About Us

At Focus Fairies Mentoring, we aim to address and reduce incidents of violence, promote safety, and support the well-being of individuals and communities. Our programs aim to empower individuals and communities to break the cycle of violence through comprehensive prevention services, education, and advocacy. We are committed to fostering safe and supportive environments where every person can thrive, free from the fear of harm or injustice. By addressing the root causes of violence and promoting equity, empathy, and resilience, we strive to create a world where peace and respect are the cornerstones of our society.

Our programs and services guide each participant on a journey of self-discovery and growth while incorporating community violence intervention strategies. We understand the unique challenges faced by our participants living in communities impacted by violence, and we are committed to providing them with the support and resources they need to navigate these challenges safely.

Through a blend of community mentoring, case management, street outreach, enrichment activities, and guided coaching, we sprinkle a touch of magic into every interaction, nurturing confidence, resilience, and a sense of wonder. We aim to create a safe and supportive environment where community members can access resources and support to address and prevent violence.

Our communities, which include Fuller Park, Englewood, and North Lawndale, often face significant challenges and disparities. Through our violence prevention initiatives, we collaborate with residents and organizations in these neighborhoods to implement tailored strategies that address the root causes of violence and promote community well-being.

               A native of both the North and Westside of Chicago, Kenya fell in love with giving back as a teenager. Coming from a single-parent home, her experiences as a young woman allowed for her to see the value in mentorship and other programs that provided guidance to youth who needed a bit of extra guidance navigating those adolescent years. As her mom balanced her workload and parenting, Kenya desired an outlet outside of her home where she had the space to speak freely about her concerns and experiences without worrying about stressing out or disappointing her family members.

Some of those themes that came up for her, such as peer pressure and guidance for her ambitions and dreams of success, are still things that come up today for young women. Kenya was able to lean on a strong support system within her family, church, and community that provided and supplemented this guidance. Because this has made all the difference for her, and these continue to be individuals who support her in her adulthood, she found it necessary to partner up with Darryca to create Focus Fairies as a place for them to foster this kind of support and care for young women today.

Kenya and Darryca met in 2013 due to their mutual passion for doing the on-the-ground work of giving back to the community via toy drives, feeding the homeless, coat drives, toiletry donations to shelters and so much more. As they bonded over the need to do this work throughout the Chicago area, landed on another mutual passion of supporting and developing young women in a way that will sustain them with confidence, knowledge, resources and direction, fulfilling the needs that they both sought out when they were younger.

Kenya became a mother at age 19, which helped her to have a different outlook on life as she grew into motherhood. It brought even more discipline and an even stronger desire to be an effective role model. This is another one of many factors that led to her desire to build out this work with Chicago’s young women. Focus Fairies was started in Marshall Field Garden Apartments, where many residents are younger, single moms. It was important for them to begin this work here, where they began their mentorship and resource sharing that was life changing for the families that were just being started.

Kenya’s natural ability to resonate with the younger generation makes her a force to be reckoned with and has solidified her position within the Chicagoland area as a notable nonprofit leader.

Kenya has been a licensed Property and Casualty Broker since 2010. This career choice has allowed Kenya to not just utilize her financial resources but her skills of education, relating, coaching and mentoring to the work of Focus Fairies.

                  Born of the desire to become the role model she yearned for during her formative years, Darryca embarked on a transformative personal journey. As a community advocate, she had always wanted to return and give back to various Chicagoland communities by helping the youth, especially those from underprivileged circumstances, providing them with outreach, resources, and mentoring assistance. She began devoting her time, energy, and talents to capacity-building young adolescents in overcoming hardships similar to those she had faced as a child so that they could become integral, contributory members of society. She believes in the potential for involvement and influence at all levels to ensure success, capitalizing on their inner strengths to build a better community, one filled with peace and harmony.

Driven by a profound awareness of the enduring repercussions that traumatic life challenges indelibly impose on the mental well-being of young girls today, in 2017, Darryca took the bold step of co-founding the Chicago-based non-profit organization, Focus Fairies, a mentoring program for inner city girls of color. She currently serves as their Executive Director. Her wholehearted conviction that she is right where she needs to be is affirmed almost daily by the heartening testimonies of mothers who reach out awestruck by the remarkable transformations they witness in their own daughters -- newfound confidence, ignited passions, and a renewed sense of purpose.

