After starting in Detroit, youth entrepreneurship resource I Am Young America recently launched their new website.
From the I Am Young America website: “I Am Young America is a social enterprise that promotes youth entrepreneurship as a means to combat unemployment and boost economic impact in cities. Our mission is to help revitalize American cities by empowering young entrepreneurs to launch businesses and mobilize citizens everywhere to champion them.”
I Am Young America is focusing on programs in a few different cities around the country, including Chicago, and creating an online resource for everyone. One of the projects they’ve launched is a series of entrepreneur profiles on their blog, created by contributors around the country. I photographed the first entrepreneur profile in Chicago with Ethan Austin and Desiree Vargas Wrigley, the co-founders of GiveForward, an online fundraising platform that helps families and patients crowdfund medical expenses. To date, they’ve helped raise over $146 million for people in need.
I stopped by the GiveForward offices in Wicker Park to photograph Ethan and Desiree for the profile. We focused on environmental portraits, and their workspace, as per IAYA’s guidelines.
The portraits were recently published over at the I Am Young America Chicago blog, accompanying a really great interview about entrepreneurship, starting a business in Chicago, and Chicago living! Check out the interview here.
Thanks Ethan, Desiree, and I Am Young America!
Great photos!