All I Know: How Experiences Become Living Letters to Future Selves

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2nd Annual Coat and Sweater Drive Collection Kick-off, A Business Blooms in Jacksonville, All I Know, business feature, Casino Royale Casino Night Fundraiser, Claresa Baggs, Color Me Grad, communities, education, graduation, high school seniors, Jacksonville business, minority businesswomen, Muse on Blast, nonprofits, stories, Warming Duval County

 ~Empowering individuals to initiate positive personal and social transformations~

 

 

 

 

 Color Me Grad

“I am the hope that uses concrete as a foundation to build a cornerstone.” ~Signed by The Voices of Tomorrow’s Future

Only a picture can frame the perfect moment

Image found on Google Images

where what’s so elementary is the stepping stone

into a future

Image from Google Images

that every child and her family want to have in their memories.

Not all children can afford to buy senior pictures.

The feathery touch of the tassel when they switch it to announce “graduate” may be the only memento symbolizing their journey to overcome the most important twelve years of their lives.

Besides, in a couple of years,  they must have a senior picture to post on Facebook for  Throwback Thursday.

All I Know, Inc. has come up with a way to help those who are in need with its Kickstarter program, Color Me Grad.

Color Me Grad! Kickstarter Campaign is seeking funds to purchase flash drives in order to donate free professional Senior Photos to underprivileged High School Seniors.

There are thousands of deserving high school seniors who live in situations that prevent their families from purchasing cost prohibitive senior photos.

Our mission is to provide free cap and gown and formal senior pictures to record one of the proudest moments in a young person’s life.

Our goal is to reach a minimum of 500 students.

We will save the photos on individual flash drives and turn over complete copyright ownership to the parent or student.

This innovative effort will have an immeasurable positive impact on students, parents and guardians.

Let’s celebrate our youth and acknowledge their major accomplishment.

 

Image taken from Google Images

Look back through your pictures from high school.  Hold that senior photo in your hand again.

Remember the pride you felt when you put on the only high school graduation gown you would ever wear again as the elite member of the Grads in Black.

Remember the one class that posed as a challenge to getting all of your credits.

Remember scanning the crowd of people yelling names ecstatically in the air as you tried to find your own cheering section.

Remember the joy that filled your heart when you walked across the stage.

That senior picture between your fingertips always transports you back down memory lane.

Help another child be able to take that same trip.

Who is the visionary behind Color Me Grad & All I Know, Inc.?

Meet Claresa Baggs, Director of All I Know, Inc.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Claresa Baggs has lived in Jacksonville for more than 20 years.

She and her husband Angelo Baggs, Sr. have just celebrated 25 years of marriage. They are the exceedingly proud parents of 4 children and 5 grandchildren.

Claresa is a member of Wayman Ministries under the leadership of Sr. Pastor Mark L. Griffin.

Claresa is the Founder and CEO of All I Know, Incorporated a non-profit organization committed to providing valuable, insightful, purpose-focused life skills to children and families. She manages all event logistics from the Fundraising to seminars and workshops, including venue research, volunteer and speaker management, and contract negotiations with venues.

 

Before working with All I Know Incorporated fulltime, Claresa was employed at Florida Blue for the past 16 ½ years, serving in the capacity of IT Analyst IV in her last role. Claresa is also a Certified Life Coach.

 

  All I Know, Inc. is the bridge that brings communities and services together to meet the needs of low income and underserved men, women and children. By bridging those ever widening gaps we increase the consumer base of local, state and federally funded programs while conveying consciousness of such programs to families and individuals in need.

 

All I Know Incorporated provides programs to improve the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for at-risk children, youth, and families. Our mission is to equip limited resource families and youth who are at-risk for not meeting basic human needs with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, and contributing lives.

 

Unfortunately, millions of Americans live in distressed neighborhoods where a combination of crime, poverty, unemployment, poor health, struggling schools, inadequate housing, and disinvestment keep many residents from reaching their full potential. The complexity of these issues has led to the emergence of comprehensive place-based and community-oriented initiatives that involve service providers from multiple sectors, as well as community representatives from all types of organizations, to work together to reduce and prevent crime and to revitalize communities.

 

All I Know Incorporated operates on the belief that through enriching the lives of young adults, we can turn the tides of underemployment, crime and substandard living environments. We are in partnership with the Jacksonville Housing Authority to bring these valuable programs to their residents. Additionally, we enjoy partnerships with the Duval County Health Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, State Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office.

 

The Wisdom Behind a Witty Invention–Claresa’s Tips for Businesswomen

• An effective businesswoman should possess the ability to lead by following. The great leader recognize her strengths and weaknesses and is cognizant of the talents available to her and utilizes those talents to move the organization forward.
• Be open to constructive criticisms.
• Be available to your employees and counterparts.
• Cultivate an environment of inclusiveness.
• Engage your employees. Be willing to share and/or give credit to others.

The Power of a Small Thing–Claresa’s Most Memorable Moment

Although in theory, I understood the impact All I Know could have on individuals, it wasn’t until I began explaining the concept to people I spoke to on a daily basis, that I began to fully comprehend how vast and deep situations of violence self-deprecation and fear ran through the veins of men and women, I assumed to know very well.

Someone looked at me and simply stated, “Mayonnaise.” Mayonnaise is what brings her back to a dark time in her life. For me, “cold catsup.”

