Today we’d like to introduce you to Shakoya Green and Ayana Shepherd.
Shakoya Green and Ayana Shepherd are both Professional Social Workers as ACSW’s, and from the City of Compton with over 40 years of combined experience in the social services field. Together they founded B2B (Blessed to be a Blessing) Support Services Inc. in October 2015. Our Mission is “To provide comprehensive programs and support services to families in need of educational and therapeutic assistance in order to develop and enhance the whole person”.
Over the past five years, a group of individuals have gotten together to host a “Party for a Cause” in an effort to give back to the community at large. As a result of relentless work in human services and volunteer efforts the concept to expand the contribution to the community at large was birthed. B2B Support Services (Blessed to be a Blessing) is the outcome of a small steering committee coming together to meet the needs of those who are under-resourced in the Los Angeles area. From those efforts B2B was birthed as an organization to address the needs of families and youth by providing mentorship, therapeutic services and an array of additional support services.
Shakoya has a Bachelors of Science degree in Child and Family Development with a Minor in Social Work. She has a Masters in Psychology with an emphasis in Human Behavior and a Masters in Social Work.
Shakoya has worked with people since the age of 14 as she has always had a passion to lead, mentor and to be of service to others. After growing up and having a Social Worker of her own from the age of 7-17 and seeing the impact of a good social worker it was clear that Social Work was her calling. Her formal career started 20 years ago and she has worked with people from birth to death and with multiple populations from at-risk youth, individuals experiencing homelessness, families reuniting with their children and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She provided direct case management for nine years and has been in a leadership role for the last 12 years.
Currently, Shakoya is the Senior Vice President of Programs for Brotherhood Crusade, an institution whose mission is to help youth succeed in school and in life.
She loves social work and she believes that treating individuals with empathy, dignity and respect is at the core of what she does. Having the ability to listen, advocate, empower, meet individuals where they are and see them make progress towards their best life makes her heart smile. Shakoya stands firmly on the word of God and believes that she as well as her clients “can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.
Ayana Shepherd has a bachelors degree in English w/ a minor in Child and Family Development and a Masters in Social Work.
She has worked in human services for 20 years and has been doing micro social work for 17 years.
Currently, she wears multiple hats as a social worker. She works as a case manager for individuals with special needs and she provides group therapy for at-risk youth. Additionally, she provides instruction to direct support staff whom work with or plan to work with individuals with special needs.
She has devoted her life to being of service in one way or another and lives by the mantra that social work is not just a job but a way of life and what she loves most is the positive impact that she is able to make in the lives of the people she serves.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The struggles that B2B have encountered have included learning how to become a 501c3 and completing the paperwork ourselves. We have also struggled with connecting with other organizations as well as streamlining the population that we serve.
Please tell us about B2B Support Services.
Currently, B2B provides two scholarships for freshmen entering college, we host a school supply giveaway as well as our Annual Cookies and Cocktails “ A Party with a Cause” event where we provide Christmas gifts to those in need. In the near future we are planning to expand our services to include hosting a teen summit and etiquette training for teen girls. We are very proud that we have been successful in building community in an effort to support individuals in need. We have had great success in having people support our annual Cookies and Cocktails “A Party with a Cause”, scholarships, and back to school events. As two women from Compton we are committed to paying it forward to the families and youth in our community which has helped shape and influence us in so many ways.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If we had the opportunity to start over we would have a refined business plan, secure funding and start our partnering with other organizations first.
Contact Info:
- Address: 335, E. Albertoni St. #200-630
Carson, CA 90746 - Website: www.b2bsupportservice.org
- Phone: 9512380920
- Email: ayanashepherd@b2bsupportservice.org
- Instagram: b2b_supportservices
- Facebook: B2B Support Services Inc
- Other: Shakoyagreen@b2bsupportservice.org
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