EXEMPLIFYING A SERVANT’S HEART: Florida businesswoman Denie Robinson Sidney fulfilling her divine purpose as the director of a credible organization, as a gifted author
Andre Johnson 
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2/NKJV)
SET ASIDE FOR GOD’S USE
In case you don’t know her, Denie Robinson Sidney would like to introduce herself.
A native of New Orleans, Sidney is a progressive, thriving entrepreneur in her own right who is the face of Hair Bows & Butterflies LLC, her rising organization that is centered in large part on this beloved medical mom and her miracle kid telling stories of trials, triumph, and special needs, according to a detailed synopsis of her venture via its Facebook business page.
“I always strive for excellence,” Sidney said during a recent interview with Making Headline News, explaining the memorable developments that fueled her desire to establish what has become a credible organization. “God wired me that way. I thought I would finish my career as a school social worker, but God had other plans for me.”
Amongst those strategic plans, Sidney recalls, is when her social work platform shifted from “just mental health” to the mental health of special needs caregivers “because I became one,” she explains.
IT IS WELL…
MORE ON SIDNEY’S ORGANIZATION: https://www.hairbowsnbutterflies.com/
“I became a medical special needs mom after being blessed with my one and only daughter, Mattison Grace,” Sidney said. “The need to love, nurture, care for, and protect her is the drive behind my platform, business venture, and my writing. I am not so much in competition with anyone because there are very few social workers who specialize in serving the pediatric special needs community.”
Moreover, Sidney acknowledged the essential services needed by special needs families are complex, multi-tiered, cumbersome, and not well publicized, she said.
“I have a unique viewpoint as a social worker who specializes in accessing resources and being a medical mom who has firsthand knowledge of the nuances of the special needs parenting population,” Sidney explained. “Families need to be supported in mental health, respite, proper home health care, nutrition assistance, accessing appropriate services that are available, advocating for the services that are not available, and receiving a Free and Appropriate Public Education (or FAPE).
“I saw the need, realized that I had a skillset that could help fill that need, and God provided the opportunity by using another one of His children, Porschea Necoal. AV Publishing gave me an opportunity to expand my writing talents which, in turn, gave me a chance to expand my platform. From that, my writing and social work business went from being a dream to existing in real time.”
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To her credit, Sidney boasts an immeasurable solid professional work history, one that includes her having functioned as a master level social worker for 18 years. Interestingly enough, she served as a school social worker in Pasco County School District, and a hospice social worker — both of which were based in Florida.
“During the highlight of my career, I was the Director of Community Organization for the Urban League in St. Louis City in the early 2,000’s and the Director of Family Support for a Community Action Agency in St. Louis City in the mid-2000’s,” Sidney said. “In November 2007, I was blessed to marry my husband and relocate to the Tampa Bay area of Florida.”
GOD’S PURPOSE PUSHER
Sidney’s educational background includes having acquired a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in English Literature & Composition and African & African-American Studies. Also, she earned a Master of Social Work in Mental Health with an emphasis in Family Therapy.
According to Sidney, amongst the notable reasons she deemed it essential to start her organization is that many parents and relatives in the special needs community often wait until their loved one has passed away to honor their memories by way of a nonprofit organization.
“It has been my desire, since Mattison was a few years old, that God would allow me to honor her while she is living,” Sidney told MHN. “Mattison is famous at school and in the hospital for her bright, colorful hair bows. Because of the spelling of her name, which is a derivative of Matthew and means, ‘Gift of God,’ many hospital staff members saw her name and thought she was a boy due to the unconventional spelling.
“Mattison also has a short, curly hairstyle,” Sidney continued. “They would walk into the hospital room and say, ‘Awww, he’s so handsome.’ I would reply, ‘She’s so cute!’ So, I tried to think of a way to remedy this issue and I came up with allowing Mattison to wear colorful hair bows, some big, some mid-size. Purple butterflies became her thing because no one could tell my husband and me what the awareness symbols were for her main disorder (Trisomy 9) when she was born. Her conditions are so rare, and it took me seven years to find a group on Facebook. I saw online also that royal purple was the awareness ribbon color and butterflies were the symbol. So, I claimed that as Mattison’s favorite color and symbol.”
Much to her delight, one of Sidney’s latest endeavors emerged when she graced the pages of The Lineage of Grief, a highly-anticipated anthology in which she chronicles a rather life-altering, riveting, spiritually-empowering story as a co-author that derives from various perspectives of grief, according to a detailed synopsis of this book via Google Books.
