Peaces of Me Foundation recently launched a GoFundMe campaign giving folks one more way to support then. Peaces of Me Foundation is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to erasing the stigma surrounding disability and chronic illness. Our global community features an array of diverse perspectives, both with and without disabilities. This allows us to break new ground, bring new people into the movement, and drive innovative solutions.
What Makes Us Unique:
- Boldly inclusive. We invite everyone to bring their ideas and perspective to the table, regardless of who they voted for, what religious beliefs they have (if any), or how familiar they are with the topics of accessibility and inclusion.
- Authenticity. Like most pro-accessibility organizations, we center the lived experience of people with disabilities. That said, we also seek to learn from business leaders, medical providers, and other professionals in order to design collaborative solutions that maximize buy-in and results.
- Grace. We pride ourselves on our ability to meet people where they are. Bring your genuine curiosity and willingness to learn, and we will fill in the awareness gaps.
- Peacemakers. We are steadfast in our conviction that access is a human right. That said,ew believe that the strongest path toward making accessibility ubiquitous involves building bridges across the ideological spectrum and inviting every stakeholder to create novel solutions with us.
- Mindset. We strive to run our organization like an innovated startup business. As new technology, tools, and approaches emerge, we will thoughtfully integrate them into our operations in order to maximize our impact and stay ahead of the curve.
Our Why
In 2019, cofounders Daniel Hodges and Kristy Rogers decided to create a nonprofit after seeing first-hand how difficult it can be to find the help you need when life gets tough.
At the time, Daniel was entering his 2nd year of law school as a student with multiple disabilities. Prior to that, Daniel coordinated cancer care for 2 of his children that involved working with specialists in multiple states. Despite his experience and connections, he continued to encounter roadblocks when advocating for friends and family; which reinforced his belief that the status quo simply wasn’t working.
Kristy is the mother of 4 children, one of whom was born with an unexpected limb difference. Despite her expertise as a social worker, Kristy and her husband encountered a number of roadblocks as they tried to find support and resources for their daughter. During this time, Kristy was also coming to terms with her own invisible disability, which had lead to her leaving the workforce at an early age.
Throughout the last several years, Daniel and Kristy have dedicated themselves to creating a community that provides the information people need, when they need it. Moreover, they continue to focus on addressing the systemic and social barriers that keep people from reaching their full potential. This includes replacing stigma and misconceptions with awareness and an achievable path toward inclusion. They believe that every positive interaction they have caries the potential to change the world for someone.
What We Do
Peaces of Me creates innovative community education and professional training resources that move the needle from basic awareness to actionable insight.
Our Current Project
Peaces of Me is building a virtual catalog or information that will serve as the bedrock for our community education efforts.
Key features:
- Expansive. Featuring 25 categories and hundreds of subcategories, our library will touch on every element of living with a disability.
- Comprehensive. Whether you’re new to the topic of accessibility, or seeking guidance regarding a specific issue, we will point you in the right direction.
- Dynamic. As best practices and other information evolves, our library will adapt and grow in-line with these changes.
- Approachable. Accessibility and UX best practices will be baked into every layer of the product. This includes developing a cutting-edge interactive tool (think chatbot, but better) that will help each user find what they need in a timely, efficient, and stress free manner.
- Authentic. The data, stories, and other materials in the library will be based on lived experience. This allows us to offer an experience that is both more human and more powerful than conducting a Google search or relying on AI tools without the safeguards that we provide.
Every article, story, and how-to guide that we upload brings the world a little closer to fully and authentically including people with disabilities.
How you can help
Our volunteer-led organization is erasing stigma one hart, and one mind, at a time. As a community, we invite every individual to serve in a manner that is meaningful. Achievable, and sustainable for them. Our approach is loosely based on the 5 T’s model described by Hali Lee in her book, The Big We. They are:
- Time. Help us complete tasks that move our mission forward.
- Talent. Act as a subject matter expert or advisor in a number of fields.
- Treasure. Make a financial contribution on a one-time or recurring basis.
- Ties. Share our message with your network.
- Testimony. Share your story, so that others may learn.
Time
We currently have a number of service opportunities available to the general public. These volunteer roles are flexible and remote. Moreover, they include several categories such as social media, outreach, and grant writing.
To learn more, visit: www.peacesofme.org/serve or email us at: info@peacesofme.org
Talent
We are also recruiting subject-matter experts in a variety of fields to serve on our Advisory Council. These positions allow thought-leaders to offer their insights in a manner that fits in with their other responsibilities.
To learn more about this opportunity, email us at: Daniel@peacesofme.org and include “Advisory Council” in the subject line.
Treasure
As with any growing organization, small donations are the lifeblood we rely on. We recently launched a recurring giving campaign designed to accelerate our growth and help us achieve greater impact.
You can support our mission financially by:
- visiting our primary donation page at:
- Purchasing merch at our new online store:
- Checking out our recently launched GoFundMe campaign:
Ties
Following our pages and interacting with our content is more helpful than people often realize. Your likes, shares, and follows demonstrate community interest, which opens a multitude of doors for us.
These benefits include:
- helping us reach a broader audience.
- Making our grant applications more competitive.
- Attracting potential sponsorships and other sources of revenue.
Below, you will find a list of our social media links. We humbly ask that you utilize as many of them as possible.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacesofmefoundation?igshid=MTNiYzNiMzkwZA==
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peaces-of-me-foundation/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peacesofmefoundation247
X: https://twitter.com/PeacesofMeFdn/status/1849230140380737977
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17ULBgLGW7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DCBDAu49V/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Testimony
Your story, perspective, and wisdom matter. Whether you are well-versed in the accessibility movement, or brand new, we invite you to contribute to the discussion. Please consider sharing your insights, stories, and questions with the community. You can do so publicly, or anonymously; whichever works for you.
Feel free to contribute in our Facebook group (see the link above) or email us at: info@peacesofme.org.
Throughout the Month of December, we will expound on each of the above categories in our calls to action. We will also share specific examples of how your support benefits the broader community.
For now, we invite you to:
- learn more at www.peacesofme.org
- Share this post with your network.
- Checkout our new GoFundMe campaign at:
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