Back in April, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conscious Capitalist Group Foundation, Inc. set out to bring solutions to businesses who were struggling during the pandemic. Rob Gray and Derek Rush put out a clarion call for young people throughout Central Virginia to think of innovative businesses that could be helpful during the pandemic. While young people were out of school they were invited to compete and receive cash prizes for their innovation. Vinegar Hill Magazine took some time to talk to the winners. Meet the winning business owners below.
Elesia Cooper, 15-years old | Albemarle High School | Rising 11th Grader
Business Name: LeDezignz
Product or Service: Custom Leather Earrings
Year Business Started: 2016
Instagram: @ledesignz
Q. Vinegar Hill: What inspired you to start a business?
A. Elesia: I had a mentor at Computers4Kidz that inspired me. I became good at making jewelry and my mentor told me maybe I should consider it as a business.
Q. Vinegar Hill: Where do you sell your earrings?
A. Elesia: I set up at events mostly. I set up at the Black Business Expo, the African Festival, and at Jefferson School. After my first event, I made money and I felt accomplished.
Q. Vinegar Hill: So how is your business planning to help the community during the pandemic?
A. Elesia: I plan to donate some of my proceeds to the Haven and help the homeless population.
Lebron circa 2015 at ACEs Chess Tournament at Keswick Club
Lebron Booker, 18-years old | 2020 Graduate, CHS | Old Dominion University
Business Name: Relatable
Product or Service: Clothing Brand
Year Business Started: 2020
Q. Vinegar Hill: What is the innovative way your business is tackling the COVID-19 crisis?
A. LeBron: During the whole crisis there have been a series of events based on racial injustice and people from different communities. I wanted to show people the effects of those problems so it doesn’t happen.
Q. Vinegar Hill: Can you give an example of a t-shirt that you would create?
A. LeBron: I would start with one of Emmet Till died because people thought that he talked to a white female wrong. The people that know about this now care about the violence of the world.If people had a t-shirt with that on it people would take up on that moment people would take pause about these moments.
Q. Vinegar Hill: How does all of this relate to the COVID-19 pandemic?
A. LeBron: The effects of COVID-19 crisis bring issues that people weren’t talking about. People had free time on their hands and it magnified. We would do shirts with Trayvon Martin ‘s picture also.
Q. Vinegar Hill: How will you use the proceeds from your business?
A. LeBron: Depending on how much money is made over time. The more I make, the more I can give and donate.
In addition to the work CCG is doing in the community, the program is working with and supporting incarcerated youth. The following projects were devised by youth in local and regional juvenile corrections. Of course we couldn’t use their names in the article, yet you can find their projects that were selected by CCG for recognition below. One of the youth stated of the CCG program overall that, “This group inspired us to challenge ourselves and not settle for less. Entrepreneurship group taught me how to save money. We’ve completed multiple proposals during the 20-week experience.”
Business Name: Juvenile Justice Foundation
Product or Service: Small Group Mentoring
Year Business Started: 2020
Q. Vinegar Hill: Tell us a little about your foundation idea.
A. Youth: Juvenile Justice is a foundation that reduces the rate of crime, incarcerated teens and the risk of teenagers re-committing.
Q. Vinegar Hill: Why do you want to do this? What is your purpose?
A. Youth: We help because we feel that children need help instead of prison time. If they are given the right opportunity and needs they can change.
Q. Vinegar Hill: Who is it that you are targeting through your outreach?
A. Youth: We will target incarcerated teens, unemployed teens, pregnant teens and teens living in poverty and group homes.
Q. Vinegar Hill: Where will you find the youth for this program?
A. Youth: We will search for juveniles in our local community. Our foundation is on all social media platforms or you can visit our homepage. We will supply the juveniles with multiple groups such as Moral Reasoning, Moral Reconation Therapy, Anger Control and Substance Abuse.
Q. Vinegar Hill: What makes your program better than others?
A. Youth: We are mobile and we also accept personal visits or video chats. We will supply a safe environment for juveniles to hang out. Also our program is ran by productive teens that were recently incarcerated.
Q. Vinegar Hill: How will you fund your efforts?
A. Youth: We will use fundraisers, GoFundMe and sponsors to raise money for the foundation.
Business Name: The Homeless Foundation
Product or Service: Support for the Homeless
Year Business Started: 2020
Q. Vinegar Hill: Tell us a little about your foundation idea.
A. Youth: Our mission as a non-profit homelessness foundation is to provide and help homeless people by giving them a good support system, a job, food, and shelter
Q. Vinegar Hill: Why do you want to do this? What is your purpose?
A. Youth: Growing up and not having what everybody else had made me want to help people in need that don’t got what I got so I wanted to start this organization to help them out.
Q. Vinegar Hill: Who is it that you are targeting through your outreach?
A. Youth: Establish an office to run the organization and educate the team members on what benefits are available in the community. Also provide legal assistance
Q. Vinegar Hill: Who is it that you are targeting through your outreach?
A. Youth: We built this organization for homeless people, and people, families that are struggling, and that are close to homelessness.
For more information (press or donations only), contact: Robert Gray, President, Conscious Capitalist Group Foundation (434) 409-5535 | www.consciouscapitalistgroup.org
