Dreamer to Doer: Taco Bell Foundation's Ambition Accelerator Fuels Young Changemaker's Bold Idea
The Taco Bell Foundation and Ashoka have announced the winner of their second Ambition Accelerator Summit. Victoria Lamar, a 24-year-old changemaker, received a $25,000 social impact grant for her initiative, Securing Degrees. This national scholarship coaching platform has helped over 4,000 families secure $20 million in scholarships since 2018.
The summit, held at Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, California, invited 50 top changemakers from over 370 applicants. Each semi-finalist received $1,000 in seed funding, with five finalists competing in a pitch competition. The other four finalists were awarded an additional $5,000 each.
The Ambition Accelerator program, funded by Yum! Brand's $100 million Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, aims to create pathways for a more equitable and inclusive society. An inaugural Ambition Accelerator India Summit is scheduled for September in Bengaluru.
La Fondazione Taco Bell e Ashoka hanno annunciato il vincitore del loro secondo Ambition Accelerator Summit. Victoria Lamar, una giovane innovatrice di 24 anni, ha ricevuto un grande d'impatto sociale di $25.000 per la sua iniziativa, Securing Degrees. Questa piattaforma nazionale di coaching per borse di studio ha aiutato oltre 4.000 famiglie a ottenere $20 milioni in borse di studio dal 2018.
Il summit, tenutosi presso la sede di Taco Bell a Irvine, California, ha invitato 50 dei migliori innovatori tra oltre 370 candidati. Ogni semifinalista ha ricevuto $1.000 in finanziamenti iniziali, mentre cinque finalisti hanno competito in una competizione di presentazione. Gli altri quattro finalisti hanno ricevuto ulteriori $5.000 ciascuno.
Il programma Ambition Accelerator, finanziato dall'Iniziativa Unlocking Opportunity da $100 milioni di Yum! Brands, ha lo scopo di creare percorsi per una società più equa e inclusiva. Un primo Ambition Accelerator India Summit è previsto per settembre a Bengaluru.
La Fundación Taco Bell y Ashoka han anunciado al ganador de su segundo Ambition Accelerator Summit. Victoria Lamar, una innovadora de 24 años, recibió una subvención de impacto social de $25,000 por su iniciativa, Securing Degrees. Esta plataforma nacional de asesoría para becas ha ayudado a más de 4,000 familias a obtener $20 millones en becas desde 2018.
La cumbre, celebrada en la sede de Taco Bell en Irvine, California, invitó a 50 destacados innovadores de más de 370 postulantes. Cada semifinalista recibió $1,000 en financiación inicial, con cinco finalistas compitiendo en una competencia de presentación. Los otros cuatro finalistas recibieron $5,000 adicionales cada uno.
El programa Ambition Accelerator, financiado por la Iniciativa Unlocking Opportunity de Yum! Brands por $100 millones, tiene como objetivo crear caminos para una sociedad más equitativa e inclusiva. Se programó una primera Ambition Accelerator India Summit para septiembre en Bengaluru.
타코 벨 재단과 아쇼카가 두 번째 야망 accelerater summit의 우승자를 발표했습니다. 24세의 변화 추진자 빅토리아 라마르는 그녀의 이니셔티브인 Securing Degrees에 대해 25,000달러의 사회적 영향 보조금을 받았습니다. 이 국가 장학금 코칭 플랫폼은 2018년 이후 4,000개 이상의 가족이 2천만 달러의 장학금을 확보하는 데 도움을 주었습니다.
캘리포니아 어바인의 타코 벨 본사에서 열린 이번 정상 회담은 370명 이상의 지원자 중에서 50명의 최우수 변화 주도자를 초대했습니다. 각 준결선 진출자는 1,000달러의 초기 자금을 받았으며, 5명의 결선 진출자가 발표 경쟁에서 경쟁했습니다. 다른 4명의 결선 진출자는 각각 추가로 5,000달러를 받았습니다.
야망 아셀러레이터 프로그램은 Yum! Brands의 1억 달러 Unlocking Opportunity Initiative의 자금으로 지원되며, 보다 공정하고 포괄적인 사회를 위한 경로를 만드는 것을 목표로 합니다. 첫 번째 야망 아셀러레이터 인도 정상 회담은 9월 벵갈루루에서 예정되어 있습니다.
La Fondation Taco Bell et Ashoka ont annoncé le gagnant de leur deuxième Ambition Accelerator Summit. Victoria Lamar, une innovatrice de 24 ans, a reçu une subvention d'impact social de 25 000 $ pour son initiative Securing Degrees. Cette plateforme nationale de coaching pour les bourses a aidé plus de 4 000 familles à obtenir 20 millions de dollars en bourses depuis 2018.
Le sommet, qui s'est tenu au siège de Taco Bell à Irvine, Californie, a invité 50 des meilleurs innovateurs parmi plus de 370 candidats. Chaque demi-finaliste a reçu 1 000 $ en financement de démarrage, avec cinq finalistes en compétition lors d'une compétition de pitch. Les quatre autres finalistes ont reçu chacun 5 000 $ supplémentaires.
Le programme Ambition Accelerator, financé par l'Initiative Unlocking Opportunity de Yum! Brands de 100 millions de $, vise à créer des cheminements vers une société plus équitable et inclusive. Un premier Ambition Accelerator India Summit est prévu pour septembre à Bengaluru.
