We are so inspired by the businesses in our community because of how many of them are committed to helping to make the world better than it is today. Check out some great businesses below and how they are helping others.

David LaDuca | Content Creator & Principal, David LaDuca Creative Services

David LaDuca Creative Services always looks at the quickly evolving social landscape in an effort to provide value and enrichment. Due to the recent Covid 19 pandemic, we are all experiencing a sense of isolation to varying degrees for employees, families, and especially to our senior population. Business “zoom calls” are now a regular feature of office interaction. Families “get together” for the holidays in virtual settings. And senior communities are no longer able to gather in community and take in live entertainment.This new paradigm has caused many of us to re-evaluate how we do what we do, acquire new skill sets and find new pathways for connection. So, I am creating more online content rather than live event production. And my executive coaching has gone from stage to computer screen. It boils down to asking myself the big question: how can add value, and find joy doing it. Read more>>

Keri Henry | Social Media Coach | Advocate | Wine Lover

When the pandemic hit, my brain went into fight mode. I saw a problem, many problems, and I wanted to fix them. I’m a fixer. I may not always fix things, and I certainly have messed things up i’ve tried to fix, but boy do I want to try. The first thing I saw was that doctors and nurses were in need of PPE. I couldn’t fix that, HOWEVER., I could find a way to get them other things they needed, like: toiletries, snacks, hand lotion, pens, hydration packs, and compression socks. I found a way to rally my community to get these items in the hands of doctors and nurses, and the Houston community showed up! https://www.fox26houston.com/news/volunteers-donate-morale-boosting-gifts-letters-to-coronavirus-icu-medical-staff?fbclid=IwAR03BDnSoRtO6YTHOe0tNpsQcdpAJOqhfbCLNl3PH1_xY444c_5SmZRm3R0 I then saw a problem with small businesses. Our favorite establishments closing, local artists without jobs, events getting cancelled. This seemed way too big for me to wrap my mind around, but I wanted to at least try to share about as many small businesses on my social media pages, and show my support. Read more>>

Kisa Williams | Handbag Designer

When I started my business I had no idea how many people I would actually touch. Every time someone purchases a bag, like a post, re-post or retweets my bag, it brings awareness to my disease. If I can encourage or inspire one person with my disease with my story I feel like my job is done. And with every purchase I donate to organizations who support and educate people with my disease. Read more>>

Chloë Helen Calthorpe Dillion Stewart | Multi-Media Artist

The ultimate manifesto of my work reaches beyond the realm of physicality. I relay madness on a superior level, reflecting my point of view on the experience of mental illness and addiction in two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. My work marries science to spirituality- the essence of the beginning of existence. My art speaks of turmoil in the human soul. Human emotions versus reality in our physical world are seen. The human condition and the human mind are exposed. The fleshly sins of discrimination and stigma are unveiled. The theory of happiness is crushed by my depictions. My art takes note of how suffering and neglected people perceive, think, and feel. The stigmatic perspective that people with addiction and mental illness are defective and worthless needs to be crushed. I destroy the uneducated divide with my passion for change. I initiate an honest conversation about mental health and addiction. I build my art with the goal to instigate the ultimate conversation. If we together, eradicate stigma and create scientific solutions; our families, our communities, and the nation can thrive. Read more>>

Salad | Colorful Abstract Painter

Soon after the murder of George Floyd, I felt a shift in priorities when it came to how I wanted to participate in this world as an artist. Yes, I wanted to make a living, but with that, I also wanted to make sure that I was standing up for what I believed in and what I think is right. From then on every piece sold has had a portion of sales donated to various non-profit organizations, focusing on organizations involved in raising up Black communities, assisting LGBTQ+ youth, and other marginalized groups that so commonly get overlooked and neglected. Read more>>

Carmen Martinez | Mental Health Advocate/Author/Fashion Model & Commercial Actor

In 2013, two years after my best friend died due to suicide, I found NAMI GH ( the National Alliance on Mental Illness- Greater Houston) the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for millions of Americans affected by mental illness. After the passing of my best friend, I realized I was not educated, nor was aware of all the free resources NAMI Greater Houston provided for our community. It became a passion and mission for me to spread the awareness, reduce the stigma and increase public understanding of mental illness in the hopes to help others in need. After four years as a volunteer, I became a teacher facilitator for one of their core educational programs -Family-to-Family and I am now the Director of Development for our affiliate chapter. Mental Health heavily influences our quality of life. So it makes sense that mental health, just like physical health, needs to be taken care of and maintained. One way that it can be maintained is through finding a sense of community. Read more>>