About Our Nonprofit
Growing Grounds, Inc. is a federally approved not for profit 501c3 organization that was established in 2006, with a mission to provide S.T.E.A.M. education for youth. Throughout the year we partner with public schools to provide S.T.E.A.M. enrichment activities to students. During the summer months we provide interactive science workshops for children in the Jackson metropolitan area and the rural MS Delta..
Growing Grounds, Inc provides students with the opportunity to participate in our mentorship program where we train them to facilitate S.T.E.A.M. workshops for children grades
k - 8th in various settings and communities (especially impoverished communities). Student volunteers actively engage children in fun hands on activities as they explore various concepts in science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
Growing Ground, Inc. has provided this service for over 14 years, and we are grateful for how we've been able to impact our communities. We’re continuously seeking new and innovative ways to expose children to interactive S.T.E.A.M. activities that will help them gain the confidence and skills they need to be academically and socially successful in life.
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Mission & Goals
Our mission is to provide services that are beneficial to the growth and development of youth ages 5-18. We empower youth to develop healthy life styles through enriching educational activities. We offer positive influences and experiences that allow youth to develop strong values, self confidences, and life skills. We believe that every child can develop into a productive citizen of society regardless of race, socio-economics status or background through proper guidance and supervision.
History
Growing Grounds began in 2003 as a home based summer camp program for school aged children. As inquiries increased, we realized there was a great need for quality programs that provided enrichment activities for children. We noticed that the quality summer programs were so expensive that it excluded children from impoverished neighborhoods. We were determined to create a program that all interested children could participate in regardless of their socio- economic status. We believe that every child can develop into a productive citizen of society regardless of race, socio-economics status or background through proper guidance and supervision
Eventually we started partnering with local churches to operate our program “Camp Destiny”. In 2006 we partnered with Trace Hills church of Jackson to provide summer enrichment activities to children in the metropolitan area. In 2007 we were asked to provide our program at Greater Bethlehem Temple Church of Jackson, Ms. Our program had such a tremendous impact on the students, teachers, and community that it operated until 2015 when the church underwent a major renovation. Today we partner with public schools, local libraries, daycare centers, nonprofit organizations, etc. to provide mobile S.T.E.A.M. labs/workshops for children all across the state of Mississippi. This has had a major impact because now we are able to spread the love of science to children all across the state, not just in the metropolitan area.
