One of the most important ways to have a large impact in life is by focusing on communities that are ignored and overlooked. These communities are often the ones most in need of help, tools, and services but for a variety of reasons the largest players in most industries chose not to work on serving them. We’ve been so touched by the thousands of members of our community who are working on serving the underserved from tackling food deserts to building empowering solutions for the neurodiverse. Each week, you’ll find us highlighting folks serving underserved communities.

Larry Witherspoon Jr

In my youth, I learned many lessons about opportunity. My parents sacrificed to send me to private school rather than public school. My private school education was very challenging as I played sports as well. It wasn’t uncommon for me to fall asleep while studying, wake up early for school due to the long commute, and then practice till after dark. I learned the fruits of hard work and camaraderie with my classmates and teammates. Read more>>

Aki Hirata Baker

MINKA brooklyn was created based on my experience of being a student of holistic wellness and healing as well as a practitioner. Through those experiences, I grew to realize that the first ingredients of healing are to feel safe and vulnerable. For many reasons, those ingredients weren’t guaranteed for people that hold marginalized identities. I wanted to have a space where space is created for people that hold marginalized identities to be able to exist and not censor themselves and their way of being when they enter. Read more>>

Lina Rugova

The entrepreneurial community is often divided into those who are successful and those who are not. However, there is a large population of underrepresented entrepreneurs in any community because their ventures have not yet been taken off because they don’t know where to start or they have been unsuccessful. They call themselves emerging entrepreneurs. To serve the underserved entrepreneurial community, I created Emerge and Rise™. Read more>>

Joel Harris

I had no intention of getting into this field of photography, but I’ve always been about keeping an open mind. So when I was contacted by the Army Sniper Association to assist them in coverage of military events and competitions, I was a bit surprised, but excited for the challenge. Read more>>

Brittney Smith

This past Thanksgiving we have been able to host our “Stuff the Bag” Clothing event at our community closet. It was amazing to see the amount of people that we were able to serve. We gave away 140 bags (2 bags per person) for guests to stuff with however much they wanted. Usually we have limits on our items when they shop, but during these events, we allow them to grab as many items as they want. It is truly a fun and engaging event. The team is always happy to have community member’s backs, treating them with kindness and love, while providing them with what they need. Read more>>