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Derek Douglas | Chef/Owner Dinners by Derek

DBD started as hobby in my neighborhood Facebook group. Colder weather one November left little time to spend outside, and brought a greater focus to the warmth of the kitchen. More and more new recipes yielded a surplus of more and more great food to try, so many of those trials went into the subdivision for sale. At the time, DBD had a greater focus on simply good food, but as demand grew outside of a few houses, it was apparent that both healthy and convenient fare was in short supply. We amended our early recipes from there, and the rest is history. Read more>>

HERcarity Collective

When we first started our volunteer collective the only thing we knew is that we wanted to help others. It started with us hosting quarterly fundraisers for different causes that we were passionate about (back to school supplies for underfunded schools, providing clothes to unhoused folks, supporting women fleeing from domestic violence, supporting healthcare workers during COVID). In the process of doing this community work, we decided we wanted to narrow our focus on what our community actually needed. Through volunteering with different organizations, we saw most people had access to food and clothing, but not access to hygiene products. That’s how the idea of the Blessing Box was born. Read more>>

Janet Mapel | Owner and CEO of Flint River Organics

The truth is, originally, I was not wanting to start a business. The 2018 Georgia Farm Bill was passed which allowed for hemp production in Georgia. Within the first year, I had become affiliated with a great group of other farmers, with the same mindset, who wanted to grow hemp for wholesale. Unfortunately, midway through production, our processor and buyer dropped out. There I was, stuck with hundreds of pounds of hemp, with no clear plan what to do with it all! As advised by one of my mentors and fellow farmers, we decided to go full on and create our own CBD company for retail production. So, with the help of my family, we started the process of a name, brand, fulfillment, etc. Read more>>

Dr. Joe Roberson Jr. | Founder and CEO of Our Fatherless Foundation & Emotionally Intelligent Leader

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and how Our Fatherless Foundation came to pass. On Jun 1, 2017, I was abruptly awakened from a sound sleep at 3 AM. It wasn’t uncommon for me to experience a restless night’s sleep in a hotel room while on business, but this was truly different and, if I can be honest, quite terrifying. We have all had those scary dreams that cause us to awaken in a cold sweat with our hearts racing. Instead of experiencing a bizarre event while asleep, mine began seconds before an awakening, both literally and figuratively. As I slept, I began experiencing a mild heartache, which intensified so severely that I instantly awoke and sat in bed. After sitting up, I immediately began rubbing my left pectoral chest muscle with the palm of my right hand. Read more>>