The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Unique King
I started out as a nursing assistant, and after years of being a caregiver I began to feel complacent. “I’m too young to live a life where I just go home and go to work.” So, I enrolled at Alpha School of Massage in Jacksonville. I didn’t know much about massage, I was more interested in their tuition flexibility program that would allow me to go graduate debt free! It wasn’t until I started in their student clinic that I realized I had a gift. I quickly became one of their most highly recommended students and I was extremely driven to ensure each client left feeling amazing. When I graduated, I got a job at a spa, while still working as a CNA, and tried my hand a running my own business where I travelled to the clients. Read more>>
Omowunmi Akande
Hi. My name is Omowunmi. I am the head chef of Zee’s Dine & Wine. I moved to U.S in 2011 for my Masters. I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bowen University; I came to further my education here. In the U.S, I went ahead to get an associate’s degree and two master’s degree. Read more>>
Katrina Winch & Kelly Gates Katrina Winch & Kelly Gates
Kork began as a childhood dream shared by sisters and best friends, Kelly and Katrina. For as long as they can remember, they have shared a passion for interior design, style, and fashion, alongside the aspiration to one day open a business together. While their families and professional lives flourished, the timing never seemed right to step away from their established careers. Read more>>
Verkeitta Jones
My path into mental health care began at the ground level of healthcare, working as a home health aide. That early experience shaped how I understand care. Not as a service delivered in isolation, but as something that has to fit into real people’s lives, homes, and circumstances. Read more>>
Stephen Quinn
I first started singing at age 14 when my family and friends along with myself first realized that I had a nice singing voice. I played baseball and football from the time I could run, sports has always been apart of my family and was a huge part of my upbringing. Read more>>
Yuri Gianesini
Like many people, my first real job was in the restaurant industry. During college, I worked at two different restaurants, starting as a busser in one and a dishwasher in the other. By the end of that first summer I was already serving at one place and working as a prep cook at the other. Read more>>
Melinda Siehler
I’ve always loved capturing timeless moments—the kind that deserve to live far beyond the moment they’re taken. A smile that should last forever. A look in someone’s eye that pulls you in and makes you feel something. That emotional connection has always been at the heart of my work. Read more>>
Joel Roach
My name is Joel Roach, and I am from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where I spent most of my life until 2015. After volunteering in Ecuador—teaching the Bible and assisting with disaster relief following a major earthquake—I moved to the vibrant city of St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2021, I relocated to Palm Coast, Florida, where I launched a multimedia photography business, Buena Vista Photography Services. Read more>>
Jonathan Salazar, PA-C
My path into healthcare has always been rooted in service and working with children. While studying pre-med in college, I spent significant time volunteering and coaching with the Special Olympics, which deepened my passion for supporting children and individuals who needed extra care, patience, and advocacy. After graduating, I felt called to continue that work by serving in education with underserved populations. Read more>>
North Florida Sewing Center
Our Center had its birth through a Girl Scout project. A group of Girl Scouts from a troop in Alachua, Florida, wanted to make reusable feminine hygiene pads to donate to girls and women who could not afford them or had limited access to products. They had a great idea but didn’t know where to start. The girls didn’t even know how to sew! Read more>>
lakysha Hampton
A Touch of Luv&Peace Wellness started as a mobile massage business in 2020. At that time, I was still working at Massage Envy, so the business was open part- time. Now of course, everyone knows the year 2020 was the year of Covid being born. The whole world was shut down. Read more>>
Ritha Washington-McFarley
What began as a response to crisis evolved into a mission rooted in service, compliance, and public safety. In 2021, as COVID-19 overwhelmed healthcare systems nationwide, I was encouraged by a fellow business owner to pursue certification in COVID-19 testing. Health departments and physician offices were stretched thin, and stepping into that gap allowed me to serve communities when support was most urgently needed. Read more>>
James Zielenski
I graduated from Palmer Chiropractic College in 2015 and soon after spent a year in Colorado. While the experience was valuable, I quickly realized how much I missed the coast and being near the ocean. That pull led me across the country to New Bern, North Carolina, where I began the next chapter of my career. Read more>>
