One duo’s dream of creating a sea change among youth is generating more support.
A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation will allow Terrance and Monette Hamilton, leaders of The Hamilton Essentials, Inc., to further their cause. The non-profit organization offers unique if not creative mental health opportunities through the arts, leadership development, and STEAM services for transitional youth at neighborhood centers, and faith-based and academic institutions.
“The timeliness of this particular grant couldn’t have come at a better time, given the current climate,” said Terrance Hamilton, co-founder and chairman of the board of the organization. “We were able to identify key shortcomings in the community and contracts that we were no longer having access to.” 
To that end, the current grant gives the nonprofit a place “to land the plane on a major upcoming event,” the co-founder added, noting that resources will funnel in that direction with the “2026 YLEAP Summit: Making Cultural Shifts for Youth to Lead.” The event unfolds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 at Performing Visual and Arts Academy Enhance the Gift in Moreno Valley.
The high-energy, hands-on summit allows young entrepreneurs and change agents to share ideas, enhance their confidence, and lead other toward sea changes. Attendees can participate in-person or via Zoom.
The Hamiltons see the event as yet another way their organization can intentionally create spaces where young people take charge and establish new ways of recognizing various power dynamics.
“The upcoming summit is important because we are putting our money where our mouth is in terms of talking to young people about leadership opportunities and spaces where they can thrive with philanthropist opportunities,” said Monette Hamilton. “We’re providing a space, but also training.
“They will get training before they present,” she added. “We’ll have presenters doing wonderful presentations on either their businesses or ones they want to start, or even on something they’re passionate about, which they want the community leaders to know.”
The “presenting” to their peers aspect is key.
“That’s already scary enough for a young person but to be brave and step up to the mic and talk about what you’re passionate about—and have the resources to do that—is, to me, the cream of the crop,” she said.
To be sure, the Hamiltons’ collective life experience elevates what is possible with the organization.
Monette Hamilton is an award-winning, bicoastal program development specialist with more than two decades of experience in dynamic mental health programming through the arts, which is aimed at youth empowerment, life skills, leadership, and staff development.
Terrance Hamilton had long wanted to partner with community-based organizations that align with enhancing mental health through the arts, life skills and STEM programming. He brings more than 20 years of professional computing and desire to help young scholars develop computer coding skills, which they can then apply academically and outside of the classroom.
“Monette has been at this for nearly 30 years in the community, beating the pavement,” he said. “I was still a software engineer working primarily aerospace and other industries when we connected, and I wanted to support her.”
The duo soon found themselves in a situation where an individual wanted to infuse $50,000 into the community for youth programming.
“There was not a single organization within our contacts or our sphere of influence that could help us pull that money in to do this program in 2013,” he added. “That prompted us to start something.”
Writing grants followed.
Programs such as “Burn In Not Out,” a youth empowerment program and professional development training, and a K-12 offering that revolves around coding lego machines and robotics professional development, blend professional growth and self-care.
“Resources from IECF, of course, allowed us not only to apply for grants but to appreciate the support IECF offers,” she said. “We’ve been very intentional about the grants we write, so it’s been an awesome experience tapping into those resources, but to also see the relationship that IECF has with DEI and other organizations.
“It’s just amazing to see that model come to work and see the benefits in the community,” she added.
Learn more at thessentials.org.
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, February 2026.
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