We recently connected with Sharnese Marshall and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sharnese, thanks for joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?
Oftentimes people ask me, “What’s your story? What’s your ‘why’?”
And the truth is, my story is a beautiful one! I was very blessed to grow up in a very loving + supportive household with two phenomenal parents and amazing siblings. I was involved in every sport and activity under the sun, from ice skating to softball. I traveled frequently, went to church every Sunday and experienced so many amazing things during my childhood! School came easy to me and I rarely missed any days of school, but that wasn’t the case for many kids around me.
It wasn’t until college when I realized my family structure was very rare and unique. Many kids weren’t as fortunate as I was. I didn’t endure traumatic experiences–from broken families, to unstable living conditions, to abuse and lack of support–like so many other kids around me.
These examples, kids who do not have it as easy as I did, are my “why”! I do it for them! I do it because God created me for this and has equipped me with the gift to konnect with kids on a different level.
I often times say, my parents did everything right. They taught my siblings and I the importance of serving others, they taught us to treat people the way we wanted to be treated and most of all they taught us the importance of walking in purpose. Growing up, we looked forward to Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day because we’d make ‘care bundles’ and deliver them to homeless people downtown Detroit every Christmas Eve. The ‘care bundles’ included hats, chips, blankets, gloves and hats. I remember the feeling of immense gratitude and love as we blessed those who were less fortunate than we were. I remember their smiles and how grateful they were to receive our gifts. I also remember the feeling of holding the cold hands of homeless people as we prayed prayers of healing and hope. Most of all, I remember the teachings of my parents and why we must always live a life of gratitude and love. These are the moments that helped shape me into who I am today. I love blessing those around me and I always say I’m blessed to be a blessing. There’s no greater feeling than pouring out my love to the younger generation and allowing them to believe that good still exist in the world. I am truly honored to be in the position that I am in and I give kudos to my parents for supporting me and encouraging me every step of the way!
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?
The Konnection is a Detroit-based non profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to broaden their horizons through positive relationships and healthy connections. With Detroit leading the nation in chronic absenteeism, the program is designed to encourage and empower youth to improve school performance and attendance. The Konnection partners with middle and high schools in underserved communities to provide resources, enriching after-school programs, mentoring, field trips, career exploration, and travel opportunities. The Konnection is committed to removing barriers that keep students unengaged and unexcited. Sharnese Marshall, the founder and CEO of the organization started The Konnection due to a great need for quality programming that would help bring excitement back to schools in urban neighborhoods. She remembers loving school and being excited to learn growing up. After years of working with students in Detroit, she realized that everyones upbringing and level of excitement to be in school differed and if she could do anything to change it, she would which motivated her to start The Konnection.
Sharnese Marshall is a proud Detroit-native! She spent much of her younger years playing softball and volleyball. She loved going to school and learning new things. Upon high school, she joined the National Honors Society where she served as the secretary and planned all of the service opportunities. Sharnese studied Urban and Regional Planning at Michigan State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She then went on to pursue her masters degree in Sports Administration from Wayne State University. For the past 10 years of her career, Sharnese has spent her time serving the Detroit community in different capacities. Sharnese has an extensive background in community engagement. Prior to launching The Konnection, she worked with a Detroit-based non profit organization as the Director of Youth and Family Engagement where she developed and lead the youth engagement strategy for the organization in addition to volunteer recruitment and retention. She created programming, developed community relationships and secured community partnerships. Prior to working with that organization, she worked with the Detroit Pistons on the Social & Community Responsibility team where she oversaw many community initiatives including NBA Math Hoops, Mentoring Month Highlights, Player Charity Ticket Program and the Pistons Donation Program. Sharnese enjoys traveling the world, trying new restaurants, serving and spending time with family and friends!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Working with students in Detroit, I walked in not knowing all of the reasons why students didn’t come to school. I was quicker to judge than I’d like to admit. I didn’t quite understand it. Something I had to unlearn was ‘Detroit students don’t want to learn and don’t want to be in school’. This has to be the furthest from the truth. Oftentimes, students in Detroit get a bad wrap for not coming to school or for sleeping in class when they arrive. It’s not that students don’t want to come to school, it’s that our students are dealing with so much at home. Think about Jamar who’s absent because he has to babysit his younger siblings while mom goes to work because daycare would take her entire check. Or what about Kamaria who’s absent because it’s her older sister’s turn to wear the winter coat. How about Jayla and Kavon who sleep in class every day because they have a huge hole in their roof and are finally warm and feel protected. What about Jay who is late every day because his mom is a single mother working doubles and midnights. These are the stories we don’t hear about. These are the students who need extra love, support and grace. Instead of bashing our students, we must know their stories and be empathetic and dedicated to their growth and development. These are the students who will create change and help the generation after them. These are the students that grow into the most giving adults because they understand what it feels like to be the student who didn’t have much.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
What is initial capital? For me, initial capital is executing on something you set out to do regardless of the amount of money you have in the bank. Initial capital is saying yes to the journey. When I launched The Konnection, I had maybe $2,000 in the bank with an organizational budget of nearly $200,000. I wasn’t sure how I would fund the program but I knew regardless of what I had in the bank, I had to ‘do what it do’ as my father would say. I knew that for every day I wasn’t walking in my full potential and purpose, there was one life being lost. I understood that it was about more than me. Don’t get me wrong, I was scared, I was fearful and if I’m honest, I still get afraid today because my bank account doesn’t match my vision but one thing’s for certain, when you’re willing to do what needs to be done regardless of what it looks like in reality, God will bless it.
In a recent conversation with my boyfriend, we talked about how in black communities, you always see black-led organizations doing the work before the funding comes. This is because our communities are being directly impacted and we don’t have time to sit back and watch our people suffer and try to navigate through society if we have the knowledge or experience to make things better. As young black leaders, it’s our duty and our responsibility to serve, share knowledge and to be proactive no matter what our funding sources look like. I’m a firm believer that when you’re hard at work and doing what you’re supposed to do, one day you’ll look and funding will be the least of your worries.
With that said, there were a couple of companies and individuals who believed in The Konnection from the very start. I’d like to give a huge shoutout to Sachse Construction for believing and giving The Konnection our first large donation of $5000. For The Konnection, that was the largest single donation that we had ever received. These are the donations that will always be remembered and appreciated because they not only believed in us but backed up their belief with funding. The Konnection is still in the initial stages of development and we are looking forward to being one of the most successful organizations in the nation!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thekonnection.org/?fbclid=IwAR3Bb0LRNZ8QBZidzDmBm2iD0-2wwhdCnQFqMw_xM2VdCRSLriJlUZEQg3Q
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekonnection_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083277797968
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/82462821/admin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtmTw9QlHtRwL5Si3qddfiQ