Our History

The History of an Idea

The C. E. Mendez Foundation was established in 1964 by Charles E. Mendez, Sr., a Florida businessman and the founder of Redwing Carriers, Inc., a Florida-based trucking company.

Mr. Mendez established the Foundation to support local charitable organizations serving children and their families in need in the Tampa area. Following Mr. Mendez's death in 1967, the family continued the Mendez Foundation and its work in the community.

In 1975, the Foundation took a defining step that would shape its future.  Under the leadership of Charles E. Mendez, Jr., the organization responded to the alarming rise of substance use among young people by shifting its focus toward prevention.  The Foundation recognized a powerful truth: the best way to change outcomes for children is to reach them early before risk becomes harm.

Clear Philosophy. Effective Strategy.

The Mendez Foundation's prevention programs would be developed with this philosophy simply stated: that providing children, at an appropriate age, factual information about the health risks associated with substance use, combined with development of self-efficacy and interpersonal skills, delivered by positive role models, will inevitably result in better decision-making by our children.

In 1979, the Foundation put that model into action with the first Grade 6 Me-ology classes in Hillsborough County Public Schools.  Since then, Mendez Foundation Prevention Specialists have served generations of students across Hillsborough County, reaching young people from Kindergarten through High School. 

By the early 1980s, the success of these programs gained national attention.  School systems across the country were searching for effective prevention education, and the Foundation responded by making its curricula available to educators nationwide.

The Foundation's team of professional educators, curriculum developers, and prevention practitioners have taken these complex concepts and translated them into relevant, interactive lessons to create some of the most effective and engaging prevention education programs available. In fact, Maximizing Life, A Peaceable Place, and Seeds of Nutrition  are currently implemented in thousands of school districts throughout the United States.

And we are still growing.  As the challenges facing young people evolve, our mission remains the same: to help children thrive by giving them the tools to live healthier lives, build stronger relationships, and make safer decisions at school, at home, and in their communities.

We invite you to be part of what comes next.