Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrington Allen.
Hi Carrington, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
This is actually something I love to share. I was living down in Houston where I went to college to be a journalist, broadcaster if you will and right after me graduating, I got my first adult job, my own apartment, and began to create a life for myself. Well, that all came to an end when God asked me to move back to my hometown here in Kansas City. In obedience, I packed two suitcases and a storage tote, left everything else I had in Houston, and moved back home.
After a few months of living here, I couldn’t find a job. I had applied for 478 jobs, and I had received 478 No’s! If you could imagine the disappointment, the anxiety, the rejection I felt! Having went to school for all that time, graduating with my bachelors, having a resume full of experience and not being able to land one position.
I began to get desperate, crying out to God like “Lord, you told me to come all the way back here just to leave me? What was all of this for?” . I started going in-person to every business I could think of in my realm of expertise. Still “No.”. I finally walked into a hotel downtown, and I pleaded with the manager there. I asked him if he’d just start me out at $17 per hour, I’d do anything they needed me to. Well, he asked me to become a barista. Mind you, I knew nothing about coffee. Hadn’t even brewed a pot of coffee before! But I was so determined to keep this job.
As the weeks went on, this particular hotel encountered a lot of individuals who were experiencing being homeless. A lot of times, people would treat them badly as if they weren’t people just like us. They’d look at them strangely, call the police on them, deny them entry to their bathrooms, and I came from a family where love is the root of everything we do. So a lot of times if I had access to what they needed, I would make sure they’d have it. Whether that was food, fresh water, even smaller things like tissue, sanitizer, or a few minutes off their feet sitting at the cafe bar, I’d make sure they had access to it. A lot of times, people denied them the resources they were asking for even if those resources were at their disposal. It never sat right with me.
One day, it was 5:45am and I was at the hotel cafe by myself. A man who had been out in the streets for a while came in. He was experiencing being mentally impaired and seemed as if he could have been having physical and mental effects from drugs. Usually I wouldn’t have felt afraid, but this day was different. He began looking in between furniture and looking through the counter tops. At this moment, I had been standing on the other side of the counter, no phone, no one else around, and security nowhere in sight. Panic began to set in. I made the split decision to jump over the counter and run to the back of the building where security normally would relax at in-between shift changes. As I hopped over the counter and began to run, I looked back behind me to find the man going through the cafe’s trash eating last night’s leftover / discarded food and drinks.
My chest caved in from sadness. I was no longer scared but moved to compassion. In that same moment, I heard God speak to me and say “this is what I brought you back to Kansas City for. To love those who are deemed unlovable. To remember those who the world has forgotten.”. Later that morning, He dropped a scripture in my spirit. John 15 and it talks about abiding in Christ for everything we need. To remain in Him and He would remain in us. Specifically, John 15:4 this verse begins with the saying ” Abide in me”… Well, not only was God teaching me through this process that He was everything I needed to get through this life; not a job or a dream position, not a apartment, not a particular city, but He, Jesus Christ was all I needed. He asked me to Abide In Him on this journey of life but also on this journey of loving those who are deemed unlovable and remembering those whom the world has forgotten. That is actually where our nonprofit name “The A.I.M Ministries” was birthed from, “Abiding in Me” = A.I.M . From here, The AIM Ministries was birthed.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Haha, great question. I don’t think it’s ever been easy. We’re a nonprofit organization fighting for the basic needs of others, but what I can say is that we’ve been able to make such a huge impact.
There’s been plenty of days where I was up late trying to figure things out. Asking myself and even God “Well, how are we going to pay for this and how are we going to make all of these deliveries? or how am I going to support myself while supporting other people?” because every dime we get genuinely gets invested into those we serve. It’s those midnight thoughts that you don’t get the time to meditate over when you’re having to take action during the day. One of the most heart wrenching things for us is seeing people walk up to us, hungry during out food outreach and we’ve run out of every drop of food we had for that evening!
A lot of times, we asked our community to join us in the mission of servitude and at first, we didn’t get a lot of responses but one day, there was an outpour of community members that came from all over the city donating clothing, and shoes, and hygiene products, and winer coats, it was amazing. We even encountered a police officer that donated bags of frozen meat, so we were able to give out hot meals for weeks with meat in them! But the need is always there. Because we are an organization that directly impacts those experiencing continuous deprivation, we are always doing more distributing than receiving!
