Donald's Community Forge Fundraiser!

Welcome to my fundraiser for Community Forge! This is where my business (Global Human Performance) has been located from Oct 2018 until August 2022. This organization has been a big help in my journey as an entrepreneur.

I moved GHP to Community Forge in 2018 after spending a year and a half subletting another gym to run my business from its inception. FYI, Community Forge is listed as "Locally Grown" due to it's switch to becoming a 501c3 non profit.

About Community Forge

Community Forge was started in 2017 by a group of educators, computer science folks, and extreme sport athletes (world class pogo stick folks!). They acquired Johnston elementary school to help revitalize Wilkinsburg - and primarily the people that already live there (you know, not all of the “transplants” looking for a deal).

Primarily, Community Forge - through its many iterations - has served as a small business hub and community youth space. It has housed and supported many businesses that got their start in the Johnson school and a variety of afterschool programs, summer youth programs, daycares, and artist residencies. It has quite literally hosted over a hundred free community events!

During the pandemic, Community Forge was very supportive in helping relieve businesses of financial obligations and hosted a friend of mine, Carlos Thomas, who helped feed hundreds of people with free food at that crucial time. It also launched its partnership with Entrepreneurs Forever with the BLOOM program, a program to help businesses revamp their operations to grow into more stable and thriving operations. Through this program, I met my current business coach, the fantastic LaToya Johnson-Rainey.

She still helps me get my head out of my rear two years later.

Why I’m Raising Money and Awareness

Over the next 5 years, Community Forge has sights for service:

Serve over 25 Black-owned businesses each year

Train 100+ people in technology and business

Be an early career bridge for talented young people in creative and tech industries, placing at least 20 in jobs

And much much more

In my experience, many entrepreneurs and families can benefit from the services and connections of Community Forge. I want to help contribute to that growth by raising $1,000 and the awareness that will come with this fundraiser!

I will be spreading the message 2 ways:

There is a fantastic staff of people helping push Community Forge that I aim to highlight on social media over the coming weeks through various acts of exercise (of course!). I will have many of the staff and board of directors run or do another form of exercise with me over the next few weeks.

I am racing a lot this fall and aim to use my 2 upcoming races to help raise money and awareness:

Baltimore Half Marathon Oct 15th

EQT 10 miler on November 6th

Please learn more about this organization that has been paramount to my business, professional, and personal growth.

All contributions will go directly to Community Forge for their programs.

Please donate and share this post with someone!

2021 Impact Report

Community Forge website