Project Success Executive Director and Founder Adrienne Diercks said the organization’s purpose has remained steadfast since its founding 30 years ago.
“Our mission has not changed. It is to inspire young people to dream about their future, help them take the steps to get there and give them opportunities of excellence that will help them gain the tools that will take them through the rest of their lives,” Diercks said. “When the players join the students on these opportunities, they’re going together, they learn from each other and they learn at the same time, and it’s really, really special.
“At Project Success when we talk about connecting students to their purpose, that is all about exploration,” Diercks continued. “It’s about having opportunities of excellence, both local and far away to explore, ‘Who am I? What’s out there in the world, and where do I want to go in that world? Where is my place in that world?’
“It’s an incredible, unique experience, and we could not be more grateful to the Minnesota Vikings, the entire organization and the Wilf family,” she added.
Chandler noted the intentional design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where visitors start out on an underground, dimly lit level that tells the story of slavery.
With each level of the museum, the exhibits’ content – and actual lighting – brightens.
“To see it go from level to level and to watch the unique ways African Americans have thrived, whether it’s sports or music or history, that was kind of a unique setup. … It was really cool to see,” Chandler said.
De’Morian Harvell, one of the Project Success students, shared Chandler’s sentiments.
“The museum was really deep for me. It was kind of hard starting out, but then as we built our way up, just to see the uprising of culture and history, it was really – it found something in my heart,” he said. “You could feel all the energy there. It was a great experience.
“And [it was incredible how] we can all just click together, even though we barely knew each other,” Harvell added. “It felt safe. It felt like I could be myself.”
The museum visit occurred on the second day of the Vikings trip to D.C. On the first evening, the group had a dinner together and each student was surprised with a backpack and a $1,000 scholarship, thanks to Delta Air Lines, to support their next steps in education.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…