Foundation > About Us
Empowering Veterans, Families, & Underserved Communities
Through Real-World Learning
The BrightPath Academy is a first-of-its-kind Emotional Intelligence and Financial Wellness Academy built on the principles of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
Our programs teach people how to lead calmly, think clearly, communicate effectively, and manage their money with purpose and confidence.
The BrightPath Foundation is the outreach engine that brings that education to the public.
We form public-private partnerships with cities, corporations, nonprofits, and community organizations to fund, distribute, and deliver the Academy’s programs where they are needed most.
Our Mission
We exist to close the gap between potential and opportunity.
At BrightPath Foundation, our mission is to deliver accessible, practical education that empowers individuals to rebuild their lives; financially, emotionally, and professionally.
We believe transformation happens when learning is both affordable and relatable. That’s why every dollar raised goes directly toward educational access, helping veterans, families, and community members gain the skills they need to grow with confidence and purpose.
How we Started
Our Story
Founded by Aaron B. Kershaw, a U.S. Marine veteran and lifelong educator, The BrightPath Foundation began as a vision to level the playing field for underserved communities.
Aaron’s work through BuildingBlocs Literacy and The BrightPath Academy created a proven ecosystem of learning; blending emotional intelligence, financial literacy, and leadership development into courses that change lives from the inside out.
The Foundation extends that mission; ensuring that cost is never the barrier to personal growth. Through partnerships with local organizations, corporate sponsors, and community allies, we bring free and subsidized BrightPath programs to those who need them most.
Our Approach
We don’t reinvent the wheel; we make sure it reaches everyone.
The Foundation connects donors and sponsors directly to impact, funding specific learning pathways that create real, measurable change.
- Veterans gain emotional resilience and financial readiness for civilian life.
- Families learn to communicate, manage money, and rebuild stability.
- Individuals in recovery find structure, healing, and hope.
- Communities receive the tools to break generational cycles through education.
Every sponsored seat represents a real person given a chance to rise; with updates, reporting, and community success stories shared transparently.
Why You Can Trust Our Transparency
The BrightPath Foundation wasn’t built as a business model; it was built as a mission. Our purpose is to serve veterans and underprivileged communities, not to profit from them. What makes us different is that we own 100% of the intellectual property behind every course, book, and program we provide.
We don’t have to purchase outside materials or hire third-party providers. Our parent organization, BuildingBlocs Literacy, was established solely to create, fund, and power this foundation; ensuring that every dollar raised goes directly to impact.
Our Sponsor Model
Donate ($250 min) > Donor may choice receives Member-Access Codes > Donor donates to NGO of choice.
You Control Your donation Destination..
Tax-Payer Funded:
Even more unique is our founder’s story. As a 100% disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he built this organization using his own taxpayer-funded benefits, turning his personal mission into a platform that gives back. Because of that structure, the Foundation will always contribute 50% to 100% more in educational access than it receives in donations.
Every contribution you make is multiplied; not by promises, but by design.
Our Vision
To make social-emotional and financial education a universal human right; one that equips every person, regardless of background, to live with dignity, stability, and purpose.
By 2030, BrightPath aims to sponsor access for 25 million learners across the U.S. through partnerships with businesses, faith-based groups, municipalities, and individual donors who share our belief that knowledge should be free, but never wasted.
YES, I WANT IN!
Our Core Belief
When people learn how to lead themselves, they can lead their lives.
We believe that education rooted in emotional intelligence, financial confidence, and community responsibility creates sustainable growth. It’s not charity - it’s empowerment.
The BrightPath Foundation
695 s Hillside rd., Wappingers Falls, NY
845-600-9767
501c3 #7735173 - EIN: 39-4913471