Empowered to Serve Business Accelerator™: 2021
National
Eight extraordinary innovators present their business stories helping to improve health equity and community health transformation. Watch the 2021 National finale event
1ST PLACE
Sharon Samjitsingh | Health Care Originals, Inc.
2ND PLACE
Cornelia Williams | EMTomorrow
FAN FAVORITE
Kimberly Brown | Get Up and Get Moving
| Sharon Samjitsingh [1st Place] |
Sharon Samjitsingh of Rochester, NY, co-founded Health Care Originals (HCO) with the goal of ensuring health equity along the continuum of care for respiratory disease. HCO provides innovative wearable solutions for chronic respiratory disease research, monitoring and management. |
| Cornelia Williams [2nd Place] |
Cornelia Williams of Essex, MA, co-founded EMTomorrow in June 2020 with two colleagues at Georgetown University that shared her passion for health equity. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EMTomorrow creates an accessible emergency medical service pathway for underserved young adults by providing free EMT training. |
| Kimberly Brown [Fan Favorite & Minnesota Top Finalist] |
Kimberly Brown of Minneapolis, MN, is the founder of Get Up and Get Moving, a health and wellness program. Brown realized the need in communities of color and people in churches for a simple, accessible option that encourages them to live longer, healthier lives. |
| Shireen Abdullah |
Shireen Abdullah of Dallas, TX, is the founder of Yumlish, an AI-powered, culturally relevant nutrition therapy platform for people of color with diabetes that addresses socioeconomic barriers to dietary adherence. Through the Yumlish program, patients lose weight and lower A1C levels, leading to reduced health care costs. |
| Dr. Bahby Banks | Dr. Bahby Banks of Durham, NC, is the founder and CEO of Pillar Consulting. The group offers research and evaluation services to nonprofit, academic and philanthropic organizations, and evidence-based strategy for leaders to create, cultivate and sustain equitable and inclusive work environments. |
| Victoria Beaty |
In January of 2020, Victoria Beaty became executive director and the first Black leader for Growing Places Indy, a nonprofit that has empowered individuals since 2009 to cultivate personal, family and community wellness through urban agriculture. The organization operates four urban farms across Indianapolis, equaling nearly two acres and two greenhouses in year-round production. |
| Maya Page [Oregon/SW Washington Top Finalist] |
Maya Page is a leader of Carry, a movement and meditation app for all pregnant people and new parents. Led by experts, Carry believes in the transformative power of these simple tools to better prepare the body and mind for some of life’s biggest stages: birth and parenthood. |
| Pastor Cynthia Wallace [Eastern States Top Finalist] |
Cynthia M. Wallace is executive pastor of Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh and executive director of The Oasis Project, the church’s community and economic development division. The Oasis Project has several after-school and summer youth programs, a transportation company, a property maintenance and management business and three food-related venues: Everyday Café, Oasis Farm and Fishery, and Oasis Community Kitchen. |
Eastern States Faith-Based
1ST PLACE
Pastor Cynthia Wallace | The Oasis Project
2ND PLACE
Pastor Barbara Palmer | Kingdom Kare Inc.
3RD PLACE
Dr. Abraham Shanklin | The Center of Transformation
FAN FAVORITE
Pastor John Udo-Okon | Word Of Life International Inc.
| Pastor Cynthia Wallace [1st Place] |
Cynthia M. Wallace is executive pastor of Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh and executive director of The Oasis Project, the church’s community and economic development division. The Oasis Project has several after-school and summer youth programs, a transportation company, a property maintenance and management business and three food-related venues: Everyday Café, Oasis Farm and Fishery, and Oasis Community Kitchen. |
| Pastor Barbara Palmer [2nd Place] |
Barbara Palmer is an ordained pastor at Kingdom Celebration Center in Odenton, Maryland. In 2011, Palmer started her nonprofit, Kingdom Kare Inc., with a mission to nurture and empower children and their families to pursue their dreams. Kingdom Kare focuses on three areas: early childhood education, family support center-parenting and mentoring. |
| Dr. Abraham Shanklin [3rd Place] |
Bishop Dr. Abraham Shanklin Jr. is the founder of The Center of Transformation in Hanover, Maryland. The organization provides education in areas including ministry, health, community and personal development. |
| Pastor John Udo-Okon [Fan Favorite] |
The Rev. John S. Udo-Okon is senior pastor and executive director of Word Of Life International Inc., a community outreach and development corporation based in the South Bronx, New York City. Together with his wife, the Rev. Felicia Udo-Okon, he has devotedly worked with his congregation to fight hunger and poverty in New York City with thousands served monthly through the program. |
| Reverend Darrell Armstrong |
The Rev. Darrell L. Armstrong is in his 21st year as pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, the oldest Black Baptist church in Trenton, New Jersey. Armstrong is actively acquainted with JEDI, focusing on issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion for Black, Indigenous and other people of color. |
Oregon & SW Washington
Six local innovators vied for $120k in grant funding to support businesses that break down barriers to health. Watch the 2021 Oregon & SW Washington finale
1ST PLACE - $75,000 grant
Maya Page | Carry
2ND PLACE - $30,000 grant
Candice Smith | Caregiven
FAN FAVORITE - $15,000 grant
Tylia Johnson-Allen | Hands That Help
| Maya Page [1st Place] |
Maya Page is a leader of Carry, a movement and meditation app for all pregnant people and new parents. Led by experts, Carry believes in the transformative power of these simple tools to better prepare the body and mind for some of life’s biggest stages: birth and parenthood. |
