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LupWay Doh has a passion for helping others. A refugee from Myanmar now living in Utica, New York, Mr. Doh works for On Point for College, an education nonprofit that has helped thousands of first generation  students get into and graduate from college. Mr. Doh and On Point for College were mentioned in a recent article in the New York Times which detailed the  role that refugees have played in revitalizing a once-declining Utica, including renovating run-down houses and starting businesses. UpMobility Foundation is proud to support On Point for College, an organization that empowers first-generation college students, ultimately helping them to give back to their own community.  

As a College Access/Success Advisor at On Point for College, Mr. Doh helps prospective college students, including refugees, navigate the admissions and financial aid processes. Additionally, Mr. Doh checks in regularly with the students once they have started college, helping them find part-time jobs and advising them with  financial aid issues. Although the challenges facing first-generation college students can be daunting, Mr. Doh says, “I love working with people and I love to see them succeeding.”

 When the COVID-19 pandemic made remote learning a necessity, funding from the UpMobility Foundation allowed On Point for College to provide underprivileged students with the technology needed to complete their classes. When Tat Aye, a student at SUNY Poly’s laptop broke the day she was supposed to take an exam, Ms. Aye contacted Mr. Doh, who was able to replace it. The laptop program has also been a lifeline for students who had previously relied on their school’s computer lab or shared a single device with their entire household.  

According to Mr. Doh, refugee students frequently remain in the Utica area  after graduating from college. Many give back to the community through their work as social workers, nurses and leaders in local organizations. UpMobility Foundation looks forward to continuing to see the cascading effects of refugees helping refugees–and the community at large– in Utica.

In May 2022, representatives from UpMobility Foundation participated in a conference sponsored by Focus on the Family in Washington D.C. The multi-day gathering included speeches by leading figures in government as well as remarks by a panel of distinguished journalists. The conference’s theme of honoring and protecting our rights and history as Americans was supplemented with expert-led tours of our nation’s most important landmarks. 

Focus on the Family’s emphasis on the family  as the backbone of society aligns with the values of William Babinec, who was the father of our founder Martin Babinec. Much of the philosophy behind UpMobility Foundation was developed with William in mind, who worked tirelessly to advocate for his community and values. As a longtime supporter of Focus on the Family, we are pleased to become more deeply involved with an organization that champions one of our most important charitable aims–supporting healthy families.

On April 26, UpMobility Foundation’s Andrea Babinec participated in the annual selection committee at Utica University to find the next cohort of Young Scholars. Chosen from leaders in the local community, members of the selection committee are divided into groups and tasked with selecting middle school students who will be part of the Young Scholars program until they graduate from high school. Started in 1993, the Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program was designed to motivate diverse and talented students to stay in school and attain a post-secondary education.

UpMobility Foundation was honored to be asked to be a part of the selection of the next cohort of Young Scholars, as one of our key priorities is advancing education in our community and elsewhere. 

UpMobility Foundation's commitment to promoting a free society has led to our support of the Unite America Institute's democracy reform movement. Unite America Institute is a nonprofit organization that seeks to encourage broad-based, nonpartisan civic engagement and political participation. 

Within the scope of the democracy reform movement, the Unite America Institute seeks to increase voter participation and accountability by implementing and expanding nonpartisan primaries, ranked choice voting, and independent redistricting. To achieve these aims, Unite America also plans to work with young people to create long-term sustainable change as well as build a cross-partisan community of individual donors to support  democracy over the long-term. UpMobility Foundation looks forward to continuing our collaboration with United America Institute as they work towards a more functional and representative government.

In an April 9th piece in USA Today,  Fetzer Institute president Bob Boisture delves into a topic that is central to the UpMobility Foundation—connecting others across political and racial divides. And it is clear that our country is starving for unity —as Boisture mentions, poll after poll  indicate that most Americans see increasing division as harmful to the country. 

