海角大神

It was the decision to attend a New Year鈥檚 Eve party in San Francisco 13 years ago that led Isis Dallis Keigwin, CEO and co-founder of the , to provide life-lines for teens aging out of foster care.

Isis and the party鈥檚 host, , were young professionals just starting out 鈥� Isis working in marketing for Old Navy and Vanessa at a local nonprofit. The two met that evening and remained close.

In 2010, Vanessa reached out to her old friend as she was about to embark on a book tour for her debut novel, . 鈥淪he knew it was going to garner a lot of attention,鈥� says Isis, 鈥淎nd she wanted to translate the attention into something tangible.鈥�

By that time, Isis was an executive at a public relations firm, and Vanessa knew Isis鈥檚 marketing and branding expertise would be valuable in helping harness the awareness and momentum the tour would create. The novel, which became a New York Times bestseller, is about a young woman recently emancipated from the foster care system.

Vanessa, a foster parent herself, wanted her book to benefit the 30,000 young people who 鈥渁ge out鈥� of the foster care system every year 鈥� meaning, they become legal adults and are forced to leave the system regardless of whether or not they have a plan for their future or a support system in place.

What these youth face in the outside world is startling 鈥� within two years, 25 percent of them become homeless, and 25 percent become incarcerated. 60 percent of young women have children of their own within four years. Less than 3 percent ever receive a college degree.

Combining Isis鈥檚 strategic planning and creative problem-solving skills with Vanessa鈥檚 knowledge of the foster care system, together they came up with an innovative platform 鈥� the first of its kind in the social welfare sector 鈥� to crowd source the emotional and financial support many of us receive when entering adulthood, with the goal of helping change the fate of these vulnerable young people.

Today, under Isis鈥檚 leadership, the Camellia Network is a vibrant, caring online community that has provided a forum for nearly 300 youth to share their stories and connect with virtual mentors and sponsors. Volunteers can sign up to participate as Supporters, offering youth encouragement and advice, and purchasing the every-day items they need off their registries. There also are opportunities for companies and organizations to serve as partners, providing job training and internship programs, and connecting youth to resources where they live.

In the Victorian-era language of flowers, the camellia flower means, 鈥渕y destiny is in your hands.鈥� For a young man or woman aging out of foster care with no family to fall back on, his or her destiny can be altered by receiving something as simple as a virtual pat on the back or a set of silverware for a first apartment.

鈥淲e have to stop thinking of them as 鈥榯hose kids,鈥欌�� says Isis, 鈥渁nd start thinking of them collectively as 鈥榦ur kids.鈥� 鈥�

Organizational Links:

The 10 questions

IN JUST ONE SENTENCE, WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE?

To become more fully who I鈥檓 meant to be. That鈥檚 the point of life, to continue to evolve, and be open and present to messy/hard/beautiful moments that are all part of the journey. At the end of the day, that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e all doing.

HOW HAS YOUR WORK CHANGED YOU?

My work has made me realize that things can be both hard and possible 鈥� this is the hardest work I鈥檝e ever done, but even on the hardest days, I know it鈥檚 possible, and that helps get me through. I鈥檝e also learned that, more than anything, everyone needs to ask for help, either personally or professionally. This job made me realize, you can do everything in your own power, and hard work might not be enough. You might need to ask for help.

WHAT DO YOU GET FROM GIVING?

Connection. We鈥檙e all human beings together here on the planet. If you keep your head down, it can be very isolating. The moment you realize that connection is the ultimate gift you can give, life becomes more fulfilling.

WHAT IS ONE BELIEF THAT IS CORE TO YOUR BEING?

Experiences don鈥檛 define who you are. Our youth at Camellia Network have had many negative experiences, but we believe they don鈥檛 have to be defined by them. Our pasts are not predictive of future potential. Everything in life is leading us to the place we're meant to be/go.

DESCRIBE A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE THAT HELPED YOU GAIN CLARITY ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE.

Four or five years ago, I read two books that really resonated with me 鈥� one was Eat, Pray, Love. I thought it would be a cheesy beach read, but now it鈥檚 dog-eared and underlined on nearly every page. It really spoke to me spiritually. The other is A New Earth by Eckert Tolle. It is life changing; it defines 鈥渆go鈥� as attachment to ideas, material things, and habits. As a leader, I try to be conscious about letting go of my ego and encouraging everyone to contribute.

WHO IS A LIVING HERO AND WHAT WOULD YOU ASK THEM IF GIVEN THE CHANCE?

My grandmother 鈥� she鈥檚 the most influential person in my life; she鈥檚 never been wrong. She sits on her porch and gives these soulful, thoughtful nuggets of advice. She鈥檚 lived through everything and seen so much. She grew up in the Deep South and witnessed a lynching at three years old and yet has the biggest heart of anyone I鈥檝e ever met.

WHAT RESOURCES COULD HELP YOU BETTER ACHIEVE YOUR PHILANTHROPIC GOALS?

Money. Money was not the primary barrier when executing solutions for clients at the PR firm. Now, I鈥檓 dealing with much more difficult challenges 鈥� ones that involve peoples鈥� lives 鈥� and there are fewer resources. We have what we believe are solutions that can completely revolutionize the way these youth are seen and supported, we just lack the capacity to fully execute and scale those ideas.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL SAYING?

鈥淓verything you need is already inside.鈥� It often appears on packaging for children鈥檚 toys, and it鈥檚 true. All the tools you need, you have inside of you. You think, 鈥淗ow am I going to get through this difficult time?鈥� and you鈥檙e frustrated. But once you realize the answers lie within, things shift. It鈥檚 inspiring. The youth we work with haven鈥檛 been prepared for what they鈥檙e facing in adulthood. They feel unworthy, not capable. I tell them, 鈥淓verything you are going to encounter, you are capable of overcoming. We believe in you, and we are also here for you.鈥�

WHAT WOULD THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE?

Slow Pony Home. It鈥檚 a song by Deb Talan of The Weepies. It鈥檚 about a woman having conversation with her former self, describing the long process of finding herself. It sums up my life.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHERS WHO ASPIRE TO BE CHANGE AGENTS?

Ask for help; you can鈥檛 be a martyr. And don鈥檛 get caught up in qualifications. Too many people are on a set track and don鈥檛 take a leap to do something they want because they don鈥檛 think they鈥檙e 鈥渜ualified.鈥� Your heart qualifies you. Your passion will give you what you need.

鈥⑻齱as originally posted at听, a series of interviews with 鈥渃itizen philanthropists鈥� who champion causes and lead by example. To nominate someone for a Talking GOOD interview,听.听