The United States is home to many women working at the intersection of equity. They are doctors, nurses, social workers, activists, and company presidents, all of whom have dedicated their careers to reducing barriers to top-quality health care.
In this article, we will introduce 9 women championing cross-sector equity through their work.
La’ Kenya is helping at-risk individuals struggling with addiction, marginalization, family care, youth development, and gender identity issues.
Source- Open Rainbow Residence
Founder, Open Rainbow Residence
Throughout her career, La’Kenya has worked with hundreds of people struggling with substance abuse.
Back in 2017, she met a 32-year-old trans woman on the path to sobriety who had difficulty in finding housing. After much research, La’ Kenya realized that there are no housing programs for people after they turn 25 years old. In her quest to address this issue, opening a residency was the solution she found.
Open Rainbow residence is a nonprofit that provides supportive housing options to people from the LGBTQ+ community who are 21 years and above, by offering a safe and stable environment along with guidance.
Asked about what motivated her to work for the community as an ally, she says, “Well, I’m a human. And I feel that as humans, we have a right to education, a right to shelter, and a right to food.”
You can support Open Rainbow in various ways:
- Volunteer for them through Goodera
- Donate to the nonprofit
- Follow them on Facebook
- Follow them on Instagram
Chien-Chi Huang is encouraging Asian women to prioritize their health
Source- Asian Women for Health
Founder, Asian Women For Health
Originally from Taiwan, Chien-Chi Huang migrated to the United States. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2005. During her treatment, she realized that many Asian women are not able to access important informational support because of the cultural and linguistic barrier.
In 2010, she started a program called the Asian Breast Cancer Project. The goal was to train and empower Asian women to disseminate information to other Asian women in culturally and linguistically responsible ways. That was the precursor for Huang starting Asian Women for Health (AWFH).
AWFH promotes the physical and emotional health of women in myriad ways. It pairs people of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian descent with peer coaches who teach them how to set and maintain personal health goals.
Besides running a nonprofit, Chien-Chi is also providing cultural awareness training to health care providers, hosting a podcast, and IS helping remedy Asian Americans’ underrepresentation in critical health research.
“We need to show more authentic stories and show how diverse a community that we are,” says Chien-Chi Huang.
You can support AWFH in various ways:
- Volunteer for them through Goodera
- Donate to the nonprofit
- Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
Paige Stringer is helping children with hearing loss thrive no matter where they live.
Source- Global Foundation For Children with Hearing Loss
Paige was born profoundly hard of hearing. She was immediately provided with hearing aids and necessary support to learn, listen, and talk during her formative years. Paige holds two master’s degrees and embarked on a marketing career at Fortune 500 companies. She believes that this would not have been possible without the support she received in her earlier years.
Paige learned that babies and young children with hearing loss require access to care in the first six years of life to learn to listen and speak. She also knew that many children from low and middle-income countries aren’t blessed with professional support or resources.
Paige started the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss (GFCHL) in 2009 to help infants and young children with hearing loss in low- and middle-income countries access the early care that she was fortunate to have.
GFCHL provides training programs for professionals and caregivers, hearing technology, awareness initiatives, and help establish newborn hearing screening and other local services – all designed to directly benefit thousands of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and their families.
You can support Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss in various ways:
Corrine Beaumont is educating women to detect cancer as early as possible
Source- Know Your Lemons
Founder, Know Your Lemons
Corrine wanted to know how she can protect herself from breast cancer after losing her two grandmothers to the disease. During the research, she was given a lot of leaflets, referred to many websites, and recommended several books. But she could not find the answers she was looking for in a simple, easy-to-understand format.
As a 21-year-old design student, Corrine took it upon herself to spread breast cancer awareness in a simple manner. Over the next few years, she photographed lemons and lemon seeds, the perfect metaphor for breast and lump. She spoke to various nurses and doctors to produce a list of 12 tell-tale signs of breast cancer, and completed her Ph.D. to improve, test, and develop her global campaign – Know Your Lemons.
During the same time, Corrine’s childhood friend Suzzane developed lesser-known symptoms of cancer, most of which were dismissed as symptoms of cancer by health professionals since Suzzane was too young. This pushed Corrine to leave her full-time job as a single mom and pursue Know Your Lemons.
Know Your Lemons is a nonprofit that is committed to improving early detection for breast cancer worldwide through creative and empowering education. Their vision is a world where women and men feel empowered with knowledge and confidence to report breast changes and participate when screening is available.
