Bloom Upstate Inc.

10/27/2026

10/26/2026

🌸📚 Bloom Scholar Spotlight!📚🌸

Congratulations to Thalia Holbert from Mary H. Wright Elementary School for an amazing first nine weeks of school! 🎉💕

Thalia earned A/B Honor Roll, an i-Ready Reading Award, and a Writing Award for her outstanding ability to write complete stories and showcase her storytelling skills! ✏️📖

We are so proud of Thalia for her hard work, creativity, and dedication to her education! Keep blooming and reaching for greatness! 🌷✨

10/26/2026

From Beacon Street to A Legacy That Will Live Forever! 👑💖

Congratulations to our Honorary Lotus Society Member Spotlight, Ms. Kitty Black Perkins! Born and raised in Spartanburg’s Highland Neighborhood, Ms. Kitty transformed her passion for fashion and design into a remarkable legacy that changed the world of doll design forever. As a trailblazing designer who spent 28 years at Mattel, she broke barriers as the first and only Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts for Barbie, helping bring the first Black Barbie to life and creating designs that continue to inspire generations. Her creativity, brilliance, and impact remind us what is possible when talent meets purpose and dreams are given room to BLOOM! 💕

Now, a street that helped shape her story will help tell her legacy. On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the City of Spartanburg will honor Ms. Kitty by designating Beacon Street as “Kitty Black Perkins Boulevard”, a powerful tribute to a Spartanburg native whose influence reached far beyond the Upstate and into households around the world 🌎👑

At Bloom Upstate, we believe our girls deserve to see what is possible when women dare to dream, break barriers, and make their mark on the world. Ms. Kitty’s journey is a living example of our mission to support, mentor, and empower girls as they discover their own potential. Her story reminds our girls that where you start does not determine how far you can go!

Bloom Upstate proudly celebrates Ms. Kitty — a trailblazer, creative visionary, hometown treasure, and forever part of Barbie history! This is more than a street sign; it is a legacy being honored, a community celebrating one of its own, and a reminder to the next generation that they, too, can make history.

We encourage our Lotus Society Members, Bloom Upstate families and supporters, and community members to join us in celebrating Ms. Kitty at the unveiling ceremony!
📍 Beacon Street, Spartanburg, SC
📅 Tuesday, October 27, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM

Her legacy is rooted in Spartanburg, Her impact is worldwide. And her story will continue to inspire generations to come.

10/26/2026

🌸📚 Blooming with Excellence!📚🌸

Congratulations to Sarah and Trinity Miller for making the Honor Roll for the first nine weeks of school! 🎉💗

Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to your education have not gone unnoticed! We are so proud of you both for continuing to bloom academically and setting a great example for others. Keep reaching for the stars, girls! 🌟🌷

10/20/2026

🌸Happy Belated Birthday to Dr. LaShunda Buckson! 🌸

Please join us in wishing a very Happy Belated Birthday to Dr. LaShunda Buckson, Director of Clinical Services and a valued member of our Lotus Society! 🌷

We are so grateful for your leadership, dedication, and continued support of Bloom Upstate. Your commitment to making a difference in the lives of others does not go unnoticed!

We hope your birthday was filled with love, joy, and all the happiness you deserve! 💐✨

10/19/2026

THE FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDS, LET’S VOTE LIKE IT 🗳️

Our voices matter, our communities matter, and the decisions being made today will shape the world we live in tomorrow. Early voting is your opportunity to show up, speak up, and have a say in what comes next.

Bloom Upstate encourages our girls 18 and older, families, and community to make a plan to vote and bring someone along with you! Because making your voice heard is more than a right — it’s a way to help shape the future you want to see.

📍 Early Voting: October 19–31, 2026
Scan the QR code to find an early voting location near you, and remember to bring a valid ID.

Your voice deserves to be heard. Your vote deserves to be counted. Go make your mark! 🗳️

10/17/2026

Sistas Healing, Growing, and Blooming from Within 🌼

This Sistas N Bloom Girls Circle was all about pouring back into YOU! 💛 Our girls explored what healing and peace look like through art therapy with Sheridan Dooley, MA, ATR-P, LPC-A, Arts in Healing Coordinator at MUSC, creating flower-inspired healing boards filled with images, colors, and reminders of what brings them peace.

