Today we’d like to introduce you to Aja Muldrow.
Aja, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It began with a deep breath and affirming commitment to take the first step towards (what I already knew was to be) my destiny and purpose. In May of 2014, after laying my almost 1-year old daughter down for a nap and taking a moment to unwind on my couch, I thought about the next steps that I would take upon completing the final year of my MBA/MPA program at Kennesaw State. In those moments, I made the personal commitment to be obedient and do the very thing that I believe God created me to do – build and launch a nonprofit that would serve thousands of youths and families in Atlanta and beyond. It was scary, and a “big hairy audacious goal”, but although I had no idea where to begin, I trusted God and the dunamis (God-given power) within me to take the first step.
I began pouring everything in me onto my notepad, and developed the Mission, Vision, Program Description, Goals, and Strategy, then hit the ground to engage my network and recruit board members whom I knew would be the arms, legs, and additional visionaries that this organization needed – And just like that Dunamis SPARKE, Inc. (DS!) was born. I quickly realized that setting your intentions, and proactively aligning to the divine seeds that are planted within you is the quickest and most effective way to become a witness of the birth of your dreams and passions! Every door opened, every need was met, every relationship built, and all in due season after professing aloud and acting upon the commitment that already burdened my heart. Over the course of the next year, I began sharing my passion for supporting and training youths to identify their passions, strengths, and abilities. Each conversation leading to greater and more frequent opportunities to engage youths in STEAM learning, mentoring and supporting families across school systems in Atlanta, Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
From having a two-man team covering four counties with a $0 budget and using my last $20 to provide breakfast for my students who may not eat otherwise, to being able to meet ALL of our organizational obligations, repeatedly and consistently support our families and initiatives while planning for expansion with eager expectation – the grind has been REAL, to say the least! However, the journey has been incredible, thus far, and the ever-filling learning nuggets have been appreciated along the way.
DS! has pushed through our obstacles and has successfully built lasting relationships and partnerships with families, communities, and various organizations who share our mission and desire to inspire greatness in the hearts of today’s youths. Personally, I have learned the importance of empowering your people and building relationships with other organizations to drive impacts and expand your organization’s reach /ability to do more. I have also learned the importance of seasoning your work to prevent the burnout of yourself and/or people. Staffing has been a struggle and fluctuates according to the time of year, the need of the students, and season of life that the team members/volunteers are in, but we always make it work and find a way to facilitate programming that effectively matches student needs and deposits seeds of hope. The largest emphasis during times of struggle, however, should be placed on the “why” you’re doing the work so that the motivation to push forward remains, even if the resources stop.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Dunamis SPARKE – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as an organization and what sets you apart from others.
Dunamis (Doo-nuh-miss) SPARKE, Inc. is a 501c3 youth empowerment nonprofit that exists to help youths identify and speak truth to their own sense of greatness and personal excellence while concurrently inspiring greatness and hope within the hearts and minds of subsequent generations of youth. DS! facilitates a 3-tier programming model that is geared towards the promotion of STEAM (eSTEAM; Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) learning experiences, targeted mentorship and character development (Project EXCELLENCE), and community-mindedness and involvement (Stewards of Global Change). We work with K-12 aged youths, engaging students in activities that foster the growth of their own moral compass, problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, and that also promotes a desire to lead positive change initiatives within the community. Our most popular initiatives include our Thanksgiving Love-Gift Meal initiative where we provide 50+ families with a full holiday meal, as well as our Christmas give-back where we provide gifts/sponsorship for families in need.
I am most proud of our consistent ability as an organization to meet our students and families right where they are and help them along the way. I am also very proud of our ability to hold true to our mission while creating long-lasting partnerships that support our strategic growth. I believe that this sets us apart from other organizations, as well as our ability to make learning fun and intentional for students and their parents. Additionally, our staff has a way of speaking life into the youths that most people don’t want to work with because of behavioral and/or anger issues, family challenges, etc. Subsequently, these kids become the biggest advocates for this type of programming, and often become the voice/leaders of the group!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are really looking forward to the upcoming Summer and Fall sessions with the city! We have been working with the City of Atlanta’s Parks and Recreations Department to support their initiative and provide quality programming for their Teen Academy for a couple of years now, and have an opportunity to also support the launch of their Jr. Teen Academy so that is big! We are also looking forward to the opportunity to expand to support K-5 after-school programming around Metropolitan Atlanta as well and will start planning for our 3rd annual Thanksgiving Love-Gift Meal initiative in September. So, lots to do and very exciting times! Internally, we are gearing up to begin recruitment efforts to fill 3-4 seats on our Board of Directors.
Contact Info:
- Email: ajadunamissparke@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunamissparke/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/DunamisSPARKE/about/
Image Credit:
Photos by: griotllc (@Oluwatoyin.help) and TLab Game Truck
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