Masterminds for Humanity
Our mission is:
Enrich the lives of others,
Empower ourselves and one another,
Educate ourselves and our peers,
Expand our hearts to serve others,
Explore our talents and skills to create positive change within the World and lastly to
Encourage one another to know that each of us is capable of making a positive difference. The History
Masterminds for Humanity was
originally started as Little Hands Big Change in August of 2015. LHBC was started when I pitched an idea to a small group of Moms, their children and a few community members. I began with three areas of concern that I had observed within our community. My first concern was for a population of children that I felt were being “left-out”. At the time I was a mom of 6 children (now 7) and I had become accustomed to having to tell our children "no" when it came to extracurricular activities such as Girl Scouts / Boy Scouts, dance, cheer, music lessons or even sports offered through our city. Through talking with many moms I had found so many who had become saddened by the same task. These activities have become an expense that many parents just can not afford. I wanted to give these children and young adults the “Team” they so desperately wanted to be a part of. My second concern was for the disadvantage that our children were experiencing within our schools. As someone who was working in the Education field, I had witnessed time and time again the absurd budget cuts. The cuts that included removing the wonderful electives that we had grown up with such as Woodshop, Auto Mechanics, Home Ec., and many others. It wasn't just these Life Skills electives it was also the sports programs or large portions of it. These electives have now become part of city ran After School programs, which again are a cost that many parents struggle to afford. Sports ran through the city are not free, they too have a cost associated with them. Yes, I fully acknowledge that these children can seek assistance from family members or neighbors. I also acknowledge that there are scholarship programs, but only a very select few are approved each year for these scholarships. Lastly, I asked the children to tell me one major issue facing the World, quickly they answered with hunger and disease. But, when I then asked for them to tell me a major issue facing the city they lived in I received one very clear answer that there was not enough for kids to do and that many of their friends were turning to drugs and alcohol. This was my primary concern. As an individual who grew up in a small town where there were not sufficient activities for youth to partake in, quickly I watched as many of my classmates chose devastating paths of underage drinking, drug use, premarital s*x, and criminal actions. I truly believe that there is power in education. I believe that by educating our youth in the areas of concern facing their city, county, state or World that you ignite a sense of direction in them to want to make a difference. I also firmly believe that you must now introduce these inspired youth to the Leaders that are in place within their city, county and state government. When our small community group continued to grow and many of our members were much older than when they started we decided to revisit the name of our group. We found that by calling ourselves Little Hands Big Change, many had the impression that we were a group only for small children. Our members are both young and seasoned and we wanted a name that was more fitting. So, we adapted the name Masterminds for Humanity. I also knew from the very beginning that I wanted this group to be a nonprofit, so I set a 5 year goal to become one. In January 2020 we were granted our 501(c)(3) status. I am proud to say that we are still growing and that we hope to reach 1,000 members by the end of 2021. We dedicate ourselves to carrying out our mission through Community Service whether this is through projects and events of our own or partnering with other organizations. We offer both our members and members of our communities Life Skills Workshops, that are offered free of cost and taught by local volunteers. We also offer our members the opportunities to take part in amazing Leadership & Team Building exercises, training and conferences. Community Service:
From October 1st until December 20th we perform our Holiday charity project called “Rockin’ the Stockings''. During this time we actively seek and collect donations of Christmas Stockings, Stocking Stuffers, small gifts and $5 Gift Cards. Our goal every year is to fill 250 Christmas Stocking which we then donate to local Foster/Group home youth and to local Seniors living at our local Senior Centers. From February 1st until the Saturday before Easter we perform our Spring charity project called “Bling Out the Baskets”. During this time we actively seek and collect donations of Easter Baskets, Easter goodies, small gifts and $5 Gift Cards. Our goal every year is to fill 250 Easter Baskets which we then donate to local Foster/Group home youth and to local families in need. (Coming 2021) From June 1st until August 1st we perform our Summer charity project called “2 Cool 4 School”. During this time we will actively seek and collect donations of School Backpacks, School Supplies and New Children's Shoes. Our goal is to fill 250 School Backpacks and we will then donate to local Foster/Group home youth and to local families in need. Outside of these three events, Masterminds for Humanity also runs a year round community closet called “Twice Upon a Time”. This is a community closest for local students who are in need of clothing, shoes or special event attire. We work diligently to collect donations of Prom dresses, suits and shoes so that every young adult can enjoy Prom/Cotillion without stressing that their family may not be able to afford the cost. I am delighted in sharing that we are holding our very 1st “Dreams Do Come True” Prom/Cotillion Giveaway on April 17th. This is a private shopping experience for those in need of attire for Prom or Cotillion. The best part is every student will be given the items of their choice without cost. Life Skills Workshops
Our Life Skills Workshops are offered to our members and also open to members of the community. We have hosted such workshops as Government, Money Matters, Time Management, Job/Career Preparation, Beauty and Health, Automechanics, Cooking, Child Trafficking and How to protect yourself and Self Defense. It is our goal to offer at least one workshop each month. Leadership/ Team Building
We host bi-weekly Meet & Greet meetings for our members. Every meeting starts with a fun ice breaker exercise that encourages our members to work together as a team. We are also eager to raise money for our members to be able to travel and to partake in the Cesar Chavez Youth Leadership Conference at UC Davis.
