Hi, I’m Chekesha Johnson, Founder & Executive Director of The Queen’s Foundation, a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 88-3000686).

Every summer, we run The Queen’s Academy — an 8-week enrichment program for girls ages 13–18 in Houston’s underserved neighborhoods. Financial literacy, leadership, life skills, and mentorship.

Since 2022, we’ve served 200+ girls directly and reached over 1,000 families through community outreach. Our work has been recognized three times by Texas State Representatives.

But there’s one barrier I haven’t been able to solve with passion alone: transportation.

Most of the girls we serve don’t have a reliable way to get to programming. For years, I’ve personally rented vans and used my own car to make sure no girl misses a session because her family doesn’t have a ride. It works — but it’s not sustainable, and it caps how many girls we can serve.

Here’s the good news: We just won a grant toward a clean-energy electric van. It’s the first major step toward solving this for good.

Here’s where you come in: We need to raise matching funds to bridge the gap and complete the purchase before our 2026 Summer Academy. Our goal is a 7+ passenger EV van that lets us:

• Pick up girls consistently for every session of the 8-week academy

• Grow from our current 20 girls per cohort toward our goal of 40 annually

• Expand access to field trips, workshops, and mentorship across Houston

• Reach girls in neighborhoods where transportation is a daily barrier

• Lower long-term operating costs and reduce our carbon footprint

Every dollar gets us closer. Every share helps. Every donor becomes part of a story these girls will carry forward.

Be the reason she gets there. Be the ride.

Chekesha

The Queen’s Foundation

queens-foundation.org | 501(c)(3) | Tax-deductible