Our Mission

The iBELIEVE Foundation provides equitable and inclusive access to experiential opportunities for Appalachian youth to learn and continue to develop the skills, behaviors, and attitudes necessary for success in high school and beyond.

Our History

The iBELIEVE Foundation was created in 2011 to provide opportunities for Appalachian youth. That year we served 36 high school students. Since then, we have grown exponentially and now provide year-round programming for participants by way of our Leadership Summits, Digital Leadership Academies, iSERVE Community Impact Projects, and Youth Leadership Workshops, which is our flagship event.

As part of our mission and vision, we strive to provide these programming opportunities to participants without a barrier of cost, meaning that all programs are provided at no cost to our participants and their families. This is made possible through grants and generous donations from corporations, small businesses and individuals.

To date, we have served over 8600 high school students from the Appalachian regions of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee across all of our program opportunities. 2799 Appalachian high school students have specifically attended our flagship Youth Leadership Workshops. Since the pandemic, we have had to scale back our reach, and are currently serving Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The iBELIEVE Foundation holds a 501(c)3 nonprofit status. The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio serves as our fiscal agent.

Our Vision

Our hope is to inspire leadership that results in positive change - in our schools, our communities, our region, and the world.