Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Tradelius.
Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Well… I am a maniac to start! Filled with a passion for making this world a better place! Spending 25 years in the insurance industry has really helped me meet and learn a lot about people and how they tick. In 2015 I founded a non-profit The Sparkle Foundation. An org that’s the focused is serving single mothers and their families.
This is a legacy of my Grandmother, GG. A single mother in the 1950s. 2016 my 501c3 status was granted and off I went. Almost 7 years later touching thousands of lives all over California. Aligning myself with the most incredible women we are able to move mountains together.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Boulders in the road … many of them along the way. Owning a business is one of the hardest jobs as is running a nonprofit. They are very different animals and require different skills.
The thing I learned the hard way is you can’t be everything to everyone. You must empower people and align yourself with those smarter than you in areas you are weak. Bumps in the road are part of the journey, you have to get stuck to learn how to get find your way out!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sparkle Foundation Inc.?
Sparkle is a 501c3 that serves Single Mothers in California. We do 3 things and we do them very well. Holiday gift drive, Enrichment Scholarships/ Backpack Program, and Microloans for single moms who want to start or grow their business. We provide one-time assistance to single mothers and ONLY single mothers.
We have found our most successful impact is providing assistance to a situation. I am most proud of the fact we are 100% volunteer-run and operated. Every donated dollar goes back out to the community 100% of it. We have raised over $1.5M and given it all back in the last 7 years to women in our communities. In 2021 we served 5400 lives, in 2022 we will be close to 4.500.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We are always looking for donors, and volunteers. Next up for us is the Holiday Gift drive we will be wrapping sorting and delivering in our 3 locations: Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles/ Ventura County on Dec. 9 & 10th this year.
This year we had over 400 people apply for our holiday program.
Pricing:
- A donation of $10 buys a backpack
- A donation of $50 buys sheets and blankets
- A donation of $100 buys a holiday meal for 4
- Donation of $200 purchases Christmas for an individual
- A donation of $750 buys a family of 4 Christmas Gifts
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sparklenow.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkle_foundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparklefoundationinc/
Image Credits
Sparkle Foundations
