Learn how a philanthropist’s personal experience with lack of necessities during formative years drives his mission to empower lives through giving.
Ricky Whittington remembers how he felt when other kids in his youth had things that he didn’t have. It wasn’t a good feeling.
Because of what he endured back then, over the past 22 years, the R. Whittington Foundation, a nonprofit he founded and serves as president, has put smiles on the faces of youth of all ages, and adults, too, with outreaches like Christmas presents, bicycles, and clothing; food drives; scholarships awards to college students; washers and dryers to families from St. Louis to rural Dittmer, MO; wellness programs – and much, much more giving.
From his office at the plush Plaza Motors in West St. Louis County, one may wonder why he has a heartfelt desire to promote the welfare of others, especially youth.
He works as Brand Ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, vice-president of corporate accounts, and community affairs liaison for the automotive complex, where high-end, luxury vehicles like Land Rover, Jaguar, BMW, Infiniti, Audi, and Sprinter grace the showrooms. A 20-year employee with the company, his philanthropy through his foundation has “shined the light on Plaza Motors” for all his community work, which is a good thing but far from what drives him to do what he does.
He can’t forget his yesterday.
As a child, there were many things he wasn’t exposed to like the joy of Christmas, birthday parties, Six Flags, and McDonald’s. His grandmother and mom couldn’t afford those luxuries. Name-brand clothing – that was something he and his siblings never had.
“I was embarrassed,” he recalls. “I was a young man who at Christmastime hid behind the curtain in our living room while our friends rode up and down the neighborhood on their new bikes, wearing their new clothes and riding on their skateboards.”
Since the launch of the foundation, Whittington has invested more than $250,000 of his own money into the organization, given up 16 years of vacation pay to fund the work as well as more than $75,000 in loans. Everything that comes into the foundation goes to charity, he says, adding that he does not receive a salary from the organization.
During the two-plus decades, a snapshot of Whittington’s giving speaks volumes about where his heart resides:
Raised over $20,000,000 in scholarships,
Graduated over 359 scholars from local universities, more than 159 scholarships to at-risk university students, creating workforce pipelines for more than 500 young adults (with various corporations),
Feeding the homeless and less fortunate for the past 16 years,
Mentoring over 100 young adults,
Co-founded the Annual Black & White Ball with music icon and St. Louis native Nelly,
Created scholarship programs with Ron Isley and Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
Partnered with Dr. Duan Womack, Bill Dewitt III, and Nelly to renovate Harris-Stowe State University’s baseball field,
Established partnerships with local universities,
Provided internship and job placement programs,
Partnered with Biking4Books to raise over $155,000 for textbooks and awarded over 500 brand-new bikes to scholars,
Donated 29 Sets of brand-new washers and dryers for inner-city St. Louis elementary schools,
Supplied 20,000 care packages that contained undergarments, socks, t-shirts, and hygiene products,
Blessed over 3200 kids for Christmas
Fed over 20,000 families for Thanksgiving for the last 20 years.
Distributed over 20,000 care packages to 21 different elementary schools (grades K-5, ranging from St. Louis City to Jefferson County)
Partnering with Walmart Corporation to feed over 5000 families in East St. Louis, Illinois,
A partnership with Nike Inc. to distribute over 1600 pairs of tennis shoes to the youth of St. Louis County and St. Louis City
To this day, the R. Whittington Foundation has raised over $22 million for education and has sent a total of 359 kids to local universities where they have graduated.
Whittington credits his grandmother and mom for planting an enduring attitude in him during his formative years.
“My grandmother and mom were praying women of God,” he says, “I love them for everything they instilled in me. It made me work harder and appreciate things more, that nothing was free – no handouts.”
Growing up, Whittington lived in the Wellston/Hillsdale area of north St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis near Goodfellow and Delmar. A graduate of Soldan High School, later receiving an honorary Doctoral Degree from Lindenwood University.
As a youngster, Whittington says he had to have an entrepreneurial spirit to earn money to buy clothes, food, and other necessities. Sweeping lots, raking leaves, cutting grass in the summer, and shoveling snow in the winter were jobs he and his buddies did to make money.
During his formative years, Whittington says he was not exposed to professional people coming into the schools as role models to emulate. He says it is vital that the school environment involves expressing love to young people, through words and actions.
“I want to show them a better way, give them a better opportunity to navigate this life, give the kids a blueprint,” he says. “It is about being involved in those communities, grabbing those young men and women by the hand and guiding them down the path. But it all starts with love.”
#philanthropy #empowerment #givingback
Join the 124th National Black Business Conference in Atlanta and network with entrepreneurs, collaborate with business leaders, and empower your business.
https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/138871148,22542901369/stlargusnews.com.dv.preroll&description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstlargusnews.com%2F&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640×480&gdfp_req=1&unviewed_position_start=1&output=vast&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=&plcmt=2&vpmute=1
