LINDSEY BOERMA
Living Assistant
In a nation that lives by the mantra that “Thin is in,” and where deadly eating disorders are on the rise, two Pepperdine students created an organization to combat the misconceptions.
There are many non-profit organizations represented and created by
students on the Pepperdine campus.
One of these organizations, called “FIGURE, Inc.,” stands out in terms of both uniqueness and accumulating recognition.
Co-created by senior Megan Barnes and her brother, Pepperdine alumnus Matthew Barnes, “FIGURE, Inc.” has been granted national non-profit status, and it is now making its way into the lives of people everywhere.
FIGURE is an acronym that means For Image Guidance Using Research and Experience.
The goal of the organization is to promote a healthy awareness of body image, which involves visiting high schools and junior high schools to discuss eating disorders, low self-esteem, cutting and other issues associated with self-image.
“We’re dealing with issues that we call ‘unspeakables’,” Megan said. “They’re things that many people don’t hear about it in school, but they need to because they’re affecting tremendous amounts of people.”
While the problems that the organization encompasses affect a wide range of people, Megan accentuates that “FIGURE, Inc.” is, for the most part, a prevention program.
“Out of four people, one of them is a healthy eater, one has an eating disorder and then there are two in the middle that could go either way,” she said. “Those two people are the ones that ‘FIGURE, Inc.’ wants to hit.”
The program is not just aimed at students, but also at faculty, staff and parents.
“A lot of adults in students’ lives don’t even know that they’re putting images into the kids’ heads,” Megan said. “That’s why we want to make this helpful for them, too.”
The extent to which Megan and Matthew will take this help that the program offers is far from limited.
“I could see [the organization] becoming a big thing and really taking off,” Matthew said. “We’ll start locally and then just see what happens.”
Megan shares this vision of a promising future for “FIGURE, Inc.”
“I hope it gets to a point where we have experts running every part of the organization because it deserves it,” she said. “It gives people confidence and allows them to live a healthy lifestyle.”
Megan recalls times when she
witnessed the struggles of her friends.
These memories serve as the fuel necessary to drive their organization to great heights.
“I’ve been there with friends, and I know what it’s like,” she said. “There’s a right and a wrong way to deal with issues, and if you pick the wrong way, you’re in trouble.”
The ladder of success that Megan and Matthew are climbing with
“FIGURE, Inc.” did not appear overnight, however.
“I used to know nothing about any of this,” she said. “My friends came to me with these problems about themselves that I didn’t even know existed. That’s when I started reading up on it.”
Once she was educated on the issues that surround body image, she began to devise a program that would help other people deal with the problems that she saw in her friends.
“A couple years ago, we came up with a name and logo, got it approved and then applied to be a non-profit of California,” Megan said. “Once it was approved, then we had to apply for federal approval, which is really hard to get for tax reasons.”
Yet, in November 2006, “FIGURE, Inc.” received official non-profit status from the United States Internal Revenue Service.
Now, the Barnes siblings are moving on to the next step to make “FIGURE, Inc.” a successful non-profit organization.
“Right now we’re in a huge decision-making stage to see where the issue is prevalent,” Megan said.
“We’re starting to book schools, and I’m hoping that by next January, we’ll be doing a school a month.”
Not every school will have the same program, however. Megan and Matthew are altering their activities based on the set-up of the schools.
“In order to set up events, we’re working with each school
individually to customize for their specific needs,” Matthew said.
While Megan and Matthew certainly have “FIGURE, Inc.” headed in the right direction, it will take many people to get the organization to reach its true potential.
Megan hopes to hold a convocation program in Elkins Auditorium with a new video and a question-and-answer session for anyone desiring to learn more about the organization.
“Most non-profits stand to help people and they not only do that, but they give people opportunities to help in so many different ways,” Megan said. “It doesn’t matter what or how, it’s just a way for people to give back and to make a difference.”
Anyone interested in helping can visit the organization’s Web site, www.figureonline.com.
In the ‘Contact Us” section located at the top of the page
students may click the “Grassroots Web Feedback Group” link which will provide more information about how to get involved. Barnes also encourages students to contact her at the following e-mail address: megan.barnes@figureonline.com, in order to receive additional information regarding questions and other ways to participate in the program.
The Web site provides a further look at what “FIGURE, Inc.” does and the types of problems that it strives to conquer.
It also provides articles and research on the severity of eating disorders.
01-25-2007