You can support Know Your Lemons in various ways:
Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube
Christine C. Quinn is supporting homeless families in New York
Source- Wikipedia
President and CEO, WIN
A champion of women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, Christine C. Quinn is the first woman and the first openly gay elected speaker of the New York City Council. Christine has dedicated her life to a variety of causes ranging from reproductive rights to anti-violence against the queer community.
Currently, she is the President and CEO of WIN(formerly Women in need), the largest provider of shelter, social services, and supportive housing services to homeless families in New York.
Women In Need is a nonprofit that is dedicated to transforming the lives of homeless families in NYC by providing holistic solutions of safe housing, critical services, and ground-breaking programs. This ultimately helps these families regain their independence and enable their children to look forward to a brighter future.
You can support Women In Need in various ways:
- Volunteer for them through Goodera
- Donate to the nonprofit
- Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Marty Hartman is providing a safe place for women and children in Seattle
Source- Mary’s Place
Executive Director, Mary’s Place
Part of Marty’s childhood was having to move a lot. With her mom always wanting her to do a lot of community work and give back no matter where they lived, Marty transitioned into a natural giver and a community builder.
When she moved to Seattle 30 years ago, she got involved with her Church and saw the growing number of women experiencing homelessness. Working as a volunteer at the Church, she learned that there was a greater vision that she could contribute to. This led her to Mary’s place, a haven for homeless women and families with children.
Mary’s Place is a nonprofit organization that provides safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children, and families on their journey out of homelessness. Since 1999, they have helped hundreds of women and families move out of homelessness into more stable situations.
You can support Mary’s Place in various ways:
- Volunteer for them through Goodera
- Donate to the nonprofit
- Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube
P.K. Beville has been working to improve the perception of aging.
Source- Second Wind Dreams
Founder, Second Wind Dreams
Beville has been focused on Elder Care since 1983. She first started conducting psychological assessments on elders with behavioral problems, ending up receiving recommendations for the Elder Care Community (ECC) or families.
This led her to consult in Long Term Care (LTC) with a focus on making the LTC environment as sensitive as possible for those suffering from dementia. She co-authored a book called ‘Second Wind’ about the positive aspects of aging inside a fictitious nursing home.
She was hooked on making dreams come true for the elders and seeing improvement in their quality of life, leading to the founding of Second Wind Dreams in 1997.
Second Wind Dreams is an internationally known nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the perception of aging through the fulfillment of dreams and the offering of educational programs including its flagship sensitivity training, the Virtual Dementia Tour.
Since 1997, Second Wind Dreams has become involved in more than 1000 eldercare communities in 20 countries.
You can support Second Wind Dreams in various ways:
- Volunteer for them through Goodera
- Donate to the nonprofit
- Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
Je’net Kreitner is empowering the Invisible Populations of Orange County
Source- Orange Grandma’s House of Hope
Founder, GHH
A victim of childhood abuse and homelessness, Je’net landed on her feet with the kind help of a man who is now her husband. He took Je’net and her son to his home and supported her in overcoming the traumatic experiences she had suffered. This fuelled her desire to help others.
Je’net began her journey as a volunteer at different programs. She also offered the guest room in their home to homeless people. All of this converged to her starting Grandma’s House of Hope (GHH) in 1991.
GHH is a nonprofit serving as a multi-generational continuum of care designed to provide services, programs, and affordable housing to underserved and underprivileged persons in Orange County, California, and the surrounding areas. Their mission is to provide compassionate transitional care for women in crisis and hungry children.
You can support Grandma’s House of Hope in various ways:
Amy Cliett is growing a more diverse technological workforce
Source- Techgirlz
Founder, Techgirlz
Amy is a self-taught web designer who launched a business teaching tech to young people.
As a mom in the tech industry, she soon became aware of the gender disparity in tech and wanted to do something to change it.
Driven to expand her skills and carve a path inspired by her passion, Amy committed her career to expand diversity in the technology industry. She found TechGirlz as a way to volunteer.
TechGirlz is a nonprofit organization that inspires middle school girls to explore the possibilities of technology to empower their careers. It is accomplishing its mission through the creation of free, fun, and interactive “TechShopz” led by industry professionals, community leaders, and students.
Today, Amy leads the expansion of TechGirlz and Women In Tech Summit, both programs of Creating IT Futures, to new communities around the country. Her vision is to nurture, grow and sustain a more diverse technology workforce.
You can support TechGirlz in various ways:
- Volunteer for them through Goodera
- Donate to the nonprofit
- Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
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