Interview with Natalie Salvatierra
Natalie Salvatierra
Solely Sunshine - Founder at 16 years old
California, USA
Natalie Salvatierra, aged 16, is spreading positivity through words of encouragement. During a time of sickness and fear, Natalie decided to take her passion for friendship and writing, to create her social enterprise, Solely Sunshine. Solely Sunshine provides letters of support to those who are struggling with their mental or physical health, giving them that boost of encouragement to keep on fighting.
Blown away by this charitable act, Kebloom spoke with Natalie to learn more about her and her social initiative, Solely Sunshine:
1) Please introduce yourself.
Hi, I'm Natalie Salvatierra. I’m 16 years old and I’m from Southern California.
“Some people write short words of encouragement and some people write long messages. Both spread love, encouragement and kindness and are greatly appreciated..”
2) What is the name of your business?
I am the founder of the Solely Sunshine organization.
3) How would you describe your social enterprise?
Solely Sunshine's mission is to spread sunshine to people with mental health conditions, through encouraging letters from people like you!
“…my ultimate goal is to spread 1000 letters of encouragement and sunshine to people in mental health facilitates across the world.”
4) How did you come up with the idea for Solely Sunshine?
I came up with the idea for Solely Sunshine due to all the talk about washing your hands and being careful about not getting sick. People with mental health conditions, especially with OCD and hand washing compulsions, are having a really hard time overcoming their struggles. So, I wanted to do something about it and I know that words of encouragement make it a little bit easier.
5) What passions inspired you?
The hardest parts about quarantine for me is not getting to see my friends. So, I love it when they send me a letter in the mail. I also love to write, and I thought why not combine the two. That’s why for Solely Sunshine anybody can write a letter of encouragement virtually or on paper and they get sent to mental health facilities for people who need a little extra encouragement.
6) What is your ultimate goal?
I know these times are tough for everybody and they are especially tough for people with mental health conditions. That's why my ultimate goal is to spread 1000 letters of encouragement and sunshine to people in mental health facilitates across the world.
7) What is your favourite part about running your social enterprise?
My favorite part about running Solely Sunshine is that I get to help people and I get to know that all the people who are receiving these letters are receiving a little extra encouragement that can boost their day.
8) What has the hardest part?
So far the hardest part of running Solely Sunshine has been encouraging people to write letters. A lot of people might say that they don't have enough time to do it, but even if you have an hour or even 1 minute, you can hand write a letter or fill out virtual submission letter form. Some people write short words of encouragement and some people write long messages. Both spread love, encouragement and kindness and are greatly appreciated.
9) What advice would you give to other young entrepreneurs?
It's easy to make a difference. My advice for somebody who wants to start an organization or project, is to make sure that it is something you are passionate about. If you are passionate about something it is easy to invest time and put in lots of effort. And it doesn't have to be something big, because even the smallest act of kindness can turn into something huge.
…and anything else you’d like to add!
I encourage you to please support my project and write a virtual letter of encouragement which will be transcribed or you can write a hand written letter and send it in. If you want to write a virtual letter of encouragement you can write one on our website www.solelysunshine.com.
Make sure to follow us on Instagram @solely.sunshine.
Thanks to people like you spreading sunshine, we have almost sent 100* letters! So let’s spread more.
*Now over 200!
About the Author:
Ellie McRae is the blogger, interviewer and content creator for Kebloom! When she’s not writing kick-ass articles, you’ll find her studying marketing and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Find out more about Ellie here.
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