| Candice Smith [2nd Place] |
Following the death of her father, Candice Smith founded Caregiven, a platform enabling enterprises and organizations to offer real-time curated guidance to families managing care for an aging or ailing loved one. With intuitive mobile software integrating needed support services into a single smartphone app, Caregiven aims to profoundly improve caregiving for everyone involved by delivering all care resources when and how caregivers need them. |
| Tylia Johnson-Allen [Fan Favorite] |
Tylia Johnson-Allen’s project, Hands That Help, is a Black- and woman-owned nonprofit designed to create substantial solutions to connect the African/African American and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community to reliable, self-sufficient community resources to foster personal growth and family development. Services include no-cost community-based resources administration and development through partners, organizations, agencies and other resources. |
| Kelly Gonzalez, Ph.D |
Kelly Gonzales, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, advocates via the Natives for Community Engagement and Equity (NCEE), a dedicated team of Indigenous scholars and community that collaborates with Native and non-Native entities for justice and equity in data, research, curriculum, anti-racist and anti-colonial initiatives, evaluation, leadership and public health policy. |
| Marie-Ève Monette, Ph.D. |
Canada native Marie-Ève Monette is the founder of Creating Puentes, a small business through which she offers language access workshops and consulting services. As an advocate for language access, justice and democracy, she strongly believes in working alongside other immigrants so that they can amplify each other's voices and make opportunities and services accessible to all. |
| Derenda Schubert, Ph.D. |
Dr. Derenda Schubert is the executive director of Bridge Meadows, a nonprofit leveraging the power of place, permanence and shared social purpose to improve community members' health and well-being and promote resilience for all. Their affordable housing communities support children who have experienced the foster care system, along with their adoptive families and elders who serve as mentors. |
Minnesota
The event brought together eight finalists looking for a chance at $25k in grant funding to support businesses improving health equity in their community. Watch the 2021 Minnesota finale
1ST PLACE
Kimberly Brown | Get Up and Get Moving
2ND PLACE
Alison Weinlaeder | Cardiomelon
| Kimberly Brown [1st Place] |
Kimberly Brown of Minneapolis, MN, is the founder of Get Up and Get Moving, a health and wellness program. Brown realized the need in communities of color and people in churches for a simple, accessible option that encourages them to live longer, healthier lives. |
| Alison Weinlaeder [2nd Place] |
Alison Weinlaeder, founded Cardiomelon, an online fitness subscription service offering workouts for both brain and body. She created the exercises from her expertise as a a licensed speech-language pathologist with specialized training in assessing and treating adult cognitive-linguistic disorders secondary to stroke, concussion, traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s dementia. |
| Carline Bengtsson | Carline Bengtsson founded Dine4Dinners to further pursue her two passions of helping others and creating memorable meals. The Dine4Dinners’ mission is a shared vision with organizations that provide meals for people in need of daily nourishment through dependable, reliable and sustainable sources. |
| Marlee Dorsey | Marlee Dorsey is the founder and visionary of Reviving Roots Therapy & Wellness. Their mission is to create a Black centered, Black serving, Black affirming communal space and mental wellness services, conjuring a legacy of health, wealth and healing. |
| Jana Martin | Jana Martin joined Second Harvest Heartland in 2019 as the FOODRx program manager and registered dietitian. The innovative program works at the intersection of hunger and health, supporting individuals with both food insecurity and chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. |
| Batala McFarlane | Batala McFarlane is co-founder of the Insight Health Equity Action Lab (iHEAL). iHEAL advances health equity through storytelling and investigative journalism, actionable research, convenings and programming. It works in partnership with communities and various organizations across sectors to develop and implement sustainable and measurable strategies that support healthy communities and put people at the center of the process. |
| Chaz Sandifer | Chaz Sandifer is founder of theNEWmpls, which focuses on affordable fitness, wellness and nutrition. Bringing her holistic approach to the community, Sandifer teaches others how to break generational cycles, that fitness is fun and nutrition and wellness is key to good health. She has expanded her brand to include Let Go Let Flow, a wellness company that focuses on anti-racism work between Black and White women, life and wellness coaching and weekly Wellness Wednesday Chats discussing various topics that affect Black people. |
| Valerie Turner | Valerie Turner created a fitness movement in North Minneapolis by providing free health and fitness services, cultural relevance and inclusiveness to all fitness levels and backgrounds in partnership with organizations such as Pillsbury United Communities, North Point Health and Wellness, Greater Twin Cities United Way, St. Paul Parks and Recreation and Minneapolis Parks and Recreation. In 2019, Turner founded VF Health Fitness Solutions to provide services such as community health and fitness and corporate wellness management led by people who are empathetic, sympathetic and passionate about the health and wellness of Black and Latino people. |