Make a DIFFERENCE
ABOUT US
What is Change The Story?
There are 2 realities
There are young adults that are passionate about creating social change, and there are underutilized community resources housed in religious organizations that can fuel that change. The story is told that these two realities are mutually exclusive. This program aims to shift this narrative — to “Change the Story” — by enabling the social impact dreams of young activists through monetary grants up to $10,000 and resource partnerships with faith communities.
What is a community impact collaborative?
We have one goal:
To empower people to make a positive impact in their local community, while connecting with others who care. During our program, young adults and faith communities come together to foster strategic partnerships while doing a project. Young adults gain leadership experience while working on a project they care about. Faith communities build intergenerational connections that broaden their perspectives on the issues within their communities. We provide funding and education, workshops and curated resources, not to mention countless moments where you can learn from your peers. We’re here to accelerate your goals for social change.
MEET THE TEAM
YVONNE MURRAY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Yvonne is a mentor, advisor, and community organizer. She believes that communities thrive when people work to understand and solve local issues together. She lives in Silicon Valley.
JEREMY STEELE, CHURCH TRANSLATOR
Jeremy is a writer, conspirator, pastor, and spiritual entrepreneur who refuses to give up on Christianity even though its adherents make it hard. He currently serves as a Pastor in the Washington, D.C area.
Aileen NicolÁs
Aileen is a religious educator, curriculum developer, and ministry consultant. She has a background in geography and theology, bringing an interdisciplinary perspective to her work to promote youth and young adult leadership in the church.
Dorcas cheng-tozun, Special Projects Lead
Dorcas Cheng-Tozun is an award-winning writer, editor, speaker, and social impact professional. She has over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit and social enterprise sectors. She has also taught social innovation in high schools. A Silicon Valley native, she has lived in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Nairobi, Kenya.
Sarah Townsend-Handley
Sarah Townsend-Handley is a co-founder of Musicians of Color Association (MoCA), a Bay Area nonprofit dedicated to collectivizing and mobilizing artists from historically marginalized backgrounds through the transformative power of the arts. In all the organizations she engages with, she implements a community-driven framework that fosters interconnectedness and interdependence. During the day, she works on the Development team at Community Services Agency (CSA), a local nonprofit.
Kenan Moos
Kenan Moos is a community leader, public speaker, and educator dedicated to equity and inclusion. As co-founder of Justice Vanguard, he turns conversations into action—organizing workshops, hosting events, and fostering dialogue on social justice. Through initiatives like Building Educated Leaders, which serves over 3,000 students, he empowers others to create lasting change. Whether in the streets, the classroom, or the studio, Kenan is committed to building a more just and inspired future.
Will Rand
Will Rand is a creative visionary who is passionate about spiritual wholeness, social justice, ecological wellness, and building new communal practices of healing in our world. Will has facilitated storytelling festivals where people shared stories of their lives, concerts cultivating a multiplicity of creative disciplines, and communal gathering spaces where people come to heal and be spiritually renewed. As the founder of EarthStory, a project that convenes community in the pursuit of ecological wholeness, Will draws together creatives, storytellers, and community members to remember their stories of belonging as a part of the biotic community.
OUR HISTORY
The Changemaker Initiative is where Change The Story was born…
The Changemaker Initiative launched in 2018 as an experiment in pioneering a new kind of church: connecting the compassion of Jesus with the skills of social innovation. Could this give new language, energy, and effectiveness to the church’s mission? As a large church in Silicon Valley, Los Altos United Methodist Church was ready to wrestle with this question. In 2020 their work expanded to other congregations and in 2022 they began focusing on a fresh approach with young adults.