WASHINGTON – Earlier this month, Georgetown University football alum Darius Baxter (C'15) was named to the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Class in the social impact category. He, along with former teammates Troye Bullock (C'16) and Daniel Wright (C'15), started GOODProjects in 2016, a company with the mission to break the cycle of poverty in the Washington, D.C. community.
 
One of the principles that serves as the foundation of the Georgetown University football program is Men for Others - the Jesuit value of service to the community. The trio of GU football alums have taken that to heart with GOODProject as they work to provide opportunities for at-risk youth and their families to live fulfilling lives free from poverty, violence and disease. GOODProjects provides workforce development training, mentorship, tutoring, social entrepreneurship training, athletic development, social-emotional development, alternative environmental exposure, college readiness as well as the basic needs for families.
 
"I am extremely proud of Darius, Danny and Troye," said Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata. "Their journey from high school to Georgetown and now with GOODProjects is an incredible story of resilience. This award recognizes the incredible, life changing work GOODProjects does on a daily basis. Bill Parcels often said 'What you say you are is your philosophy, what you put on tape is your identity.' GOODProjects has and will continue to take action to improve the lives of those around them."
 
Recently, GUHoyas.com caught up with Baxter to talk to him about GOODProjects and its recognition by Forbes.
 
GUHoyas: What led to you starting GOODProjects with your former teammates Danny and Troye?
I was born into a household with a mother who was a DC Public School teacher and a father who was a Metropolitan Police officer in the heat of 90's DC. Georgetown has a unique history as a part of that era in the city, so I'll leave it up to the historians to set the scene for what was going on and the threats that young black boys faced being born into that type of environment.
 
When you're young you don't realize all your parents are going through. You just see them as mom and dad, but as I started to get older, I realized the very real risk that they were taking every day to ensure a better future for the city they loved so dearly - the place they called home.
 
I guess in a pretty deliberate way, all I've ever known is a life of service. So when the opportunity presented itself to start the GOODProjects with my classmates, I had to take it. To take control of my own destiny and be an active part in the rebuilding of the city I too came to love, there was no better opportunity for me in 2016. In many ways, it was almost a calling, but I guess only time will tell.
 
GUHoyas: What is it that GOODProjects does that you are most proud of?
Keep love at the forefront of our mission. There are 50 million programs doing what we do. Some even better. But we have been so effective and garnered the level of attention that we have over the years because there is not a mom, dad, son, daughter, donor or stakeholder that encounters us that does not feel the love that exudes out of everything we do. It is the philosophy in our work. You cannot lack passion for black families in Washington, D.C. and think that you are going to succeed at GOODProjects. The families we get to work with feel that. That's why they love engaging with our programs. They know we are going to do whatever we can to see them succeed as if they were our own families.
 
GUHoyas: 2020 has been a difficult year in so many ways. What are some things that GOODProjects has done in light of the social unrest, especially in Washington, D.C.?
The Purpose Tour was a direct response to the social unrest that was happening, not just here in D.C., but in 15 cities around the country. It started with a crazy idea that I had to throw a big party in front of the White House on the day Black Lives Matter Plaza opened. I told my buddy Neal about it and he helped me think even bigger about what was possible. Next thing you know, we're in front of the White House with deejays lining the streets, food cooking, and tens of thousands of people dancing and singing together instead of the clashes we had seen with police the weeks prior. That experience showed us we had something. With the support of the GOODProjects team, we took the show on the road and functioned as the direct deterrent of what could have been some of the most violent clashes at the pinnacle of the Black Lives Matter Movement. I'm excited that with the help of some dynamic producers, we're aiming to release the documentary of those 18 days around the country in Spring 2021. Be on the lookout for it on major streaming platforms.
 
GUHoyas: What does the recognition by Forbes 30 Under 30 mean for you and GOODProjects?
For me, nothing. For GOODProjects, everything. We all grow up at some point as entrepreneurs dreaming of the day we'd be recognized on such a prestigious platform. My immediate thought when finding out was how special it must feel for the kids that come to the Learning Hub every day to be able to see their director recognized in such a way. It makes their dreams growing up in a public housing community where, oftentimes things seem so impossible, just that much more of a reality -- that someone they can see and touch and hug every day in their community could be recognized in that way. And that the person does not dribble a ball or rap or do big publicity stunts for social media.
 
I'll never forget the comment I got from a young girl in our program after she saw the piece I did with BET on my father earlier in the year. I didn't know why at the time, but she's staring at me across the room and I walk up to her to tell her to do her work. In the most kid-like voice she said, "I saw you on TV last night."  I blushed, but then I responded in the most teacher-like way, "Now you know you can do it too. So get back to work so you can get good grades and graduate."
 
I pray to God often that he uses me as a vessel, that he allows children and families to see my life and gain the hope that they too can achieve their wildest dreams. Awards are cool, I'm a former athlete. I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate a trophy or six. But it was my high school coach that said "with team wins come individual accolades." I've never forgotten that. Without the buy-in from our youth, families, team at GOODProjects, a family that supports me, coaches and mentors along the way and so many other people collaborating for our success, none of it would be possible.
 
GUHoyas: Was starting an organization like GOODProjects always on your radar, even before you arrived at Georgetown?
Not a chance. I thought I was going to be an environmental engineer. I wanted to make money, but the calling reached me about junior year of college.
 
GUHoyas: How did your time at Georgetown, both on campus and on the football team, help shape you and shape what GOODProjects has become?
To be honest, I did not feel very supported at Georgetown as a young black man that went through what I had in my childhood and teenage years. I stepped onto campus at 17 years old and overnight was expected to know how to navigate this predominantly white, affluent world. It was a complete culture shock for me and thrust me into a bout of depression that resulted in me abusing drugs and alcohol for a lot of my time on campus. They were a way to cope with the spiral of depression I did not even realize I was going down.
 
I made a vow to myself that I would create a world where kids like me felt more supported. The best part about my journey is that I've had an opportunity to build a stronger relationship with Coach Sgarlata since leaving campus and sharing with him some of the things that I went through. It's undeniable that he has made changes and sees his players in a different light because of it. I wouldn't change my experience for a second knowing that hundreds, hopefully thousands, of young men may be able to benefit in the long run because of it.