< Previousgrowth and evolution. It also set an example for other nonprofi ts to take similar steps. Th is adoption came after months of conversations and preparations. What makes your organization unique? QMUNITY is the only provincial LGBTQ2SAI+- specifi c resource and community centre in British Columbia. We are a 100% safe space and welcome everyone to come as they are, whatever that may mean to them. How do you feel QMUNITY makes the world better? Th rough education and advocacy, we work to improve the experiences of those within the LGBTQ2SAI+ community, be it by queer compe- tency trainings and larger involvement at a more political level, group and one-on-one support for youth and older adults, or mental health and well- ness programs. We are helping individuals through day-to-day life. Tell us about your organization’s goals. Our goals can be summarized into three points: • Support: We empower queer, trans, and Two- Spirit individuals to be their best selves by providing free and low-cost counselling, youth and older adults groups, one-on-one support, and information and referrals. • Connection: We strengthen our LGBTQ2SAI+ communities to be inclusive, connected, and resilient through peer support groups, volunteer opportunities, and special events. • Leadership: We lead the way towards legal and lived equality in our society through our ed- ucation and training services, resources, and advisory committees. Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share? After a long closure of our offi ces, we are happy to share that our offi ces are fully open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm. Our Q Desk for Youth Pride BBQ 40 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEinformation and referrals is staff ed with volunteers who are more than happy to help. Our Older Adults program has launched multiple new programs, such as Zoom Socials, WalkOUT, and GenYOGA. All details can be found at www.qmunity.ca/olderadults. Our Bras, Binders, and Breast Forms (BBB) exchange program for youth is constantly growing with the increased need for youth support. We are always happy to receive physical donations for the program. More details can be found at https://qmu- nity.ca/get-support/youth/bbbexchange/ What do you most want people to know about QMUNITY? Th e staff and volunteers at QMUNITY all have unique lived experiences that we bring to our work and that is why we are able to do what we do. We have passion for our jobs and passion for creating community because a lot of us have needed what we off er at some point in our lives. We want to be able to share our triumphs as well as the hardships that are a reality for our LGBTQ2SAI+ communities. How can people help or contribute to QMUNITY’s mission? Th ere are many ways for the community to engage with us and support our mission. We believe that education is key and an ongoing process. Read our resources, ask us for recommendations, or have con- versations with others and share the knowledge. Another way is to volunteer. We are always look- ing for new volunteers to support our Q Desk, our programs, or at one of our events.Donations of any amount go a long way. As a registered charity, we count on the support of the public, and we are happy to accept individual dona- tions or new monthly donors. Tell people about us and share our information with the most vulnerable in our community, espe- cially the youth. Find us at www.qmunity.ca and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @qmunity. Aging with Pride qmunity.ca reception@qmunity.ca tel: 604.684.5307 facebook.com/Qmunity twitter.com/qmunity instagram.com/qmunity SEP 2021 • ISSUE 01 41Tell us about Heal Mary’s mission. Heal Mary’s mission is to make clinical trials accessible to peo- ple of all backgrounds by easing the burden on the search and enrollment process. We’re focused on empowering patients. What inspired you to start Heal Mary? My sisters were both diagnosed with cancer in 2017. Our mom was already a Stage 4 cancer survivor. I decided at that point to move my career from technology to digital health. What were some of the challenges you encountered? I think the biggest hurdle was trying to understand how clinical trials and enrollment functions behind the scenes. We had to bring on several advisors in the space to really get to know the problem we were solving. In April 2020, we pivoted to help with COVID-19, and everything we thought we knew changed overnight. And so, we HEAL MARY Finding a better way to connect people and clinical trials is just the beginning When it comes to illnesses such as cancer, clinical trials can be helpful in achieving the best possible health outcome. However, fi nding information about clinical trial options can be diffi cult and stressful. Heal Mary makes this process easier by connecting patients, caregivers, and doctors with data on clinical trials that are happening worldwide. We chatted with Founder Cassandra Hui about Heal Mary’s history, mission, and goals, and what makes this company unique. 