High 5 Foundation: History and Overview

History And Overview

The High Five Foundation evolved in Tuttle, Oklahoma from a dream originally given to the founder, Dan Beard, in the year 2000. In this dream he saw young people being positively influenced through interactions with famous athletes and mentors, and he awoke with a plan to bring this about. The dream lay dormant due to a lack of clear direction until he lost a counseling job he had held for ten years due to budget cuts in Oklahoma's Mental Health System. This occurred on August 1, 2003, and he then began to seek further direction. On August 27, 2003, while praying to know God's purpose for his life, he immediately remembered the dream, and had a notion that a set of core principles were needed to guide the young people. While he lay in bed, the "High Five" principles were unfolded in his mind, along with a plan to disseminate them to potentially millions of people.

Early that morning he called his dearing friend and shared the idea with her. Her response was: "Dan, this is you", and she gave him the encouragement needed to move forward.

The next day, Dan shared briefly this concept with a friend, who told him that her brother, also a friend from Dan's past, was currently incarcerated. As he later prayed and cried for his friend, Dan decided he would need to get the "High 5" in print form quickly so it could be sent to the friend and others in dire circumstances, and he began to write the original High 5 document. Soon, he contacted his parents, his closest friend, and his current professional mentor and several close friends. As is normally the case, not all of the initial responses were as positive as Linda's, but many came forward with a grasp of this vision to positively change the world, and the organization began to form.

The official website of the High 5 Foundation
Dan Beard, Founder

Last modified: January 11, 2004
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