Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaleesa Smith and Erika Hill.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jaleesa and Erika. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Erika Hill and Jaleesa Smith met in college and pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. from Savannah State University, and we have inseparable ever since. We both had a passion for helping the community and providing global opportunities for our youth. We pondered for years the best way to make this dream a reality, knowing little about the nonprofit world, but in 2015, we decided to step out on faith and incorporated ACTS Global, Inc. It was either now or never! Since then, ACTS Global Inc. has partnered with other community organizations to provide Christmas for over 700+ children in the DeKalb County area. We have also started a community garden at Fork Creek Mountain Park, provided school supplies for middle and high school students, and created fitness camps for low-income communities. Currently, we are hosting H.E.A.T Saturday classes for children ages 11-17 to expose them to our H.E.A.T pillars – Higher Education, Economics, Agriculture, and Technology. We want our students to ACT Locally, and Think Globally!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road due to lack of funding being a new nonprofit. There are many times Erika and Jaleesa have to use personal money to fund our programs. Another major hurdle is that many low-income children are enduring personal obstacles, which cause them to not consistently attend ACTS programs, in turn not being able to reap the benefits fully.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
We are ACTS Global, Inc. A 501c3 nonprofit organization in Atlanta, GA. Our mission is to spark the interest of underserved youth to create generational wealth in a global society. We achieve this with our students by exposing them to our H.E.A.T pillars- Higher Education, Economics, Agriculture, and Technology.
We want to expose the youth to their like-minded peers around the world to foster a multicultural appreciation while connecting ideas to solve problems we all face globally.
What sets us apart as a nonprofit organization is that we value the importance of creating generational wealth within our community. We strive to instill skills within our students that will help them and their family to be economically successful. We also support other individuals by providing information on our monthly webinars on how to start a successful nonprofit so that more marginalized populations can receive resources. We are a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits. We believe there is no unity without community. We are most proud of the fact that our students truly enjoy being with us and benefit from our programs. We are grateful that we can make an impact.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
We believe Atlanta is a beautiful, multicultural melting pot; We like that we can expose our youth to not only our H.E.A.T pillars but also global awareness right here in our city. We only wish that the city collaborate more with new nonprofits and the well-being of youth as they are the next city leaders. We would recommend someone starting here, but only if they have the tenacity to weather the obstacles that may lie ahead when working in a huge city such as Atlanta.
Pricing:
- Our H.E.A.T program is $125.00 per semester, and our monthly visual webinars are $5.00.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2751 Buford Highway, Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30324 - Website: www.actsglobalinc.com
- Phone: 6789719241
- Email: info@actsglobalinc.com
- Instagram: @ACTSGlobalinc
- Facebook: Acts Global inc
Image Credit:
Janese Howard – @jnashaephotography IG
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