There’s a concept of the Matthew Effect which uses math to illustrate what folks have lamented about for thousands of years – the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Take tech for example – the rich and poor often have different problems, but because it’s more profitable to solve problems for the wealthy a disproportionate share of tech innovation focuses on solving problems for the affluent. However, it doesn’t have to be this way – and we have been blown away by the thousands of members of our community who have devoted their lives through their businesses, organizations and art to serve the underserved.

Hannah Overton

Syndeo Ministries is a non-profit organization focused on helping women impacted by the legal system, as well as women who have experienced other traumatic situations. At this time, many incarcerated women are in prisons without air conditioning, which means that during these times of extreme Texas heat, many are suffering from heat-related illnesses and even death. The conditions from the lack of AC have been in the news frequently lately, and efforts to make changes will hopefully be successful. In the meantime, Syndeo, along with supporters around the country have banded together to provide relief in the form of reusable cups and cooling towels. How do these products make a difference? Read more>>

Nailah Queen

Regally Insane’s unique value proposition lies in our commitment to providing 100% all-natural products in the hair and body health space. Unlike many competitors, our products are crafted with organic ingredients, setting us apart in the industry. We understand the significance of offering truly natural solutions without compromising on quality or effectiveness. As a consumer, it’s frustrating to navigate store aisles and come across hair products that claim to be natural but still contain hard-to-pronounce and potentially harmful ingredients. At Regally Insane, we prioritize transparency and authenticity. Our customers can trust that our products are genuinely all-natural, free from harmful chemicals, and made with carefully selected organic ingredients. Read more>>

Alyson Caffrey

I worked with a mompreneur to help her plan her second maternity leave. When we were in her very first discovery session, she shared with me that during her first pregnancy, her small design agency was about half the size. She was the sole breadwinner in her home and she was petrified to let her clients know she was pregnant. Afraid that they would all cancel their design retainers and she’d lose all her business. Preparing for a meeting with a prospect, she confided that she chose the baggiest shirt she owned to wear to the meeting. Afraid that this prospect wouldn’t do business with her because she was expecting a child in just a few months. The shrinking access to maternity leave and support welcoming a new child is shrinking for employees and abysmal for moms running their own shops. Read more>>

Sade Beaulieu

At Overcome Counseling, we work with underserved minorities. As a Black woman I know firsthand how the lack of needed resources can impact a person of color. Most minority groups may not know the realm of mental health services and therefore are more likely to seek help from their primary care providers rather than a counselor. This is something that I am passionate about because I can use my cultural background and knowledge to help reach minority groups who have been underserved and ineffectively served by mental health professionals. This is important to me because I see the need for this within my community, in which I live. Read more>>

Anthony Lee

We sell Real Estate however the black and brown community are the smallest group of homeowners. Our goal is to inform our community of what it takes to be a homeowner but also make the process easier so that they can bridge the homeownership gap. Read more>>

Laurie Sherman Graff

The primary goal of Heart Gallery NYC is the placement of children in NYC foster care into loving, adoptive families. In order to continue to address this issue, and in response to the needs of older youngsters across the state, we have expanded our reach to include all New York state children in the state’s foster care system in need of “forever families”. Many of the youngsters we deal with who age out of the system without finding an adoptive family enter adulthood facing a future defined by incarceration in the penal system, homelessness, drug/alcohol abuse, lack of educational opportunities and poverty. Read more>>

Kami Redd

3 Kings Ranch & Rehabilitation Center is a new non-profit organization in East Texas, driven by a mission to house and educate young men in foster care. Our vision is to offer hope and opportunities to Texas foster children through agriculture. Our programs focus on education, sustainable farming, entrepreneurship, and responsibility. By providing a nurturing home, comprehensive education, and practical skills in agriculture, we aim to empower these young men to become self-reliant, responsible, and confident individuals who can positively impact their communities. Read more>>

