Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Townsend.
Hi Derrick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hopeful Change, LLC started long before it had a name, business plan, vision, mission statement or logo. I remember like it was yesterday, it was the summer of 1997; I was a teenager. One of the parks in my neighborhood lost its funding for the after-school program and summer camp and was slated to be condemned. The park was in one of the worst and most notorious neighborhoods in the city; drugs, heavy crime, and gang violence, a real high-crime, low opportunity area. Without funding for the summer program, 120 kids would be displaced for the summer. So, my brother, Rich Townsend, my mentor, Roy Wilson, and myself put our resources together to fund and run the day-to-day operations of the summer camp and after-school program for the 120 kids who were displaced. I did not know it at the time, but I had just found my passion, purpose, and calling in life.
Unbeknownst to me, I was planting a seed and investing in my future by serving the need of the community. We funded the camp for two years. As a product of the inner-city I knew the importance of providing opportunities and safe spaces for our youth, even at a young age. Working with those youth every day changed my life and it helped me to realize the power of helping others through leadership. Fast forward a decade, and in 2007, after several years of experience in the music and entertainment industry, I felt compelled to develop a strong, effective, and reliable mentoring and mental health program to assist and address the socioemotional and socioeconomic disparities of inner-city youth.
Today, I am the CEO/President of Hopeful Change, LLC in which I facilitate and oversee several programs to include summer camps, sports camps, STEM/STEAM camps, educational and enrichment programs, music, and creative arts programs. Hopeful Change, LLC also offers full-service counseling and therapeutic services. I have over 20 years of experience working with inner-city, at-risk youth via community outreach, development, and programming. At Hopeful Change, LLC our mission is provide services that encourage and support healthy growth and development. We recognize the key to helping one attain a more productive and rewarding life is to empower them with the skills, knowledge, and motivation necessary to help him/herself. Our vision is for all to have the freedom to grow and evolve in a community that recognizes and supports the importance of individuality. Hopeful Change, LLC is proud and blessed to have worked with over 7,000 youth and their families throughout the United States.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road, but the journey has been worth the rewards. In my lifetime, I have had 32 of my friends murdered. I am a firm believer that what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger. I also believe the journey is just as important as the destination, and today, I am the strongest that I have ever been because of my journey. There is a scripture that says, “Grow not weary in well doing because in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” The type of work that we do is not for the weak, faint of heart or fearful, because it requires 100% effort and commitment. I think one of the hardest things I have had to do on this road is to help a mother pick out a suit for her 13-year-old son’s funeral. Although we want to save every youth that comes through our programs or lives in the communities we service, unfortunately, we can’t and that is the heart-wrenching part.
When we lose one of our kids to violence or the penitentiary system, it hurts. I often feel very ambiguous on this road because as much as it hurts to lose one of our youth, it feels just as exhilarating to see one of them graduate, earn an athletic scholarship, get a job, start a business, learn a new skill, accomplish their goals or find their purpose. That is why we keep going, because what we do is important and needed. So, no matter how many twists and turns or potholes I experience on this road, I must press forward because so many lives depend on it and tomorrow is not promised. As well, one of the things that makes the road so difficult is that the needs are so great and we at Hopeful Change couldn’t possibly complete this herculean task on our own. Although we have built great partnerships and have been blessed with awesome sponsors and volunteers throughout the years, there is so much more that needs to be done and so many more lives that can be changed by helping to join the mission to invest in our youth and community programs and development. My hope is that one day we will have a village strong enough to protect, enrich, educate, and empower our youth.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Hopeful Change, LLC is a family business, in which I partner with my wife, Dawn, who is a Spelman College graduate and a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She is a crucial part of the success of Hopeful Change, LLC and is instrumental in the day-to-day operations, as she oversees all the mental health aspects of the business which allows us to offer a broader range of services and resources, in addition to mentoring and community outreach.
We are a professional organization, living by the creed of the proverb, each one teach one, with the responsibility of building better tomorrow’s today.
We are a community-based organization that believes in the grassroots efforts of fostering hope and creating change through mentoring, enrichment, educational programs, camps, and community outreach. We are a company that has over 20 years of experience, professional training, and education, providing us with a vast working knowledge and expansive experience in serving all socioeconomic statuses, to include disadvantaged youth, via school systems, DJJ, DFCS, mental health agencies, the YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the like. We believe that our youth are the answer to building better tomorrow’s today; understanding and knowing that the children are the key to the future, allows us the opportunity to share through the one commonality we all have, the ability to experience – love and hope.
We seek to maximize the holistic integration of your mind, body, and spirit through avenues of mentoring/enrichment programs (via life skills/strategies), counseling/therapeutic services, consultation, community outreach (along with development/event planning), sports/youth camps, life coaching/motivational speaking, seminars/workshops/trainings, and fundraising. We are hopeful that with assistance you will be able to create newfound respect for your wellness and well-being, as you are able to incorporate learned strategies to improve your daily functioning. We believe that every problem has a solution and believe that through our years of experience, we are equipped to help you find the solutions to your problems, whether big or small.
Our goal is to improve the academic achievement, self-esteem, social competence, and avoidance of problem/high-risk behavior by providing a nurturing relationship with a qualified and professionally trained mentor. Our mentors focus on helping our youth achieve their highest potential in life. Our mentoring program was developed, based on the growing need for life skills, decision making, team building, coping skills, financial literacy, and educational support for our youth. We are privileged to have mentored over 7,000 youth.
We believe that to be effective, it is necessary to meet people where they’re at, homes, schools, churches, community centers, prisons, etc. We believe that as people in the helping profession, it is our purpose to do what we do daily, and therefore are always seeking to use our God given gifts and talents to edify the people in the community that we serve every day. We have developed several community partnerships over the years with non-profit organizations, schools, corporations, entertainers, and professional athletes to provide multiple events throughout the year.
We believe that education is the fundamental building block and key principle to unlock opportunities of success for our youth. We are dedicated to helping our students achieve academic excellence and pride ourselves on our commitment to each youth through both educational and enrichment programs. We have scholarship programs and literacy and educational incentive programs, which are all designed to promote and reward academic excellence.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I am a student of life and I try to learn from every person that I meet and experience that I have. I find my greatest inspiration and motivation through music. I listen to all types and genres of music from Classical to Hip Hop. I feel like music is essential to my life and self-care. I am not an avid reader, I tend to enjoy movies more than books, and I love comedy which helps me relax and keeps me balanced. However, I have recently finished two books during the pandemic, “Higher is Waiting” by Tyler Perry and “Maximize the Moment” by Bishop T.D. Jakes. I thought both books were awesome, thought provoking and encouraging. I have had the pleasure of meeting both great men, but the books helped to magnify and peel back the layers of their journeys to greatness. It was a reminder that I have a greater purpose in life and a promise I must fulfill. I also read a scripture in the bible every morning to stay centered and focused on my faith, the foundation of who I am.
Lastly, I thoroughly enjoy reading Voyage Magazine, because it is awesome how you have provided such an amazing platform to give people like myself an opportunity to be recognized for the hard work and dedication that we put into our businesses, dreams, and passions. I have been encouraged and inspired by the work that you have done. I believe it is important to give people their flowers while they are alive and with your Hidden Gems’ platform, I feel you are doing just that. On behalf of the entire Hopeful Change, LLC family and team, we salute you and thank you for this wonderful opportunity!
Contact Info:
- Email: thehopefulchange@gmail.com
- Website: www.hope2change.com
- Instagram: @changehopeful
