Meet the Staff
Ansar El Muhammad
Executive Director/Co-Founder
Ansar El Muhammad aka Brother Stan spent most of his childhood in Compton & Venice, California. He got involved in gang activity at a very young age which led to 15 years of a non-productive lifestyle. His influence came from family members who were entrenched in negative activities for two generations. This type of behavior ultimately led to violence, drug use, and incarceration. Mr. Muhammad is committed to making communities safe, as he unites business, residents, local government agencies, churches and community based organizations to save our youth and young adults through collaborative efforts that emphasize education, training and empowerment.
Patricia “Sugar” Witherspoon
Lead Case Manager
Sugar has been doing this work professionally since 1999 and H.E.L.P.E.R Foundation as a case manager for 8 years. Sugar’s role is to assist and support our youth, if they desire to transition from a negative lifestyle to a positive lifestyle. Sugar has mastered the art of making people feel a “sense of belonging”, being accepted and being part of something. “This is not a job, it’s a passion of mine.” – Sugar
Elizabeth Mesias
Case Manager
Elizabeth Mesias was born and raised in the Venice and Santa Monica areas of California. The newest edition to the team, she brings a determined mindset and caregiver spirit to the participants. Being a first generation college graduate to immigrant parents, Elizabeth was inspired to one day make a difference in her own community. Her love for community growth and passion for inspiring youth brought her to the Helper Foundation. Currently a case manager for the prevention team, she serves as a mentor and implements her passion for making a positive difference in her community in a variety of ways. Elizabeth wants the youth to understand how special they are and the importance of becoming a positive and productive member of their society.
Enrique Fernandez
Community Intervention Worker
REACH RESTORE REDIRECT Mr. Fernandez was raised in the Mar Vista Gardens housing development working in the Pacific GRYD in the Mar Vista Gardens Housing development that houses 601 units (families) of low income families plagued with violence and gangs. Mr. Fernandez joined H.E.L.P.E.R. Foundation in September 2015 as a community intervention worker. Enrique, being a product of that lifestyle, now has a passion for working with high-risk youth, adults and families who have been associated with gangs and crimes. Enrique has been certified through the Urban Peace Institute’s Los Angeles Violence Intervention Training Academy (LAVITA).
Ebay Williams
Community Intervention Worker
My name is Ebay Williams and I am a CIW (Community Intervention Worker) at H.E.L.P.E.R. Foundation working here for the last 4 1/2 years. I'm very much invested and fervent about community service, which I take personal because I am also a product of my community that I serve. My mission is to help youth understand that we all have a purpose and our goals is to build the right supportive system around us to be successful in life. I am also invested in putting an end to community violence which has infected the home, minds and hearts of our community.
Clinton Noble
Community Liasion
Clinton Noble serves as a community ambassador/liaison for H.E.L.P.E.R. Foundation. His primary duty is to promote peace amongst high-risk youth/young adults in the Pacific GRYD. He also keeps a strong line of communication with other GRYDs, which affects the Pacific GRYD for the purposes of maintaining peace. As a youth, Clinton was a product of his environment that lead him to be an unproductive member of society. Through his personal experiences he educates/mentors the youth on making positive choices in life, goal setting, and not making the same mistakes he did.
Jose Arenas
Prevention Outreach Worker
Jose Arenas was born in Los Angeles and grew up in both the Inglewood and Venice area. Growing up he was a troubled kid getting into fights in school so his mom enrolled him in a program called the Young Marines. At the age of thirteen he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Having diabetes he became more interested in health and Nutrition. He enrolled himself at Santa Monica college in hopes to transfer to a university to pursue a career as a Registered Dietician and Major in Public Health. While at Santa Monica College he took several Ethnic studies classes where he learned more about the experiences and hardships of latino/a and latin Americans in the United States. With this newly found knowledge he hopes to educate both black and brown communities the importance of nutrition and health.
Alfie Jones
Outreach Worker
Alfie Jones has worked with Helper Foundation since its inception in one capacity or another. Roles included from being a street ambassador with a license to operate through lived experience to teaching like skills and student development at View Park Prep High school. Alfie is currently an outreach worker at a Safe Place for Youth (S.P.Y) through Helper Foundation where he counsels at risk homeless youth gang members. Mr. Jones, who is a 50 year old member of the Venice community, has invested interest in seeing the peace making process become long lasting and successful in the community.