DIAMONDS: Michelle Williams | Founders Commission

MICHELLE WILLIAMS DAZZLES AT SECOND ANNUAL DIAMONDS

DIAMONDS: MICHELLE WILLIAMS - A STORYTELLING GALA

Michelle Williams returned home for the second annual DIAMONDS gala July 17, 2024, wowing more than 200 guests during an evening of impactful storytelling and entertainment. A GRAMMY award winning musician, actress, author, mental health advocate and Rockford native, Williams treated the crowd with gems from her personal journey tracing from Rockford to global stages to the depths of depression to mental health advocacy and more. Williams was joined back home by Roscoe native and ESPN SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe, who returned as DIAMONDS emcee for the second-straight year. After Williams and Briscoe wrapped up their on-stage interview, Williams surprised guests by singing a three-song set with her brother's house band. In addition, attendees enjoyed a VIP reception, dinner and after-party. Net proceeds benefitted Founders Commission (501(c)(3)).

ABOUT MICHELLE WILLIAMS

A Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and author, Rockford, IL, native Michelle Williams rose to fame in the 2000s as a member of one of the best-selling female groups of all time – Destiny's Child. Now, Michelle is a mental health advocate who became one of the first celebrities to publicly discuss her battle with depression,

which led to her hosting her own podcast “Checking-In with Michelle Williams” on the iHeartMedia Network. In 2021 she released her first book ”Checking In: How Getting Real about Depression Saved My Life — and Can Save Yours” and just a year later she released a follow-up Journal, “The Daily Check-In”.

THE IMPACT OF DIAMONDS

Founders Commission debuted the DIAMONDS series June 15, 2023, in honor of the region's U.S. Navy TOPGUN lineage. As a platform for the community’s most successful native brands and people to tell their stories and give back to their hometown, DIAMONDS yielded net proceeds in year one that served two terrific causes: a donation to the local Disabled American Veterans chapter and dedicated seed funding for Founders Commission's DIAMONDS Scholar post-secondary scholarship program.

In 2024, the DIAMONDS Scholar youth scholarship program launched and the organization received 24 scholarship applications, including the inaugural DIAMONDS Scholar honoree, Faith Offermann, who was recognized during DIAMONDS: Michelle Williams. In addition, Founders Commission partnered with the Rockford Park District this year to expand DIAMONDS to directly serve area through the first Next Gems Youth Summit. Moreover, Founders Commission is working to create a Regional Hall of Fame to honor the many exemplary achievements of native businesses and people. To support our efforts or learn more, email us at Info@FoundersCommission.org.