Darryl Gaines Foundation

At the heart of The Darryl Gaines foundation is H.O.P.E, helping others

pursue excellence. This hope is not just about helping others through

financial support; it's about helping them see and follow a path towards

success. Hope is not about being perfect. It's about finding a better way. 

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MISSION

The Darryl Gaines Foundation seeks to address the challenges facing

vulnerable communities, to improve existing youth programs and initiatives,

and to provide awareness of careers in Science, Technology, Engineering,

and Mathematics (STEM).

 

 

PURPOSE

• To develop partnerships with individuals and organizations to benefit

• underprivileged children and their families.

• To promote life skills, health awareness and STEM education.

• To strengthen community programs and initiatives; and

• To provide support to underprivileged kids needing assistance to help them thrive.     

 

HISTORY

Darryl Gaines grew up in and around low-income Projects in Mobile,

Alabama.  His parents worked hard and set a great example for him to follow.

They eventually moved him and his brothers not far away into a small two-

bedroom house. Playing in the neighborhood and visiting relatives in other

nearby project communities gave him the spark he needed early on in life to

begin learning and working hard, remembering who he was, where he came

from and where he wanted to go. This is where his drive, persistence, and

determination came from. From those humble beginnings, he developed a

strong desire to be the best he could be and to bring others along with him.

His mission in life is helping others.

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After a visit to his hometown, Darryl noticed that the area he grew up in

looked and felt the same. He saw there was still a need for change in the

community as he drove through. After speaking with several of the

neighborhood children, Darryl felt they had the same urge as he did when

he was a child and wanted to do something to help. When he left, he had a

deep seeded feeling that it was time to use the knowledge he had gained,

the credentials he had earned, and his network of friends and family to step

back into the picture to see if he could make things a little brighter for the

children.  While there, he met a kid who reminded him of himself. The kid

asked where he worked and after explaining that he worked at NASA, the kid

surprised him by mentioning that he was studying space in class, and he

knew that NASA recently discovered seven new planets. The kid lives in the

projects, Darryl thought, but he has the awareness and understanding to know

about space and about NASA.  He discovered this was a “calling” to do

something to help the children he saw playing and riding bikes on a glass

laden parking lot, high-grass curbs, and garbage throughout the community.

 

Because of that experience, Darryl was moved to create the "Darryl Gaines 

Foundation” to address some of the many concerns for underserved

communities. The Foundation focuses on improving the life of children

beginning at the early stage, providing guidance, education, and support.

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