Click HERE to download a PDF version of the full press release.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2017
Contact: Precious Stroud, PJS Consultants
(510) 423-3404 | info@pjsconsultants.net
Pro Bowl MVP Redefines Community Investment
ACES Foundation kicks off incubator program to tackle displacement in Oakland
OAKLAND, CA – Displacement due to gentrification is a stark reality in Oakland. One sector hit particularly hard is community-based organizations. In an online Mercury News Article, Executive Director of East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy Kate O’Hara said “[The housing crisis] is not just displacing tens of thousands of low-wage workers but also nonprofits who work with them.”
The Lorenzo Alexander “ACES” Foundation, founded in 2008 by Buffalo Bills sack leader and Oakland native Lorenzo Alexander, is kicking off a program that supports a long game plan to prevent the displacement of new programs with innovative leaders. To deepen its impact, ACES has launched a business incubator for social good, focused on serving Black and Latino youth.
“We are invested in community-based leaders who think innovatively and believe in giving back,” says Akeem Brown of Corporately LLC, a technical services provider to the incubator. “We know that our return on investment can’t be capital—it has to be transformation that yields economic gain for young people. One of the main things we want is to create an ecosystem where collaboration is fostered. Every leader at the table has to feel comfortable sharing his or her ideas because no one has all the answers. Regardless of skill level or income, every participant is equal at ACES.”
The ACES Incubation Program values three core principles: Innovation, Equity, and Scalability–the latter of which will allow for replication of the ACES model across the country. The initial cohort in the program includes:
TEAM (Technology Exposure and Access Through Mentorship) - Connects underrepresented youth to the tech sector through the lens of sport, by exposing students to a video-based analysis software called SportsCode www.weareteaminc.org
The Center For Restorative Solutions (C4RS) - Engages in systemic solutions concerning educational equity and juvenile justice in response to the impact of violence and poverty www.c4restorativesolutions.com
BlackFemaleProject - A transmedia storytelling effort that prepares girls and young women for the realities of the work world by introducing stories of triumph and perseverance www.blackfemaleproject.org
PJS Consultants - Serves non-profits throughout the Bay Area, specializing in start-up marketing and awareness building www.pjsconsultants.net
ABOUT ACES
Founded in 2008, the Lorenzo Alexander “ACES” Foundation encourages young men and women to take pride in their community, serving as mentors to youth in an attempt to create a positive cycle. “Our goal is that every young person we work with will be inspired to obtain a higher education, pursue a career, maintain a strong family unit, and then give back to their community,” says Alexander. “We achieve these objectives by implementing programs that help youth realize that they have self-worth and are capable of achieving their ambitions and dreams.”