We’ve Come Too Far to Stop Now — PDDBM Needs Your Help

Imara Muraty
Nov 3
2 min read

Dear PDDBM Family,

We have some powerful news — and an urgent need.

A determined African American woman stands in a bright, sunlit room surrounded by art supplies, sewing materials, and computers, symbolizing resilience and community rebuilding. The image captures the spirit of PDDBM’s afterschool programs — hope, strength, and dedication to empowering youth despite hardship.

Please Don’t Die Black Men (PDDBM) has been awarded a $75,000 grant per year for the next three years from the Washington State Department of Commerce through the VOCA By and For Grant to support our free afterschool programs in fashion design, film, and journalism.

This incredible opportunity will sustain our youth programs long-term — but right now, we need your help to bridge the gap.

This is a reimbursement grant, meaning we must first cover the costs out of pocket before being reimbursed. Despite our tireless efforts, we have not been able to acquire any additional loans or grants, no matter how many we’ve applied for.

To make matters harder, we were recently kicked out of our previous program location by new landlords. Since then, we’ve had to move our afterschool program around to different spaces just to keep it going for our youth.

Yet, through it all — we’ve never stopped.

We continue to show up for our students.

We continue to create safe, empowering, and educational spaces for underrepresented youth in Clark County.

Now, we’re asking for your help to keep that momentum alive. ❤️

Even a $1 donation makes a difference. Every contribution helps us pay for essentials — from art supplies to transportation, computers, and more.

You can read exactly what your donations help fund on our Program Wish List, which describes what we’re spending the money on:

👉 https://www.pddbm.org/wishlist

PDDBM Program Wishlist

And you can track our fundraising progress and make a donation here:

👉 https://www.pddbm.org/donations

PDDBM Donations

In addition to donating, you can also support us by shopping all of our products! With winter and Christmas approaching, we’re confident you’ll find something meaningful and unique for yourself or a loved one. Every purchase directly supports our mission and keeps our youth programs thriving.

👉 https://www.pddbm.org/shop

PDDBM Online Store

We can do this together. Let’s show that community still means something — that we can come together for our kids, our culture, and our future.

Please donate today, share this message, and help us keep our programs alive until our first reimbursement arrives.

With gratitude and perseverance,

Ruby N. Lewis

Chairwoman & President

Please Don’t Die Black Men (PDDBM)

www.pddbm.org