Advancement in

Resilience & Knowledge

Why we exist

ARK builds the capacity of youth and young adults to thrive emotionally, economically, and relationally because we believe every young person is one resource away from thriving.

We don’t define young people by what they’ve survived. We build their capacity to define themselves through leadership development, real relationships, and wraparound support that creates lasting change. From survivor to thriver isn’t a slogan. It’s a roadmap. And we walk it together.

We are a capacity-building organization

ARK (Advancement in Resilience & Knowledge) was founded in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) on a belief that has never wavered: adversity does not determine a young person’s future. What determines their future is capacity, leadership, and confidence. Capacity can be built. Leadership can be taught. Confidence strengthens.

We serve youth and young adults impacted by adversity. We don’t measure success by how much we give, we measure it by how much young people grow: emotionally, economically, and relationally.

ARK began in 2014 as Acts of Random Kindness, founded on the belief that the world changes one act of kindness at a time. That founding spirit is still at the heart of everything we do. Today, our name reflects the depth of the work: every program, every workshop, every relationship is designed to advance resilience and expand knowledge in the young people we serve.

Because every young person is one resource away from thriving. We aim to be that resource.

A diverse group of young people, some wearing glasses and hoodies, gathered in a classroom or community center with white walls, a whiteboard, and ceiling lights. They are smiling and posing for the photo.

Our Mission

ARK builds the capacity of youth and young adults to thrive emotionally, economically, and relationally because we believe every young person is one resource away from thriving.

A group of young children and an adult male standing in a room with pastel-colored walls and a window. Some children are holding items such as a book, a paper bag, and headphones, and they are making playful gestures.

Our Vision

A world where adversity does not determine a young person’s future and every youth has the capacity to lead and thrive.

Core Values

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    Real Relationships

    Consistency changes lives. We show up not once, but over and over because trust is built in moments of reliability.

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    From Survivor to Thriver

    Trauma is part of many of our participants’ stories. It is not the whole story. ARK walks alongside youth through the full journey from surviving circumstances to thriving in spite of them.

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    Capacity Over Charity

    We don’t hand young people a lifeline we build their ability to create their own. Every program, resource, and relationship at ARK is designed to develop capacity, not dependency.

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    Leadership at Every Level

    Leadership isn’t a title. It’s a practice. We develop it in our youth, our staff, our volunteers, and our community partners.

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    Accountability & Outcomes

    We hold ourselves to the same standard we set for our participants: growth is measurable, and we own ours.

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Cordelia Cranshaw MSW, LGSW

President, CEO

After growing up and aging out of the foster care system, Cordelia’s goal is to instill hope and motivate youth who are facing similar challenges. At a young age Cordelia became an advocate for herself and her peers. Cordelia now uses her professional skills and lived experiences to advocate for various social justice reforms, specifically related to the child welfare system.

Public Speaking Topics

Overcoming the Odds Through Forgiveness

Cordelia is often asked how she was able to become successful despite the life challenges she faced as a child. After years of self reflection and research, Cordelia would like to share with other the art of forgiveness.

You can contact Cordelia at ccranshaw@ark-dc.org

Meet the Board

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Sophie Barry

An event and project management professional for over 20 years, Sophie is the Founder and CEO of events by Sophie, LLC and the Director of Ministry Operations of Volunteers of America, Inc. She earned dual Master’s Degrees: A Masters of Arts in Management and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College. Sophie uses her education and experience in business management to further the missions of the organizations she collaborates with.

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Raymond Bryant-Hall

Raymond is a Senior Supervisor at TFC Consulting Inc. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Morgan State University. Raymond has over 10 years of government finance and accounting experience, is an award-winning financial analyst and currently pursuing a Masters's degree in Data analytics.

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Thomas Carroll

Thomas harnesses more than 12 years of successful leadership experience and has led, managed and optimized management functions for defense agencies, venture capitalist and non-profit organizations. President and Chief Executive Officer of a leading engineering consulting firm, Cobalt Enterprise Solutions, LLC, which provides acquisitions assistance to the Department of Defense Agencies for engineering and IT related projects.

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Devontae Baskin

Devontae received a dual Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications and Criminal Justice from Old Dominion University in 2015. Worked as a resource manager for San Bernardino county homeless population and has spend his career helping his clients position themselves to be self-sufficient while equipping them with the necessary skills to find employment and live above poverty.