Starting as a small and innovative idea, founder Marcia Nozick, expanded this idea into a a sustainable and viable member of Vancouver’s ongoing economic community as a non-profit organization back in 2001. Driven by her passion for building sustainable communities, EMBERS (Eastside Movement for Business and Economic Renewal Society) has grown and achieved significant successes under her leadership. Today, EMBERS’ missions is “help develop productive features and build stronger, sustainable communities.”
EMBERS offers training programs for budding entrepreneurs and has grown to offer employment services and green building solutions inclusive to inner-city residents and the larger community of Vancouver such as these:
With these programs, EMBERS takes people from the downtown Eastside who aspire to get better and gives them these opportunities to change, as well as allow entrepreneurs to use their businesses in order to help others.
EMBERS remains in its roots at the Woodwards building. This Vancouver-based organization encompasses what social entrepreneurship is because it is mission driven and an organization developing a social business. This organization continues to grow as a widely popular social enterprise within Vancouver. Also, an interesting fact I found from researching this organization was that my close friend’s family works for this company!
Sources: (EMBERS website, Social Enterprise Dragons)
