ABOUT US
Based in Gary, IN, and Newark, NJ, Butterfly Dreamz, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit that helps girls develop into women who achieve their dreams and fill the roles of leadership in this nation and world.
OUR IMPACT FOCUS AREAS
Improved Mental Health—Youth report improvements to their mental health, including lower levels of stress and anxiety.
Improved Academic Outcomes Youth experience growth in their academic performance and school attendance.
Leadership Growth & Identity—Youth experience social-emotional and leadership growth and identify as confident leaders.
Community Belonging Youth feel they belong to a supportive community that helps them achieve their personal, academic, and career goals.
Post-Secondary Education & Career Access—Youth achieve a post-secondary goal of their choice, including full-time employment or acceptance into a college, university, or another post-secondary education/career program.
Improved Health Literacy—Youth and families improve their understanding of how to access and navigate the healthcare system.
Community Awareness & Family Engagement—Youth, families, and community partners report being more aware of and engaged in issues impacting the health and wellbeing of girls and other young people.
Introduction
Butterfly Dreamz Fam,
As we enter our 12th year of operations, I am reflecting on the significance of the number 12. There are 12 months in a year, 12 stations of the Moon and Sun, and 12 systems of the human body. Depending on one’s religious or spiritual background, 12 may also bring other significant concepts and values to mind. For me, the number 12 invites me to consider Divine order—how to sequence our work best to serve our youth, families, and communities.
This past year—with the help of the Harvard Kennedy School Social Innovation + Change Initiative (SICI) team—I had the opportunity to think deeply about the sequence, strategy, and sustainability of work. These efforts led to us achieving three critical goals:
Created a long-term strategic plan to sustain Butterfly Dreamz and scale our impact in Northern NJ and Northwest IN.
Accepted into a fully-funded Ph.D. program at the Yale School of Public Health to help advance our health equity research and policy agenda.
Raised $420K from corporate philanthropy ($156K), individual donors ($108K), fee-forservice contracts ($98K), and foundations ($58K).
case you missed it!
Earlier this year, I pitched our sustainability plan at the Harvard SICI Social Innovators Showcase and shared my acceptance to the Yale School of Public Health on the Jennifer Hudson Show.
In addition to these accomplishments, this year’s annual report shows that our Newark, NJ, and Gary, IN programs remain strong and impactful, making a real difference in the lives of our youth, families, and communities. Last year, we piloted our school-familycommunity support model in collaboration with our school partners and saw improvements in our young people’s mental health, leadership development, and academic performance. Our model works. Now, we need to secure enough funds to implement and sustain it. Our team will be slowing down this upcoming year to do just that. Our 12th year of operations will be a strategy year: a year focused on strengthening local partnerships, developing our staff and Board of Directors, and applying for federal and state funding to sustain and scale our work.
As you browse this report, I invite you to celebrate and partner with us. If you see something that ignites an idea inside of you, please feel free to reach out to our Board Chair (aka my mom), Heather Lindsay, or our Program Manager, Dominique Henderson. We would love to chat and collaborate! Thank you for sharing this journey with us for believing in and investing in our vision.
This 12th year of our organization is dedicated to my mentor, friend, and forever Butterfly Dreamz Advisory Board Member, Rev. Dr. Cathy Bristow; may her wisdom, unwavering love, and revolutionary Spirit guide us in the work ahead.
Much love & light,
Joy Lindsay, Founder & CEO Joy Lindsay
The Need
Our young people need our support to overcome systemic health and education barriers.
80% of youth in our programs report chronic stress, anxiety, or depression due to poverty and other systemic inequities.
Our Approach
Butterfly Dreamz works at the intersection of health and education to advance the leadership and well-being of women and girls.
Through our programs, research, and advocacy, we: Equip girls to be confident leaders who disrupt the status quo.
Build an intergenerational network of women and girls who are committed to growing as leaders, supporting each others’ endeavors, and making a positive impact on their families and communities.
Cultivate community and corporate partnerships that combat injustice and influence organizational and systemic change.
What We Do
1. Cocoon Club Network of Support
Our Cocoon Club (cocoonclub.org/join) is a supportive online and local community that connects girls and young women, ages 12 to 24, to education and health resources, leadership opportunities, and mentorship to achieve their unique goals.
2. School-based Wellness Program
We partner with public school districts to advance the leadership and well-being of adolescent girls and young women attending high-need public schools. Through our school-based student support model, we aim to help students and families resolve at least 75% of their identified social determinants of health (SDOH) needs. Learn more at butterflydreamz.org/school-based.
3. Participatory Research & Advocacy
Our youth interns work with our staff to conduct community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects that examine the intersection of community health and public education to promote the well-being of women and girls of color, particularly Black women and girls. Learn more about our internships at butterflydreamz.org/intern.
Cocoon Club Network of Support
In partnership with the City of Newark, NJ, the City of Gary, IN, and our local school partners, Butterfly Dreamz served 2,657 youth and young adults through our online and local Cocoon Club programs. The majority of our youth identify as female (72%) and Black/African American (77.2%).
We also provided families and high school graduates in our communities with over 800 care packages consisting of health and education essentials (including school supplies and produce from our community garden).
