Sunnyshore Studio Welcomes Faith of a Mustard Seed

On July 10^th a group of young men from Indianapolis, Indiana will arrive on Camano Island to begin a transformative weeklong experience at Sunnyshore Studio.

My name is Julian Dorsey, an intern at Sunnyshore Studio, and I would like to explain why I am excited for our weeklong partnership with Faith of a Mustard Seed.

To adequately introduce Faith of A Mustard Seed and Sunnyshore Studio’s partnership I must first acknowledge the history and role that Danteau Gladney has played. I first met Donteau during my freshman year of high school at Arsenal Tech while I played basketball with his son. As my relationship with his son grew into friendship Donteau’s relationship with my family also evolved. Over time he became a mentor to myself, imparting his own unique life wisdom that he had picked up through his own experiences as well as entering into business partnerships with my father, culminating in the formation of Faith of a Mustard Seed (F.O.M.), an inner-city youth outreach program with the mission to build character in young men and give them support as they journey through the difficulties of adolescence.

I was involved with the first program put on by Faith of a Mustard Seed, a weekly basketball skills development camp that also included an hour of discussion centered on character and what it means to be a man.

From there Donteau started a weekly basketball camp for youth at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Many kids participated and this event served to build community to support F.O.M. as well as strengthening the relationships between Donteau and the community.

Since then Donteau has taken the young men that participate in Faith of a Mustard Seed on outdoor excursions such as fishing, boating, and hiking to get them outside of their comfort zones and to help them grow.

The primary goal of FOM’s trip is broaden the perspectives and views of the inner-city youth that will come. While they are here they will shadow people in various businesses (from entrepreneurs to the high tech industry). They will also grow as individuals and as a group through the work projects at Sunnyshore Studio (like landscaping, splitting firewood, etc.). During this time we will also go white-water rafting, hiking, and other outdoor activities to give these kids a taste of something that they have never experienced.

As the Project Coordinator for this event I have the hopes that these young men will gain insight on different business careers that they can choose to pursue when they return to Indianapolis and also that while they are with us they are challenged to grow as men and that their character develops. I am excited for these young men to experience something new and to take the life lessons they learn back home to impact their communities and grow as leaders of their peers.

To accomplish our goals for this trip and to enable people to come alongside us and support Faith of a Mustard Seed we need to raise $7,600. Donteau is in charge of raising $3,600, while Sunnyshore Studio will raise the other half.

If you are interested in supporting this trip, funds can be given to Sunnyshore Studio (not a write off on taxes because we are a business). Checks should be written to Sunnyshore Studio with memo line – FOM Project and mail it to (15791 Bear Creek Parkway, A-531, Redmond, WA 98052).

Stay Tuned for More Details.

Sincerely, Julian Dorsey