Never Ever Give Up Hope

Colleen Adams made an impact in the world of fashion, but it was not the legacy she wanted to leave.  After years as a fashion executive, she left the industry to make a difference in the life of urban teens.  Sacrificing her financial security Colleen carved an innovative path of hope by establishing Empowered Youth USA.   In the depths of inner-city America, poverty and crime shape the lives of underprivileged youth. The children’s role models are drug addicts and criminals. Attending funerals of their friends seems as commonplace as hanging out at the mall and taking out the trash which might result in being shot to death. Electricity and functional plumbing aren’t guaranteed. By stark contrast, Colleen Adams hailed from the racially segregated south in the 1940’s and climbed her way to the elite end of the social scale. But after accomplishing hollow success as a fashion and publishing marketing executive, Colleen heeded her life’s calling to tackle the hopelessness and despair of disenfranchised inne