundation has taken her organization to a completely new level.
“The relationship with Samantha and the Kyle Busch Foundation has been phenomenal,” Davis said. “I was pleasantly surprised when Samantha reached out to me and told me she wanted to help. She has gone above and beyond and we want to continue that relationship.”
“Even though she is having a little boy, we still have something in common in terms of her understanding of how girls feel,” Davis continued. “Her following is pretty large so my girls get a chance to look up to her. They think she is really cool and they can relate to her.”
“We want to keep the partnership going,” Davis said. “I want to introduce our girls to NASCAR. So, maybe there is an opportunity for an internship or community service work to help out the Kyle Busch Foundation.”
“So, look for more Girl Talk and Samantha Busch and the Kyle Busch Foundation doing some work together.”
