Guest post provided by Visionary Philanthropy Group
Ladies and Gentlemen, Visionary Philanthropy Group Inc., in collaboration with Latino Spirit Media, made history on Friday, May 31, 2024. They brought together 55 students and 13 chaperones for a transformative experience at the Google headquarters in New York City, participating in the New York City Summer Jam BreakBeatCode Hackathon. Held at Google’s prestigious location at 335 West Houston St., this event marked a significant milestone for all involved.
As the Founder and CEO of Visionary Philanthropy Group Inc., Baker, along with Visionary Philanthropy Group’s Executive Assistant, Kadine Shirley, worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this event. They stayed up until 1 AM handling Google waivers, sending reminders, and organizing the trip to make sure everyone was included. Baker, exemplifying dedication, woke up at 4:30 AM to be at the pick-up location by 5:30 AM and even drove an extra Mercedes Sprinter 15-passenger van in addition to the chartered 54-passenger bus. His commitment, along with the efforts of the VPG team, Latino Spirit Media, and the Executive Director/Founder Diego Maya was instrumental in making this event a reality.
Jazzmin Willingham, the Executive Director and Founder of She Is Her 365 Inc., played a crucial role in the success of this trip. As an intern, facilitator, and volunteer for VPG, she assisted with recruitment, back office tasks, and chaperoning, alongside her daughter Dyon Patterson. Israel Martin, the Founder and CEO of Redefining The Youth, also volunteer and facilitator of VPG assisted in bringing a group of young ladies from Baker’s Violence Prevention and Intervention program and Girls Who Code Club, including her wonderful daughter Blessyn Walker. Teri Moore from the Federal Public Defender Office Reentry program provided exceptional support, helping with breakfast and maintaining student organization throughout the day.
Donell Whitley, a VPG facilitator, was another key figure, offering endless assistance and keeping a close eye on the students. His dedication and enjoyment of the event were evident.
Baker expressed immense gratitude to Freddie Rosado, the owner of McDonald’s at 501 Chambers St., in Trenton NJ and his staff for coming in early to help prepare the breakfast,sponsor the breakfast, that helped set a positive tone for the day. The chartered bus and van were filled to capacity, a sight Baker described as a “Dream Come True from God.”
The Hackathon itself was a remarkable event, livestreamed globally with special guest Supernatural, the legendary freestyle hip hop artist, and DJ Siege providing music. The event began with Dale Allsopp, Director of Google Ads Responsibility Office, inspiring the crowd to believe in their dreams.He aslo talked about how Supernatural ended his rap career. Richard Achee, Head of Infrastructure Partnerships/Privacy Sandbox at Google and creator of BreakBeatCode, captivated the students by teaching them how to create music with code using Earsketch. In less than two hours, the students learned Python coding, music production, and the functions of a code editor/digital audio workstation, creating their own beats and becoming artist engineers.
After lunch, Aaron Wade, a young African-American Creative Technologist at Google, shared his experience working with Lupe Fiasco on Gen AI for rappers and songwriters, inspiring the students with his story because they had the opportunity to see a young man of color who partnered with a star rapper to create a AI platform. The highlight of the day was Supernatural, who freestyled over beats made by the students, turning the event into a lively and interactive session. His 30-minute plus freestyle, where he incorporated items from the audience into his rap, left everyone in awe.
The event concluded with a Q&A session, where Baker felt immense pride as his young ladies from various programs confidently asked questions. A particularly memorable moment was when nine-year-old Parker Stephens asked Supernatural about his favorite book, prompting Supernatural to share one of his favorites. This interaction underscored the importance of curiosity and learning, a sentiment that resonates deeply with Baker, who asked his mentor Michael Harry-O Harris the Founder of Death Row Records while in Federal Prison what was his top 5 books after that question Harris introduced Baker into Philanthropy,Baker came up with his nonprofit name,and the rest is history.
Overall, the Google NYC trip was a life-changing experience for many, making a significant impact on all attendees. The event was a resounding success, attended by 300 students on-site and over 3,000 students online from more than 37 countries. Visionary Philanthropy Group Inc. and Latino Spirit Media are profoundly grateful for the opportunity to partner with BreakBeatCode and reach such a broad audience that gives them exposure in over 37 countries. They extend their heartfelt thanks to all donors, sponsors, students, parents, chaperones, friends, organizations, and schools that contributed to making this event a success.
