April 13, 2018
Hello blog readers, internet browsers, and TFFT advocates! My name is Molly Grubbs and I’m thrilled to be the new Communications and Marketing Associate for The Foundation For Tomorrow!
Though TFFT has team members all around the globe, I am currently based in our Charlotte, NC office. I love being here because Charlotte has so much to offer and is where I grew up, so I get to be close to my awesome parents. I live in the wonderful Plaza Midwood neighborhood with my boyfriend, Whit, and my cat, Tubman (yes, as in Harriet). In my free time, I love being outside, reading, perusing the aisles of Target, cuddling with Tubman, and spending time with my family and friends.
Growing up in Charlotte, I benefited from a system that allowed me to be safe, happy, and empowered. In high school, I was involved with another Charlotte based nonprofit, Playing for Others (PFO), that helped nurture and grow my love for the arts. Due to my time with PFO, I began at Appalachian State University in the beautiful NC mountains as an Art Management major, wanting to combine my love of art with something society has deemed more practical…business!
My sophomore year of college, I began taking elective classes in the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies department. That was when I first truly learned that not everyone has the same accessibility, safety and advantages that I do, and it was when I first felt the need to use my privilege to ensure that all people have access to these same kinds of freedom. I continued taking Women’s Studies classes, fell in love with the coursework, and ended up making it my major. I felt a fire light under me that I had never felt before–one that fueled my desire to pursue a career fighting for human rights.
I began post-grad life by moving to Asheville, North Carolina to work for a domestic violence prevention nonprofit. Shortly after, I received a job offer from a Charlotte based nonprofit, providing housing and other resources for human trafficking survivors. I loved working in the nonprofit world and felt very connected to my clients, but always knew something was lacking in my positions prior to TFFT. I missed having the opportunity to be creative and I was becoming emotionally burnt out, due to the often heavy nature of working in direct services. I wanted to be somewhere that I could use my creativity and artistic background, help others while also taking care of myself, and have a job that I knew was making a difference in someone’s life besides my own. Enter…TFFT!
I learned about TFFT only a short while before I began working here, through a handy dandy google search! When I saw the posting for the position as Communications and Marketing Associate, I instantly knew that I wanted to apply. I have always viewed art as a form of activism. This position allows me to express myself creatively and use visual storytelling to communicate the important work that TFFT does and inspire others to feel as passionately about our mission as we do. I am honored to be a part of the TFFT family and am so excited to begin this journey with you all!