Meet Kelly Pantaleoni of Give Backpackers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Pantaleoni.

Kelly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started when I lost my best friend Lindsay Marie Hawley to suicide in 2017. A gorgeous world traveler with her own non-profit, she was my role model, my inspiration, my rock. After a bout of depression and suicidal thoughts myself, I realized the best way to make the most of the situation was to continue her legacy of giving back and advocacy, so I carried her torch and took over the organization she started called Give Backpackers.

The first Voyage we went on was to Cambodia a few months after she passed, to follow in her footsteps and volunteer where she had, and visit all the ancient cities she traveled to, giving back where I could along the way. Later that year and again in 2018, while I was living in Vancouver, I continued her tradition of hosting an annual October fundraiser in Southern California called Hawleyween, raising enough money to put three girls through school in Peru and then supporting Oceana, an environmental and wildlife protection organization.

In 2019, I made Give Backpackers a 501c3 status NGO and traveled to Uganda with a video crew from Canada and volunteers from California to initiate a sustainable sewing program with women in a village two hours from the capital city of Kampala. We raised $14,000 in the US and bought 14 sewing machines and a plot of land to build a community center, visited schools and families, interviewing and filming everything along the way. Everyone’s lives involved were forever changed, with scholarships and sponsorships arising from our social media shares and a ripple effect of education, micro-economy and empowerment springing from the sustainable sewing program we started.

Now back in Los Angeles after three years abroad, my first project with purpose was to co-produce a Voting Advocacy photo and video shoot that a fellow model and advocate focused actress Dominika Juillet approached me to help her with. We managed to bring on two diverse models and an LGBT crew of makeup, hair and a fashion designer, as inclusivity was incredibly important to us, so we could represent all walks of life and voices to be heard in this explosive presidential election. Red carpet celebrity designer Maggie Barry (credits include Lady Gaga and Cher) custom made us four beautiful dresses, Wonder Woman-esque gloves and hats to celebrate the Suffragette Centennial, that is 100 years of women having the vote.

The purpose of this shoot is to encourage people to register and vote in this year’s presidential election, quickly approaching in a couple of short weeks. “Beauty for the Vote” is about using more than just our beauty in today’s very appearance driven world, but rather using our voices to raise awareness to causes that matter. It isn’t enough to just be beautiful, you have to stand for something. And now is not the time to be complacent and apathetic, we must fight even harder for our freedom and rights as females. The Suffragette women did not die for the cause in vain 100 years ago so we could just sit back and watch. We must speak up and stand up for what’s right. Or we will lose our rights.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was never a smooth road to find my higher purpose and overcome tragedy and loss, and even now I struggle with mental health challenges as many of us are struggling with during 2020. In a world of social media comparison, online bullying and pandemic related issues, mental health has taken a dip for many of us. I have faced my own demons, and that of many around me with anger and attitude issues at an all-time high as people are on edge more than ever. It’s been very isolating and lonely at times, as I feel some people do not know how to respect boundaries or grief, but it’s made me stronger and more resilient to handle anything life throws at me now. I feel unbreakable and more motivated to stand up for others that are struggling or oppressed, even making a movie on mental health in Vancouver last year that is now a finalist in a couple of film festivals and doing the circuit internationally which I’m incredibly proud of. Though I have had many heartbreaks in life, a good friend told me once, “Your accomplishments will never fail you” So that’s the fuel to my fire these days.

Please tell us about Give Backpackers.
Giving back to communities around the world and raising awareness through purposeful traveling

After identifying a sustainable project specifically catered to a foreign community in need, we fundraise at home and show people exactly where their donations are going through live social media updates and videos while traveling to the vulnerable locations ourselves. We also invite interested parties to join us and be part of the movement as it is a social community of like-minded travelers and philanthropists all coming together to help a common cause uniting people from all around the world.

What sets us apart is that we donate 100% to the charities we are supporting, we travel to visit and volunteer with the local organizations we are helping ourselves personally, so people can stay updated and see live on social media where their money is going. If people are interested in donating or coming on a future Voyage they can find us on Instagram and shoot us a message @givebackpackers

To find out more on Give Backpackers: www.givebackpackers.org

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Been kinder to myself and started my acting career a lot younger haha!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kellypantaleoni.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @kellypantaleoni
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kpantaleoni
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyPantaleoni

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.