Moderator ♦ Dress for Success Rochester’s highly anticipated workforce development event, Success inSight Conference is exclusively for women in entry-level or middle skilled positions. Participants will gain insight from expert panel sessions, explore new career opportunities and receive informational interviews and mentoring opportunities. They will also have the opportunity to visit the DFS Express Mobile Boutique for styling and pop-up shopping.

Author/Editor ♦ Corresponding with our recent annual meeting, we are excited to share our 2022 Annual Highlights - Focused on an Equitable Future. We began 2022 with a renewed urgency to do our part to help ensure an equitable recovery following the COVID-19 public health emergency -- working to dismantle racial and other health inequities across our region. Throughout the year, we listened and responded to the need to support community development, ensure access to mental health services in traditional and nontraditional settings, and address violence in our neighborhoods. We funded projects spanning urban and rural communities, supporting diverse populations and addressing a range of health priorities while deepening our efforts to be a thought partner and resource to our grantees, beyond dollars. We also sought to further center community voice in our work, co-creating initiatives with parents and other community leaders, and convened more partners to exchange insights and ideas. We are delighted to present these annual highlights, and especially proud to uplift the stories of grantees who are working diligently to create a healthier region where all people can thrive.

Moderator ♦ Asian Matters: Asian in Action featuring local Asian American change-makers Jeremy Tjhung, Joshua Wu and Soe Win, whose respective activism on behalf of refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, and others is breaking down divisions that can become a source of hate. Asian in Action is part of a series produced by the Levine Center to End Hate and Monroe Community College’s Department of Global Education & International Services to explore the Asian and Asian American communities of Greater Rochester, the history of racism and xenophobia aimed at Asian and Asian Americans in our country, and ways we can work together to support our Asian and Asian American neighbors.

Host ♦ The Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley's 15th annual A Purse for Change: Power Her Forward - live designer purse auction included entertainment, silent auction items, raffle packages, and more! Co-hosted with Dante J. Worth.

Author/Editor ♦ Corresponding with our recent annual meeting, we are excited to share with you our 2021 Annual Highlights, From Crisis to Recovery. Like many of you, we began last year emerging from the challenges and tragedy of 2020 with newfound hope. Lifesaving vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 became widely available along with a renewed sense of possibility and urgency to work toward an equitable recovery by dismantling racial and other inequities across our region. We were determined to do our part. As the year progressed, a multitude of opportunities emerged for us to further lean into and operationalize our mission and values. We spent the year refining our efforts to be a trusted and effective resource, continued to build and strengthen relationships with our partners, and made efforts to expand our reach into communities by engaging new partners and trusted community leaders. 2021 was the first year we fully realized the breadth and depth of our new grant programs across the foundation. We are proud to share what we have learned and achieved with the community over the course of the year: In partnership with communities, we supported 77 projects across nine counties, committing more than $17 million to a variety of health-related efforts addressing mental health needs, maternal/paternal health, racial equity, public health interventions, and child/youth development. Aligning with our organizational values related to equitable and trust-based grantmaking, we have substantially increased the proportion of operating and unrestricted grants relative to traditional projects grants, providing grantees with additional flexibility to execute their mission or project objectives and advance our shared goals. We’ve centered racial equity across our work resulting in approximately 75% of our grants primarily serving or benefiting Black/African American and Latinx people. We especially celebrate that with support from Greater Rochester Health Foundation, our grantee partners directly reached more than 55,000 individuals residing in our communities. We hope you enjoy browsing our 2021 Annual Report.

Moderator ♦ ROC The Future's Parents’ Perspective: A Guided Conversation with Local Parents - Parents are undoubtedly the "secret sauce" when it comes to educational success. In 2016, ROC the Future launched the Parent Engagement Collaborative Action Network (PECAN). This group is focused on bringing parents to the table to address systemic issues impacting children’s success. During this panel conversation, parents will share their perspective on the relevance of teacher representation, the impact of COVID-19 on education, and the benefits and challenges of at-home learning.

Writer ♦ She doesn’t recall all the details of the story or even the name of the first play she saw, performed entirely in Spanish in the basement of a Bronx church, but Annette Ramos vividly recounts this very intimate introduction to the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre. She was 7 or 8 years old: “I remember the essence of feeling like I had found my home, I found the art which spoke to my heartand my spirit ... and felt that I could do that too, and that theater was a feasible place for a Latina, brown-skinned girl to be in.”

Author/Editor ♦ Corresponding with our recent annual meeting, we are excited to share with you our 2020 Annual Highlights. The purpose of this report is to update you on our work by elevating the innovative efforts of our grantees and partners during an unprecedented year where the emergence of a global pandemic was coupled with the public health and social justice crisis of racism. During 2020, we shifted course to best support our nonprofits and communities in the fight against these twin pandemics and we are thrilled to share their stories. While much of what transpired could not have been anticipated, critical lessons from the past year will continue to shape how we approach our work and live into our values. We continue to strive to advance our mission to pursue and invest in solutions that build a healthier region where all people can thrive. As we reflect on 2020, our hearts remain heavy from the profound loss and hardships our community has and continues to endure. Yet, we are also filled with hope and inspiration from the way that residents and communities in our region have banded together to persevere, appreciation for the collaborations and connections with our partners, and ever-growing optimism about what we can accomplish together.

Writer ♦ “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” As Rochester celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, one of his famous quotes has inspired a Boys and Men of Color Education Summit this weekend.

Producer & Host ♦ CityWise is a half-hour weekly "talk show" focused on Rochester's most interesting personalities and relevant issues, featuring interviews of area elected, community and business leaders, visiting VIPs, artists and entertainers.

Documentary Producer & Writer ♦ “Rediscovering Frederick Douglass,” tells the story of how a photograph of famed abolitionist and eminent human rights leader Frederick Douglass—not seen for more than a century—was rediscovered. The 30-minute documentary investigates the mystery surrounding this unique image, reveals details about the interesting life of the owner of the photograph and explores the ways Douglass used photography as a tool in the fight for social reform.

Writer ♦ Mayor Lovely A. The Year of Frederick Douglass proclamation was delivered on Jan. 4 at the historic Hochstein School of Music and Dance, the site of Douglass’ massive funeral in 1895. Learn more about the bicentennial celebration at www.cityofrochester.gov/FrederickDouglass200.

Editor & Writer ♦ Creator and editor of Mayor Lovely Warren's quarterly newsletter from the launch in 2016 through the spring of 2018.

Producer & Writer ♦ Four years ago, Lee “Lucky” Davis of Rochester, NY was 290lbs and says he was the worst shape of his life. He knew he needed to make a big change and when he did, other people took notice…and joined him. He started holding free community workout sessions in local parks to show people that they need not join a gym nor purchase expensive equipment in order to get fit.

Writer & Producer ♦ On Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, the City of Rochester welcomed the World of Inquiry School #58 seniors to City Hall for “College March Day.”. Cheered on by their peers, teachers, parents and community members, approximately 90 students marched from their school to City Hall. The College March is a tradition among all Expeditionary Learning high schools across the country.

Copywriter - Campaign Materials ♦ Palm card for Fatimat Reid, candidate for Family Court Judge in Monroe County, NY.