How Social-Savvy Professionals are Making a Difference through 12 Months of Service to the community
By Natasha T. Brown
The one commonality of the DMV’s young, philanthropic leaders that I met with over this past week is that they, like me, have a deep passion for supporting every good cause that needs help. This need to use personal influence for good is what prompted myself and the other Ambassadors of a new community organization group, Smile Nationwide, to create a platform that would encourage people everywhere to unite in supporting good causes anywhere under a social, philanthropic conversation called #12MonthsOfService. It’s a community conglomerate mentality of sorts that has positioned DMV’s young, philanthropic influencers to succeed in business and affect change for thousands through social networks, peer-to-peer mobilization and leveraging resources (and their voices) for the greater good of the community.
In Part 1 of this series
I will introduce you to a group of people who inspire and mobilize the masses, daily. They give a voice to the underserved, provide a platform to urban artists who are often negatively stereotyped; they make kids smile through hospital visits, and provide relief to third world countries; they donate coats and turkeys to homeless and create opportunities for the arts culture to coincide with underserved residents of the DMV.
Today, you will meet them and in future articles we’ll explore their mindsets, ways that you can get involved and what’s to come for DMV’s “Young, Philanthropic, Influencers.”
Meet Sunni.
“I came from a refugee camp in Bosnia, and my family was homeless. When I moved to the DMV and started getting involved in the community, I pictured myself. I was once without a home,” said Sunni (And the City), midday personality of WPGC 95.5 FM. She’s a philanthropist, socialite, and celebrity who makes a difference daily through her deeds.
As an on-air personality Sunni works four hours a day, and so she often fills her days with community work and supporting various charitable social and volunteer events that are going on throughout the region.
“I always try to get myself involved in what is happening. I haven't been an ambassador for a particular cause (before now), but I kinda just go with the flow and help everyone out,” she explained. “I know a lot of people donate to big causes, but I personally like to do things in the DMV, where you can see the kids personally, or donate coats (or something else of need) and know you’re making a real difference.”
Sunni recently became an ambassador for Wish Upon A Teen, and she’s hosting her first fundraising event for the organization on November 29 at the W Hotel.
She’s the Talk of DC.
If you’re not familiar with Yodit Gebreyes, founder of Talk of DC, without a doubt, the DMV’s most consistent and successful female promoter, you are definitely familiar with her work.
Rewind to January 2010
“I remember before I sent the tweet that started DMV Helps Haiti. I was talking with my friend who was Haitian, and I cried with her and I was there for her, and she didn’t know where her family was after the earthquake. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what can I do?’ So I tweeted and people were on it. At our first meeting at Bus Boys and Poets there were literally 100 people there, who were all willing to help, and within a week we put together two events that raised $50,000 for two organizations for Haiti Earthquake Support,” she said.
It was one of the greatest showings of unity and support in the DMV that many had ever seen, attracting, nearly everyone who was doing anything major in music to the movement, just to support. For once, there were no egos, no sense of “me.” The DMV music industry had united.
They make Dreams Work.
A few years ago, Daniel Bradley, one of four co-founders of Dreams Work Inc., an arts non-profit that helps youth realize their talents and how they can make a difference, was in St. Thomas with Dreams Work Co-Founder Anwan “Big G” Glover (co-star in “The Wire”) talking with youth about dreams. One young lady who lived very close to beautiful beaches said that it was her dream to visit the beach that tourists like Bradley get to enjoy, because she had never been. They made her dream come true.
“About three months later she mailed us a thank you letter for talking to the kids about dreams and taking them to the beach. ‘Because of you,’ [she wrote], ‘I am now enrolled in Florida A & M University, because my second dream was to attend college and you made me feel like it was possible.”
For Dreams Work Inc., the arts is just a tool. Their strategy is to teach youth resilience, focus and communication.
“We figure out what goals we can help our youth accomplish and try to figure out where their talent is,” said Bradley.
Her team Will Rap 4 Food.
Melisa Duncan is the Chief Operating Officer of Will Rap 4 Food, Inc. founded by DMV Hip-Hop Artist Pro’Verb. Duncan helps change the perception of hip-hop by inspiring artists and the hip-hop community to volunteer for various causes, including anything positive that members bring to the table, while also operating online and in-person food drives, hosting charity rap concerts for food donations and much more.
Will Rap 4 Food, Inc. envisions the Hip Hop community as the most influential agents of change in the fight against hunger. Their mission is to empower, and mobilize the Hip Hop community to be agents of change in the global eradication of hunger through awareness, unity and the powerful influence of art.
“Our mission and our vision pretty much sums it up. We're very inclusive. You don't have to be a rapper and you don't have to be from the DMV. If someone wants to do a video from California about why Will Rap 4 Food is important to them, that’s fine,” Duncan said. “What it's about is using your gifts and your talents. It could be your business savvy - like with me, I'm not a rapper at all. People have their stereotypes of rappers, but when they come out and hear and see our members talk so intelligently, their perspectives and stereotypes are changed.”
Please follow our philanthropic influencers and their orgs on Twitter: @WillRap4FoodInc and @MelisaKim; @WeMakeDreamsWork; @TalkOfDC and @YoDiddy, and @SunniAndTheCity.
Stay tuned for future articles in this series to learn more about the work of these four influencers, and others, and for tips on how to use your influence to make a difference.
Natasha Brown is a writer and founding communications strategist of Think Brown INK, a creative think tank and strategic communications agency in the Washington area. Follow her on Twitter @TBINatasha or @ThinkBrownINK.