Prepare Kids For Career Success
Is your child or teenager looking for their first job? Are they thinking about their future career? Do they know their passion can be turned into a business or entrepreneurial venture?
Bridge the Gap between the Classroom and the Professional World
Empowering Youth Of All Abilities: SoF's Career and Entrepreneurship Camp
Sponsors of the Future (SoF), is dedicated to bridging the gap between education and the professional world for neurodivergent individuals. In August 2024, SoF hosted its Career and Entrepreneurship Camp at the Academy Science Center alongside the Varnum House Museum yard and Carriage House, located in historic East Greenwich, RI.
Building upon the success of last year's Life Skills Boot Camp, this year's camp equipped participants with essential career and entrepreneurial skills through interactive workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
​​Day 2: Hands-On Experiences & Networking
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Boat Ride Adventure: Campers learned about boating and sailing careers with East Greenwich’s harbormaster.
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Business Exploration: PMC Media Group and Ye Olde Bleubell Cottage & Garden offered insights into marketing, media production, distribution, and entrepreneurship.
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Author Workshop: Aspiring authors received advice from Douglas Rappaport on refining their skills and breaking into the field.
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Community Engagement: Campers joined the EG Rec Summer Camp at Eldredge Elementary to learn from Junior Counselors, and also enjoyed a fun game with the younger kids.
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Delicious Lunch: Steve Filippou's Twisted Pizza and D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches - West Warwick treated our campers to a delicious lunch.
A big thank you to all the local businesses and entrepreneurs who helped make it possible and who stand with us in our mission to empower students as they prepare for their future careers.
This year, camp is setting sail for even more fun and learning! EG Rec joins the crew, leading epic outdoor games that will unleash your child's inner leader. Observe counselors in action, learn teamwork, strategy, and more...
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On Thursday, August 8th, the East Greenwich Harbormaster and SoF campers will set off on a real boat adventure!​
Honor Tradition, Lead the Way: Meet Joanne Breslin, our Auctioneer for the Sponsors of the Future Fundraiser and Host for the Career & Entrepreneurship Camp!
Joanne is also the Vice President of the Varnum House Museum, the home base for the Career & Entrepreneurship Camp this year.
Campers will have an opportunity to learn from a dedicated community leader who served as the grand marshal for the 2024 town parade on Memorial Day!
Image Source: EG News
Campers will learn from local Fred Astaire Dance Studios - East Greenwich Owner, and experience a demo from a world-class dancer during the Fundraiser
Career & Entrepreneurship Campers will learn from a franchise business owner and get a few dance steps in between (get ready for prom)!
Win a gift certificate ($500 Value) to get 4 Private Lessons and unlimited group classes and private parties at Fred Astaire Dance Studios - East Greenwich during the Fundraiser on 8/9!
Get Inspired by Oyeniran Oyewale!
Oyeniran Oyewale isn't just a business owner – he's been a serial entrepreneur over 7 years, with a passion for helping others! Kids will explore and potentially ride in his non-emergency medical transportation vehicle and learn about his company, FHG Project!
On the first day of camp, Oyeniran will share his inspiring journey as a multi-faceted entrepreneur with the campers and mentor the campers to help practice their presentations and develop key business skills. Kids will get ideas, advice, and mentorship!
Get Financial Resources from BankNewport Vice President/EG Branch Manager!
Campers from last year’s Life Skills Boot Camp might remember Angela Biederman, Vice President and Branch Manager of BankNewport.
Continue to sharpen financial skills this year, and understand how money is involved when they are an entrepreneur or in the work world. From investing to earning, it’s also never too early to start thinking about savings and retirement too!
Massage Envy Brings Expertise to Camp
Massage Envy, a national leader in skin care and the nation's No. 1 provider of massages in the U.S. collectively across its franchise network, will join the camp on Wednesday, August 8th to share their expertise. Learn valuable customer service, sales, and communication skills from Massage Envy's Sales Manager and Esthetician. This hands-on session will provide campers with practical advice and real-world experience.
Twisted Pizza Restaurant Name Your Pizza Contest!
Get ready for some cheesy fun! Local pizzeria and restaurant, Steve Filippou's Twisted Pizza, is sponsoring us to host an exciting "Name Your Pizza" contest. Campers can let their pizza-naming skills shine! Each camper will receive a Twisted Pizza menu to spark their ideas. Together, they'll collaborate to choose a new pizza name that we'll propose to add to the menu as a special item to share with the community!
They’ll wrap up the day and enjoy free pizzas from Filippou’s Twisted Pizza and subs from D’Angelo’s.
