This week, we’re shining our Summit spotlight on Dr. Coach Stowers.

Dr. Stowers, a frequent attendee and the founder of DreamSeekers World – an organization that helps at-risk youth get back on track – attended our Friday, April 20th Summit.

Following the Summit, we asked this #WestsideHero a few questions about his role in the revitalization of the Historic Westside and his thoughts on the twice-monthly meeting he so often attends. Take a look below at some of the highlights from our Q&A.

How long have you been in Atlanta, and why is the revitalization of the Westside important to you? I have been in Atlanta full time for the past two years, but I have been coming to Atlanta my entire life. The majority of my extended family lives in greater Atlanta. The Westside is important to me because all sides are important to me. Youth development is vital to me; and the poverty on the Westside needs to be addressed, because poverty is a disease similar to cancer. If it is not caught in time, the effects can be deadly.

What brought you to the Summit? The ability to network brought me to the Summit meetings. I was searching for ambitious, like-minded individuals, and I found that at the Summit.

Tell me about DreamSeekers and what you are doing for the at-risk youth on the Westside? DreamSeekers is a life-skills training company that provides a comprehensive curriculum to engage our youth in implementing self-love, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. This creates generational wealth through entrepreneurship, group economics and smart investing.

Have you made any connections that will benefit the organization at the Summit?
Yes, I have been fortunate to make several educational connections through the Summit that can potentially help DreamSeekers expand and help at-risk youth across the Westside and Greater Atlanta.

What did you think of the Westside Data Dashboard? And how do you think the Data Dashboard will help the DreamSeekers World organization? I was impressed by the Westside Data Dashboard. The data was easy to understand and clearly identified areas for improvement. The Data Dashboard can help DreamSeekers by helping us identify innovative ways to help children in the cradle-to-career demographics.

How did you get the name Dr. Coach Stowers? I got the name Dr. Coach Stowers from coaching college basketball for 6 out of the past 8 years. I also recently completed my doctorate in educational leadership.

What is your hope for the Historic Westside of Atlanta? My hope, dream and mission are for the Historic Westside to be completely revitalized by eradicating poverty. My hope is that the Historic Westside can be an example to cities across the nation on how a small influential group of people can come together and make a massive positive change.

To learn more about the DreamSeekers organization, click here.

Missed our April 20th Transform Westside Summit? Click here to view our live stream!