ABOUT PREPARED: THE GATEWAY OF THE NORTHWEST
Inspiring + Rebuilding
Families
School
Communities
Nationwide
Humble Beginnings:
Prepared: the Gateway of the Northwest was founded in Yakima, Washington as a mission at New Jerusalem Church in 1996 by George Love III & his wife, Stephanie Love. George was given permission by Pastor R.L. Stone, who allowed him to utilize Stone’s church to welcome in the less fortunate. George would feed the people pastries and sandwiches along with soda, water and coffee. Everyone who stopped by would leave with a full stomach and a prayer.
By 1998, Prepared the Gateway of the Northwest began another chapter in Tacoma, Washington, within a gang infested community called “The Hilltop.” Prepared combated the gang and drug activity by arming itself with its new community outreach program, “Operation Holy Smoke.”
In 2003, Prepared was incorporated as an official non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The organization has gone on to function without receiving any government federal grants. In it’s lifetime, Prepared has launched a domestic violence advocacy program, community outreach programs and it’s Board of Education
student incentive programs.
First Scholarship was awarded In Seattle Washington June 10, 2023.
Since its inception in Tacoma, WA, Prepared has fed over 200,000 people, raised over
$53,500 in scholarship money for urban high school students, and inspired countless people to support their communities a bit harder. The organization has operating chapters in St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and Tacoma, Washington.
Love
is the foundation on which the organization is built upon and love will always be found here at Prepared the Gateway of the Northwest.
Mission: Supporting our communities with a Servitude Attitude towards Humanity. With Love, we will Feed and Clothe the less fortunate; With Compassion, we will Educate and encourage our youth through Academic Improvement.
About George Love:
George Love is a nonprofit leader and CEO of Prepared the Gateway of the Northwest, an organization he founded almost 20 years ago. Love also serves as a community activist, with the purpose and desire to make changes in society towards a perceived greater good. In addition to Love being an employee on the custodial staff at Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS), through Prepared, he also provides visionary and strategic leadership for the development and delivery of programs and resources throughout SLPS and Saint Louis County schools.
Every year since 2017, Love awards $500 academic improvement scholarships to graduating high school seniors in urban communities who are college bound and the furthest away from academic justice. While the scholarships are an honor to his late mother, Dorothy Mae Walker-Love, they also were designed as an incentive to keep students from slipping through the cracks of society. To date, Love and his wife, Stephanie Love, have awarded 87 scholarships in total, and are excited about continuing this act of service for many years to come.
George Love’s key successes include:
- Developing the High-Five Academic Scholarship Incentive Program to provide students, the opportunity to participate in experiential academic improvement learning activities and establish pathways to career goals.
- Distributing thousands of dollars to graduating college bound high school students for scholarships, and receiving multiple recognitions for service, to include appearing on a segment of the Steve Harvey Show, articles in the Riverfront Times, along with several other appearances and articles on other educational media and news outlets.
- Being a recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award, from the Links Incorporated Gateway Chapter. In addition, being the recipient of the Community Service Award from Daughters of the American Revolution O’fallon Chapter. As well as the Recipient of 2023 Prestigious Volunteer Awards from Saint Louis Public Schools Board of Education.
George Love has worked and served in every zip code of urban communities that have been entrusted to St. Louis Public Schools. Together, with his wife, Love has donated and combatted gang activity, drugs and violence, dysfunctional homes, and incarceration by arming themselves with a weapon called Love!
Board Of Directors
Meet the faces of Prepared!
GEORGE E. LOVE
CEO & Founder
Community Organizer & Philanthropist at Prepared The Gateway Of The Northwest. Author at Glove Publishing.
STEPHANIE LOVE
Secretary
Stephanie Love, wife of George Love, has been involved with Prepared since it‘s official inception in 2003. Stephanie’s organizational skills play a foundational role in our programs.
PENDING
Vice President
Blogger, copywriter, social media manager, and web/graphic designer for Prepared: The Gateway of the Northwest.
TIMMIE FOSTER
Director-Agent
Timmie Foster is a native of Seattle/Tacoma, Washington, and lead consultant for Foster Enterprise -an entertainment, education and event production and marketing consultant firm.
Foster has 16 years experience in P-16 public education and almost a decade in counseling, entrepreneurship and non-profit. Foster currently holds a Master’s Degree and doctoral studies in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
STEVEN CANTRELL
Director
A director at Prepared, Mr. Cantrell helps manage Prepared’s online fundraising activities.
BRIAN TOENNIES
Treasurer
In addition to running his own full service accounting firm, Mr. Toennies acts as Prepared’s treasurer.
St. Louis, MO | (314) 387-7100 | prepared007@yahoo.com