As the founder and Executive Director, Darryca simultaneously directs Darra Michelle Events & Consulting, her successful event planning for-profit enterprise. Darryca’s combined professional, non-profit, and for-profit community endeavors have led her to amass a wide variety of experiences from which she accrued deep expertise in not only forging fruitful relationships but also in simultaneously managing an array of projects while adapting to rapidly evolving environments.

Darryca is currently pursuing her doctorate in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on non-profit and social entrepreneurship at Governors State University. She holds a Bachelor of Public Health degree with a focus on Healthcare Administration from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration from Argosy University.

Darryca

Kenya

Collaboration

Compassion

Empowerment

Joy and Wonder

Our Core Values



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Darryca Brim

Kenya J. Conley

Co-Founder/ Executive Director

Co- Founder

Integrity

Innovation

Inclusivity

Resilience

Kenya

Darra

                                 is the co-founder and co-Executive Director of Focus Fairies Mentoring. A native of the Westside of Chicago, Kenya fell in love with nonprofit work as a teenager. Her desire to dive into the nonprofit sector was sparked by her love of cooking; Kenya utilized this passion to volunteer within the community by feeding the homeless. Eventually, she also began mentoring young women at an early age. These two acts of selflessness created the groundwork for her current passion for charitable work. Over the years, Kenya has devoted her time and talent to giving back to underrepresented communities and guiding young girls throughout their journey of finding purpose of direction. Her natural ability to resonate with the younger generation makes her a force to be reckoned with and has solidified her position within the Chicagoland area as a notable nonprofit leader.


                              was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, a side of the city that historically lacks resources and opportunities, compared to other neighborhoods throughout the city. Her experiences fueled her desire to make a change; therefore, she dedicated her collegiate studies to doing so. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration from Northern Illinois University in 2013 and later received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Argosy University three years later.
 

Kenya J. Cole

Darra Michelle

Focus Fairies Mentoring is a mentoring opportunity like no other. It offers guidance on everything from self-esteem to interpersonal relationships; they'll learn how fairy tales can help shape your future plans through workshops that combine fun activities like arts & crafts dance movement therapy while learning life lessons about leadership skills too - all taught by real-world experts who know what works best when dealing directly with kids.

- Darryca Brim-Mims, Co-Founder

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Diversity

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Professionalism

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Leadership

Confidence

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She has worked directly within the nonprofit community as a Project Coordinator and Administrator for over four years. Throughout this time, Darryca successfully honed her skill sets acquired through personal, academic, and professional experiences to mold herself into the successful nonprofit co-founder and entrepreneur that she is today. Her ability to forge relationships, juggle multiple projects, and adjust to fast-paced settings have all contributed to her success in the nonprofit realm. 
Darryca’s ultimate mission is to continue being the positive influence among young adolescents that she feels that she needed during her adolescent years. She has a fiery passion for community engagement, youth development, and self-empowerment. The same passion that fuels her desire to be an advocate for underrepresented communities has catapulted her into a well-respected and admirable leader within various communities in the Chicagoland area.


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Ashley Wardlow

Darryca Brim

Kenya J. Conley

Executive Director

Mentor-coach

community violence intervention team

mentors

Tamika Farmer

Mentor-coach

Co-Founder

Mentor-coach

Brooke Dunlap

Saneeta Golden

Site Supervisor 

Khaliah Chiles

Paris Duke

Mentor-coach

Mentor-coach

Mentor-coach

Lauren Webber

Victims Advocate 

Isaiah Young

Office Support

Lashan Brim

Case Manager

Jerald Brim

Street Outreach

Tauheedah Cooper

Leadership team

Board Member

Christopher Patterson

Board Member

Joy Canonigo

Board Member

Nancy Loeb

Board Member

Dr. Joe Strickland

Board Member

Marny Zimmer

Board Member

Takenya Nixon

Board Secretary

Kelli Bell

Board President

Ciera Bates Chamberlain

Board Members

Our Team

Heidi Ousley

Operations Manager

Professional Consultants

Vivian Desouza

Events Manager

Audi Atefehkarabi

Communications & Marketing

Dominique Brim

Parent and Volunteer Intern

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