The Experience That Sparked a Vision
My name is Gwendolyn Middleton-Rockett, founder of PFK Shield & Shelter, and when I was 14 years old, I was given an opportunity that changed how I saw the world and what I believed was possible for my future.
I participated in a summer program called Youth Opportunities Unlimited, where students spent eight and a half weeks on a college campus gaining academic and work experience. Throughout the summer, we worked hard to earn the privilege of going on a final trip. Good grades, strong work reports, and good behavior all counted toward being selected.
That summer, I earned the opportunity to travel to Chicago.
Growing up in Southeast Arkansas, I had never traveled far from home and had never imagined visiting a major city like Chicago. Seeing the skyscrapers, staying in a downtown hotel, and experiencing a place so different from my own community opened my eyes in ways I had never experienced before.
On the Fourth of July, our group went to Grant Park to watch the fireworks. A major street running through the park had been closed to traffic for the celebration, and thousands of people gathered there. I remember sitting right in the middle of that street, a place where cars normally passed all day long, watching the fireworks light up the Chicago skyline.
As I sat there that night, something changed inside me. My world suddenly felt bigger. For the first time, I could clearly see possibilities beyond the boundaries of my hometown. I began thinking about my sisters and brothers and wondering how they could experience something like this too.
That moment expanded my vision for the future and planted a seed that would stay with me for years to come.
This memory and experience later inspired Youth Horizons, PFK Shield & Shelter’s youth development initiative. Youth Horizons was created to help young people see beyond their zip codes, experience new opportunities, and imagine futures they may not have believed were possible.
At PFK Shield & Shelter, we believe vision changes lives. Whether through travel experiences, paid youth training opportunities, access to essential resources like vision care and glasses, or future scholarships, our goal is to help young people see possibilities that once felt out of reach.
For many youth, all it takes is one experience to open the door to a bigger future. Youth Horizons exists to create those moments.