Growing Wings
to Soar…
We are a nonprofit founded on principles of service, integrity, trust, accountability, and growth!
From Austin to Entrepreneur…
Our Founder, Narcrissa Berry, grew up on Chicago’s West Side in the Austin community. “Growing up in Austin in the 80’s and 90’s was full of family, friends, and temptation. From seeing friends get caught up in gangs, drugs, and unhealthy relationships, I wanted more. As a victim of gun violence, after losing my sister at age 15, I vowed to be the change I wished to see. I promised when I made it, I would return to the community that made me and I would invest in women and girls that reminded me of myself. I promised when I achieved my goals to take others along with me. The Barbara Jean Foundation honors the memory of my mother and our “G.L.A.M. Project” honors the memory of my sister. Together, we are showing others how to grow from Austin to Entrepreneur, creating generational wealth and achievement for all.”
Meet Our President
Narcrissa Berry is a business woman and community leader. The proud daughter of “Barbara Jean aka B Jay”, she is the Chief Executive Officer of B Jays Transportation and a host of other companies who offer essential services directly to the community.
From paratransit to mobility solutions to learning centers to teach STEM curriculum to inner city children, she does it all. The Barbara Jean Foundation is her brainchild and passion. It is her goal to encourage, uplift, and inspire women to live their best life and achieve levels of success they have never dreamt of.
Furthermore, Mrs. Berry has been the recipient of a host of grant awards from the Chicago Recovery Plan Community Development Grant (Round 1) to the Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) to the Allies for Community Business (A4CB) Back to Business (B2B) Grant and Business Interruption Grant (BIG) in Chicago.
Support Our Brother
Agency, Boys2Men
The Barbara Jean Foundation specifically helps women and girls in Chicago and our brother agency, Boys2Men Community Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young men. They coach Chicago area youth, mainly young men and boys, on ways to live productive lives. They also help youth get off the block and into business and off the corner and into a career.
Their mission is to reduce violence in Chicago by empowering inner city young men through education and training. Both of our real-world based programs give communities alternatives to gun violence by promoting wellbeing, personal development, and new career pathways. From prevention to intervention, we do it all for our our City. We invest in areas that have been forgotten, under-invested, and under-resourced.
Past Events
