WHO WE SERVE
The young people we serve typically range in age from 7 to 18. They are often from a
lower-income, working class family or come from a single-parent home. Their parents are doing
their absolute best and are providing for them in all the right ways, but may not have the ability
to offer an extra layer of exposure due to blockers like time, money or resources.
While their community may be extremely supportive and close-knit, their exposure rarely
extends beyond this immediate community, meaning they lose the opportunity to get outside of
their comfort zone to see and learn from others.
ABOUT US
The vision for IMPACT began with an incredibly inspiring pastor at a Gospel Tabernacle church I attended while living in Minot, North Dakota. The pastor, who had a true talent for bringing people together, held a program once a month called “The Boys Club” where kids from the community met to learn values from positive leaders while having fun. Watching the program from the sidelines really stuck with me, as it created a spark that validated just how important access to resources and learning tools are in molding a child’s future.
And as I continued to reflect on my experiences, I realized that because I came from a high school that was 98% African American, I wasn’t exposed to other cultures and how they functioned. With time, though, I started working in different areas and with people of different backgrounds; I started to see that we weren’t all that different. And after joining the military, which was a huge melting pot of races and ethnicities, and living in Japan for two years, I saw that we all had similar needs and wants. My eyes had been opened to the vastness of the world – and I was intrigued.
I’m personally fortunate to have grown up surrounded by a lot of positive people – from teachers to coaches to pastors. I have seen the way my life has benefited from those that spent time and energy gifting me with wisdom and experiences. But not everyone has that luxury while growing up, which is what made me want to reciprocate giving those intangible, yet critically important gifts to others. A lot of young adults and teenagers don’t have anyone to turn to. My vision was to give them the tools and resources necessary to succeed (in whichever way they define it), even if they don’t know how to go about it.
At this point, the idea for IMPACT, a cross between a mentorship and learning/events experience began to take form. Following a conversation with my stepfather, I knew we had to also start thinking about younger children, as increasing their exposure and starting to instill positive values early on would play a critical part in their future.
In 2017, after a casual conversation with my pastor, Pastor Stukes at Living Word Ministries, the vision for the program became a reality. Pastor Stukes said: “If God has put this idea into your heart, you can use my church to host events.” I didn’t expect her to make that offer so quickly but I was beyond grateful. I was given the resources and opportunity to get started. And so, IMPACT kicked off its first event around Spring of 2017 with 10 children from the community. We’ve been working to provide positive mentorship and experiences to this same group of young people as they’ve grown up the last 5 years and are excited to expand our reach to serve more children and teens as the organization grows.
Thank you for joining us in this journey.
Best, Vince
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to develop youth through education and exposure
OUR VISION
Our vision is a world where young people grow up knowing that their opportunities are endless–and they’re equipped with the skills and know-how to pursue and achieve their wildest dreams. Through impactful mentorship and exposure to new people, cultures and communities throughout childhood and adolescence, our aim is to help open young people’s minds to all that the world has to offer.
OUR CORE VALUES
We carry the same values that we seek to instill in our youth:
Positivity & Open-mindedness - We are accepting and open to all people and experiences that are different
Integrity & Respect - We treat others as they wish to be treated, following a moral compass guided by honesty and ethics
Resilience & Perseverance - We continue pushing forward, even when things aren’t easy. Following a “never give up” attitude, we know we’ll successfully reach our goals, even if it’s not easy.
Program Areas
The content and programming we provide focuses on four core areas of growth: Health & Fitness, Cultural Exposure, Financial Literacy and Giving Back. Why these buckets? Our goal is twofold: to focus on subjects that are either not covered in traditional educational settings or are not given enough attention, in our opinion, and to cover topics that play a part in helping a child grow holistically.
2. Cultural Exposure - We believe that you’re able to experience life to the fullest when you’re able to collaborate with people from other walks of life. We’re not meant to live on this earth and live in one small corner. In order to fully experience life in the lens that it’s meant to be seen, you need to travel and explore different cultures. When you don’t, it puts you at a disadvantage as you can’t communicate, work with others, or understand their perspectives – and these soft skills are critical.
4. Giving Back - We believe in teaching kindness because when you’re nice to others, it has the power to come back and restore you. Giving time and energy teaches sacrificeand allows you to act unselfishly. It also feels extremely rewarding. At the end of the day, the world would be a better place if we all just helped a little.
1. Health & Fitness - Your physical health has a lot to do with your mental health. When you feel good physically, you’re able to flex your brain muscles, release natural endorphins and feel happier. Being physically active and committing to your health has a direct correlation to having a fulfilling, positive quality of life.
3. Financial literacy - A lot of the youth we serve have parents who may not have the background knowledge to teach them about financial literacy. We want to break that cycle. With insight from folks who have had their own bank account, run their own business or invested money, kids can start to see and understand what that looks like. Not only do you need money to survive, but money also serves as a gateway to build the life that you want to live. We owe it to young people to equip them with this knowledge,otherwise they won’t have a fair shot.
Approach + events
We host two sessions with our group of young people each quarter. Each quarter is focused on one of our core program areas (Health & Fitness, Cultural Exposure, Financial Literacy or Giving Back) and starts with a discussion led by a guest speaker or formatted through an interactive learning experience. Then, our second event is typically a full-day event where we take a field trip to experience that core value.
DONATE TO IMPACT
Your donations help make an IMPACT on the lives of children in our community.
Monthly Meeting $100 - Includes Food, Drinks, & Supplies (pens, paper, educational props)
Quarterly Event $1000 - Food and Drinks, Transportation and Fuel, Admission to a Local Outing (museum, concerts, local events, activities)
Give Back Events $1000 - Transportation and Fuel, Lodging, Food, Admission to an Out of Town Event (Biltmore Estate, Amusement Park, Educational Trip
10- 15 Children, 5 Staff Members (3) Quarterly Events | (8) Monthly Events | (1) Give Back Event | (1) Annual Field Trip
Volunteers are always welcome to participate including guest speakers, chaperones and event staff.
LET’S CONNECT
Interested in learning more about IMPACT or ways to get involved? Please drop us a note and we’ll be in touch!
