Celebrating the rich history of African Americans and ensuring that this history is not lost empowers not only the community but the individuals within it. Elaine Mays Lofton and husband Michael Lofton work tirelessly to prepare, secure, and empower children and their families for the future.
Tucked in a large three-story building just off of Hwy 290 E and IH-35 in Austin you will find the African American Youth Harvest Foundation (AAYHF) and a consortium of over 30 non-profit black businesses. Here, volunteers and practitioners work together to provide support for families and children through a wide variety of programs. These programs include Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), artificial intelligence (AI), Raspberry Pi for programming, automation and performing common computing tasks, Dell tech certifications, robotics, coding, 3D printers, financial literacy, community outreach and more. On Tuesday nights, children and parents can come and receive a hot meal. If they need groceries or clothing, one room houses new clothes and shoes, as well as canned goods, frozen meats and household staples. Upstairs is the first Trauma Recovery Center in the state, which opened in October, a Dell Technology lab complete with gaming chairs and desktop computers. Downstairs is the Black Men’s health clinic and a space for legal assistance run by Michael’s daughter, an attorney. The foundation also helps the homeless and has a prisoner re-entry program to assist those leaving incarceration with job skills, housing, and other resources.
As the Chief Information Officer, Elaine Mays Lofton graduated from Rockdale High School in 1983 and went on to St. Edwards University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in information technology. Elaine worked for the attorney general’s child support division while pursuing her studies full-time. She moved to the Department of Public Safety in 1985 where she was the first black female hired in Data Processing.
In 1995, DPS decided to launch its very first information technology department of which Elaine was part of the incubation and testing. In 1996 Elaine went into supervision and management and realized that she was working in a “good ol’ boy network.” Elaine says she was always good enough to act in the position of CIO, with her advanced degree, but never good enough to be promoted to the position.
Elaine maintained her career with DPS for 25 years and decided it was time to relocate to another agency. She moved to Assistant Chief Information officer for Texas DMV in 2012 and subsequently accepted a position as the Chief Information Officer and information security officer for the Texas Juvenile Justice system. Elaine retired in 2016 to assist Michael in the foundation work.
Husband, Michael Lofton, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the AAYHF, is a native Austinite who was a former Commissioner with the City of Austin for eight years. He was also appointed to the Resource Management Commission and Community Development Commission. These roles, as well as his family background as an entrepreneur, gave Michael the knowledge and opportunity to learn how city funding and earmarked funds worked in public education. Later he used his skills to bring together a consortium of power players to establish the foundation, inspire the kids, and secure funding support from grants and donations.
An impromptu conversation with former State Representative Wilhemina Delco, led to a television interview for Michael, which ultimately prompted him to produce his own television show on PBS. His television program highlighted the injustices in the community. His purpose was to bring about change through action and solutions through his platform. The television program lasted for 20 years and had such guests as Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, Johnny Cochrane and Eddie Bernice Johnson, Michael also worked with Attorney Gary Bledsoe and traveled to sensitive civil rights incidents like the Jasper killing of James Byrd in 1998.
In June 2006, Michael launched a series of conferences for boys, men, women, and girls to hear from the families about their needs. It was here that he met Elaine. For four years, he held a monthly conference inviting politicians, school board members, state and county officials, executives and any other resources needed. Attendance each month exceeded several hundred. From these conferences, the AAYHF was formed to service the needs and wants of minority families. As CEO of AAYHF, Michael used his knowledge of deficiencies in education and support of black children, data from multiple government agencies, and his vast resources and contacts to establish a foundation that is one of a kind. He and Elaine formed the perfect partnership and power couple when she utilized her information technology skills to move the foundation from manual operations to digital during the COVID shutdown.
The team has a leadership institute. They have housing and are looking to build more housing for families. In addition, there are trauma informed care classes that focus on everything from stress management. resilience, managing anxiety, crisis management, impulse control, depression, suicide prevention, critical thinking, social skills, relocation services for victims of domestic violence, and more. They are also opening a barber and beauty shop at the foundation to help clients look their best when applying for jobs. There are almost 45 employees at the foundation and all programming and services are free.
For the future, Michael’s full-time job is raising money for the center and creating a robust repeatable program that can be launched in other cities and communities. The foundation helps to create other resources by incubating new businesses that they can partner with in the AAYHF space. Recently, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Martin III, visited AAYHF. He was astounded at the work done here and very interested in sharing the model with others. The Loftons are not only creating a legacy through their knowledge and creativity but saving hundreds of lives through the programs they have established. Per Elaine and Michael, “if you’ve been to prison, it doesn’t matter. If you have a drug addiction, it doesn’t matter, if you have mental health issues, if you’re homeless, it doesn’t matter. We’re here to help you.”
Elaine says her goal is to enhance and expand the technology program. “It’s always been introductory to technology. I know as a black female, being the only black female across 184 agencies in the state, and the only black chief information officer, it was lonely at the top. When I would go to events, I wouldn’t see anybody else like me,“ Elaine said. Now she does her best to inspire others, get them certified in different technology programs, and find them gainful employment. Her eyes light up when she talks about giving the kids the opportunity to build their own robotic car in the next cohort.
For further information about programs, to donate, or to volunteer at the foundation, contact aayhf.org.
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