Communities That Care Coalition
Promoting health, well-being, and equity among young people in Franklin County and the North Quabbin
Founder Whitney Roberts has spent years working in the cheese industry as a monger, maker, and educator. For years she’d seen the lack of diversity and wondered how she could make cheese more accessible to BIPOC individuals. In the summer of 2020, she founded the Cheese Culture Coalition with the goal of making careers in cheese, animal husbandry, and land stewardship more accessible to marginalized communities.
https://www.ownyourfunk.com/about
Kyra (KEER-ah) James is a Professional Food Educator, Certified Cheese Professional (C.C.P.) and innovator in the American artisan food industry with 12+ years experience introducing consumers to the world of artisan cheese and specialty goods!
Her passion, or borderline obsession, for non stop food learnings began out of necessity when, in 2010 Kyra developed rare food sensitivities triggered by precious metal allergies! As she adapted to new dietary restrictions, and watched Food Network 24/7 , Kyra realized this was more than a lifestyle change! So she took savings from her consumer relations career, moved to her least favorite city, and received a Master’s of Arts in Gastronomy.
https://leapofdanceacademyng.com/#about
Daniel Ajala started dancing while in University where his passion for dance grew as he started to research and self train. After graduating university Ajala stayed in his home town to pursue teaching the local kids in his area regardless of cultural expectations to pursue a traditional career. “Dance is the thing that gives me the greatest joy, and it is my greatest pursuit in life, ballet is the core of my whole entire being”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Jefferson-Wooden
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (née Jefferson; born February 21, 2001) is an American track and field sprinter. She won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 100 metres.[2]
https://christianeuman.bandcamp.com/album/allemong
In the fall of 2014, Christian Euman left his hometown of Chicago and dove headfirst into an unknown future in Los Angeles. He was one of seven musicians selected to study at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, which involved a grueling combination of graduate courses and global performances. But in his spare time, Euman was eager to soak up whatever experiences this new city had to offer: making new friends, playing with new musicians, forming new Fantasy Football leagues, trying Korean BBQ, and even Korean Spas. He approached all these and more with a childlike sense of joy.
These Fathers Formed “Dads on Duty” to Prevent Violence at a Local High School
On Thursday, September 16, 2021, just weeks into the school year, two groups of boys brawled across the courtyard at Southwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. The following day, two groups of girls picked up where the boys had left off. In a mere two days, 23 students were in police custody. One student was charged with battery for allegedly hitting an assistant principal. Another was charged with threatening a resource officer and a staff member.
When a school administrator told her former classmate Craig Lee, a business owner and community activist, that gang tensions were rising, Lee wanted to do something. He contacted Michael La’Fitte, a fellow activist, who had an 11th-grade daughter at Southwood. That Sunday, the two held an emergency meeting with parents and the principal. By the end of the four-hour session, a group of the fathers in attendance had decided it was time to make their presence known on campus.
“We’re dads,” La’Fitte told CBS News. “The best people to take care of our kids are who? Us.”
Among the most celebrated jazz artists to emerge in the 21st century, Brandee Younger is a harpist, composer and bandleader whose music connects spiritual jazz and classical training to the rhythmic soulfulness of R&B and hip-hop. She grew up on Long Island, where she sang gospel, studied the harp classically and became enamored of both hip-hop and the vintage soul that rap producers sampled. When Younger was a teenager, her father introduced her to Alice Coltrane’s music — a transformative moment that all but defined her life’s journey.
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/25/nx-s1-5309670/make-it-ours-virgil-abloh-robin-givan-louis-vuitton
From streetwear to luxury fashion: How Virgil Abloh reshaped an industry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil_Abloh
Virgil Abloh (/ˈæbloʊ/; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. A trained architect, Abloh founded his own line of luxury streetwear clothing under the moniker Pyrex Vision in 2012, which he transformed into the Milan based fashion label Off-White in 2013. Abloh was appointed artistic director of Louis Vuitton‘s menswear collection beginning in 2018, and was given increased creative responsibilities across the LVMH brand in early 2021.[1] Abloh worked in Chicago street fashion, before he entered the world of international fashion with an internship at Fendi in 2009, alongside American rapper Kanye West. Abloh assumed the role of creative director at Donda, West’s creative agency in 2010.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masego_(musician)
Micah Davis (born June 8, 1993), known professionally as Masego (/məˈseɪɡoʊ/ mə-SAY-goh), is a Jamaican-American musician and singer, known for incorporating the saxophone into his music. Masego released two EPs in 2016, The Pink Polo EP with Medasin, and Loose Thoughts. He gained widespread attention with his collaborative record with FKJ called “Tadow” released in 2017. In 2018, he released his debut album Lady Lady.[1] His album Studying Abroad: Extended Stay was nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards in the “Best Progressive R&B Album” category.