4 Reasons to Love Empower Coffee Roasters

In April 2020, even as uncertainty and panic over the Covid-19 Pandemic swept Arizona, Empower Coffee Roasters opened its doors in Mesa, AZ. Founders Zach and Denise were on a mission to empower women, bean by bean, and their determination to support women was not to be stopped, not even by an unprecedented international crisis. Here are 4 ways Empower Coffee Roasters stepped up to support women during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Donating a percentage of proceeds to support the work of Live & Learn! Empower Coffee Roasters donated 5% of all sales from November 2020 to March 2021 to Live

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New Shoes

A year ago, Live & Learn was helping Anna prepare to start college and advance her career. Then, when Covid-19 hit, she lost her job and her opportunity to go to school. Now, Live & Learn is helping her get back to work. In late December, Anna came to the office to renew her bus pass and complete some paperwork. Staff quickly noticed that Anna’s shoes were falling apart. Embarrassed, she said, “Money’s so tight right now. I’m not buying anything my children don’t absolutely need, I just can’t.” Thanks to a generous donor, there are boxes of new Converse

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Leading People to a Better Place: Interview with Allison Mullady

Leading People to a Better Place: Interview with Allison Mullady Allison Mullady, Ph.D. Program Manager Design Studio for Community Solutions Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions Arizona State University This past week, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Allison Mullady, a member of Live & Learn’s Board of Directors. She works at the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University. Below, you can read our interview. Q: What did you want to do when you went into college? Did you change your career field at any point? I always wanted to go

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Salad and Go Invests in a Maricopa County that Works for Everyone

Salad and Go is a drive-through revolution spreading rapidly across Arizona. Founded in 2013 in Gilbert Arizona, they started with a mission to make fast food better and healthier for everyone. On the surface, the expansion of the popular Salad and Go restaurants might seem like the focus of their work, but that is deceptively simple. Salad and Go’s community impact cuts much deeper as they pursue their mission. Affordable, convenient restaurants and healthy, organic ingredients are central to Salad and Go’s approach, but the Salad and Go family is working tirelessly towards broader social change in pursuit of their mission. They are

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Sundt Foundation Helps Women Return to Work and Retain Stability During this Pandemic

Established in 1999, the Sundt Foundation was created to help Sundt employees give back to their communities. To this day the Sundt Foundation has remained true to its mission and granted millions to nonprofits that aid the disadvantaged in California, Arizona, Texas and Utah. Sundt has always been a company that gives back—because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Funding from the Sundt Foundation will help women who have lost wages and need support to meet their basic needs during these troubling times. It will allow Live & Learn to provide individualized case management for low-income women experiencing

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Arizona Public Service Supports Live & Learn Women During Covid-19

Amidst a relentless pandemic, Arizona Public Service (APS) has awarded Live & Learn with a $2,000 grant that will support Arizona women. These funds will provide needs-based financial assistance to low-income women who have lost work due to Covid-19. During the Covid-19 pandemic, low-income women are losing employment at a higher rate than any other group. They are often primary caregivers for elderly or high-risk family members, as well as for children doing schoolwork from home. Isolation, stress, and worry are taking a serious toll on mental health. Rates of domestic violence are surging. Covid-19 infection and death rates are

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Become a Sponsor: Take action against the economic impact of Covid-19

Covid-19 has devastated low-income women in Maricopa County. Women are losing jobs and struggling with surging rates of domestic abuse, mental illness, and hunger and eviction. We invite local businesses to become Live & Learn sponsors by providing funding that will allow us to reach more women. Right now, Live & Learn is working with 100 women each month to: Access basic needs like food Stay housed Regain employment Receive counseling When you help women regain stability, you mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their children and you shorten our community’s recovery time. Working together, we will survive this.

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Desert Financial Credit Union Takes Action Against Covid-19

Amidst a relentless pandemic, Desert Financial Credit Union has granted $5,000 to support Live & Learn. These funds will help low-income women regain employment despite challenges posed by Covid-19. From the start, the pandemic has devastated low-income women. They are losing employment at a higher rate than any other group. They are often the primary caregiver for elderly or high-risk family members, as well as for children doing schoolwork from home. Isolation, stress, and worry are taking a serious toll on mental health. Rates of domestic violence are surging. Nonetheless, Live & Learn women are determined to secure new employment

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Continued Support from the Arizona Community Foundation

This month, the Arizona Community Foundation’s Covid-19 Community Response Fund provided $13,400 to Live & Learn. This is in addition to support from the Arizona Community Foundation in April (read about it here). With this second wave of funding, Live & Learn can continue to mitigate the devastating effects of the pandemic on low-income women in Maricopa County. Covid-19 continues to pose serious challenges to women in our community. As stress and anxiety increase, women’s mental health is in jeopardy. Live & Learn program staff are working hard to ensure women are receiving the mentoring and emotional support they need.

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Female Entrepreneur Elected Live & Learn Board Chairperson

Susanne Johnson was unanimously voted to serve as Chairperson of the Live & Learn Board of Directors in November 2019. Ms. Johnson is an inspiring entrepreneur with an admirable work ethic and a passion for what she does. She is currently the founder and owner of Verbena Sky, but she began her career in banking and auditing, followed by several years building digital products at technology companies. Then, Ms. Johnson founded her own company, inspired by a desire to boost women’s confidence. VerbenaSky.com Verbena Sky is an online accessory business that showcases a wide variety of jewelry, bags, and home

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