Mission & Our Story
The mission of The ARK Entrepreneurial is to create opportunities for inner-city youth through entrepreneurial development.
The ARK Entrepreneurial was founded by Sundraria "Sunny" Davis out of a passion for creating opportunities for youth who often lack access to quality entrepreneurial education, workforce development experiences, and pathways to economic mobility.
In 2019, while developing and operating programs within the Family Life Center, Sunny began creating entrepreneurship-based programming designed to expose young people to business ownership, financial literacy, leadership development, and career readiness. What began as a vision to serve youth through innovative programming quickly evolved into a comprehensive entrepreneurial development organization.
Through years of dedication, relationship building, program design, fundraising, and community engagement, The ARK grew from an idea into a thriving organization serving youth and families throughout the Chicago area. Under Sunny's leadership, The ARK secured partnerships with businesses, foundations, financial institutions, schools, and community organizations while developing programs that provided hands-on learning experiences in entrepreneurship, workforce development, financial literacy, technology, leadership, and career exploration.
Recognizing that entrepreneurship is more than starting a business, The ARK was designed to help young people discover their talents, develop marketable skills, and learn how to create opportunities for themselves and their communities. Programs were developed to expose youth to website development, graphic arts, photography, music production, app development, business planning, marketing, financial management, public speaking, and leadership.
Today, The ARK's work is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves access to the tools, knowledge, mentorship, and opportunities necessary to reach their full potential. By combining entrepreneurial education with workforce development, mentoring, coaching, and real-world experiences, The ARK empowers youth to become creators, innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders.