by Camille Allen
Headmaster Solid Foundation

Bishop Darius Ashlock, Sr. and Dr. Leslie Ashlock are owners of Solid Foundation Scholastic Program, Inc. located in Stone Mountain, Georgia. This dynamic duo has been business partners for six years and they are loving every minute of it. They have a blended family that includes five children: three boys and two girls. All of the children attend Solid Foundation. The couple went full force with another ministry endeavor this year called, Church of Social Hope which is an extension of the school.

“What makes Solid Foundation unique is the ability and gift we have as a school to reach students who cannot normally be reached,” says CEO and founder Dr. Leslie Ashlock. It has been her experience that as some students may come in with negative reports and a paper trail that has followed them from another school, she has the ability to recognize the gift and talents inside of students and has been able to build upon that. “We recognize that students will not thrive if they are not in the proper environment which encourages them and allows them to feel safe enough to express themselves in their own unique way,” says Dr. Ashlock. Her husband, Bishop Darius Ashlock, Sr. can definitely empathize with each of the children here as he faced educational challenges in his early years. Not only did he grow up in Watts, California, but he was reading on a fourth grade level in the twelfth grade. “If it wasn’t for a teacher who took the time to teach me how to read, I would not have made it out of Watts into the military, a nursing career, and entrepreneurial endeavors,” says Bishop Ashlock. Bishop Ashlock is also a very savvy business man and was able to share his experiences as he taught an Economics class this year. As a couple, it is amazing to see how they each operate in their gifts separately but for the same goal. Throughout the day at Solid Foundation, you can hear them encourage one another and experience the love they have for each other demonstrated through the support they provide to fulfill each of their goals.

Just as Solid Foundation transforms the lives of children, it is the couple’s desire that The Church of Social Hope led, by Bishop Darius Ashlock, Sr. will transform people from where they are into the person God desires for them to be. Bishop Ashlock says, “I pray that God uses us to reach this community by providing a place where the true Word of God is presented and the power of God can be manifested to bring forth deliverance, healing and prosperity in the lives of His people.”