Dear friends and family,

I am excited to share this opportunity with you to support the Youth Leadership Foundation (YLF), which provides crucial academic and character guidance to D.C. youth.

Professor Edward C. Smith is my dad. Even though he was raised by a blind single mom, my dad felt very privileged. Ironic? Not so. As a third-generation Washingtonian coming of age in the 1950s and 1960s, he had the good fortune of community. People from teachers to politicians cared more about the potential of where he could go than caring about where he came from. As he reached professional successes, including his role as a speech writer for Midge Constanza in the Carter White House and his accolade as the first African American tenured professor at American University, he did not forget where he came from. Smith helped create the Tenley Achievement Program, TAP, which is now part of the Youth Leadership Foundation. My dad did not merely lend his name but rather put his sweat equity into TAP by teaching classes, mentoring students, conducting tours, and fundraising.

Since I was a little kid, YLF has successfully supported my youth fellow Washingtonians with summer and after school programs, which enrich character development and academic skills.

On March 11, 2023, my dad passed away of natural causes. As his memory lives on, I will honor and support his efforts and values with YLF. In addition, I ask you to please support YLF, a foundation that was a piece of him and his vision.

For more information I encourage you to please visit our website www.helpingkids.org.

Thank you,

Christopher Smith

Fourth-Generation Washingtonian