Within the next three years KoolforLife Inc. will be creating programs that uplift the community, inspire the youth and prepare this generation for all the trials and tribulations they will face. The first program KoolforLife will create is a mentorship program that will take young teenagers and children on trips, stay connected with their family and give them advice of certain career and life goals. The second program KoolforLife will create is an after school program that will help kids raise their math and reading levels. Give them a place where they can wind down from being in school all day. Also create a space where these kids can participate in extracurricular activities like basketball, chess, dance, volleyball, football and softball. The third program KoolforLife will create is a summer camp. My vision is a six week program. The first three weeks in Brooklyn; we will take these kids on trips, we will have a reading list that keep these young minds moving while they are out of school. The goal will be for KoolforLife to make sure that these kids have the best summer of their lives. We will have a variety of different sports that allow the kids to stay in shape and have fun. I will have dance and art activities to mold and cultivate their creativity. The next three weeks will happen in a location out of New York City. Going away to camp helps work on a child’s social skills, and it also gives them a better perspective on cultural competence. While away the students will experience a different life outside of the inner city. There will be co-ed cabins. During this camp your child will learn how to swim, build social skills and participate in different activities that are educational and fun at the same time. There will be team building activities that teach the students to work together, in order to get the best results. Every meal will take place in the Dining Hall, where everyone at the camp eats as a family. There will also be workshops, which are intensive programs designed to increase knowledge on cultural competency, financial literacy and female empowerment, and an end of the summer talent show.
The goal is to create an environment that lives in these young kids’ hearts for the rest of their lives. In the future, I will have more detailed information on everything that KoolforLife will be working on to help change and better this world. I created this company to bring people together through love, spirit and respect. Once that happens I want to work together to change this world for the better. You can spend your whole life praying and asking God for a better life. Or you can wake up and collectively work toward making this better yourself. If we all put our attention and effort into change then this world would change for the better. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is defined as insanity. If you want to see change then you have to implement a different perspective for a different result. I have decided to be one of the leaders of my generation. Every day I empower myself with knowledge, I went to college and got two degrees that teach me how to help people help themselves. I know that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for certain people in my life, so I feel obliged to offer the same help to someone else. We have accomplished some amazing things as human beings and we have also did some horrible things as well. With that being said, your true power lies in this very moment. What are you going to do right now to make this world better? Do you give effort and time every day to make this world better or do you just sit around complaining on how things should be. I got tired of living the world I was living in, so instead of complaining I got up and did something about it. I started out working in camps and after school programs. Getting a Bachelors in social work has given me the skills to understand how systems and real change works. I will use that knowledge to change the world for the better. I know that I wouldn't be able to do the things I’ve been able to do if it wasn't for the sacrifice my family and my ancestors made for me. So it's no way I can just sit here and watch my generation go down in flames. No I'm going to do what my ancestors did for me, I'm going to make this world the paradise I know it should be. Freedom shouldn't have all these stipulations, salvation for all people should be happening now not later.
I had a friend tell me that the reason I have been through so many trials and tribulations in my life is so that I would be strong enough to help people through their personal struggle. It's know way that you can help other people through fire if you were not able to withstand and get through your own flames. I have been through a lot in my life but when the smoke cleared I was still standing. Let me give you a quick perspective. When my mother had me she wasn't able to take me out the hospital, so my great grandmother took me home. She kept me for 11 years and then I became too much for her. She was my great grandmother and she took me in in her late 60's. So I moved in with her son which was my grandfather and his daughter. I was able to go back to my grandmother's house for the weekends, school breaks, and the summer. My mother has not been a consistent figure in my life and I never met my biological father. I was diagnosed with Skin Lupus when I was 11. My great grandmother passed away when I was 17, my grandfather passed away when I was 27 years old. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. When my grandfather passed away, I decided to get my life together and go back to school. I graduated with Honors and I have my Bachelors of Science in social work. During my time in school, I also started my own company called Koolforlife Inc. Now let me be clear, I have been through more than your normal person but I have been blessed since the day arrived on this planet. My family, my community, different camps and organizations have help mold me. Learning how to play basketball taught me discipline and transferable skills. I had great role models around like my Aunt that has been successful her entire life. I watched her work hard every day. Currently she works at one of the best schools in the United States. She has been teaching for over 11 years and last year she just received her second masters and will be becoming an assisting principal for her school next school year. It's because of people like this I have the opportunity to be whatever my mind can come up with.
I share some of my story to help you understand why philanthropy is not just something I do sometimes, it's my lifestyle. I started working at 15. Most of the jobs I have taken in life have been at high schools, junior high schools, camps, working with the mentally disabled and working in an after school program. I have volunteered as a basketball coach at Boys and Girls High School for the past 4 years. This will be the 2nd summer I have worked with the Almighty 2, a basketball tournament and clinic with elementary and junior high school age students. KoolforLife will work in collaboration with the Almighty 2, to create programs for all young people. I understood a long time ago that if it wasn't for certain people and situations my life could have taken a way different turn. But because of so many great people and organizations, I was able to stay on track. I promised myself that when I was able to that I would always give back to my community. I would be a role model for young people to look up to. I also promised myself that I would make sure I used my time to make a difference in my community. I remember when I was younger and my grandfather use to send me to sleep away camp for three weeks. At first I didn't want to go but when I finally got to the camp, I had the time of my life. When the camp was over, every single camper was crying because nobody wanted to go home. We left our families to come make new families. Those experiences still live with me today and it's the reason why I am the person I am today. I hope this blog gives you a better perspective of me and some of the programs that I will be creating in the near future. I wrote this so you could know what inspired me to be the person I am today.
"Our greatest fear is not that we are inferior, our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It's nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won't feel insecure. We were all meant to shine as children do".
I was told a long time ago that the best way to change the world is to change yourself. Experience has given validation to that statement and as I continue to grow and evolve so does the world. KoolforLife is not just a name, it's a movement, a lifestyle and a symbol for change. Imagine a world where everybody paid it forward. When I help someone, and the only thing I ask in return, is that person find someone else that needs help and gives, so on and so forward. This will create a society of people helping people. What type of world would we live in if everyone thought like that?