Philanthropy Is Love

 Youth Inc is an NYC-based venture philanthropy organization that seeks to transform the lives of NYC youth by empowering and educating youth-development companies. Youth Inc was incepted in 1994, and since that time it has helped over 1 million young people unleash their potential and laid the foundation for their success. The company has raised over $110 million which helped more than 190 community-based  

 Established in 1984, STRIVE helps New Yorkers get back to work by offering skills training, certification, and job placement services. To this date, the nonprofit has helped thousands of students from underrepresented communities gain financial independence and build their careers. 

Greater Newark Enterprises Corporation (GNEC) is a community development non-profit organization, founded in 2005. For around 60 years, GNEC has been partnering with the UN and providing support to other humanitarian organizations and making sure they have a voice at the decision table.  

Sheltering 1,550+ women, youth and children annually, Lotus House is the largest shelter for women and children in the country. They provide shelter,           resources, and multi-faceted, comprehensive supportive services to help the community of Overtown, Miami Florida. Guests successfully exit the shelter system and lead lives of greater opportunity. In our Film we explore the building of their new shelter and what it took to build such a safe haven for abused women and children. Our film won an Emmy Award-Winning for coverage and we are currently are working on our third film for the shelter to assist in raising funds for their new Children's Village.  

Katie Ford is no stranger to those in the fashion world, and is no stranger to Free the Slaves. Made famous by her family’s modeling agency, Ford Models, Katie made the transition from CEO to abolitionist after attending a U.N. human trafficking conference in 2008. She’s featured this month in Vogue’s annual age issue, explaining her decision and how fighting slavery has changed her life.

Joan & George Hornig host a River Keepers event at their home in New York City. River Keepers grew from a desire to rediscover the Red River’s heritage, and to teach people to again appreciate the “Red” as a living River.  In earlier decades of Fargo-Moorhead history, people used and appreciated the Red River for a variety of activities. In later years, people lost that appreciation for the river, which is the dominant geographical feature in the community, and began to consider it a liability to be avoided.  River Keepers was established in 1990 after a large community-wide assessment said that the Red River is underutilized, underappreciated and—in some cases—mistreated. They coordinate efforts in conservation, safety, recreation, riparian restoration and water quality among local agencies in the Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota region. They create programs and events for current and future leaders designed to build a sound foundation for science-based decision making.

“One in every three bites of food consumed in the United States is either directly or indirectly pollinated by bees.” Gumuchian has thrived with proven success resulting in our desire to create a collection with a worthy cause. The “B” Collection, inspired by the honeybee and the dangers surrounding the declining of the species led to the collaboration of the collection that gives back. Inspired by our surroundings we thrive to not only bring beauty into the world with our designs but also promise to help keep the world beautiful by giving back. Bees have captured the attention of the world since their decline was chronicled in the news and their aesthetic and attractive patterns have captured Gumuchian’s heart. The Gumuchian ladies have been as busy as worker bees to produce the “B” collection as an homage to the fuzzy little endangered fly. Since Gumuchian cannot produce honey, they will contribute a share of its profits to the expansion of their colonies. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the collection will be donated to a non-profit organization to help save the beloved honeybee. Currently going to the University of Minnesota Bee Squad non-profit research program.