Non-Profit Dimplez 4 Dayz Helps Students Smile

There is no greater personal statement than that of a smile for 19-year-old Howard University student and Gates Scholar Akayla Brown. At the young age of 13, she saw way too few smiles in her Philadelphia neighborhood. Violence, poverty, and other hardships plagued families stuck in the same situation year after year. But Brown knew there were opportunities for positive change. “I have to give back to my community, if not me then who’s going to do it,” said Brown in an interview with Good Morning America. In 2016, she founded Dimplez 4 Dayz, the only youth-led 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the youth voice and reducing youth violence in Philadelphia.

“I want to save kids from the mentality that the streets are the only way to go when they are lost, because honestly the streets love no one, and we see that every day with all the killings that are occurring,” said Brown.

Currently, Brown has a brick-and-mortar location that welcomes students to complete their homework after school. The quiet space offers computer resources, desks, and tutoring to ensure that children are able to meet their academic goals.

“I want to save kids from the mentality that the streets are the only way to go when they are lost, because honestly the streets love no one, and we see that every day with all the killings that are occurring,” said Brown. Currently, Brown has a brick-and-mortar location that welcomes students to complete their homework after school. The quiet space offers…

computer resources, desks, and tutoring to ensure that children are able to meet their academic goals.

To date, her organization has served over 10,000 families in the state and continues to partner with organizations to support regional and global causes with an overlapping mission. In the future, Brown does hope to expand her organization.

“My nonprofit right now is only in Philadelphia, and we have done an amazing job of being a resource to the families. But now is the time to expand and Washington, D.C. is a perfect starting point to do so,” Brown told ESSENCE in an interview.