Die Taco Bell Stiftung und Ashoka haben den Gewinner ihres zweiten Ambition Accelerator Summit bekannt gegeben. Victoria Lamar, eine 24-jährige Veränderungsmacherin, erhielt ein Stipendium für sozialen Einfluss in Höhe von 25.000 US-Dollar für ihre Initiative Securing Degrees. Diese nationale Coaching-Plattform für Stipendien hat seit 2018 über 4.000 Familien geholfen, 20 Millionen US-Dollar an Stipendien zu sichern.
Der Gipfel fand in der Hauptzentrale von Taco Bell in Irvine, Kalifornien statt und lud 50 der besten Veränderungsmacher aus über 370 Bewerbungen ein. Jeder Halbfinalist erhielt 1.000 USD an Startfinanzierung, während fünf Finalisten in einem Pitch-Wettbewerb konkurrierten. Die anderen vier Finalisten erhielten jeweils zusätzlich 5.000 USD.
Das Ambition Accelerator-Programm, das durch die 100-Millionen-Dollar-Initiative
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Following the second annual Ambition Accelerator Summit, 24-year-old changemaker Victoria Lamar receives
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Yum! Brands
Taco Bell blog
Taco Bell Foundation and nonprofit partner Ashoka announced today the top changemaker in the second Ambition Accelerator Summit, hosted at Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, Calif. Victoria Lamar pitched Securing Degrees, a national scholarship coaching platform that helps students alleviate the financial burden of higher education, winning the challenge and receiving a
The prize funding will enable the Atlanta-based initiative to expand and provide additional resources to students aged 17 to 22, especially those from underrepresented communities. Since 2018, Securing Degrees has assisted over 4,000 families in securing
"Participating in the Ambition Accelerator program has been a transformative experience," said Victoria Lamar, the 2024 Ambition Accelerator grand prize recipient. "The support and resources provided are empowering me to drive meaningful change and will allow me to take Securing Degrees to the next level. I'm excited to see the positive impact Securing Degrees can make with the help of the Taco Bell Foundation and Ashoka."
After receiving over 370 applications from young people across the country, the Taco Bell Foundation invited the top 50 changemakers, including Victoria, for an immersive experience at Taco Bell's headquarters this week. These Summit Semi-Finalists were granted the opportunity to enhance their entrepreneurial skills by participating in workshops focused on storytelling, community building, networking, and more. Each Semi-Finalist received
"We created Ambition Accelerator to elevate the voices of our future leaders," said Julie Davis, Global Chief Legal Officer, Taco Bell & Executive Sponsor, Taco Bell Foundation. "By fostering a supportive network and providing essential tools over the past few days, we hope these bright, socially motivated individuals will feel empowered to continue their work and make a difference in their communities."
In addition to Securing Degrees, the other projects selected to participate in the pitch competition included:
Farms for Thought: Farms for Thought combats food deserts by deploying autonomous vertical farms in schools. Through partnerships and innovative technology, the program aims to improve access to healthy food, promote education, and empower communities.
Elevate the Navajo Nation: Navajo youth face challenges such as substance abuse, poverty, domestic violence, hopelessness, and lack of guidance. To address these issues, multi-generational Navajo leaders have created Elevate Navajo, a program that provides mentorship to help youth navigate these challenges. The program aims to build long-term, life-changing relationships, equipping Navajo youth to thrive and contribute to their community.
Every Kid Gets a Robot (EKGAR): Founded in 2019, The STEAM Connection is a 501(c)(3) charity led by youth and minorities, dedicated to democratizing technical education for Indigenous youth through robotics by providing free access to cutting-edge solutions. The STEAM Connection has created Every Kid Gets A Robot (EKGAR), an educational robotics kit that costs less than
$20 t o produce. It's provided free of charge to K-12 students, boosting their technical skills by70% . So far, EKGAR has reached 45,000 youth.SignAll: Less than
0.1% of the hearing population understands sign language. SignAll is an AI-based sign language translation app that provides real-time translations by leveraging a mobile device's camera at the person signing, helping to break down barriers in communication.
To narrow down these breakthrough ideas and select the winner, Taco Bell Foundation invited a panel of judges to deliberate including:
Kim Malek, Founder & CEO, Salt & Straw
Stephen Green, Founder, PitchBlack
Chris White, EVP of Brand Partnerships, The SpringHill Company
Neil Borkan, Taco Bell Franchisee & Chairman, Taco Bell Foundation
SG Ellison, Taco Bell Franchisee & President of Diversified Restaurant Group and A&C Ventures
Tim Bergevin, Vice President of Entertainment & Community Marketing, Taco Bell
"Meeting the participants and witnessing the connections they have made over these past few days is incredible," said Tia Johnston Brown, Executive Director of Ashoka's Youth Venture. "The Ambition Accelerator Summit embodies Ashoka and the Taco Bell Foundation's mission to empower individuals to pursue their passion. These young people are already changing the world."
Funded by Yum! Brand's
About Taco Bell Foundation
Taco Bell Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity that helps break down barriers to educate and inspire the next generation of America's young leaders. Since 1992, the Taco Bell Foundation has reached more than 5 million young people across the country and has awarded more than
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs - individuals with new ideas to systemically address the world's biggest challenges and the entrepreneurial skill to transform those ideas into national, regional and global social impact. For over 40 years, Ashoka has supported over 4,00 social entrepreneurs in 90 countries with solutions addressing society's most pressing issues. Ashoka's vision is a world in which Everyone is a Changemaker - a society that responds quickly and effectively to challenges, and where every individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem. For more information, visit ashoka.org.
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