THE HOUSTON PRESTIGE PROJECT
OUR MISSION
“The Houston Prestige Project was created with an emphasis on engaging, educating, empowering, and develop at-risk youth into future leaders.”
WHO WE ARE
THE VISION
The Houston Prestige Project was created in 2017 to connect with at-risk youth in order to engage, encourage, and educate them into seeing a brighter future beyond their current circumstances. We operate with a concentration on having a positive impact on the lives of young men ages 8-18 years old. We believe that this 10-year window is one of the most pivotally influential periods in a young man’s life. It is our goal through mentorship to guide these young men while ensuring they learn from the mistakes made by the individuals before them.
WHAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF THE HPP?
THE BACKGROUND
Working Towards a Better Tomorrow
Unfortunately it is too often that our adolescents are expected to grow up to be successful young men while being surrounded by immense opportunities to make decisions that can negatively modify the trajectory of their lives. It is also disheartening to know that while those negative opportunities may be immense, the access and exposure to positive male role models for at-risk youth is scarce or non-existent.
This is a story of circumstances shared by too many and a cycle that must be severed. This is also a story shared by the founder of The Houston Prestige Project, Jeremy Lahar. Jeremy was raised in an “at-risk” neighborhood and was the product of a single parent household. By default he was exposed to various opportunities to make decisions that would have allotted him another statistic of his circumstances. Rather than succumb to the norm of the neighborhood, he used his surroundings as motivation to overcome his shortcomings. He gained his work ethic by watching his mother work two to three jobs at a time via public transportation to provide for him and his sister. He then applied that work ethic towards becoming the first in his family to obtain his Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree and Teaching Certification in Communications.
Along the way he recognized his passion for working with youth as well as public speaking. He now works for the Houston Police Department’s Public Affairs Community Outreach Unit where he has been afforded the opportunity to do what he loves, connect with youth and the community. His passion for mentoring, guiding and helping youth avoid making the same mistakes he did and reach their full potential is what led to the creation of The Houston Prestige Project. Now Jeremy along with his partners Jeffery Thomas and Nelson Solomon work together to fulfill the mission of the organization.
Executive Board Members/Mentors Background
Jeffery Thomas
Jeffery came from a single-parent household of four boys. He strongly believes that being the youngest in the family worked to his benefit. Jeffery had three older brothers he could go to for guidance but he understood that this was not the case for other boys his age. It’s been many times Jeffery was exposed to different opportunities, that could have led him to head down the wrong path. Jeffery saw past his despairing circumstances and used them as motivation to do better for himself. This drive led him to pursue a career in law enforcement.
In today's current climate Jeffery recognizes the increasing number of young men growing up in single-parent households absent of positive male guidance. Jeffery realizes the importance of making a positive connection with young men in these situations. Jeffery loves working with young men and he takes pride in helping them understand that just because their current situation is not the best, it does not mean it has to be that way in the future. Jeffery’s ultimate goal through the mission of The Houston Prestige Project is to expose the young men of today, an opportunity for a better life tomorrow.
Nelson Solomon II
Nelson is a proud Houston Native. As a kid, Nelson grew up in several different multicultural neighborhoods that had no shortage of diversity. With that being said, he was able to absorb several diverse experiences involving poverty, hostile environments and racism. His life lessons have molded him into a respectable individual that can represent his family, culture and his city with pride.
Nelson's outlook on life is one of love, prosperity and peace. His goal is to not just help these young men, but to evolve them into our future leaders of not just Houston but the world. He is a firm believer that the children that we invest in today will be our heroes and leaders of tomorrow. Nelson embraces opportunities to share his time and concerted efforts towards doing whatever is necessary to give our youth a better chance to be successful in life.
Mission Background
It is the mission of The Houston Prestige Project to connect with at-risk youth and expose them to first generation college students, entrepreneurs and professionals who overcame similar or worse situations. By having speakers of all ages come in and share their testimonies, it will assist in providing the youth confirmation that they too can overcome their current and future circumstances. It is our belief that once each young man has been introduced to a progressive way of thinking about as well as planning for their future, the possibilities become endless.
SPEAKERS/MENTORS, JEREMY LAHAR AND KENNETH SCOTT SPEAK TO THE YOUTH AT THE BRAUTIGAM CENTER.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
- John Quincy Adams
All Videos
3 STEP APPROACH
The Houston Prestige Project is in the business of changing and positively reshaping lives. It is our mission to equip our youth with the necessary tools to be successful by first retraining their way of thinking using our 3 Step Approach:
NEW OUTLOOK
Reprogram our youth to adopt a more innovative and positive way of thinking
CHALLENGE
Challenge our youth to reach new altitudes by teaching them how to set short and long-term goals
ACCOUNTABILITY
Hold our youth accountable to achieve their short and long-term objectives
HPP Testimonials
Ms. Jones of Burrus Elementary, explains in her own words the positive impact The HPP has had on the students at her school.
HPP Testimonials
Ms. Garcia of Burrus Elementary, shares in her own words, the positive impact The HPP has had on the students at her school.
GET INVOLVED
You Can Make a Difference
Your support is important to our work at The Houston Prestige Project. There are many ways you can contribute towards our causes, and every little bit that you commit goes a long way in helping us fulfill our mission.
To Donate by Mail:
1114 Kingsbridge Rd.
Houston, TX 77073
MAKE A DONATION
Make A True Change
Our organization always appreciates the generosity and involvement of people like you, with every contribution going towards making The Houston Prestige Project an even better Non-Profit Organization than it already is. We want to provide you with the correct and appropriate information pertaining to your mode of support, so don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions.
PARTNER WITH US
Help Us To Ascend
This is one of the simplest ways to help out our cause. We believe the best way for our initiatives to be successful is for the community to actively get involved. This is an easy and efficient way of contributing to the great work we do at The Houston Prestige Project. Get in touch with any questions about how you can Partner with Us today.
HPP GIVES BACK AT "THE BIG PARK"
THE HPP'S MONETARY MISSION SUPPORTERS
LEROY THOM JEAN THOM AND T-L FOUNDATION INC
DAIQ'S FOUNDATION
T.J. MAXX COMMUNITIES U.S. FOUNDATION
AVALIABLE
CONTACT THE HOUSTON PRESTIGE PROJECT
The Houston Prestige Project
#677
40 FM 1960 Rd W.
Houston, TX 77090