Breaking Bread Brings Women Together For Sharing And Support

Since 2014 Ken Snipe Enterprises, LLC (KSE) quarterly has hosted Pour Into Me: A Brunch for Multi-Generation Women. It is the brainchild of Kendra Snipe and the signature event of Snipe’s Maggie and Me cause event-planning service. Together with Snipe’s Organizational Development (OD) by Design, Maggie & Me comprise the two arms of Snipe’s purpose-driven enterprise.

Snipe formed her limited liability company through a marriage between her passion for helping others overcome adversity and her skills in organizational strategy. Maggie & Me is the community advocacy arm of her KSE brand and Organizational Development (OD) by Design is its business development and consulting arm.

After earning multiple college degrees, Snipe found herself without a career opportunity so she put her skills and training to work and formed Ken Snipe Enterprises, LLC. It began as a seed from a planned “cause event” for a close friend diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Snipe’s friend shared the diagnosis and asked for support. Snipe felt she had to do something so she made a few contacts and planned a gala that included a live band, auction items, a photo center and even a comedian. Everything was either donated or provided at a small cost. That was the birth of Maggie & Me.

“We don’t plan baby showers or weddings!” Snipe emphasizes. A ‘for cause event’ is an event planned for a cause, she explains. A need has to be addressed in conjunction with the event or Maggie & Me won’t take on the task, Snipe explained.

“For example, a family member was in need of a kidney transplant so Maggie & Me was asked to organize a concert that raised not only funds, but awareness about kidney disease in black communities. The event focused on knowing the signs (of kidney disease) and taking full advantage of resources that exist, which often can be a challenge in our community. Maggie and Me aimed to dispel myths and make folks think about how they take care of themselves and those they love. We had the Kidney Foundation come out. A 3-time kidney transplant survivor came out and shared her experience and musicians came to Wadmalaw Island from all over the Charleston area.”

After Snipe found a career opportunity, the time she could spend planning ‘cause events’ became limited. And she consults as part of OD by Design when time permits. But since she lost her mother to cancer in 2008, Snipe said, “I felt an indescribable void. I need to be around diverse women who pour into me and we can pour into each other – sharing connections, lessons and judgment-free experiences.”

So in 2014 she created Pour Into Me: A Brunch for Multi-Generation Women. “It renews me. We (women) have to keep getting to know each other in order to really maximize our collective power. True collective power comes not from walking in defense but in understanding both the intent of a woman and her limitations,” she said.

That’s what Pour Into Me: A Brunch for Multi-Generation Women has brought to countless women over the past five years. It has been described as, “a beautiful display of sisterhood! Beautifully facilitated conversation in an environment where we each felt comfortable sharing our truth” … and as “a brunch that brought together a truly diverse group of dynamic, interesting women for conversation that was both compelling and moving; ranging from the lighthearted to the profound.” Another comment was, “I can’t wait until the next brunch! The experience really impacted me and equipped me with lots of information.”

Snipe agreed with them saying, “We should invite each other to stand in that gap as often as possible. This brunch is very personal for me,” she says. Maggie & Me’s next Pour Into Me: A Brunch for Multi-Generation Women will be July 13. Snipe hopes other women will join her. For more information, please visit maggienme.com or email info@kensnipeenterprises.com.

This article originally appeared in the Charleston Chronicle.