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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: MILL VALLEY FAMILY 

By: Pamela Parker  |  Photos: SMMC Official Photographer Amelia Plumb Photography   |  February 28, 2021

At SMMC we believe love is love and we are committed to fostering an inclusive community of families for all. This month, we spotlight a beautiful Mill Valley family who are raising five-year-old twins who attend local school, Marin Bright Horizons. 


Photos SMMC Official Photographer Amelia Plumb Photography

The dads, Justin and Pascal, are both founders of dynamic organizations in different spaces. Pascal is the CEO and founder of cyber risk analytics platform, Cybercube and Justin is the founder of Safe Place International, a non-profit that provides both single mothers and LGBTQIA+ refugees with food, shelter, clothing, medical care, legal aid and training to empower them in their communities.
 
Justin Hilton never intended to be in the non-profit space. His career was in real estate and his partner, Pascal, worked as a consultant for McKinsey.
 
However, in 2015, that all changed. “I've always been a donor and an enthusiastic one. And so, my donations sort of got more active in that I was actually going to countries and talking to people about problems and looking to see how I could help,” Justin explains.


Amelia Plumb Photography

When he first connected with activists helping those attacked and targeted in India when homosexuality was re-criminalized, he began to fund their fight there. One thing led to another and he found himself funding small organizations that were working to alleviate human trafficking in in Nepal. This led him to working with activists who were building orphanages. “I just kind of went from writing checks to actively working with nonprofits, on projects, and then to working with activists.”
 
“My philosophy and our family philosophy is, once you hit a baseline of resources, there's not a lot more that money has to offer you. Once you have a house and you can feed yourself and you have a relative degree of safety and security, there's not much more that monetary wealth can give you,” Justin states.
 
The work he did spread from India to Nepal and some parts of Cambodia.
 
In June 2017, Safeplace International (SPI) completed its first project, opening an LGBTQIA+ shelter.
 
By March 2018, SPI had partnered with local activists in Bangladesh to deliver emergency aid for Rohingya refugees and widowed mothers.
 
In April 2019, they opened their two-story community center in Athens, Greece for all those seeking free education and trainings support.
 
As of 2021, their team spans the globe, advocating for and helping LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and refugees find protection, training and self-sufficiency.
 
“Money kind of begins to offer you more anxiety about preserving that status. But on the other hand, when you are doing what you were born to do, adding value, bringing service, and feeling like your purpose on the planet is actualized, there's a lot of potential there,” says Justin.
 
“So, I look very much at my work with Safeplace as parallel to investing in real estate or other vehicles. I believe that marginalized communities are worth investing in.”
 
The family lives by the Cascade Canyon, having moved from Berkeley during the pandemic.
 
Justin explains, “We were in Berkeley for four years. Before our twins were born, we bought the house, and it was great. There were little babies and there's a lot of community playspaces, but we really feel like Marin is our home because we just really, really love nature and my husband goes on 27-mile hikes about every two weeks. We both mountain bike a lot and we just really love the nature here.”
 
The couple also feel very blessed to have their children.
 
Describing their journey to parenthood, Justin explains, “We have one friend that was an egg donor, and another friend that was a surrogate, and we each realized embryos. Only one of mine was viable, and one of five of Pascal's were viable. We realized the risk was that none of them would actually grow. And, so, we put two in knowing that the best case, that sort of pie-in-the-sky scenario, would be we would have twins, and the worst case would be that we would not be successful in having any kids. And we did end up having twins.
 
“They grew together, with different biological dads and a shared egg donor inseparable and deeply bonded - That kind of encapsulates our family...”

The family loves the Bay Area Discovery Museum at Cavallo point and spending time along the water where the boats are in Sausalito.

Having beach days at Muir Beach, and then hiking behind our house also ranks high on their list of favorite things to do. “Because we have toddlers, we go to every single playground.”


Amelia Plumb Photography

“I believe that we all miss out if we don't have a diversity of voices and experiences represented,” Justin says.
 
“And that means, from a socio-economic standpoint, from a racial and cultural standpoint, from a gender standpoint, from an orientation standpoint, it's not sustainable for us to go on as we have so it is worth investing in endeavors that help others.”

Pamela Parker lives in Mill Valley with her husband, son and cat. She began her journalism career writing for financial and legal magazines in Sydney, Australia. After spending almost a decade Down Under, she moved to Singapore where she worked as a TV news producer for BBC World News and local broadcaster Channel News Asia. She co-currently serves as Editor-in-chief of The Crier and on the board as the 2021 President-Elect.

Amelia Plumb has been photographing people and families for over 13 years. She lives in Tiburon and has two amazing daughters, who keep her on her toes and inspire her daily. Amelia loves to create beautiful photographs for families that will stand out for generations and keep everyone smiling for a lifetime. 

Check out more photos and find information at:
@ameliaplumbphotography