Helena-Kelleese Smith is the founder of Serve Community, LLC, which provides resources for start-up non-profit organizations including youth program development, curriculum development consulting, also specializing in grant writing/funding resources and branding/field marketing. She is also the owner of Furr Baby Boo, an in-home pet care company specializing in providing quality care for pets, custom adventures, and dog walking. Helena-Kelleese is also a youth advocate and has been involved in the community by creating a service-learning curriculum that has been used at several nonprofit agencies and is currently running an after-school program called the Teen Lifestyle Clinic, a pop-up and push in teen resource center, which has received over $20,000 in funding.
This diva is a native of Charleston, SC, who attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC and graduated with a BA in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations from Savannah State University in Savannah, GA. We’re “serving†up more about this Wednesday Wonder Woman below!
Fancy: How would you describe your swagher? What makes Helena-Kelleese, Helena-Kelleese?
Helena-Kelleese: What makes me, me is my personality, my journey, my lifestyle, all of my experiences have shaped me into the woman I am today. My swag is definitely that of a rebel with a cause, living by my own rules and refusing to be boxed in. I know for sure that is why and how I became an entrepreneur.
Fancy: How did you get your start in the non-profit sector?
Helena-Kelleese: I’ve always been in the non-profit sector. It has been apart of my life’s work since I started working. I’ve worked with several organizations since college and have always been a person to give back and be apart of something bigger than me. I love community work and helping people build foundations just to help others. It wasn’t until I became the Teen Coordinator for the YMCA in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), that I discovered I wanted to do more for non-profits. At that time, I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in, but I knew I wanted to do more.
Fancy: What inspired Serve Community, LLC?
Helena-Kelleese: At first, Serve Community was going to be a traveling community service organization. Our main goal was to travel and serve people in various communities. As I began to go through the process, I realized that becoming a non-profit is a lot of additional work and plus I had partners that really needed me to help on the consulting side, so I started the process to become a non-profit branding strategist. Our main goal is to guide and set up start up non-profits and small businesses in the area of youth development programming, curriculum development, grant writing, branding and marketing among other services. It has worked out for Serve Community ever since.
Fancy: What do you enjoy most about your work?
Helena-Kelleese: I love helping people. I love making sure people are ok. I love to serve. That’s why I do what I do. It is apart of my therapy to help people in need.
Fancy: So tell us a little about Furr Baby Boo and how it began.
Helena-Kelleese: I loveeee animals! It has been that way since I was a little girl. I always wanted to do something with animals, but I didn’t know what it was going to be. The idea came to me after working for a pet sitting company and realizing that there are not enough people of color in this industry as far as pet care and pet sitting. I also wanted to be affordable to people that need pet care while they are away or need a break from their fur babies. I wanted to provide a safe space for them within their environment or create an atmosphere with other sitters so they can feel comfortable. So I set out to start my own pet sitting business, and it has been a great experience thus far.Â
Fancy: What type of resources does the Teen Lifestyle Clinic provide?
Helena-Kelleese: The Teen Lifestyle Clinic is a signature program that Serve.Co created to assist with the needs of teens today. It is a push-in and pop up resource center for high schoolers who need help with navigating school, life, extracurricular activities, jobs, etc. Any organization servicing teens can implement our program and use tools we provide to increase participation and retain volunteers.
Fancy: Why are you so passionate about working with the youth?
Helena-Kelleese: If we can change a teen’s life, we can change the world. It still takes a village to raise a child, and 12-18 are crucial ages for kids. They are exposed to so much too fast, and sometimes they need an outlet other than school, to fill that void. Teens can be resilient in times of adversity, and my job is to nurture that and assist other people that want to nurture that as well, hence our working with organizations that cater to youth development.
Fancy: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you care to share?
Helena-Kelleese: Look out for Serve Community’s signature event, called Business Therapy, which is an intimate discussion among start-up business owners wanting to move the needle in their business and providing resources to help them do so. The event will take place summer 2019.
Connect with Helena-Kelleese below.
