We asked members of the community how their organizations help the community. We’ve shared some of the responses below.

Zhiqiu Jin | Editor

Film, in my opinion, is a tremendously powerful medium capable of changing the world. The pandemic has wreaked havoc and sparked resentment, particularly among Asians. Since 2020, the number of Asians attacked in public has risen dramatically. The prejudice brought on by a long-held stereotype about over the pandemic issue worsened the situation for Asian people. I believe one of the most effective methods to break the stereotype is to speak up and gain greater mainstream media exposure for our community. Read more>>

Mars Wright | Trans Artist, Activist and Influencer

With the onslaught of Transphobic legislature telling Trans people we don’t deserve equal access to healthcare, bathrooms, or sports it is so important that Trans Joy is visible. My art – specifically my pieces stating Trans Joy is Resistance have been painted on the walls of the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center and are a mural on the NonProfit ProjectQ. I want to spread this message further and get billboards in towns that are not as safe to show people there is hope and encourage them to fight for the Trans people in their community. Read more>>

Elisa Galvan | Illustrator & Comic Author

I’ve dedicated the last couple of years to creating social comics that represent the impact of toxic masculinity in Mexico. Due to the increase in violence against women, I wanted to dive into the male perspective to understand why they commit abuse. So, I was awarded a government sponsorship to develop a graphic novel about this issue and portray the types of violence that make our society a broken one. I want people to look at the problem in the eye through my illustrations and comic strips, and somehow make them take the first step to have an open conversation about this with their community. Read more>>

Kathy Heath | Autism Awareness Advocate

When I was initially faced with my child’s autism diagnosis, I felt really alone. Even though autism is a pretty common diagnosis I didn’t know anyone with an autistic child. Though I was surrounded by supportive family and friends, I felt very isolated and didn’t have anyone to relate to on that personal level. What helped was hearing stories of other people who had lived through something similar. Read more>>

Beth Lane | Filmmaker

I started my company, de Lamorondiere Rock Productions, to promote social justice through cinema, creating documentary films with a strong narrative structure. My aim is to tell stories that celebrate the best parts of humanity prevailing in the face of adversity, prompting important conversations about social issues and challenging audiences to view the world from a new perspective. Read more>>

Ashni Mehta | Founder @ Incite Social & Social Justice Advocate

Incite Social is a social impact marketing and branding agency with a digital first, community-based approach. We work exclusively with purpose driven, women and POC-owned brands, campaigns, and non-profits to expand their digital footprint and amplify their impact. Whether our clients are building representation, empowering woman artisans from India, or finding ways to incorporate Ayurvedic superfoods in our daily diet — helping the community is at the core of what drives us all. Read more>>

Krystal Flores | Owner + CEO | Soy Latina Candles

Giving back is the heart of my business. I feel grateful to be able to give back to my community and others in need. I donate a portion of each purchase to Ronald McDonald House Charity, and Eye on Vision Foundation. RMHC supports families that have a child in the hospital. This charity is important to me because I’ve experienced their kindness and encouragement when my son had open heart surgery. Read more>>

Evita Hilario | Candle Business Owner

For me, lighting a candle helps ground me. I feel like there are a lot of distractions in the world and it gets heavy, but lighting a candle helps me be present. Kind of like a pause button that mutes all the chaos around and that’s what I hope happihuman candles do for people. It was also important to me that happihuman did our part to help the environment. On top of using sustainable materials we partnered with an organization called ‘One Tree Planted’. So with every candle purchase, we plant one tree in the Philippines to help reforestation efforts. Read more>>

Tommaso Annoni | Music Composer

Music is extremely powerful. Often we don’t even notice it, but it permeates our lives – from songs playing in the various stores we visit, to ads, and entertainment being filled with it. It is therefore always a pleasure to be able to enhance a story’s emotional impact through music. And each and every story has its own director’s vision and needs a specific emotional undertone.
For example, in scoring the short movie “Cutthroat”, written by Tristan McKenzie, it was important to follow the protagonists, building tension toward the climax, but also evoking the “broken” world around them. Read more>>

Nguzo Ogbodo | Global Citizen and a fierce advocate for girls

I founded a non profit organization in 2011, a leader in period poverty and providing educational intervention, and giving access to safe space for girls and young women in low income communities in Africa. As the organization grew i learnt the obstacles that these young girls faces from balancing and providing for their family and going through puberty, for many of them puberty is a vulnerable time when they face challenges including sexual harassment, abuse, early marriage, unwanted pregnancy and absence from school which threatens their health and well being. The challenges are amplified when girls like the knowledge and tools they need to navigate puberty safely with dignity. Read more>>