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.

Coliene Belle

I love being able to photograph everyone’s family, and every couple. We are so lucky to have some amazing same-sex couples as clients, we are lucky to have some families with special needs children as clients. To me, there’s no better feeling than getting pictures with a family that have struggled with past photo experiences. We take our time with special needs clients, we understand that there may be a little extra time needed… Read more>>

Micah Chapman

1 out of 6 Americans adults are “smartphone-only” internet users which means they own a smartphone but do not have home broadband service. At Tech Goes Home TN (The Enterprise Center), our goal is to reduce the digital divide in Tennessee through trainings, technical assistance, targeted technical assistance, coaching, and help desk assistance to child care educators and child care agencies. The digital divide is the gap between those who have affordable access, skills, and support to effectively engage online and those who do not. Read more>>

Taylor Nelson

Before covid, Our Sister’s community would put on a Christmas event for a few hundred at risk youth each winter. It was such a humble experience being able to put smiles on the children’s face… but I think what was most rewarding for me personally, was seeing how relieved the parents were that they didn’t have to come out of pocket for Christmas. Read more>>

Joshua Whitlatch

Skill and talent, in my opinion, is scattered throughout the country pretty evenly. However, opportunity and options are not always dispersed evenly. I try and fill that gap as much as I can with my company, Just Work Athletics. Teaching the game to young kids that might not have that parent around as much as I did, is something I love doing. Putting a ball in a young person’s hands can open doors with no limits or boundaries. Read more>>

Tatjana Brown

Being a small business owner for me has always been about having the capacity and the reach to give back to the community in a bigger way than we ever could individually. We are retail wine shop, but we are so much more. We have dedicated ourselves to contributing to the community time and time again with offerings through fundraising orders, donation collection and always having a focus on giving back to our community. Read more>>

LaTosha McCauley

LaTosha the Author LLC and LTA Publishing are black-owned companies derived from the mind of LaTosha McCauley. Being an advocate reader when she was younger, she enjoyed the wonderful and magical places a novel could take her. However, when she got older, she realized there weren’t many characters between those books’ pages that looked like her. Read more>>

Deidra Ewing

At risk youth, tired working women, new business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs are all an underserved communities. I’m in a very blessed position to have over ten years of experience in being a wife, mother, dual career professional, and the owner of more than one successful business. There are so many people struggling to find time to handle all of life’s commitments, yet alone finding time to pursue their goals. Through my ten plus years of experience with successfully handling “all of the things”, I’ve been branded amongst the communities that I get to serve as the “Time Management Expert”. Read more>>

Jameelah Wilkerson

TMRW SOLUTIONS and Imjustjay.com Announce The Wealthy Being Festival Tour Empowering Local Communities Through Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship TMRW SOLUTIONS and Imjustjay.com are proud to announce the Wealthy Being ™ Festival Tour. This touring festival is a series of events, workshops, and classes aimed at empowering and energizing local communities through the promotion of Education & Mentorship within Finance, Culture, Diversity, and Entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Audrey Hayes

Audrey Hayes is the President of a non-profit organization called Unique Pieces. Unique Pieces Inc partners with after school programs, summer camps and churches to provide free tasty healthy meals for children. This organization has served over 500,000 meals in 50 locations across 10 years. Read more>>

Shelby Oates

When my husband and I were living in Atlanta, Georgia, I started a very small grass roots nonprofit called The Umbrella Project ATL & East Coast. The mission was simple: We can ALL fit under the umbrella. TOGETHER. It was a movement where I began sharing food w/ people as I walked around the streets. I would prepare warm home cooked meals and take them directly to my non-housed neighbors. Read more>>

Omar Soto

as years pass by and I grow older I get to understand what are some of the things that matter the most in the world, when we help a cause it fills us up as humans. one of the things that made me the happiest recently was helping with my craft special needs kids and sexually abused kids in Venezuela, by creating a campaign and assisting several nonprofits to generate more awareness. seeing that with my craft I can generate a channel for people to see and motivate them to grow it has given me a new look at life. Read more>>

Tiombé O’Rourke

We provide direct aid to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Read more>>