Greetings letter from the founders
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
The association is an organization built of young black creative entrepreneurs, each person has come a long way in their journey, and we have come together to support our communities.
We are all professionals in our field and, the goal has always been and will continue to be to go out, get the professional information and bring it back to our communities.
The youth must have a sense of what is going on from all angles. Sometimes the media and what is just put out there confuses, and miss leads our young youth, which is not acceptable.
The mission of our nonprofit organization is to positively impact the lives of those living in under-served communities through 4 key focus areas –, social development, anti-violence, recreation & community outreach.
A lot of the times, people that are in power like to paint the picture that is going to university, finishing with a degree and working at 9 to 5 is the ideal situation, but in reality, it all depends, so we demonstrate based on experience and examples, try to give the reality of what is going on.
We have done over 20 projects to support the Toronto community housing complexes and the underserved communities in the past. This is our passion. We will continue to pursue to teach the next generation, and with your help, this will be one of the best organizations in Canada.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Meet The Team
Dane Smith
Founder - Chairman
Dane Smith is a graduate of The University of Tennessee, with a Batchelor of Science degree in Human Health and Performance; Smith has become a successful pro basketball player playing for over seven years in top leagues throughout the world. Smith led the first session for the IAM Basketball Academy in 2020. The academy gave hope to seventy-five of Toronto's youth. The IAM Basketball Academy staff look to provide even more in-depth programs to push our child to reach excellence on and off the court.
Dwayne Smith
Founder - Director
Former professional athlete. Currently an experienced Account Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the staffing and recruiting industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Microsoft Word, Coaching, Sales, and Event Management. Strong sales professional with a Sociology focus from The George Washington University.
Nehnika Williams
Co-Founder - Director
Freelance Makeup Artist with a demonstrated history of working in the cosmetics industry. Skilled in Microsoft Word, Sales, English, Performing Arts, and Adobe Photoshop. Strong community and social services professional with a Comprehensive Makeup Artist Certificate focused in Make-Up Artist/Specialist from George Brown College.