Virgin Islands Native Anisa Palmer was truly raised to be a born leader. For the past twelve years, she has put her passion on the front lines in the ongoing fight against breast cancer, which was begun largely by what she felt was a divine calling by God while she was in the military as a result of her mother’s battle with the disease in which she, unfortunately, succumbed to at a very young age. She now serves the greater metro Atlanta area in a huge capacity by providing much-needed resources to both survivors & those currently undergoing treatment for this horrific illness. As she mentions there is a disparity in care for people of color & she has decided to masterfully lead the charge to narrow this gap through her Faith, Compassion, & Organizational skills gained through her extensive background in communications as well as during her time serving our country as a combat veteran. She has won many accolades in doing so including being presented the Phoenix award from the former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed for the City of Atlanta in 2014. During this year’s charity Art Jazz Gala for I Will Survive which recently took place on April 30th the organization aimed to raise their most ambitious amount to date at $50,000 during their event held at the Gathering Spot this goes to show that she is not afraid to put the money where her heart is.
How did it feel to receive the proclamation from the mayor of your great city of Doraville declaring an official “I Will Survive Day”?
After sharing spaces with other nonprofit organizations, it was Ribbon Cutting Day for our own space, and it was my mother’s birthday, April 18, 2015. I asked the Honorable Mayor Donna Pittman to come out & share some words, as I was new to the city & I knew that my business would thrive with political support. However, I did not know that the former mayor had a proclamation ready. After I gave my speech, she shared hers and presented me with it afterward. I shed a few tears of joy as it was truly a special occasion. The forecast predicted rain all day, our small space was not large enough to host everyone inside, so I had hoped to host outside. We had a Chef grill, & a bouncy house for the children in the community. I can clearly remember feeling nervous, but the sun came out right before the event started, I knew it was nothing but God saving the day, and I also knew we were in the right place to serve our community.
How long does it take to put together the gala each year? Share with us your favorite aspect of bringing it all together each year.
Most events our size need at least 6 months for planning. We need a year; this is the first year back in person since 2019 when Council Member Andre Dickens was in attendance. Now as Mayor Dickens, we are so grateful to have his continued support. I love every aspect really, but if I had to select one thing perhaps it would be seeing the survivors come out and really enjoy themselves, that part warms my heart the most.
You were inspired by your mother’s passing to create the foundation, what was one of your fondest memories or lessons she instilled in you?
My mother was an artist of many forms and served in her community. She smiled even while receiving chemotherapy treatments. She handled it with much grace as she did not want anyone to worry about her. She would always say “Be a good person no matter what you are in life”. That stuck more than many other pieces. I want to add value to every room I walk into & leave an impact on every person I am blessed to encounter & converse with. If I am even half the woman my mother was, then I know that I am doing good in this world. Every time I go home, to St. Croix, Virgin Islands, I hear a new story of how amazing my mother was, still to this day! It’s so powerful! What a legacy she left behind and especially for only living to be 38 years young.
How did you go about starting the foundation & what are some of the services I Will Survive Offers?
It was my second tour in Iraq serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in the Army and I knew when I saw a mirage of my dear mother in that desert heat, that I would no longer retire from the military. God gave me an assignment & I was trying to figure it all out. I knew nothing about nonprofit organizations at the time. I had to do a lot of research & a lot of groundwork to see what the community needed. I had to solve this pain point with breast cancer in minority populations. I did so much groundwork that I started a consulting firm helping others with their start-ups as well. At IWS, some of the services we provide are helping survivors battling breast cancer to pay rent/mortgage to mitigate hunger. Clients are typically single mothers with 2-3 children in the home. This year, our focus is heavily on mental health and our youth. Suicide is a major crisis occurring in our young people. We are currently seeking more mental wellness partners to help in this area. This has become a chronic problem that we hold close to our hearts as one intern on our team shared, they were having suicidal thoughts and another one of our board members’ sons committed suicide, while yet another corporate volunteer who was going to serve with us for the Art Jazz Gala on April 30th, shared she could not make it because her son committed suicide just the previous week before. Readers, please talk to someone. Listeners, please listen to me on this as I say a cry for help will not be so obvious. We must remove distractions and truly listen. It could be the life or death of someone else. College students, if you are looking to serve or fill a gap, we need more mental health professionals now.
What are some ways in which individuals can help support the I Will Survive Foundation?
There are several ways in which individuals can help support our organization as we just celebrated our 12th anniversary & launched our new campaign 12 Ways to Give. I’ll list the top 3, of course, donations are number 1 as we still have “donor decline” like most nonprofit organizations across the nation are experiencing post covid. Secondly, serve as skill-based volunteers, we need all the skills and do not close the door to anyone as a very inclusive and diverse organization. Finally, partner with us, our newest partner is a black woman-owned wine company called HER Wine. Shortly after starting her company, she was diagnosed with cancer. She is a survivor now, thankfully finished all her treatments & launched champagne last year to add to her collection, she donates 10% of her sales to our organization. We love Nicole as well as her passion & branding. We look forward to seeing her Wine in the Gathering Spot next. She also just made it into the Polaris restaurant inside the Atlanta Marriot Marquis, and we are so proud of her, so please be sure to show your support to her as well.
Anisa Palmer’s ambitious gala goals in which she promised this year’s event would be the largest to date as it featured award-winning artist Chanell Angeli & hoped to raise its biggest profits to date to help even more people shows her dedication & values which were instilled in her by her mother, along with her training & background. She has more than shown & proved that she is capable of succeeding & exceeding expectations in any area she decides to put her mind to. I loved how she is now expanding her focus toward suicide prevention & providing mental health awareness, particularly to the youth as many in her immediate circle have recently been personally affected by this new tragic epidemic. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to help spread awareness of all this wonderful lady is doing & deciding to make her life work. Be sure to donate or reach out to the organization to help if you have been positively impacted by her story as well.
