Meet Cindy Hudson of Do It 4 W Foundation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Hudson.

Hi Cindy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in the Raleigh, NC area, and have lived here my entire life. Along with my two sons, I am one of the founders of the Do It 4 W Foundation, which is a memorial foundation in honor of my late husband.

While our foundation came to life to honor my husband after his passing, our story began long before he was ever diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and the hard-fought battle that came with it. This story goes back to years of service in the community by W.C. before his sons were born and continued throughout their lives the willingness of W.C. to encourage and to teach in all areas of life to anyone who would listen about life, business, sports, leadership, and faith. He always looked to give with no expectation of receiving anything in return. He was the founding principle that led us to where we are today with the DI4W foundation. We view what we have started and are building with the DI4W Foundation as nothing new but a continuation of everything W.C. had started, and our goal is to take our reach and the lives we can impact and scale it exponentially. The mission of the DI4W Foundation is to financially assist High School Seniors in the next steps of their path in life, but also we do not plan on stopping at a one-time scholarship; we are in the process of building a community network/portal for all scholarship recipients to use and interact with so that any challenge or success they encounter from the day they are awarded a scholarship forward, they will have the support and resources to go after their dreams. We would not be where we are today without the outpouring of family, friends, and community support. Without them, we would not have been able to scale and grow as quickly as we have, and we plan to continue this success in the days and years to come, which will only enable us to give more.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Anything worth doing or building in life is met with its fair share of obstacles, but the vision and impact we are after with the DI4W Foundation keep us focused on where we are going instead of the challenges that may be presented. When you decide to build or create a community/network, before all else, you need support and buy-in from those you plan to serve and those who plan to assist or help spread the word.

The driving force behind not giving up during the many struggles faced stems from the type of people we want to be able to help, The DI4W Foundation, as well as embodying the “Anything is Possible” mentality of W.C.. We were aware of many of the risks or struggles that we may encounter along the way, but some came unexpectedly; about 6-8 months into our first year with the foundation was when COVID started, and you wouldn’t believe it today by the great success we have still achieved to this point. Still, it slowed us down with our plans for our first two years of the foundation regarding events and in-person fundraising. We didn’t have another option or plan other than seeing the DI4W Foundation being a success, so we had to get creative; for the first two years, we shifted our plan from in-person events and interactions to a more virtual and non-contact fundraising and brand awareness to get started through merchandise sales as well as a take-out chicken dinner, not the initial roadmap, but still a solid start to building the recognition and funding abilities for our foundation.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about the Do It 4 W Foundation?
The Do It 4 W Foundation (DI4W) is a nonprofit organization in North Carolina. Our mission is to create an infinite network for future generations to pursue their passions by providing economic opportunity via scholarships to those who exemplify the highest level of character through Faith, Athletics, Academics, and Leadership.

We stand apart because of the strength of our community, the power of our story, and the limitless nature of our mission. We plan to grow this to extraordinary heights and create an infinite network for our scholarship recipients. We aim to aid more individuals and allocate more funds, year over year. In 3 years, we have awarded 11 scholarships and $17,500 in funding. This year (2023), we plan to go bigger than ever before, awarding 6 total scholarships and $14,500 in funding! At year-end, this will expand our network to 17 individuals & bring our overall total of funding to $32,000 in the first 4 years!

We are most proud of how quickly our foundation has been accepted, not only by the community but on social media and other avenues. We are proud to honor W.C. while positively impacting North Carolina’s youth. If you or anyone you know qualifies for our scholarship, we encourage you to apply or share with those eligible; we truly want to make this something larger than we could have imagined!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson learned along this journey is that giving back is one of the most fulfilling things one can do. We have taken a life tragedy, and turned it into a strategic mission to give back to our community and assist others in their future goals and aspirations. We have heard some inspiring stories from our past scholarship recipients, who may not have had the support or resources to follow their dreams, so being able to aid their endeavors has been super fulfilling for us. Giving back provides so much joy for those in need and also for us being able to support them. We are truly grateful we are in the position to help others. We have truly lived and seen there is no greater gift in life than giving selflessly to others; seeing someone else reach a milestone, find their passion, and achieve their dream is far more rewarding than any other feeling, especially when it is a risk or activity they may not have ever encountered or tried without the added resources and support. When people read this article and see our logo, we want them to feel challenged to be more involved and to adopt some of the principles we encourage them to live by. If we can encourage one person to lend a hand or to help someone in need per day – that is a minimum of 365 people a year – overtime, those interactions could change MANY lives for the better. When people see DI4W, we want them to feel, “The secret to a rich and fulfilling life is measured by how many people they can help/serve.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.doit4wfoundation.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/doit4w_foundation/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/doit4w.foundation
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/do-it-4-w-foundation

Image Credits
Trever Lee (photo of the banner)