Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Screening Tool for Autism

How I Serve

I search for emerging companies, technologies, disruptive technologies, 
innovations, start-ups and up-starts. I’ll look to match potential problems… 
e.g. “plastic pollution” to solutions… e.g. 3D Printer for recycled plastic waste…
for potential venture capitalists, angel investors, and online funders. 
I’ll also highlight a variety of topics including funding success stories, 
the environment, housing, medical, artificial intelligence, science, 
aging populations, disabled populations, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy, 
and topical news. I’m always searching for great people innovating, 
inventing, and doing, great things.


The 411: Autism Screening for Every Newborn
Found on: http://www.senspd.com/

SensPD – Early and Objective diagnosis of autism
One of the major characteristics of the autism spectrum is sensory overload.
Meaning too much information without the ability to filter it and concentrate, it is like a huge party inside their heads.
1  out of every 45 newborns this year will be diagnosed with autism when they reach the age of 3-4Y old, that means 3 million children are diagnosed with autism every year. The problem is that it is too late and based on behavior observations.
SensPD is going to change all of that!
With early intervention, before the age of 2, in 90 % of the cases we can change their life, improving social skills and independence.
SensPD is a device and cloud base technology enabling an objective, short and non-invasive sensory perception measurement that can be administered hours after birth.

Company Vision:

Become the standard diagnostic procedure for early, objective, diagnosis of autism.
Enabling all people with sensory perception issues to make sense of the world.
Screening for every newborn in all hospitals and child development clinics.

SCREENING TOOL FOR AUTISM

SensPD diagnostic process monitors the ear’s acoustic output, an important player in the sensory perception of all senses and as such is an indicator of their performance.
There is a difference in the response of affected subjects as compared to typically developing ones.
The deviation from the normative response, is an indication of the sensory processing performance level which can be correlated with a person’s functional level.
SensPD screening tool is:
  • Objective
  • Non invasive
  • Short
  • Can be administered hours after birth

