Passionate about helping to empower others, Ghinwa Merei was looking for volunteer opportunities to be of service in her community when she came across Rise.

“I was blown away,” she says.

As president and founder of EnVisionary Innovative Consulting and with more than 20 years of strategic leadership experience empowering financial service professionals and Fintech entrepreneurs, Rise’s mission felt like an immediate fit.

“Rise’s values were in total alignment with mine. It doesn’t just offer a quick fix to help ease the pain; it goes deep to empower people and lends them a hand to rebuild their lives and envision new futures.”

As a mentor in the Rise Small Business Lending Program, Ghinwa was paired with mentee David Kellett, a.k.a. Sunshine Dave. As founder of The Sunshine Bliss Project, he helps individuals seeking alternative healing options through services including Reiki, VortexHealing, meditation and sound healing. Though Ghinwa was not an expert in the field, with her years of experience helping leaders unleash their potential, she wanted to help Dave feel confident and empowered as a business owner.

“I did my best to be open-minded and let him educate me on the spiritual experiences and the services he offers. I tried to allow him space to be as authentic as possible, without fear of judgement, and encourage him to celebrate his resiliency.”

Similar is the advice that she offers to new and prospective Rise volunteers.

“Be as authentic and open-minded as you can. Enjoy the experience and be proud to be part of someone else’s transformation journey. This experience is not only impactful for your mentee but also for you and for the whole Rise community. It’s a win-win-win relationship!”