Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Carter.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tiffany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always had a heart for serving. I get much of that from my granddad. So, We Are Access (WAA) came naturally. One day, me and my linesister Autumn, the co-founder of WAA, were sitting in my office after work and we came up with this idea of making volunteering fun–particularly for millennials. In conversations with my peers, I’d often hear them say things like “I’ll give back once I’m secure in my career or once I’m settled.” It was like an afterthought–once I do this, then I’ll do that. I wanted to change that. I truly believe that everyone has “something” that can change the world. So we set out to start WAA. Our mission is simple: to lead millennials worldwide into a rush of service, while inspiring and acknowledging the next generation of philanthropic, social and business leaders and thinkers. With everything we do, we prioritize both the giver and the receiver.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s not easy at all. Juggling time…work…life. It gets hard. Autumn and I have full-time, extremely time-consuming jobs. But the great part about WAA is that there’s two of us, so we double as accountability partners in this thing. It’s like the Jay-Z line “when I’m off track, mami is keepin’ me focused.” That’s literally how we approach our work with WAA, especially because we’re still a new, small organization. As newbies to the nonprofit world, finding our voice was a struggle at first and of course, there’s also the funding piece. Those challenges have only truly made us better–more creative… more innovative.
We’d love to hear more about We Are Access, Inc.
We specialize in getting millennials excited about giving back. I always tell people whatever pains you in the world, start there. So, at WAA, we aim to inspire individuals to pursue giving opportunities for what pains them. We also host quarterly volunteer events. We have a dedicated library space, developed to help fight adult illiteracy, in the Atlanta Mission’s downtown space. We’ve gathered millennials to feed the homeless, hosted ice cream parties for foster care children and more. We’re also really committed to sharing our platform with other millennial changemakers in the Atlanta-area.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I’m obsessed with building and maintaining strong relationships. I have my family to thank for that. When I think of success and giving, my grandparents come to mind. My dad’s parents as well as my mom’s mother and godparents, there all the most selfless people I know. They passed that along to my parents and now here I am committing myself to make a difference in the world. I’ve been blessed to have strong family ties; as a result, I always find myself in deep discussions about the power of love and giving. It’s what we’re placed here for! And I truly believe if we had more of these discussions, our world would be different… better even. Success for me is what I do for the least of these.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.weareaccess.org
- Email: contact@weareaccess.org
- Instagram: @weareaccessinc (WAA) | @tiffanylcarter (personal)
Image Credit:
Kaptured by Keisha
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