THERE'S PUPOSE IN YOUR JOURNEY

Our Founder, Elaine Marthel, grew up in North Lawndale, a community that has been on an economic decline for decades. The poor quality of life has caused an exodus of residents to flee the area in pursuit of life and happiness in a safe and peaceful community.

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Elaine, although a  hard worker,   wasn't exempt from the generational cycles of dysfunctionalism: single teen mom who had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet,  her father was killed by the gangs by the age of five and attending under-performing schools.

This was truly a recipe for perpetuating the cycle of poverty and despair, which Elaine found herself repeating as she too became a single teen mom.

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Despite the odds, Elaine went on to graduate from Lane Tech High School, which was ranked as the number one high school in the City of Chicago. She persevered and obtained her Business Degree from Roosevelt University.

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Elaine has committed over 25+ years of her life as a youth advocate through youth ministry, the classroom, and her community work as the founder of Project Impact 180.  Her love is clearly seen by all that have encountered and been impacted through her touch on their lives.

Her mantra: Youth are not a job! But youth are her  ministry!

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As a champion of hope, Elaine believes that In spite of the shaky start in life, we can use all of our experiences as building blocks to help teach youth how to overcome these barriers that may be hindering their success.

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The work of transforming the lives of youth began when she and her husband met in college. Since 1993, Elaine and her husband Eddie have mentored more than 1000 youth. Many youth have testified that the trajectory of their lives shifted  because of the encounter with the Marthels.