  1. What is Sensory Perception?
Sensory Perception is the process of handling external signals, input to our senses. Relevant information is recorded while noise and irrelevant data are ignored.
This is a three stage process:
  • Input Registration – Usually performed at the sensory organs: eyes, ears, etc. Each sensory organ specializes in a different kind of input. In some cases, as in the ear, signals are spread over a wider spectrum in order to facilitate further processing.
  • Basic processing – After registration, before any direct cognitive involvement. Basic processing includes:
    • Filtering of constant noise and fixed frequency noise
    • Attention Focus – Raising sensitivity for selected input portions
    • Comparison to pre-defined patterns, pre-determined before birth or ‘downloaded’ by the cognitive system
    • Sensory Integration – Information received from all senses are often combined at the basic processing step
  • Cognition – The integrated input from all senses is passed both directly and through the brainstem to brain regions specializing in handling the input (e.g. visual cortex, auditory cortex). Understanding the meaning of the input is a cognitive process and one of its outcomes is the preparation of patterns used in the ‘basic processing’ step.
  1. What is the difference between sensory perception and sensory sensitivity?
Sensory perception is the term used to describe all activities dealing with perceiving or ‘making sense’ of the sensory input (e.g. filtering, focusing, pattern recognition, etc.). Sensitivity is the ability to handle weak signals and to separate signals that are in close proximity to each other.
  1. What does SensPD measure?
SensPD measures the basic processing step (Step 1.2 above). Basic processing is key to our ability to ‘make sense’ of sensory input.  Most mammals do not have the human cognitive capabilities, but all of them have basic processing skills. SensPD measures the performance of basic processing. It is known that people with autism have signal processing issues. On the other hand, no difficulties have been found in people with autism at the sensory registration or cognitive steps.
  1. How does basic processing work?
Audio signals are registered in the brain moving through the eardrum, the tiny ossicles and the Cochlea (The Inner Ear). Inside the Cochlea the inner hair cells convert the mechanical audio signal to a neural/electric signal that is transmitted to the brain.
Inside the Cochlea there are outer hair cells which perform a very important part in handling the input signal. As opposed to the passive inner hair cells, the outer hair cells generate sounds both spontaneously and under the brainstem control that are called Oto-Acoustic Emissions (OAE). The mechanical vibration of the outer hair cells as governed by neural/electrical activity is called Electromotility. OAE can be recorded by placing a microphone in the ear canal, and is commonly used to diagnose inner ear problems.  The brainstem controlled OAE is in essence the basic processing step. This mechanism is needed for processing complex signals such as speech.
  1. Does the noise that is generated by the outer hair cells disturb the brain’s signal processing?
By no means.  In the natural world all input signals are accompanied with noise, and as a result, animals at all levels of evolution have learned to cope with it. In the case of mammals, controlled noise generated by the outer hair cells assists in input processing.
  1. What exactly is SensPD’s measurement?
SensPD records the response to a calibrated complex signal (the stimulus) and compares it to a normal response. The result of this comparison is SensPD’s measurement. This measurement of the processing performance serves as a Bio-Marker.
  1. What is the difference between SensPD’s measurement and other OAE measurements?
    • The type of stimulus: SensPD allows for a long complex stimulus which requires a long capture time. Standard OAE measurement uses short stimuli which is too short for Brainstem intervention (minimum 5-6 milliseconds).
    • SensPD measures a wider range of frequencies including speech frequencies.
Therefore, SensPD’s procedure can functionally augment existing instruments.
  1. Why is SensPD’s diagnosis applicable for newborns?
    • The OAE response mechanism which is measured by SensPD develops during the third trimester of pregnancy. This is the reason why newborn OAE measurements is the norm in developed countries.
    • Other direct measurements of brainstem related activities using instruments such as ABR and fMRI have shown differences with children at a high risk for autism at the age of a few months.
  2. Why are earphones with active noise cancelling not used by SensPD?
The active noise cancelling process involves creating sounds that we have no control over.  We might consider using this technology in the future after we better understand how it works.
  1. Is it possible that autism develops at a later stage, even at age 2 or 3?
This possibility cannot be negated since, as of now, we do not have an objective way to diagnose autism. There are many researchers that believe that this is true in about a third of the cases.
What are the implications for SensPD diagnosis? Maybe we will diagnose only two thirds of the cases. A repeat of the diagnostic procedure may be needed at a later age.
  1. How do we know that the measurement is specific to autism?
SensPD’s technology measures the performance of the Basic Processing step. There may be other disabilities associated with sensory processing issues. Early diagnosis will also serve these populations.
12.  Are there other methods to diagnose autism at an early age?
The common practice for autism diagnosis is the observation of behaviors according to a schedule established by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and listed in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).  It is commonly accepted that the behaviors listed in the manual only manifest themselves around the age of two.  This assumption has been challenged and here are some examples:
  • Ami Klin, measured eye tracking of three-month-old babies and found differences in the results of babies with high risk for autism.
  • Liron Rozenkrantz et.al, found differences between the way infants with autism and typically developing infants responded to a foul smell.
  • Michael Davidovich, monitored several behavior markers around the age of 9 months and was able to find correlations.
All of these techniques are examples of statistical findings. They do not offer a neurological model that can explain the mechanism behind the behavioral differences.
13. How can you present your finding to the parent of a newborn?
SensPD’s measurement at birth or shortly afterwards is part of a screening process that newborns undergo for various disabilities and syndromes.
The newborn child would then be considered as “at risk” and closely monitored, as with any suspicion of a syndrome or disability.
Early childhood intervention would be recommended. Parents would greatly appreciate the chance to “dodge a bullet” such as autism by undergoing monitoring and early childhood intervention, rather than missing a crucial time for diagnosis.

Sunday, July 8, 2018

A High-Tech Breast Exam Small Enough to Hold in Your Hand


How I Serve

I search for emerging companies, technologies, disruptive technologies, 
innovations, start-ups and up-starts. I’ll look to match potential problems… 
e.g. “plastic pollution” to solutions… e.g. 3D Printer for recycled plastic waste…
for potential venture capitalists, angel investors, and online funders. 
I’ll also highlight a variety of topics including funding success stories, 
the environment, housing, medical, artificial intelligence, science, 
aging populations, disabled populations, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy, 
and topical news. I’m always searching for great people innovating, 
inventing, and doing, great things.


The 411: At Home Early Breast Cancer Detection
Found on: https://www.wework.com/creator/creator-awards/a-high-tech-breast-exam-small-enough-to-hold-in-your-hand/
https://www.facebook.com/MonitHerMonthly/
https://twitter.com/hashtag/monither?src=hash
https://www.linkedin.com/in/holleyabrams/


While Yehudit Abrams was working as a postdoctoral fellow at NASA, her job was to research the potential use of ultrasound to monitor astronauts on long missions to the international space station. But when her cousin, a gynecologist and breast cancer survivor, was killed in a car accident in 2011, Abrams started thinking of other uses for the medical device.

