By Hanh Le, Exponent Philanthropy

Veronika Scott, founder and CEO of The Empowerment Plan in Detroit, is the youngest recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award from the JFK Library Foundation and Harvard University. She received an IDEA Gold Award from the Industrial Design Society of America and is one of Crain’s 20 in Their 20s. CNN named Scott one of its 10 Visionary Women for 2014.

She’ll share her story at the closing plenary of Exponent Philanthropy’s 2014 National Conference.

Scott built The Empowerment Plan around a single idea: to design a coat specifically for the homeless that transforms into a sleeping bag and is given out across the United States to those living on the streets. That idea has now transformed into a system of empowerment in which homeless women are paid to learn how to produce coats for people living on the streets, giving them an opportunity to earn money, find a place to live, and gain back their independence.

About more than just a product, The Empowerment Plan breaks the cycle of poverty and invests in those that need it the most so they can create the life they want for themselves and their families.

Says Scott in the video above, “I really believe that people can tackle far more than they think they can.”

Is it time for you to tackle more than you think you can? What’s pushing you, or getting in your way?

Join us at the 2014 National Conference in Washington, DC, October 30 – November 1 to hear Veronika Scott’s story—as well as those of many other equally inspiring speakers—and equip yourself to tackle some of society’s most pressing issues.

Our thanks to Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation for connecting us with Veronika. As foundation co-chairman Bill Draper outlined in his recent contribution to Exponent Philanthropy’s Outsized Impact report, the foundation works diligently to “…find, fund, and support leaders with exceptional promise and impactful ideas that have the potential to scale”—leaders like Veronika Scott.

Additional posts about the 2014 National Conference

Learn With Peers at the 2014 National Conference
What Does It Take to Rebuild a Neighborhood? 2014 National Conference Site Sessions
Walk and Talk Washington’s Past and Present at the 2014 National Conference
Have You Heard of the Sammies?

Chief Program Officer Hanh Le leads our Programs and Services Team in guiding, connecting, championing, and elevating philanthropy with few or no staff. She has directed training, grant, and technical assistance programs for KaBOOM!, Community Technology Centers’ Network, and Peace Corps. Passionate about collaborative impact and community, Hanh helped launch the DC-area’s first Asian American giving circle, the Cherry Blossom Giving Circle. Follow Hanh on Twitter @HanhLeDC and Exponent Philanthropy @exponentphil.