Sam Sasan

the cornerstone of our business is built on serving the underserved. A story that perfectly illustrates this commitment involves a community often overlooked in the world of art and photography — individuals with different abilities. It all began with a casual conversation at an art show. I met a wonderfully talented artist named Mara, who happened to be visually impaired. Jane told me about the struggles she faced while trying to express her artistic vision — from inaccessible art spaces to the lack of proper guidance, she experienced it all. Her story moved me deeply, and it was at that moment I realized the gap that existed within our artistic community. Read more>>

Teresa Landrum

We are the first driving school in the Raleigh Frayser community. We are black owned and woman owned. I started Caswell Group Driving School in the Frayser community intentionally because I feel the residents in this community deserve the same opportunities as other communities. Students come to us and many times they have went to other driving schools. One had been to three, but we have a way of reaching our own. He wasn’t able to pass the knowledge test to obtain his permit. We present the curriculum in many different ways understanding people learn differently. In addition, we know students don’t have transportation to get to the DMV to take the test, so there has been times we have rented a bus, loaded up 15 students and took them to the DMV to pass. Read more>>

Darnell Barton

We constantly reach back through mentorship and nonprofit collaborations. However, here is a write up of our last event. On May 13, 2023, Barton Law lead the partnership of the State Bar Young Lawyer Section and the State Bar Criminal Law Section (along with other local community organizations such as the Semaj Morgan Foundation, We 3 Queens nonprofit, She Evolves LLC, Moms Demand Action, Pastor Berry from the “Church of the Messiah,” and many more) to honor those mothers who have unfortunately lost a child to violence. The goal of the event was to bring awareness to the epidemic of violence in communities, as well as provide a legal clinic for mothers to receive help as to how to navigate the abstract justice system. Read more>>

Kathryn Thomas

People Helping People (PHP) is dedicated to reducing the number of children living in poverty by teaching low-income women, primarily single moms, how to earn an adequate income. People Helping People believes that every woman is capable and deserving of achieving success and self-sufficiency. We do this by helping them see the benefits of work, identify and navigate barriers, understand their transferable skills, create a personal breakeven, and communicate their value to employers. Each year, our volunteer-centric program works with hundreds of women and/or single mothers who are under-employed. Teaching from the employer’s perspective helps clients learn how to navigate the world of work and build the confidence needed to make changes personally and professionally. PHP is shifting the paradigm from seeing people as problems to solve, to seeing people who are capable of solving problems. Read more>>

Amy Grissom

These have been my absolute favorite projects to capture. I have worked with an organization called Outreach Inc. They offer services to the homeless youth of Indianapolis. I have had the privilege of seeing each of the centers and what happens there. Capturing the moments of youth and workers and seeing the genuine looks of hope and appreciation was really impacting to me. I was able to sit in on some of their workshop times called “walk a mile in my shoes”. On the ground where different words of trauma experienced. It absolutely broke my heart to hear some of the stories and ways these youth had been hurt and abandoned. Read more>>

Mhairi Loeb

Hair Aid is an organization that provides a unique form of support to underserved communities by offering free hair cutting training to individuals living in poverty, particularly in developing countries. This training empowers these individuals with a skill set that allows them to start their own micro-business and earn an income, improving their life circumstances. Here’s a story that illustrates the importance of Hair Aid’s work: and one that I was personally involved with: Read more>>

Oceania Cavazos

The Deep End Cafe & Gallery serves communities experiencing poverty, addiction, food desserts (lack of access to nutritional foods) and other issues related to marginalization such as discrimination and racism. Our mission is to provide healthy food and beverage to the communities we serve and make intentional social impact as a business. There are two main ways for how we create social impact in the communities we serve. One example can be seen through our partnership with Tuguava Coffee, a local Detroit company that sources our coffee from a family farm of 5 generations in the Volcanos of Guatemala. Tuguava works with a company that provides clean water filtration systems and services to the families surrounding the farms. Proceeds from the coffee we sell go toward funding these services. The other example is the consistent curation of art and events in our gallery that represent the people we serve in the most authentic way. Read more>>