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3rd Annual Bike Giveaway is Dec. 10

AGB Foundation 2022 Bike Giveaway

The AGB Foundation is pleased to present our third annual Bike Giveaway, one of our favorite events of the year!  Since 2020, we have gifted more than 300 children’s bikes during the holiday season, thanks to our partnership with Walmart and the generosity of AGB donors. This year, we will again give away bicycles to children aged 2 to 10 living in the 60620 zip code on Saturday, December 10, at 11 am. Kids will also receive a candy cane, hot cocoa, and the opportunity to take a picture with Santa!

We would appreciate it if you RSVP so that we can plan ahead and be sure to have enough bicycles. This event is first come, first served.

A big thank you to our donors for being our strongest supporters throughout the year, and especially during the holidays. If you are interested in volunteering your time and talent to the event, please email us. Happy Holidays!

Your continued support allows us to impact even more young people and families in underserved communities. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your generosity.

Reserve a Children’s Bike

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AGB Divvy Bike-A-Thon Rolls on 8/6/22

AGB Foundation Divvy Bike-a-Thon 8-6-2022

Hey Chicago, join us Saturday, August 6, for a fun event that will get your blood pumping—and support our work to develop young business leaders of color.

The first annual DIVVY Bike-A-Thon is a 5K route that participants can either ride or walk. The event benefits the Always Giving Back (AGB) Foundation’s Alumni Network and Scholarship Fund, which provides needed financial resources to young people seeking higher education as well as professional guidance and workforce development.

The Bike-A-Thon will kick off at 8:30 am with a continental breakfast for all registered participants. Bikers are invited to check in to receive their racing number and water for the ride. The first round of riders will leave at 9:00 am sharp. The Bike-A-Thon route begins and ends at AGB headquarters, 7545 S. Western Ave. in Chicago.

Sign up to ride a DIVVY bike for $10, or walk the route for $5. Bring your family members, friends, and colleagues to join you for an enjoyable morning supporting a deserving cause!

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Double the Gifts, Double the Cheer

AGB Foundation Bike Giveaway event graphic for 12/22/21

One of our favorite events at the Foundation is the annual Bike Giveaway, which helps kick off the holiday season early. Last year, we brought Christmas cheer to residents of the 60620 community with hot chocolate, a black Santa Claus, and 100 brand-new children’s bicycles. It gave us so much joy to give bikes to kids who had never had their own. The smiles on their faces were priceless, and inspired us to give back even more this year.

Thanks to our partnership with Walmart and the generosity of Always Giving Back Foundation donors, we are looking forward to gifting 200 kids’ bikes this year! We will distribute them to children in underserved areas of Chicago on Saturday, December 11, 2021.

In keeping with our tradition, we will serve hot chocolate from a heated tent (after all this is Chicago), and will enjoy a two-hour visit with not just any Santa, but Chicago’s Black Santa—Dreezy Claus! A big thank you to our donors for being our strongest supporters throughout the year, and especially during the holidays.

If you are interested in volunteering your time and talent to the event, please email Venetta Coley. Happy Holidays!

Your continued support allows us to impact even more young people and families in underserved communities. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your generosity.

Give now

 

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Give Back & Get Gifts with our Silent Auction

AGB Foundation postcard for virtual silent auction Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, 2021

Shop for holiday gifts and help a great cause at the same time during the Always Giving Back Foundation Silent Auction, taking place online November 26 through December 3, 2021.

The Silent Auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year, an annual event that makes many of our programs possible. Because of COVID, this year’s Silent Auction is a virtual experience. Participants can bid on various high-end items beautifully presented and ready for gifting (or enjoying).

This year’s fundraising goal is $10,000, and proceeds will support the foundation’s programs for underserved members of the community. These include professional internships, college scholarships, and direct assistance to families, such as our upcoming bike giveaway event.

We have curated an exciting collection of Silent Auction prizes this year, including tickets to a Chicago Bulls basketball game, two-night luxury hotel stays in Chicago, high-end restaurant gift certificates, clothing, massages and more! If you are on social media, please like and follow us on Facebook for details on our fantastic Silent Auction items.

Registration is now open through our secure partner Silent Auction Pro! You’ll need to create an account to view a sampling of auction items, and it only takes a minute to set that up. Your credit card will not be charged unless you are the highest bidder on an item.

The bidding begins on Black Friday, November 26, and closes December 3, 2021. All are invited to participate in the bidding and support the mission of the Always Giving Back Foundation!

Sign up for Silent Auction
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Harness Your Power!

Did you know that 14% of the world’s millllionaires are people of color?! That is exciting news. But while it is a wonderful stat many nonprofit organizations have failed to diversify their donor portfolio. Dr. Denitra Griffin the co-founder of the Always Giving Back Foundation will discuss this topic on Feburary 25, 2021 with Chronicle Philanthropy.

Racial inequality still peaks its head through when an organizations are looking for their ideal donor. They forget about the C-Suite members of the Fortune 500 companies. Nonprofit leaders often focus on white supporters, that is a costly mistake.

 To learn more register right now!

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November Newsletter

Let’s Do This!

Oh, how 2020 has passed by! We have had some lows and some highs this year.

The Always Giving Back Foundation has always understood the importance of representation in the workplace. Who would have thought in this decade we would see a woman in the White House? We are super elated to see the FIRST woman, BLACK woman, INDIAN woman to serve in the seat of Vice President of the United States of America. We hope to cultivate tomorrow’s leaders who too will be the FIRST.

