The number of entrepreneurs is on the rise in the United States. Nearly 30 million small businesses are currently operating in the country. If you are among these, you likely enjoy the autonomy and freedom that comes with being your own boss. That said, the road to running a successful business presents unique hurdles.

It’s been an incredible journey that led to one special night filled with laughter, chills, and a few tears that all started with 7 nonprofit finalists competing for a new office.

One by one, each finalist pitched their nonprofit to the judges and shared their truly inspirational stories. During one of the pitches, another finalist heard a need they could fill and actually exchanged business cards.

A true testament to the selflessness and passion for helping not only their community, but each other. The judges deliberated well over their allotted to reach a decision, and here our your 2019 IGNITE by WorkLodge Nonprofit Winners.

According to the World Economic Forum, there are 582 million people who’ve devoted their lives to this crazy thing we like to call Entrepreneurship. It’s world changing (where would we be without Microsoft, Apple, Tesla and more?) What would we watch without Shark Tank or The Profit? Entrepreneurship is inspirational, it lets people ‘Live the Dream’ and can bring incredible rewards. It creates almost HALF of the new jobs in the United States each year! Almost double the amount of new jobs created by big enterprise. 99.9% of ALL companies in the U.S. are small businesses, and the list goes on and on.

My goal is to continue raising money for robotic equipment so patients will be able to take home the robots to continue their therapy at home on a daily basis. I am hoping this will help to eliminate wheelchairs.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Macy’s Miracles (MM) is dedicated to improving the lives of those in the special needs community through dedicated family and local township support. Our mission is to promote the networking, education and employability of special needs individuals who desire to live a limitless future.

We want to reach as many people as we can through education, provide ways for the community to get involved and help support survivors as they look for ways to continue forward in their healing journey.