Over the years, we have consistently been blown away by the examples of generosity we’ve witnessed from our community of creatives and entrepreneurs. We asked some of them to open up to us about where they think their generosity comes from.
Skye Ding
My generosity comes from a deeply personal place. Having autistic family members has shown me how important compassion, understanding, and support is, not just for individuals, but for the families and communities around them. Seeing their experiences has inspired me to give back in meaningful ways. This past year, my company, ANNOVA, donated over $20,000 worth of products to the New England Center for Children. Read more>>
Ray Olyejar
As a business owner I would say my generosity comes from the happiness that lights up a persons eyes when they feel beautiful. There’s nothing quite like it honestly. When I first started high school I knew it wasn’t really for me. Not that I struggled in school, I graduated with mostly A’s and a 4.0 gpa. Read more>>
Brittany Allen
I grew up in a house with scarce financial resources. I attended inner city public schools. I started my first job when I was 14 years old. I remember my best friend and I splitting the cost of our first pair of ‘MUDD’ jeans and shared them! Read more>>
Catherine Magarino
I value generosity. I believe all abundance comes as a divine gift. It is my responsibility to steward that abundance and share it with others. Abundance doesn’t always mean financial wealth. It can mean an abundance of time…making plans with someone who really needs it. Read more>>
Jeremy Carr
My generosity really comes from how I was raised. I grew up in a small rural farm town and was raised by my grandmother on my mom’s side. She was one of those people who gave from the heart, even when she didn’t have much herself. I watched her share meals, help neighbors, and quietly show up for people who needed it. Read more>>
Cinzi Lavin
To me, generosity isn’t as much about one’s ability to give as it is about knowing that making life good for everyone is the right thing to do. Creating a generosity-based society, then, is when we offer help or sustenance or even encouragement to others. Read more>>
Claudine Nalzaro
My generosity comes from a place of gratitude and empathy. I’ve been blessed with people who supported and believed in me, and those experiences really shaped who I am. Because of that, I naturally want to give back and help others whenever I can. I believe that when we support each other, we create a stronger, more positive environment for everyone to grow and succeed. Read more>>
Samira Grady
I can be generous because I have received much generosity in my lifetime. I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end. It warms my heart to be in the position to help others. I believe that you reap what you sow, and I believe Love is the greatest force on the Earth, and when it flows freely it can change lives! Read more>>
Penny Little
When I was young, my list was long and “grand.” I wanted to be: (1) one of Santa’s helpers, until I realized working for an imaginary elf wasn’t a viable career path. I thought it would be fun to give gifts to everyone in the world. Read more>>
Anisa Turner
Honestly, it’s the way my mom raised me. She was a single mom, I mean I had my step dad since I was 2. And my dad was on and off in my life but my mom really did her big one raising me and my brother. Read more>>
Andrea Gates
My generosity comes from knowing first hand what it feels like to have nothing. I have been there. I have been the evicted person with all my belongings being put out in the street. I have been the person who woke up, went outside, and discovered my car had been repossessed. I have been the pregnant mother with no lights, no money, and no food. Read more>>
Wyatt Poindexter
When people ask where my generosity comes from, my answer is always the same—it comes from my parents, and especially my mom. I grew up watching them give without expecting anything in return. They were never focused on what they could take, but always on how they could help others, and that left a lasting impression on me. Read more>>
Christian Walker
My generosity comes honestly from my beliefs and how i was raised. I came up in a lutheran church (Jehovah Lutheran Church of Pensacola Fl) where giving unto others as you’d want given to you was a foundation of being christ like. Though thats just a portion of it thats what stuck with me always. So thats how i move. Read more>>
Meg King
I think I was born with it. I remember being a kid and finding $30 in the road and giving the $20 to a friend. Call it stupidity or generosity, you pick! Maybe a little of both. As an adult, I hate seeing people struggle. I have learned if I am in a position to help, I can and will. Read more>>
Mariella Comparelli
My generosity comes from a place of equilibrium — an inner knowing that true giving cannot exist without preservation. It’s born from awareness, from understanding the quiet balance between energy that flows outward and the energy we must hold to sustain our essence. To me, generosity isn’t about self-sacrifice; it’s an act of refinement. It’s the way we offer presence, attention, and care without dilution. Read more>>
Marc Strong
I really believe that generosity lives in all of us. But when I think about how mine has changed and deepened over the years, I realize it’s been the hard stuff—the struggles, the heartbreaks, the setbacks—that’s shaped it the most. It’s through those moments of pain that I’ve learned to really appreciate life and to recognize that we’re all fighting our own quiet battles. Read more>>
Tiffany Walehwa
This is an easy one to answer. My attitude toward giving definitely stems from my upbringing and my family. Both my parents were in helping professions, so some used to joke that I had no choice but to choose one for myself. But beyond that, generosity was at the forefront of every exchange and in every role they held. Read more>>
Emilee Schipper
Generosity has always played a big role in my life. It’s something I try to practice and give freely. Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of being generous, even when it wasn’t easy or convenient. We’d often bake breads or muffins together and bring them to our neighbors, just because. Read more>>
Nikai Mitchell
