Kat Belendiuk is scholar, athlete and mentor. As a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, she focuses on adolescent substance abuse. She’s an endurance athlete and serves as a running coach to elementary-school aged girls. And Belendiuk volunteers for the international nonprofit impossible2Possible, which educates youth through adventure. In addition to creating education resources for them, she recently returned from leading four kids on a 200-kilometer trek through the Amazon. “If I don’t do this work, then I fear that our children will never realize their full potential,” she says. “What a scary thing when there is so much greatness in the world.”

Michael Cherock started his career in the U.S. Navy as an electrician aboard submarines, but an injury ended his service. In 2007, he founded Powerhouse Design Architects and Engineers. His company now has 10 employees and a second office in Washington, D.C., servicing private and governmental clients. Cherock’s pro-bono work includes replacing 3,000 local streetlights with energy-saving LED technology, writing the City of Pittsburgh’s lighting code and working on projects for Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. “We’re glad to be part of a lot of philanthropic activity that has cast the region in a positive light,” says the electrician (no pun intended).

“I work with citizens to restore our parks and communities through active education and stewardship, such as planting trees, building rain gardens and removing invasive plants,” says Marijke Hecht. She works for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and with organizations such as the Environmental Charter School at Frick Park, the Urban EcoSteward program and the Urban Ecology Collaborative. “Nature experiences help people … feel connected to all that is around us,” she says. “The more people that I can help have these experiences, the more I feel I will have made a real contribution to lasting improvements in our city, country and planet.”

“Music is activism for me. I cover topics that have helped me and hopefully help others,” says Kellee Maize. Her style is hip-hop—singing and rapping lyrics that reveal her interest in New Age theory and global change. Her second album, “Aligned Archetype,” is available for free on amazon.com and ranks among the most-downloaded, thanks in large part to her Pittsburgh-based grassroots outreach. Maize owns Näkturnal, an East Liberty-based marketing company that has created and promoted events for clients including Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “We work daily to inspire women, create memorable events and raise awareness for causes,” she says.