42 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEhad to be incredibly agile in both spaces to address the impact the disease was having to the existing clinical trial industry and to the new state of the industry. What do you consider Heal Mary’s biggest success? Our biggest success is really what we’ve done in the past 12 months after pivoting our business, from the life science team we’ve brought on – who have done everything to help out, from translating medical terms to plain language and digital patient outreach – to our technical team who spent countless hours building out the functionality and technical process for the patient experience. Our community really came together to help us out in an eff ort to help more patients. What makes your organization unique? Our diversity. Th e rich experiences of our team members who have had training or education in places like the US, Africa, Scotland, and Hong Kong, and in industries like Pharma, Digital Health, AI, and Telecommunications. Th e lens in which we operate internally is how we feel best serves a diverse patient population as well. How do you feel Heal Mary makes the world better? We are passionate about patients and their ability to know their options. We feel we make the world better by making it easier for patients to access those options. Tell us about your organization’s goals. We have several technology and investment goals in the next year that will get us to a place to serve more patients and increase access to trial information. What’s probably more compelling are our goals for 2021/2022 that tie into our UN SDG objectives: • Good Health and Well-Being: 100% increase in matching patients to clinical trials. • Gender Equality: 40-50% of potential participants in any trial from Heal Mary are female. • Reduced Inequality: 25-30% of potential participants in any trial from Heal Mary are BIPOC. Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share? Currently, users of our platform can get matched with individual trials based on acceptance criteria. Our next technology implementation will help patients match with multiple trials, and they will only need to fi ll out the acceptance criteria once. What do you most want people to know about Heal Mary? We want patients and caregivers to know that they’re not alone. Most of us have been there. Th is is our passion. How can people help or contribute to Heal Mary’s mission? Help us share the word with people who you think could use our platform or services. We want to work with patients to create the best patient-empowered platform. Cassandra Hui healmaryapp.com hello@healmaryapp.com facebook.com/HealMaryApp twitter.com/healmaryapp linkedin.com/company/heal-mary instagram.com/healmaryapp medium.com/@healmaryapp SEP 2021 • ISSUE 01 43Philosophy • Possibility • Profitability What You Need to Know About Sustainable Business Practices S ustainability isn’t just a buzzword these days. Especially when it comes to business. That’s because business practices, whether sustainable or not, have far-reaching consequences. And this can have a profound impact when it comes to making the world a better place, something that Sparx is passionate about. Investing in sustainability drives innovation. Redesigning a product so it meets new sustainability standards reduces waste, and repurposed materials present new opportunities for those willing to rise to the challenge. Even during the creation or design phase, it’s important to consider where a product will end up. A landfill? Or can it be repurposed or recycled? In short: what impact will it have on the earth? The cherry on top: according to the Harvard Business Review, “80% [of the studies analyzed] show that stock price performance is positively correlated with good sustainability practices.” So you can have your cake and eat it, too. Sparx Publishing Group’s 3Ps of Sustainability 1. Philosophy It all begins with the simple belief that it’s the right thing to do. As stewards of the earth for future generations, we recognize not only the environmental and social issues that threaten our planet. We also believe it is our responsibility to leave the world in better shape than how we found it. 2. Possibility Altering business practices so they meet sustainability goals requires innovation and creativity – and some- times a reminder that it is possible. Having examples of organizations or individuals doing seemingly impossi- ble things is the best catalyst for others to follow suit. Just think: there was a time people thought running the four-minute mile was impossible! 3. Profitability Operating a business sustainably is undeniably the right thing to do, but unless it improves the bottom line, many companies won’t be on board. There’s good news on this front, too. According to a recent survey, “more than 50% of Gen Z shoppers… are willing to pay more for a sustainable product.” And sustainability is one of the top drivers of repeat customers. Win-win. Our guide to approaching sustainability and the brands to inspire you By Sparx Publishing Group 44 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEPhilosophy • Possibility • Profitability What You Need to Know About Sustainable Business Practices S ustainability isn’t just a buzzword these days. Especially when it comes to business. That’s because business practices, whether sustainable or not, have far-reaching consequences. And this can have a profound impact when it comes to making the world a better place, something that Sparx is passionate about. Investing in sustainability