Tiffani Bell, Founder Of The Detroit Water Project, Provides Financial Support To Families In Need

Name: Tiffani Bell

Favorite read: The Bible.

Recent read: I’m always reading multiple books at one time, so right now, I’m reading:

Favorite websites:

Favorite apps: Sleep Cycle on iOS. It’s helped me get my sleep issues in order.

Most inspired by: Substance and utility.

One quote that inspires you: Meus opus magnus — Latin for, “My work is great.” It’s a great guide.

Twitter handle: @tiffani | @DETwaterproject

Tiffani Bell has been a techie for as long as she can remember. While some children were working on sentence structure, Bell was working on creating lines of code. That passion for technology led the front- and back-end developer to go on to graduating with a degree in computer science, founding her first startup, Pencil You In, which enabled hairstylists to accept appointments online more efficiently. She also became a fellow for Code for America, a nonprofit invested in making sure government is working for the people through tech. Most recently, Bell co-founded the Detroit Water Project, alongside Kristy Tillman, a platform that allows individuals to donate money to pay off outstanding water bills for the city’s residents.

MadameNoire caught up with the Y Combinator alum to discuss the Detroit Water Project, tips to running a social good venture and what’s next.

MadameNoire: How did you get your start in the technology space?
Tiffani Bell: [I] wrote my first line of code at age six, took a programming class in 10th grade, graduated from Howard University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems & Computer Science, interned at HP (twice) and IBM during college and founded startup Pencil You In in 2009.

MN: What inspired you to found the Detroit Water Project, a platform that allows individuals to donate money to pay off outstanding water bills for the city’s residents?
TB: I read a story last year in The Atlantic that talked about how over 100,000 people in Detroit were going to be affected by water shut-offs. As I read more, I realized most of the issue stemmed from people just flat out not being able to afford their bills in the first place. I did what I usually did when I find something to be outrageous–I tweeted about it.

From there, Kristy Tillman in Boston got involved and we ended up putting together the Detroit Water Project website in about four hours the same night I read the article.

And yes, there were other crowdfunding campaigns and organizations addressing the problem, but our solution was different in that we wanted to help people immediately and give directly to families that needed assistance. So, the website ended up facilitating matches between families that needed assistance and donors who would pledge anywhere from $5 to $5,000 from all over the world to help.

We would essentially send them an account number and in tandem with how much they pledged; give them instructions on how to use the utility company website to directly make a water bill payment on someone’s behalf. We’ve had over 9,000 people from around the world sign up to give toward bills in Detroit and now Baltimore.

MN: That’s a large feat. To date, donors have given over $180,000 for water bills for over 900 families in Detroit and over $30,000 for families in Baltimore. Congrats! When you first had the idea, what steps did you take to get it off the ground?
TB: I’m a programmer, so that made things a lot easier. We just wrote up some copy describing what we were doing, used Bootstrap, a user interface framework open sourced from designers and developers at Twitter, to throw up a reasonably presentable website on Heroku (a free web host), and piped all of the donation and assistance application information to Google Sheets.

We used a team of volunteers to do the manual matching and customer service.

MN: What are your three tips to running a successful social good platform?
TB: [1] Pick a salient problem that everyday people can impact with a small contribution that, in aggregate, amounts to massive impact. It ropes in everybody and tons of people can share in your success.

[2] Partner with great people and on-the-ground organizations that can be your eyes and ears.

[3] Be dedicated to learning everything you can about what you’re doing and the people you’re helping. But that’s good advice for anything!

MN: You were in the last cycle of Y Combinator, the most prestigious accelerator/incubator program in the country. How did your participation in YC help the Detroit Water Project?
TB: Participating in Y Combinator was helpful for clarifying priorities and growing the donor base. They’re heavily focused on growth and when you’re trying to make an impact, especially as a nonprofit, that’s valuable to learn.

MN: For startup founders looking to enter into an accelerator or incubator program, what should they consider?
TB: A few things:

[1] Consider the accomplishments of the people running the program. The primary thing that you want is expertise, which will give you a better view of what to do with the funds they give. Y Combinator has partners and various other people in their network who’ve all been operators and founders at their own startups once upon a time–and been wildly successful in a lot of cases–and this makes all the difference. You don’t want someone playing house and cutting his or her teeth on your startup.

[2] Consider what kind of support and resources you’ll have access to after you finish the accelerator or incubator.

[3] Consider the internal resources and support you’ll receive during the accelerator or incubator. This harkens back to the first point around the accomplishments of the people running the program, but how is the program structured? What kinds of mentorship will be there be? From whom?

MN: What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received or given?
TB: The best business (and life) advice I’ve ever received is that, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.’

MN: What’s next for the Detroit Water Project?
TB: Growth. Hiring. Right now, I’m spending more and more time getting the infrastructure in place to turn the Detroit Water Project into a sustainable organization with sustainable impact. That means hiring, fundraising, defining impact, etc.

Detroit Water Project is ultimately focused on two things going forward: expanding the platform to other cities with the aim of ensuring everyone has access to running water in their homes and getting legislation in place ensuring universal residential access to running water. Everything else is subordinate to those goals.

