bio images.jpg

becky conNeen, founder

A long time believer, but a short term ‘doer,’ it finally hit me one day…while I’ve always known Christ, I had done little to grow in Him and even less to go for Him.  I knew I needed to make a change.      

Since 2012, my husband and I have used our gym, CrossFit S3, as a platform to give back to our community through a variety of fundraisers.  We love being able to support as many organizations as we can alongside our gracious gym members.  After listening to a sermon about the mission of our church, Know – Grow – Go, with a focus on “go,” we realized we were missing an important piece of being a faithful servant…going out into the world and being disciples of Christ.  I began to really question what this looked like for me.  During this time-period, we hosted a small fundraiser for Project Alive.  Since that day, the Lord has been calling me to find a way to support that organization again, but in His name and for His glory.  After many prayers, and lots of thoughts, I realized there is one uniting universal language that feeds our souls…music.  Music and the act of worshipping is an impactful way to disciple.    

 The fusion of fitness and fundraising inspired a new union…faith and fundraising. 

And that is how CHARITYBEATS was born.        

 

CHRIS WISSA, executive director

Raised by foreign parents that came to the United States with nothing but a dream, hard work ethic, and a passion for Christ, my faith was ingrained from birth. About 15 years ago my true and personal relationship with Christ really began. Over the years, opportunities to serve and be the “light” for Christ have always been on my heart. Sticky notes by my bedside with idea after idea for that “perfect” foundation turned into just that, a “sticky note.” Becky and her husband, Sean, go to church along side us; my wife Sara works out at Becky’s gym and every day passes as usual. The day my wife came home and mentioned Becky’s vision of CHARITYBEATS, my sticky notes came to life. It was love at first sight, and I knew in the pit of my heart that this was it. God laid it out in front of me, and it was my turn to finally take action and put my true faith on the line and become the “do’er” we tend to only listen about in church. My family, friends, and co-workers know that I have two speeds… 1% when I am asleep and 150% when I am awake (which I tend to label as just a passionate person). CHARITYBEATS fuels my passion and ignites a fire in me and I’m honored to be a part of it!

Chris is the Founder and CEO of CO-DA providing high quality innovative designs from initial concept to installation for commercial and residential clients. Husband to Sara, Dad to Olivia, Giuliana, & Christopher, and member at Forest Hill Waxhaw, Chris’ background and passion for discipleship brings a full heart to CHARITYBEATS.

 

amy perlman, creative director

For as long as I can remember, art and design have been my passion. It gives me the ability to discover a creative voice - starting with a blank piece of paper all of the way through to a company's brand identity. Then, almost 7 years ago, I became a mother and found my second passion - my family. As every mother knows, having children changes you. It makes you realize that no matter how hard you try, we can all use a little help. It truly does take a village.

When Becky shared her vision for the foundation and showed me the Project Alive video, I saw Finn, listened to his story, and truly felt moved. I saw a path forward on how I could take both my love for design and my love for family to be a building block for someone else's village.

Amy is a full-time creative director at CoolGraySeven, a boutique branding and advertising agency located in New York City. At CoolGraySeven, she works with clients across a wide range of different sectors including fashion & retail, luxury real estate and education. Clients include Natori, Geoffrey Beene, Waterworks, Tolkowsky and the New Zen Center for Contemplative Care.