drives innovation. Redesigning a product so it meets new sustainability standards reduces waste, and repurposed materials present new opportunities for those willing to rise to the challenge. Even during the creation or design phase, it’s important to consider where a product will end up. A landfill? Or can it be repurposed or recycled? In short: what impact will it have on the earth? The cherry on top: according to the Harvard Business Review, “80% [of the studies analyzed] show that stock price performance is positively correlated with good sustainability practices.” So you can have your cake and eat it, too. Sparx Publishing Group’s 3Ps of Sustainability 1. Philosophy It all begins with the simple belief that it’s the right thing to do. As stewards of the earth for future generations, we recognize not only the environmental and social issues that threaten our planet. We also believe it is our responsibility to leave the world in better shape than how we found it. 2. Possibility Altering business practices so they meet sustainability goals requires innovation and creativity – and some- times a reminder that it is possible. Having examples of organizations or individuals doing seemingly impossi- ble things is the best catalyst for others to follow suit. Just think: there was a time people thought running the four-minute mile was impossible! 3. Profitability Operating a business sustainably is undeniably the right thing to do, but unless it improves the bottom line, many companies won’t be on board. There’s good news on this front, too. According to a recent survey, “more than 50% of Gen Z shoppers… are willing to pay more for a sustainable product.” And sustainability is one of the top drivers of repeat customers. Win-win. Making The World Better One (Sustainable) Step At a Time So what does sustainability look like in action? We took a look at businesses that are working to make the world better and who can demonstrate that doing the right thing is possible and profitable. Our guide to approaching sustainability and the brands to inspire you By Sparx Publishing Group • Based in India, Phool is an enterprising business that helps upcycle some of the over 8 million tonnes of floral offerings thrown into the country’s waterways each year into incense sticks, paper, and coloured powders used for holy festivals. Phool (which means “flower”) concentrates its efforts on one of the most polluted stretches of India’s holiest river: the Ganges. Other ideas are in the works too, such as a biodegradable alternative to styrofoam and a form of leather, or “fleather.” Not only is entrepreneur Ankit Agarwal keeping pesticides out of waterways, but he also employs more than 100 women, many of whom previously worked unsafe jobs or scavenged to survive. • Another business we want to highlight is SAMARA. In 2015, entrepreneur Salima Visram launched The Soular Backpack. Designed with Kenyan schoolchildren in mind, these backpacks come equipped with a solar panel that charges a battery pack. Once home, the children can use the battery pack to power an LED lamp to do homework by – a safer, less expensive alternative to kerosene. Initially, the business had a one-to-one model: for every backpack bought, one would be donated to a child in Kenya, but the backpack was a hard sell in North America. “Ultimately, people want a product they will use,” Salima realized. So she pivoted, and SAMARA – a line of elegant, vegan handbags – was born. The new line now funnels funds to Soular. • Also in the fashion industry, luxury fashion designer Stella McCartney recently debuted the “world’s first- ever garments made from vegan, lab-grown Mylo™ mushroom leather.” The sustainable alternative to leather uses renewable mushroom root systems to create the fabric, and is not petroleum-based like many other leather alternatives. The two pieces – pants and a bustier – are not currently for sale, but do “pave the way for future commercial offerings.” A campaign featuring model Paris Jackson modeling the pieces is generating buzz around this new, innovative fabric. • Marketplaces like Etsy are filled with eco-conscious makers who often handmake their sustainable wares. There, shoppers can find online shops like Vita Beata Boutique, which specializes in post-consumer, biodegradable greeting cards. Plus, all the hand-drawn cards are made with paper embedded with seeds, to “create a lasting keepsake.” Not only do eco-conscious shoppers feel good about their purchase decisions, they are receiving innovative products made with consideration and care, unlike big box stores and Amazon retailers. Make no mistake about it: sustainable business practices have a profound impact on the world around us. At Sparx, we know the profound impact words can have, which is why our mission is to make the world better, one sentence at a time. SEP 2021 • ISSUE 01 45WHAT BETTER MEANS TO YOU A belief that improvement is always possible. Hamish Khamisa President & Founder Sparx Publishing Group 46 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEthat ement is possible. SEP 2021 • ISSUE 01 47Tools of the Trade Self-directed investing is made easier with SparxTrading.com, your one-stop source for navigating the world of online trading. 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