In just three months, Global Mindset Group, a non-profit organization, has branched out to five California cities, recruited education institutions, and hired hundreds of professional volunteers.
The Global Mindset Group is composed of medical, artistic, and athletic professionals who provide free educational and athletic services for children all over the world.
The organization was launched in September 2010 by 23-year-old Marine reserve and Glendale Community College student Khoa Nguyen.
Nguyen spent a year in Africa on deployment and was inspired to do more for the global community when he returned to the U.S.
“Our mission is to relieve low-income parents with our active volunteer camps,” said Nguyen. “We instill a positive influence on the children to build leadership and confidence.”
With the current state of the economy, families are making a lot of cut backs. Paying for extra curricular activities may not be in a parent’s budget. The Global Mindset Group shines a light through these dark times by creating communities of positive volunteers that demonstrate selfless support. The camp provides free lessons in tennis, yoga, martial arts, art and more. It currently meets for three hours twice a month usually at Emerald Isle Park in Glendale.
The Global Mindset Group started at GCC with a small stand and some fliers. Now the organization has about 90 participating students from GCC alone.
“I saw the beautifully designed flier and thought, I have to work with that person,” said Alan Legrady, president of the organization.
Legrady is a film major at GCC. He produced an informative and moving commercial for the Global Mindset Group that can be found on YouTube and its website at globalmindsetgroup.org.
His next project is a feature-length documentary about the organization, which he hopes to air at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 13.
The Global Mindset Group has branches in Glendale, Long Beach, Orange County, and Riverside and is working to recruit Pepperdine University, along with other universities. Australia will become an official branch next month. The organization already has several sponsors.
Real estate and mortgage broker Antoine Bui donated a building in Santa Ana for the organization to use as its headquarters.
One of the group’s prestigious sponsors is former Disney animator Michael Cedino, who is known for his work on “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” His son goes to GCC and is a member of the Global Mindset Group. Cedino, as well as other volunteer artists, designs T-shirts and postcards that are mailed to orphanages in third-world countries.
People who purchase the group’s merchandise have the choice to keep it or have it sent to and orphanage or a needy child. The organization currently distributes the clothing to Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The Global Mindset Group also works with Kiva, a non-profit organization that utilizes a network of lenders to fund aspiring business entrepreneurs in the U.S. and internationally. To date, the organization has accrued more than $143 million in small loans. These loans go to people who need help to get on their feet in business, even if it’s just a $500 loan for fertilizer for a farmer in the Philippines. This is a global effort to end global poverty.
“This is the time you want to give back,” said Nguyen. “It’s more meaningful than just a couple of hours. We are a structured organization.”
For more information, or to join and donate, visit globalmindsetgroup.org and become a member on Facebook for weekly updates.
