On January 26th, Be Like You™ held their fashion show at the Hilton Garden Inn in Carlsbad. A non-profit 501(c)(3), Be Like You™ Inc., was founded on October 01, 2018 by sister-team Sauimalae (Sim) Bilben and Fetu Escoto-Dyke. Both were affected and impacted by bullying. Fetu was bullied physically, verbally and with vandalism to the point of changing schools her senior year of high school. Sim’s daughters were bullied at a young age in school and it continued off and on through half of their high school years. A very difficult day came when one of Sim's daughters was told to end her life on social media.
Their mission is to encourage and empower confidence in our youth, reducing the fear of retaliation by creating connectivity through their solution based organization, bringing awareness of the affects that bullying has on lives through educational presentations and workshops, sharing authentic stories and positive messages through their brand, and slogan "embrace individuality". Sharing kindness with others, self-love, and knowing that you're not alone, while striving to be authentic to who you are regardless of the expectations of society.
Guests enjoyed an atmosphere of inspiration from a VIP welcome reception with savory bites and champagne served upon arrival at the red carpet entrance. This year's Bee Inspired Fashion Show was an incredible success, filled with joy and connectivity. All proceeds raised will be used to benefit their education programs. Co-Founders Sim and Fetu were emotionally inspired by the turnout of support for this grassroots, non-profit community effort to help the youth overcome the challenges of bullying and plan to carry their message with even greater passion.
Visit with Sim & Fetu ~ belikeyou.org
Photography by Nate Cleary, Michelle Neumayer, and Luly's Enchanted Pixels
