The Higher Foundation

Dear Higher Community,

Today, May 18th, marks 8 years that The Higher Foundation has been serving our community. These past 8 years have been full of community impact paired with lessons learned. Biblically, the number 8 represents new beginnings, and I am excited for The Higher Foundation to see anew.

On our 8th business anniversary, I am proud to introduce The Higher Advisory Council. The Higher Advisory Council strengthens and stabilizes The Higher Foundation by securing funding for our organization. The Higher Advisor is an advisory board member with a fundraising goal of $10,000.00 within a 12-month term. If you have a passion for service and our mission, visit our website to learn more at www.higherfoundation.org/advisors.

I am also proud to introduce The Founder's Circle only on Patreon. We welcome members of The Higher Community to become a member with only a $5.18 monthly subscription fee, symbolic of our May 18th, 2018 inception date. I will personally share exclusive behind-the-scenes video content to Patreon that no other social media platform will see. Learn more by visiting www.patreon.com/thehigherfoundation.

Thank you to The Higher Community for supporting our organization for 8 years. We have barely scratched the surface. Let's keep going higher together.

💙

With Love & Gratitude,
Mallorye Crowell
President & Founder of The Higher Foundation

'They're feeling it most': Fight ongoing to end food insecurity among college students A Hope Center Student Basic Needs survey showed 41-percent of students nationally have to fight food insecurity

Tune in to 11Alive News this Thursday at 6:45 AM to watch our story on how food insecurity impacts Georgia college students. In this current economy, our mission to help Collegiate Georgians overcome basic needs insecurity has become even more prevalent.

Our President & Founder, Mallorye Crowell, discusses how USDA can help alleviate this issue by accepting volunteer and training hours for SNAP for Students, and Higher Student, Aliyah Johnson, discusses how KSU Cares helps alleviate this issue with their on-campus food pantry.

We encourage The Higher Community to tune in and spread the word. Let's keep going higher.

🎥: www.11alive.com/watch

Drop some blue hearts 💙 in the comments if you'll be watching!

💙

The Higher Salon Pilot is still in action! We plan to officially launch our new program by August for the 2026-27 academic year.

ℹ️ If you know a Georgia K-12 student who needs accessible haircare, parents/guardians can request an appointment by emailing us at [email protected]. We prioritize foster children. We do not serve Pre-K students.

📍 We serve our clients at a salon located in Union City, Georgia.

💇🏽‍♀️ Our services are limited to cleanse, condition, and braid styles. We provide the braiding hair for female clients who want extensions. We also provide hair accessories if requested.

💰 We do not have any set prices. Our services are offered as pay-what-you-can. Parents/guardians can submit their payment on our website as a donation.

📝 Parents/guardians must sign a participant waiver before we serve their child(ren).

🚫 We are not accepting volunteer stylists at this time.

Drop some blue hearts 💙 in the comments to show our Higher Students some love!

💙

SNAP Changes: USDA should accept volunteer and training hours for college students - SaportaReport Read SNAP Changes: USDA should accept volunteer and training hours for college students by Mallorye Crowell for SaportaReport here.

In the midst of the SNAP Changes, we encourage USDA to accept volunteer and training hours for college students just as they do for abled-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD).

For college students, volunteer and training hours would account for their campus and community involvement including, but not limited to, student clubs and organizations, student athletics, student research, and community service.

This policy change would reduce food insecurity among student-athletes, student-leaders, and student-researchers, allowing them to go higher in their education and career.

Read our full article by visiting www.higherfoundation.org/media.

Thank you SaportaReport for the feature!

💙

The Higher Salon Pilot in its first phase would not have been possible without KoKo, the owner of Lux Studio Salon Suites. She allowed us to use her salon space on Sundays and Mondays at no charge to run our pilot.

Thank you, KoKo, for your generosity and support! Drop some blue hearts 💙 in the comments to show her some Higher Love!

ℹ️ Please see our previous posts for more information.

💙

Historically, stylists and braiders have offered accessible haircare services to K-12 students for back to school, prom, and graduation, but we want to offer our services throughout their entire academic year. To do this effectively, we need to focus on primarily serving Georgia K-12 students. We will no longer offer pay-what-you-can haircare services to adults.

After our pilot, we will consider offering affordable braid and loc services to adults referred to us by community organizations that help unemployed Georgians secure interviews and job opportunities. This additional program will be reconsidered at a low-priority.

ℹ️ Please see our previous posts for more information.

We enjoyed serving Georgia women from all walks of life in our first pilot phase! Drop some blue hearts 💙 in the comments to show them some Higher Love!

💙

Before the start of The Higher Salon Pilot, we planned to offer both natural styles and braid styles, provided by licensed stylists and professional braiders respectively. Once we started the pilot, there was a very low demand for our silk press appointments. Our clients, both girls and women at the time, stated that natural styles only last a few days, and it would not be beneficial to them in the long run.

Because of which, we will not offer silk press appointments anymore; we will only offer braid styles. Those in need of natural haircare services are encouraged to visit their nearest cosmetology school to receive discounted services by their students.

ℹ️ Please see our previous posts for more information.

Thank you to our Higher Stylists who volunteered with us to provide these beautiful silk presses! Drop some blue hearts in the comments 💙 to show our pictured students some Higher Love!

💙

During the first phase of The Higher Salon Pilot, our Higher Students mostly requested knotless braids. The students and their parents said they wanted this style because of its longevity and versatility. Because of which, medium knotless braids will be our suggested Higher Style.

ℹ️ Please see our previous posts for more information.

Drop some blue hearts 💙 in the comments to show our pictured Higher Students some Higher Love!

💙

We have concluded the first half of The Higher Salon Pilot, and we have decided to contain The Higher Salon within The Higher Foundation as a new program for Georgia K-12 students. It will not be an affiliate organization as we initially stated.

The Higher Salon Program strives to promote confidence in the classroom by providing accessible haircare services to Georgia K-12 students. In our next phase of the pilot, we will mostly collaborate with educators and administrators to develop the most feasible approach to serve Georgia K-12 students statewide. Our pilot is still scheduled to end by August 2026.

If you have any questions or want to get involved, contact us via email at [email protected].

📸: Pictures of our Higher Students who requested cornrow braid styles.

Drop some blue hearts 💙 in the comments to show them some Higher Love!

💙