My name is Marie Conte and I am the founder and president of the Pristine Foundation. I would like to share with you my testimony, which will give insights on my past and what lead me to starts the foundation.
“ As a child I was given a pretty clear vision and appointed a selfless mission to fulfill. I absolutely had no idea what it meant nor did I expected for my upcoming circumstances to be so
condescending. I am the daughter of west African parents, adopted into a new family by 18 months old and former ward of the state of New York. Due to unfortunate events of neglect, abuse, abandonment and molestation my journey lead me into foster care by age 15, who placed me in a all girls group home in Brooklyn, NY. For 7 years the group home, was my living situation & ‘ my home’. Through the years, I persevered and refuse to be another statistic. I graduated from high school and advanced to college with the support of the entire foster care agency {Abbott House}. Having encouraging people, to inspire me to do better, not give up and to hold on to what was on my heart was the best thing ever given to me. I envision Pristine to be an organization that builds, prepares and mentors young girls and women to acknowledge themselves as queens regardless of their past circumstances, demographic or socioeconomic status “
It is imperative we raise awareness about the effects of (physical; mental, emotional and spiritual) abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness, molestation, r**e and trafficking within inner cities across the globe and create solutions that bridge the gap into a positive & productive adulthood.