GOD’S LOVING ANGEL
“When I was invited to be a coauthor in the The Lineage of Grief anthology, I had no idea that an author had to become a business owner of authorship,” Sidney said. “When I did learn most of what was entailed, I saw this as a chance to honor my girl. Thus, the name Hair Bows & Butterflies. The color scheme is purple, blue, and pink. Purple for her, blue for me, and pink to bind the color scheme together. If you look closely at my logo, you will see a secret message written with the ribbon that represents Mattison’s main diagnosis.”
Generally, Sidney emphasized, Hair Bows & Butterflies routinely caters to any and all caregivers of special needs children and young adults ranging in ages birth to 22 years old.
“I serve as a resource specialist — a service, benefit, and resource sleuth, if you will,” Sidney explained. “If there is a program out there to meet a need, I have already found it, or I will do my best to locate it for a family. So many people get frustrated and give up, but knowing where to look and who to contact makes all the difference in the world when it comes to being successful in finding what you need.”
Fortunately for Sidney, her keen passion through her organization has taken her across the country.
“Not physically, but digitally via the internet, Zoom, and cell phones,” she said. “I can help anyone anywhere in the continental USA and its territories.”
Moreover, Sidney explained, some notable examples of cases she’s been afforded golden opportunities to work prior to the startup of her organization include:
- Helping a mother with a son who has autism call the Crisis Hotline in Indiana so they would not be sleeping in the car on a cold wintery night. “Mom was afraid if she called for help, DCF would take custody of her son. I explained that asking for help is not a crime. I asked would she feel better if I called and explained her situation first, then patched her into the call on 3-way, and then exited the call. She allowed me to do so,” Sidney recalls.
- “I have connected several caregivers to nutrition assistance for feeding tube formulas and prescription assistance programs that they did not know existed” and,
- “I specialize in finding programs for families that do not qualify for government assistance due to being over the income limits. This was my family for so many years. Many do not know there are programs specifically for families who do not have Medicaid.”
Continued Sidney: “Most times, caregivers are tired of all of the ‘No’s,’ and they are frustrated by the cumbersome amount of paperwork that needs to be filled out. I have offered to help some caregivers complete the paperwork, but the assistance sounds too good to be true and the caregivers don’t follow up with me to complete the paperwork for what their child needs.
“Currently, I don’t charge for this service. I feel like a child should not suffer because of a parent’s inability to pay. However, this will not be my policy forever. I will start to charge one day for my time, expertise, and professional talent, always with room for exceptional cases.”
MORE ON SIDNEY’S ORGANIZATION: https://www.hairbowsnbutterflies.com/
When asked what personal mission for operation in her divine element is, Sidney said:
“I was born to be a social worker. It is not a job or career. It is a calling. It is ministry. I have a running joke that I would say when I used to do presentations. If you put a sample of my blood under the microscope, you will see DNA, RNA, and MSW. I don’t want my suffering to be in vain and I hate to see others suffer or be in pain. Because of my unique journey as a social worker and medical mom, with a terminally ill spouse and a medically fragile, medically complex child, I know I have knowledge and a point of view to offer that no one else can offer.”
According to Sidney, she’s forever grateful to the “five people” who inspired her to carry out her God-mandated mission.
“For my compassionate attitude and definition of love, my inspiration came from my mother, Luella G. A. Robinson,” Sidney said. “For becoming a mental health social worker, a counselor during my undergraduate tenure at the Student Counseling Services, Ms. Jackson. Also, Dr. Nancy R. Vosler, PhD., a professor in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at WUSTL, who eventually became my academic advisor. Then, Porschea Necoal inspired me to live again and to trust God with my dreams after becoming a medical mom. I encountered each of these people at a different age and stage in my life.
AND IT CAME TO PASS
“The most recent being Porschea,” Sidney continued. “She was a medical mom just like me and through all of her ups and downs, no matter how many times she was faced with grief, and outright traumatic experiences, she showed me that with faith in God, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and a supportive inner circle, you can live again. You can live again. You don’t have to let your trauma define you. Finally, my daughter, Mattison, is one of my biggest inspirations of all.”
For more information about Florida Author/Businesswoman Denie Robinson Sidney, to inquire about her book or her services, a public appearance or speaking engagement, write to: 23110 State Road 54, PMB 229, Lutz, Florida 33549, or connect with her via social media at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDenieSidney. Also, send email to: [email protected].
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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.
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MORE ON SIDNEY’S ORGANIZATION: https://www.hairbowsnbutterflies.com/
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