We had the pleasure of meeting Courtney Johnson at our Let Love Bloom photoshoot, and we wanted to share with our readers more about the man behind the photos.
According to Courtney, “I noticed there were a lot of things wrong in the community. The crime rate had gone up, a lot of my peers were caught up in the life of drug and violence, and there was a huge lack of positive mentors and guidance for the youth. That made me want to get more involved in the community and get others to as well. We needed all the help that we could get. It started off as a small movement that focused on park clean-ups and food drives during the holidays. There was no name for this or anything. I just wanted to help my own community that I grew up in in any way I could. Each event started to grow and more people wanted to be a part of this “movement” I started. That inspired me to look into how I could get a 501(c)3 in order to become a nonprofit. It wasn’t long before Young & Established was born. I really wanted to focus on the youth, as they are our future, and also, bettering the community. It’s been 5 years now and we’re still continuing to grow! I’m a man of God, and I truly believe He gave me the vision to start all of this.
Young & Established continues to strive to be a leading organization that actively promotes positive youth empowerment. It’s the passionate desire we have for the youth and young adults to realize their self-worth and potential, establish and reach goals, become successful members of their communities! We want to continue to inspire and mentor youth, promote local and national charitable activities, and instill a positive message in the community through our annual events, programs, campaigns, and sincere goodwill.”
To learn more about Young & Established, visit: http://www.youngandestablished.com/
photo credit: Alexander Paa Barniak