Exploring Life & Business with Jaye Turner of EL’LESUN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaye Turner.

Jaye, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After years of experiencing homelessness, graduating high school late, working dead-end jobs, and not really understanding my purpose apart from being a mother I went on a month-long fast and sought God about his will and purpose for me because I desperately wanted to make an impact in the foster care community and did not know how after being denied an opportunity to volunteer at a huge child welfare agency.

After 30 days of fasting in 2018, I was then given EL’LESUN and within the past three years I have not only made an impact in the lives of our youth and young adults but I have learned, I have grown, and I have made great connections and considered some to be great friends. EL’LESUN has been a blessing to me first as I’ve learned about my experience in foster care, began therapy, and have become a college student to obtain my bachelor’s in Business Management. I’ve had to experience the healing and restoration for myself to then share with others how it is also available to them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This has not been a smooth road because as a single mother who had to learn and understand my own trauma it was very difficult to trust people and let my walls down and through all of that, there was so much that I didn’t know about business and made countless mistakes. I have also gotten in my own way so many times which is a challenge of its own but with the right people who also have faith in what I have been called to do it has been encouraging as I keep going forward.

As you know, we’re big fans of EL’LESUN. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
EL’LESUN is a foundation that educates, advocates, and serves our community. We educate and inform others about the child welfare system and foster care we advocate and bring awareness to the needs of current and former foster youth and we serve our foster care community through Mission Bags, Project P.AS.S.IO.N, and My Own Home. As we are reconstructing our foundation, I have been proud of the ongoing impact we’ve made during the pandemic as well as the partnerships, donors, and community we’ve gained.

What do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy? Many things make me happy but my top two are going on Mommy and Me date with my son and volunteering. Since he was about four years old, my son and I have been going on our weekly dates and he’ll be 11 in October. Each week we do something special, for example, Skating, Painting, a Movie night at home or in a theater, and going places in the city that we haven’t visited before. Our date makes me happy because I am able to learn new things about him and it’s forever a joy to see him smiling and excited to spend time with me. We have recently become members of the Holy Spirit support group and we truly love learning about God and fellowshipping with people who share our same interests. Volunteering makes me happy because I enjoy serving others and gaining community and it is always a blessing to be one of the reasons someone is hopeful or smiling. Amongst all of the opportunities I have had, so far becoming a board member and head cheerleading coach of a great organization, the Hilltop Cowboys Athletic Association has been my favorite. Being able to commit my time and talent to our youth and families in a sport that teaches discipline, self control, and teamwork is truly one of the greatest things that I can give in this season. And if there is anyone who would be interested in sponsoring our kids, we can add them as a donor to our Ad campaign please email us at hilltopcowboysfb@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: ellesun.org
• Other: https://linktr.ee/ELLESUN_org