Helping Resilient Women Heal, Thrive, and Find the Support They Deserve.
Join us at the Ellevate Her Silent Auction event on October 26th in Florence, Italy.
Join us for an elegant evening, on October 26, at House Number Nine in Firenze
Join us at the Ellevate Her Silent Auction event on October 26th in Florence, Italy.
We believe that every woman who has experienced foster care deserves the chance to heal from trauma and embrace a brighter future.
Our foundation is dedicated to supporting single women through holistic programs tailored to meet their emotional, mental, and practical needs. We provide trauma-informed individual and group counseling, life skills training, and community connections, offering the support they need to recover and achieve lasting self-sufficiency.
We are committed to providing holistic support for women as they heal from trauma and work toward a brighter future.
Our services include personalized counseling, practical life skills training, and strong community partnerships. By addressing emotional, mental, and practical needs, we empower women to build resilience and achieve lasting independence.
TRAUMA-INFORMED COUNSELING
We provide personalized therapy and mental health support to help women navigate the effects of trauma and rebuild their lives with confidence and strength.
LIFE SKILLS & EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS
Through job readiness training, financial literacy workshops, and mentoring, we help women gain the practical skills they need to achieve independence and long-term stability.
COMMUNITY & ADVOCACY
We work with city officials, community partners, and local organizations to create networks of support that amplify our mission and extend opportunities for the women we serve.
Experience the healing, holistic power of one-on-one life coaching, personalized nutrition, therapeutic yoga, and a one-of-a-kind Himalayan salt room.
Whether you express yourself in our inspiring art studio or explore your spirituality in our serene yoga shala, our upcoming center offers a sanctuary where you can safely share your experiences and connect with other single women.
Discover yourself on the canvas. Art has the remarkable ability to uncover hidden talents, passions, and strengths. Unleash your inner creative force through our upcoming healing center, where our art therapy sessions help you cultivate confidence and achieve personal growth.
Within the walls of our upcoming healing center, we’re nurturing a community where single women can join hands on a voyage of self-discovery, transformation, and newfound fulfillment.
We envision a community where single women empower each other and cultivate an atmosphere of limitless potential as they heal and discover themselves through yoga, art, or the support our sacred space brings.
Wellness is integral to nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. At the heart of this philosophy are our Visionary-in-Chief, Melissa Ferrer-Burke, and our Architect of Ambition, Brooke Ferrer, who advocate for the transformative power of holistic yoga practice and instruction.
Together, they’ll provide a rejuvenating environment within our upcoming healing center, where wellness is woven into every facet of your healing journey, enhancing your well-being.
Creative expression is your guiding light to inspire, heal, and transform. Witness the power of creative therapy through our artistic workshops where we create a safe space for exploration and connection. Once our doors first open, let art fuel your healing and self-discovery.
We’ll also actively engage in art initiatives, such as collaborative efforts between Melissa Ferrer-Burke and Robert Farber, which will support our mission and enrich our community.
We are opening our first healing center in South Florida, dedicated to empowering single women who have experienced foster care. Our mission is to create a compassionate, supportive haven where they can find healing, personal growth, and a strong sense of community.
HOMELESSNESS
young women who age out of foster care will experience homelessness within four years of leaving the system, making housing instability a critical issue for this vulnerable group.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation
EDUCATION BARRIERS
of young women in foster care in Florida drop out of high school before graduation, which significantly hinders their chances of finding stable employment and achieving self-sufficiency.
Source: Florida’s Children First
EARLY MOTHERHOOD
of young women who have been in foster care will have experienced pregnancy at least once, compared to just 20% of their peers not in foster care.
Source: National Center for Health Research
Please help us build our dream for
the Healing Center in South Florida
We’re poised to showcase our exclusive inaugural art event featuring the works of celebrated artist Robert Farber in picturesque Florence, Italy. Known for his remarkable skills behind the lenses, Farber has a longstanding connection with Ellevate Her. His previous work with our Visionary-in-Chief, Melissa Burke-Ferrer, was a resounding and creative success.
