As you may have read by now, 7th & Palm was created to give away more time and resources to help others...and build a business model along the way that puts that type of giving mentality, purposeful business practices, and serving habits at the core of everything we do. Our brand is built on a 1/1/1 philanthropy model, designed to give back to the local and global community by donating 1% of our business’s time, 1% of our profits, and 1% of our product annually. But it's not all about just giving aid, it's more about changing the way we think, the way we serve, and the way we go about creating change for good.
So what can we do? We can pick smart, strategic partnerships and people we believe in to help support that are working to change the world for good as well.
Meet the Correll family. Not only have they become dear friends along the way, we're so compelled by the mission work they are doing in Kenya, Africa. They've lived in several continents throughout their marriage, and we've seen first-hand how they prioritize building relationships with others in order to build a solid foundation for their life and their work serving others—to build a circle that goes beyond physical borders. Read on to learn more.
The Correll family is currently living in Kenya full-time, working in areas of sustainability projects, business development, and vocational training to help people and communities in Kenya grow towards long-term success in work and life.
Through their work, the Corrells look forward to being the light of Christ in the darkness in the relationships and networks God gives them the opportunity to build.
Engaging in this work takes a lot of time and patience. There is often a strong dependence mentality in countries like Kenya, and while generous charity given to help is good, the pressure to produce tangible results too often leads to greater dependency and less empowerment. To better understand, check out these sources of information regarding poverty work:
- When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett - “Material poverty alleviation involves the much harder task of empowering people to earn sufficient material things through their own labor, for in so doing we move people closer to being what God created them to be (pg. 74).”
- Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton - “Not only does aid foment political instability and corruption, it discourages free enterprise—like the African mosquito-netting manufacturer who was put out of business by well-meaning charities that handed out millions of free nets.” (pg.95)
- Poverty Inc. on Netflix or Amazon - "The having a heart for the poor isn't hard. We all have that. But having a MIND for the poor, that's the challenge. Can we treat them as equals, as partners, as colleagues? Can we allow them to be the locus of responsibility for their own future...and then be willing to be guided by their vision?"
Resources like these can inspire and help you catch the Corrells’ vision. Learn more about Brenton, Jen, little Samuel, and their work at threeinkenya.wordpress.com