Who We Are

Hi, name is Serita Polinaire, and The Giving Universe Project is my personal mission to restore dignity, hope, and opportunity to those who need it most. Over the past 18 years, I’ve worked across diverse avenues of mental health, supporting individuals and families through complex challenges. I hold a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and I’ve served in roles ranging from Case Manager to Director within youth services, crisis centers, independent living, and LGBTQ+ programs. Beyond that, I served on several boards and as national ambassadors for nonprofit initiatives, where I advocated for equity, resilience, and community wellness. My work is guided by both professional expertise and a deep commitment to helping others thrive.
 

The origins of this initiative however, are inseparable from my own lived experience.

As a two-time stroke survivor who also underwent major surgery in 2024, I have confronted the fragility of life in ways few expect to face so early. Waking up in recovery, uncertain of what the future might hold, impressed upon me how suddenly everything can change and how profoundly we depend on the care, generosity, and presence of others in times of chaos and crisis. Those first moments of care are crucial. Experiences like these reshape one’s perspective: what once seemed peripheral becomes urgent, and what once felt central is revealed as transient.

 

The experience also left me with the unmistakable sense that I had tapped into something greater than myself. For a brief moment during that time, it was as if I had touched the very depths of the universe and returned carrying knowledge. That there is more than enough to help, to reach, to teach, and to love.

 

I emerged from these trials with a deepened awareness of the irreplaceable value of kindness, compassion, and second chances. These were not abstract ideals but essential lifelines, reminders that resilience is sustained by the presence of those who choose to care. It was from this recognition that the vision for The Giving Universe Project was born.

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At its heart, The Giving Universe Project is grounded in the recognition of systemic gaps that persist across communities. Too often, the most vulnerable are left without even the simplest resources necessary to preserve dignity and unlock potential. Teachers, the very individuals entrusted with shaping the future, are routinely forced to deplete their modest salaries to provide basic classroom supplies. Children, who should walk into school feeling hopeful and confident, instead arrive without proper shoes, carrying their books in plastic bags in place of backpacks. Orphanages struggle to maintain the most fundamental conditions of stability: consistent access to food, clothing, and educational tools. These circumstances are not minor oversights; they represent structural barriers that perpetuate cycles of hardship.

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The Giving Universe Project positions itself as a direct response to these barriers. Unlike traditional charitable organizations, this is not a foundation encumbered by bureaucracy, tax incentives, or the pursuit of recognition. It is a private initiative conceived, funded, and directed by me with the help of some friend's with the singular aim of meeting human needs with immediacy and clarity. This freedom allows projects to be both highly specific and highly adaptive, targeting tangible interventions that yield visible results. A pair of shoes for a child who has none. A backpack filled with supplies for a student eager to learn. A care kit acknowledging the unseen labor of a dedicated teacher. Sustained support for orphanages tasked with raising children against unimaginable odds. Each act is intentionally modest, yet profoundly significant in its ripple effects.

Critically, The Giving Universe Project

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The vision of The Giving Universe Project therefore extends beyond immediate aid. It seeks to inspire a recognition of the transformative power of small, consistent acts of kindness. A single notebook, a single blanket, or a single supportive word has the potential to alter not only the trajectory of an individual life but also the ethos of an entire community. What begins as a moment of generosity expands outward, creating echoes of dignity, confidence, and hope.

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Because in the end, giving is not charity, it is the universal law of return.