Joelle Lever

We tend to think kindness is something we’ll remember. The big moments.The obvious ones.The times we know we showed up for someone. Like… Oprah level kindness. You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car! I mean, let’s be honest, it’s kind of hard to compete with Oprah. But here’s the thing… That’s not the kind of kindness most people carry with them. Seven-year-old me. Even then, there was more going on than most people could see. Most of It Doesn’t Feel Like Much Real kindness...

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month—a time to bring attention to something far more common than most people realize, and far too often carried in silence. At Empower & Shine, we talk a lot about seeing people. Really seeing them. Not just where they are, but what they’ve been through. Because behind so many stories are experiences that were never spoken out loud. And for some, this isn’t just something we’ve heard about, it’s something we’ve seen the impact of up close. The Reality We...

Dear Empower & Shine Family,   This month feels like a really special one to reflect on. We had the opportunity to head back to Uganda, to places and people that have become so meaningful to us, and to see in real time what happens when a dream is met with commitment, generosity, and heart. We spent time at Shalom Junior Trust School, saw the continued progress of the Field of Dreams, delivered journals, workbooks, and pads to students across multiple communities, and came across projects...