Class 2: Special Presentation by Kyrah Altman from LEAD (Written by Sabrina)

Our second day of class began with a bang as we were introduced to a special young woman named Kyrah Altman. Kyrah is special because she along with 7 other classmates (IN HIGH SCHOOL) back in 2012 created what is now known as LEAD (Let’s Empower, Advocate and Do) which is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that aims at being a resource for mental health information, giving donations that helps fight and address substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty, mental illness, and etc. LEAD also is significant because they developed and are continuing to develop other curriculum for Mental Health Promotion (MHP) which would be a class taken by students in high school as a supplement for the Health Education course students are required to take.  I would highly recommend taking a look at the site for a more in-depth idea about their organization. http://www.leadnow.org/

Kyrah and her team do a lot for our community- they fight to show people how important mental health is especially when it affects so many adolescent youth. Her visit to our class has shown students, like myself, at Framingham State University that kids are able to achieve anything they put their minds to. Kyrah is only a year or two older than most of us in our Nonprofit Class so getting to meet someone who is considered very influential and on the rise in the nonprofit sector was amazing. Kyrah reminded me, personally, that being a social entrepreneur has its pros and cons but ultimately being able to help a life in need is a gift that keeps on giving; it allows for connections to be made between people, memories to form, all the while creating a space for lives to improve and flourish. I think it is safe to say that meeting someone like Kyrah opened all of our eyes to what this class (nonprofit giving) is really going to do for not just us students but for those who will be receiving our grant of 10,000+ dollars. It opened my eyes to the impact we will have as a "foundation" and what this sum of money can really do for people who need it the most. That is something we are all very excited to learn about. So thank you!