Greetings!  I am Dionne Williamson, Director and Founder of UPward Design For Life, Corp.  I am a social entrepreneur who is serious about the business of serving my community.

I have a desire to help others in a way that will have a lifelong impact on their lives and the community as a whole. I always tell my kids to use their gifts and talents in a way that will make this world better.  So I am practicing what I preach by using my creative talents, organizational skills and love of community service to help furnish/decorate residences, for individuals and families making a fresh start at rebuilding their lives.

I believe everyone deserves a comfortable, clean and safe place to call home.  I want to help people, who are taking the necessary steps to make a fresh start in their lives, by providing gently used furnishings and accessories that have been donated and/or refurbished, to turn their residence into a home.  So not only will individuals begin a fresh start at a new life, but the furnishings will too!

As a former National Sales Director and Certified Diversity Travel Professional, at Visit Buffalo Niagara, for over 17 years, I have worked with a variety of clients from very different backgrounds and have traveled across the country to promote Buffalo as a convention and tourism destination. My efforts have contributed to the economic development of the city of Buffalo and Erie County.

Tourism is big business, however; convention attendees and tourists come and go.  What about the people that call Buffalo home?  I wanted to do more for those who live here and are in need of the basic necessities.  I enjoy doing community service so having the opportunity to change lives, one home at a time, is the perfect way to use my gifts, for a greater purpose.  

So why did I establish UPward Design For Life? I am more than familiar with living paycheck to paycheck and being on a tight budget has taught me how to be really creative in my design style.  I personally know the powerful impact our surroundings can have on us both mentally and physically.   

After doing some in depth research and speaking with non-profit agencies such as the Family Justice Center of Erie County, where I had been an Ambassador for a few years, and people who I know are domestic violence survivors, I realized there was a need for our service that was not currently being met. There is an organization out of Detroit that was doing similar work. I reached out to them to see if they would consider bringing that concept to Buffalo but no one ever returned my call. So I had to take the chance and form an organization that would provide our service to the underserved, and in a way that only we are doing.

I have been a 'can do' person most of my life and I take risks.  After returning from U.S. Army Reserve training, I earned my Bachelor of Science Degree, in Business Administration/Management, from Medaille College.  I have served on various non-profit Boards and am also no stranger to the world of entrepreneurship.  I participated in the University at Buffalo School of Management-Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program and earned my Interior Design Consultant Certification, from the New York Institute of Art and Design.  

I am profoundly grateful to my parents who have instilled in me a strong work ethic. It is because of them that I have a hands-on approach to all I do and am never afraid of getting my hands dirty.  

Let’s UPlift together!

UDFL Operations TimeLine and Benchmarks

• Articles of Incorporation established - July 2017

• 501(c)3 status approved - December 2017

• Began operations - January 2018

• First client served - March 2018

• Awarded first financial grant - March 2020 from the Fifty Fabulous Women Giving Circle

• Completed 3-5 Strategic Plan - August 2021

• President & Founder, Dionne Williamson, resigns from her full-time job to become a full-time volunteer at UDFL - September 2021

• Dionne Williamson moves from a full-time volunteer role to become UDFL’s first official employee - June 1, 2022

• UDFL serves its 100th family - December 2023