In Episode 37, Vertongie Kendrix-Bailey shares her journey as a mother and advocate for her two sons: Zechariah and Hezekiah. Her parenting philosophy guides how she has crafted community to support her values and goals for her family.
As a highly educated professional, Vertongie is the kind of mother who uses all her resources and skills to provide for and advocate for her children and herself. Vertongie also serves as a parent liaison for Children with Special Needs, participates on nonprofit boards, trains parents on how to be better advocates for their children, organizes local campaigns, and found her own foundation/small business Hezekiah Kidz, Inc.
Vertongie is a woman of great humility and expansive determination. She is a stroke survivor and parents a child with special needs. What others may see as set backs, Vertongie has turned into set ups for success. Parenting her son who has autism has taught her the importance of advocacy and has propelled her to work diligently to learn as much as she can in order to be the best support not only for her son but for all the children in her community.
Vertongie began her educational journey in Detroit Public Schools. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration-Accounting, a Master's degree in Administration-Human Resources, and is currently working towards a 2nd Master's in Special Education with her eye on a Ph. D. in Behavioral Health. To say that she believes education is important in setting and achieving your goals would be an understatement.
To learn more about a few of the program Vertongie supports check out:
Hezekiah Kidz, Inc
DAPCEP
CHADD
Autism Alliance of Michigan