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In This Episode:
Share Detroit is a technology platform that allows charities to post their sites, raise funds, solicit volunteers, and communicate with anyone on the Share Detroit website. It is a terrific endeavor that Detroit needs as well as other major cities in our country. With me today are Jeanette Phillips, Executive Director, and Karly Moore, Director of Community Impact.They are helping small and mid-size charities get their message out and help them raise awareness about their mission. And how anyone interested can immediately get in touch and establish a relationship with a charity that you believe in that is important.We discussed Giving Tuesday on November 29, 2022.The platform was launched during COVID with 20-25 nonprofits, and they grew quickly by the previous Giving Tuesday 2021 to 120+ nonprofits.Now they have 320 nonprofits on the platform.Through a partnership with Wayne State University, they provided an alternative spring break allowing students to serve their communities.Join the Michigan regionâs Giving Tuesday celebration! Support your favorite nonprofits through SHARE Detroit!Give on November 29th during Giving Tuesday. Letâs celebrate what we can do in just 24 hours!During this season of giving, it is easy and fun to donate to causes you are passionate about in just a few clicks. Support animals, children, veterans, or the environment. With SHARE Detroit, even more of us can unite to make a difference in our communities. Plus, bonus funds can stretch your dollar further when you give through SHARE on Giving Tuesday. Mark your calendar for Giving Tuesday on November 29th.We learn about how the platform works and how nonprofits benefit from the platform.Links To Things We Talk About:
Share DetroitNeed Doesn't get a vacationKnowledge Exchange EventsEpisode Info:
This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch.
Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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In This Episode:
Jack discusses his trip walking the Camino in August of 2021. Dr. Jack Kirnan today specializes in helping folks explore new ideas and pathways to find success. Jack brings over 30 years of personal experience, financial services, and education to his professional coaching and counseling practice in New Jersey. Jack shares what the experience of walking the Camino had in his practice and in his life.This was a 34-day trek of challenging hiking at an elevation change of 4,000 feet. He trained extensively before the trip. Jack shares compelling stories of lessons learned along the way during his Camino experience.Friends met along the wayConversations about challenges, family, and workDuring the second phase of the Camino, you are walking through the Spanish Desert. It's hot and challenging and a great place for personal reflection. For Jack, it was grieving the loss of his brother and, later, his dream job.Jack shares how he carried four rocks for the first 25 days of the walk to have the experience of laying them down at the Cruz de Ferro. One of his main takeaways was learning to be in the present. We hear so many behind-the-scenes stories of the Christmas Carol throughout the years, from provisions cast members who have gone on to stardom to meeting members of the Charles Dickens family.Quotes from This Episode:
"Pilgrims from all over the world walk the Camino for various personal reasons. However, everyone is seeking their own way toward clarity or a better understanding of a major loss or event in their lives." - Jack Kirnan.
Links To Things We Talk About:
Walking the CaminoKirnan Coaching Associates, LLC - Creating New Pathways in Life and Career The Way with Martin SheenMi Buen Camino: The Place Where Everyone Becomes Your Brother and Sister - A Documentary about Jack's experienceJack Kirnan on LinkedInEpisode Info:
This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch.
Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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In This Episode:
The Good Eggs Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works hard to identify childhood support programs, organizations, and families facing challenges in order to provide care and assistance. Once an organization is 'EGGED," it will receive the help that is needed. âEGGINGSâ can take various forms, such as offering jackets/hats/gloves, offering school supplies to a group of students, or even helping with local childrenâs events for those in need.Sandy holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and has taught morality, ethics, and social justice courses at a private high school in Michigan. In addition to her teaching career, she has taught, developed, and implemented programs and curricula that are focused on helping children realize the importance of living altruistic lives centered on love. The Good Eggs series is her contribution to supporting children as they learn about virtues, diversity, and service â essential concepts to integrate into their lives as they grow into Good Eggs!Sandy is also the Founder and President of The Good Eggs Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children in need. The Foundationâs outreach can take many forms, including monetary assistance, educational resources, and basic needs. Part of the net proceeds from book purchases go directly to the Foundation. Improving quality of life at a local, state, national, and even a global level is key to helping others grow and succeed!Sandy shares the story of how she came up with the Good Eggs children books.We talk about how the foundation does "Eggings" and how they select the recipients and needs that they meet. Things like providing baby monitors, helping out families who have fallen on hard times, provided bedding for habitat for humanity, and about 30 more to date.The foundation is primarily funded through book sales.We discuss the animation projects for the Good Eggs on YouTube.Quotes from This Episode:
"I wanted to put the books into action and I wanted the foundation to help kids since the books are for kids."
