CreATE was built on one simple idea: the community we've always wanted isn't going to build itself. It starts with people who are willing to show up, do the work, and bring others with them.​

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My understanding of community didn't begin in a classroom or at a nonprofit—it began through lived experience.

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As a Black woman, an Oromo Ethiopian immigrant, and someone who grew up in Section 8 housing, I learned the meaning of community long before I knew words like community organizing, civic engagement, or grassroots leadership. I watched neighbors show up for one another, families share what they had, and communities come together during celebrations, times of loss, and moments of need. Before I knew the language, I was living it.

 

Those experiences taught me something I carry with me every day: the people closest to a community have always been its greatest strength.

 

That's why I created CreATE.

 

CreATE stands for Advocate. Transform. Empower.

 

CreATE is a grassroots movement rooted in the belief that real community is built by people who choose to show up. We create opportunities for people to volunteer, lead, learn, and work together through community service, civic engagement, workforce development, college readiness, and neighborhood initiatives.

 

We don't believe communities have to wait for someone else to solve their problems. We believe change begins when neighbors, students, families, volunteers, and local organizations come together and take ownership of the places they call home.

 

My educational journey—from earning a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Deaf Studies from California State University, Sacramento, to a Master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego—gave me the tools to better understand leadership and organizations. But the greatest lessons have come from being on the ground, listening to people, building relationships, and serving alongside my community.

 

CreATE is more than a movement—it's an invitation.

 

To serve.
To lead.
To learn from one another.
And to create the communities we've always wanted to live in.

 

Because the future of our communities has always belonged to the people willing to show up for them.