“She was so passionate about the early detection of cancer, and I wanted to honor her for that,” says Abrams, a physician and mechanical engineer who immigrated to Israel last year from California. “That is what got me thinking about using some sort of portable ultrasound for early detection of cancer.”

Abrams founded MonitHer, a Jerusalem-based startup that is developing a handheld ultrasound device that women can use at home to monitor their breast tissue. The device and its potential to change the way breast cancer is detected is why MonitHer was the big winner the WeWork Creator Awards, held in Jerusalem on June 20. Her company took home $360,000.

“I’m empowering women,” Abrams told the crowd, holding up her award.
An early prototype of the MonitHer scanner.
Women using the device will scan their breasts once a month for about 10 minutes. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved software program then scans the images for any changes over time. If the software detects any potential problems, users will be advised to consult a physician.

By monitoring breast tissue over time, Abrams says women will be able to detect cancer earlier than the traditional method of self-exams where women feel each breast in order to find lumps or swelling.

“We are changing the paradigm from breast cancer screening to breast health monitoring,” Abrams says.

Once more than 100,000 women begin to use the device and upload their scans to the app each month, artificial intelligence and machine learning methods will be used to evaluate tissue changes.

While mammography has long been the best way to diagnose breast cancer, it is less effective on certain women, especially those with dense breast tissue. And the current protocols for breast cancer detection have recently been questioned for resulting in the unnecessary treatment of tumors that may never grow in size or harm a women’s health.

“We are wasting billions of dollars of year treating cancer that women don’t have, and this is because we have stopped innovating,” Abrams said. “Medicine is a dinosaur.”

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Turning Air into Clean Water


How I Serve




I search for emerging companies, technologies, disruptive technologies,

innovations, start-ups and up-starts. I’ll look to match potential problems…

e.g. “plastic pollution” to solutions… e.g. 3D Printer for recycled plastic waste…

for potential venture capitalists, angel investors, and online funders.

I’ll also highlight a variety of topics including funding success stories,

the environment, housing, medical, artificial intelligence, science,

aging populations, disabled populations, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy,

and topical news. I’m always searching for great people innovating,

inventing, and doing, great things.



The 411: Providing Water for the Most Vulnerable

Found on: http://www.waterinception.org/our-story.html


Our technological solutions to the water crisis:

Photo
Air to Water Generators
For situations where no water is available
Photo
Water Purificators
For situations where water is available but not safe for consumption
Photo
Water Desalinators
For situations where water is available but too salty for consumption
==========================
Everything started in 2016, when Nhat Vuong Founder of Water Inception and Vietnamese refugee, who grew up in Switzerland met an inventor who made a machine, that could literally turn air into clean water, even in desert conditions.
A few months later, Nhat , visited a refugee camp near Tripoli in Lebanon with the help of local Global Shapers, to find out about water situation of the Syrian people living there. 
​The camp was supporting 147 Syrian refugees, including 100 children aged from 1 to 12 years old.
​The residents were not receiving enough clean water in the camp and many families could not afford to buy bottles of water at the local store every day.
​In some cases, children had to sell flowers on the street to support their parents.
 ​Distressed by their difficult situation, Nhat returned to Switzerland and told their story to Jean-Philippe Delacour, a friend from childhood, who Nhat knew was sensitive to such issues.
They would later co-found Water Inception in 2017 and launch the campaign #WaterForRefugees on the 22nd of March to fund a pilot project in the Lebanese camp.
In Cornavin, a condenser alert on the water crisis
The size of an industrial air conditioner, the machine will be exposed Saturday in the large hall of Cornavin station by the NGO Water Inception. "On March 22nd, International Water Day, this device is a reminder that hundreds of millions of people do not have access to clean water, and that many - mostly women - walk on average six hours per day. day to bring back to their loved ones, "says Nhat Vuong, the Nyonnais who initiated this initiative.
His first project? The installation in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon, near Tripoli, of a similar steam condenser manufactured by Aquaer, a company of the Spanish inventor Enrique Veiga. Water Inception launches a crowdfunding campaign on the Internet, in an attempt to raise the 50,000 euros needed to buy and install this machine and the fourteen solar panels that feed it.
"The goal is to provide solutions against the water crisis to the most vulnerable - refugees or earthquake victims"
"Beyond this awareness-raising effort, the goal is to provide solutions against the water crisis to the most vulnerable populations - refugees or earthquake victims," ​​says one who was born in a boat camp people, before landing in Switzerland with his parents, at the age of 2 months. "This capacitor, which makes it possible to exploit the low humidity of the ambient air, remains one of the most autonomous equipment, even if other solutions, less expensive - filter, desalinator - are mobilizable," explains the NGO. , which also works with the St. Gallen manufacturer Trunz Water Systems.
At the opening of the International Water Forum, held all week in Brasília, the United Nations unveiled a disturbing report that nearly half of humanity lives in areas where water may be scarce once a year. This summit is held as a metropolis like Cape Town is still trying to push the date of the "day zero" - the day when nothing will come out of the taps, initially announced for March - by imposing on its inhabitants to be limited to 50 liters per day. Drastic restrictions that allow, for now, to delay the disaster.
Two years ago, the previous World Water Resources Report estimated the economic cost of supply insecurity at $ 500 billion. Taking into account the environmental damage, the bill could reach 1% of GDP (gross domestic product) worldwide.
In their latest update, the United Nations focuses on "nature-based" solutions for water management, from using dry toilets to restoring natural ecosystems. One hope: not everything is a matter of money, but "reorientation and more efficient use of existing funding", about $ 10 billion to be spent on water infrastructure between 2013 and 2030. (TDG)

