The initial idea behind Hearts on Fire was born in 2008 during a time of world turmoil and uncertainty, when the face of the global economy changed forever. Sadly, these days we again find ourselves in a troubling environment, yet Sara and I continue to see the light in the world through the work of our Visionaries. Whether it’s the Visionary who, despite a childhood of horror, has grown up to fight for others plagued with similar atrocities or the little boy who decides to make sandwiches for the homeless living in his neighborhood park, we continue to witness people rising above adversity and lifting others up with them. Honoring these compassionate individuals, who make the world a better place, is our guiding principle at Hearts on Fire.
Reflecting back, 2019 was truly an incredible year for our Hearts on Fire Visionary Initiative. We not only expanded our support services, but also focused on building the community around them. The year ended with a bang as Sara and I traveled to Mexico with a cohort of 14 Visionaries for the annual Opportunity Collaboration Conference. There, we were able to disconnect from the everyday and reconnect with each other to reflect and share our successes, challenges and learnings. What a special experience to be away together, surrounded by peers, helping to expand the frame of all their work.
Every day we find ourselves in awe of and incredibly grateful for the phenomenal people and organizations who have helped make Hearts on Fire what it is today. We have spent much of the last three years expanding our Initiatives which would not be possible without such extraordinary partners!
As we jump into the new decade, we are also extremely excited to unveil our 2020 Visionaries and Speakers throughout the next few months. We hope they will inspire you all as much as they do us.
With heavy hearts, we share that a bright light went out in the Hearts on Fire world on January 24th with the passing of one of our Founding Visionaries, Leila Janah. Our love and admiration are with Leila’s and the Samasource family. Please take a moment to learn more about Leila’s impact on the world in her NYTimes Obituary.
With love,
Kiva
2019 Awardee
Rebecca Van Bergen, NEST
2018 Awardee
Becky Straw, The Adventure Project
2017 Awardees
Holly Carter, BYkids
Jimmie Briggs, Man Up Campaign
2016 Awardees
Raj Jayadev, Silicon Valley De-Bug
Becca Heller, International Refugee Assistance Project
2015 Awardees
Ana Reyes, I Challenge Myself
James Kofi Annan, Challenging Heights
Program Highlights
We Can’t Thank our Fabulous Partners Enough
The Hearts on Fire global family is shocked and profoundly saddened by the untimely passing of Leila Janah, a brilliant young entrepreneur and one of our original and most inspiring Visionaries. In her 37 years, Leila achieved a lifetime of social justice progress through Samasource and LXMI, two innovative companies she founded that share a common mission to help end global poverty by giving work to people in need. In Leila’s own words, “The greatest challenge of the next 50 years, I believe, will be to create dignified work for everyone... not through handouts and charity, but through market forces.” We send our heartfelt condolences to Samasource and to everyone Leila touched and loved, especially her husband and stepdaughter.
With love and gratitude for Leila’s remarkable life,
The Hearts on Fire Team
