WE’RE GROWING THE NEXT GENERATION
 By providing a safe, supportive – yet challenging – environment, we allow youth to discover their unique contribution to the world and thrive.
Our program is built around our ABC’s:
OUR PROGRAM IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER
We offer more than a job. Our multi-step program allows for an individualized approach, offering the choice of path and experience. Supplemented with support and enrichment from numerous mentors, we aim for a safe and supportive platform where youth can explore, discover, and dream while being challenged.
STEP 1
Challenge
Our Challenge Program is a paid, 18-hour intensive onboarding experience. During this time, participants rotate through each of our enterprises, gaining a hands-on introduction to the work and opportunities within each business. After successfully completing the Challenge Program, participants are invited to join our Junior Crew.
STEP 2
Discover
Our Junior Crew Program expands opportunities for 16 to 21-year-olds by providing paid employment within our businesses, which serve as living classrooms. Junior Crew members are supported by our entire staff, who help identify strengths, engage interests, and encourage growth.
STEP 3
Launch
With confidence, real-world and workforce experience, and meaningful connections, Junior Crew leave prepared for whatever path they choose next. Wherever that path leads, they move forward with the tools to build a future that’s their own.
OUR BUSINESSES = LIVING CLASSROOMS
Our businesses serve as our living classrooms, where real-world work, life, and leadership skills are built into every shift. These authentic businesses provide direct interaction with the community and serve as examples of how we can create the world we want to live in.Â
OUR IMPACT SINCE 2016
INVESTED IN YOUTH WAGES (IN 2025 ALONE)
LOCAL YOUTH EMPLOYED
AWARDED IN SCHOLARSHIPS
DONATED TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY
VISITING GUESTS SERVED
POUNDS OF PRODUCE HARVESTED
CINNAMON ROLLS SOLD
MACK'S BURGERS SOLD (SINCE 2023)
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
We make money to do good and become self-sustaining. By using the nonprofit social enterprise model, our businesses serve as living classrooms for local youth and create multiple income streams, in the hopes of eliminating the need for constant fundraising many nonprofits face.
None of this could have happened without the significant ongoing support from the Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis Foundation. In 2016, they provided the start-up capital for land, infrastructure, equipment, and a guaranteed operating grant.
The return on investment for the foundation is the quantifiable good being done locally, knowing that the project is creating hundreds of new jobs and investing 100% of its income back into the project and local economy while also creating new, previously unavailable opportunities for local youth.
OUR AWARDS
