Today we’d like to introduce you to Darnell Shelton.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Darnell. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been an advocate of donating my time, money, and energy to bettering my environment and the environment of others. Whether that be cleaning up public parks, providing food, shelter, and clothes to the homeless or less fortunate, or simply encouraging at-risk youth to stay in school. The H.U.G.S. Foundation was started in 2013 and stands for “Helping U Grow Spiritually.” I’d just lost yet another childhood friend to gun violence in the neighborhood I grew up in. I decided that there needed to be a drastic change for the residents in my community. I called a town hall meeting at my alma mater, Tri-Cities High School to speak with the locals about why a change needed to take place and how I created a non-profit organization to assist in providing services for the city of East Point. I started off with a small team of volunteers, family members, and friends. Five years later, H.U.G.S. has funded and served over 45+ service projects in and around the Metro Atlanta area. We pride ourselves on giving back to disadvantaged neighborhoods and promoting positivity. We want to be a model to the citizens and create a positive domino effect that would, in turn, encourage the people to be the change they would like to see.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having a non-profit organization has caused many bumps in the road. Every day has its ups and downs with the work that H.U.G.S. has produced over the years. We have struggled with raising capital to fund projects for the first couple of years. My team and I have had to use our personal money to make sure events were a success. We have dealt with the loss of close friends to gun violence and in May of 2015, I almost lost my twin sister to a horrific car accident. Through it all, our community, prayer, and possessing resilience as a team and organization got us through some very difficult moments.
The H.U.G.S. Foundation Inc. – what should we know? What do you do best?
The H.U.G.S. Foundation was formed to represent unity and perseverance in times of hardship. Although I am the President of the organization, I do not like to put titles on any of the members, including myself. We are all on the same level with the same vision in mind. Creating and promoting positive change in and around the Metro Atlanta area is all we care about. My team consists of goal-oriented individuals from different walks of life that come together to give back to communities and individuals in need. I am proud of the services that H.U.G.S. has provided over the past 5 years. It is imperative that we stay consistent with our events. We set ourselves apart by ensuring every community that we serve is done so from the heart. Although H.U.G.S. consists of devoted volunteers, we treat this work like we are getting a check for it. Giving and teaching others is extremely serious to my team.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career so far has been the love and support that H.U.G.S. has received from the residents of Atlanta. I’ve gotten the chance to hear so many stories of how my team and myself were able to assist families with their basic needs. To have the ability to be a blessing to a stranger is essentially a blessing for myself. My organization works off of donations alone. Last year we raised over $8k to help fund our annual events. The people help grow H.U.G.S. It as an honor to know that my team and I are able to reach and help people from all walks of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thehugsfoundationinc.org
- Phone: 404-808-4879
- Email: hugs3102@gmail.com
- Instagram: @hugs3102
- Facebook: The H.U.G.S. Foundation, Inc.
Image Credit:
H.U.G.S. has the copyrights to all photos attached.
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