Born and raised in Southern California, Erinn Davenport is an entrepreneur to the core. That’s obvious by all the enterprises she lays claim to. She is owner of Erinn’s Creations Inc., which houses KEBN Online Radio Network, Unlimited Outreach Christian Programming, Treat Yourself Travel Agency, and Oak Tree Tours, and is also the founder of Renewing Your Spirit and ‘R’ Girls Social Network. This is a non-profit organization which uses media, travel, events, and print to bring a message of spiritual, financial, emotional, and physical wellness to men and women of all backgrounds.
After a life of witnessing domestic violence in her home; living among mentally and financially impoverished women in her neighborhood; homelessness; taking care of her mother during a battle with cancer; raising a teenage brother; becoming a teenage mother; witnessing the death of her son; divorce; and more life issues; Davenport was determined that her world would be better and that she would do everything possible to improve the lives of others.
In 2008, Davenport sold nearly all of her belongings, packed up her children and moved to Texas in search of a better quality of life. She was determined she would work a regular 9 to 5 in a quest to have normalcy in her life, but lost her job as a executive assistant to the CEO of a large healthcare company.
After much prayer, meditation, and obedience to God, Davenport turned to her passion of writing. As time went on, she enrolled in broadcasting school started her own Online Radio Network. “The financial blessing that this venture has brought on has given me the opportunity to expand my company and live my dream.”
Her broadcast work led to an invitation to write a column in the Pasadena Journal which gave birth to the Renewing Your Spirit movement. This exposed her to a whole new fellowship of women were seeking relatable and candid advice.
“I remember being in the market and having women stare at me and then approach me to tell me how much my articles inspired them weekly. I was honored and humbled at the same time,” Davenport said.
“I founded Renewing Your Spirit to empower African American women to be well emotionally, spiritually, financially and physically. As women, we are so busy taking care of everyone else–making sure everyone else is okay and has what they need–that we neglect ourselves. We have to start making ourselves a priority,” said Davenport.
The Renewing You Spirit Foundation stands behind a number of issues, and most recently helped support the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, by hosting “Sisterhood: The Red Affair.”
This fashion show, “Survivor Fashion Showcase” was moderated by 102.3 KJLH radio personality Adai Lamar–the local voice for the Steve Harvey Morning Shown and the first African American woman to lead a morning radio show in Los Angeles. The event was attended by more than 250 women including Lamar, who honored five heart disease survivors (Ruth Hopkins, Tonya Turner, Kristin Ealy-Jolivet, Tonya Todd-Davis and Shalaunda Robinson).
“I have a passion for women, especially African American women, and I started out doing events (through) social media to empower women. The biggest challenge is keeping up with all the work it takes to put these events on. We have so many requests from advocates for (everything) asthma to domestic violence to support their causes. It is difficult figuring out where to focus our energies, because as much as we would like to, we can’t do everything.
“We focused on supporting heart disease, because it is the number one killer of women, and we wanted to help bring awareness and teach women to make better choices, when it comes to their diet and lifestyle,” said Davenport.
In October, The Renewing Your Spirit Foundation will hold an event called the Pink Affair, which will support breast cancer education and awareness for African American women. There will be seven honorees and tickets will go on sale in July.
Aside from holding events, the foundation also has an online newsletter with more than 25,000 subscribers.
To learn more about the Renewing Your Spirit Foundation and to donate, visit the organization’s website at www.renewingyourspirit.net.
