Teen CEO helps kids in foster care with luggage initiative

Avery Kelley has always known she wanted to work in entertainment.

When she was little, watching her parents’ TV, Avery would look at it, point at the screen, and say “I want to be in there.”

Her love for media stuck with her, and Kelley later pursued singing, dancing and found a passion for writing.

“I’ve always loved entertaining in any way, shape or form,” the 14-year-old told NewsNation.

Avery’s passion for entertainment led her to become the CEO of her own production company, Inspired Melanin Inc., before she even graduated 8th grade.

Inspired Melanin, which regularly partners with other foundations to give back to the community, has worked with the Ronald McDonald House, raised funds to get supplies for self-care kits for under-sheltered teen girls and donated Rubik’s Cubes to local middle schoolers. Its latest project is collecting duffel bags and luggage tags to donate to foster children across hometown of Chicago.

Last year, Avery’s mother, Amy, had a friend who posted on Facebook about two girls in foster care in need of clothing. After learning more about them, Avery found out that many foster children have to use trash bags to transport their items from home to home.

“Just the symbolism of it makes it seem as if their things aren’t worth anything, just because they’re in a scenario that’s a bit different from other families and other children,” Avery said. “Their things don’t deserve to be in a trash bag. They should be in beautiful luggage. They should be in a bag that they can call their own.”

So Avery collaborated with another family friend who works with different welfare agencies across Chicago to collect the bags and give them to those who need them.

Through a link on Amazon for the initiative, called “Love Carries On,” people can buy the duffel bags that will be sent so Avery can donate them to those in need.

Giving back is something Avery always knew she wanted to do since founding Inspired Melanin in 2019.

“I’m a firm believer that God puts you on this earth to use your talents to help others,” she said.

Part of the reason Inspired Melanin, Inc. was started was to help other people — namely, young Black girls like Avery, who felt underrepresented in the media.

“I wanted to be able to create something that showed all walks of life in a way that they deserve to be seen,” Avery said. “What I want to be able to do is just show that even though I am young, even though I’m a 14-year-old Black girl, I can write stories that can resonate with people and share stories that resonate with people, scripted or nonscripted.”

Documentaries that Avery has made, such as “Soul Train, Soul Change,” detailing how the show broke barriers in the entertainment industry and its importance in the civil rights movement, have won awards. A short film she wrote, “Back Row,” showcases aspects of her own life. Last year, Inspired Melanin worked on a documentary called “One Step at a Time,” about a Chicago dance studio on the city’s South Side.

Avery didn’t stop working, even after COVID-19 halted some aspects of production. Since then, she has been livestreaming a virtual show called “Teendom Talk Show,” which comes out on YouTube and Facebook.

Avery says sometimes people underestimate her due to her young age. They assume it’s just her mom doing all the work, or that Avery, being a teen, doesn’t have the skills to produce or direct.

Amy Kelley said there were certain programs or competitions that wouldn’t even let Avery enter because she was not yet 18, even though “she works harder than most adults I know.”

Avery’s mom, Amy Kelley, tells her daughter when people are negative, she should let her light shine “how it’s supposed to shine.”

“Everything else will come into play after that,” Amy Kelley said.

Having a “fantastic” support system, such as her family and friends has helped, Avery said.

“I know that there are people out there, regardless of who you are, that just aren’t going to be fond of what you’re doing,” Avery said. “That’s OK because not everyone is going to be on your team. But I do know that I can do it, I have confidence in myself. I know that other people have the confidence in me, and that helps me get through it every day.”