EXPERIENCE HEARTSMILES
Shaping the Future of Youth
WHO WE ARE
HeartSmiles was founded in 2015 by west Baltimore native Joni Holifield with a mission to provide exceptional enrichment and leadership development opportunities to youth in Baltimore's most under-served communities. We place our young people directly at the intersection of access and opportunity helping them to achieve success on their own terms.
SUPPORT OUR MISSION
We build leaders
and that is not possible without your generous support. Your donation is tax deductible and 100% of your support goes directly towards building the capacity of our young leaders, affectionately known as our Heartbeats.
LEADERSHIP. ENTREPRENEURSHIP. GIVING BACK.
Impacting the Lives of Youth Since 2015
THRIVING THURSDAYS
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP
NEWS AND UPDATES
At HeartSmiles, we are fully committed to meeting our young people where they are and helping them grow from there. Every Friday we host an online conversation on instagram live @HeartSmilesMD from 7pm-7:30pm talking about real life issues and concerns that are impacting our youth. Follow us on instagram to stay updated with all the latest!
GIVING BACK IS NOT OPTIONAL!
Our Heartbeats hosted a community event where they fed over 200 people, provided entertainment and facilitated great conversations around food insecurity, gun violence and using the arts to positively engage our youth. We have a saying that we live by, "when you're blessed, it's mandatory that you bless others" and every day we strive to do just that.
LEADERSHIP IS LOVE IN ACTION
When you discover self-love you can give love to others. Learning to lead means learning to understand, accept and appreciate others regardless of our differences. Our leadership building sessions not only inspire youth to be leaders in their communities and beyond but provides opportunities to demonstrate leadership in real time through character.
TAG US!!
When you see our HeartSmiles logo, snap a picture, post it on social media and TAG US! This is how we show love to our heartbeats throughout the city!
Upcoming Events
Every Thursday, 6pm-8pmJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Every Friday @7pm on instagram liveInstagram live @HeartSmilesMD
IN THE NEWS!
Since 2015 HeartSmiles has been helping youth find success on their own terms. Today, we are recognized as one the best Youth Organizations in Baltimore, and the very best when it comes to building youth leaders. Check out the snippets below to see why .
OUR GRANNY PROJECT, A PROJECT FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY, WON THE 2020 HENRIETTA LACKS MEMORIAL AWARD
WE TALKED WITH OUR PARTNERS AT BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES TO DISCUSS OUR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND HOW WE ARE CREATING MEANINGFUL WORK EXPERIENCES.
WE PARTNERED WITH TYSON FOODS TO FEED OVER 1700 FAMILIES IN BALTIMORE
"We are excited to announce the winner of the 2020 Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award. Congratulations to HeartSmiles for their collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health on the Granny Project, a youth-led response to adolescent food insecurity. We invite you to learn more about the impact they are making in Baltimore and eliminating food insecurity by watching the video below. - JHU Urban Institute
Our partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business Program allows us to provide unique work opportunities that not only allow for our heartbeats to gain valuable work experience but also allow for them to build their network and fuel their own entrepreneurial efforts.
One of the core values we live by is "When you are blessed, it is mandatory that you bless others". Our heartbeats volunteered their time and efforts giving back to the community. Over 3,000 people showed up. It is our firm belief that youth should not only learn about but be able to demonstrate social responsibility on a regular and consistent basis.
JOIN OUR MISSION!
Our Heartbeat mentors are at the foundation of our success. Do you love young people and want to contribute your time and talents to a mission that will positively impact their lives forever? Consider volunteering with us.