That can be heavy in itself. Constantly needing to bridge the gap to very specific resources that only money or in-kind donations could suffice. While also understanding that there are so many more people experiencing this gap. That’s something we learned along the way. Just because individuals aren’t necessarily living on the streets, doesn’t mean they have access to everyday resources needed to survive! We’ve gotten so many requests from those who may have a home but that’s all they had in those moments. No food, no clothes for their family, no soap or wash rags, let alone the money to pay for running water / freshwater period.
Needless to say, the obstacles we face have always been surrounded by our core needs; volunteers, sponsorships, partnerships, and community leaders, in-kind and monetary donations, more hearts to see the need and to take action, and for others to join with us overcoming poverty in our communities.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the president and founder of The AIM Ministries, a homelessness and community rehabilitation missioned nonprofit. We serve the entire Kansas City Metropolitan area, both Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.
I come up with our programming from idea to strategy, to planning, preparation, and execution. I also have a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a focus on Journalism so naturally, I became the spokesperson for our organization, representing us at events, conferences, campaigns, and other media outlets.
Outside of the nonprofit, I serve as a public speaker, speaking to audiences of various ages specifically on identity, character, heart posture, faith, and execution of great ideas. My primary audience are women ages 20 to 45 helping them to see themselves in a new way, using past experiences to birth new hope and vision. I also work with individuals to bring their ideas to life, taking their imaginations and turning them into scalable businesses, real time innovations, and talents that are unique and individual, marketable, and impactful across multiple audiences. My primary audience and clientele are churches, influencers, organizations, contractors, ministries, innovators, and already established entrepreneurs.
I am known for my visionary mindset. Sometimes you may have somewhat of an idea but you can’t put it into words, you’re unable to imagine it past a certain point, you’re not able to build its foundation, or even grasp onto the concept that you feel down in your gut; that’s where I come in. I give it a name, I give it vision, I develop it’s voice, it’s character, and it’s look, I come up with a plan, I strategize for its birthing, I help you push it out and deliver it, I walk alongside it’s growing stages, and I help to build it to a profitable brand that inspires and serves communities and consumers at large.
What am I most proud of? I’m not sure. It’s not something that I’ve ever asked myself. I can say something that gives my heart so much joy and that “this was a good thing” feeling is seeing teens and young adults walking away inspired, prepared, and ready to take a chance on themselves after hearing what I had to say. As well as seeing older generations believe in what seemed unobtainable after sitting in a conversation with me. I have to give all honor to God because it’s his spirit that speaks through me that makes impossibilities possible again for people. It’s His love that he shows through me that gives people the hope to get up again, start again, try again, and to trust in Him again. He is the one that should be proud, honored, and recognized as someone great, I’m just glad that I get the chance to be a part of the miracles He’s doing within the lives of so many.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Life is always changing and a lot of days won’t look the same. You may have so much hope today and tomorrow you may need someone to help you out of your bed. You may be able to make an impact in the lives of 100 people today and tomorrow you need to be the one poured into. You may have the finances to cover the bills this month and next month, you may have to ask a close friend for a favor.
Life is always changing. It doesn’t make you any less of a person, any less of a believer, any less of a partner or spouse, any less of a pastor, any less of a CEO, any less of a parent but we live another day to learn another day, and to strive for the days that are ahead.
Life is so important and it’s the most expensive thing you can never get back when it’s gone. Don’t stop at trial, hardship, disappointment, brokenness, failure, or mistake. You get back up. You find hope again. You hold onto what’s true and not necessarily to what’s temporary. You find your balance. You begin to walk, and then jog, and then run through this journey of life. Before you know it, you’ll look up and see that where you once were was worth every bit of who you are today. Every tear, every no, every denial, every rejection, every pain, every fall, every pause. It made you who you are. unstoppable because you overcame what was once impossible. Thank you Jesus.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theaimministries.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmecarringtona?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&psln=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C5gBPHqap/?mibextid=wwXIfr
