Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Quin Levy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Quin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The M. Ariel Love Foundation was birth from love and loss. On August 8, 2020, my 19- year-old daughter, Maylaysia Ariel Levy was murdered at the hands of her child’s father. At the time of her death, Maylaysia was 5 weeks postpartum and her then, 5-week-old baby girl was present. Although none of us could have imagined that this would have been her fate there were signs leading up to this. It is unknown if there was previous physical abuse, as Maylaysia never divulged this to us, but we witnessed the verbal, emotional, digital and social abuse. Nevertheless, Maylaysia looked past these things and attempted to see what was being displayed for the sake of her emotional connection and her child. I personally talked to her about walking away from this, family tried to get through to her as well but in the end… she was unable to retreat quick enough. Often times, we as parents don’t have in depth conversations with our children about love and how to identify it. We don’t often sit our children down and discuss red flags and toxic straight in social relationships and it is absolutely imperative that, this changes. We have the talk about the birds and the bees…. schools teach sex education but not the predator and the prey, as it relates to social interactions among people. Our young people are growing up and getting into relationships only to learn for themselves through experience about domestic abuse and some can’t even identify it… so they stay and deal. For this reason, the M. Ariel’s Love Foundation’s mission is to prevent domestic violence against youth and young adults through educating adolescents on how to identify and avoid unhealthy behaviors. We seek to increase awareness, education, and support services to victims and survivors. Our foundation is dedicated to building and helping to maintain healthy members of society, who have healthy boundaries and who not only exist but thrive.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Quin Levy, and I am a wife and mother of 4 children… 3 girls and 1 boy. I’ve been a single parent just trying to make it and I’ve been a married parent attempting to juggle and balance it all. I’ve experienced heartbreak and learned many hard lessons. I’ve lost everything and had to rebuild, and I know the feeling of isolation and betrayal by those who appear to be closest to me. I have been in love and abused having to make the choice of choosing myself and losing someone I loved. I’ve seen the manipulation and lengths people will go through to move their agenda forward. I got into this field due to a loud and clear call from God to take action after the domestic violence homicide of my 19-year-old daughter. This event shook my entire existence, and I knew that I had to do something. The M. Ariel Love Foundation imparts domestic abuse/violence awareness and education by-way of community workshops, social media platforms, and working with schools. We currently offer group and individual counseling sessions with the partnership of licensed mental health professionals, through our “Love You Too Initiative”. Each year we celebrate the life of Maylaysia Ariel Levy and other victims of domestic violence homicide while raising funds to further the mission; as these were living, breathing, loving people who may not have seen the danger in time…. but their legacies live on to make a difference in the lives of others. What sets our organization apart is the fact that this mission is personal and directly tied to the legacy of my daughter, Maylaysia Ariel Levy. To fail to do our part in eradicating domestic abuse/violence would mean that all the live lost to domestic violence were in vain, and that is absolutely not so. Whomever, we can save… we will do our part to save.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve found that when tragedy strikes people are more likely to support a cause… because it’s tied to a particular person or story. However, after a while they move on with their lives and tend to forget that the issue still exist. During this journey, it has been challenging to assume the cost of workshops and programs in addition to the basic cost of running the non-profit with little to no donations. Nevertheless, we continue apply for grant money and work with what we have…. trusting God for the rest. Somehow, we always have enough to do what needs to be done.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Tosha Dearbone is a highly appreciated and active board member at the M. Ariel Love Foundation. I met Tosha through her reaching out to me via social media after the death of my daughter and the launching of the M. Ariel Love Foundation. She gave her condolences, offered encouraging words and not only shared her experience with domestic violence but her passion of making a change. Tosha is the founder of Positive Express 501(c)(3). I share this because there have been many times that things were not panning out as expected and Tosha is always that person who encourages you to keep going. She believes in the mission wholeheartedly and every organization needs people like that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mariellovefoundation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justice_for_maylaysia/?fbclid=IwAR1Zl6o_AIfOdm2gGlSumbh0oo-zGmOUMmAaAOFk-D9Kl3yL06hqH6mDCrg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m.ariellovefoundation/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEZRorB92xXiil0g1ZkYqg
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariellovefoundation?lang=en