A note from our co-founder
I've been an entrepreneur all my life. So, when I co-founded Global Game Changers (GGC), an education nonprofit, in 2013,
I knew two things - the mission mattered, and we had to build it to last.
But the real reason GGC exists goes back further than that.
When my husband and I sold our family business to a large conglomerate after building and running it for 20+ years, I had time to ask a question that had been bothering me for years - why do so many people enter the workforce without the basic skills to succeed? Not technical skills. Human skills. The ability to solve problems, communicate, lead, handle adversity, work with others, and believe in their own potential. I'd watched it play out repeatedly in our own business and I couldn't unsee it.
I became determined to understand how, as a society, we were letting this happen - and what I could do to help prevent it for future generations. With the support of my husband and extended family, I joined forces with my daughter, Rachel, and my niece, Anne, to identify a solution to the problem I saw. What I discovered is that the answer starts much earlier than most people think. At its core, what GGC does is workforce development. We just start with our youngest citizens - because that's where it matters most.
For over a decade, GGC has provided free curriculum and resources that help kids build character, leadership, and the life skills to succeed, reaching over 500,000 students nationwide.
We along with a group of family foundations, the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation in particular, generously funded that growth from the start. And I'm proud and grateful for what that made possible.
But here's what I know, and what I think more nonprofit leaders need to say out loud: grant funding is not a strategy. It's a starting point. The most impactful organizations I've seen struggle aren't struggling because their mission isn't working. They're struggling because they built everything on a foundation they don't control.
Over the past ten years, thanks to the generosity and loyalty of our funders, we've done the hard work. We've validated our impact, measured our results, built the infrastructure, and demonstrated that what we do genuinely changes kids' lives; all at no cost to the teachers, schools, and districts we serve. The foundation is solid. The proof is there. The reach is growing.
Now it's time to focus on sustaining it. And that means putting my entrepreneur hat back on.
We created Everyday Heroes as a brand of Global Game Changers® nonprofit – one organization, one mission.
Everyday Heroes - an ecommerce gift shop featuring beautifully designed original artwork on mugs, journals, totes, and more. Gifts for the people who make a difference in the lives of others - whoever your Everyday Hero happens to be.
100% of net proceeds from every purchase fund the free GGC curriculum and resources we provide to teachers and schools across the country. Mission-driven. Self-sustaining. Built to last. We call it Purchase with Purpose.
This is what I believe more nonprofits should be doing - finding ways to fund their mission that don't require a grant cycle or a major donor's change of heart.
We launched June 16, 2026. We hope you will join our journey.
If there's a hero in your life - this one's for them.
With gratitude,
Jan Helson, Co-Founder & CEO
Global Game Changers & Everyday Heroes Co.