Nelson and Shakira Poston
Build Your Dreams Foundation
story by JENNIFER BROWN CARPENTER family photo KAPTURED BY KENNY
event photos courtesy of BUILD YOUR DREAMS FOUNDATION
Often, the world can feel dark and overwhelming. There is so much bad news on our TVs, radios, and cellphones. Amid all the darkness seeing people doing good can be a great comfort. Nelson and Shakira are two people who you can look to as a bright light in the dark.
Shakira was born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina. She is married to Nelson Poston III, a native of St. Helena Island. Nelson and Shakira have been together for 18 years and married for seven. “We were friends as kids,” Shakira says. They have three kids, ages 21, 18, and 15, and a grandbaby, Londyn, who is a little over one year old.
Shakira graduated from Beaufort High School and attended college for a while. She became certified in Culinary Arts, but she knew that college was not something she wanted to pursue long-term. So, she entered the workforce until 2019 when her husband encouraged her to stay home, take care of their family, and work on building their nonprofit. Nelson, meanwhile, has had a very successful career as a project executive in Solar Management.
The nonprofit was started based on a vision that Nelson had. He has always been a visionary with a strong desire to help people. Nelson and Shakira both experienced hard times in their lives. “We were not living paycheck to paycheck. It was more like living just to make ends meet,” says Nelson.
Based on their own experiences, they saw the need in the community. They went to specific organizations in the area to get help with things like electric bills, toys and clothing for their kids, and more. Once they were in a position to be able to give back, they knew it was the right thing to do. This was how the Build Your Dreams Foundation began.
They started with a toy drive, which has escalated. There was a community dinner at Thanksgiving, passing out what they called “Hopeful Bags.” They filled these bags with essential items for homeless people, such as hats, gloves, flashlights, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, sleeping bags, bookbags, socks, fruit cups, etc. “We filled them for whoever wanted to come, we had an open community dinner.” This happened in Washington Street Park. Bojangles came, and assisted by donating meals and their time. Friendship Baptist Church donated food and helped set up, serve, and clean up. There were so many people who came out to lend a hand. There was so much food: five turkeys, ham, rice, and all the sides. They fed over 300 people that day and still had food left over. They were able to send people away with leftover plates. One homeless man mentioned that he had never had a birthday cake before. Shakira ensured she would have one at the community dinner, which happened to fall on his birthday.
“Our model is Luke 12:48 — to whom much is given, much is required. We have been given so much by God, and there is no possible way we cannot return that to others,” Shakira says.
They are working to receive grants to increase their scholarship program with the high schools in Beaufort. Every bit of exposure they receive helps get more people on board, taking the Foundation further than Nelson and Shakira could imagine. The Build Your Dreams Foundation is able to do these things because of, and thanks to, donations from our community. If they don’t have enough, it comes from Nelson and Shakira’s pockets. Increasing funding with donations and grants has become a big goal.
The Build Your Dreams Foundation relies heavily on word of mouth to get its message out. The people who have attended their past events share these experiences with their friends. Their fantastic team also helps out with this. They have been blessed with a great group of people who have been with them from the beginning: Takayla Holmes, Rasheika Jenkins, Eugene Hipp, Tonya Powell, Crystal Warren, Octavia and Shawn Evans, Christina Massey, Isis Bogan, The Gibbs Law Firm, and Mrs. Deborah.
The Build Your Dreams Foundation provides Nelson and Shakira’s children a way to see things from a “that could be us” point of view. Shakira says, “It could have easily been us who were homeless, needing simple essentials like toothpaste, or not knowing where our next meal would come from.” It is important to both of them that their children do not take anything in their life for granted.
In the future, Nelson and Shakira hope they will be provided the opportunity to buy a duplex and call it The Restart Village. The Restart Village will be where homeless families or single people can come to have a place to stay while they rejoin the workforce and save money. The Restart Village will help them as they plan their futures.
They also want a building to create a safe haven for children after school. These students will be taught how to draft a resume, fill out scholarships and applications, form an LLC, manage money and credit, and receive help with homework. Essentially, Nelson and Shakira will provide them with the things they might not receive in school. On Fridays, they will play games, have parties, and build a community for these young people.
“We’re looking to change the narrative and help the community — one person and one family at a time. We want to effect change positively. We want to make the community healthier and more knowledgeable. When you think about building dreams, you think about kids. And that’s what we want to do, is give kids a chance to dream and make those dreams a reality. We are looking to be a helping hand,” says Nelson. Nelson and Shakira want to provide an opportunity other than the streets, in isolation, or on their phones. “I’m trying to instill life and love into these kids so they know they are worth more and are important. We need them. We want to ingrain positivity into these kids. It all ties back to the community. My mama always said, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ and that’s the truth. We’re trying to be the village.”
Nelson wants to take these kids into the real world and show them things. He wants to take them hunting or fishing. Put some of them on a boat for the first time. Take them to an MLB, NBA, or NFL game. He wants to give them an opportunity to experience something they might enjoy—no matter their race, gender, sexuality, or ethnicity.
If you are interested in supporting the Build Your Dreams Foundation, you can visit their website, www.bydf1248.org and contribute. “No contribution is too big or too small.” Every little bit helps. (You can give via check, card, or Venmo/Zelle). You can also donate school uniforms, books, and toys. You can volunteer at events. You can find all of the information available on their website.
Nelson and Shakira believe that the world can be saved if we all contribute and take action to make a difference. And so, we fight on for our children and for our children’s children.
