While working as a fashion designer, Christina found herself being the only girl volunteering with an army of tradesmen to renovate buildings for nonprofits—and she loved it! The amazing work of Servant’s Heart Ministry has turned out to be her true calling that she never could have expected.
After decades working as a traditional real estate developer, one day Tim Sittema was shocked by a study that ranked his city of Charlotte as dead last in upward mobility out of the top 50 cities and he couldn’t unsee this reality. Tim felt called to dedicate 50% of his time on a type of development that you would never do if your goal was to make money: affordable housing. He’s since built around 500 affordable housing units, with another 500 on the way!
After decades working as a traditional real estate developer, one day Tim Sittema was shocked by a study that ranked his city of Charlotte as dead last in upward mobility out of the top 50 cities and he couldn’t unsee this reality. Tim felt called to dedicate 50% of his time on a type of development that you would never do if your goal was to make money: affordable housing. He’s since built around 500 affordable housing units, with another 500 on the way!
Realizing that his traditional therapy was failing kids with substance abuse and mental health challenges, Bob Zaccheo was tired of it and so one day he decided to do something wildly different. His Project LIFT now successfully trains over 1,000 troubled teens a year in 11 different trades, while they do therapy in these natural settings, such as “under the hood of a car”. They’re solving 4 of society’s biggest challenges all at once (the skilled trades gap, poverty, mental health, addiction) and there should be a chapter in every region of America.
Shane is the co-founder of Memphis Inner-City Rugby, which has brought a sport that was pretty darn foreign to the inner-city to 2,400 students! 100% of them have been accepted into college or the military, 60 of them have played collegiate rugby, and they’ve helped their players receive more than $5 million in scholarships.
Shane is the co-founder of Memphis Inner-City Rugby, which has brought a sport that was pretty darn foreign to the inner-city to 2,400 students! 100% of them have been accepted into college or the military, 60 of them have played collegiate rugby, and they’ve helped their players receive more than $5 million in scholarships.
Chad’s life was forever changed when he was asked to teach 8 young men in juvenile detention how to make ice cream. The chef couldn’t go back to running a “normal” restaurant and felt he had no choice but to launch Cafe Momentum, an award-winning Dallas restaurant that’s 100% run by youth leaving the juvenile justice system. Over 1,000 youth have worked there as paid interns while also benefiting from 12 months of case management and programming. Their incredible model has expanded into Pittsburgh and they’re ready to scale across the country.
When the World Trade Center was struck on 9/11, Sonia promised her husband, an NYPD officer who responded to the attack, that she wouldn’t go to the site to help. But she couldn’t keep that promise and volunteered as a recovery worker at Ground Zero on overnight shifts. In addition to grieving their losses, the Agrons soon began to deal with various illnesses brought on by exposure to Ground Zero’s toxic environment. In spite of this, Sonia has continued volunteering by leading tours at the 9/11 Tribute Museum and 9/11 Memorial.
When the World Trade Center was struck on 9/11, Sonia promised her husband, an NYPD officer who responded to the attack, that she wouldn’t go to the site to help. But she couldn’t keep that promise and volunteered as a recovery worker at Ground Zero on overnight shifts. In addition to grieving their losses, the Agrons soon began to deal with various illnesses brought on by exposure to Ground Zero’s toxic environment. In spite of this, Sonia has continued volunteering by leading tours at the 9/11 Tribute Museum and 9/11 Memorial.
Cheri used to be gripped by meth and alcohol. Even during her own struggles with addiction, she helped formerly incarcerated Americans get jobs. Today, Cheri’s been sober for 4.5 years and her second chance staffing agency Cornbread Hustle hired more than 1,000 returning citizens last year.