T.E.A. (Teach Empower Achieve)

T.E.A. was the birth child of Amy Peterson and Diana Roginson. Amy formerly lived next to a housing shelter in Detroit. Over time she saw various women come and leave the shelter and struck up conversations with them and their families. These conversations led Amy to wonder how she could best help them to escape the poverty she saw daily. These conversations resulted in the creation of the social enterprise, Rebel Nell. Now a major jewelry retailer; Rebel Nell has been featured on NBC News and the Today Show, and has brick and mortar stores in Detroit, Novi, and helped dozens of women escape poverty.

As Rebel Nell grew, the ladies realized that the natural focus became the jewelry, as that was Rebel Nell’s source of revenue and pathway for the women to sustain themselves financially. This growth created the struggle of balancing sales and mission. Seeing the community need was too high for Rebel Nell to address alone and noting the benefits of direct financial support, resume coaching, and financial planning for Rebel Nell designers; Amy and Diana brainstormed more sustainable ways to provide resources, education, coaching, and additional support beyond what was possible with a Rebel Nell job alone. Thus, in 2017, T.E.A. (Teach. Empower. Achieve.) was formed.

T.E.A. currently seeks to fulfill the original mission that prompted the creation of Rebel Nell by taking the lessons learned in its development and implementing its programming success by working with other employers to expand employment and opportunities for women.