Today is the launch of an unprecedented campaign…
THE STORY
…The Bridging the Gap Campaign. If you haven’t already heard about it through social media, the Bridging the Gap Campaign was started by the beautiful Catherine from CatherineGraceO.com who also happens to be the revolutionary behind the Fierce 50 Campaign from last Winter.
The goal of the Bridging the Gap Campaign is to put an end to the ageist labels that divide us into inaccurate compartmentalized groups. Age is nothing more than a number…I have always said that, but this campaign is proving it. What truly matters is who we are on the inside; how we view life, and how we live it. The women of the Bridging the Gap Campaign are women (and a few brave men) supporting women. We are coming together to send a powerful message to the world…We choose to be seen for who we are as opposed to being defined by our ages. We believe in a world without separation; without labels; without divisions. We believe that we are far stronger together than we are in isolation. We are one voice.
The premise behind this campaign really strikes a chord with me personally. One of the primary tenets of how I have chosen to live my life is that we are all equal. Age, race, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, disabilities…all entirely irrelevant. The one and only thing that truly matters at the end of the day is who we are on a deeper level; who each of us is as a human being. Think about it for a minute. It doesn’t matter if we are 25 or 75. It doesn’t matter if our skin tone is light or dark. It doesn’t matter if we love a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter if we can learn a new math skill in 10 minutes or 10 months. We all want basically the same things in life: to love and be loved, to feel safe and cared for, to be valued for who we are and what we have to offer the world. It’s as simple as that. And there is no better time than now to start bridging the gap…
MY BRIDGING THE GAP PARTNER: VANESSA
One look at Vanessa’s photos and you can tell that she loves life…I mean seriously, that smile! It’s really no surprise that Vanessa enjoys people and loves being out and actively engaged in her community. It is important to her to be working for causes, bringing awareness to others and giving back to the world. This aspect of Vanessa’s personality is what drew her to become involved in the Bridging The Gap Campaign; she believed that it was a cause she could really get behind and I could not agree with her more. On a personal note, Vanessa has zero tolerance for bullying of any kind; she cannot stand by while someone bullies or discriminates against another human being based upon perceived differences like disabilities, looks, wealth or anything else that makes someone the unique human being that they are. You can see why I was a huge fan of Vanessa’s right from the beginning.
Vanessa hails from Texas. She moved to Dallas in 2014 after growing up in a small border town on the most southern tip of of Texas. She decided to become a city girl because she was in search of more professional opportunities as well as fashion related opportunities. While small town living had its advantages, Vanessa has an adventurous soul. So with only her savings account in hand she headed to the big city, rented an apartment for 6 months to give her dreams a shot and the rest is history. She believes that it was her best decision thus far in her life.
Vanessa comes from a family of educators; she is the only one in her family who did not pursue a career in education. She’s even married to a high school academic counselor! Vanessa currently works as a Regional Sales Director for a senior living company. She loves working with the elderly as she enjoys hearing their stories and experiences. Although she loves working with the senior community, Vanessa’s long term goal is to be an entrepreneur and be able to target a variety of audiences…and go-getter that she is, Vanessa hinted that perhaps something is currently in the works…can’t wait to see what it is!
Vanessa and her husband are newlyweds of only 7 months although they’ve been together for 6 years…check out how adorable they are in their wedding picture below! Vanessa says that she wouldn’t be where she is today if it wasn’t for having him by her side. She knew he was the one because she had never felt more like herself than she did when she was with him. The happy couple are parents to two fur babies; Ginger the dog and Hailey the cat.
Vanessa says that she has always been involved in fashion in some capacity. Even while still in her small town, Vanessa was busy with local modeling. At the time, she felt like modeling was something that she wanted to pursue, but in 2015 she discovered blogging. Vanessa had joined a stylist agency and along with styling clients, she also blogged for them and that’s where her love for blogging was born. Others at the agency encouraged Vanessa to start her own blog. That encouragement along with her own observations of other local bloggers and their social media accounts spurred her on to start her own blog, Vanessa In Dallas. Like most of us, her start in blogging was a slow process, but since then her blogging career has blossomed. Vanessa says that what she loves most about blogging are the relationships that she has developed as a result and everything that she has learned along the way.
**You can find Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaindallas as well as on her blog, Vanessa In Dallas.
**Check out all 200 of the beautiful women of the Bridging The Gap Campaign here.
