Dear Prince George’s County Community:
The Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund (PGCSIF) is my gift to the Prince George’s County community and that gift has been given right back to me. I want to offer a hearty thank you to the people of this County for making space for me and the innovation fund.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced the joy of this community in full bloom. Through my work with PGCSIF I have been afforded the opportunity to know the good of everything and everybody in Prince George’s County. The gift of recognizing people has brought me and our work unexpected recognition. The opportunity to dream fearlessly of a better community; has attracted dreamers to my life and opened doors and relationships I had no idea I even needed. To revel in all that is good about a place is to sit in a seat of distinctive privilege. To dream dreams about community, love, prosperity, and black excellence all in one place a place that is rare and luxurious - that is Prince George’s County. I am grateful to have had the opportunity for 10 solid years serve in this capacity. Thank you for making space for me.
I would also like to thank the local leadership – political, appointed, private sector, and local media – for taking an interest in this work. Prince George’s Suite Magazine and PGC Blogging were the first to pay attention to the work of the Innovation Fund and Forty Under 40; and were it not for them, we wouldn’t have received the recognition or the resources to do this work. Viki Betancourt, Desiree Griffin Moore, LaVonn Reedy Thomas, and Rushern Baker (and his administration), Sam Parker, Gloria Brown Burnette, Lionel Moore were some of the first in the County to give us affirmation which translated into community trust. Thank you!
People latched on to an idea and supported it; and me. We tried many things in addition to Forty Under 40: The 2 to 6 Initiative (in support of the afterschool infrastructure); a Co-working Space (before co-working was cool); Advocacy for Food Trucks in Prince George’s County; We built a playground in partnership with KaBoom; connected Forty Under 40 honorees to non-profit and public board service; we published a paper on Equity in Prince George’s County; and offered Start-up Worklabs, to name a few. Some of our efforts were wildly successful while others barely got off the ground. We intentionally set out to build social capital and looked for new ways to solve old problems in Prince George’s County. We moved from potential energy to kinetic energy and we did it with a touch of style, fun, and grace.
We have had a strong core of consistent volunteers from the beginning. The current Prince George’s County Advisory Board has been amazingly supportive, hardworking, and hopefully optimistic. Many thanks to: Adeyinka, Chike, Tami, JaNay, Steve, Rebecca, Brian, Jackie, Devonne, Kirk, Stephen, Ashley, Kisha, Kandace, Steve, Tamara, Leslie, Lisa, and Mark for staying the course. Mark and Lisa have been the longest standing Advisory Board members and are incredibly good friends to me, personally. Again, the gift that keeps on giving!
My kids were 8 (Asa) and 5 (Noah) when I began the Innovation Fund. They were my first staff members – organizing files, making copies, and printing documents. They hold the memories with me of our early days. They watched me refine the idea with friends (Heather, Tanja, Latonya, and Tameka) over Chinese food, and cheap wine. And saw me win awards because of this commitment. They’ve attended almost every event we’ve hosted from the beginning. On January 31, 2012 when we hosted the first event right here at Busboys and Poets, Hyattsville; we received the news that my maternal grandmother had passed just before the event began. Today, September 9th, 2021 my children are in Virginia laying to rest their fraternal grandmother. Life offers full-circle moments.
And like our grands and all good things, it must come to an end. They have a life cycle and we must respect the rhythm.
The Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund was never intended to be a permanent entity. I’ve always said that we’d do this work for as long as it’s useful, relevant, and innovative. Innovation requires evolution so that something new can emerge. And so, the Advisory Board has made the decision to wind down the Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund. Over the months ahead, we will do our best to identify a new home for Forty Under 40 Prince George’s; offer a few discretionary grants; prepare closing reports; and finally close the Fund.
I would like to end this love letter by simply saying that it has been an absolute pleasure to serve the County in this way. I look forward to seeing what emerges next.
With all my love,
Tonia Wellons, Founder
Prince George’s County Social Innovation Fund
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