Making a Difference

Turning Dreams into Realities (T.D.I.) Announces Scholarship Recipient at 2013 Magic City Classic

During a fundraiser held in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, October 25, 2013 as part of the 72nd Magic City Classic weekend, T.D.I., announced the first of many students accepted into their scholarship and mentorship program. The recipient is Diezman D. Ellis, a freshman from Uniontown, Alabama. His dream is to obtain his Master’s of Business Administration and then go on to be a Chief Executive Officer of an international company as well as be an entrepreneur and healthcare advocate. After watching both his grandparents suffer from diabetes and having to be cared for by his mother, he is dedicated to helping young people fight obesity through making healthy food choices and exercising daily. He is a member of Alabama State University’s Student Government Association and National Honor Society. He is a former high school athlete, former Jr. ROTC member, and former Kappa League member.

TDI Presents “D.R.E.A.M.S.” Seminar to College of Business Administration

On September 19, 2013 as part of Alabama State University’s Founders Day activities, TDI presented their custom D.R.E.A.M.S. seminar. This is TDI’s flagship seminar that helps students understand how to turn their educational and career dreams into a reality by focusing on certain traits that have been a common thread of success for TDI members: Discipline, Relationships, Execution, Attitude, Motivation, and Sacrifice. The seminar incorporates real and humorous stories that tell the story of how the members of TDI moved from surviving to thriving at Alabama State University in the 1990’s and what we learned in our corporate, non-profit, ministry and entrepreneurial experience.

TDI Presents at the 2013 Survivor Night for Orientation for Incoming Freshmen on Campus of ASU

On Thursday, August 15, 2013, TDI was invited to be guest speakers at the Survivor Night for Orientation for incoming freshmen on the campus of Alabama State University. TDI President, Dr. B. Donta Truss, and Board Members, Jeremy Spratling, Terrence Hall and Demetrice Jones, represented the TDI organization. Dr. Truss and Mr. Spratling each spoke about TDI, its mission and programs, and shared words of wisdom and encouragement to the 450 students that attended. TDI also gave away a $500 scholarship on the spot to one deserving student.

TDI Presents at 2nd Annual HBCU Forum in Prattville, AL

In July 2013, TDI was invited to be guest speakers at the 2nd Annual HBCU Forum in Prattville, Alabama. TDI President, B. Donta Truss, and Board Members, Jeremy Spratling and Tyrish Garrett, represented the TDI organization and each spoke about their college experiences at Alabama State University and the impact that it made in their development as a future educator, entrepreneur and corporate executive, respectively.

TDI Presents at Ramsey High School

In April 2013, TDI Board Member, Jeremy Spratling, presented a workshop on leadership and the future beyond graduation to high school seniors at Ramsey High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

TDI Presents at Boy Scouts of America

In February 2013, TDI Board Member, Jeremy Spratling, was invited to be a guest speaker at local Birmingham area Boy Scouts troop. He discussed the importance of education and community work.

TDI Presents “Turning Your Dreams into Realities” Seminar for teen entrepreneurs

In October 2011, TDI Secretary, Ramone Harper, presented a workshop entitled Turning Your Dreams into Realities at Kingdom Business Conference in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. In this workshop for young entrepreneurs, he instructed those in attendance that it is not too early to start fulfilling your dreams.  By using examples of many young entrepreneurs today, we showed them the blueprint on how to get started and how to be successful even at a young age.  The goal of the workshop was to help young people understand that they can do IT, encourage them to do IT and then show them practical steps to move towards IT.

TDI Presents “MPA or CPA” to National Association of Black Accountants

In October 2010, TDI President was requested to speak at the National Association of Black Accountants student chapter meeting on the campus of Southern Methodist University.  The presentation, titled “MBA or CPA”, was delivered to juniors and seniors at SMU majoring in Accounting and aimed at sharing insight, pitfalls and recommendations on the advantages and disadvantages of either immediately entering graduate school to pursue a MBA or entering the workforce to gain experience before attempting the Certified Public Accounting examination.

TDI Presents “The Unwritten Guidelines for Success In College”

On August 13, 2009 at Alabama State University, TDI presented a workshop entitled “The unwritten guidelines for success in college.” This workshop was part of a partnership formed with Alabama State’s Student Orientation Services (SOS) organization and was offered as part of festivities for the Fall 2009 Freshman Orientation Week. It was the first of many throughout the country aimed at inspiring young professionals to dream big and obtain the support and guidance they need along the way to make that dream a reality. The unwritten guidelines covered by TDI included Discipline, Relationships, Execution, Attitude, Motivation, and Sacrifice. Using a panel setting, TDI presented to approximately 1,000 incoming freshmen and awarded two students with $250.00 scholarships for their participation in the workshop.

TDI Offers Support to Families in Need

In February 2009, members of TDI rallied together and raised money to support the needs of two families in Talladega, AL. affected by a tragic event that claimed the lives of four young teenage girls with promising futures. Many of TDI’s members are from Talladega and collectively the organization felt a call to action was needed. Although small relative to the overall need and suffering experienced by the families, TDI’s prayers and donations were delivered open-heartedly. This action exemplifies three of TDI’s seven core values: God first, family second and giving.

TDI Presents “The Art of Communication” to National Association of Black Accountants

In October 2008, Board member and former President, Marc Desgraves, was invited to speak at the National Association of Black Accountants Southwest Regional Conference on the topic of communication.  “The Art of Communication” was delivered to college upperclassmen from various universities in the southwest and aimed at sharing tips, methods, and lessons learned on effective communication with friends, colleagues, customers, and positions of authority.  All communication channels were covered, which included emails, face-to-face, public speaking, phone calls and client interactions.