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Foot Mobility Help for People with Neurodegenerative Diseases


How I Serve




I search for emerging companies, technologies, disruptive technologies,

innovations, start-ups and up-starts. I’ll look to match potential problems…

e.g. “plastic pollution” to solutions… e.g. 3D Printer for recycled plastic waste…

for potential venture capitalists, angel investors, and online funders.

I’ll also highlight a variety of topics including funding success stories,

the environment, housing, medical, artificial intelligence, science,

aging populations, disabled populations, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy,

and topical news. I’m always searching for great people innovating,

inventing, and doing, great things.



The 411: Walking is Easier and Safer for People Who Suffer with

Movement Disorders

Found on:https://www.walkwithpath.com

https://www.walkwithpath.com/path-finder



PATH FINDER

Path Finder is a shoe attachment that provides visual cues to help people with unsteady

and irregular gait. This is particularly helpful to people with neurodegenerative diseases

such as Parkinson's disease, who commonly suffer from Freezing of Gait (FoG),

a symptom causing an individual to feel as if frozen to the ground. Path Finder can

also be used to help alleviate shuffling and we have begun testing for stroke

rehabilitation as well as exploratory work into other various movement disorders.



PATH FEEL

Path Feel is an insole that provides vibrational feedback to the soles of people at risk

of falls, such as those with peripheral neuropathy, who are unable to feel the ground

properly due to a sensory deficit, or those with general balance issues.

By amplifying the sense of touch of the feet to the ground, users are able to identify

accurately when their feet touch the ground, thereby reducing the sense of imbalance

as well as incidence of falls.


OUR STORY

Walk With Path is a healthcare company focused on injury prevention,

improved mobility and user-centred design and intervention.  Our products offer

opportunities within therapeutic intervention as medical devices to prevent falls.

Not only will this reduce the risk of injury, but also improve confidence when walking

and ultimately help individuals maintain their independence and quality of life

for longer. Our products comprise of a shoe attachment, Path Finder, that provides visual cues for the wearer to follow, improving their movement and gait, and an insole for shoes, Path Feel, which helps the wearer to feel the ground better by providing active feedback.



PATH FINDER: GIVING PARKINSON'S MOBILITY THE GREEN LIGHT!


Every Parkinson's person out there (approximately ten million in the whole world) gets worse month after month and experiences many quirky variations of side-effects from medicine and/or their bodies faulty nervous system. Having said that, last year Parkinson's UK asked many of us to rate the worst fifty things that PD visits upon us and the top one was fear of falling/loss of balance.

PD shrinks our lives as it becomes ever more problematical to get around without head-butting the ground in front of us. Often running parallel to our loss of balance is FOG, or Freezing Of Gait. You could be walking into another room when you notice the division between the two rooms caused by the doors' frame. Normal person: So what? Parky person: Our nervous system is mesmerized and puts the brakes on against our will by freezing us to the spot (perhaps welding us to the spot would be a more apt description). FOG has gripped us and lifting our feet off the ground to take a step is well-nigh impossible!

