Empire Dreams

08/03/2026

When people believe in your work more than you believe in yourself…
they fly HALFWAY across the country to invest in your youth development initiatives.

Then your high schoolers spend an ENTIRE week shifting mindsets, to CREATE and FILM an ENTIRE music video.

It was amazing 🤩
(Who knew I would one day add backup dancer to my resume 😅)

So grateful for SilkE dot Jose for bringing his talent to KC to serve our kiddos, sharing his greatness and passion with our community.

Definitely check out his one-of-a-kind work through Vision Minds Entertainment.
It’s igniting the next generation of reformers through music.

https://lnkd.in/gvdNaAGF

07/27/2026

Please celebrate Anthony Sayles with me!

His FIRST community event was a SUCCESS and Empire Dreams was proud to partner with him!

(Even though we definitely almost died from the heat! 😮‍💨)

This Saturday we were able to invite our ENTIRE neighborhood across the street to Blue Valley Park.

They received free backpacks and school supplies, met Kristin Fulton, ate great food and enjoyed endless pony rides.

Our high school interns volunteered during the event and face painted for hours!

So grateful for this gift that Anthony gave to our community!

Definitely check out his organization-Prospectivr Possibilites Foundation and learn more about his vision.

07/21/2026

Shout out to Dr. Ryan S. Harvey and the INCREDIBLE impact he is having on youth throughout Kansas City!

There are few people as inspirational as Ryan, carrying the powerful ability to shift the mindset of our young people in such a transformational way.

Thank you to Ryan for speaking life into our high school interns this past week, challenging them to consider the way they see themselves and the world around them.

07/13/2026

I can confidently say that the lives of HUNDREDS of young people in our city will never be the same after the ProX Summer experience.

Eyes were opened.
Minds were ignited.
Hearts were inspired.
Destinies are soon to unfold.

Our Empire Dreams team is going to miss our amazing interns 💜

Shout out to Solissa Franco McKay, Michael Robins, and Asia Campbell for making ProX all that it is!

Also, big thank you to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for their support of this initiative and for lavishing us at the Summer Celebration with the greatest feast of delicious food that I’ve ever had in my life 😍

(Seriously, if you were not a ProX employer this year please consider doing it next year both for the kids and for them tacos!)

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06/19/2026

ig thank you to Global One Urban Farming for hosting our Youth Leadership Internship this past week!
Shout out to Sunny Williams for making it all happen.
We love and appreciate you!

06/15/2026

She went from a hospital bed in
an induced coma…
to WINNING our Rise Business Pitch Competition!

Talk about RESILIENCE, tenacity and courage!

Michelle Holdman refused to let circumstances, diagnoses or hospital stays keep her from her dreams.

During our accelerator Michelle founded Bridgeway Transportation-
“a reliable transportation company for those traditional rideshare leaves behind.”

Her company specializes in servicing individuals with disabilities from low-income communities,
as she deeply understands the challenges of what a disabled individual faces when navigating rideshare services.

Michelle is ready for this next season of bringing her business to life.
Definitely reach out to connect with someone absolutely on 🔥 for growth.

Big shout out also to Jessica Powell for taking on Michelle as her business mentee during the program, investing her wisdom, time and heart into her success.

06/09/2026

Big thank you and round of applause to Jackelyn Daniels and Generating Income For Tomorrow for providing professional headshots for our entrepreneurs!

I am so grateful for the profound work G.I.F.T. is engaged in throughout our city and the significant amount of resources they provide to our east side entrepreneurs.

Further, big shout out to Jordan Alford and the passion in which she leads.
You can’t find a better program manager than her.

06/04/2026

06/03/2026

Opportunities for emerging businesses!

The AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition provides entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business ideas for a chance to win cash. This competition mobilizes entrepreneurs and social innovators to accelerate their growth.

05/15/2026

SCORE Mentors Access to Money event was a PHENOMENAL experience for our entrepreneurs!

We are so grateful for our partnership with SCORE and their support of our Rise Accelerator.
They are a blessing to KC’s entrepreneurial ecosystem!

Shout out to Steve Rich and Geoff Meiteen for the work they put into making this event a success!
Their committment to mentoring up-and-coming business owners is unparalleled.

Also, big shout out to Lauren Conaway, MBA for energizing the room as one of the event’s moderator’s and keynotes.

Talk about raw, real and relational!
She is gold. ☀️