The AGB Business Internship has expanded from a six-week summer program to a year-round program. (See 2020 Summer Business Internship here.) This weekend 25 young people came together virtually. They left with a greater understanding of why the Griffins started the AGB Foundation. Their commitment to the community is what sets the tone for the culture of AGB Innovative Security Solutions and its charitable arm.

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Giving the AGB Way

Last year around this time we gave away turkeys to families across Chicago. This year we will gift bikes to the community, so stay tuned. If you ever want to volunteer your time, please fill out the following form. 

AGB’s great work doesn’t stop there! Have you watched this season of Secure Podcast? Entrepreneurs will find tips to build their business, data that encourages them to continue forward as they learn about the Griffins’ journey.

We want to be a part of your holiday plans. Please help us continue our mission of disrupting the cycle of poverty through workforce development, financial wellness, and philanthropy. Support us on Giving Tuesday, December 1, one of three ways:

  1. GIVE & MATCH
    Give any gift of your choice, and request your company to match, at agbfd.org/donate.
  2. SMILE & SHOP
    As you purchase your holiday gifts, consider us in your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping as your foundation choice through AMAZON SMILE.
  3. SHARE  THE JOURNEY
    Take a picture with one of the following “Reasons to give” images and share it on your social media. You’ll be spreading the word about the Foundation’s work and encouraging your friends to give!

 

 

 

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AGB Foundation Early Voting Transportation

This election is so important to our nation. The AGB Foundation wants your voice to be heard! We understand that not everyone has the ability to get to the polls, so on October 27, 2020 we will be providing just that. We will offer transportation to the polls so that residents of the 18th Ward can vote in person or drop off their completed ballots. Do you need transportation to the polling site at Charles Carroll Elementary School? Sign up below to request a ride!

Sign up for Oct. 27 transportation to vote in the 18th Ward

 

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Ideas & Inspiration to Prepare for 2021

 

Now is a good time to prepare for next year. In this last quarter of 2020, we challenge you to do a self-introspection. Your inner thoughts affect your life and leadership. As you close out the year, identify how you can be a blessing instead of a burden to yourself and others. Locate where you are and decide where you want to go. You can do so by asking yourself the following to get a sense of where you might be (Relationship Intelligence, Dharius Daniels):

  • Where am I? –  Accurately assess where you are. Honestly, locate where I am in the relationship, job, and with one’s self.
  • What do I need in this season? – Determine whether you need low maintenance friendships, healthy distractions, to take on new courses to advance in your career, or even time to rest, etc.
  • What do I have?- Take a look at the contributions that you and other people are making to increase the health of your life.
  • Now, what do I need to do? – Make the decision to realign, remove, or pursue decisions that encourage your growth.

This opportunity to move forward in your life can start with AGB. Share the AGB Business Internship with your favorite teens. Listen to the Secure Podcast. Help us reach our fundraising goal of $10k. Learn more below!

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Self-reflection activities are the types of confidence-building exercises we facilitate with our AGB Interns. We normalize self-identity and encourage them to ascertain who they wish to be five years from now.  Finding stability in their sense of self creates an environment our interns can grow in business.

As the AGB Business Internship enrolls our new approach, we provide instrumentation for Chicago youth to set their career goals. We have divided our program into two-part to ensure Chicago youth gain insight into the business. The first half of the program trains and the second half of the program allows them to put the lessons learned to the test with mentors to guide them along the way.

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There is no shame in their game, just authenticity. Season 3 of Secure Podcast is all about the steps to being an entrepreneur. The Griffins provide resources to get started and truths that one should be mindful of.  It’s so important to do practical things like writing out your elevator pitch to sell your business and avoid stress. Stress easily leads to irritability and frustration. We don’t want that for your business.

Get into the mindset of an entrepreneur by tuning into Secure Podcast.

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August’s Newsletter

 

If you want to know what it means to be resilient take a look at these 11 faces. One week has gone by since our favorite young people completed the Summer Business Internship at AGB Innovative Security Solutions.  Boy, do we miss them! They have changed so much.

To say the AGB interns transformed is an understatement. As they completed this hybrid program they obliterated their view as average high school students and welcomed their new identity as young professionals. They consistently made the decision to meet every deadline, show up to every virtual meeting, and bring fresh ideas to the table. Right away, they applied pressure!

Over the last six weeks, the interns’ consciousness expanded. These fantastic young people had the opportunity to engage in career conversations with C-Suite executives from companies like Facebook. Former AGB scholar Steve Wilson exposed them to excel while they completed projects for AGB Innovative Security Solutions departments.

Due to the pandemic so many programs forced to shut down. However,  YOUR SUPPORT, allowed us to adapt during these hard times. Your gifts provided the 2020 AGB interns with professional attire & a digital portfolio. It includes their resume, professional headshot, & a well developed LinkedIn profile.

A special thank you to Sara Martinez, our Program Manager, who worked diligently with our interns to ensure the program ran smoothly.

Even though the interns learned a lot from us, we learned what it means to live out resilience from their ability to keep working while the world is at a standstill.  They did not get distracted from their end goal. Their dance moves on TikTok, presentations to clients, and phone interviews set the expectation for future interns.

As you can see, their time here was well spent, and we miss them.