WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

What makes Donna Montgomery truly amazing is her heart. 

Donna Montgomery loves to make people happy. “It’s never about the money with me. It’s seeing the smiles on people’s faces and watching their lives change,” she said. 

She has definitely changed lives. She founded the I Can Too movement. “The I Can Too movement is all about a mindset. The mindset that, if society tells you you don’t have certain qualifications, then you can’t do it. I’m a strong believer that whatever you put your mind to, believe ‘I Can Too,’ you can accomplish anything,” said Donna. 

She loves making dreams come true as well. “I knew this young man that was handicapped and he loved to buy clothes. I told him, ‘If you save your money for a month, I’ll take you shopping and then create a fashion show in your honor,’ to say that I Can too.” She’s a woman of her word. Donna produced an amazing fashion show. “Busta, people were in wheelchairs, some were amputees and also had intellectual developmental disabilities, mental health and other physical challenges. 

“They were individuals that ordinarily if you would look at them, you would not be able to recognize that they have the challenges or the diagnosis that they were given,” she said passionately. “One woman that was diagnosed with encephalitis (a rare neurological autoimmune disease). While she was in the hospital, they said that she would never walk again. But because of persistence and believing in herself, she was able to walk the runway at The I Can Too Fashion Show. To know her story and to see her walking the runway, it was truly tear jerking. The models in my shows have so many stories similar to that. They are true heroes. It’s truly amazing, Busta, when we change our thought process into believing that regardless of what the situation is, we can do all things,” she said. 

What’s next for this amazing woman? “I’m bringing the Battle of the Bands back to Bowman Gray Stadium on Labor Day, and all of the proceeds will go toward scholarships for the underserved youth. Also, in 2020 I’m doing Men That Win. I’m going to honor single parent fathers and men that are behind the scenes and don’t get the acknowledgment for the difference they are making in their children’s lives and the great work in the community.” 

Montgomery shared two heartwarming stories. “I know a single father who is raising two daughters, and just to see the sacrifices he makes daily as a man raising daughters and never complains about it, it’s amazing!” She did acknowledge that women do this all the time, “ … but we rarely hear about the good fathers, instead, we always hear the stories about deadbeat dads. I know another man; he retired from the military and is now raising four children, three young men and one little girl. It’s amazing to see these strong black men doing what they supposed to do. Yes, it’s what they supposed to do, but as a woman, it’s still a beautiful sight to see. So, let’s talk about something positive. The men that stick and stay,” said Donna. 

She never met a stranger that she didn’t show some love to. “I found out about a single father that needed a babysitter, but he didn’t have the money. So, me and a guy friend of mine reached out to the father and baby-sat until he got off work. We must take care of each other, Busta. That’s why I love doing what I do. To make people smile.” 

My Person of the Week, the amazing Donna Montgomery. You can reach out to Donna for more info about her events on Facebook @donna Montgomery.