Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Ford.
Stephen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My name is Stephen Marshall Ford. I am a native of Garland, Texas born to Marshon and Vincent Ford Sr on February 6th, 1992. I am 1 of 5 children and have spent much of my childhood and early adult life within education and philanthropy. As a Christian, I have also spent a great deal of time within religious institutions. As a result of spending time within these settings, I became heavily exposed to the realities of our communities. In addition to eventually growing up in a single-parent household and watching both of my parents labor relentlessly to provide for my siblings and me, it became evident that there are millions of children in worse situations than myself. As a child, I developed an intrinsic desire to help those less fortunate than myself, which eventually led to aligning my life to teach children and to support the disadvantaged areas of society. After high school, I went on to Southwestern Christian College, where I earned an associate in science. I then went on to attain my bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Arizona State University. Lastly, I am currently finishing my master’s degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Studies from Grand Canyon University, which will be complete in October of 2020. I am a husband to my beautiful wife of 5 years, a dad to my amazing three year-old daughter and a three-month-old son.
During my undergraduate studies, I founded Marshall’s Dream Non-Profit Organization. During this time, the organization was simply an idea. As time grew and the idea circulated, Marshall’s Dream became a 501(c)(3) Public Charity/Organization through the work of myself, my family, friends, advisers, and many volunteers. Marshall’s Dream was built to provide educational and social support for impoverished youth while circulating various resources needed for these children to progress. After six years of operation, our organization has raised over $175,000, granted over ten college scholarships and serviced over 1000 students with food, clothing and educational technologies.
In summary, I believe that my purpose in life is to inspire as many children as possible. I also aim to encourage children to continue learning, no matter their career field or direction in life. With education as a tool, a child’s potential is endless and we strive daily to make this reality noticeable to as many children as possible.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The journey to this point has not been smooth, but very well worth it. During much of my life, I witnessed my mother work three jobs while continuing her education. I also witnessed my dad serve our community for over 30 years. Though my mother always succeeded in her goals, the moments that led to these successes often became very difficult. Understanding the importance of what my mother was trying to achieve, my brothers and I made it a priority to help in any way possible. Education became our vehicle toward developing a better life. Though there were nights when my brothers and I would not arrive home until midnight due to my mother’s extensive work hours, we found ways to make our current situations work in our favor. With my parents divorcing at an early age, my brothers and I were forced to make a decision that would suit our future. Making these decisions at an early age became a catalyst for our work ethic during college and our early adult years. Today my three brothers and I possess over ten college degrees cumulatively from various public and private colleges and universities. We are also the founders of Marshall’s Dream Non-Profit Organization. My mother currently serves as a Captain in the United States Army Reserves as a nurse. My dad is a retired police sergeant in which he dedicated 32 years of public service. Lastly, each of my three brothers and I serve as youth leaders and ministers at various Christian congregation throughout the U.S. These accolades are primarily due to the values our parents instilled in us during our childhood and beyond.
Please tell us about the organization.
Marshall’s Dream is a non-profit organization created to provide educational resources and tools for children within economically disadvantaged areas. We focus our programs according to the everyday needs of the children, primarily within Dallas, Texas. We provide tutoring & technology, food & clothing services and scholarships to children aspiring to enter higher education or trade school. Our primary goal is to encourage and direct children into becoming educated, well-rounded adults who positively impact society. This goal is accomplished by providing resources that are aligned with children’s education (tutoring and technology), their physical well-being (food and clothing) and each child’s future (scholarships). Marshall’s Dream was created to provide a platform for children to build their dreams and aspirations. Through our dedication to our society’s disadvantaged youth, perpetual program innovations and engaging fundraising, our organization can provide a lasting reward for our future generations. Our organization differs from other organizations in our variety of programs that join together to support children in-home and at-school holistically.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I would make ethical training a mandatory developmental stage for all board directors who become apart of the organization who are in pursuit of leadership roles. Going into the philanthropy industry, it easy to believe that everyone in the industry aims to progress the greater good. What many non-profit leaders figure out is that other non-profit leaders can be self-seeking and if not noticed, early great damage can be done to your corporation. We are very thankful for our ground level advisers who granted us with the knowledge and resources to build an ethical and progressive non-profit organization for the benefit of the communities around us.
Pricing:
- $5 donations
- $20 donations
- $50 donations
- $100 donations
- $500 donations
- $1000 donations
Contact Info:
- Address: Non-Profit Office Location: 2106 Homestead pl, Garland, Texas 75044
- Website: www.marshallsdream.org
- Phone: 469-989-6685
- Email: smford@marshallsdream.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallsdream/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marshallsdream
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MD501c3
Image Credit:
Marshall’s Dream Non-Profit Organization
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