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.

Kami Anderson

When I was a middle school teacher, I had a student. We’ll call him Kenny for this story. The summer prior to coming into my Spanish class, he JUST learned to match consonants to sounds. LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR: he just learned that when he sees the letter “b” it makes the buh sound and when he sees the letter “h” it makes the ha sound. They wanted to pull him out of my Spanish class. Read more>>

Sara Cottle

When you’re a kid — especially a kid in the 90s in rural America — the idea of being a filmmaker most likely included a lot of lights and fame and fortune and a little dramatic flair; something adjacent to Hollywood. At some point, if you’re me, you start finding indie films and arthouse films and fall in love with the classics and by this point, you start to understand narrative and perspective on a much deeper level. Read more>>

Taylor Burris

My name is Taylor Burris and my partner James Spikes and I are Co-Founders of IRIS Creative Projects Agency and The AI Hub based in the River Market of KCMO. As alumnae of two of the top HBCUs in the world, Morehouse and Spelman College, we have always found it our mission to be a voice, resource, and active support for our communities of color. Read more>>

Monica Curteman

In the world we live in, it can be overwhelming to think of all the problems we face and that thought alone can prevent you from serving. The one’s who suffer the most are the low socioeconomic, marginalized populations that are in every one of our communities. I’ve found that change is within reach when you bring the focus into a micro view and taking baby steps to serve within your zip code. Then, become more involved within organizations within your city, state, and the world. You might even feel inclined to start your own once you’ve got your feet wet. Read more>>

Jock Brocas

Who is the underserved, is there such a thing? This is a greatly misunderstood concept because many people feel underserved if they do not get or achieve what is the focus of their perceptions and expectations, but the truth is their perceptions are governed by others’ expectations. So for me, the underserved are those who suffer from spiritual crises, which may sound like something religious, but it is far from it. Read more>>

Raven Shutley

There are a lot of issues in the wedding industry that pockets of folks like me have been working to change over the years. There are entire groups of people still being ignored or underserved in the wider industry, people who aren’t seeing themselves represented or even spoken to by companies and wedding vendors. A huge part of my mission as both an artist and a service-based vendor is to create safe and comfortable spaces for people to see and be themselves. Read more>>

John Dismukes

The beginnings of my business, Arching Dog Productions, started with doing small benefit shows with my friend Dany Carpentino and our band “Straight Out of New Braunfels”. We were supporting a refugee center here in Austin, Casa Marianella, which is a non profit near and dear to my heart. This is a great example of good karma as during our third year doing this benefit gig, I met Jon Muq, this incredible musician from Uganda who wanted to come play our show. At the time I met Jon I had been laid off from my previous employer of 25 years and looking to start my own business in wedding counseling services. Read more>>

Jeffrey Tarver

Being of service is one of the most rewarding things that one can engage in. Since I was in high school, I always knew that I wanted to make an impact on the world and I wanted to do that through working with youth on a global scale. To this date, I’ve been able to mentor youth through sports in 5 different countries, Brazil, Panama, Nigeria, Ghana, and of course, the United States. Read more>>

Florencia Moran

LIFT Sports Foundation is a non-profit company created to help professional athletes with their philanthropic endeavors by energizing their personal missions. We do this by educating and guiding professional athletes with their charitable missions and connecting them with underserved community organizations. We also take on projects ourselves and create opportunities for those in need and provide them with a better life. Read more>>

Stephanie Friedl

Much of how I view the world is through a lens of equity and equal opportunity. It is my fundamental belief that every human being deserves the chance to reach their full potential and thrive. Historically, access to a college degree has been reserved for the privileged and, as such, is fraught with systemic barriers, both large and small, obvious and subtle, and too numerous to count. Though I don’t have the power to change the system, I can use my expertise and passion to help change the trajectory of lives, one student at a time. Read more>>

Erica Sanchez

The Latino population is the fastest growing group in the United States; thus, it is imperative that business developers and other type of businesses coaches provide tools and resources from accredited experts that can help small business owners grow into a enterprise and or most importantly built passive wealth. Read more>>

Lansana Sesay

I was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Where the land and people are beautiful, but opportunity for growth is limited. Our community is close knit, we pride ourselves in tribe and family. My grandfather had a total of eight wives, so essentially I was raised by a village. My family is big and diverse, we always make sure everyone is taken care of. Growing up I was blessed. My aunt adopted and raised me with her three sons. I went from escaping the Civil War in Sierra Leone, to living in a big house in Bowie, MD. Read more>>

Adrian Tonon

Ever since I was ten years old I have used my privilege, access and relationships to serve my community and peers, who many came from underserved circumstances. As a first generation American, my Italian immigrant parents opened a restaurant named Cafe | Cortina where I hosted thousands of people over the years to gather around the table, break bread, discuss area issues and later implement solutions. As a public servant and entrepreneur I continue to do the work I have been doing since my childhood. Read more>>

Mandy LaVelle

Lucky 13 Rescue is a federal 501(c)3 foster home based organization dedicated to the rescue and aid of homeless and neglected dogs in the Kansas City metro and surrounding rural areas. We do not limit our efforts to a specific breed, but rather strive to assist any dog that is facing neglect, homelessness, abuse or death. Our ultimate goal is to rehabilitate each canine in our care through placement in loving foster homes until they can be carefully matched with adoptive families. Read more>>