National Leadership Council Participants Commit to Assisting Millions in Addressing Local Issues and Motivating Further Participation

Be The People National Leadership Council Features Prominent Groups Such as Goodwill Industries International, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, National 4-H Council, GivingTuesday, the NBA, The U.S. Soccer Foundation, Points of Light, Special Olympics; Figures from Music, Film, and Sports Such as Jon Batiste, Aloe Blacc, Demario Davis, and Brian Grazer; Experts Including Tim Shriver, John Bridgeland, Emma Bloomberg, Arthur C. Brooks, Danielle Allen, Martin Luther King III, Yuval Levin, and Todd Rose; Religious Figures Such as Bishop T.D. Jakes and Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.; Philanthropic Experts from Stand Together, the Ford Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, DonorsTrust, The Tepper Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation, Along with Numerous Additional Contributors

, /PRNewswire/ -- Be The People - a decade-long initiative that links organizations addressing community challenges nationwide with millions of citizens eager to contribute - announced today that more than 50 figures from culture, sports, business, faith, philanthropy, community groups, and academia have joined its National Leadership Council (NLC).

A expanding, multi-sector alliance guiding and overseeing Be The People, the NLC embodies the initiative's central principle: that every citizen can contribute to making the coming 250 years surpass the previous ones. Each NLC member assumes a guiding position aligned with their strengths and the challenges they prioritize. Be The People links citizens to reliable groups and chances to tackle local problems, then prompts them to recount their experiences to encourage others.

"Some claim division prevents major collective achievements, yet that does not match what we observe," stated Elena Dussaq, President of Bigger Picture US, the nonprofit overseeing the NLC and Be The People. "Nationwide, individuals are contributing daily to bolster their communities, resolve issues, and generate prospects for others. The figures joining the Be The People National Leadership Council witness this reality directly."

"What renders this time so impactful is that figures from every area of American society unite under a common conviction that the nation's finest era lies ahead," Dussaq added. "As trusted voices in settings where Americans reside, labor, study, prepare, worship, and assemble, Be The People NLC members possess a distinct capacity to bypass distractions and highlight possibilities when united toward a common national vision."

As Be The People expands, thousands of figures and groups are anticipated to participate. In coming weeks and months, Be The People will reveal tens of thousands of involvement options for citizens - ranging from a digital platform for problem-solving that connects community groups with willing helpers, to significant cultural gatherings and a summer series of events nationwide. Numerous NLC members are also establishing ambitious, extended 'moonshot' targets for their efforts - and Be The People develops resources to aid them in advancing further, collectively, within each served community.

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

ORGANIZATIONS:
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Blue Star Families
C&S
GivingTuesday
Goodwill Industries International
Habitat for Humanity
Imagine Entertainment
Interfaith America
Join or Die
Made by Us
More Perfect
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National 4-H Council
Points of Light
Realize the Dream
Right to Start
Share Our Strength
Special Olympics
Stand Together
The Brickyard
The Phoenix
U.S. Soccer Foundation
We the Veterans and Military Families
Welcome.US

INDIVIDUALS:
Danielle Allen, Harvard University
Lawson Bader, President and CEO, DonorsTrust
Jon Batiste, Musician
Aloe Blacc, Musician
Emma Bloomberg, CEO, Murmuration
Eric Braverman, Chair, Telescope Foundation, and Founder, Outcurve Capital
John Bridgeland, Founder and CEO, More Perfect
Arthur C. Brooks, University Professor and Bestselling Author
John Bucher, Mythologist
Michael Carney, President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Asha Curran, CEO, GivingTuesday
Sarah Cross, SVP, Stand Together
Demario Davis, Linebacker, New York Jets
Heather Gerken, President, Ford Foundation
Brian Grazer, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Imagine Entertainment
Brian Hooks, Chairman and CEO, Stand Together
Bishop T.D. Jakes, Faith Leader, Author, Entrepreneur
Pati Jinich, Chef, Author, TV Host
Martin Luther King III, Civil Rights Leader
Arndrea Waters King, Civil Rights Leader
Yuval Levin, American Enterprise Institute
Eric Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, Citizen University
Amber Miller, President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
John Palfrey, CEO, MacArthur Foundation
Todd Rose, Co-Founder and CEO, Populace
Tim Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics
Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., CEO, Corporate Community Connections, Inc.
Scott Strode, Founder and Executive Director, The Phoenix
La Mar Taylor, Creative Director, The Weeknd
Randi Tepper, CEO, The Tepper Foundation

BE THE PEOPLE IN ACTION

In advance of the launch, several NLC members have already collaborated to demonstrate Be The People in practice:

In January, the Atlanta Hawks introduced the Atlanta Changemakers campaign on Martin Luther King Day, recognizing NLC members Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King - whose Realize the Dream effort targets 100 million hours of service by Dr. King's 100th birthday - as the program's initial changemakers.
In February, NLC members the NBA, Habitat for Humanity, Stand Together, and recording artist Aloe Blacc united with more than 500 volunteers in Los Angeles to aid families recovering from the 2025 wildfires during the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.
In April, the Atlanta Hawks honored Atlanta educator and youth advocate Mikal Driver as an Atlanta Changemaker before thousands of fans at State Farm Arena. Chosen from over 670 nominees, Driver received recognition for establishing opportunity pathways for young people throughout the city.
In April, GivingTuesday revealed "TogetherTuesday," a nationwide day of community action on June 23, when citizens across the country will support one another via straightforward, impactful deeds.
In May, NLC member Points of Light and Hands On Atlanta gathered 150 employees for a service day in Atlanta to assemble tools and materials for skilled trades program participants - reducing job training expenses for residents in one of America's least economically mobile cities.

These represent initial instances of this coalition operating in reality: varied leaders performing their strengths under a unified banner, generating momentum for a wide cultural change that illustrates possibilities when Americans unite to aid others.

ABOUT "BE THE PEOPLE"
Be The People names a nationwide movement to revive the American spirit and help ensure the next 250 years exceed the last by enabling citizens to do what they excel at - contribute effort to resolve local challenges. Backed by a wide alliance of groups, businesses, philanthropies, artists, athletes, and faith and cultural figures, Be The People unites thousands of established, community-driven solutions into a shared problem-solving platform that guides citizens on contributing and creating impact locally. Sign up, share your story, find your role at BeThePeople.org and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

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SOURCE Be The People