Links To Things We Talk About:
The Good Eggs FoundationThe Good Eggs PodcastThe Good Eggs BooksEpisode Info:
This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch.
Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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In This Episode:
As Oakland Countyâs only comprehensive program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, HAVEN provides shelter, counseling, advocacy and educational programming to nearly 30,000 people each year.HAVEN has helped domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their families escape abuse and create safer lives for over 40 years. Their survivor-centered services honor survivors as experts of their own experiences.MiVida Burrus, Director of Development, has held key roles in fund development, grant writing and donor cultivation for area nonprofit organizations, municipalities and colleges.Jasmine Valentine is in the marketing and development program at HAVEN.We are pleased to have MiVida and Jasmine are join us today to has helped spread the word about the good works taking place 24 hours a day, seven days a week and to allow HAVEN to share more about their services and programs.HAVEN received a perfect score, perfect assessment score from the Michigan domestic and sexual violence prevention and treatment board. It was a first perfect score and their 14 year history.All their services are under one roof to better service their clients that can face up to 22 barriers to receiving services.All of their services are free of charge and they always appreciate donations of any kind.Quotes from This Episode:
"We operate on an empowerment. We do not tell survivors what to do. We empower them to make choices and decisions that are going to be positive for their own lives." ~MiVida BurrusLinks To Things We Talk About:
HAVEN of Oakland County MIThere are job opportunities available at HAVENThe HAVEN Gala on May 12Episode Info:
This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch.
Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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In This Episode:
In Christina's research and now her life she studies the practice of gratitude.Gratitude practices are something that anyone, no matter what they are going through can implement. They are all accessible and all free. This doesn't mean that they are easy, but they can make an incredible impact.Some examples includeDoing a gratitude list when you wake up in the morningWriting letters to people you are grateful for and giving those letters to then in person or reading them on the phoneWe talk about some of her thoughts, poems and observations in her book, Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis DiariesFor Christina, she wanted to bring attention to the narrative of loving your body and brain even during the time she had the uninvited guest of cancer. Trying to articulate the difference between fighting brain cancer without fighting or blaming her brain.Christina was a neuroscience undergraduate, and has always thought of herself as a "brain-nerd."We talk about her Ted talk and what that experience was like for her.Christina defines a neurodivergent person.Christina shares the moving story of sharing her Ted Talk and her diagnosis with her middle school students.We discuss why she wrote her book during her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery and the response she has seen from it. She also used some of the funds to help go towards research.Quotes from This Episode:
Tragedy can kick you down and lift you up in the same breath. It can make friendships stronger. It can give you purpose. It can inspire, you can bring hope. It can strengthen faith and it can accelerate dreams. It can bring an unexplainable peace, a love for your body that you never knew. It can introduce you to the bravest people that walked this earth and the smartest people born to help you heal. And that's why I'm not scared. Thank you tragedy for what you've taught me. It's now time for you to go. - ChristinaBut when you hear the word cancer, you then hear warrior fighter. You can fight this, you can beat this. And when I started hearing that, of course, I've seen that all around me in commercials and advertising, but when people started to say it to me, it was really uncomfortable. It didn't sit right with me and thinking about how much I love the brain and how much I tell my students, the brain is amazing. I thought I don't want to fight my brain for the rest of my life. -ChristinaI've learned in therapy is do focus on truths. On what I know is fact, I don't know what my life will be like in five years, 10 years or longer, but I do know I'm strong. I'm resilient. I can rise again. I have community behind me. -ChristinaLinks To Things We Talk About:
Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis Diaries - by Christina CostaChristina's Ted TalkThe Michigan Medicine Multi-disciplinary Brain Tumor ClinicKiss Your Brain for ResearchEpisode Info:
This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch.
Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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In This Episode:
Kimber is an active advocate for children and seniors that are struggling without food and shelter in Pontiac and throughout Oakland County, Michigan.We talk about the housing issue in Oakland County, in part because of the definitions of homelessness in HUD housing. Kimber explains and unpacks some of the challenges of the nationwide housing shortage.With children, the definition is much "kinder" you have to be sleeping in your car or doubled up in someone's home. This makes it easier for them to get some services through their school or other programs.Oakland County has 3200 children who are considered to be homeless.When Kimber brought up how the definition of homelessness was hurting and not helping with Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence it started a task force.The three missions of the task forceIdentify legislative areas to make changesEducate leaders about the barriers that people in homelessness faceGet everyday people involved in the solutionKimber shares stories of what it is like helping people dealing with poverty and homelessness navigate the government programs designed to give funds to people.Quotes from This Episode:
Engaging the community to solve our problems is one of our missions. ~KimberI've probably worked 20, 30 hours on it to get the right person (about funding in a program to assist with rent). And if you can imagine that I'm completely exhausted from trying to find the organization and supposed to help. Can you imagine, having not sure where you're going to go that night? Not sure when you're going to be trying to call these places to get help. ~KimberLinks To Things We Talk About:
The HUD definition of homelessness.If you'd like to get involved you can reach out to kimber at [email protected], or call her at (248) 840-9858 or follow the Facebook page for Oakland County Task Force on Poverty and HomelessnessCoats for the Cold - Coat Drive 2021Help a family in need this Christmas SeasonKids Empowered On The MoveEpisode Info:
This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch.
Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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Coming up on the one-year anniversary of their Book "Redefining Normal" Justin and Alexis update our audience what they have been up to and what is coming up for them.
Growing up, they didnât believe they had a future. Together, they are building forever.
Alexis Black was six when her mother died and thirteen when her father went to prison for child endangerment. After subsequently surviving a long and abusive relationship, the college junior promised her foster parents that she would avoid romantic entanglements for at least a year. But when she met incoming freshman Justin on the first day of their scholarship program, they both felt the world melt away, leaving just the two of them in the room.
Justin Black lived in abandoned houses in the poorest section of Detroit before his parents surrendered him to CPS at the age of nine. He stayed in the child welfare system until he was graduated from high school. Determined to be the first in his family to pursue higher education, Black attended Western Michigan University, where he met beautiful third-year Alexis. At first, their past traumas--and their age difference--conspired to complicate their attraction. But the joy each took in the other eventually conquered those obstacles, and these two survivors journeyed hand-in-hand toward healing.
In their stark and often shocking story, Alexis and Justin reveal how two people brutalized in childhood managed to defy the odds, get healthy, and build a new life together. Guided by hope and a sense of purpose, as well as a desire to help others who have similarly suffered, they learned to reject the abusive patterns of their past, thereby breaking the cycle of generational violence and neglect.
Written in alternating accounts, Justin and Alexis offer a thoughtful exchange of ideas and personal experiences illustrating how anybody, no matter their background, can heal and find joy.
We talk to them about how they met and started their romantic relationship. They are now working as full-time entrepreneurs.
They started an organization called Redefining Normal to talk about mental health boundaries, healthy relationships, definitions of love, community success, and all of the things in the books.
They have several workbooks, graphic novels, and other items in the works. Justin has a podcast called ROSE from Concrete.
You can reach out at [email protected] or follow them on social media
| Facebook | Instagram | Tick tock @re.definingnormal -
Steven is a disabled motivational speaker, based in London.
Themes he speaks about:
DisabilityForced ChangePlanning for Resilience, andDealing with UncertaintySteven Dowd committed to get fit and agreed to compete in a charity cycling event.
He bought a bike, started training and rode to work like thousands of others.
Early one June morning he was headed to a friendâs flat to do the daily commute together, but never arrivedâŠ
A freak accident left him paralysed from the neck down.
With candour and humour in keynote talks for international corporate audiences Steven shares his story, the highest highs and the lowest lows of an against-all-odds recovery journey and how he approached the situation to achieve his greatest successes to date.
âThere are always lessons to be learned in challenging situations. Every situation can be useful no matter how uncomfortable. I didnât always appreciate that.â
-Steven DowdAn âEverymanâ with a long corporate career himself, Steven genuinely understands the corporate audience and is highly relatable. He clearly underlines that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things with the right toolkit.