15 Celebrity Couples Who Are Best Friends

Duanne martin and wife

A lot of celebrity pairs seem like they’re just together to elevate one another’s fame, or conjoin their empires (or hide their true sexuality.) But these celebrity couples are so clearly best friends. Lucky!

Did Y’all See? After Show: Chandra Wilson On What It’s Really Like Working With Shonda Rhimes

Chandra Wilson of “Grey’s Anatomy” dishes on what it’s really like working with Shonda Rhimes, Patrick Dempsey’s exit from the show and playing a character that was originally written for a short, blond white woman. Check out all that and more in the Did Y’all See? After Show.

Rude Things Friends Do After You Divorce

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Anytime you go through something difficult in life, those around you scramble to say and do the right thing (or not say or do the wrong thing.) But try as they might, here are some rude things friends might do if you get divorced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Are Expecting Baby No. 2

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Well, let the insanity begin.

Kanye West and wife, Kim Kardashian West, are expecting their second child. The big news was confirmed following Sunday night’s midseason finale of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” during a brief promotional clip for the rest of the season.

In the clip, Kim learns the exciting news in her doctor’s office. She later informs her sister, Khloe, that she’s getting another niece or nephew.

“I just got the blood test back, and I am pregnant!” she shares.

It’s no secret that Kim and Kanye having been trying for a baby. Their determination to conceive has been a major part of Kim’s storyline this season.

“We are trying. We try every single day. You can’t try harder than we try,” told E! News last month. “It’s getting exhausting. He always says, ‘Trying for baby No. 2 isn’t as fun as trying to baby No. 1.’”

Splash News

Kim and Kanye are already the proud parents of daughter North West, who will celebrate her second birthday on June 15. Four months after the tot’s 2013 birth, the couple got engaged at AT&T Park in San Francisco. They tied the knot the following May in Florence, Italy.

Congrats!

Follow Jazmine on Twitter @JazmineDenise

First My Grandmother, Now My Mom, And Maybe Me: A Glaucoma Wake-Up Call

I had never heard of singer August Alsina until he revealed his harrowing battle to save his vision. The singer recently had surgery to preserve his eyesight from an undisclosed ocular disease, one that had already taken the vision in his left eye.  Alsina’s candor about his medical emergency was a serious wake-up call for me.

Glaucoma, the incurable disease that can lead to blindness, runs in my family.  My grandmother was diagnosed with it at the age of 31.  In the beginning stages, she didn’t quite know what was happening to her vision.  Neither did her incompetent doctors who negated her symptoms and told her that her eyes were simply “tired.”  It wasn’t until my grandmother read an article in Reader’s Digest that she was able to self-diagnose her symptoms, which doctors would later corroborate.

My grandmother had a very aggressive and uncommon form of glaucoma.  She tried to keep the tremendous pain she experienced due to increased pressure in her eyes from her children – my mother and aunt – but it proved too much.  I’ve heard stories about that time in her life from my aunt especially, who often heard my grandmother crying in pain at night.  My grandma’s ailment grew worse thanks in large part to poor treatment and a series of botched surgeries.  She went through absolute hell and was blind for most, if not all, of the years I was blessed to have her in my life.

When my mother was diagnosed with glaucoma at 50, she knew all too well the harsh realities of life without the gift of sight.  Though her glaucoma is the more common type, she was immediately fearful that she would suffer the same fate as my grandmother.  Who could blame her? But when my mother broke the news to our family, my reaction wasn’t what she expected.  I guess you could say that I was in denial. I didn’t mean to treat her diagnosis nonchalantly, but I was confident that time was on our side, and the medical advances in both knowledge and treatment would not fail my mother the way my grandmother was failed.

But I was scared.  My mom’s vision had always been the best in my immediate family and when I started to see signs of changes, albeit ever so slightly, it was hard to accept.  I didn’t want her to struggle, to experience pain, to know the love of her future grandchildren, but not be able to lay eyes on them.  It was hard not to assume the worst.  I know the seclusion my grandmother felt because of her lack of sight. I know of the mistrust she had for strangers – home attendants in particular – who took advantage of her, and the difficulty she experienced being fiercely independent but needing help with almost everything.  And though she never, ever was, I know my grandmother felt like a burden.

It’s now been several years since my mother’s diagnosis, and she is still blessed with good vision, despite her glaucoma.  She stays on top of her doctor visits (and if she doesn’t, we do) and does everything in her power to maintain optimal eye health.

Given my family’s history, I know that I need to see an ophthalmologist every year.  But I haven’t been in roughly three.  At one point, I didn’t have any health care coverage and decided to put off my annual appointment until I had a medical provider.  I have no valid excuse now that I am insured, especially considering that I’ve noticed a change or two in my vision.

