Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Crowley Sr..
Kenneth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Born and raised in Denver. Both of my parents and all five of my siblings played a major role in my development at an early age. I attended Columbine & University Park Elementary Schools; Merrill & Cole Junior High; Gove Middle School and graduated from South High. I immediately went to Langston University (HBCU) where I begin to have more freedom to move and think independently. My freshman year was rough because my father passed away and when I came back home for the services, I was comfortable with my family and told my mother that I didn’t want to go back to Langston.
She replied by telling me that my father wanted me to be the first in our family to graduate from college. So I went back but wasn’t all the way there. I still had distractions and the pressure to make my family proud. After a few semesters of being on academic probation, I meet someone who reinforced the reason I was there and reminded me that my parents needed me to make them proud. I finally got it together and my senior year I worked (interned) for the Development Fund. This is where I was introduced to the power of the community. A seed was planted and I wanted to start my our foundation and make a difference in my community. Upon graduation and several corporate jobs, I started The Crowley Foundation in 2009. Our activities, programs, relationships and goals are grounded in building strong emotional, intellectual and social skills that support youth success. Kenneth was recognized for his work with young men of color by My Brother’s Keeper (MBK25) and was inducted into the 2016 inaugural class. He is also a graduate of The Leadership Denver program (class of 2015), the freshest class ever!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Losing my father while in college was extremely challenging. I really wanted to make him proud and see the look on the face at my graduation! As it relates to our organization, some challenges included lack of support that we assumed we would get. In the early stages, we thought people would get on board and support because it’s a “good cause”, but we were so wrong. Other challenges include finding authentic people and organizations to collaborate with. Sounds easy, but if you want to keep your integrity in check, then you must intentionally and deliberately search for those authentic relationships!
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Our organization originally started as a scholarship fund, then added college prep and then boys2MEN mentoring. We currently specialize in boys2MEN Programming, connecting and building Young Kings! I am most proud of the opportunity to expand and develop in other cities, states and countries. The fact that we operate with a family model separates us from others. Everyone is hands-on and we genuinely love, respect and admire the young men that we work with and they consider my family, their family.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We want to create a pipeline for young people who wish to start their own community organization. Teach them best practices, help them find funding, make sure all paperwork is properly filed and recorded, etc. We’re looking forward to working in other major cities across the country and building Young Kings nationwide. I am also looking forward to having my children walk into an executive role.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crowleycollegeprep.com
- Phone: 720.935.6465
- Email: kenneth@crowleycollegeprep.com
- Instagram: crowleyfoundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecrowleyfoundation
- Twitter: @CrowleyFdtn
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLCtIvGNY8H3gR0idVZKIwg
Image Credit:
Garrett Hayes & Byron Russell
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