The Team
Marcus Hobbs/Founder
Before the titles and recognition, I was just a young man carrying trauma that could have written a different story for my life. Through faith, healing, and perseverance, I learned how to turn that pain into purpose, a journey that would become the foundation of our SHIFT framework.
I graduated from CSULB, and I'm now pursuing my Master of Social Work at Howard University because I believe in equipping myself with the tools to serve and transform communities in meaningful ways. Education has been part of my own healing journey, and it continues to inform how we approach community transformation.
Our Gentle Care program has blessed families with something as simple yet powerful as clean clothes and dignity. But I know there is more work to be done. That's why we've embraced this new chapter with our comprehensive SHIFT approach—Support, Heal, Inspire, Flourish, and Transform.
Our children deserve to be valued, heard, and seen, just as every parent deserves support, healing, and hope. This is what drives our intentional approach to community building.
The mission is bigger than me; it's about building a legacy of love, healing, and opportunity for families across our community. Through SHIFT, we're creating sustainable transformation that ripples from individual healing to community-wide change.
Director of Community Impact
Emily Kazim has over a decade of experience in the Long Beach nonprofit sector. She is a graduate of the Leadership Long Beach Institute Class of 2022 and an active member of Fountain of Life Covenant Church. Emily loves Long Beach and has found much joy and purpose in leveraging her skills and experience to support her fellow Long Beach residents' pursuit of healthy, safe, and fulfilled lives.
Emily is a wife and mother, a lover of the outdoors, music, reading, and anything her husband cooks. She looks forward to contributing to the good work of Project X LB.