Ashe Core Youth Empowerment Foundation 2026
ASHE CORE YOUTH EMPOWERMENT FOUNDATION
Inspiring Change Through Knowledge and Action.
We are a service-delivery foundation, not a grantmaking foundation.
Our Mission
Our mission is to educate and empower youth and young adults through financial literacy, leadership development, and community engagement—helping them build confidence, create opportunities, and achieve lifelong stability.
Our Programs
Youth Mentorship & Leadership Development
We provide consistent, positive mentorship for youth through guidance, accountability, and real-life skill building. Our mentors help young people develop confidence, decision-making skills, and leadership qualities that support long-term success.
Academic Support & Enrichment
We support students through tutoring, homework assistance, and learning enrichment that reinforces school engagement, goal-setting, and personal growth beyond the classroom.
Social & Emotional Skills Development
Our programs focus on communication, emotional awareness, problem-solving, and healthy decision-making to help youth navigate challenges in constructive ways.
Community Engagement & Outreach
We partner with schools, community centers, faith organizations, and local businesses to create safe, supportive environments where youth and families can connect to resources and opportunities.
Family & Caregiver Support
We work alongside parents and caregivers by offering guidance, referrals, and community-based support that strengthens families and improves youth outcomes.
Life Skills & Workforce Readiness
We introduce youth to job readiness skills such as responsibility, teamwork, communication, and exposure to career pathways through workshops and community involvement.
Reentry & Workforce Reintegration Program
-Ashe Core Youth Empowerment Foundation supports justice-impacted individuals returning to the community by providing structured pathways to stability, purpose, and economic opportunity.
-We understand that successful reentry requires more than release — it requires support, accountability, and access.
Our Reentry & Workforce Reintegration Program focuses on:
Mentorship and peer support
Workforce readiness and job placement assistance
Life skills development and leadership coaching
Community reintegration and positive identity building
Partnerships with employers, educators, and community stakeholders
-Our approach is trauma-informed, community-based, and rooted in lived experience. We meet participants where they are and help them move forward with dignity and direction.
-Through collaboration with schools, workforce partners, and community institutions, Ashe Core works to reduce recidivism, strengthen families, and create long-term pathways to success.
-Who We Serve
Returning citizens
Justice-impacted young adults
Individuals transitioning from incarceration to community life
-Our Impact By investing in reentry, we invest in safer communities, stronger families, and sustainable futures.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to strengthen youth, families and communities by creating pathways to opportunities, leadership, and posture growth. We exist to bridge gaps between young people and the resources, guidance, and support systems they need to thrive. We believe when youth are given access through mentorship, skill building, postive community engagement, entire neighborhoods benefit. Our work focuses on helping young people develop confidence, accountability, and direction- while supporting families and community partners who are committed to long term solutions. Every program we offer is designed to inspire hope, encourage responsibility, and promote lasting impact.
Who We Are
Meet our Board and Community Advisors
Troy Rogers
Community Impact Advocate & Advisor
Troy Rogers is a respected humanitarian, mentor, and community leader with a B.A., B.S., M.A., and M.S. in Criminal Justice and Corrections. Since 2016, he has served as the Leadership & Public Safety Coordinator for the City of Chattanooga. He is the founder of ReentryPlaybook.com, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a key advocate for reentry and youth advancement.
Courtney Myers
Treasurer & Chief Fiscal Officer
Mr. Myers oversees all financial stewardship, fiscal accountability, and strategic budgeting for ASHE CORE Youth Empowerment Foundation Inc.
Jillian McCain
Vice President & Custodian of Contributions
Jillian McCain holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and currently supports national defense readiness with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support (DASD)(PS) at the Pentagon. She is also affiliated with Echo Five Group (echofivegroup.com). Jillian ensures responsible management of contributions, compliance with donor requirements, and strategic oversight of ASHE CORE’s resource development.
LeBron Clay
Founder & Executive Director
LeBron Clay is the visionary founder of ASHE CORE Youth Empowerment Foundation Inc., committed to empowering youth through financial literacy, entrepreneurship, reentry support, leadership development, and life-skill training. His personal journey and community advocacy drive the foundation’s mission, partnerships, and long-term impact across Chattanooga.
Help Our Cause
Your donation directly supports youth mentorship sessions, educational workshops, community events, and safe spaces where young people can grow, connect, and succeed. Every contribution helps strengthen families and invest in the next generation right here in our community.
Empowering Youth For Better Futures
Wraparound Youth Development Not Just A Class
We provide wraparound support including meals, tech access, financial education, digital literacy and entrepreneurship training. Our local food partners models small businesses while stabilizing meal security for students.
Our vision is to create a generation of financially and digitally literate, career ready, and self sufficient young leaders in Chattanooga who are equipped to thrive beyond graduation and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
Our initiative aligns with Chattanooga’s goal for community empowerment, academic engagement and workforce readiness. Our mission is to empower youth and young adults with financial and digital knowledge, entrepreneurial skills,and career education that builds confidence, independence, and lifelong success. We are seeking to collaborate with local partners to bring transformative youth development programs directly to students. (Photo above: Ashe Core Youth Empowerment Founder LeBron Clay connecting with community leaders in Chattanooga.)
2025 Ashe Core Youth Empowerment donated over $66k to youth in Chattanooga. Thank you to all our community and Mentors!
Our Impact | 2025 at a Glance
📊 IMPACT MADE (MAIN INTRO TEXT)
Ashe Core Youth Empowerment exists to turn lived experience into leadership. In 2025, we focused on mentorship, character development, workforce readiness, and community accountability — meeting youth where they are and guiding them toward stability, purpose, and opportunity.
🧮 IMPACT NUMBERS FOR 2025
2025 Impact Highlights
Youth Served: 48
Volunteer Mentors Engaged: 12
Youth Workforce Placements Supported: 7
Community Events & Outreach Activities: 9
Youth from Low-to-Moderate Income Households: ~85%
First-Time Job Readiness or Mentorship Exposure: 60%
Data collected through direct program participation, mentor logs, and youth self-reporting.
Youth Mentorship & Leadership Development
We provide mentorship rooted in accountability, character, and real-world guidance. Youth receive support from mentors with lived experience who emphasize discipline, decision-making, and long-term thinking.
Community-Led Mentorship
Volunteers and mentors support youth through one-on-one conversations, group discussions, and real-life exposure to positive work and life pathways.
Workforce & Life Exposure
Youth are introduced to employment environments, responsibility, and professional expectations through job exposure, community engagement, and guided experiences.
Character & Stability Support
We help youth navigate life challenges by reinforcing self-worth, accountability, and emotional regulation — especially for youth impacted by instability or system involvement.
Invest in Proven Impact
Every contribution directly supports mentorship, youth exposure opportunities, and community-based leadership development.
Partner With Us
Ashe Core Youth Empowerment Foundation serves youth, young adults, and justice-impacted individuals through mentorship, workforce development, and community-based programming.Ashe Core partners with families, schools, athletic programs, and community organizations to extend impact beyond traditional programming and for community based support for those reentrying society.
Reentry & Workforce Reintegration Program
Ashe Core Youth Empowerment Foundation serves youth, young adults, and justice-impacted individuals through mentorship, workforce development, and community-based programming.