About CE3
OUR WORK BEGINS WITH PEOPLE, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES.
We believe in the power of people, the strength of community, & the possibilities of tomorrow.
Our Story
CE3 was born in 2019 in response to the sometimes overwhelming challenges that can face individuals in low-income communities. Accessing the lessons learned and resources gained through lived experience, we aimed to create an organization that would provide a safe space of transition for those faced with the challenges of generational welfare and poverty to grow into their goals, as well as for those who have a heart to serve this population, a safe space to be in connection and relationship.
What started as a moment of surreal disbelief under the Eiffel Tower has now grown into an organization working to provide pathways out of poverty from the center of the community.
We have been and remain committed to investing our expertise and resources in order to achieve our cause further. Since 2019, we’ve supported our community members in a variety of ways and measured our success not by monetary size, but by qualitative measures such as the scale and effectiveness of our efforts. Just imagine what we can achieve together!
Rameka Smith
Founder and CEO
Rameka is the founder and CEO of CE3: Community Enrichment Encouragement and Empowerment.
Adding to her lived experience as a product of generational poverty and welfare, she attended the University of Cincinnati, obtaining a BA in Liberal Arts with minors in History, Sociology and Psychology. Her goal in life has been and continues to be helping people to grow from where they are to where they want to be, and she believes that in order to do that, we need to understand what our history has to teach us about how we got to where we are today, how and why we behave the way we do as individuals, as well as how and why that behavior changes once we become part of a group.
She also serves on the Board of Think Tank, Inc. and is a member of the Change Leader Alliance, whose mission is to “provide access to platforms for emerging leaders with lived experience in poverty, addiction or incarceration to use their stories to inspire, educate and advocate for change.”
She currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and 3 children. In her spare time, she is often found volunteering in the community, and she LOVES to read. Her current favorite quote is “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Very well said by Henry Ford.