2,650 youth served
800 family & alumni care packages
2 cities: Newark + Gary
School-based Wellness Program
During the 2023-24 school year, we piloted a school-based student support model in partnership with Grover Cleveland Elementary School, a K-8 school that serves over 300 students in Newark, NJ, with over 80% of students receiving free or reduced lunch.
We had 40 middle school (7th- and 8th-grade) students (20 girls and 20 boys) participate in the pilot program. In collaboration with the school team (Principal, Vice Principal, and School Counselor), we designed, implemented, and evaluated a school-based wellness program focused on four (4) key areas: student growth, family engagement, school belonging, and justice-centered community impact.
We provided students with one-on-one wellness coaching, weekly group mentoring/leadership development programs, school-wide family engagement events, and field trips that explored diverse cultures, arts, and careers.
“I like how these sessions give me a chance to open up and get things off my chest that I keep in for so long.”
—Newark middle school student
Overall, our students and families loved the experience; 97% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the program and would recommend it to a friend.
Additionally, over 90% of youth participants reported that our individualized wellness coaching helped improve their mental health, including helping them to identify, manage, and communicate difficult feelings and emotions. When reflecting on her wellness coaching experience, one student wrote, “I like how these sessions give me a chance to open up and get things off my chest that I keep in for so long.
I also like how [my Wellness Coach] helps me set goals for myself, and she gave me advice due to my goals. And I love that. Because I feel as though if nobody tells me to do something, I wouldn’t do it.
And [my Wellness Coach] also makes me feel very comfy during these sessions.”
When reflecting on the pilot program's impact, the Cleveland Elementary School administration and staff reported that it improved school attendance and increased family engagement. Students also reported growth in their leadership and social-emotional skills, including learning how to work with others, communicate more effectively, and explore their unique talents, interests, and identities.
—Newark middle school student
97% youth satisfaction
90% improved mental health increased attendance & family engagement
95% (19/20) of high school seniors enrolled in our mentorship programs achieved a post secondary goal of their choice, including full-time employment or acceptance into a colle university, or another post-secondary education/career program.
With donations from our local communities, we purchased graduation gifts for all our class of 2024 graduates, including laptops, school supplies, and dorm room essentials.
Youth Leadership Highlights
CATERPILLAR CONVOS
Butterfly Dreamz youth leaders at West Side Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana, talk about the importance of creating safe spaces where young people can have open and honest conversations.
>>Click here to watch on YouTube.
YOUTH PARTICIPATORY
ACTION
RESEARCH (YPAR)
At the beginning of the summer, our Chicago Community Development interns set out on a 5-week journey to better understand Gen Z voter disengagement.
Using youth participatory action research (YPAR) methods, they investigated existing research on the topic and interviewed 55 Gen Z Chicago residents about their voting beliefs and behaviors.
Following a thorough analysis of their data, our interns took the lead in strategizing and creating a community action plan (CAP) to boost Gen Z civic engagement. They then presented their plans and facilitated an intergenerational conversation about their findings. It was a powerful afternoon!
Check out their presentation here: info.butterflydreamz.org/2024ChicagoSYEP
Our Butterfly Dreamz Chicago Community Development Internship is made possible through our collaboration and partnership with Project Swish Chicago, Dream Academy Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL, and the Coleman
Entrepreneurship Center, DePaul University
THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL
Our Butterfly Dreamz youth authors discuss what makes The Leadership Journal special.
>>Click here to watch on YouTube.
>>CLICK HERE TO BUY A COPY!
Up Next in FY25
Strengthening local partnerships in Northern NJ, Northwest IN, and Chicago, IL.
Expanding our Program Evaluation Advisory Board to better understand and communicate the quantitative and qualitative impact of our programs.
Securing public funding for long-term sustainability.
Building our community-based research and policy agenda in collaboration with our youth leaders, community and school partners, and the Yale School of Public Health.
Partner with us
Through our corporate and community partnerships, we:
Introduce girls from underserved communities to a wide range of career fields and higher education options
Facilitate employee volunteer opportunities that boost engagement and enhance cultural competence
Build diverse recruitment pipelines and workforce development programs that support early-career women
Sponsor our annual Leadership Journal, an inspiring leadership development guide for teen girls and their mentors
Our Leadership
Joy Lindsay is a Ph.D. Student at the Yale School of Public Health, where she conducts community-engaged research aimed at achieving health equity for Black women and girls and promoting mental and behavioral health in highpoverty school districts.
Joy founded Butterfly Dreamz in 2013, a year after losing her younger sister, Kimberly Anyce Lindsay, to gun violence. For over 11 years, Butterfly Dreamz has honored Kim’s life and legacy by serving thousands of young people and families in our community.
Joy Lindsay
Joy has a background in finance, consulting, and public and nonprofit management. Connect and learn more about Joy at linkedin.com/in/joylindsay.
Joy Lindsay Founder & CEO Founder & CEO
Heather Lindsay Board Chair
Heather Lindsay leads, operates, and thrives at the intersection of public and private partnership.
She is the Head of Operations for the fourth largest health insurer in the US, HCSC, which is the owner of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans covering Illinois, New Mexico, Montana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Heather is responsible for the development and execution of their Medicaid strategy, serving over 1 million members.
Heather is also the mother of Joy, Kimberly, and Tiffany. Connect and learn more about Heather at bit.ly/HeatherLindsayLinkedIn.
Heather Lindsay Board Chair