OUR FOUNDERS
GREG RICKS, Founder
I was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Brooklyn as the youngest of seven. Although my late father was in and out of our home, my mother was the steady foundation who held our family together. We did not have much. I remember going to bed hungry at times and wearing hand-me-down clothes.
When I was nine years old, I told my mother that when I grew up, I wanted to have a building where I could help people in need, people who had been overlooked, walked over, and forgotten by society. She smiled and said, “That’s wonderful. Pray and ask God for it.”
Over the years, I did exactly that. Today, I am humbled to be living out the very passion, desire, and prayer I carried as a child. My mission is simple and unwavering: to let people know that You Are Loved and Important.
KEISHA RICKS, Founder
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the youngest girl in my family. I was raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to ensure we had what we needed. We did not have a lot, but she created a home filled with love. We spent our days playing games, being outside, and simply enjoying time together, never once feeling the weight of what we lacked.
At 20 years old, I survived being shot in the head. My mother told me then that God kept me here for a reason. Over the years, others echoed that sentiment, saying there was a calling on my life. It wasn’t until my daughter turned 13 that I fully understood what that calling was.
I launched a mentoring program for young girls called A Place for Her, designed to support them through their teenage years by teaching self-love, confidence, and resilience through meaningful lessons and activities. Alongside that work, my husband Greg and I started our nonprofit, You Are Loved and Important, to serve individuals and families in need and to spread a message of hope, dignity, and love.