Then we brought the blooms to life with Cherie Fowler, owner of Precious Designs by Cherie and one of our very own Lotus Society members! Through her Bloom Bar, our girls created their own fresh floral bouquets, wrote affirmations and love notes to themselves, and shared some of those words aloud. Cherie even wrote the girls a heartfelt letter of her own, reminding them of the beauty and worth they carry 💐

🌼 Our Five Petals in Bloom: This session nurtured the Sistas’ Mental Health by creating space for self-expression and healing, Relationships by strengthening the relationship each girl has with herself, and Education & Career Readiness by introducing the girls to the art of floral design and the healing power of flowers.

We also celebrated Cherie’s birthday with a special gift because the women who pour into our girls deserve to feel the love, too! 💛

A heartfelt Thank You to Sheridan, Cherie, MUSC Arts in Healing, Spartanburg Academic Movement, United Way of the Piedmont, Connect Spartanburg, and The Urban League for helping us create spaces where our girls can heal, connect, and BLOOM through art, sisterly relationships, and much more!
Spartanburg Academic Movement ConnectSpartanburgUnited Way of the Piedmont

May our girls always remember: they deserve to bloom in every way and always pour into theirselves even while being a light in the world! 🌼

10/13/2026

“I do this work because I want girls to be able to live fully and thrive.” -Andrea Johnson 🤍

That is the heart of the work. That is the vision. That is the legacy being built by Andrea Johnson, one girl, one family, and one community at a time.

On Thursday, October 8th, our very own Andrea Johnson, Founder & Executive Director of Bloom Upstate, was honored and awarded at the 2026 Girl Scouts of South Carolina Mountains to Midlands Boots & Pearls Ceremony held at The Harley Room at Wofford College.

Andrea, this honor is a reflection of the countless ways you continue to pour into our girls, advocate for their futures, and create spaces where they are seen, supported, empowered, and reminded of who they can become. You don’t just talk about helping girls thrive, you put in the WORK to make it possible. Your vision is changing lives, strengthening families, and helping our communities bloom.

To the Girl Scouts of South Carolina Mountains to Midlands, our very own Jill Robinson and Toya Moore, and the Spartanburg and surrounding communities — THANK YOU for recognizing the trailblazer we are blessed to call our Executive Director. Thank you for partnering with her vision and believing in the power of investing in our girls. Thank you to all our Bloom families and girls, thank you for trusting her leadership and allowing Bloom Upstate to be part of your journey.

A huge congratulations to Andrea and fellow honorees, Dr. Marjorie Boafo Appiah (Marjy Marj), Karen Parrott (KP), and Young Professional Honoree Mary Breeden! Your leadership, courage, and commitment to community deserve to be celebrated. Boots on the ground, Pearls of wisdom, A legacy in motion!

Andrea, we celebrate you! The woman, the visionary, the advocate, and the leader who continues to remind us what is possible when you dare to pour into the next generation. The girls are watching, the communities are growing, and the impact is undeniable. Keep blooming as there’s more to the vision that God created you for to be the change. You’re every little girls wildest dreams 🤍 Marjy Marj Jill Robinson Prog Noi

10/12/2026

SCSU Youth Day 2026: That’s A Wrap! 💙❤️

The Bloom girls have spoken, and their POV is in 🗣️ From touring the campus and meeting new faces to spotting the mascot and soaking up that HBCU magic followed by a great tailgate, our Bloom Girls got a taste of what it means to take on the yard! 🐾

All it takes is ONE moment, ONE experience, and ONE glimpse of what’s possible for a girl to start seeing herself as a future college student 🌸 One experience can turn into tomorrow’s reality and we can’t wait to see our girls reach their college era!

Again, we would like to extend a special thank you to Darnell Meadows, Atchison Transportation, Mr. Rodney Johnson, and the Thompson family Cole Tee Earnest Thompson Jr for helping make these memories possible. Also, thank you to SC State University Spartanburg Academic Movement United Way of the Piedmont MUSC Health SC Education Lottery

And just like that… Another SCSU Youth Day Knocked Down! 🥊💥 Until next year, SC State! The Bloom Girls are coming back bigger, bolder, and in full bloom! 🐾💙