Delta's Blog - Thinkerella!
Nothing fuels change faster than a mother on a mission. Cherie Melancon Franz had an idea to upend a mindset. She’d been planning it for weeks. What she hadn’t planned was her big “reveal,” the day she’d speak it into reality. That was left to fate and irony. There she was— decked out in glitter, sparkles in her hair, beads on her neck and a bejeweled purse on her wrist that dangled as she waved to the crowds below. You might say she looked like a princess, but diva be damned, don’t you dare!
Cherie was standing in the last spot in the last float of New Orleans’ newest all female Mardi Gras parade when, in passing conversation, the talk turned to her daughter Anabelle’s recent 11th birthday. It was a princess party and Cherie made a vow. Never again. Never again did she want her daughter to think she had to put on make-up to be beautiful or that beauty, no matter how deep, was “the” standard by which to be measured. Forget Cinderella—our daughters need to dream beyond Disney—was the crux of her crusade. And just like that, what she had been mulling in her mind spilled out of her mouth. Move over, Cinderella, “Thinkerella!’ is the new girl in town, a bespectacled brainiac with a desire to inspire. And she did.
“Thinkerella” quickly became a destination party site, where little girls donned lab coats and goggles instead of high hems and gems. They learned about Newton’s Third Law, got messy and ate. it. up. It was full STEAM ahead— science technology, engineering, art and math in a make-believe-but-you-better-believe it’s possible setting. And they got noticed, too. ThinkerFellas wasn’t far behind and then ThinkerKids, an after school program.
The company grew. In three years, it’s hosted more than 60 parties and 30 workshops and has branched out into more than a dozen schools. Cherie wound up hiring teachers who, ironically, freed her up to return to learning. She’s training to become an advocate. Cherie’s youngest child, Ethan, is an autistic 9 year old whose brilliance just happens to be unconventionally conveyed. Forsake make-believe, she encourages all parents, for the sake of making them believe…anything is possible.
To learn more about Thinkerella, check it out! http://www.mythinkerella.com
Life’s about change…make it real. If you enjoyed this post, please share it. I’d love to meet more of you and tell your stories. ~ Delta