Who Made You Bloom?
A Night of Flowers, Hope and the Woman Building a Home for It All
PoShe Collective | May 2026 Event Recap
Our May event, Who Made You Bloom, was designed to honor the women who shaped us. Not just mothers, we celebrate every woman who has played the role of leader, guide, nurturer or truth-teller in another woman's life. The ones who planted something in us before we were ready to grow.
And then Melinda McDermott walked to the front of the room and showed us exactly what that kind of woman looks like in action.
Melinda is the founder of Elevate Hope House, an organization that provides housing and wraparound support for young mothers experiencing homelessness. But the way she got there is what makes her story land differently.
Melinda became a young mom herself. She knows what it feels like to look around and realize the safety net everyone assumes is there simply isn't. No clear path. No guaranteed next step. Just the weight of responsibility and the quiet fear that comes with figuring it out alone.
Instead of letting that story define her limits, she let it define her mission.
In the middle of a global pandemic, when most of the world was closing its doors, Melinda opened hers. She launched Elevate Hope House to give young moms and their children a place to land, a place where someone would look them in the eye and say: you belong here, and we're going to walk this road with you.
For nearly ten years now, Elevate Hope House has done exactly that. Walking alongside mothers and children as they move from crisis toward stability. Not with a quick fix or a temporary handout, but with real, sustained support that changes the trajectory of a family.
Melinda shared her story and the vulnerability of saying yes to something before you feel ready; showing up for your community even when the timing isn't perfect; and leadership that doesn't wait for permission, but sees a gap and steps into it.
Many of use have felt that tension, to wait until the conditions are just right. Melinda's message was clear: the conditions will never be right. Start anyway. Show up. Build it.
The cherry on top was Melinda’s Bloom Bar!
Every woman in the room built her own bouquet — choosing stems, arranging colors, creating something beautiful to take home or gift to someone who's shaped her. More than an activiy, The Bloom Bar was a physical reminder that beauty can be built from simple things when you're surrounded by the right people. And every bouquet supported Elevate Hope House's mission.
Gather: The Next Bold Step
Imagine walking into a space that feels alive with hope the moment you step through the door. Coffee brewing. Students studying together after school. A young musician playing their very first set. Shelves filled with goods created by local bakers and makers. And upstairs, mothers rebuilding their lives while gaining confidence, job skills and community downstairs.
Gather is not just a coffee and tea shop. It is a place designed to change lives every single day.
This project will transform a corner lot in Ramsey into a vibrant community destination where affordable housing, entrepreneurship, workforce development, youth connection and genuine belonging all exist under one roof. Every cup poured, every workshop hosted, every apartment built and every conversation shared becomes part of something bigger — a community where hope is tangible and opportunity is possible.
This is the kind of project that doesn't come along often. And it needs people like us to help make it real.
How You Can Help
Whether you were in the room on Wednesday or you're reading this from wherever life has you today, there are real, tangible ways to be part of what Elevate Hope House is building.
Connect them with a builder. If you know a contractor, trades professional or community-minded business leader who believes in building spaces that change lives, make the introduction. One connection can move this project forward in ways you might not expect.
Host a "Gather Around the Table" dinner. Invite Melinda into your home, your office or your favorite restaurant and let her share the vision, heart and impact of Gather with your friends, neighbors or business network. These dinners are how movements grow — one table at a time.
Donate a Square Foot. Help build this dream one piece at a time through a meaningful financial gift. Every square foot represents a tangible piece of the space where lives will be changed.
Become a founding sponsor or monthly supporter. Your ongoing investment funds affordable housing, youth programming, workforce development and the community spaces that make Gather possible.
Partner as a local artisan, baker, musician, mentor or volunteer. Gather is designed to be a place where people feel seen, valued and connected. If you have a skill, a craft or a willingness to show up, there is a place for you.
Pray with them. If none of the above fits right now, hold this project in your heart. Pray for the families who will call Gather home, for the young people who will find belonging there and for the team building it all from the ground up.
Learn more and get involved at elevatehopehouse.org/gather
Why This Matters to PoShe
The PoShe Collective was built on three pillars: Education, Experience and Exposure. We believe that when women share what they know, open doors they've walked through and pull other women into rooms they wouldn't have entered alone, everything changes.
Melinda McDermott is living those pillars. She took her education — the kind that comes from lived experience, not a textbook — and used it to build something that gives other women a chance to do the same. She walked through a hard door and held it open for every young mom behind her. And on Wednesday night, she exposed our community to a mission that deserves every ounce of support we can give it.
That's what this community is about. We don't just network, we show up for the things that matter and we use our influence, our resources and our voices to make a real difference.
Melinda asked us: who are we becoming, and who are we helping become?
If you’ve read this far and feel something pulling at you, listen to it. Share this post with a friend. Make a donation. Host a dinner. Do one thing.
Because the women and children who will walk through the doors of Gather are counting on people like us to say yes before it's comfortable.
Melinda did it. Now it's our turn.
👠
The PoShe Collective (Power of She) is a women's business community dedicated to Education, Experience and Exposure. Our monthly events bring together women in business for connection, inspiration and real impact. Learn more about membership and upcoming events. We love sparking conversations that inspire growth. If this post resonated with you or if you have questions, we'd love to hear from you!
📩 Connect via email | LinkedIn
Let’s keep empowering each other—one connection at a time.