FOG often grabs us when our balance is feeling more vulnerable. For some the    difficulties with balance they encounter daily are reasonably well controlled by their medication, but as time passes and our PD progresses this control is gradually lost particularly overnight when we do not take medication because we are asleep (yeah, right! That's not so easy as sleep is very often something we long for but only get a couple or three hours per night).
​​
 So, is there anything out there that is without side-effects, non-invasive and not requiring a lot of practice to yield any benefit? Yes! Laser technology is used in a way that takes advantage of the same peculiarities in our brains that cause FOG, namely our reaction to virtual geometry. Putting a line in front of us and concentrating on stepping over it can break us free from a FOG episode (early prototype testing yielded a 55 % improvement walking around a room cluttered with furniture that encouraged FOG and loss of balance in Parky people). But where do we find ground or flooring in front of us marked out with lines?

Path Finder laser projectors put a line in front of our feet that we can touch with our toes or tread on or step over depending on how we set them to suit our preferences. The beam projectors strap on to our shoes. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries provide power for the lasers which project a bright green beam of light; adjust the angle so the green line from each laser is in front of the opposite foot and we are good to go. It does take a bit of practice getting used to the light but to give you an idea here are my observations after trying Path Finder out thoroughly:

Walking on carpet, lino, wooden laminate etc. (basically all indoors surfaces) the beams are sharp and wandering around stepping on the beams I find my usual lack of
Looking at the lasers!

balance is greatly diminished – don't get me wrong it is not entirely absent and walking appreciable distances is still hard work but it is noticeably steadier and perhaps more importantly I feel much more confident and this feeds into being able to walk under circumstances where I would not risk getting out of my chair before.

 Walking outdoors I found tarmac, concrete and stone surfaces reflected the beams well enough to gain benefit from using Path Finder but walking on grass or broken gravel dissipated the beam, a minor problem but I doubt any Parky people who need Path Finder would be trying to play football or rambling mountain trails so losing functionality in these instances would not make a difference to most of us.

These laser projectors draw on scientific studies which show how odd a Parky persons' response to visual stimuli can be, but sometimes scientific methodology can turn up unexpected results if we look at a problem and reverse it or turn it on its head. These lasers are designed to help prevent FOG and improve our gait when we walk in the day but how about trying them overnight?

Many Parky people like me are awake for much of the night but with no medications in our systems it is even harder to get around. One of the questions on many Parkinson's questionnaires asks us whether we suffer with incontinence; I reply nearly as the old bladder is still okay at holding it in but are my legs and sense of balance good enough to risk an attempt to visit the toilet? When the answer is no it becomes a night of crossed legs and gritted teeth! Using Path Finder makes the trip from bedroom to bathroom a much steadier proposition and you can make interesting light displays when sitting by waving your feet around!! Joking aside, I can see the most valuable part of using Path Finder for me will be the overnight experience.

Just a thought: I sleep in a recliner chair so have the Path finder units on my feet ready to use when I wake up; if you sleep in a bed it would be necessary to put the units on when you get up. This could prove to be difficult as the rubber strapping is very tough and beyond the strength of a Parky person during an 'off' spell. A simple answer to this problem that I employ is to permanently fasten the units to a pair of shoes or trainers which can then be put on much more easily than struggling with the rubber straps.

Okay Parkinson's friends I hope my comments will have informed you as to the pros and cons associated with using the Path Finder devices – but the only way to be sure they will work for you is to try them out. In my own case I tried them and now I have purchased them because they work for me.

Good luck and keep well!

Lionel Paulo




Tuesday, July 3, 2018

New Research to Help Women Conceive After Chemotherapy

How I Serve


I search for emerging companies, technologies, disruptive technologies, innovations, start-ups and up-starts. I’ll look to match potential problems… e.g. “plastic pollution” to solutions… e.g. 3D Printer for recycled plastic waste…for potential venture capitalists, angel investors, and online funders. I’ll also highlight a variety of topics including funding success stories, the environment, housing, medical, artificial intelligence, science, aging populations, disabled populations, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy, and topical news. I’m always searching for great people innovating, inventing, and doing, great things.


I don’t endorse. Only disseminate.


