Press Release: Invested Faith Announces 7th Class of Fellows
For immediate release: 05.17.2023
Invested Faith Announces 7th Class of Fellows
Washington, DC: A seventh class of faith-rooted Fellows has been named by Invested Faith. These five social innovators are working to address systemic issues of injustice in their communities while building a sustainable financial model. Each Fellow receives a $5,000 unrestricted grant and an invitation to tell their story through the Invested Faith community and website.
Invested Faith has now awarded 32 Fellowships in less than 2 years.
“One of the most hope-filled parts of Invested Faith’s work is meeting our Fellows, hearing about their passion for healing the world, and coming alongside to help with substantive support. To be able to increasingly connect churches with opportunities to empower these innovators while at the same time narrating their own legacies has been an honor and a gift for me and the team at Invested Faith. You won’t believe the inspiration in the stories of this Class 7 of Invested Faith Fellows–they will fill your heart with hope and make YOU want to be part of their work!” said Invested Faith Founder and visionary Rev. Dr. Amy K. Butler.
The following individuals were selected as Invested Faith Fellows in April of 2023.
Carmelle Beaugelin, BeauFolio Studio, Princeton, New Jersey
BeauFolio Studio is an emerging art house at the intersection of Sacred Art, human-centered design, and restorative equity. Founder Carmelle Beaugelin, a Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist, offers CreatioDivina workshops, creativity consulting, and other opportunities to create art in worship spaces, as well as Lenten and other worship resources and commissioned art.
Anna Clark, Lady 280, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Lady 280 is a safe, inclusive hair salon located in Colorado Springs, CO which also offers services for victims of sexual trafficking and violence. Founder and owner Anna Clark works with victims of violence whose hair has been shaved, dyed, or burned by those abusing and exploiting them as a "stamp of ownership" and as a way to make them look less reliable to law enforcement.
Nikole Lim, Freely in Hope, Berkeley, California
Freely in Hope is dedicated to equipping survivors and advocates to lead in ending sexual violence. Freely in Hope is publishing a first children's book, promoting body autonomy and safety, which will be offered in the US along with a faith-based safe touch and body autonomy curriculum for churches and other organizations. An international documentary filmmaker, founder Nikole Lim is a survivor-advocate and educator on restorative storytelling and survivor-leadership models.
Dustin Mailman, Deep Time Coffee, Asheville, North Carolina
Deep Time Coffee offers spiritual community, employment and personal development for persons impacted by incarceration. Located in Asheville, NC, Deep Time Coffee roasts and sells coffee through popups and word of mouth, hiring returning citizens (recently incarcerated) who face overwhelming barriers to employment. Founder Dustin Mailman is a United Methodist pastor who offers a “ministry of loitering” - connecting with those on the streets, the unhoused, and the marginalized.
Kamaile Pahukoa, Ke’anae Market, Maui, Hawai’i
Ke’anae Market in Maui was created by Kamaile Pahukoa, granddaughter of one of the church members of the Ke'anae Congregational Church on the island. The market offers local vendors, farmers, and artists the chance to sell their products on the heavily traveled tourist road to Hana. Due to the legacy of colonization, generational poverty, and racism in Hawai’i, the Ke’Anae church is in danger of losing valuable property which is a crucial asset for the local community.
About Invested Faith: Invested Faith is a fund for faith-rooted social innovators founded by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler in 2019 in response to declining church attendance and the need for a new model of philanthropy. Invested Faith works to become a bridge between traditional churches and social innovators who are creating new expressions of faith and community. The fund is located at ImpactAssets, leading facilitator of direct impact investing within donor advised funds.
For additional information and photos, visit the Press Center at Invested Faith.
Media Contact:
Anita Flowers, Coordinator
investedfaith.org/press-center
####
