What happens when a motivated woman is given an opportunity? Fashion for a Future 2026 celebrates women who can answer that question. Meet them!
On October 22, HOPE for Single Moms students and graduates will take the runway during our Walk of HOPE, celebrating the courage it takes to pursue an education, build a career and create a more secure future for their families. One of those women is Billie Carson.
Billie was one of five women selected for the pilot of Cleaning for HOPE, the first workforce pathway of HOPE Workforce Institute. The program provided more than cleaning skills. Women received workforce training, paid hands-on experience and support as they prepared for sustainable employment.
For three pilot participants, that opportunity led to employment with local cleaning companies. Two plan to attend college in the future. For Billie, it led to entrepreneurship.
An Opportunity We Didn’t Expect
As Billie progressed through the program, we discovered she had a vision for a business of her own. So instead of simply preparing Billie to work for someone else, we walked alongside her through the process of turning her idea into a business.
That idea was deeply personal. Billie lost her mother when she was just 15. Years later, that loss helped inspire Amor Fati Headstone Cleaning, which provides headstone cleaning and memorial care for West Michigan families.
“Amor Fati” means “love of one’s fate.” For Billie, it represents honoring and embracing the lives and stories of the people we love, even after they are gone.
Billie’s journey also helped HOPE recognize another opportunity. We developed an entrepreneur track for women interested in business ownership. Today, all three women completing our next Cleaning for HOPE cohort have started LLCs of their own.
That’s what can happen when motivation meets opportunity.
Celebrate Courage. Create Opportunity. Your attendance at Fashion for a Future does both.
You’ll celebrate courage as Billie and our other graduates and student moms walk the runway. You can also visit Billie at her Amor Fati business table and meet the entrepreneur behind her story.
And you’ll help create opportunity for the women who come next.
Your ticket, raffle purchases, silent auction bids and gifts during Fund Her Future help provide the education, workforce training and practical support that make future success stories possible.
And yes—it’s going to be fun. Gather your girlfriends for a strolling dinner, fashion, celebrity models and what Lisa Barnes calls “the ultimate girls’ night out.”
Come celebrate Billie and the women of HOPE. Then help create the opportunity for the next success story.
Fashion for a Future 2026
October 22, 2026 | 6–9 p.m. | Goei Center