Rogers Cain
Our family medical practice was started independently over 20 years ago on Lem Turner. We’ve remained a relatively small practice with limited staff but we have an abundance of experience. We have sought to serve the community and teach them about how to empower themselves through their health. Read more>>
Dana Michelle Maule
My story starts on the Northside of Jacksonville! I was raised near Dunn Avenue, in a neighborhood called Biscayne Estates. I graduated from Paxon School for Advanced Studies, and while I started my college career at the University of North Florida, I finished my undergraduate degree in Media Productions at the University of Houston. Read more>>
John Franse
My interest in aquaponics began decades ago while studying aquaponics and aquaculture at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix. The program, led by Dr. James Rakocy, was internationally recognized for pioneering modern aquaponics systems and developing the first successful commercial-scale aquaponics model. Read more>>
Michael Callahan
I came from a white-collar engineering background. When COVID hit and I was sent home, my work became almost entirely remote, and I didn’t handle that very well. My days felt rushed and impersonal — back-to-back meetings, spreadsheets, constant pressure — and I realized I really missed being out in the world and around other people. Read more>>
Chad Nordstrom
I’ve been behind a camera for most of my life. I started shooting on film back in the 1980s, learning the craft the slow way, understanding light, composition, and timing long before digital made things easy. Over the years, photography has always been a constant, even as life took me through different careers and experiences. Read more>>
Maureen Aruta
From the time I was a child I was always a very deep thinker. I contemplated things most don’t, especially about my belief systems, what my truth was and how it was not reflected in the things I was learning and being told were supposed to be true. Read more>>
VaNonda Harmon
Iam a retired professional hairstylist with more than 30 years of experience, and a heart rooted in service. I owned and operated Virtue Beauty Salon for 22 years and later became a foster mother, caring for several children in need. Read more>>
Cayti Brinegar
Seawolf Privateers really began with my husband, Timothy, and I asking one simple question: how can we give back together in a way that truly matters? Timothy and I have been married almost five years, and service has always been part of both of our lives. Read more>>
Emily McKinley
I have been working in hospitals for roughly 15 years, primarily in endocrinology, and throughout that time I noticed a recurring and heartbreaking pattern. Read more>>
Elva Chase, BCCC
I didn’t come into counseling from a textbook first, I came through lived experience. Before becoming a board-certified Christian counselor, I survived domestic violence, a marriage with a covert narcissist, and a season of homelessness. Those experiences stripped me down emotionally, spiritually, and practically. I remember crying out to God not just for escape, but for understanding. Read more>>
DJ Remark
I grew up in Akron, Ohio in the arts, and knew early on that entertainment was what I wanted to do. I attended arts-focused schools, starting with dance and eventually moving fully into drama and filmmaking. Read more>>
Katie M. Reid
Had I known I would be a small business owner, I would have taken a few business classes in high school and college. Trained in education, I didn’t anticipate that my bucket list item of ‘writing a book’ would accidentally turn into a career. I grew up the oldest of four children. Read more>>
Sarah Pace
My path hasn’t been a straight line, and honestly, that’s been one of my biggest strengths. I started my career as a middle school English teacher, which gave me a deep appreciation for communication, storytelling, and understanding people. Teaching showed me how powerful the right words can be—and how much clarity and confidence matter when you’re trying to connect with others. Read more>>
Joe Bassett
As the son of two busy Salvation Army officers (pastors), I had a lot of free-range time as a kid—some might even say *feral.* I spent it roaming the woods, building shelters, and fishing when I should’ve been in school. When I wasn’t exploring outdoors, I was in the library reading about explorers like Lewis and Clark, Shackleton, and Peary, or studying the Tom Brown field guides that sparked my lifelong love of bushcraft. (For the record, I don’t recommend skipping school to chase your dreams—but it worked out for me.) Read more>>
Chad Dennis
I didn’t start out chasing a career in photography. To be honest, I never even realized that was a career possibility growing up. It all started when I opened my own 7000sqft fitness facility with 2 racquetball courts. I started making exercise of the month videos and trainer spotlights. Read more>>