Impowered Minds is a nonprofit youth organization that focuses on education, recreation and mental health. Its primary platform is fishing.
“We mentor, coach and help direct the youth on and off the water,” said Jason Glanton, Impowered Minds CEO and president. “Our mission is to establish a better comprehension of self for each child — self-integrity, self-respect, self-confidence — and ultimately lead to being a positive influence in life. We also teach and promote entrepreneurship, financial literacy and focus on each child learning a trade.”
Glanton’s father loved fishing and committed to taking him and his siblings fishing on Thursdays after work.
“I looked forward to it because Tampa was a big city surrounded by big water,” Glanton said. “Fishing the Gulf of Mexico was much different than the lakes and ponds I knew. The taste of beach water was an adjustment too, but by the age of 10, I was slowly transforming into what’s known as ‘Salt Life.’”
Glanton learned a lot about life on the water.
“Fishing kept me out of trouble,” Glanton said. “I had found something I loved that kept me busy while learning new skills.”
After Glanton’s parents passed away, he felt there had to be more he could do to keep both their legacies alive.
“I took my profession of training to the next level,” Glanton said. “I figured, since I created programs for Verizon Wireless that were successful, why not duplicate what I did for Verizon, but do it to help the community? After years of teaching kids to fish and fishing with my own, it hit me, so in 2020, the vision came to me clearly: I am here to mentor the youth for the rest of my life.”
From there, Impowered Minds was born.
Glanton used to live in the Riverview area and loved fishing in the area, so he takes youth from all over Tampa Bay fishing in the Riverview area, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico.
“I loved the Riverview area and there are some great fishing spots, so whenever we get the chance we take the kids to Riverview to fish,” said Glanton.
Seeing the youth learn how to fish or make their first catch is one of his favorite parts of running Impowered Minds. “It’s an awesome feeling for me to see the kids learn how to bait a hook or catch their first fish,” Glanton said. “The parents love it to when their children tell them about the great day they had fishing.”
If you would like to learn more about Impowered Minds or want to volunteer, visit www.impoweredminds.org or contact Glanton at 813-906-0561.
