Alissa McLaughlin ('01)

When Alissa McLaughlin earned her degree from JMU and returned to her hometown of Philadelphia, she saw a need. Many inner city children had no understanding of healthy eating, shopping and cooking — a lack that impacted their health, their ability to learn, their families and ultimately their futures. After launching a successful events planning business called Radiant Matter, Alissa pulled together friends and family to start Small Fry, a Saturday morning program that teaches children how to shop, cook and eat well — knowledge that is seeping into the families of those children, making the futures brighter for Alissa's fellow Philadelphians.