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REBUILDING SOCIAL HOMES<br />
K<br />
evin Adler’s approach<br />
to ending homelessness<br />
includes changing the<br />
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His organization, Miracle<br />
Messages, operates according<br />
to the belief that homelessness<br />
isn’t exclusively the result of<br />
losing the roof over one’s head.<br />
Adler believes homelessness also<br />
happens when people on the<br />
streets lose touch with family<br />
and friends.<br />
“We see people without<br />
housing, and we almost<br />
forget they have other needs<br />
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says. “We’re building social<br />
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Miracle Messages records<br />
videos of homeless people who<br />
want to reach out to their family<br />
and friends. It then tries to<br />
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the video messages through<br />
social media. To date, about<br />
40 percent of those reunited<br />
with loved ones are now off<br />
the streets.<br />
Adler was inspired to launch<br />
Miracle Messages by his<br />
uncle, who lived in and out of<br />
homelessness for 30 years.<br />
“I see everyone as intrinsically<br />
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he says. “The knowledge that<br />
I can wake up every day and<br />
live my values, and that I can<br />
connect with extraordinary<br />
people and volunteers from all<br />
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PROMOTION<br />
UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITY<br />
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hat makes Brit Gilmore’s<br />
leadership style special is<br />
the strong bond she creates<br />
with her employees. In fact,<br />
their personal lives are at the center<br />
of everything she does.<br />
At The Giving Keys, a Los<br />
Angeles-based jewelry company<br />
where Gilmore serves as<br />
president, nearly 30 percent of<br />
employees are transitioning out<br />
of homelessness. So it’s incredibly<br />
rewarding when they tell her<br />
things like, “I’m going apartment<br />
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Their work making necklaces<br />
from keys engraved with inspirational<br />
messages helps teach them<br />
job skills, earn an income and<br />
begin to turn their lives around.<br />
Gilmore had for years<br />
envisioned a career that merged<br />
fashion with philanthropy. Taking<br />
a pay cut to be a production<br />
manager for the then-tiny startup<br />
in 2012 was a no-brainer.<br />
“I had been incubating this<br />
desire to do something impact-<br />
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says. “It was so aligned with what<br />
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Gilmore is also passionate<br />
about the broader social<br />
enterprise space and helping<br />
people make positive changes<br />
in their lives, one small step at<br />
a time.<br />
“I love encouraging people to<br />
not try too hard to see the end<br />
from the beginning — just start<br />
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Stories by Natalie Burg<br />
Photos by Perry Ogden
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