Giving Back Corporation
GBC-Giving Back Corporation is a 501 (c) 3 organization founded by award winning writer/ actor, Ken Sagoes in 1997. The goal of GBC is to help support, motivate and prepare today's youth for the future.
Giving Back
- Makes a Difference
Our Journey From Inception
How The Seed Was Planted
"When I was a mischievous teenager in the streets of one of the roughest areas in Atlanta, Georgia called the Bluff, I remember watching an elderly lady with a cane go door to door collecting whatever money she could in a fruit jar. Once or twice a week, she took this journey. There were times that my friends and I would see her knocking on doors in the mornings as we went off to school and find her still panhandling on our walk home. We watched her walk in every kind of weather. In the rain and snow, she'd change nothing of her routine accept wrap herself in an old hand me down coat and hat to proceed. She'd always asked us how we were doing in school and after we gave her some mumbled response, if any at all, we'd make jokes and mimic her as we passed her by. I always wondered why she never had enough money to take care of herself. It seemed that after all these years of begging she would have more than enough to get by. After we graduated from high school and about to go off to college, a knock came at each of our doors. It was she! She gave each of us an envelope and said, 'This is a little something to help you with your education.' What she had done all these years was walk to every door in the community and asked for what we now know were donations for us! It was her way of giving back to ensure each of us a positive head start in school. I never saw her again after that and later learned that she had passed while I was away in my first year of college. But I never forgot her dedication to the kids of Bluff-and because of her, I have been inspired and committed to give back the way she gave back to me."
Ken Sagoes
About Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes was born in Stockbridge, Georgia and raised in Atlanta. He is a former staff writer with Paramount Television. Ken wrote Disney Channel's Original Movie of the Week, "On Promised Land," which received five CableAce nominations, earning him Best Family Screenwriter in addition to being a Humanitas finalist. The film starred Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner, Joan Plowright and was directed by Oscar-nominated (screenwriter-director), Joan Tewkesbury. Sagoes received rave reviews for his stage plays, "Zora and Paul," (a fictional conversation between Zora Neal Houston and Paul Robeson) and "Seven Maids from Stockbridge," for which he was presented a special Commendation from Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia.
Sagoes became internationally known for the role of ‘Kincaid' in A Nightmare on Elm Street, III & IV, and 'Big Baby' in John Singleton's "Rosewood." Some of his television appearances have been, "Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Til Death," "The District," "The Bernie Mac Show," and "The Parkers". He received an NAACP Theatre and Los Angeles Critic Award nomination for Ted Lange's "George Washington's Boy," an ADA Los Angeles Valley Award for his role in "National Pasttime: The Jackie Robinson Story," and a Los Angeles Theater Award as well as a Maddy Critic Award for his role in "Meet Me At The Oak."
Sagoes is the founder of the Los Angeles based non-profit organization, GBC-Giving Back Corporation in 1997. GBC pays homage to living entertainment pioneers and provides 'Books and Supplies' scholarships for college-bound students. Sagoes has been acknowledged by Governors in Georgia, New York, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio, California, North Carolina, as well as former President Bill Clinton for his humanitarian work and giving-back to the communities. Former Governor Gray Davis of California proclaimed the 25th Day of April, 1999 as 'Ken Sagoes' Day,' and received the 2013 Community Leadership Award from the Los Angeles County Probation Union.
Giving Back - Makes a Difference
"To offer a helping hand to those trying to help themselves. GBC hopes to promote educational goals among youth. To raise the bar of excellence and foster a more positive attitude, approach to life and interaction with the community. It is important that our children and community realize by empowering their beliefs, they can make a change."
GBC also gives assistance to the community, including senior citizens. Our program is designed for inner city kids to teach them self-improvement skills, which includes self-discipline, self-esteem and basic social skills. GBC gives inner city kids a chance to attend various activities such as performing arts workshops and summer camps; in association with Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, YWCA, and other camp programs. GBC is privately funded through fund raising efforts, sponsorships, private and corporate donations.
GBC Scholoarship & Awards
- Book & Supplies scholarship: To help support college/higher education bound students with books and supplies.
- Tutoring Award: To assist in providing private tutoring to help inner city students with serious academic problems. The award will be for a student who is willing to accept tutoring in elementary, middle, or high school.
- Civil Rights Tour: A trip to take students to visit historical sites of the Civil Rights Movement in cities such as Atlanta, Selma, Birmingham, and others.
Giving Makes a Difference
