Heather Vaikona is president and CEO of Lift To Rise, an organization working to address underlying causes of inequities in the Coachella Valley since 2014. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization pivoted to distribute emergency cash assistance to vulnerable families. Lift To Rise launched the Coachella Valley’s Housing Catalyst Fund with the goal of building 10,000 units of affordable housing. This project was recently named as the beneficiary of $15 million from the California budget, received a Nonprofit of the Year award in Sacramento, and has led an effort that has increased affordable housing production in the Coachella Valley from an average of 38 units per year prior to 2018 to over 1,200 units at present.