Like Boisture, UpMobility Foundation sees the increasing polarization in America as a threat to our democracy. We recognize the power of  moving away from tribalism and using love as the foundation of our interactions with our fellow citizens—allowing us to  assume the best about each other, not the worst. As Boisture writes, using love allows us to work with a deep sense of shared humanity and to admit when we have wronged each other. Seeing those around us through a lens of love helps us to move past labels like “democrat” and “republican” to create  the common ground that seems to be missing in the way that we interact with each other now.

UpMobility Foundation is pleased to announce our partnership with Right to Start, a nonprofit organization that was founded on the vision that all Americans deserve a right to entrepreneurial opportunity, regardless of race, location or background. 

Right to Start is closely aligned with several of UpMobility Foundation’s funding areas, including free society, as Right to Start strives to build an advocacy base of citizens to drive civic change that expands entrepreneurial opportunities for all. Right to Start also exemplifies UpMobility Foundation’s commitment to economic self-sufficiency by creating a more favorable environment for people to start and grow businesses. Additionally, Right to Start encapsulates UpMobility Foundation’s commitment to advancing social justice and racial justice due to Right to Start’s focus on lifting the voices of entrepreneurs who have been left out of the system in the past, to advocate for a more level playing field so they can succeed and build wealth.

UpMobility Foundation partner On Point for College in Utica, New York is collaborating with the Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program of Utica College in an effort to help their students finish their college applications. Students in the Young Scholars program have recently been accepted at colleges including: Utica College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Hamilton College, SUNY Buffalo, Russell Sage College, University at Albany, Pace University, The College of St. Rose, Siena College, Alfred State College, St. Bonaventure, Le Moyne College, SUNY Poly, Rochester Institute of Technology, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, SUNY Oswego, Suffolk University, Colgate University and Texas Tech. 

UpMobility Foundation is dedicated to supporting education in the Mohawk Valley community and beyond. We are encouraged by the collaborative efforts between our partners as we recognize that the most effective way to bring about change is through organizations working together.

At its annual meeting on March 16, UpMobility Foundation appointed David Read, its newest board member, for a four-year (three) term. Dave is a Little Falls native who has over forty years of experience in advising individuals and small businesses in areas such as tax, insurance, real estate, and investments. Currently, Dave is the president of a corporation that owns and operates fourteen franchise tax offices for H&R Block, which specialize in year-round tax and accounting service for individuals and small businesses.

The addition of Dave Read to the Board further enhances the expertise that the Board possesses to achieve its mission. Dave joins current board members Martin Babinec, Kevin Langley and Peggy O’Shea.

Using the ideas put forth in our founder Martin Babinec’s book More Good Jobs, the More Good Jobs platform was launched in 2021 to provide a virtual community and support structure for  builders and supporters of innovation economies and entrepreneurial ecosystems everywhere.

 According to More Good Jobs community manager James Shomar, the progress made thus far in developing the community is beginning to be seen through the wide-ranging connections made between members. More Good Jobs fans from  Oregon to the United Kingdom have been able to support each other in everything from sharing best business practices to connecting each other with resources. With the support of the UpMobility Foundation, the More Good Jobs platform  will continue to build on this entrepreneurial community in 2022 with additional events to serve their members. Entrepreneurship and community development remain some of UpMobility's highest priorities in terms of funding and we are excited to see what's next for the More Good Jobs community. 

Fewer than 1% of women of color entrepreneurs reach $1M in annual revenue—and UpMobility grantee Million Dollar Women Fund is looking to change that. Led by noted entrepreneur Julia Pimsleur, Million Dollar Women Fund has helped many women of color entrepreneurs gain access to business training, powerful networks, mentors as well as capital needed to scale up their businesses. 

One of the women chosen for the program is Aliya Thomas, a personal stylist and wardrobe consultant who is is the founder of Elevated Style by Aliya in New York City. With what she learned through the Million Dollar Women’s Fund’s master class approach, Ms. Thomas was able to outsource her newsletter and marketing and communications, giving her time to offer additional products and services in her business. Supporting entrepreneurship is one of the cornerstones of UpMobility Foundation and we hope to continue to support organizations like Million Dollar Women Fund long into the future.