Farber’s masterful photography, combined with Ferrer-Burke’s keen eye for detail and vision, creates art that resonates deeply with viewers, evoking powerful emotions and stirring the soul. Their collaborative efforts seamlessly blend Farber’s talent for capturing beauty with Ferrer-Burke’s ability to infuse meaning and depth, resulting in artwork that leaves a lasting impression on all who encounter it. We’re thrilled to have a chance to experience the same enchantment again in this upcoming exhibition amid the backdrop of lush Italian scenery.
Melissa Ferrer-Burke is a visionary who inspires others with her dedication to empowering women through healing and the creative arts.
As a survivor of trauma, Melissa shares her gained knowledge on the process of healing and perseverance.
Her entrepreneurial spirit guided her to create an eclectic atmosphere for women to collaborate and Ellevate.
Our Bridge to the Renaissance
On October 26th, we are thrilled to host our inaugural fundraising gala in support of Ellevate Her’s expansion. The evening will feature a silent auction to raise both awareness and essential funds for our transformative programs. Our partnership with the city of Florence plays a key role in our vision, as Ellevate Her serves as a sanctuary created by women, for women—a holistic healing space for single women overcoming trauma. This mission is deeply personal to our founder and visionary-in-chief, Melissa Ferrer Burke, whose journey is closely intertwined with the spirit of Florence. Through this bridge between Florida and Florence, Ellevate Her seeks to provide single women in Florida with the opportunity to experience the beauty and inspiration that Florence offers. Set against the backdrop of the Renaissance, Ellevate Her will empower women to embark on their own journeys of rebirth and healing.
As a single mother and breast cancer survivor, Brooke S. Ferrer has harbored a longstanding vision of creating a community for and by women to help them heal. In the face of numerous challenges, she discovered a profound calling to illuminate the path of healing, with a special focus on wellness and the arts.
The driving force behind this vision was none other than her daughter, Melissa. Their unbreakable bond and close collaborative efforts inspired Brooke to create a sanctuary where women like her and her beloved daughter could heal, grow, and discover a sense of community.
Dennis Clark, an Atlanta native, has embarked on an extraordinary journey of resilience and self-discovery. As a widowed single mother, she raised her daughter amid personal setbacks and professional challenges, overcoming adversities with grace and determination. Upon her daughter’s move to New York for college in 2004, Dennis decided to fulfill her lifelong dream of relocating to Florence, Italy, a year later.
At 50 years old and living abroad, Dennis realized that self-worth is the cornerstone of transformation. She has established a successful Pilates studio in Florence, authored fitness books, and recently ventured into evolutionary astrology.
Dennis teaches others to explore their essence holistically, intertwining astrology with personal development through her role at Ellevate Her. Her mission is to instill self-awareness, confidence, and creativity, guiding single women to honor their unique journey and align with the cosmic energies that surround them.
Niki is a vibrant, colorful soul with a rich international upbringing that has shaped her unique
worldview. Driven by a passion for social change, she masterfully weaves together strategic
communication and the power of storytelling. With formal education in the arts, media, and
curatorial studies, Niki has made it her mission to harness creativity as a force for transformation—
what some call “Artivism.” Known for her magnetic presence, she has a gift for bringing people
together uniting them under a shared vision of change. A true connector, Niki believes in the power of communication to uplift marginalized voices and bridge gaps between communities and the media. Through her work, she is committed to fostering a more just and equitable world where
every story is heard and every person has a platform.
Myra Fiori is a visual storyteller that records the forged achievers, the accomplished forgotten and the under or misrepresented through art. Myra brings creativity and artistry as well as past experiences in global marketing and communications to Ellevate’s vision. Her current photography based collage projects include A Decorated Woman, a carefully curated line-up of accomplished, complex and persevering women who shattered myths, boundaries, societal norms and gender roles and Love Notes, words that challenge thought, educate, inspire, empower and amuse. She produced Inspiring Creativity, a film that explores the commonalities behind our creative processes in art, architecture and design. Myra believes creativity is the key to life in health and happiness. Her biggest hope in every endeavor is to inspire others to dream, to believe they can be and do anything they choose.
