Image by Andrew Doench and Jeremy Kramer
Sometimes it only takes one person to notice a problem and decide to do something about it, but supporting a population’s needs requires community effort. Meet three people who are offering their help in different corners of the Queen City.
Natasha Williams
Founder, The Grapevine Foundation
Earlier this year, the creator of the Black Wine Fest launched a nonprofit to help workers in the service/hospitality industry get the mental health support they need.
Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
Working in the service/hospitality space can be mentally draining. I often say you are a therapist in a different way. Each time I was behind the bar, I was serving someone and getting to know them, and sometimes taking on their problems while having my own. Each time you work, you don’t know if you will make enough to pay for a therapy session, and unfortunately, many bars/restaurants, etc. don’t have insurance plans and EAPs [employee assistance programs].
As someone who has struggled with mental health in the past, I thought it was important to have a space where we can bridge that gap and provide resources to our fellow colleagues. My goal is to make sure everyone in the hospitality/service industry is able to receive help when they need it.
It’s personal for me. I overcame being in a really dark place. I considered suicide twice, planning both out and ready to take those pills. I was a high-functioning depressed person, and no one knew. My regulars didn’t know, my family didn’t know, my friends didn’t know. That was over 10 years ago.
The thoughts don’t go away but now, I have tools when I feel and see it happening. It’s important that everyone has a fair chance at receiving those tools. Life gets so hard especially working in service and since COVID-19, we have seen such a depressed culture in so many ways, mental health should be the No. 1 health benefit for everyone.
We’re still growing and building the foundation. Starting it, making it a 501(c)3, and collecting therapy sessions has been a proud moment for us. As we continue to grow, I believe the foundation will present whole people who will be able to provide great service, but in doing that, they themselves will know how to cope with any type of mental health matters. I pray we grow to become a national foundation that, with donations, we are able to give restaurants, bars, distributors, etc., the ability to have EAPs. We will be able to bridge that gap to help grow these programs so that employees can have immediate access. I also want to see our therapist directory continue to grow to be an expansive resource. I want to be able to go into places and host group sessions to educate and inform our fellow colleagues of the many safe spaces for them.
Elissa Yancey
Co-Founder/President, A Picture’s Worth
The former journalism educator uses what she’s learned about her past profession to help would-be subjects tell their own stories.
Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
I‘ve always loved reporting and telling stories. In 2017, though, after decades of working as a journalist and educator, my frustration with traditional news-gathering practices reached a breaking point. I saw how much harm the 24/7 news cycle did to communities by focusing on conflict and
controversy instead of taking the time to understand and explain complex realities. I saw a critical need for a new approach to telling true stories, one that informed and enriched audiences beyond headlines and stereotypes.
A Picture’s Worth was born out of the desire to do better, starting by working with, for, and alongside the community members who were left to live with the consequences of half-told stories and extractive reporting practices. I set to work combining lessons from all kinds of disciplines—sociology, psychology, neuroscience, marketing, anthropology, and education—to create new practices rooted in research, trust, and transparency. Community partners have lifted it up from there.
Our initial goal was to disrupt harmful and lopsided media coverage by sharing accurate, strengths-based stories rooted in reality and fueled by community. Since all narratives shift based upon who is placed in the center of them, we chose to intentionally work alongside community members to center their expertise and strengths first as a way to add context to the challenges they face. This work is important because it provides audiences with new kinds of stories and new ways of connecting with people who are different from them. It allows people to reflect on the values, hopes, and dreams we all share and connect across divides rather than deepen them.
I have been so proud of all of the people—hundreds of them—who have trusted us with their photos and stories as well as the community we have built along the way. Watching
neighbors gain confidence in sharing their stories and claiming their narrative power is a gift. Narrative power is community power. That understanding has helped us focus our goals more clearly on what we are providing for community members: opportunities to learn, grow, connect and share with neighbors near and far.
Through our neighborhood collaborations, our trainings, and our public exhibits, A Picture’s Worth shifts how community members see and talk about themselves and one another. We spark curiosity and disrupt stereotypes that do real harm. By increasing people’s narrative power, we are also building community power. It’s an inspiring and transformative journey—and we are just getting started.
Tyran Stallings
Founder/Executive Director, The D.A.D. (Direct Adolescent Development) Initiative
This entrepreneur supports more Black men making an impact on the lives of children of color across the tri-state.
Photograph by Andrew Doench
I founded The D.A.D. Initiative in 2013 as a response to the critical need to increase the presence of Black men in education, something that I experienced during my tenure as an educator. At the time, less than 2 percent of teachers were Black men, and I knew firsthand the profound impact representation has on young people. I wanted to create a space where young Black men could see role models who looked like them and who could guide them through the unique challenges
they faced in school and life. The goal was to bridge the gap in education through culturally relevant mentorship, and show that incremental changes can lead to massive, positive outcomes.
Initially, my goal was to improve educational outcomes by providing mentorship and support for young Black men who needed more positive male role models in their lives. I wanted to help them not just academically, but emotionally and socially, guiding them toward successful futures by creating a village of mentors. The focus was on direct, personal engagement through community mentoring programs, educational workshops, and leadership development.
This work addresses a fundamental gap in representation and opportunity for young people of color. Systemic inequities in education and the workforce create barriers that many youths cannot overcome on their own. By offering mentorship, education, and skill-building, we’re not just helping individuals—we’re uplifting entire communities. Every young person we support has the potential to contribute positively to society, but they need the right resources and guidance to get there. Seeing our participants thrive, whether it’s through gaining confidence in the classroom, landing their first job, or pursuing higher education, is incredibly rewarding. The creation of programs like Black Futures that brings the business community together with Black students for a day of networking and learning, and cross-sector partnerships like the one we have with RWB Construction to offer free carpentry training, stands out as a testament to our growth and commitment to
empowering the next generation.
Our goals have expanded beyond mentorship to take a more holistic approach. We now address multiple aspects of development for young men and women, including mental health, workforce training, and community engagement. We’ve realized that to truly support young people, we need to consider the whole ecosystem that surrounds them—family, community, education, and health. This shift has led us to introduce new programs that equip our youth with 21st-century skills, foster mental wellness, and connect them and their families with career opportunities.
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