40 Under 40 Event Honors Young Black Professionals

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The Envest Foundation hosted their annual "40 Under 40 event" on Thursday in Washington, D.C., to honor young black professionals who have donated their time and money to serve young people in the D.C.-metropolitan area. Outgoing Mayor Adrian Fenty, a scheduled speaker, did not show up to the event, but other speakers spoke with passion about education and serving youth in the community.
Founder of Envest, Joshua Humbert, says he got the inspiration to start the foundation, when he learned the hard way that there are some mistakes that can be made in giving:

"I gave a very large gift and that organization shut down a month and a half later. I was maybe 22-years-old and it devastated me and devastated my pockets too. I realized there are so many people between the ages of 25 and 45 who really need guidance on how to give back, what to look for, legacy tracking. We love ecnouraging, motivating and inspiring people to become philanthropists."

Envest has launched two non-profits as community partners, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School and Sitar Arts Center. Their focus is heavily on education.

Kesia Williams was an honoree and is the chair of Capitol Cause, a non-profit organization dedicated to getting young professionals involved in the giving process. She said, "You don't necessarily need money in order to invest, one of the speakers said, and I think that was one of the concepts that was conveyed here."

Another honoree Bryn Johnson (pictured), a fashion designer, uses his store, where he custom designs clothes for men and women, in Arlington, Va., as a way to mix business and philanthropy by using it as a platform for other businesses to showcase their creativity.

"There's a young lady who's a cake baker. She makes southern cakes from scratch. It's called 'Southern Girl Homemade Cakes.' She uses the store to showcase her work," says Johnson. "I have a friend who makes custom pens and he sells his pens from the store. We use the store as a venue to help others."

Johnson also volunteers his time speaking at high schools and elementary schools. He even has plans to work with pants-on-the-ground young men to improve their fashion sense. The store is currently working on developing a relationship with PG County schools in order to talk and work with students on a regular basis.

About his store's focus, Johnson explained that he showcases classic looks like the 1920s and '30s golden era in men's clothing:

"Anything I can get my hands on based on that era, I educate myself on. And I educate my customers. We talk about the history of clothes, how you feel in the clothes, how to take care of the clothes. It started with men's, but I also do women's clothes. "

For more information on the Envest Foundation, visit here.

 

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