Shani Newton | Building a Legacy of Community Philanthropy

Shani Newton is a businesswoman to be reckoned with in the city of Philadelphia. She can be seen driving around the Mt Airy section of Philadelphia feverishly pursuing her package deliveries, streaming on social media in her latest episode of The UPS Driver Chronicles. In between running her primary business, Dolly’s Boutique, for the past 22 years, she has a passion for giving back to the community. She remembers vividly her fortune of seeing the late Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan daily when she attended Zion Baptist Church's day care. She fondly recollects how those seminal moments have shaped her life now as a businesswoman, because he told those daycare students at Zion that they could be anything they wanted to be when they grew up. Notably, Shani believed Dr. Sullivan’s words and they resonate with her still today.  We recognize Shani as a Build Sister Builder, not only for her business acumen, but also for modeling Dr. Sullivan’s principles of giving back and investing in your own community. Although, it has been taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive, sometimes you have to humble yourself in business and accept being on the receiving end. Therefore, Shani had to accept help in growing her business. She credits the venture philanthropic fund group, Circle of Aunts & Uncles (The Circle), for providing not only low-interest loan funding, but also invaluable social capital to help her grow her business. According to Shani, The Circle has supported her in every aspect of her business. She shared that her circle of aunts and uncles treat her like a real niece. Her gratefulness can’t be expressed in words for all of their contribution in championing her success. Shani said, “it’s such a wonderful concept and it’s like nothing I have ever seen in my years of business.”  Shani has a track record of giving back throughout her business career and modeling the principle of #BuildSisterBuild. She hosted #ShaniGivesBack in conjunction with her 40th Birthday of Service Celebration in Philadelphia. She partnered with fellow community philanthropist, Sylvia Webb and 40 Girls and Some Shoes  from Atlanta to host this event to provide shoes to women in need. Although, she has been a supporter or board member of the following: The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, FOE Foundation, Leon H. Sullivan Community Hoops & Conference, NFL Moms, The Trayvon Martin Foundation, she is most inspired by her strong ties to Called To Serve CDC (CTS) in Philadelphia. She has served as a board member for several years and is proud of their mission to support businesses in the Nicetown-Tioga section of North Philadelphia, as well as the neighborhood schools. CTS is an outreach nonprofit organization founded by Rev Mike Major, an associate minister at Zion Baptist Church, and she is humbled that the organization is an invaluable resource to that community.