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The idea began innocently nearly two years ago, back when the duo were still living in Massachusetts. Sofia had come to her mother wanting to start a lemonade stand, so Mariana — recognizing that her daughter’s expectations for success would not be met in their quiet town — began to think of some creative alternatives. The result was bottling homemade lemonade she and Sofia made together at home to take to different events.
What started out as a fun experiment quickly grew into something more, as Mariana and Sofia found themselves invited to events at Lesley University and even the Brazilian Consulate in Boston.
​Ye Olde Bleubell Cottage & Garden
Timeless finds and furnishings for the heart of the Home and Garden!
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We bring brands to life, give ideas wings, and get you noticed. We blend creative with process-based development to deliver messages that resonate with your customers.
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Author and screenwriter
He was originally a classically trained violinist and composer, having studied as a young man at various conservatories in the U.S. and abroad.
Alice Hourihan, member of the quilt guild, Narragansett Bay Quilters Association, NBQA.org, will share her background and showcase examples with information about quilting.
Amanda Wallace will be joining both mornings of the camp. She has been a self taught henna artist for 5 years. and has worked for various events such as Kent Hospital’s staff family events, and the annual RI Parkinson's awareness walk. Along with her henna designs, she also offers face painting.
Want to get involved? Contact us to learn more about SoF and how you can support our mission.
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Key Highlights of the Camp:
Over two days, our campers were immersed in a fun-filled and educational experience. They created vision boards, designed their own business cards, and even got their groove on with dancing and sports activities!
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Day 1: Exploring Careers & Entrepreneurship
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Kick-off Dance: Fred Astaire Dance Studios - East Greenwich set the tone with a live performance, emphasizing the importance of passion in career choices.
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Local Business Insights: Businesses like BankNewport, Massage Envy, MDI, Narragansett Bay Quilters' Association, FHG Project LLC, Henna Designs By Amanda and others shared their entrepreneurial journeys and expertise.
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Career Exploration: New England Institute of Technology showcased diverse career paths
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Vision Board & Business Card Creation: Campers designed personalized tools for career advancement that was sponsored by BDMT Global (and print sponsor Elite Envelope that provided handouts and cards for the campers during the Annual Fundraiser event)
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Delicious Lunch: Steve Filippou's Twisted Pizza and D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches treated our campers to a delicious lunch and a "Name Your Pizza" contest.​
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Our Career & Entrepreneurship Skills Camp will focus on career and entrepreneurship advancement for young adults of all abilities, including the neurodivergent community, with the goal of bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world. The event will include fun and educational activities (such as creating crafts, making their own business cards, dancing and sports experiences) with speaker sessions, career/entrepreneurship-focused workshops, and field trips (such as getting a boat ride, learning from tech centers, and visiting shops), showcasing a wide range of startup and career paths.
For the career and entrepreneurship experience, SoF plans to include financial literacy and real-life business experiences for the participants to produce and sell products, which will help them better understand money exchange and profit margins (revenues and costs). We plan to include stations for students to explore different areas and set up field trips to tour local businesses, partnering with organizations such as vocational schools, programs with robotics and emerging technology associations, craft fairs and shop owners.
Incorporated in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, SoF is dedicated to facilitating strong connections between local communities and businesses to create a more significant impact in neurodivergent communities. SoF creates community programs for all with the mission to connect the different stakeholders to form ecosystems that support the neurodivergent community and others, through education, advocacy, and inclusion.
In July 2023, Sponsors of the Future kicked off its first annual summer program, a Life Skills Boot Camp, collaborating with businesses from the local East Greenwich community to jump-start FAST learning! The camp taught participants about critical skills such as the importance of self-control and the decision-making process when dealing with health, food, and money.
Our 2024 Career & Entrepreneurship camp aims to provide young adults with the resources and skills needed for career advancement and growth while teaching them how to turn their passions into businesses. We hope to continue to create many more programs like this to work towards our mission of education, advocacy, and inclusion for a brighter, more independent future, not only for the kids but also for the community.
Testimonials from Parents and Sponsors:
Angela Biederman,
VP / Branch Manager, Bank Newport
The kids were so engaged and it was such a great experience to host them on their journey learning about important life skills!
Medea Sargsyan,
Yoga Instructor
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of such a great event…teaching yoga to beautiful souls brings me great joy.
Yeaseul Park,
Co-President, Orange Biomed
I am so happy for Sponsors of the Future and their success during their first-ever Life Skills Boot Camp last month!
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Thank you to All Supporters of SoF
