Have you ever vented on social media out of pure frustration or because you felt like you’ve run out of all options? Have you ever looked to social media for answers hoping to get a response that would change your life?
That is what Simone Gordon unknowingly did. She put out a facebook post looking for resources for her autistic son that ended up not only changing her life, but becoming the foundation in which the lives of so many others are changed as well. After losing her job at a Fortune 500 company, she, like many people, looked to social services to help get on her feet. Unfortunately the $200 assistance she was receiving was not enough to cover her bills and the support she needed for her son, so she took to Facebook.
Four women responded to Simone looking to help in any way they could. One of whom was from Washington and not only did this woman motivate her to go back to school, but she and her husband paid Simone’s past due balance at her college and paid for Simone’s college tuition while she was part-time.
Another woman from Maryland decided to write to Children’s Hospital addressing the urgency of boosting Simone’s son on their waiting list. This resulted in her son who had already been on the waiting list for a year to now receiving the therapy he needed that next week.
All of these blessings lit a fire under Simone which resulted in her wanting to be that blessing for other women and becoming The Black Fairy Godmother.
“I was just getting blessings all around and I said there are women in the marginalized community that’s not receiving the same help that I am. So, I started fundraising on my social media and mothers from different states started to inbox me,” said Simone.
In August of 2017 Simone got wind that a woman named Theresa was about to be evicted and needed $1,000 to remain in her home. Within the hours of the eviction, Simone was able to raise the money and stop the eviction from proceeding. Thus helping her to coin the name The Black Fairy Godmother.
The Black Fairy Godmother started mutual aid in August of 2017 and became a 501 C3 nonprofit in December of 2020 and has garnered the support of her volunteers.
Simone focuses on providing access and resources to marginalized women and families because they are often underserved.
“It’s based on systemic radicalism and I teach a lot of Caucasian people the reasons why everything you see isn’t black and white. You tell someone that they can sign up for food stamps and it’s not that easy. At times it takes 30 days to get the food, or go to a food pantry and some people have dietary restrictions and they can’t eat out of a can. So, I created programs where it is accessible to us and designed for us,” said Simone.
Similar to your average fairy godmother, Simone grants wishes. Through her team's strong vetting process, they are able to help individuals with food, housing assistance, paying off tuition, or simply making sure children have gifts to open on Christmas.
“These programs are built to help families who need it the most…yes, the children are poor, yes, the families don’t have access to certain things, but just because they’re poor, doesn’t mean they can’t have a great Christmas,” said Simone.
The black fairy godmother has poured hope and determination into so many and she believes that nothing is impossible.
”I graduated college at the age of 35 and still had a child with autism that I had to take care of. So, if I could do it, any of these amazing women could do whatever they want in this world,” said Simone.
For more information on Simone and the resources that she provides: https://www.theblackfairygodmother.org
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