Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Hutchins.
Samuel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Samuel Duran Hutchins I am president and founder of two non-profit organizations; one is called Dream Out Loud 2000, which is a mentoring organization which grew out of my coaching basketball for the Y.M.C.A and the other is called The Hope 4 Xavier Foundation, which birth out of my experience with my son being diagnosed with autism in 1994 and from that the two podcast came into frustration XAVIER’S JOURNEY, which of course, is about my journey and experience with my son Xavier and his mother and his siblings and the other is called IT’S A RAP WITH REGGIE AND SAM PODCAST which is more community-oriented we discuss topics like politics/ RACISM/ sports history and hot button topics of the day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it has not been smooth and it’s still not smooth; however it’s getting smoother; some of the lessons that I have learned and I share with people who are just getting started with whatever venture that they are on is that your enthusiasm has to be met with your penchant for hard work and that you can be encouraged by support but you can’t get discouraged when you don’t get support and you have to be patient and meticulous when it comes to the paperwork like filing your LLC and getting your EIN NUMBER the importance of registering your business and don’t look at it as spending money rather look at it as investing in yourself or as I like to say “Betting on yourself ” and never give too much credence and credibility to things or events that you deem as not successful just view them as learning lesson or a teaching moment where you are both teacher and student
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am such a people person and my work in the community speaks for me and even on my job I am constantly being asked for my opinion on situations from employee disputes to marriage problems but the thing that I am most proud of has been the organization that bares my son’s name the HOPE 4 XAVIER FOUNDATION every year we have a black tie gala which is our biggest fundraiser of the year funds generated from the event fund a scholarship that was names in honor of a childhood friend who lived next door to me growing up as life would have it her son was born with autism as well and we talked about starting this organization in a grocery store isle one day XAVIER and I happen to be in the store and we could hear a lady and a child have a difficult time and I kept listening and a recognized the voice to be that of my childhood friend her name is Wanda LEN’E EMERSON THOMPSON as I went to help and I asked why he was so upset and at the end of her explanation she told me he had autism her son was three at the time and XAVIER was nine and as I was telling her about XAVIER had how we got him to where he is she remarked that I sure did have a lot of information and it would be good to get some of that out there and that we should start something in that manner I agreed but she died from complications of lupus however three days before she passed she asked my brother Dale Hutchins if I had started the organization yet and my brother told her he’s in the process and she said “when I get out of here I’m going to help him get that thing off the ground “and as I said three days later she transitioned and I started the scholarship in honor of her memory and sprit it’s called the “WANDA LEN’E EMERSON THOMPSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP “And of course due to the pandemic we didn’t have the gala last year and we will not be able to this year either so we have fundraisers like tshirt sales and raffles also some of the funds go to the literature we give away at pop up shops and any place else where we are vendors… what sets me a part honestly I don’t see myself as set a part per say but my reasoning and my passion is fueled by my love for my son and family my community and my commitment to make this world a better place than when I found it I’m not trying to change the whole world just the part that I live in
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Chose a person that has a proven track record that shows that they are about what they say that they’re about because you will find out that people will say things in a certain setting and when the lights go out and there isn’t an audience people and their enthusiasm and passion are not the same some people say things because they are captured by the moment or they will tell you what you want to hear so it will seem like they have all the answers
Pricing:
- Tshirt 20$
- Commemorative clock 20$
- Segment sponsorship for podcast 25$
- Patron youtu.be channel 10$
Contact Info:
- Email: Itsarappod19@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Itsarappod19
- Youtube: Samuelhutchins
