What We Do
The Destined for Greatness Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that provides leadership and advocacy in America on the issues that matter most; works to promote juvenile justice reform; and implements strategies to increase college matriculation rates, particularly in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); while providing mentorship, training and development to the most vulnerable members of American society–at-risk and economically disadvantaged youths. Moreover, each key area within the Foundation’s area of interests has a signature program that allows the organization to coalesce its efforts, energy and resources towards achieving the goals set forth in The Greatness Manifesto.
Our foundation’s signature programs include:
Leadership & Advocacy
Towards a More Perfect Union—In the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America, our forefathers solemnly remind us that is We, the people, who must work together to form a more perfect union for ourselves and our posterity. The Destined For Greatness Foundation, in keeping with this clarion call to action passed down to us by the forbearers of past generations, continues to work to secure the blessings of liberty through the implementation of our signature event: Towards A More Perfect Union.
An annual gathering that brings together a new generation of
American leaders–from the best and brightest amongst us– to tackle the most challenging issues of our time, Towards a More Perfect Union is our foundation’s signature event. Our first event, scheduled to coincide with the January Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, will be held on “Dream Weekend 2014″ in the city where dreams come true, Orlando, Florida–home of the Magic Kingdom! With special invited guests, elected officials, media professionals and more, Towards A More Perfect Union promises to be an event you won’t want to miss!
Juvenile Justice Reform
The “2-For-1″ Initiative—
Sponsored by the Destined For Greatness Foundation, the “2 for 1” Initiative is a youth offender diversion program that aims to reduce recidivism within the juvenile justice system, by giving first-time offenders an opportunity to redirect their efforts towards positive pursuits that help to build their future and strengthen their communities simultaneously.
Our goal is to reduce juvenile delinquency, truancy and other behavioral problems previously exhibited by the program’s participants, by partnering with local juvenile justice systems to further increase high school retention and graduation rates of the participants.
We aim to achieve these goals by providing group-mentoring opportunities, and skills based learning via a unique community based agricultural model that teaches program participants the skill and craft of land cultivation, through the development of urban gardens that provide fresh fruits and vegetables to traditionally underserved and under resourced communities, helping to solve another vexing problem in many underserved neighborhoods: namely, poor access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Increasing Matriculation Rates
The Greatness Games—Sponsored by the Destined For Greatness Academy, the training and development arm of the Destined For Greatness Foundation, the Greatness Games are dedicated to recognizing teachers and students who excel in and promote the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. An intensive academic competition in which
teams students try to outthink each other in each of the key areas, this is a triple-elimination tournament, the games involve teams of students answering curriculum-based questions in an entertaining, fast-paced format.
Our first games, scheduled to take place on “Dream Weekend 2014″ during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday in January 2014, will attract scores of the nation’s best and brightest young academicians, as they compete for a cash prize and other exciting prizes during this one-of-a-kind team based academic competition.
Mentorship, Training & Development
The Greatness Society —Buoyed by the un-bounding belief that anything is possible in America, if you work hard and play by the rules, The Greatness Society is our Foundation’s core mentorship initiative that cross-pollinates each of our signature programs. Each of our student participants must sign The Greatness Society Code of Ethics, and join the society, as a prerequisite for participation n any of the foundation’s programs. The society’s aim, to rebuild our nation and “Redefine America’s Manifest Destiny” one child at a time, is designed to provide the practical instruction our program participants need to compete and win in a demanding global marketplace.
Throughout this year-round program, we will provide a unique and relevant virtual classroom for that offers life skills training and group coaching for children 12-17 years old. Leveraging the best technology to make our classroom accessible to our students, our staff of dedicated professionals, mentors and volunteers will work to provide our students with the training and development they need to achieve the American dream.