(GIF of Penguins on an ice rink, with one penguin falling off the ramp but recovering quickly and showing off by holding it's wings out to the side and strutting on the ice)
Cofounder & President Shaina Bermudez here reporting in! 2023 was an amazing year for Be the Change Charleston- we grew from just a couple of Empowerment through Employment (ETE) participants in 2022, to 13 participants by the end of 2023! We hosted two successful fundraising celebrations - our 1st Annual Empowerment Celebration in July in partnership with Disability Pride & Beyond Distilling, as well as our 1st Winter Market in partnership with Beyond Distilling (see events here).
Be the Change Charleston's mission was shared in the Post & Courier & co-founder/Executive Director, Halie Tumbleston & I were invited to share our story on Live 5 News (see blog post here).
Our Board of Directors is excited about our success for the year & to share the following lessons we've learned & plan to incorporate into our 2024 Strategic Plan.
Community Connections: We want to grow our connections in our greater community. We cannot create meaningful, lasting change without building connections! If you are interested in becoming an inclusive business partner, or learning more, check out our services here. We plan on increasing community outings, networking, & participation in local events.
Advisory Board: We have been seeking a motivated, self-starter to create & run our Disability Advisory Board! Our goal is to have a board of disabled people advising our Board of Directors vision plans. If you are someone you know are interested in our Disability Advisory Board, please email shainabermudez@bethechangecharleston.org
Increasing Community within our Empowerment through Employment Program Participants through our Hangouts! We plan on planning quarterly to monthly hangouts for our participants & ETE coaches to build community & engagement opportunities. If you or a business you know of wants to invite us to an event or activity, please email halietumbleston@bethechangecharleston.org.