COCOTIQUE is dedicated to inspiring, uplifting and empowering women through the power of beauty. We believe that every woman deserves to unapologetically value herself, and by doing so create a positive impact in her life, as well as those she touches in her family, community and career. In this way she becomes an inspiration to others and passes the message and light forward.
Check out these nominees and their compelling stories of sacrifice, illness, and tenacity. These are women who have inspired others while making a difference. They are also loved and appreciated for their will to never give up.
I am so thankful that Sonya is nominated for such a wonderful box.
I am 38 years old and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in April of 2014. But that is not my story. My story is more importantly that I am a wife and mother.
Up until 2014, I was also in the full time work force. I loved my job, but my health had taken its toll. I was permanently disabled when the doctor and I saw that my quality of life would not be conducive to working and raising children. I have six and seven year old boys. My husband also has a daughter who is just as much mine as his. So my life is taking care of those babies even when I sometimes can't take care of myself. They are my world, as well as my husband and friends like Sonya. We have built a support system to up build and encourage one another.
Hello! My name is Tiana Franklin. My sister Ciara nominated me for the contest you guys had on Facebook. I'm extremely proud of her for nominating me. As much as I try to stay humble, I have gone through a bit in life. Early on in life, we were part of a messy divorce that resulted with my siblings and I being homeless for a while.
Growing up I wanted to make sure that my mother and siblings had nothing but the best. I did all I could, from working many jobs to support my mother from afar, to driving my sister Ciara to her job interviews. I did all I could in between my million jobs to make sure she was OK. It was never about me, only the well being of my loved ones. Currently I coach elementary kids tennis, work in retail, and I also work as an Extended Day Assistant and a substitute preschool teacher for the school district. It's a lot, haha, but I want to show my siblings and students that they can achieve anything through hard work, as well as being kind, humble and never forgetting the hard obstacles that you stumble upon. It's just another chapter in your book of life.
My mother has spent the last few years of her life adjusting to a rare blood disease. A blood disease that they said would alter her way of life and eventually kill her. They told her it would be painful, it would require random surgeries, and that it would take her away from her family. They told her it was incurable that the closest doctor was hundreds of miles away and that she needed to act quickly. They told her all this, but she accepted none of it.
She chose life. She has chosen to spend every day doing all she can for her family and others with a smile on her face. Her smile is breathtaking. It gives life. She smiles through the blood, through the treatments, through the surgeries. She smiles through the days that seem like they are her last. She works for a nonprofit helping families find assistance with housing and food as well as bettering themselves in the workforce and everyday life. She is a powerful evangelist in the church and Sunday school teacher as well. She’s a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 2 and she executes every detail of those jobs perfectly.
There isn’t another woman in this world that I have seen mirror her strength and character even in a situation like terminal illness. She deserves the world and only wants others salvation and time with her family.
Lela Rankins is the epitome of Maya Angelo’s Phenomenal Woman. And I am honored to call her my mother.
To nominate a deserving woman who may be a going through a difficult situation such as domestic abuse, loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or maybe someone who just works hard and doesn’t take time for herself.
Each month we crowdsource nominations via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #COCOTIQUECares. At the end of the month, we will choose 5 deserving women who will each receive a COCOTIQUE Box and post their story and photo on the #COCOTIQUE Cares section of our blog. The friend who makes the #COCOTIQUECares nomination will also receive a COCOTIQUE Box.
Check out these nominees and their compelling stories of sacrifice, illness, and tenacity. These are women who have inspired others while making a difference. They are also loved and appreciated for their will to never give up.
LAKESHA’S STORY:
I am so thankful that Sonya is nominated for such a wonderful box.
I am 38 years old and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in April of 2014. But that is not my story. My story is more importantly that I am a wife and mother.
Up until 2014, I was also in the full time work force. I loved my job, but my health had taken its toll. I was permanently disabled when the doctor and I saw that my quality of life would not be conducive to working and raising children. I have six and seven year old boys. My husband also has a daughter who is just as much mine as his. So my life is taking care of those babies even when I sometimes can't take care of myself. They are my world, as well as my husband and friends like Sonya. We have built a support system to up build and encourage one another.
Tiana’s Story:
Hello! My name is Tiana Franklin. My sister Ciara nominated me for the contest you guys had on Facebook. I'm extremely proud of her for nominating me. As much as I try to stay humble, I have gone through a bit in life. Early on in life, we were part of a messy divorce that resulted with my siblings and I being homeless for a while.
Growing up I wanted to make sure that my mother and siblings had nothing but the best. I did all I could, from working many jobs to support my mother from afar, to driving my sister Ciara to her job interviews. I did all I could in between my million jobs to make sure she was OK. It was never about me, only the well being of my loved ones. Currently I coach elementary kids tennis, work in retail, and I also work as an Extended Day Assistant and a substitute preschool teacher for the school district. It's a lot, haha, but I want to show my siblings and students that they can achieve anything through hard work, as well as being kind, humble and never forgetting the hard obstacles that you stumble upon. It's just another chapter in your book of life.
Lela’s Story:
My mother has spent the last few years of her life adjusting to a rare blood disease. A blood disease that they said would alter her way of life and eventually kill her. They told her it would be painful, it would require random surgeries, and that it would take her away from her family. They told her it was incurable that the closest doctor was hundreds of miles away and that she needed to act quickly. They told her all this, but she accepted none of it.
She chose life. She has chosen to spend every day doing all she can for her family and others with a smile on her face. Her smile is breathtaking. It gives life. She smiles through the blood, through the treatments, through the surgeries. She smiles through the days that seem like they are her last. She works for a nonprofit helping families find assistance with housing and food as well as bettering themselves in the workforce and everyday life. She is a powerful evangelist in the church and Sunday school teacher as well. She’s a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 2 and she executes every detail of those jobs perfectly.
There isn’t another woman in this world that I have seen mirror her strength and character even in a situation like terminal illness. She deserves the world and only wants others salvation and time with her family.
Lela Rankins is the epitome of Maya Angelo’s Phenomenal Woman. And I am honored to call her my mother.
How do I nominate someone?
To nominate a deserving woman who may be a going through a difficult situation such as domestic abuse, loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or maybe someone who just works hard and doesn’t take time for herself.
Each month we crowdsource nominations via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #COCOTIQUECares. At the end of the month, we will choose 5 deserving women who will each receive a COCOTIQUE Box and post their story and photo on the #COCOTIQUE Cares section of our blog. The friend who makes the #COCOTIQUECares nomination will also receive a COCOTIQUE Box.
COCOTIQUE’s Social Responsibility Program focuses on three key initiatives:
- Supporting women
- Promoting the value of self-care
- Promoting paying it forward