The 411: Potential to Conceive "The Old Fashioned Way"

Found on: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2173147-artificial-ovary-could-help-women-conceive-after-chemotherapy/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=SOC&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1530572690


 
2 July 2018

Artificial ovary could help women conceive after chemotherapy

A scanning electron microscope image of a human ovary
A scanning electron microscope image of a human ovary
Manfred Kage/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Scientists have taken further steps in creating an artificial ovary that could one day used to help women who have been left infertile after cancer treatment.
Researchers from the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, took ovarian tissue from cancer patients and stripped it of cells. They then transplanted this structure into mice and found that it could support the survival and growth of the follicles. Twenty follicles were transplanted in and a quarter of them survived for at least three weeks.
It is hoped that this artificial ovary could be implanted back into women and restore their fertility after cancer treatment.
“This is the first time that isolated human follicles have survived in a decellularised human scaffold,” said Susanne Por, who presented the work at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESGRE) annual meeting in Barcelona today.
Cancer treatments can often damage the ovaries, blocking the production of eggs and making pregnancy impossible.
Women diagnosed with cancer can have their eggs frozen. Sometimes, doctors may offer to remove or freeze all or part of an ovary for re-transplantation after treatment. However, this runs the risk of reintroducing cancer cells, as some cancers can spread to the ovaries. An “artificial ovary” could reduce this risk.
Nick Macklon, medical director at London Women’s Clinic, said this is an “exciting development” but added that further research is needed to prove its usefulness in humans.
Stuart Lavery, consultant gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, said that if this is shown to be effective, it offers huge advantages over IVF and egg freezing.
“Because potentially these small pieces of tissue will have thousands of eggs and clearly if it does work, there’s the advantage of then getting pregnant the old-fashioned way,” says Lavery.
Artificial ovaries could also one day help relieve women of some of the symptoms of the menopause.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Donovan Smith Soap - From Homeless to Entrepreneur to Giving Back to Paying it Forward

How I Serve


I search for emerging companies, technologies, disruptive technologies, innovations, start-ups and up-starts. I’ll look to match potential problems… e.g. “plastic pollution” to solutions… e.g. 3D Printer for recycled plastic waste…for potential venture capitalists, angel investors, and online funders. I’ll also highlight a variety of topics including funding success stories, the environment, housing, medical, artificial intelligence, science, aging populations, disabled populations, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy, and topical news. I’m always searching for great people innovating, inventing, and doing, great things.


I don’t endorse. Only disseminate.


The 411: Success Story - Training and Employing the Homeless
Found on: https://www.gofundme.com/DonovanDiscovers

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Help Donovan's Mission

Google "Donovan Smith Soap" and you will find 4 years of hard work by this young man in an effort to help the homeless and make a difference.

While we were homeless, Donovan went to several different schools as we moved around. I decided to homeschool when we moved out of the shelter, and Donovan originally learned to make soap during a lesson to aimed to teach math and science. He really enjoyed making the soaps and giving them away. Then, people wanted to buy them. Once he realized he could make money and a difference he decided to donate a portion to the organization that helped us out of homelessness to thank them and help others. Most recently, Donovan has been seen on Facebook’s show "Returning the Favor," where he was given a retail space. There has been a huge outpouring of support with a number of people not wanting to buy soap but to simply give money to help Donovan and his mission.

There have been many BIG moments along the way, but there are two that stand out. First, Donovan got two letters from the White House weeks apart. He got one from First Lady Michelle Obama, and a week later another letter arrived from President Obama congratulating him on the 10,000 soaps he made for the homeless. The second would be when Returning The Favor gifted him the retail space to make and sell his soaps. Donovan is part of black history now by being the only African American boy to have his own retail soap store - we know of no other boys in the world who have done this.

The store means he can hire people in need. This gives them a chance, an opportunity, training, and a reference to get another job later. The store means more community involvement by holding “soap parties,” where he invites the community to come make emergency shelter soaps in large quantities in a short period of time. It means teaching homeschool groups how to make his Shelter Soaps. 

Currently, Donovan has made over 20k Soaps for the homeless which go to St. Martin's shower rooms and to support homeless veterans through StandDown Albuquerque. He has hired and trained over 9 homeless/at-risk individuals at his store. 

Donations given will help with Donovan’s mission of training and employing the homeless in his store and buying supplies to continue donating thousands of soaps and toiletries to local organizations in need. 

We may not always know exactly what's next, but are always open to the possibilities. Thank you for your support.