Danielle Butin

International Activist & Humanitarian

Danielle Butin

International Activist & Humanitarian

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Biography

Danielle Butin’s life changed with an epiphany on the plains of the Serengeti. At the time, she had no idea it would change millions of other lives, too. But she did have one simple, compelling idea.

Seeing a lack of medical supplies costs lives in Africa, and knowing as a former healthcare executive in the US that federal regulations cause huge wastage of resources, Ms. Butin thought to match surplus to need. So in 2007, she founded the Afya Foundation—a Yonkers, NY-based nonprofit that rescues unused medical supplies and delivers them locally and globally to save lives.

By saving vital supplies from landfills and fighting healthcare inequities, Afya delivers for people and the planet. As a result of its impact, Ms. Butin has been recognized by the New York State Senate as a Woman of Distinction, the Voices of African Mothers, the Clinton Foundation, and the United Hospital Fund for Puerto Rico relief efforts; and Afya has twice received the Westchester National Disability Employment Awareness Award for innovative employment.

Ms. Butin started her career as an occupational therapist for many years, before ascending the corporate ranks at United Health Care and Oxford Health Plans. Ms. Butin drew on her background as an OT when founding Afya, ensuring that older adults, young adults with ASD and IDD, veterans, incarcerated men and women, and others too often excluded from philanthropy were welcomed as volunteers; today she still oversees 50 graduate occupational therapy students’ fieldwork at Afya each year. To date, Afya has shipped millions of pounds of rescued humanitarian and medical supplies to 80 countries, and today it touches approximately 1.5 million lives annually.

Today, what originated as an epiphany is now an entity employing 30 and saving lives close to home and worldwide. This remarkable true story has been featured on the Katie Couric Show and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Real Simple, Family Circle, and Town and Country, and is now recounted fully in Ms. Butin’s new book Wild Hope Now.

Wild Hope Now shares the singular story of Afya, opens our eyes to how we can change lives by letting hope run wild.

Speaker Videos

TEDx: When Your Life Calling Calls Afya: There’s Always Another Way

NYU Steinhardt Commencement Speech

Speech Topics

Living with Wild Hope Now

Drawing on her life’s work, in this revelatory talk, Danielle shares how she unearthed her hope on the plains of the Serengeti and launched the Afya Foundation to change her life and the lives of millions. Danielle weaves together captivating stories and practical insights that can inspire all of us to push the boundaries of what we thought possible by letting wild hope run wild.

Connecting to Others & Finding Ourselves

With humor and openness, and in her uniquely personable and relatable manner, Danielle leads us on a journey across genuine connections with others that make us feel more human. She delves into stories from the field, of the profound impact of forging meaningful connections in the most unexpected circumstances. Discover the stories of resilience, collaboration, and human spirit that arise when we connect in ways that defy the ordinary. This talk will inspire you to see every situation as an opportunity to build bridges, create bonds, and find strength in unlikely places.

Untaught Lessons in Finding Happiness

What if everything we ever learned about finding happiness needs to be rewritten? What if our search for a perfect happiness numbs our lives; what if to feel completely alive we must seek discomfort? What versions of ourselves are out there? Join Danielle as she leads you through her experiences of such a leap—from the comfort and stability of a Fortune 500 executive position to the chaos of founding an international global health organization and working at disaster sites worldwide. Leading us into the trenches of her search for authenticity and happiness, Danielle takes us on a journey that challenges conventional wisdom about where true happiness resides.

Helping Helps: Power of Altruism for Volunteers with ASD, IDD & Psychiatric Disabilities

Danielle pioneered an award winning program to engage people who typically receive help as helpers. Mobilizing volunteers with intellectual, processing and psychiatric disabilities, she unleashed a virtuous cycle by which volunteers of all ages and backgrounds transform themselves by serving others. From her unique perspective as an occupational therapist, professor, and founder of the Afya Foundation, Danielle shares uplifting stories of how volunteers integral to Afya help to save lives all over the world, all while becoming their best selves. Inspiring us to reimagine ourselves and others, this evocative speech shows the life-changing power of service.

Testimonials

“You can see it on someone's face when they have the passion to be a life changer. Danielle has it and lives her work. I love meeting women that empower and motivate when they speak. I look forward to speaking with her again and learning."

- MORE Reinvention Convention in Los Angeles

“Thank you for bringing your passion and inspiring all of us yesterday. You are by far the most inspirational speaker and my students talk about you for the rest of the term!

- New York University

"The speaker Danielle Butin was so good that volunteers from Rotary are insisting they go to Afya to check it out! You never know what will be outstanding until you listen carefully to it, I find.”

- Rotary Club

"Great speaker, Danielle Butin, great cause sending medicines and medical supplies to places in the world where they are desperately needed.”

- Interfaith Council

"Thank you for sharing your time, energy and insights with us last night. Your presence, and the work that you do through Afya, reminds us that we are agents of social change. Your worldview just expanded our lives and sense of potential."

- CUNY, Health & Human Services

“Danielle was exceptional, and her positive and constructive feedback were constant. Her passion and drive to help others function to their fullest potential in everyday life is contagious and inspiring.”

- University of Scranton

“Danielle’s personal story spoke to so many and her mission of helping those in need of critical care was truly amazing. Her speech was inspiring, passionate, motivational and certainly truly reflective of the person she is. Everyone in the room felt privileged to hear from her.”

- UJA Federation of New York