Gabi Garcia-Perez is the founder of the Community Integration Mentoring Program (CIMP), connecting young students from communities through Connecticut to empower then to become active members of society. The result is long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships. During COVID, she focused her resources and connections to address food and financial insecurity. She has personally helped people affected by COVID, and stresses that it has been really important to work within the framework built by local advocates and organizations to understand what is going on in people’s lives while seeking to make a difference. She’s also been active working with Unified Sports in Guilford and beyond, allowing those with disabilities to shine in the sports world.