Stay Strong Foundation

A favorite of Red Room author Terry McMillan.Stay Strong

Year founded: 1991

Name of founders: Terrie Williams and Xavier Artis

Missions: The Stay Strong Foundationworks to support, educate and inspire America's youth through a series of programs and events that are designed to raise awareness of teen issues, promote the personal well-being of young people, and enhance teenagers' educational and professional development.

Accomplishments:

  • Served 25,000 clients
  • Raised $400,000
  • Implemented eight-week school curriculum devoted to enhancing the communicative, leadership, and social skills of one hundred twenty sixth-grade students in Brooklyn and helped them to build and improve their self-esteem by incorporating behavior modification techniques that immediately rewarded them for practicing the skills that were being taught in each session.

Profile: The Stay Strong Foundation encourages corporate and individual responsibility; develops educational resources for youth and youth organizations; provides and coordinates internships; sets up mentoring opportunities; and facilitates visits by prominent individuals and business professionals to schools, libraries, youth organizations, and group homes. Terrie Williams's experiences in leading the foundation are compiled in her 2001 book Stay Stronger: Simple Life Lessons for Teens, which is now used as a teaching tool in some of the foundation's programs. The foundation also arranges for the donation of learning materials to schools, and it organizes "bootcamps" that have guided more than five hundred aspiring youths onto professional tracks over the years.

The foundation's mentoring and outreach programs range from one-on-one advocacy for inner-city youths whose problems come to the attention, to engagements where Williams speaks to groups in conjunction with organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the Salvation Army. Its "shadowing" program encourages business executives and established professionals to allow a young person to "shadow" them for a day, giving youth invaluable exposure to workings and daily routines inside a corporate office and at offsite meetings and events.

To volunteer, make a donation, or become otherwise involved, please email staystrong@terrywilliams.comor call (212) 316-0305.

–Huntington W. Sharp, Editor, Homepage & Special Projects, Red Room

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