Changing lives. That’s the motto we follow at Astanza. It’s embedded in our core values, lived out by our team members, and exemplified by our clients. One of the most rewarding things about being the leader in providing tattoo removal lasers to non-profit organizations in the United States is partnering with passionate clients to create positive change in their communities.
Laser tattoo removal has the ability to positively impact lives. Laser tattoo removal was initially used as an eraser for unwanted tattoos and has since become one of the most sought-after tools for physical and emotional transformation. Millions of people seek laser tattoo removal to free themselves from past pains and regrets and find healing from unfortunate experiences.
Astanza client Blanca Mejia, founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Generation Diamond, was recently featured in a blog by Jails to Jobs for her laser tattoo removal program using the Astanza Duality laser. Keep reading to learn more about Blanca Mejia and Generation Diamond and how they’re changing lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
Blanca shared Generation Diamond’s backstory and inspiration to start the laser tattoo removal program in a recent Jails to Jobs blog. Like Generation Diamond, Jails to Job is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping previously incarcerated and soon-to-be-released individuals with the necessary tools and support to find employment. Both programs are interested in reducing the recidivism rate through the use of laser tattoo removal.
Generation Diamond was founded in 2016 to help the homeless and previously incarcerated individuals struggling with reentry. The nonprofit focuses on helping adults re-establish their security and build a foundation for a better future. It offers various services, including immediate assistance like providing clothing, hot meals, showers, haircuts, and emergency housing. Generation Diamond’s long-term programs center on increasing education and employment opportunities through GED programs, financial aid and application assistance, trauma counseling and professional mental health support, and now laser tattoo removal.
In 2019, Blanca attended the Global Homeboy Network gathering, an annual event hosted by Homeboy Industries, another Astanza client, and the world’s largest gang intervention, rehab, and reentry program. The Global Homeboy Network gathering invites nonprofits worldwide to come, learn, and apply different aspects of Homeboy Industries’ nonprofit program to their communities. During that gathering, Blanca met Jails to Jobs executive director Mark Drevno and was introduced to Astanza. “I [also] introduced her to Astanza, a laser device company that offers discounts and support to nonprofits, and supported her with technical assistance through emails and phone calls,” Drevno said.
To give back and continue our mission of changing lives, Astanza provides special assistance and pricing to nonprofit organizations interested in starting a laser tattoo removal program. After receiving donations from her organization, Blanca partnered with Astanza and invested in the Duality Q-switched Nd:YAG laser in 2020. Blanca and her team of 10 volunteers received Astanza’s award-winning two-day training program and were up and running in no time. About working closely with Opal Taskila, Astanza Director of Inside Sales, and Astanza’s marketing team to ensure everything was ready to launch her laser tattoo removal program, Blanca shared, “I felt like someone was holding my hand.”
Since then, Generation Diamond’s laser tattoo removal program has experienced much success. The program provides free treatment for newly-released individuals and $20 to $60 per treatment for the employed based on the size of the unwanted tattoo. To close, we’d like to share Blanca’s sentiments about adding laser tattoo removal to her nonprofit:
“It’s a very beautiful, amazing program. You change people’s lives,” Blanca says. “I ask them, ‘Why don’t you want this tattoo anymore?’, and they say it brings back bad memories. Not only are you removing the tattoo, but you are changing the lives of people. I was doing the tattoo removal of a woman and she was crying. I thought she was in pain. But she said that her boyfriend forced her to get tattooed, and she wanted to get it taken off.”
Are you interested in starting a laser tattoo removal nonprofit? Here are a few resources to educate you on setting up your own nonprofit:
- Deinked for a Cause – The Story of Nonprofit Laser Tattoo Removal
- Why Now is the Time to Start a Nonprofit Laser Tattoo Removal Business
- Non-profit Generation Diamond Featured on KMTV News
- Inmate Has Hope for a Fresh Start Thanks to Non-profit Laser Tattoo Removal
- Non-profit Laser Tattoo Removal – Erasing Memories of the Past
