ABOUT US
The Ascend Foundation was founded on behalf of the Late Mayor of Pontiac and Michigan State House of Representative, Clarence Phillips. It is an organization that has been in existence for numerous years dating back to the late 1990’s. The organization started as a vision of correlation between Mayor Phillips and his wife Lorene’s push to promote the power of education, community service and the arts within the community; coupled with the mentoring element that their son, Kaino Phillips, embodied daily through motivational speaking and his leadership roles while participating in various organizations. It was this ideology that served as the catalyst in providing the inertia that became the very genesis of this organization.
It was only after Mayor Phillips passing that the physical name of the organization changed to The Clarence E. Phillips Ascend Foundation, in his honor. The conglomerate has pushed forward with the vision and diligent structure of tireless community
service for the people of Oakland County with a STRONG emphasis on the community of Pontiac. It is within this framework we have developed a YOUTH OUTREACH component that has become our PRIDE and CROWNED JEWEL of the Foundation. Along with this featured organizational movement, the group derived an outreach initiative to help promote the power of community through various different developed programs and community service impact.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Clarence E. Phillips Ascend Organization is a non-profit, membership organization which is committed to expanding opportunities for economic growth and educational training within minority-based communities. It also sponsors programs which improve race relations and foster support and values for minority children and socio-economically challenged families.
The Motto of the Foundation is as such:
Inspiring the Promise of Youth and Enhancing the Power of Community.