Sometimes my eyes get blurry for no apparent reason, or I’ll get eye floaters.  Neither of these things are cause for great alarm, but, again, considering my family history, I need to be careful. I won’t deny that I’m a little fearful.  I’m roughly the age my grandmother was when she was diagnosed with glaucoma.  And though I can’t help but get angry and sad when I think about all that happened to her, I have to believe that maybe, just maybe she suffered so that my mom wouldn’t have to.  And I wouldn’t have to.  I owe it to her, my mother and myself to get my eyes checked immediately and from here on out, make my eye health a priority.  Sometimes we’re so close to things that we need outside forces to shake us up.  And while I don’t know the names of any of his songs and can’t call myself a fan, I have August Alsina to thank for giving me the wake-up call I needed.

Penny For Your Thoughts: Are You More Confident On Social Media Than You Are In Real Life?

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Are you more confident on social media than you are in real life?

I’ve always admired women who publicly declare “I’m confident” (or who, even if they don’t say it outright, positively associate themselves with self-confidence in a public way).

Then again, maybe admire isn’t the accurate word.

I certainly smile in my head and think, “Good for her!” whenever I see a woman online hashtagging her way to self-esteem (#BaddestB*tch #KnowImCute #Don’tHateMeCuzMySh*tsTogether #SelfConfidence #SlayingTheGame #FeelingMyself).

If I’m honest, though, sometimes the cacophony of #ImSoConfident hashtags makes me want to type #StopHashbragging.

I certainly do not believe that a woman who is unabashedly confident is somehow a threat to me. I know for sure that another woman shining brightly doesn’t diminish my light. But the investigative journalist in me can’t help but speculate about whether or not her confidence is genuine (or truly evident in the real world).

For example, the following statement is a snippet of something I viewed on my Facebook timeline last week.

“CONFIDENCE is not ‘They will like me’ CONFIDENCE is “I WILL BE FINE IF THEY DON’T”!!!

That was the exact wording, punctuation and capitalization of the status update. The words “CONFIDENCE”  and “I WILL BE FINE IF THEY DON’T” were in all caps for blaring emphasis. The trio of exclamation points were there, presumably, to crank up the volume to the very last notch.

And there were pictures posted to illustrate the self-assured bravado. In the three photos, the same pretty black woman wore the same midriff-baring top and assumed different poses in each shot. (Her hand was on her hip in the first picture; next, her eyes were playfully glaring at the camera as if to say, “You lookin’ at me?”; and lastly, in the third image, she was tilting her head back in full-bodied laughter.) She truly is beautiful is what I said to myself as I hit the “like” button.  

The “she” in the pictures is my 25-year-old cousin Shaniqua, whom I think of as a quasi-little sister. She makes sure that I’m legitimately hip (as opposed to, say, only appearing as if I’m trying to be hip). I don’t check a lot of Facebook pages regularly, but somehow I end up looking up Shaniqua more often than I search for other folks.

Shaniqua is, by far, the prettiest in our big brood of cousins. Her eyelashes look fake, but they’re real. Her skin looks like she’s always wearing makeup, but she’s not. Her teeth are orthodontist straight though I don’t recall her ever having braces, a retainer or any other dental apparatus. She is, in my opinion, the epitome of “I woke up like this” #Flawless-ness. Browsing through the photos on her Facebook page is, for me, like flipping through the beauty pages of Essence.

The other day, my mom and I were on the phone, and we spent about three or four minutes talking about how beautiful Shaniqua is. I’d mentioned how much I loved seeing Shaniqua’s pictures, and I said something about how her posts are so relentlessly self-assured.  (The word “confident” is literally part of her Facebook name.) My mom exclaimed, “Yes, isn’t she gorgeous?!” And then she paused before saying, “I don’t know if she’s always that confident, though.” My mother wasn’t criticizing Shaniqua or by any means suggesting that she’s all outward bravado and no inner-belief. In fact, anyone who meets my beloved cousin quickly sees that she is grounded and graceful with a great head on her shoulders.

Still, sometimes, you can’t help but wonder if social media appearances are what they seem. At one time or another, we’ve all heard someone preach the “Don’t believe what people do, say or show on Facebook” wisdom. Maybe it was a friend who tried to convince you that a woman’s picturesque wedding photo didn’t mean she and her husband have the blissful relationship that their smiles and coordinating outfits convey (even though you think, based on their look of love, that they’re the winners of the Best Couple Ever Award).

Personally, I don’t believe that our social media lives and our real lives even need to be congruent or match up somehow. I understand that reality is far too complicated to be accurately represented on the Internet. So, of course, we’re all e-imposters online. And, of course, we’re all leaving things something out. There’s always something that we’re explicitly not writing in our status updates or showing in our photos (for any manner of reasons).

Who isn’t guilty of wanting people to see them a certain way? I do wonder, however, if the way we want other people to see us is often the way we want to see ourselves.

Out of curiosity, I scanned my Facebook wall to see if I sounded more confident in my status updates than I do in the real world. While you won’t see a #SoConfident hashtag on my page, you may catch a glimpse of this: a presence of mind.

If I had to give it a hashtag, it would be, #ItsOKandImOK

And, in a weird way, that kind of composure is indeed an upgrade and something I want more of in my daily life. Letting Facebook Penny talk to Real Penny was a fun and eye-opening exercise. You might even try it on your own page sometime. You never know: The more confident social media you might have something to say to the real you.