OPERATION: SEED INC.
501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Nonprofit Organization
VISION STATEMENT:
"Not every high school senior dreams of going to college;
but, every high school senior dreams.
Entrepreneurship
is a dream of many and OPERATION: SEED INC.
exists to help that dream become a reality."
MISSION STATEMENT
OPERATION: SEED, INC.
Encouraging under-resourced Guilford County High School Students to reach their potential
by providing Encouragement, Education, Empowerment, Equipment, and Nutrition through:
THE THREE BRANCHES OF OUR ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE...
Small Business Development Assistance: SEEDS FOR SUCCESS...
Life Skill Lunch and Learns: SOW WHAT YOU KNOW...
Supplemental Food Support: T.A.M.E. HUNGER ~ THAT ALL MAY EAT...
WHAT WE DO
Making A Difference
#1: THE CHALLENGE
Not every high school senior dreams of going to college; but every high school senior dreams. OPERATION: SEED INC. recognizes that students who are fulfilling their dreams by entering college after high school graduation receive a level of financial, material, and moral support that is often nonexistent for students who are dreaming differently...who are dreaming of entrepreneurial, and not collegiate, pursuits.
​
May 1st, has been designated as National College Decision Day and includes celebrations, congratulations, and public declarations...all which are well-deserved by the students who have chosen higher education as their next step.
​
But, for the 38% of non-college bound high-school graduates (approximately 2,000 out of 5,400 students in Guilford County Schools' Class of 2022), the fanfare is a little more subdued and the spotlight is not quite as bright.
​
Our community needs a course of action for bringing these graduates out of the shadows...a way to celebrate their next season on purpose, out loud and with a lasting impact.
#2: WE NEED A STRATEGY
OPERATION: SEED INC. serves as a platform for supporting emerging entrepreneurial dreamers in a manner that matters.
Our goal is to secure initial funding that will set in motion a collaborative effort between our organization and the community by which we can sow into the lives of our annually selected high school graduates in Guilford County, through encouragement and material support, so that they can prepare for and successfully launch the business ideas that have been germinating in their dreams.
Assisting with their initial efforts of pursuing economic mobility will not only benefit these young entrepreneurs individually but it will also allow them, in turn, to partner with their communities, peers, and the generation following to plant, grow, nurture, and strengthen entrepreneurship, business acumen, employment opportunities, self-sufficiency, and creative expression in a free-market economy.
​
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CULTIVATE THEIR PASSION FOR BUSINESS AND BRING THEIR DREAMS TO REALITY.
↓
Empower
Growth
To Donate Safely Online:
Click the Donate Button
or
Mail Your Check/Money Order to:
OPERATION SEED INC
C/O DENISE LITTLE
PO BOX 117
HIGH POINT, NC 27261
(Make Checks Payable To: OPERATION SEED INC)
or
Donate via Zelle: info@operationseed.org
Donate via Cash App: $OPERATIONSEED
~~~
​
#3: OUR STRATEGY
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES IN THE SEEDS FOR SUCCESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE WILL RECEIVE:
-
Starter tools/equipment/gear essential to their vocation (e.g.: artist, author, baker, barber, chef, e-commerce merchandiser, event planner, lawncare technician, mechanic, personal product creator, photographer, website developer, etc.).
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Fee voucher for an in-person or virtual short-term workshop offered by a community college, university, local/national organization, or professional association in their area of interest.
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A book or audio CD, along with a list of resources, pertinent to their development as an entrepreneur.
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A six-session mentorship, over the course of six months, with a volunteer community member who shares the same or similar passion as the graduate.
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A Certificate of Achievement highlighting their graduation accomplishment and post-graduation endeavors in their journey to entrepreneurship.
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A collaborative session with a professional graphic designer and local business owner to create a business logo for website, social media, print, and marketing platforms.
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A laptop and a backpack.
​
​#4: HOW YOU CAN HELP
Financial Donations
$$$
Material Donations
Tools/Equipment/Gear/Books/CDs
Serve As A Mentor
Share Your Encouragement and
Expertise 1x/Month for Six Months
Spread The Word
On Your Social Media Platforms
~*~
Join Our Food Security Initiative...
T.A.M.E. HUNGER ~ That All May Eat
Through Financial or Item Donations​​
As We Support School Food Pantries​,
Participate in Food Distribution Events,
and Respond to Referrals for Students/Families
in Need of Supplemental Food Assistance.
~*~
For More Information:
Email:
or use the Contact Form below
We Look Forward To Connecting With You!
​We have an Amazon School Supplies Wish List
for the high school students who attend our
SOW WHAT YOU KNOW Life Skills Workshops at partnership schools;
and for the participants in our
SEEDS FOR SUCCESS
Entrepreneurship Development Assistance Initiative. Also included on the Wish List are snacks and juice drinks for our workshops.
Check out our Wish List by clicking on
this link: Amazon.com
March 28, 2023 ~ OPERATION: SEED, INC. has been
selected by the NC IDEA FOUNDATION as a recipient of an ENGAGED COMMUNITY-FOCUSED MICRO-GRANT in the amount of $1,500 to support our SEEDs for SUCCESS Emerging Entrepreneurial Programming!
CLASS of 2023!!!
Saturday, June 14, 2025...
WOW! OPERATION: SEED, INC. had an amazingly wonderful day celebrating our 2025 Emerging Entrepreneur, Miss Madison Jones (also known as: Miss Dudley 2025/2026)! Madison is a creative apparel design artist and her business is: Rose Creations! Madison, her mother, and her twin brother joined us at the Greensboro Public Library - Benjamin Branch Library so that we could recognize her accomplishments, present her with a certificate of achievement, laptop and accessories, backpack, learning resources, items from her $500 Seed Investment Wish List to elevate her business (she is already modeling wisdom in her business acumen - she kept part of the Seed money in reserve with us for future needs), and a personalized cake! We were very honored to have Mr. Christopher Snead, James B. Dudley High School Career and College and CTE Administrator, accept our invitation to join us! Mr. Snead not only gave pertinent guidance and offered critical connections and availability to Madison for her upcoming year at Dudley High School…but he also did the same for her brother! His commitment to and concern for the students and their success is always evident and sincere! We truly appreciate how Mr. Snead, Mrs. Donahue-Wright (Communities In Schools Site Coordinator), and Ms. Wooden (Lead CTE Teacher/FBLA Advisor), and others at Dudley, have welcomed us in and championed for O.S.I. throughout this year! We look forward to returning in the Fall of 2025! Please join us in congratulating Madison; and stay tuned for new developments as she continues to engage with our SEEDS FOR SUCCESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE!
An enormous “THANK YOU!” to all of our grantors and individual supporters! We appreciate you! We are humbled by Madison and her family…it is not a small thing to be entrusted with someone else’s dream!
​
Sincerely,
Teresa Gilliard, Board Chair; Denise Little, Treasurer; Karen Moore, Assistant Treasurer; Ebony Gilliard, Secretary
Chandler Price, Educational System Subject Matter Expert; Bernadette Potts, Executive Director and Founder
"Today's seed is tomorrow's harvest."
Quote by: B. A. Potts
INTERESTED IN OUR ENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM?
ARE YOU A GUILFORD COUNTY, NC HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR OR RISING SENIOR?
CONTACT OPERATION: SEED INC...
