We recently connected with Kristian McInnis and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kristian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

. At the age of 3, Iwas diagnosed with Strabismus. Strabismus, more commonly known as cross-eyed or wall-eyed, is a vision condition in which a person can not align both eyes simultaneously under normal conditions. One or both of the eyes may turn in, out, up or down. Growing up my parents made sure that I had the best care for my vision. I saw the best doctors and it has benefited me throughout my life.

In 2017, Kristian established ICU Vision Foundation. ICU Vision Foundation is dedicated to bringing awareness and help to children and adults that have vision problems as well as providing assistance to help those in need.

Understanding the cost of visioncare and the importance of it, I wanted to make a difference. Most medical plans do not include vision and the ones that do are for the bare minimum need. I wanted to help those who didn’t have the resources to help themselves. Vision is important. If you cannot see where you are then you will not be able to see where you can go. It is my desire to give the gift of sight and help make a difference in the lives of others.

Kristian, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

. I was born and raised in Conyers, GA. I have always had a passion for helping others. As a child, I’ve always wanted to be “the helper.” I think my love for helping others stemmed from my religious background. I grew up in church, and I’m a Minister. My goal has always been to make a difference and, not only in the pulpit! I am afforded to the opportunity to do this full time now alongside my husband, Pastor Archie Lee McInnis III aka Pastor Tre. We currently lead our church, Full Effect Allentown in Pennsylvania.

After high school, I accepted an internship with the Fulton Atlanta Community Action Authority. FACAA is a nonprofit organization in Atlanta that is geared towards helping low-income families become self-sufficient. This organization is funded by the government and offers an array of services. I came to FACAA not knowing anything about community action, but I knew I wanted to gain the experience by working with this organization. I grew up in a middle-class family, and honestly, I didn’t even know that programs like the ones FACAA offered, even existed. Under the direction of the CEO, Dr. Joyce Dorsey, I learned all there is to know about community action. My role required me to be completely be hands-on with clients, Board Members, State Officials, etc.

I learned that some people literally depend on the services of FACAA and other organizations in order to survive. Being at FACAA ignited a drive in me to do more for those in need. My experience at FACAA helped me to determine how I would start my organization, and it was there that I began the ICU Vision Foundation.

ICU started as a program under the umbrella of FACAA’s services. We started only offering the services to children but soon discovered that seniors and adults needed the services as well. There was no grant money from the government, but I began to raise money via a GoFund Me account and speaking engagements.

I built a relationship with the LensCrafters Store. ICU pays for eye exams with local doctors and the LensCrafters’ Store produces the lenses and glasses.

This year, I recently launched my own eyeglass line, Izella by Krissy. Izella is a collection of stylish frames for women. I am excited about this line which is named after my grandmother, Agnes Izella Hanson. I have been wearing glasses since age 3. They are part of my identity. When you wear glasses as much as I do you want to look fly. It is because of this I created Izella. The profit from Izella also helps to fund ICU. Izella by Krissy is available at Black Eye Optical. This is a black owned business started by friend Armon B.

www.blackeyeoptical.com

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Staying visible! Social media is major. Being visible is key. It is important that you post content consistently and maintain the interest of your consumer. I am notorious for posting videos or even going live to keep my supporters updated.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I learned that it’s important to post even when you think noone is following. Following others especially those in the same field is helpful. Using hashtags was really helpful, but the best advice I could offer is to never stop! You have to always remember that your product is valuable and to never stop. Keep going! Keep pushing. Consistency is key. There is an audience for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.keepingupwithkris.com
• Instagram: krismcinnis_
• Facebook: Kristian McInnis
• Twitter: iamkrisb

Image Credits
Natasha Fagans