Las Vegas’ Inspiring Children Foundation is uplifting the next generation of leaders by healing them from the inside out.
Jewel spends time with youth members Micah Sypert, Jane Ladaga and Cherrial Odell. PHOTO BY JUSTIN MELSON
Since 2002, Las Vegas’ Inspiring Children Foundation has been utilizing a holistic approach to craft life-changing programming and education for at-risk youth. With challenges ranging from suicide and eating disorders to homelessness and abuse, among others, the nonprofit meets each child with a “whole human” approach, bolstering their physical, social, emotional and mental health in an all-encompassing manner. “People with these issues are usually highly sensitive, very creative, high-functioning individuals that don’t know how to deal with their superpower,” says Ryan Wolfington, who co-founded the organization with Grammy Award winner Jewel, tennis stars Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, Marty Hennessy and David Pate. “Once you teach them how to deal with their superpower, they become extraordinary, and that’s where a lot of our results come from.”
Those results include 100% of the youth enrolled in the nonprofit’s leadership programming receiving scholarships to college, with 58% of them earning entry into Ivy League universities, from Stanford and Dartmouth to Georgetown and Brown. “We try not to focus on outcomes because that creates anxiety and doesn’t help someone perform better,” notes Wolfington, who shares that much of the nonprofit is run by the kids themselves. “We don’t care where you go to school; just give your best effort. Let go of negative thoughts, and the success will take care of itself. If you focus on your attitude and effort—the things you can control—and let go of the results, your results will be better.”
Musician Andy Grammer, #NotAloneChallenge founder Dr. George Rapier III, Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak and his wife, Janet Wozniak, show off custom kicks at the inaugural #NotAloneChallenge Dinner at Las Vegas’ Tao Asian Bistro. PHOTO BY KABLICK PHOTO GROUP
One result Wolfington is willing to focus on is the soaring success of the organization’s #NotAloneChallenge, an online movement and dinner series conceived by Dr. George Rapier III—founder of WellMed Medical Management—who was recently honored with The Woz Award by Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak. The challenge offers mental health tools to anyone in need—free of charge—and has cultivated a community of millions online, with celebrities like Kelly Clarkson and Paris Hilton showing their support. “It has become the largest mental health campaign in history,” reveals Wolfington. “So far, it’s reached 3.1 billion people and generated 600 million media impressions. We’re making healing emotional and mental health cool.”
While Wolfington is quick to shine the spotlight on the foundation and not himself, it was the entrepreneur’s own struggles with mental health that sparked his desire to heal others. “The legacy of our foundation is our alumni and the profound way in which they’ve healed,” he shares, with tears in his eyes, a nod to his whole-hearted passion for the youth he works with. “When you’ve healed as a human being, there’s a seed of love that gets planted inside you that you can’t help but share with someone else because you know you found gold. Seeing these kids bring that to their families, to their businesses, to the ecosystems that they’re running is amazing.” Some might even say it’s inspiring.
Photography by:
