A group of Dallas kids experienced life lessons that will help them on their path to success.
Interfaith Family Services’ Youth Program hosted its first-ever business pitch competition in celebration of Black History Month. Past meets present.
Kids from the nonprofit Hope & Horizons Afterschool Program spent weeks researching notable Black business figures in history and coming up with business ideas and startup plans inspired by them.
Kids presented their next big business ideas to some of Dallas’ top leaders on Tuesday night, donning white lab coats and preparing presentations reminiscent of a corporate science fair.
Winners received gift cards and other prizes to help them take the first step toward making their dreams come true.
“One of the things that drives kids to do well academically and to make great financial decisions as adults is having a vision for the future,” says Kimberly Williams, CEO of Interfaith Family Services, “so it’s really important that we start at an early age to instill in our kids’ hearts and minds the idea of possibility and give them the motivation to do well.”
What makes these kids even more remarkable are the obstacles they’ve overcome: They are some of the people most vulnerable to homelessness in Dallas.
“For us, it’s really important to help kids succeed in school, and instability like homelessness and poverty can impact academic performance,” Williams said.
Through Interface, the cycle of poverty is broken for children and their families. The organization offers a variety of services, including full-day childcare for working parents, rent assistance, counseling, career coaching for parents, cooking classes, and more.
Their parents, most of whom are single mothers, are supported and their children cared for in after-school and summer programs that offer tutoring, field trips, arts experiences and events like business pitch competitions that spotlight historical black entrepreneurial icons.
“It’s so important that we do what we can to expose kids to heroes and innovators, especially those who look like them, and help them imagine themselves succeeding in the future, and this is our way of doing just that,” Williams said.
Interface is always accepting donations of books, snacks and other items, and is also looking for volunteers to help interact with and inspire the children during the summer.
“We want kids to take one or two books with them when they leave school. We want as many books as possible to leave the school building so kids can start their own library or add to their library,” Williams said.
To learn more about Interfaith, click here.
