About Us
Our Founders and Board of Directors
IMPACT Delaware was founded in 2004 as SPEAAK, Supporting Parents for the Education of African American Parents by a number of caring adults in western sussex county Delaware. The original founders were Jerry and Latrinka Lee, Dara Laws (Savage), Terence and Desi Moore, Marcus and Tamara Mullen, Dara Laws (Savage), Chandra Phillips, and Marvin Phillips.
Our mission is to ENCOURAGE, EDUCATE, and EMPOWER
youth to pursue their dreams. We envision a world in which all youth are successful in life regardless of their background, demographics or experiences.
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Be your own Individual
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Model for Others
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Persevere Regardless
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Use your Assets
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Communicate Effectively
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Give Thanks
IMPACT Delaware's mentoring program philosophy is rooted in a diverse range of theories and
evidence-informed curriculum. Here's a brief overview of each:
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Social Learning Theory
Emphasizes the role of observation and modeling in
learning behavior.
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Trauma-Informed Care
Recognizes the impact of trauma on individuals and
provides a framework for supporting their healing and growth.
Cultural Responsiveness
Ensures that mentoring practices are sensitive to
and inclusive of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
Focuses on understanding how thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors are interconnected and can be modified.
Motivational Interviewing
A communication style that helps individuals explore
and resolve ambivalence about change.
Restorative Practices
Promotes building and repairing relationships and
addressing harm in a constructive manner.
Multiple Intelligences
Acknowledges and supports diverse forms of intelligence
beyond traditional measures.
Developmental Assets
Identifies positive factors that contribute to healthy
youth development.
Positive Psychology
Focuses on strengths, resilience, and well-being rather
than solely on pathology.
Emotional Intelligence
Enhances awareness and management of one's own
emotions and those of others.
The evidence-informed curriculum utilized by IMPACT Delaware includes:
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Overcoming Obstacles
A program designed to teach essential life skills and
resilience.
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Botvin Life Skills
Focuses on preventing substance abuse and promoting
health and well-being.
Girls Circle
Provides a supportive space for girls to build self-esteem and
resilience.
Boys Town Social Skills
Teaches social skills and conflict resolution strategies
to promote positive relationships.
The Council for Boys and Young Men
Supports the social, emotional, and
academic development of boys and young men.
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​By integrating these theories and evidence-informed curricula, IMPACT Delaware
strives to provide comprehensive and effective mentoring support to empower youth
and promote their holistic development.
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IMPACT Delaware was founded in 2004 as SPEAAK, Supporting Parents for the
Education of African American Parents by a number of caring adults and parents in
western Sussex County Delaware.
The original founders were Jerry and Latrinka Lee,
Terence and Desi Moore, Dr. Julius and Natasha Mullen, Marcus and Tamara Mullen,
Marvin Phillips, Dr Dara Savage, and Chandra Stewart.
These amazing adults spent countless hours developing programs, sharing expertise,
and serving youth and families for several years. As a leadership team and many other
committed community members, they helped to lead an array of community activities
such as teen summits, pool parties, skate nights, field trips, think tanks, summer BBQs,
dance performances, basketball tournaments, and a number of other community-based
activities.
Using the art of dance, a gender based program for young girls was born, called
UNIQUE. UNIQUE was designed to teach emotional intelligence skills such as social
skills, self- esteem, and conflict resolution. Simultaneously, the creation of a Saturday
Academy for teen boys was also developed. For three consecutive years, over 100
teenage males recieved high quality academic support, compassionate mentoring, and
character enrichment. UNIQUE and MAN UP resulted in amazing outcomes evidenced
by improved grades, decreased behavioral referrals, and increased parental
involvement.
Down through the years, many of the initial founders transitioned to other personal and
professional pursuits. Simultaneously, Dr. Julius and Natasha Mullen continued to lead UNIQUE and MAN UP and advance to greater heights. Tasha continued to use an open group model where young girls joined UNIQUE from
the broader community. Embracing new volunteers and talented interns was the secret sauce to the continuation of UNIQUE.
Joined as an intern Dr. Brittany Hazzard collaborated with Dr. Mullen to expand MAN UP as a school based model primarily focusing on high school males. Dr. Hazzard was an inspirational asset in leading MAN UP's initial alumni cohort toward high school graduation and post graduation success.
To formalize the two programs under an official entity, Julius and Natasha formed a non-profit organization called IMPACT Delaware Incorporated. What was equally exciting was the creation of IMPACT's inaugural board of directors. The Mullens's; utilized their expertise as mental health professionals, educational leaders, and non-profit ambassadors while adding their lived expertise as parents to advance IMPACT's platform for many years to come. The Mullens's; filled a desperate need in their community - recognizing the increased risks of delinquency, violence, teen pregnancy, drug use, and academic underachievement in local communities.
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Today, IMPACT Delaware has an impressive resume of serving nearly 5,000 youth and families. Using a diverse outreach approach including individual and group mentoring, keynotes and seminars, in-person and virtually, school-based and community- based, locally and nationally.
Approximately 100% of engaged mentoring participants graduated from high school and
96% demonstrated positive post high school outcomes.
Additionally, a parenting support component has been reinstituted titled, GROWN
FOLKS TALKING (GFT). GFT is used to learn from parents, share parenting tips, and
offer general support for families.
IMPACT thanks the leadership duo, founders, board of directors, partners, volunteers,
and interns for the overall success, longevity, and continuation of the organization.
Most importantly, the youth and families who have invited IMPACT to play a small part
in the hopes of dreams of their lives deserve a tremendous amount of recognition.
IMPACT is forever grateful to all of its program participants.