*“I was shocked…blown away,” Raja B. Marhaba said about being selection by L’Oreal Paris as one of its 2019 “Women of Worth Honorees.” “To me it’s a God thing. I’ve been trying to be an L’Oreal Paris honoree for four years. It’s difficult.”
The mission of L’Oreal Paris is to uplift and inspire self-worth. The “Women of Worth Honoree” receives a $10,000 prize recognizing their courage and unwavering determination to better the world. Raja’s journey to better the world began when her two sons, Omar Jr. and Jonathan, were diagnosed with learning disorders. The quality of her child’s assessment determined the quality of care her sons received from the school system. The result was eight complaints, a hearing, a Federal appeal and the draining of her finances and marriage – due to her use of private assessments and interventions. Marhaba established The Jonathan Foundation for Children with Learning Disabilities to acquire and distribute funding to offer families of children with learning disorders to get quality private assessments and interventions.
“It’s going towards assessments and school programs. That’s what we raise money for,” said Raja about how she will spend the funds provided to the “Women of Worth Honorees” by L’Oreal Paris. “There is such a need. Quality assessments cost $3,000 to $6,500. If a child needs an assessment, there’s a speech assessment, etc…you add the money up…just to find out what’s happening with their child. The school district is not always comprehensive. We established relationships with credentialed psychologists. I went through this with my kids, so I know.”
To raise funds for The Jonathan Foundation, Raja signed onto the ESP Public Relations firm headed by Dr. Edna Sims. Sims made Hollywood aware of what Raja was doing for needy youth and a large number of them came out to support their fundraising events. I often cover the red carpet arrivals to The Jonathan Foundation fundraisers and had the opportunity to interview many of Hollywood’s young actors, such as Michael Campion (Netflix’s “Fuller House”); Hunter Payton (NBC’s “A to Z”); Tara Nicole Azarian (Nickelodeon’s “Game Shaker”); Amber Romero (Disney’s “Future Worm”); Merit Leighton (Disney’s “Sofia the First”); Marlowe Payton (ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat”), and Hayley Gripp (CSI: Las Vegas).
Raja Marhaba has licenses in tax preparation and real estate. She is the co-owner of the MarTec Construction Company. She has a Paralegal Studies certification from the University of California. She became a member of the Education Panel & Committee for the Juvenile Division of the Los Angeles Country Superior Court, the National Association of Women Business Owners, the National Women’s Business Enterprise, the Rotary Club of Granada Hills, and the Women-Owned Small Business.
L’Oreal Paris is a division of L’Oreal USA, Inc., a brand of beauty care products and services. The brand’s signature slogan is “Because I’m Worth It” and it was born in the United States in 1973 to celebrate 100 years of its launch. Since L’Oreal invented hair color in 1909 it has continued to lead in innovation for hair products.
Joining Raja Marhaba as the 2019 “Women of Worth Honorees” by L’Oreal Paris, to receive $10,000 and a chance to win $25,000 more for the “National Women of Worth Honoree”, are Brittany Schiavone (NY) who delivers hand-made baskets to Down Syndrome babies; Crystal Chatman (TN) who empowers teenage girls through mentorship; Hatal Jani (NY) who provides mentorship of immigrant girls; Judy Winter (MI) who provides musical experiences for special needs children; Ni’Cola Mitchell (NV) who empowers at-risk teenage girls by teaching literacy, education and life skills; Sally Berenzweig (FL) who teaches personal safety to children and adults; Samantha Gerson (CA) who provides legal and therapeutic support to adolescent survivors of institutional abuses; Shante Elliott (IL) who coaches youth in the foster care program about college and career issues, and Shreyaa Venkat (VA) who provides community leadership opportunities and volunteers helping to reduce food waste and feed the hungry. www.TheJonathanFoundation.org www.LOrealParisUSA.com/women-of-worth.aspx
SYNDICATED COLUMN: Eunice Moseley, has an estimated weekly readership of over ¼ million with The Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Public Relations Strategist and Business Management Consultant at Freelance Associates, and is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com. EVENT: Eunice is founder of the annual “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference (ULMII), into its 20th year. Next event dates include Los Angeles Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center (511) and Baltimore Saturday April 18, 2020, held in partnership with Security Square Mall and The Baltimore Times. The free conference offers an Entertainment Business Panel and a Talent Showcase and Competition (vocal, songwriting, dance and acting) with over $15,000 valued in prizes/product/services to selected artists. Log onto www.UpliftingMinds2.com for more information or to participate as a panelist or talent call 562-424-3836.
www.GoFundMe.com/Uplifting-Minds-II-Entertainment-Conference
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