heArTs of GoLD

By: Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.

Hearts of Gold is a nonprofit organization that caters to young people through boxing and mentorship. Through passion and commitment to the youth of Beaumont, TX, Timothy Harris, CEO of Hearts of Gold, just wants to advance the community and provide the youth with the tools they need to be successful. Since the YMCA was shut down, the kids of Beaumont “have nowhere to go,” according to Angel Jones, who is secretary for the organization. Hearts of Gold wants to give back to the community and give kids a place where they can thrive. Jones made it known that Beaumont has a high crime rate and through their organization, their mission is to educate, keep the kids off the streets, and out of trouble.

After questioning his purpose in life, Harris thought about how he could make a difference in his community. Drawing from his background as a coach, being a leader, and the oldest from a single parent home, he wanted to do something with meaning, and that was to help protect the youth and the community. Jones spoke about Harris’ passion when working with the kids and how he lights up when he is training and working with them. Jones also takes great pride in helping the youth. “I always promised God that I will be a protector and to teach these kids to be better than us so they can create a better path for this life. “Jones reflected on her and Harris’ youth and how there was “no support system,” but with God, they made it through.

Aside from the crime rate being high, according to Harris, their district is one of the lowest when it comes to testing, so one of their goals is to tutor kids and take them from where they are to where they need to be. “Each one, teach one, each one, reach one,” is how Jones described the work they are doing. Jones also stressed the importance of breaking the “slave mentality” within our culture and how we must love ourselves and put God first.

Harris wants the community to know that they “are building and changing this community and the mentality of the community.” He further stated, “We are getting our kids out of the box…we want to inspire our community, and let these kids know who they are and who they belong to. We just want to make a better community for our kids so they can have a better life and future.” century.” Mr. Collins believes mentorship has been his saving grace, so he enjoys helping mentees gain confidence, showing them how to maintain ownership of their land and take away the fear of the process. “One Hundred Ranchers is a great organization composed of Individuals that grew up on ranches. They were very supportive and provided education about farming. It is a small group of Black legacy landowners. He said his dad would tell him that “nothing changed under the sun, baby calves are born in the spring and you sell them in the fall. It is the process of life.”

For more information about Hearts of Gold, you can email goldentriangleheartsofgold@gmail.com.

Mr. Collins admits that his ancestors made the ultimate sacrifice in the 1800s to purchase their family land. “That increased our Net worth. He took the time to teach his children and grandchildren the history of their family, and how farming and ranching work. That is the most important part of building generational wealth. Todd, his son, bought his first land at the ripe age of 17, and at the age of 17, his granddaughter, Brooke whom he often took care of, invested $5,000 in her first land purchase. All of Earnest and Floretta’s children, Leslie, Daryl, and Todd, purchased land at a young age, which is a great example of how land ownership can impact many generations to come.

Mr. Collins is proud to be very actively involved in the community as he serves as a Lifetime Director of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Director of the Soil and Water Conservation Board for Walker County, Board Member of 100 Ranchers organization and Lifetime Member of the Landowners Association of Texas. Collins serves as a CARET (Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and

Teaching) Representative for Prairie View, and was the 2015 recipient of the 1890 Universities Career Exemplar Award by APLU (Association of Public Land-Grant Universities). He served as a Member of the Prairie View A&M University Capital Campaign Cabinet, a Member of the Board of Directors for the H.S. Estelle 4-H and Youth Camp, Advisor to the Farm Service Agency County Committee for Harris and Montgomery Counties. He is also the Trustee Emeritus of Prairie View A&M Foundation, a member of Prairie View A&M President’s Advisory Council, and a member of Capital Farm Credits Advisory Council. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were honored with the naming of the Ernest Boyd and Floretta Brown Collins Auditorium in the new Business and Agricultural building on the Prairie View A&M University campus. They are strong supporters of youth and education. They have established endowed scholarship funds at Prairie View A&M University and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Family over everything is the Collins Family motto. Ernie and Flo are the proud parents of three children, Leslie CollinsThompson (Rod), Todd Jamal (Janelle), and Daryl Donovan (deceased). They are also proud grandparents of six: Taylor Floretta, Ross Lorenzo and Brooke Carlette Thompson, Sydney Rose, Ella Gabrielle, and Alston Ernest Collins. In retirement, Ernie’s top priorities are spending time at the family compound, Red Hill Ranch, and working closely with his grandchildren. The Collins family continues to empower the next generation of Black Landowners and challenge our youth to make the sacrifice to invest in themselves.