Patricia “Pepperminte Patti” Collins, President of the Bootsy Collins Foundation (BCF), has been recognized for her philanthropic work with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and celebrated alongside BCF by Cincinnati’s Women100. She’s also lived a life as a Ben-Gals cheerleader, business owner, fitness instructor and the wife of international funk music legend, producer and beloved Cincinnatian William “Bootsy” Collins. For all the people she has touched with her boundless energy, Collins is an angel among us.
“I am the luckiest woman to have met Patti and seen how every challenge becomes a joyous and loving catapult for change,” shares Michele Young, attorney, breast cancer survivor, leader of the Pink Eraser Project and Collins’ partner in the BCF Land of Superheroes program.
While Collins is grateful for the support and recognition, it’s not what sparks her to give back.
“I’m all about reach one, teach one, touch one. Whatever success is supposed to come will come. I don’t worry about awards; when I get them, I’m so thankful. But it’s not the focus,” Collins relates.
BCF began humbly at the Collins’ dinner table, when the couple discussed feeling called to serve and do more for their communities. With a little help from a friend to file the necessary paperwork, the Bootsy Collins Foundation was born in 2010.
“The reason we started the foundation is that Bootsy and I are both servants. We realize that when you have a presence and platform, you can maneuver a little more easily and get more folks involved. BCF has a mission to inspire and educate communities,” Collins explains.
In its 15 years, BCF has fulfilled that mission and then some. Collins considers the foundation a working group with many projects that grow over time. One of these programs is Funk Not Fight, community events with the mission to help calm violence through the power of music and dance. BCF plans to expand Funk not Fight by activating gaming trucks in cities where they hold rallies for peace, aiming to connect with middle schoolers and young adults using video games and Bootsy’s new Fortnite game, Capture the Funk.
“We believe we need to meet kids where they are. It’s one thing to have curfews or not allow them to wear certain things or be in certain places, but if you give them something to do that they love and you do it with them, they can see we do care, we understand and we’re with them,” says Collins.
To inspire younger children, Collins and Young partnered to create the Land of Superheroes, based on their desire to give every child the opportunity to discover their superpowers and build skills to help end the cycle of bullying. They’ve already partnered with several local organizations for their events and plan to work with the Mercy Health Foundation this year.
“Because we’re lacking some of the inspiration from the heroes we had growing up, Michele and I thought we should remind the young ones that they can be our superheroes,” Collins says.
Young adds, “Patti so embodies the spirit of my heroes, one of such love and compassion that identifies with the bullied, forgotten and abused.”
Collins’ newest project is her podcast, Is Anybody Out There? With encouragement from Bootsy and inspiration from his song “Anybody Out There?,” she finally felt it was time to share her story of escaping an abusive situation with her daughter, Summer. Collins, alongside co-host Andrea Langefield of Women Helping Women, and featuring the music of Jess Lamb and City Queens Sound artists, has created a truly special space for sisterhood, healing, connection and education about domestic abuse.
“If I can help just one person heal and tell their story, it will feel worth it,” Collins affirms.