Elaine Haynes believes everyone has a gift.

But sometimes a person’s inherent gifts are buried by hurt, pain or fear, she said.

“I want to be able to take a shovel and rake that all away,” Haynes said.

Therefore, she has created a nonprofit to create a nurturing environment for girls ages 6 and older to achieve their dreams and help them embrace their gifts.

3D was born and recognized by the state in February after eight years in the making.

“She’s been working on this a long time,” longtime friend and 3D board vice president Meisa Pace said. “She’s a movement all on her own, but we’re a force when we’re together.”

The purpose of the organization is to instill three ideas into children’s lives. Those ideas stem from the group’s name 3D, which stands for Divas, Diamonds and Destinies.

Pace and Haynes will have 3D’s first meet-and-greet 3-5 p.m. May 14 at the Buford Youth Community Center, 171 Bona Road, Buford.

“Our ultimate goal is to share our plan, purpose and mission for the organization with the public in a fun, innovative and interactive manner,” Haynes said.

The event will have brochures, a movie about the organization and its board members, a glitter station, candy and food bars, swag bags with gifts for those who register and other activities.

The meet-and-greet is set up in hope of finding girls who may have slipped through the cracks of larger organizations.

“I don’t have any restrictions on it,” Haynes said. “It doesn’t matter your race, gender, socioeconomic status.”

The youth can come from anywhere, not just Buford where she plans to hold most meetings.

“We want to be that positive source for young girls ... To create a place for kids who have no one else,” she said.

Haynes has seen a need to help the youth of the world after counseling young people for the past four years at Greater Mission Outreach in Buford, where she is a youth pastor. But she wants to branch out and reach children who may not attend church.

Haynes believes she can reach them with her organization, that encompasses three important Ds: Divas, Diamonds and Destinies.

Diva stands for the attitude brought to the world.

“It has nothing to do with the color of your skin, if you have curves or not,” Haynes said.

For the 47-year-old woman, being a diva is more about how you radiate confidence to the outside world and situate yourself in that world. It boils down to how you walk, talk and act, she said.

Haynes equates the diamond term with handling the stress of life, especially since diamonds are created when they are under pressure.

The Buford native is familiar with life’s stresses and pressures. She is a single mother of three boys.

“It got hard,” she said. “I felt hopeless.”

To ensure others do not feel the same, Haynes hopes to instill the diamond ideal in the young minds she mentors. She said she wants youth to know diamonds are more valuable after going through and surviving hardships.

The final D means destiny, which is something everyone has, Haynes said. She hopes to help them reach it through the organization.

“Initially, this program will be open for young women,” Haynes said, noting she plans to expand to young boys in the future.

Before she started the organization, Haynes started improving her own life first.

“I’ve really been working on self,” she said.

She has researched self-investing and attended workshops and seminars designed to help her successfully start and manager her own nonprofit. From these workshops, she also learned a positive perception of self and confidence could help girls.

For the past two years, Haynes has attended Southern New Hampshire University online to earn a bachelor’s degree in child psychology. She plans to graduate in 2018.

Haynes hopes these extra steps will help her counsel young girls who seek her help.