It all started on a mission trip to Rwanda, Africa. There, God touched the heart of our founder, Michele Dudley, and ultimately our co-founder, Celeste Bundy. From that trip and from their hearts grew a ministry to empower women around the world, and the organization was officially formed in fall of 2012 as Fashion & Compassion. One year later, Michele and Celeste met a survivor of human trafficking in Charlotte, NC, and that’s when the local programming was born.

 

Michele still sits on our Board of Advisors and is one of our best and favorite advocates for this mission. Michele is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about educating, empowering, and advocating for those overcoming poverty and injustice, with a particular focus on women and youth.

 

Celeste now leads one of our partner organizations, Education Equals Hope, which exists to provide for the education of those living in desperate and difficult situations. Many of you may know of our Baya bracelet, a long-time favorite, which is made in partnership with Education Equals Hope.

 

We are so grateful for the amazing ways that God used both Michele and Celeste to launch this incredible ministry. Their heart for serving others is an inspiration! Today, our organization, now known as BraveWorks, serves women in the US, Africa and South/Central America. Our heart for empowering women overcoming trauma and injustice has remained constant for the past 10 years, and we are excited to see what God does in the next 10 years!