OUR Story
RICH'S GOALS: EXPOSE RESIDENTS TO NEW PERSPECTIVES ON life, living, and career… because everyone can flourish
Michael and Danielle Battle, Image from Baltimore Banner 2023
Michael & Danielle Battle began RICH in 2011 with a small prayer walk that was designed to bring a day of peace and joy to the community. In the years since, RICH has become a 501(c)3 Maryland nonprofit and the prayer walk has evolved into multi-dimensional mission and strategy committed to healing the community from within. RICH has approached community transformation focused on relevance and impact...holistic, place-based, and asset-based since before they were "strategies".
"Communities have everything they need to heal themselves. Sometimes those gifts just need to be tapped and supported. Our most authentic Innovation Is healing our community from the Inside out."
DANI BATTLE
Hybrid Youth Workforce Development program
Healthy, delicious, juices coupled with plant based food options and educational information are what South Baltimore residents will enjoy. But skills to get and hold a job will be what the RICH Juice Bar employees will take away. For the community, it's a bright, new, microbusiness. For our youth employees, it's job readiness, financial literacy, interpersonal skills, and an invaluable experience for a brighter future. The participants attend financial literacy classes at Chase Bank, right in the same shopping center as the RICH Juice Bar. The classes focus on real financial issues that range from savings, to credit scores and cards, to student loands. Participants will move on from the program with a wealth of knowledge and career skills to begin a career or apply those skills and their savings to a postgraduate education.
Program Information
The RICH Hybrid Youth Workforce Development Program is a social innovation designed to bring healthy food options to an opportunity excluded community while offering young adult residents on the job training and financial literacy development. It is an extension of the services being offered by RICH – Restoring Inner City Hope, INC (The RICH Program). These offerings include wrap around programming and services to young men and women ages 10-21, workforce, household, and personal development services for adults, and community outreach events for all residents of Cherry Hill and surrounding South Baltimore neighborhoods.
The RICH Juice Bar is a youth led operation, offering employment opportunities, soft skills training, and economic supports to participants in the program. Many youth from communities like Cherry Hill, that have been oppressed by the systemic racism of this country and/or have experienced trauma, drop out of school to seek employment to relieve economic strain in their households, or view illegal activities as an easier way to support their family or seek financial independence. The program also offers trauma informed training and staff management practices to ensure that participants are able to work in team and independent settings, value constructive feedback, deal with conflict in a productive manner, and address personal issues in a professional setting. Participants also gain knowledge and skills around the food service industry. The RICH Program implements this programming within The RICH Juice Bar setting to allow participants to gain real-world work experience through a program that meets the needs of young adults from communities with limited access to opportunities.