Welcome!
I am so happy and grateful that you will be joining us on our journey of development, growth and learning. As a founder of a nonprofit organization, young professional and African-American woman, my hope is to inspire young professionals, entrepreneurs and communities to become exactly who they are called to be- the person that is within us all that we have yet to release.
This may be our first encounter, so I would like to provide you with a brief bio that will include my experience and aspirations, my journey on founding Dare Humanity, my personal interests and hobbies and a promise I would like to make to you all.
My name is Kia A. Harris and I am the founder of Dare Humanity, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. I consider myself to be an eclectic entrepreneur, leader and servant who aims to inspire, uplift, empower and serve. I consider my life to be fueled by serving God, being of service to others, continuous learning opportunities and true happiness that money cannot buy. Although I have had various opportunities working in the healthcare field, in 2015 I became infatuated with the idea of working independently, teaching and creating something of my own. In March of 2015, I thought to myself one day “If I start building now, I can I can be established sooner than I think.” I was 24 at the time (now 27), living with my sister in a one bedroom apartment, but I have always been a visionary and so I saw myself, and my family beyond our current situations.
I believe the desire to start a nonprofit organization was inspired by the letters my mother, sister and I received in our condo in Corona, California in the early 2000s. Each month we would receive a letter from an international nonprofit organization and every envelope would include an image of people from the communities they served and an opportunity to give. My mom would ask me every month if I wanted to give and I would set aside a few dollars to send with hers. I believe that was the start of my interests in nonprofits.
I grew up with the idea that you had to be a certain age to start a business, you had to have a certain amount of money, or have a particular ‘status’ or rank. I listened to society and their idea of my capabilities instead of listening to my heart and my desires as a promising individual. So instead of listening to society, I decided to found a nonprofit organization, which you will all come to know, named Dare Humanity.
Dare Humanity was established with the desire to create opportunities for communities and help develop leaders. I knew the specific areas I wanted to focus on were international aid, community-driven development and health education. I had experience in the healthcare field, a Bachelors in health science, and a desire to make a true impact. But I didn’t exactly have the means, but I definitely had the will. I started setting aside money every month to establish Dare Humanity as a legal entity while working as a freelance instructor and eventually for a nonprofit organization. I was able to establish Dare Humanity as an official corporation, assembled the bylaws (after periods of procrastination) and hosted small events. While working for the nonprofit organization I mentioned, I was also pursuing medical school and studying for the MCAT. Due to my focus on medical school, I did not have as much time to pursue things related to Dare Humanity, although I hosted activities here and there.
In 2017, I applied for medical school and in that same year, I was denied for every single program I applied to. I spent hundreds of dollars and time studying, paying for applications to medical school, etc. But it wasn’t just about the money. I was devastated because all the years I spent pursuing medicine and having opportunities that had confirmed my desire to work in the field, seemed to not be promising after all. I can remember the exact night where I went to my mother's house and informed her of the rejection email I received from the final school I applied to.
I have never been the one to stay in a discouraged state, and so I set out to figure out what I could do in the year-gap that I set for myself before applying to medical school again. Little did I know that I would be embarking on a journey in a different direction, but a direction that has made me completely satisfied. I searched for various one-year Masters programs and discovered a program at the university I currently attend (did I mention it was for one year?!) - the Master in Nonprofit Administration program. I was accepted within weeks of being denied from medical school and a month later, I moved to the Bay Area. Now I am here, in the Bay Area, and I have completed my program. Throughout the program, and through the various processes and courses I have been able to take, I have been able to develop my organization as well as assist other nonprofits in their developmental processes.
Now that I have the time to develop Dare Humanity, I will strive to do so. My promise to you as the founder of the organization is to continue learning as a leader so that I can lead others, seek opportunities to reflect and be the best leader and person I can be. Furthermore, I promise to be as transparent as I can be with the supporters, partners and constituents of Dare Humanity. I ask that you have the patience with me and the organization as we grow and I ask you to join me, join us and the communities we serve as we change our world from within, empower phenomenal leaders across the world, and inspire impact that will spread across generations.
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