Mary Daly:          It's often said that zip code determines destiny and one young woman who I met said, "That is so discouraging, because I grow up in a zip code that doesn't look very promising," and that nearly broke my heart.

Mary Daly:          Zip Code Economies was born out of a moment of, I would say, almost despair on my part. My zip code here, where I've lived for 22 years is 94610, and it looks so completely different than the zip code I grew up in: Ballwin, Missouri, zip code 63011. And I could stand in both communities and see that the people share the same goals. And if we share the same goals, how is it the divides are so big? And I decided it was important that we build a bridge.

Mary Daly:          So we made Zip Code Economies to let people see that everyone else is just like them. Shared goals, shared values, just living in different parts of the country.

Mary Daly:          Economic research tells us that zip code is destiny, but what I learned is that is not always true. When you hear the people's stories, when you hear that communities can create not only hope, but opportunity, that they rally together for one another, and that only thing they desire is to give back and contribute and make the lives of future generations better than the ones that they have, it's inspiring.

Mary Daly:          Economics is about people. This is a show about people and about community, and about how they come together to make change and make the world a better place than what they inherited.