Our History

The C.E. Mendez Foundation was established in 1963 by Charles E. Mendez, a Tampa native, who also founded Redwing Carriers, Inc., a southeast-based trucking company. The Foundation served as Mr. Mendez's vehicle to support local charitable organizations whose purpose was to help children and families improve their lives. Following Mr. Mendez'death in 1967, management of the Mendez Foundation was continued by the family. In 1975, Charles E. Mendez, Jr., President, concerned with the alarming growth of drug, alcohol and tobacco use by young people, recognized that the most effective means of addressing this problem was through education. He refocused the efforts of the Mendez Foundation with the philosophy simply stated, that providing children, at an appropriate age, factual information about drugs, alcohol and tobacco, delivered by professional educators who are positive role models, will inevitably result in better decision-making by our children.

The Mendez Foundation's staff of professional educators have taken these simple concepts and created the most effective drug and violence prevention education programs, Too Good for Drugs™ and Too Good for Violence, currently used by over 2,500 school districts throughout the U.S.

See our Timeline