This week, twelve finalists were selected to compete in the Changemaker Challenge finalist event, where they will pitch their social-impact ideas and ventures for a chance to win part of the $6000 cash prize package. The finalists represent undergraduate and graduate students as well as alumni and come from seven schools at Temple University: College of Liberal Arts, College of Public Health, College of Science and Technology, Fox School of Business, Klein College of Media and Communication, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management, Tyler School of Art + Architecture.

Finalist pitches will be shown and winners announced at the 4th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Summit next Thursday, February 18th, 2021 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. This year’s summit theme is Redesign. Reimagine. Rebuild: Utilizing Local Resources to Build a Thriving, Equitable Philadelphia. Click here to register for the Summit.

Undergraduate Track

The Duo-Case by the Sun and Star Collective
Presenter: Emily Madara, Fox ‘22
Team Member: Caroline O’Keefe, Fox ‘21

For eyeglass wearers who carry multiple pairs of glasses, the Duo-Case by The Sun & Star Collective is a double eyeglass case that provides compact convenience and protection in one environmentally friendly product. Unlike our competition, who produces flimsy fabric cases, our solution will be preferred because of the unique, functional design and ability to securely carry two pairs of glasses in one compact sustainable case.

FireFinder
Presenter: Chloe Hill, Klein, ‘21

FireFinder is a smoke-detecting wildland and forest sensor that helps detect smoke from fires up to 12 miles. FireFinder is a grid-based sensor that utilizes thermal imaging to detect smoke from fires before fires get too serious. 24/7 Monitoring and communication systems to first responders is included in the sensor by means of data collection and distribution.

Mind Over Matter
Presenter: Sjaedah London, Fox ‘21

For black inner city youth ages 13-22 who need support and guidance in their personal development, Mind over Matter is a non-profit peer counseling program focused on helping youth find themselves and pursue their passions. Unlike other counseling programs, our solution encourages the youth to use what they gain to serve the community.

My TeleHeal
Presenter: Caitlin Luong, Fox ‘21
Team Members: Mohammad Rouf, University of Pennsylvania ‘21

Language barriers, cultural stigmas, and high costs present major obstacles for immigrants and non-English speakers living in the United States who are in need of mental health therapy. Through video counseling and online messaging, My TeleHeal addresses these problems by connecting non-English speakers living in America with mental health coaches and therapists living in the patient’s native country and speaking their native language and dialect. As first-generation Americans, our team understands the importance of providing quality mental health care for underserved communities as we aim to alleviate barriers that prevent individuals from receiving the care that they need and deserve.

Sanitime
Presenter: Chloe Gehret, CST ‘23; Allyson Yu, CST, Fox and Tyler ‘23

Sanitime is a door to door delivery service where students will create a scent and have it sustainably delivered to any location within radius on Temple’s campus using the interactive Covid-Info map.  Sanitime’s core focus is uplifting the physical and mental health of college students.

Voke (Vote + Woke) Platform
Presenter: Ebo (Jerry) Nunoo, Fox ‘22

The core value of the Voke Platform is a consumer led social transformation through product traceability and transparency. Voke focuses on keeping the consumer in the driving seat of purchasing choices that seamlessly align with their pro-social impact and sustainability values. We do this by giving consumers access to their individual aggregated purchasing data, compare this with impact attributes of products and services they buy, and providing insights about the product-value fit based on their individual pro-social values. Our customers choose us because they want a convenient, easy, and proactive way of having social impact through their everyday lifestyle.

Upper Track
Bilingüe
Presenter: Emely Ramirez, CPH ‘20

For Hispanic children ages 0-8 who are at risk of not developing their Spanish speaking skills due to lack of use, Bilingüe, is an educational technology language application that teaches Spanish and English simultaneously with engaging culturally aware content aimed at cultivating the next generation of ambicultural dual language speakers. Bilingüe aims to lessen the rapid rates of spoken Spanish and bicultural tendencies that are lost by bilingual descendants of native Spanish speaking families in order to prevent generational communication gaps and facilitate the development of Spanish language within children as an asset.                        

Handies Gloves
Presenter: Javier Zamora, Fox ‘22

The reusable and washable glove made for a daily basis. Aiming to reduce and substitute the use of disposable gloves such as latex, nitrile and vinyl gloves.

Lotus Energy
Presenter: Sheila Upham, Fox ‘24

Lotus Energy contributes to solving climate change by educating homeowners on methods to decrease demand-side energy usage through efficiency measures while providing employment, confidence, and sense of purpose to at-risk and underserved populations in women’s prisons.  Our program trains incarcerated women on how to effectively execute an energy audit on homes and small commercial buildings to prescribe the most effective measures that can be undertaken to help their customers save money on their utility bills while decreasing their environmental impact.

Mobilizing And Diversifying Elections (M.A.D.E.)
Presenter: Amanda Morrison, CLA ‘20

For Missouri women, who are underrepresented in local, state and national office, Missouri M.A.D.E. ‘s six-month Leader to Legislator program is a training series that provides resources, mentorship and networking opportunities with current and former women in office. Unlike current partisan training programs in the state, our non-partisan program will introduce 25 future leaders to diverse political backgrounds and campaign strategies, which will empower them to launch successful campaigns and lead across the aisle.

Philly Baseball Lifeline
Presenter: Jules Posner, STHM ‘22

The Philly Baseball Lifeline is a nonprofit that redistributes secondhand baseball equipment to underserved communities and is also an instructional youth academy. We aim to increase play equity in baseball by eliminating or substantially reducing the financial barriers of entry to make baseball a more inclusive sport.

Quarbon
Presenter: Justin Slusarski, Fox ‘13
Team Members: Derek Sheehan, Penn State University ‘11; Sydney del Cid (Smith), Fox ‘17 

The Environmental and Social Impact Scorecard + Toolkit to connect consumers with businesses that are actually making a positive impact and maximizing the impact of a business’s sustainable actions.