Growing up, my dad would always take me and my sister to the park in our downtown area to feed the homeless after church. I feel like it created this knowing that people deserve kindness, help, and empathy no matter what. Read more>>
Joanna
It comes from having a love to help people. I remember a time before starting my first job at 16 and walking into a check cashing store with my mother and asking the clerk a question and being dismissed. She rushed through the transaction and made us feel as if we were ‘bothering’ her. Read more>>
Gabrielle Hakes
The feel good answer is that I love the people around me, so it’s easy to give them the help they need in life, be it a listening ear, help working on something, etc. The uncomfortable answer is that it’s probably a deeply ingrained habit from early childhood. I grew up in a house with a lot of strong personalities. Read more>>
Nordia Barrett-Lewis
Whilst I believe my generosity is innate, I also recognize that my upbringing has deeply fueled it. Having lived among different families—some strangers, some extended relatives—I have experienced both kindness and unkindness. Each encounter shaped my understanding of human nature. I realized that being kind, regardless of circumstance, always brought a smile to others. That simple truth continues to guide my generosity today. Read more>>
Kate Meier
My generosity comes from the same place that both Help the House and Craftmade Aprons comes from: being a mom who wants to take care of her kids. When my kids entered this industry, I saw first hand all of the struggles that a young line cook faces. Read more>>
Jasmine McKenzie
Growing up young with my mother on drugs, being on the streets, doing drugs, and asking strangers for money taught me early what it truly means to struggle. Those moments, when survival was the only goal, became my greatest lessons in empathy, long before I even knew what that word meant. I learned by listening. Listening to people whose stories were heavier than mine. Read more>>
Casey Margarite Field
My generosity comes from my faith. I believe that God has given me so much in this lifetime – beyond what I truly deserve. I have had the privilege to travel abroad to some of the poorest regions of Guatemala, China and the Dominican Republic [economically]. While economically poor, these individuals were rich in generosity and joy. Read more>>
Joe StucKEY
My generosity comes from many intertwined spaces. I learned early that connection and compassion matter. I’ve built my brand and life around Educate. Empower. Engage., which mirrors values of empathy, growth, and inclusion. That doesn’t just happen by accident — it reflects a heart trained to see people and want to help them rise. 🔑 2. Read more>>
Gilesa Key
My godmother, Shamiki Silas was the nicest person you could ever meet! She was kind to everyone. When she died, I was so devastated and to deal with my grief. I continued to be kind to others and smile more! I know that’s what she would have wanted. Read more>>
Allen Laughlin
My generosity comes from a place of contrast; I know what it feels like to have very little, and I know the difference it makes when someone chooses to give. My faith has also shaped me to live open-handed, to see resources not as mine to keep but as tools to bless others. Read more>>
Amor Roldan
For me, my generosity comes from my life experiences. Growing up, I wasn’t blessed with materialistic things and it never was my main concern. I was taught from my loving mom that things will always work out. As long as we admire the little things in life and are doing things from the kindness of our hearts. We will be okay. Read more>>
Jonika Smith
My grandmother. I know she’s resting in heaven. We lived across the street from a homeless shelter in Savannah Georgia. My grandmother would put tables out in our front yard and feed them. During holidays we would make gift bags for them and she even held Bible study for them. Read more>>
Ernesto Sanz Martinez
From a very young age, I developed a good sense of awareness of what was happening around me. Over time, I learned to reflect on those moments and understand how they came to be. Read more>>
Spencer MacRae
In short, my Father. I think the generosity gene fell very close to the tree. Children are sponges absorbing everything they see and I saw just that in my father when I was growing up. He is the most generous person I know even when he has little to none he wants to share it with the world. Read more>>
Douglas Spradlin
I was raised in the church. I was raised to help everyone and anyone if they were in need of help. I was taught to be helpful and to be a part of something more than myself. The phrase it takes a village isn’t just something you say, it takes action on everyone’s part to have a thriving and meaningful community. Read more>>
Dr. Sathya Callender-Wilson
My generosity comes from the lessons my grandmother taught me at the early age of five. She would have me help her prepare meals for the homeless and would often take me to the Bowery to serve them. I found so much joy in doing so. I also assisted her in wrapping gifts for children who were less fortunate. Read more>>
Ana Novacic
I think my sense of generosity really comes from my family, and also from spending time in Serbia during parts of my childhood and pre-teen years. It’s a culture where family, relatives, and close friends are generous not just with material things, but with their time, patience, and emotional support. That kind of generosity really shaped me. Read more>>
Emanuel Loarca
Generosity and kindness are some of the qualities I admire most in a human being. It makes me feel good and full. It really warms up my heart. I always try to pass it on to others every chance I get. And when it comes to the work/the craft I follow the same principle by honoring my teachers who share their knowledge with me. Read more>>
Munus Shih
I think my generosity really comes from my mom. She’s a science teacher, and she always told me, “One should help others when we have the ability to.” Growing up, I watched her live by that. She taught in underprivileged schools, and sometimes she would treat her students almost like her own kids. I remember moments when a student couldn’t afford to join a field trip. She would quietly pay for their expenses herself, but pretend it was sponsored by the school. Read more>>
