Meet Yolanda Ragland | Executive Director of Elevation Youth Corp

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yolanda Ragland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yolanda, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My husband Keith and I have started several businesses together for the sake of making money by doing what we love in the creative arts. Our Non-profit organization, Elevation Youth Corp had a much deeper thought process. We wanted to give back to our community youth by sharing our creative arts talent in hopes of saving at risk teens. EYC was born out of pain with the loss of our son in 2017. Giving back helps to heal us in ways we could have never imagined while also introducing young people to the world of multimedia, community service and the creative arts.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a music artist, aspiring actress, radio/show host, model and newly film maker. Since I was a teenager I’ve pursued the creative arts. The road has not been easy but very fulfilling at times. Through art I’ve been able to creativity express my thoughts and the thoughts of my peers. I’ve been successful in many ways over the years with my music. Together my husband, Keith and I have produced albums, live performances and podcast shows. Currently we both enjoy giving our talents back to our community youth with our creative arts non-profit organization. We host a summer program which provides a safe space for youth to experience a few different workshops from multimedia to dance. We also engage the youth with community service clean up and a car wash fundraiser. At the end of our program the youth are awarded with certificates for the participation and a field trip. In our personal lives we are currently working on producing two movies. We have learned that opening doors for others and having a pure heart only leads to amazing opportunities and outcomes. We have become successful by learning the entertainment business through hands on training and reading. Alot of what we do is done in-house which saves us a lot of money in the long run. Our brand has all been about the support given to one another as a couple. Our first collaboration was titled “Married 2 Da Game” Our new film company is titled “ROD Productions” which stands for “Ride or Die” for those who don’t know that term refers to a couple who is in support of eachother until the end. That’s what we represent. We want the youth to understand they may have many talents within themselves that could generate income and an outlet for self expression. There may be many challenges along the way but when you absolutely love what you do you will always find a way to overcome them. Loosing our son Brandon in 2017 was a major challenge but I do believe the creative arts gave us a solid outlet to process the pain. Our hope is to continue introducing the creative arts to our community youth and opening doors for many opportunities they may not have received without organizations like ours!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them downtown Ann Arbor to the seafood company restaurant as I love seafood. Depending on their personality and weather I may suggest the botanical gardens for a nice stroll. Of course we would have to visit downtown Ypsilanti in the summer for the Jazz series in the park by depot town. We would definitely have to have drinks and a nice meal at the Thompson Company restaurant. For my friends looking for the best soul food around I’d take them to Mo P’s Restaurant off Goldside rd. Hopefully they would be interested in venturing out a bit to hang out downtown Detroit and grab a trolly for drinks and laughter! We would of course enjoy a concert or two at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater! After all of that I’d suggest a relaxing time at the Oasis hot tub and gardens in Ann Arbor before they head back home!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We want to give a huge thanks to United Way of Southeast Michigan for their continued support and commitment to serving our community youth. Our organization has been able to accomplish so much with the grants they have awarded us!

Website: Elevationyouthcorp.com

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