Chapter 2: Fighting The Bad With Pure Good

The founding PLUS ME Board of Directors (from left to right): Ismael Huerta, Vivian Chen, Richard Reyes, Robert Abel Jr., Beth Bythrow, Cynthia Lundy, Tamara Maxson, Miguel Campa

In December 2011, PLUS ME Founder & Executive Director Richard Reyes had graduated from Occidental College with his Bachelor’s Degree in Critical Theory & Social Justice. Thanks to the encouragement of Mrs. Reed, Richard’s experience sharing his story confirmed that he wanted to be in the classroom supporting student needs. Not sure exactly how he could best help–and in need of a job–he joined the recruitment team at DeVry University. After a few months of traveling around high schools in LA hosting career workshops and pitching DeVry, Richard started to feel a slight unease. Though the pay was higher than any previous job offered, the culture of this for-profit organization was not aligned with his values. 

Thankfully, teachers of those 10,000+ students who had previously heard Richard’s story kept emailing asking him to share with their new classes. He started finding more and more opportunities to schedule story presentations in between work for DeVry. It quickly became clear that this was Richard’s niche: using the power of story to inspire educational communities in LA and beyond. With few resources and almost no models, Richard scoured the internet for examples of how to make this calling into a career. He noticed most motivational speakers had a website–and that they primarily served schools that could afford their high speaking fees. The only way to bring the power of story to the underserved communities Richard was passionate about uplifting was to start a nonprofit. He purchased Nonprofits for Dummies, read it cover-to-cover and made a plan. Two years later, Richard graduated from Cal State LA with his Master’s Degree in Educational Foundations and was laid off from DeVry. He was left with a choice to look for another full time job or fully commit to growing the PLUS ME Project.

Then came Ismael Huerta. An elective and math teacher at South El Monte High School, Mr. Huerta invited Richard back again and again to share his story with his students. Ismael remembers, “I was in a classroom trying to relate the importance of persevering…and Richard’s story resonated with the struggles we all have on so many levels.” At one presentation, Richard shared his goal to establish a nonprofit after reaching 10,000 students with his story. Ismael was in and decided to join the board: “I knew this could not go wrong. Richard had the right intentions and the will to get it done.” 

Those first few months starting PLUS ME were challenging but exciting. The establishing board was a mixed group of mostly educators who would meet monthly to help create this new nonprofit. Everyone would research information to help complete the next step–from IRS tax filing to creating a 501(c)3–and decide how to move forward together. Ismael remembers “it was phenomenal that [Richard] was open to all of us learning along the way which empowered each board member to take a chance, ask questions, and decide the next best steps.” By July 2013, The PLUS ME Project was born. As Ismael puts it, “We were ready to fight the bad with pure good.”

Richard with Ismael at a PLUS ME Benefit