Meet Ashley Thomas
Founder & CEO
Ashley Thomas, M.Ed is a change agent in the Greater Cleveland area, who works through the means of motherhood, mentorship, and public policy to impact the children of tomorrow. Through the Sevynteenth Foundation, Ashley has worked tirelessly to uplift the residents of Greater Cleveland.
Ashley is an alum of Garfield Heights High School, '10, Marietta College, '14, and Cleveland State University, '18. Ashley also serves as a member of the Garfield Heights and Cuyahoga Valley Career Center Board of Education. We welcome you to connect with Ashley and offer support in any way you can!
Our Board of Directors
The Sevynteenth Foundation Board of Directors have many responsibilities, which include guiding the nonprofit in an ethical, practical and legal manner, as well as maintaining appropriate funding to ensure that this guidance may be carried out. They are instrumental with making sure our initiatives are aligned and that we have the proper policies and procedures within the organization.
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What is Sevynteenth Foundation?
The name "Sevynteenth" stems from two very important parts of my life and overall mission. The first part is my daughter, Sevyn Mae born in 2018, named after my grandmother Susie Mae, who also passed away in 2018. Seven, being known as the number of completion felt like a strong way to honor my Grandma Susie's marvelous legacy.
The second piece of the name, "Sevynteenth", was born from my mission to support the youth, and teenagers. Adolescent years are some of the most formative years of everyone's life. Decisions and influences during this time are gravely impactful for the adult years of life. Therefore, it is my mission to serve as a role model, and positive force for as many young people as possible. That's the reason for the Mind, Body, and Soul Summer Camp, our 10 Week Day Camp, the Ashley Day Girls Expo, our Adopt a Family and Toys for Tots Giveaway and Annual Back to School Drive that we provide for the community.
Education is another strong source of passion for me. COVID-19 rocked the education sector in an extreme way. It forced us to react to a new set of realities. One of those reactions formed the creation of the Better Together Learning Pods. Two locations, serving the Euclid Area and the Richmond Area have been offering a developmental and social space for K-12 students in a COVID-safe environment. From this partnership, we have grown to support scholars at the Richmond Heights Elementary School in after school tutoring through our Sevynteenth Academy. We service grades 1-6. We have also expanded to an array of After School Social Emotional programs in our county. These programs include Cheer & Dance, Culinary Arts, Fine Arts, Girl Empowerment, Basketball and more!
We love interacting with the youth and providing affordable opportunities for them to explore their passions!
