Who We Are

YOUNG AND GIFTED FOUNDATION is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Our vision is to empower our youth to achieve their dreams, goals, and be productive while enjoying life. The path to success is believing in yourself, respect, accountability, being responsible, consistency and never giving up on yourself. 

Tamara Helse Stewart a Chicago native founder of Young and Gifted Foundation. Tamara has always had a passion to help others and always actively involved in the Chicago community. Losing her son to Chicago gun violence has inspired her to reach out and help our youth. Tamara  want to empower our youth to be successful at whatever they inspire to do and help provide resources that is needed to achieve their future goals. Tamara desire is to be a mentor, teacher, and be a resource that can help open doors to successful young and gifted youth.

As a young boy, Curtis always knew that he did not want to work for anyone. He wanted to be his own boss. When he was just 11 years old, he said he wanted to be a barber, own his own shop, and start his own barber school. Who would have known that this 11-year-old kid was serious about what he said. 

It was no question that Curtis had everything it took to be a barber. He was funny, friendly, outgoing, inquisitive, and I can't forget to mention fashionable. Just like his sharp haircuts, Curtis paid very close attention to fashion and made sure he didn't step out of the house without his outfit looking right and with his clippers in his backpack. At the age of 15, this young man started to take being a barber seriously. This self-taught barber started cutting his hair in the house and then graduated to cutting classmates heads in the school bathroom. It was not long after that this self-taught barber was in a barbershop with his own chair, cutting friends, family, civil service workers, and taking walk-ins. Curtis was well on his way to accomplishing his goals at a very young age. Being of help was already my goal, and I am thankful that my Mother is completing the mission of serving others . I hope you’ll support by purchasing a shirt to help give back to the community.