I knew then that All I Know would have a profound effect on people across the world.

 

The All I Know Brand

~Change Advocates

~Community Outreach

~Socially Responsible

Its Impact

All I Know Incorporated brings workshops, seminars and other events into the community thereby removing the barriers clients sometimes face because of financial or lack of awareness.

All I Know is built on the premise that everyone’s experiences can be used to discover their life’s purpose. There is a reason for each experience no matter how traumatic. Learn from it. Discover your Purpose. Walk Boldly in your Purpose. Pass on your lessons to others. Teach one another how to turn adversity into blessings for others.

The statement “I survived” rings false. There is no “period” at the end of certain events. As humans we carry experiences with us. They become a part of our makeup. It takes something as seemingly innocuous as a comment, smell, taste or even a sound to usher us back into that particular place and time. The key is finding out how to turn adversity into blessings and life lessons for others. We want people to understand that they are not alone in their experiences.

 

 

 

Its Programs

• In The Know Teen Workshop

Geared towards youth aged 12-17. This workshop will provide interactive units designed to increase participant’s decision making skills, peer pressure.

 

A positive, safe and relaxed learning environment that allows teens to express their views and discuss proven solutions to overcoming obstacles, both real and imagined. Participants will also become exposed to the justice system and learn how their actions will affect their future life’s goals and the lives of those with their families and communities.

 

The workshop is designed to increase the participants’ awareness of community services and available resources. Additionally, it will provide information on causes and effects of decisions impacting the lives of the participants, their families and society as a whole.

 

• Don’t Sleep on Me

 

During this workshop, young ladies between the ages of 13-17 engage in learning opportunities to include general hygiene, improving self-esteem and leadership workshops. Many, if not all of the participants have never participated in this caliber of workshop and live in environments where this workshop is greatly needed. We expect to positively impact the lives of these young ladies and by extension, the lives of the people in the community.

 

 

• Learn By Example

 

This workshop is intended to provide valuable life skills to young men of color from at-risk families. Countless young men from underserved families are raised by a female family member (mother, grandmother, aunt, etc.). This nonexistence of unswerving, positive male leadership within the home leads to a steady increase in the high school dropout rate, incarceration, crime, unplanned pregnancies and various forms of abuse.

 

The absence of leadership has a perpetually decimating effect on the families these young men begin to produce. The deconstruction of the futures of our young men is inevitable without this valuable curriculum by way of Learn by Example.

 

• Without Limits Youth Leadership Program

 

The Without Limits Youth Leadership Program consists of 1 week sessions, 4 hours per day. Class size is limited to a maximum of 12 participants to ensure all students receive an exceptional level of individualized attention and plenty of opportunities to remain actively involved and engaged throughout each class session.

 

Geared towards teens who are challenged by lack of confidence in oral speaking, engaging in teambuilding gatherings and leadership abilities. Also focusing on interview skills and college preparation. This course empowers teens to become confident, effective communicators.

 

The Youth Leadership Program provides a unique, safe, and fun learning environment in which teens can practice and enhance his or her communication and leadership skills.

 

The Without Limits Youth Leadership Program teaches the importance of all levels of community service.

 

We have partnered with the Jacksonville Housing Authority to bring this and other types of programs into the various housing developments which they manage.

 

• Still Surviving and Walking in Your Purpose

 

Seminar designed to provide insight and skills to use past experiences as a basis to:

• Acknowledge and come to terms with often traumatic experiences
• Understand that we live in a constant state of Survival
• Discover the hidden Purpose behind those experiences
• Find a way to use those experiences to positively impact the lives of others

 

• Walk Boldly in Your Purpose

 

Facilitated by persons who have experienced traumatic events. Used those events to discover their purpose in life and are now using what they have learned and are still learning to enhance the lives of individuals who have had similar experiences.

The seminar is attended by therapists who will be available to provide guidance to individuals to assist them with working through the energy being released when dealing with such topics.

Upcoming Events

Casino Royale Casino Night Fundraiser: https://www.uniiverse.com/listings/casino-royale-casino-night-fundraiser-tickets-fruit-cove-3L9XX/1408662000

All I Know, Incorporated’s Casino Royale Casino Night is our principal fundraiser, and most of the proceeds are earmarked to support the many workshops and seminars provided to the customers indicated above. Casino Royale Casino Night provides heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages in addition to, casino games such as Blackjack, Craps, Slot Machines, Texas Hold’em Poker, and Roulette.  Live auctions and raffles are also a part of the evening’s fundraiser.

We are looking for Community minded citizens to join us in supporting this event. Please mark the date on your calendar, and plan to attend the event along with your friends.  It will be an enjoyable evening for a good cause.  You may also support the event by purchasing tickets, becoming a table sponsor, or contributing items for the raffle or auction.

The cost for this fun-filled evening is $50 per person, which includes gaming chips, Hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and the opportunity to participate in the various auctions and raffles.

 

Warming Duval County: 2^nd Annual Coat and Sweater Drive Collection Kick-off

September 27, 2014

10:00am-6:00pm

Murray Hill Branch Library

 

Warming Duval County: 2^nd Annual Coat and Sweater Distribution

November 15, 2014

10:00am-6:00pm

Bradham-Brooks Library

 

 

 

Join our communities:

 

Website: alliknowjax.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alliknowincorporated

Twitter:  twitter.com/alliknowinc