Birmingham, Alabama · 501(c)(3) Public Charity

Every turning point begins with a single step.

We advance AI literacy and mental health literacy in the Birmingham communities technology too often overlooks — walking alongside our neighbors, not ahead of them. Every program, free of charge.

Walk the Path — Donate Get Involved
501(c)(3) Public Charity EIN 42-1866141 Founded in Birmingham · 2026 All programs free of charge

Our Mission

Community care and responsible technology, at the same table.

We expand mental health access for underserved communities — and we study how emerging tools can serve, not overlook, the people too often left out. Service builds trust. Trust makes honest research possible. And research, done responsibly, returns real value to the community it came from.

What We Do

Two missions, one road.

Our work moves along two pillars that fork from the same starting point — and always rejoin. Both map directly to the program activities approved in our IRS determination.

Research & Responsible AI

The Kairos Institute of AI and Mental Health

We research how artificial intelligence can responsibly support mental health for communities mainstream technology tends to overlook — keeping the people we serve at the center of the work, not at its margins.

  • Governance framework research — an ELSI-based spiral model for community AI
  • Cultural bias audits of mental health language models, built on community-consented data
  • AI literacy & community trust studies
  • ReadRight AI — an AI-assisted adult literacy tool, free to partner organizations
Peer-reviewed outputsOpen dissemination
Community Outreach

The Giving Circle Project

We meet immediate, practical needs through direct community outreach. Service comes first, and trust is built one neighbor at a time.

  • Nourish Birmingham — food, clothing, and basic-needs assistance paired with AI and mental health literacy materials
  • K-12 educational pathway partnerships in AI ethics and mental health careers
  • Digital-skills and AI literacy seminars designed for seniors 60+
  • Adult literacy support with community partner organizations
Youth K-12AdultsSeniors 60+

Service builds trust. Trust shapes research. Research gives back. The road rejoins.

The Road Ahead

We're at the beginning of the road. Here is exactly where we are.

No inflated numbers, no borrowed stories. Just real, verifiable milestones — and where your support takes us next.

  1. April 2026

    Incorporated in Alabama

    Damascus Path Initiative founded as an Alabama nonprofit corporation in Birmingham.

  2. May 2026

    IRS 501(c)(3) determination received

    Recognized as a public charity, effective from incorporation. Every donation is tax-deductible.

  3. May 2026

    Governance framework adopted

    Bylaws with an independent board majority, dual financial oversight, conflict-of-interest protocols, and a strict no-spend-ahead-of-revenue policy.

Why no impact counters? Because we haven't earned them yet — and we won't pretend otherwise. We believe an honest beginning is worth more than an impressive-looking one. As our programs launch, this page will report real, verified outcomes.

Our Name

Why we are called the Damascus Path.

The road to Damascus: a journey on which a man set out to do harm and was instead stopped, changed, and given new sight. Over centuries it has come to stand for a turning point — the moment of clarity that sends a person down a different road. That image sits at the center of our work in three ways.

I

It's a path, not a single moment.

Real change — in a community, in a person's mental health, in how technology gets built — rarely happens all at once. It's a road walked over time, and we mean to walk it alongside the people we serve, not out ahead of them.

II

It's about restored sight.

The story turns on someone whose sight is taken and then given back. Our work begins by seeing the people existing systems overlook — and building care and research that keep them in full view.

III

It's about second chances.

Above all, the road to Damascus says that change is possible for anyone. That conviction shapes how we approach mental health, dignity, and belonging in the communities we serve.

"We're an initiative because the work is ongoing — a direction we've committed to, not a destination we claim to have reached."

Transparency

Trust you can verify.

For donors, grantmakers, and partners: everything we claim traces to our public filings and governing documents.

✦ Alabama registration

Incorporated in Alabama (April 2026) and registered for charitable solicitation with the Alabama Attorney General.

✦ Governance rigor

Independent board majority, family conflict-of-interest protocols, dual signatures on major disbursements, and a no-spend-ahead-of-revenue policy — all written into our bylaws.

✦ Free of charge, always

Every program is provided at no cost to participants. We do not provide clinical services; our work is education, research, and direct community support.

✦ Annual reporting

We file required IRS Form 990-series returns and report finances to our board quarterly. Our Candid/GuideStar profile is on the way.

✦ Open dissemination

Research, curriculum, and tools we develop are released openly, at no cost, to community users, educators, and partner organizations.

Leadership

The people behind the work.

Portrait of Dr. Summyji S. Groom

Dr. Summyji S. Groom, DNP

President & Co-Founder

Dr. Summyji Groom is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) and Doctor of Nursing Practice with clinical experience serving patients across multiple states. She is also completing a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. As President, she leads Damascus Path Initiative's mission to expand mental health access for underserved communities.

Portrait of Eddie Groom

Eddie Groom

Vice President & Co-Founder

Eddie Groom is an electrical engineer with nearly thirty years of experience across multiple industries. He is completing a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering focused on AI, machine learning, and the responsible and ethical use of AI, and holds graduate degrees in electrical engineering, business administration, healthcare administration, and healthcare informatics, along with a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine in progress. As Vice President, he leads the organization's research direction and the Kairos Institute.

Damascus Path Initiative began with a clinician and a researcher who believed two things rarely sit at the same table — meeting the real, immediate needs of underserved communities, and asking hard questions about whether new technology actually serves them. We built an organization where they do.

Get Involved

Three ways to walk with us.

Donate

Fund the launch of Nourish Birmingham and our first literacy programs. 100% of your gift reaches DPI through Zeffy's zero-fee platform.

Walk the Path →

Volunteer

From community outreach days to research support, we'll match your time and skills to the road ahead. Tell us how you'd like to help.

Raise your hand →

Partner

Schools, senior-serving organizations, adult-literacy programs, faith communities, and academic institutions — let's build something together.

Start a conversation →
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