On Wednesday evening, March 20th, an excited crowd of Wayne State School of Work students, alumni, faculty staff and special guests gathered in the Loft Room of the Outdoor Adventure Center in downtown Detroit to attend the inaugural Social Work Startup Story Night event.

The evening kicked off with attendees dining from a sumptuous table scape of gourmet food provided by a local Detroit food entrepreneur, Kiki Louya, co-owner of Folk Detroit and the Farmer's Hand in Corktown. Attendees networked and noshed while enjoying the scenic view of the Detroit River.

As the lights dimmed, the evening's emcee, Aubrey C. Agee, II, founder and Anti-Gravity, LLC, a consulting company that helps small businesses get lifted off the ground, took the stage to introduce four inspiring social work entrepreneurs shared personal stories of their journeys that lead them to start a social venture. Aubrey is the former Director of Wayne State's Innovation Warriors. He has helped countless area would be and existing entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

Professional storyteller and coach, Satori Shakoor, worked with the social work entrepreneurs to craft their startup "love stories." Satori is the Executive Producer for The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers.

Anjanette Davenport Hatter was the first storyteller to take the stage. Anjanette is a social entrepreneur and the Owner/Executive Director of Harambee Care Maternal Infant Health Program, which aims to reduce infant mortality and improve pregnancy health outcomes. She is also the Founder of Harambee Care Village, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that improves population health by providing equitable community-based education and support services. As a social justice leader, she has cultivated change in healthcare and breastfeeding support at local and national levels. Anjanette told a very personal story of overcoming setbacks to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams.

Next, Dominique Golden, took the stage. Dominique is a true catalyst for change, leader, and full-time graduate student. She transitioned from Corporate America to leverage her business skillset to enhance her home community in Detroit. At Wayne State, Dominique is pursuing a Master's in Social Work with a concentration in Community Development in addition to a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation and Human Service Management. Dominique is the founder of Rights4Refugees. She shared an inspiring story of her journey to find meaning and purpose in her work through social work that brought the audience to tears.

Successful social work entrepreneur, Judith Fischer Wollack, shared her story of growing up in Detroit as the child of a social worker. She spoke of the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and how staying receptive to opportunities for "unintended learning" can open unexpected doors. Judith began her career in 1977 at Hawthorn Center, Children's Psychiatric Hospital. She's a principal in Wolverine Human Services. In addition to her work at Wolverine, she's a Trustee on both the Eastern Michigan University Foundation and the Northville Education Foundation. Judith is the President of the Association of Accredited Child and Families Agencies (AACFA), working with state lawmakers to best meet the needs of Michigan's children.

Our final social work entrepreneur storyteller was Alice Thompson. Alice shared how she and other social work pioneers who were part of the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) started Black Family Development to address inequities in delivering culturally competent services. Alice is the chief executive officer of Black Family Development, Inc. (BDFI). She oversees a staff and program dedicated to improving the well-being of children and families in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties. Founded in 1978, the nonprofit family counseling agency provides culturally sensitive social services to local families, individuals, community groups, and organizations - and works to strengthen the communities where they reside. Under her leadership, Thompson has taken BFDI from a "storefront" agency to a for-impact organization with a $29 million annual budget that employs

The Social Work Startup Story Night was planned by the Social Entrepreneurship Committee of the Wayne State School of Social Work. The Social Entrepreneurship Committee works to promote and foster and culture of entrepreneurship among social work stakeholder groups including students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members. Shantalea Johns and Marijo Upshaw, co-chair the committee. Committee members include Charise Coats, Dominique Golden, Jana McNair, Richard Smith and Tamarie Willis.

The committee wishes to thank Mathew Lewis at the New Economy Initiative, who developed the concept for the Startup Story Night event to showcase the triumphs and challenges of Detroit metro area entrepreneurs. View event photos here.