Gloria Umanah‘s goal was simply to bring more positivity to America.
The result? Her Hope Booths, which can be found throughout the country.
Rolling out spoke with Umanah about her business at Keith Lee‘s food truck pop-up in Atlanta.
What do you do with the Hope Booths?
We remodel old telephone booths, turning them into three-minute interactive, immersive experiences that spread hope and connect people to local help and support. The whole goal is to make hope and health free and accessible 24/7 for the first time in history.
Where did this idea come from?
The idea came from my heart, honestly. I looked around and saw the global mental health crisis and realized that people weren’t feeling seen. I wanted to create something innovative that would help people feel deeply seen and connect them with the support they need.
What was the first year you started?
We started in 2021.
How has it been going?
So far, so good. The first two and a half years were spent on prototyping, debuting, collecting data, and ensuring we’re not just doing what’s impressive, but impactful. This past September, we started our installations. Now, we’re getting ready to place them all over the world in prisons, hospitals, schools, street corners, and pretty much everywhere.
Where can people support you all?
You can experience it yourself or become monthly donors or sponsors. Hopefully, they could be coming to a city near you.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I just hope if you’re listening to this, that you know that you are deeply loved. You are deeply seen and known. Don’t ever question or doubt that.
