How the VMLY&R Foundation Supports Employee Passion

My passion lies in community engagement, voter education and civic advocacy. My vehicle to make an impact in these areas is cultivated by social action, involvement and leadership opportunities rooted within my beloved sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, as well as community partners such as Election Protection.

 

In addition to serving as a poll monitor in local, midterm, and national election cycles for nearly 10 years, I’ve also organised advocacy events with local government officials and led voter registration activations throughout metro-Atlanta. My social action committee registered over 300 students across nearly 15 high schools during my leadership. Similarly, I also created a “Justice and Jail Day” in conjunction with DeKalb County’s Sheriff Office Community Relations and Magistrate Court to expose middle school students to legal careers, including a courtroom mock trial experience.

 

The development of these outreach programs is made possible through my strategic partner collaboration over the years, including local chapters of NAACP and New Georgia Project. While my HBCU experience at Hampton University offered a foundation in student government and civic organising, my volunteering in this area flourished upon relocating to the South. The adjacency to Black American history born in this region, not to mention family roots in Alabama and South Carolina, have truly shaped my public service. Thus far, this work has paved my journey in spreading this message from the Georgia State Capitol to the US Capitol, and I will press forward for every voter’s ability to exercise their right to vote at the ballot box.

The VMLY&R Foundation has offered me an amazing vehicle to introduce resources, as well as unique volunteer and community engagement ideas, to the various organisations I serve. Personally, I have truly enjoyed the relationships gained from my experience representing the VMLY&R Detroit office on the Foundation board and strengthening its presence within the metro community for my colleagues.

I am an avid supporter of Bigger Than Sneakers (BTS), a local nonprofit that showcases the larger ecosystem surrounding sneaker culture. Through workshops and events, a mentorship program, and youth-focused community initiatives, BTS empowers and inspires the leaders of tomorrow.    

I had been friends with Matt Tomamichel, the founder, for many years before he started BTS. He wanted to find a way to take the relationships he had made through his love of sneakers and use them to supercharge giving and mentoring within our city, especially with our youth. 

I became involved the first year by connecting Matt to AIGA Cincinnati, a professional organisation for the design community, and helping facilitate and sponsor a few speaking engagements. That turned into me redesigning their logo and branding. From there I have helped with their mentorship program for Cincinnati youth and just about anything you can think a creative might be able to do for a nonprofit looking for help.

Through the VMLY&R Foundation, I have been able to secure multiple grants for Bigger Than Sneakers, helping to continue offering classes and technology to the youth of Cincinnati. 

The idea that mutual love for shoes could lead to an even larger desire to bolster our community is truly Bigger Than Sneakers.

I have supported St. Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound for over 16 years. The Swim is a 25km marathon swim from Port Jefferson, Long Island, to Captain’s Cove in Bridgeport, Connecticut. By raising funds, swimmers help St. Vincent’s provide cancer prevention, support and education programs at low or no cost. They also support individual cancer patients and their families on a case-by-case basis with specific financial needs, allowing them to focus on their health and well-being. I am passionate about this cause because I can use my swimming skills to directly improve the lives of those battling cancer. Not only have I gained incredible friendships through the swim, but I have seen, firsthand, the amazing impact it has within our community.

 

The VMLY&R Foundation exists to support and celebrate the charitable causes that are important to our employees and has been incredibly supportive of me by providing grants as well as matching gifts over many years. I am proud to be a member of the Foundation advisory committee and love to witness all the good are doing for our VMLY&R communities across the world.

Since 2018, I’ve been involved in an organisation called Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) —  an organisation dedicated to providing care for vulnerable populations. MSC began as a home for children with disabilities in Kingston, Jamaica, and has since expanded to five countries providing residential care to children and adults with a range of developmental and physical disabilities, children with HIV/AIDS, and teen mothers.

MSC is a community I have always held close since my first visit and feel passionately about its mission and purpose. A community rooted in loving service, mutual respect, and joy — these values are exuded in everyone who touches MSC: nurses, caretakers, residents, volunteers, leadership, etc. Without even realising it, so much of what I intrinsically believe in today model the values of the organisation. When we act out of love and care for our communities, the world is fundamentally a better place and JMS is a testament to what love in action looks like. And I, for one, believe in love as a concrete revolutionary practice.

I feel lucky that through the VMLY&R Foundation, I’ve been able to provide a grant to the organisation that goes directly towards the care of MSC’s residents, and I look forward to exploring further modes of partnership through our agency’s incredible resources.

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