Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Surrency.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Nadia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Absolutely! Thank you for allowing me to walk you through my story. The birth of the Surrency Foundation transitioned from a vision to a reality in 2018. We are a 501(C)(3) status approved nonprofit. I’ve had the golden opportunity to be surrounded by a phenomenal network of family, friends and true supporters. I wanted to transfer my wealth of knowledge by giving back to the community through the Surrency Foundation. I aspired to create a greater impact and become a game-changer in the lives of our future youth generation.
I faithfully believe in the power of the community. My educational law school student experience at Emory University School of Law accelerated my passion to launch the Surrency Foundation. I earned my Juris Master in Business Law and Regulation degree from Emory Law. I wanted to instantaneously apply my knowledge to drive a nourishing societal change.
For example, at Emory University School of Law, I served as the Juris Master Society President advocating for the JM students. I absorbed valuable teachings about fostering a community of engagement to drive positive transformations. This wonderful experience of advocacy fueled my creativity to build at the Surrency Foundation our four programs to serve our young girls in the community: Dress for Achievement, Educational, Mentoring and Career Exploration Programs.
Fast forward to the year of 2020; we have successfully built strong partnerships with schools, corporations and businesses to serve as sponsors to our youth community. Our wonderful volunteers, sponsors/partners have donated their time, resources and great experiences to us. However, I believe there are more opportunities for us to continue driving our mission-driven movement to reach an increased level of our youth.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
To be very candid with you, the birth of the Surrency Foundation experienced a healthy challenge to overcome in the beginning acquiring new partnerships across various business industries. For example, we experienced several corporations and sponsors that required us to obtain the 501(C)(3) status approval prior to partnering with us.
The 501(C)(3) application exemption process can be perceived as lengthy and intimidating by the general public. However, I applied my legal knowledge to learn the IRS application process and successfully acquired our 501(C)(3) status on the first attempt. Our team celebrated overcoming our first victory.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Great question! At the Surrency Foundation nonprofit, our community-driven mission is to assist young women to make positive changeovers into their post-secondary education, entrepreneurship and more through our relevant and highly engaging programs. We have created a stellar community reputation for delivering quality experiences through our events, mentorship and actions. Community Service and Reliability is the core of our existence and specialization as a growing nonprofit.
For example, we actively listened to the community needs and creatively built four programs to serve our young girls in the community. We have the following programs: (1) Dress for Achievement, (2) Educational, (3) Mentoring and (4) Career Exploration Programs. We have a high volume of participation in each program. Our proudest memorable special occasion occurred on November 9, 2019, in our Sandy Springs center. We partnered with Emory University to create a fun-filled passion-driven event to support the legendary and globally Emory Cares International Service Day event.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Interesting question, yet insightful. I personally define success based on my ability to drive societal change in the life of our youth. For example, I’ve personally witnessed the power of investing time, resources, mentorship and teaching soft skills to help someone advance in life. However, I’m only one person and I needed a village of people to support my mission to reach more of our youth. My criteria for recruiting volunteers and working with our corporate sponsors require a shared mission to drive societal change.
Pricing:
- •A $30.00 donation could cover the cost of school supplies such as book bags, journals, writing materials, etc.
- •A $60.00 donation could cover the cost of clothing, hygienic products, uniforms, and shoes.
- •A $100.00 donation could cover the cost of a an array of supplies for our after-school events, refreshments, and more.
- •A $200.00 donation could sponsor the cost of a bus for our young girls to attend job shadowing, field trips, airfare and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.surrencyfoundation.org
- Phone: 404-477-4643
- Email: info@surrencyfoundation.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surrencyfoundation
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrVwMwAYajQ
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