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About Us

Who We Are

The African American Youth Harvest Foundation (AAYHF) is a culturally competent and collaborative initiative developed to support youth and families though school and community-based programs.

OUR LEADERSHIP

Michael R. Lofton, CEO/Founder

Michael Lofton Picture

Board of Directors

aayhf board members 1

A.J. QUINTON

VICE-CHAIRMAN

JAMES D. BOLDEN

BOARD MEMBER

DAWN TISDALE

CHAIRMAN

MICHAEL R. LOFTON

CEO/FOUNDER

JUDGE JEFF LEWIS

SECRETARY

WHAT WE DO

Our mission is to advocate for, strengthen, and provide culturally competent, family-centered educational, health, human services and economic development opportunities to African Americans and other at-risk youth and families that reside in the Greater Austin area. We seek to improve our community by focusing on supporting and strengthening the family unit and addressing preconceived notions of minority youth.

Our programs promote mental, physical, and social well-being in addition to opportunities for professional development.

WHERE WE WORK

OUR IMPACT

AREAS OF IMPACT

Through our programs, nearly 9,000 youth and adults have received services at our flagship African American Youth Resource Center. We have also helped 49 juvenile offenders enroll in our mentoring program, and nearly 2,000 youth and adults have attended our conferences, where we seek to improve our community by focusing on supporting and strengthening the family unit and addressing preconceived notions of minority youth.

As a recognized community leader in much-needed programming for underserved youth and their families, community partners and stakeholders rely on our ability to ensure at-risk youth across the community have a chance to flourish and reach their potential.

Improve Access to Vital Educational, Economic and Enrichment Resources to low income or uninsured community members.  
Impact and Influence Social Determinants of Health, Educational Success, and Economic Stability, by identifying and working with key partners to determine actionable roles in positively impacting and influencing the lives of at-risk youth and their families.
Impact of Unrecognized and Unaddressed Behavioral Health Issues and Resultant Life Impacts that have become more prevalent throughout communities. Effectively addressing the symptoms and economic and educational effects of community members suffering from unrecognized and unaddressed behavioral health

How we do it…
We are… Culturally Competent; Our staff, strategies, and service quality are reflective of the individual needs of the people we serve and provided in relevant and relational approaches.
We are… Community-Based; Our initiatives and service Impacts are informed by the community needs and services are accessible throughout our community.
We are … Collaborative; Our service impact is anchored to the success of community partnerships and the effective leveraging of pooled resources.

Why we do it…
Mission Statement: To intentionally provide hands-on service through school and community-based programs, to enhance the quality of life for African American and low-income youth and families.

We strive to prevent and reduce risk factors while promoting protective factors that are proven to change the lives of community members in need.

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