Megan Howell, 36

Megan Howell was a decade into her career as a server and manager at Patrick’s 1481 in downtown Sarasota in 2019 when her life, and purpose, took a big shift.

A friendship with a mentally ill homeless man outside the restaurant grew into a cause to help him, and then soon help others living on the streets. That grew into a self-funded business for a brief time, and now that organization, Second Heart Homes, is a nonprofit with $3.1 million in total assets and $1.89 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, according to public tax filings. The mission of Second Heart Homes, according to its website, is “to provide housing and critical support services to homeless adults with mental illnesses in Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

Photo by Mark Wemple