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HAPPY SUMMER and welcome to our July 2020 edition of our online newsletter (LAP) The Learning Academy Post
DonCARES Executive Director Donovan Forrest interviews on The VisionHeiry Mood Instagram Live

On Saturday, June 13, 2020, DonCARES Executive Director Donovan Forrest interviewed with The Visionheiry Mood on Instagram Live. The Visionheiry Mood is a professional development community for entrepreneurs. Over the past few months, The Visionheiry Mood interviewed numerous creators in the entrepreneurship world to provide ideas for its community to learn, grown, and develop their vision. 
 
Interviewed by The Visionheiry Mood Intern and DonCARES Mentor Carly Newton, Forrest answered a series of questions surrounding his reason for starting DonCARES and where he sees himself in the future. Forrest responded he hopes to enter in a role as an Assistant Principal of Instruction at a high school within the next five years. 

Fourth Annual Hydration Walk: 7/11/2020
On Saturday, July 11, 2020, DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. and Strong Men Overcoming Obstacles Through Hard Work (S.M.O.O.T.H) Temple Section hosted DonCARES of Philadelphia's fourth Annual Hydration Walk for the homeless. 

The idea to serve started in 2017 when DonCARES Founder and Executive Director saw individuals in need. "It was a hot summer day and I was thirsty. I went into a WaWa and bought a water bottle. As I walked out, I saw a homeless man lying on the sidewalk without a shirt. At that moment, I knew that I was in a privileged position and decided to give my bottle of water to the man on the street. I then went back to Wawa and bought one for myself." Forrest reminisces on the exact moment he decided that there should be a larger effort to serve, that's when we started a go-fund-me to raise money for waters and coolers. 

Since 2017, DonCARES has held five hydration walks. Since 2018, DonCARES has collaborated with Strong Men Overcoming Obstacles Through Hard work and given nearly 500 bottles of water to Philadelphia's less fortunate. 
 
This year, DonCARES and S.M.O.O.T.H were joined by Nayanka Paul of Bloody Bs, and several brothers of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Inc. In attendance were also former DonCARES Mentors from the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. 
DonCARES Mentors Summer Book Recommendations

  • Half of the Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Adiche

  • Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison 

  • Home - Toni Morrison 

  • Sonny’s Blues - James Baldwin 

  • We Should All Be Feminist - Chimamanda Adiche

  • “Slice ‘em Down,” a short story - Langston Hughes

  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

  • 1984 by George Orwell

  • The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré

  • The Autobiography of Malcolm X 

  • Monster by Walter Dean Meyers (there is also a graphic novel) 

  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor 

  • Double Dutch by Sharon Draper 

  • A Phoenix First Must Burn by Patrice Caldwell
DonCARES Black History Corner:
The Dahomey Amazon
The Dahomey Amazon or N’Nonmiton, "Our Mothers" were an all-female army during the 1800s in modern-day Benin. Known for their bravery and praised for their strength, the N'Nommiton's military parades consisted of dancing and music and choreographic use of their weapons. 

To read more of our DonCARES Black History Corners visit our social media pages and search the hashtag: #doncaresblackhistorycorner

"The best tip I could tell you is to be active. So many people talk about what they want to do and they just love words. Put actions behind your words. Don’t be a talker, be a doer."

-Kevin Hart