HISTORY
2004
In 2004, Founder Kristin Fairchild, identified the impact of working with teenagers hafter being inspired by a youth volunteer program called the ManaTEENS. to volunteer in our community and a teen volunteer center was born.
2007
Chain Reaction won the IMPACT 100 grant, a grant of minimum $100,000 chosen by IMPACT 100 members, expanding from 650 to 1000 teen volunteers.
2012
Chain Reaction won the idgroup "Brand On Us," a community giveback initiative where one nonprofit is selected to receive a full brand transformation at no cost. We transformed into a teen leadership institute with our own kind of chemistry.
2017
Chain Reaction moved its operations to Pensacola State College, strengthening its partnership and enhancing its focus on preparing teens for college and career success.
2019
Chain Reaction's curriculum was comprehensive, ensuring that every teen entering the program had equal opportunities to realize their fullest potential. In the last five years, CR teens had been awarded over $13.3 million in college scholarships and 297 teens had completed internships.
2023
Chain Reaction was awarded an Escambia Children's Trust grant for three-years of funding, enabling CR to work with students with at-risk factors and open locations at schools.
Now
We are Chain Reaction. Teens, transforming.
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Chemistry is both a mystery and a marvel—the science of interaction that forms the foundation of everything. It has the power to ignite change or hold it back, to create or dissolve. But the most powerful chemistry is between people—a chemistry of connection, passion, and purpose. When these elements combine with curiosity and determination, true transformation happens.
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At Chain Reaction, we believe in our youth as explorers—social scientists, researchers, and innovators—applying their creativity and curiosity to build new ideas, skills, and connections. Our teens are empowered to experiment, grow, and thrive.
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We are their laboratory, where challenges become opportunities and questions turn into insights. We help them develop not only a skillset but also a mindset that transforms both themselves and their communities. Our experiential education approach encourages teens to build emotional resilience, embrace their strengths, and turn setbacks into comebacks.
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At Chain Reaction, teens don't just learn to lead—they learn to overcome, to dream big, and to make a lasting impact that goes beyond themselves.