ICE4LIFE FOUNDATION INC

Ice4Life Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a passion for the social development of youth with a concentration in arts engagement. We aim to provide financial literacy and assistance, mentorship programming and dance workshops to young ladies instilling a bond of sisterhood. Our foundational program “Perfectly P.R.E.T.T.Y (Poised, Respected, Educated, Talented, Trustworthy You) has mentored over 350 youth in the Hampton Roads area and beyond since 2013. Since our inception we have expanded to young ladies in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and Bunker Hill, Jamaica. A major pillar in our vision as an organization is Community Service and Development. Our community service programs include a coat drive and Hope for the Homeless project, where we serve our veteran community members in need. We also host Grandparents Day, which provides coloring books and puzzles to seniors. Our community development efforts have changed the landscape of Hampton Roads, as we have adopted two streets. Our youth members participate in the cleaning and maintenance of our streets both in Norfolk and Hampton. We created and managed two community garden plots to serve the inhabitants of the community and our programming efforts
One of our newer programs is the annual Youth Empowerment Financial Literacy workshop. Through this program we work to equip boys and girls from middle to high school with tools and lifelong lessons that have the ability to reshape their financial future. The conference agenda includes a “Reality Store” which engages the students through simulating transactions and scenarios that aid in deepening their knowledge and transferable skills keen towards career planning, money management, budgeting and decision making. The participants not only walk away with knowledge, but we also provide a swag bag, T-shirts, breakfast and lunch. In the past this conference has served 200 young people each year and we hope to expand. As we faced some difficulty this year, we were unable to host the workshop. With support from this grant, we hope to bring back this opportunity to our Hampton Roads youth and again fulfill our mission as an organization to serve our youth and close the gap for marginalized youth to obtain the future they dream of. Clearly stated, our mission is to provide youth with the required resources to grow into successful and vibrant productive citizens in their communities.