The Mission
Our mission is to empower the 8.1 billion people on this planet at-risk youth, returning citizens, and those in need of opportunities, food, and shelter by teaching tech and necessary skills all around the world to achieve self-sufficiency and stability.
Visionary Philanthropy Group Inc works with at-risk youth, homeless people, re-entry, underserved communities and the impoverished by providing food, shelter, clothing and tech education to middle and high school students ages 9-18 years old.
Homelessness
Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis in America with more than half a million people experiencing homelessness at any given night. Youth who are homeless often become homeless as adults, and this is the single largest pathway among this population. Our work with at-risk youth is critical in breaking this cycle of poverty and homelessness.Our Impact
Re-entry
Research shows that re-entry services and afterschool programs which connect youth with professional case managers, mentors and education for employment opportunities can reduce recidivism. VPG is helping individuals start new lives while improving public safety and creating new opportunities for economic development.Education
VPG is making an impact by teaching tech education to students and adult learners. We provide vocational training and other employment support services, including providing information about how to interview and behave appropriately in the workplace. We can help youth develop the skills necessary for successful employment.
Nyene Baker, Founder, Visionary Philanthropy Group
“Mistakes can lead to the best things in life. It's a natural part of the learning process. Learn from them. Embrace failure. It is your path towards leaving a positive legacy."
About Nyene
My name is Nyene Baker, I was born in Bridgeport, CT but I was raised in Trenton, NJ along with my two older sisters in a poverty stricken, drug infested, and violent neighborhood out North Trenton. My parents are immigrants from Liberia. I was raised in a two-parent home up until I was in fifth grade. That's when my dad moved back to Liberia. My whole life took a turn once my dad left. My open market drug activity neighborhood was so influential to me at 10 years old, one night while my sisters were doing their homework I pulled out a plastic sandwich bag filled with crush aspirins in powder form and I pulled out a stack of one dollar bills with a $20 bill on top and I said I am going to be a drug dealer. Eventually I became that drug dealer. By sixth grade I was on probation. End of eighth grade I saw my first murder.
By 17 I had my first shoot out. At 20 I caught my first adult record for selling drugs. By 26 I had already had 4 attempts on my life. By 30 I was arrested by the FBI. At age 31 I was sentenced to 180 months in Federal Prison.
How did I overcome my past and beat the odds? Sentencing day I changed my life and made a pledge to myself I would come home and make an impact on the world. I worked on my mentality and reversed it to a positive mindstate. I self-educated myself and I corrected my mistakes and made them right. Today I am a self published Real Estate Author of Tax Lien Certificates, a book I wrote in prison based on my own research to help me and people in my community create new opportunities for building wealth.
I would like to share my story with hopes that no one should ever take the path I went down. I want to show you the power of dreaming, believing in yourself and giving you hope turning lemon into lemonades, the power of being optimistic, and never giving up even when life is dark.