We were lucky to catch up with Adeola Lawal recently and have shared our conversation below.

Adeola, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

I founded a 501(c)(3) organization called The Children’s Gift Foundation (CGF) in 2017 to provide underserved youth with new school supplies, basic necessities, and educational resources. We deliver items such as snacks, apparel, books, and personal essentials to schools and other nonprofits. In addition, we partner with organizations to host interactive learning experiences for students.

The students that we serve at The CGF are remarkable. Their creativity, tenacity, and unique perspectives inspire us year after year. Our hope is to empower learners and provide them with resources that transform the learning journey. As a result, we are committed to creating programs that motivate students to transfer knowledge beyond the classroom. Helping underserved youth is one way that we support students’ growth and foster equitable access to learning.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Currently, I am also a graduate student at Harvard, where I am brainstorming innovative strategies to increase equitable outcomes for students. Leveraging innovation is important at The Children’s Gift Foundation because we recognize the benefits of informal learning. Some of our initiatives, for instance, encourage students to engage with educational content in non-academic settings and technology plays a key role in this process.

I am most proud of The Children’s Gift Foundation’s growth. In recent years, we have implemented fun ways to improve student learning and reward exceptional students for their hard work. Each year we discover new opportunities to celebrate student success and we have formed long-lasting relationships with our communities. At the moment, we are planning to expand our educational programs to promote coding education, digital literacy, and technology education. STEM education is an effective way to engage students, teach them practical skills, and prepare them for an evolving workforce. I also believe that it is important to increase access to STEM subjects like coding education because many students in underserved neighborhoods lack the skills that are necessary to achieve social mobility. Ultimately, we hope to boost learning for students from historically marginalized communities and equip them with tools to help them fulfill their goals.

The students that we serve at The Children’s Gift Foundation are remarkable. Their creativity, tenacity, and unique perspectives inspire us year after year. Our hope is to empower learners and provide them with resources that transform their learning journey. As a result, we are committed to creating programs that motivate students to transfer knowledge beyond the classroom.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

One book that has recently impacted my management thinking is titled Engine of Impact: Essentials of Strategic Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector, by William Meehan III and Kim Starkey Jonker. The book was a required reading for one of my graduate classes and it prompted me to reexamine my plans to scale The Children’s Gift Foundation. The CGF has always aimed to enhance students’ literacy, STEM education, and academic preparedness through the programs that we develop. However, our approach requires us to consider the wide range of factors that affect students’ well-being, engagement, and overall success.

According to the authors, it is crucial for nonprofits to implement mission-driven practices to prevent an organization from shifting its focus towards goals that go beyond the original mission. This emphasis on mission alignment has helped me significantly, as I think of ways to expand our STEM education initiatives and develop game-based educational programs.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2016, I realized that I had to make a pivot in my career. My experiences in broadcast media did not prepare me to break into the voiceover industry and I was hesitant to explore a career in public policy, despite my prior experience with education legislation. Those early moments of uncertainty were challenging, but I am grateful that they taught me resilience and adaptability. My journey helped me to remain open-minded, recognize my individual strengths, and practice unimaginable patience. I always dreamed of pursuing a career where I could advocate for equity and I eventually realized how education impacted my own journey.

During this time, I tapped into my creative side and learned how to communicate using graphics, colors, and digital content. My newfound interest in digital media and technology built my confidence with STEM subjects as well. I learned that I am a visual learner and a writer, who is passionate about cognitive science, storytelling, and game-based learning. Pivoting helped me cultivate skills that would later be critical for launching The Children’s Gift Foundation, creating its narrative, and reimagining ways to support underserved youth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thechildrensgift.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechildrensgift/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChildrensGiftFoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-childrens-gift-foundation-cgf?trk=public_profile_topcard-current-company
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChildrensGift

Image Credits
Adeola Lawal, Ronak Jogeshwar