It is my pleasure serving as POWER CHANGES LIVES’s President and CEO. Many of the POWER® programs imitate my life. I’ve known personal adversity and struggle – poverty, homelessness, food insecurity and lack of access to resources to help elevate my status, all while the single parent of four children by the age of 24. After pulling myself up by the bootstraps, I can now “look back and give back”.
POWER® has grown from an organization of 1 to a global employer of 25 in less than one year. Our staff represents the true definition of diversity – by location and by ethnicity. Employees sit remotely throughout the United States, Nigeria, the Philippines and Spain. It is important that our staff mirrors those we serve.
Even through a pandemic, your giving has not only kept our doors open, but allowed us to increase staff and programming, allowing us to do amazing work within low-income, minority and underserved communities. Programs such as Operation Holiday® providing gifts over 200 individuals, families, seniors and the homeless in need. The Newark Project® and The Flint Project® sponsoring four qualifying 9th grade Freshmen and their families with full housing subsidy, food, tutoring, job search, and case management services. Project F.E.E.D. (Friends Ensuring Every Dinner), providing over 100,000 meals to those food insecure. LavaLove® a 29’ custom designed mobile hygiene trailer equipped with 3 shower-restroom facilities, washing machine and dryer, a barber chair and community resource room. The Crimson Project® helping those with low-level criminal offenses by partnering with participating attorneys providing legal expungement services. Senior Connect® providing FREE kindle fire tablets to those 65+ keeping them connected virtually to their physicians, groceries, pharmacies and loved ones. iPlay® providing FREE musical instruments with virtual instruction to over 200 K-12 students throughout the United States. Our newest sustainability project, POWER Kitchens® (ghost kitchens), bringing new cuisine and employment to boost the restaurant industry and reduce unemployment rates in underserved communities. POWER Village® building tiny homes providing shelter to those without a place to call home.
Your donations speak loudly in your belief and trust in us to “do the right thing” by placing the financial resources in the “right places” – we’ve done just that. Transparency in reporting is essential to our relationship, one that we take seriously, not only as a federal requirement mandated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRs), but more importantly, you simply have the right to know where your donation dollars are going.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you and our communities throughout the world. I will continue to do and give my best to help others and impact their lives – now that’s POWER®!!
Warmest Regards,
President and CEO
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