Ten Thousand Lakes Foundation (TTL) started operating informally in 2019 as an after-school soccer and homework help program serving mainly East African immigrant youth. Its founders, Abdul Sero and Abdulfatah Wabe, saw the opportunity to provide athletic programs and mentorship to youth whose needs were not met by other after school programs. At its core, the program was born out of its founders’ desire to pass on the benefits of their experiences in after-school athletics programming to youth in their communities. So in June 2019, TTL started providing coaching to youth out of the Ober Community Center in St. Paul.
Soon after, a STEM program including drones and robotics curriculums was added to the soccer and mentorship offerings. When the Ober Community Center closed, TTL moved to the building of the Oromo Community Center in St. Paul thanks to support and space offered in recognition of the work TTL had started. By the time COVID-19 hit in spring 2020, about 150 youth from ages 4 to 18 were participating in TTL programs. Adapting quickly to the new conditions, staff minimized programs, keeping only the soccer program running for the first year of the pandemic. When pandemic conditions eased, funding for the STEM program was no longer available.
In 2021 and early 2022, TTL leadership began the process of applying for 501(c)3 status to be able to secure funding that would keep programming sustainable. The Ten Thousand Lakes Foundation was officially formed as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in early 2022, and at the same time soccer, mentorship, and homework help programs began to start back up in earnest. Since obtaining nonprofit status, TTL has been offering programs through a wealth of volunteer support and seeking funding to restart STEM programming and to sustain athletic and mentorship programming into the future.
In 2023, TTL grew from 150 to 200+ youth. At the same time, we won championships in the U10 boys, U12 boys, U10 girls, U12 girls, and the high school boys. In 2024, we introduced a new program at Rice Lake Elementary School in Lino Lakes, in addition to our regular programs at Conway Recreation Center and West Minnehaha Recreation Center, both in St. Paul.