“Nobody from Baltimore ever makes it.” When Tonee Lawson heard a young woman utter these words to her, Tonee realized that she could play a key role in changing this perspective. Tonee graduated from Baltimore’s Towson University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science and has continued to do vital work in the community through her non-profit, TheBe.org, over the past decade. The Be.org embodies a multi-faceted mission that provides social-emotional learning, college counseling, and education for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) proficiency. Since its founding in 2014, the organization has made a deep impact. In a conversation with BAUCE, Tonee reflects on what TheBe.org has accomplished and what’s to come.
Tonee’s passion for education started long before she began her nonprofit. Tonee explains: “I have always been in love with science. For me, science makes sense. I’m naturally very inquisitive and I want to get to the root of why certain things happen. So being curious and inquisitive led me to this love of science. My grandfather was a scientist at the National Institute of Health for many years. In high school and college, I could share with him what we were learning. During COVID he even shared that he worked with Dr. Fauci during his career. ” Tonee explains what community has meant to her growing up. ” Community is important to me too. My grandmother retired to take care of me. She always took me with her to church and community events. When she passed I realized she was doing volunteer work; although I thought her volunteer work was her job. So starting [the Be.org] was combining these experiences.”
Passion and purpose were present before Tonee established TheBe.org, but she benefitted from a final push from her people. Recounting her time before starting the nonprofit, Tonee shares: “ I never set out to create a nonprofit until my service in the community really shined. I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha and as part of community service, I led an initiative to teach 120 middle school girls at a local boarding school. My sorority sisters said ‘You are doing an amazing job; you need to start a nonprofit.’ When people see things in me that I don’t see in myself, I always take heed and think about it for my next steps.”
The road ahead was not straightforward. Tonee is a natural leader but still had to refine her vision for TheBe.org. When discussing how she navigates her influence, Tonee advises: “Being a member of the community and being a servant leader is important. Listening comes first. Make sure you hear the needs of those who you serve/seek to serve. Listen to what they may need so that you can address it.” Given this approach, it comes as no surprise that Tonee engaged her stakeholders when developing the mission and curriculum of TheBe.Org. Tonee emphasizes: “We ask our students: ‘What do you want to accomplish? What do you need? What do you want to see in this programming?’…We want to make sure that we keep a good pulse of what our students need. We want to know we are delivering stuff that is still engaging. One good piece of feedback we’ve received is that the students appreciate a safe space to learn and grow and plan to accomplish their goals after high school.”
These sentiments are beautiful and enlightening. At the same time, there is the pragmatic point of money. When it comes to funding endeavors, Tonee explains further: “Early on, most people start with zero dollars. So, you need somebody to financially back the work that you’re doing. Most social entrepreneurs work a full-time job and then lean into entrepreneurship. Having seed funding/capital from those who pour in naturally is also super important.” Fundraising proves to be central for most nonprofit organizations. It can be overwhelming, arduous, and stressful to figure out optimal ways to engage donors. Fortunately, the team at TheBe.Org is up for the challenge. For the past five years, the organization has hosted an annual Sneaker Ball to garner financial support for its work. When explaining this event, Tonee confirms: “ We wanted a gala that wasn’t standard – we wanted something out of the box. So people who attend the Sneaker Ball can party with a purpose. We always use it as an opportunity to bring more exposure to the organization. And you don’t have to wear heels!”
Tonee is passionate about science, education, and her community. Her admiration and dedication to Baltimore shines through her words and her actions. Showing love for Baltimore’s brilliance, Tonee acclaims: “Baltimore is a tech city and most people don’t know it. We focus on building up homegrown talent and bringing in local leaders in STEM to give back to our students. We have people who come from the same neighborhoods that our students come from. So our students realize that a career in STEM is something that they can achieve.”