The insights and take-aways are specifically aimed at benefitting anyone going through personal or professional challenges, facing significant events or forced change.
âThereâs no hierarchy around challenge. We will all face our biggest challenges at home or at work at some point. The good news is you donât need to break your neck to learn a thing or two beforehand that just might help.â
-Steven Dowd
After Steven was injured, in his a very dark time, he even started to talk to his wife about going to Switzerland for assisted suicide, but he decided against it and instead made a decision that after surgery he would give himself 200 days to get better.He started to take steps after 90 days and lived by the advice try to be better than you were the day before and if you are celebrate that little step as a victory.
Stephan talks about how he decided to be a motivational speaker and what that process was like for him.
We discuss the importance of not comparing your biggest challenge to another persons biggest challenge.
Stephan talks about the rowing event he was apart of and how impactful it was -
Delisa Herbert runs and owns a 501c3 nonprofit ministry from her Second Chance Thrift store in Oklahoma City.
This is not just a simple thrift store, like the personality of it's owner, it is about changing lives for the better, in a remarkable and loving manner that will amaze you and bring a smile to your face.
"My life story is the whole purpose of Second Chances." Delisa
DeIisa describes her early life as being born into sickness:
Family incest and molestation. Eventually sold to a pimp by her mother at age 13 she began a life of prostitution. She became an addict and ended up in prison. She was shot and stabbed multiple times and survived. She was high for 30 years and each of the three times she went into prison and was released she planned to do the same thing again because it was all she knew.She shares her "wow" moment that changed her life forever.
Now, as a survivor of domestic violence and human trafficking and sex trafficking, homelessness, addiction, she is paying it forward for those in need in her community.Every day through her store she is helping people in need with transitionary housing, finding a job, transportation to a job, and feeding between 50 and 75 people each day with the help of some amazing volunteers.
To volunteer, you can call (405) 470-6530
At the time of the interview, there were three homeless camps bulldozed in Oklahoma City, and are in need of camping tents, sleeping bags, food, and the things they need to start over.
They are also in need of donations like furniture and appliances that help pay the rent for Second Chances Thrift Store. This allows them to fund their efforts.
You can donate at https://secondchancesthrift.org/donate
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Share Detroit is a community engagement conduit offering simple ways for neighbors, nonprofits, and businesses to come together and strengthen our local community. They make it easy for people to find local nonprofits and engage with them how they choose, whether itâs donating money, volunteering time, attending an event, or buying much-needed items from nonprofit wish lists.
Their open and inclusive platform amplifies the needs of the entire nonprofit community, giving all organizations a chance to be seen and heard regardless of size, focus area, or budget. They believe that by doing good together, that we all can create a stronger, happier Detroit. Share Detroit is also a 501c3 nonprofit created to support all other nonprofits across metro Detroit.
Janette developed her skills working at Ameritech for 15 years. And she quarterbacked a huge sales effort with the general motors EDS effort many years ago. She is really a problem solver. She can take on big projects, clients and work with them to find solutions to any problems they may have in the nonprofit world.
We start talking about the origins of the platform and how it came to Detroit. Two major angel investors helped get the site off the ground by purchasing and further developing sharecharlotte.org so that the platform could be more robust and handle additional cities. ShareDetroit.org is the fifth city to have launched and they plan to continue to add more cities in the future.
The service is free to nonprofits. And designed to help them connect with their donors, volunteers and promote their events and organization.
Since their launch, shareDetroit.org has added 207 nonprofits and more are currently being added.
In order to be on shareDetroit.org you need be your own 501cs, have been in existence for a year, and have a functioning website.
You can reach out to Janette at [email protected].
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Living & Learning Enrichment Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by Rachelle Vartanian. Rachelle graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelorâs Degree in teaching for the emotionally impaired. Right out of college, she worked at a lock-up center for adjudicated youth. She was passionate about this and worked with this population for over ten years. During this time, she went back to school and obtained a Masterâs Degree in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Personality & Development. She did this to better understand why so many of her students chose to behave in self-destructive manners.
It was during this time Rachelle was seeing signs of autism in her youngest son. When he was officially diagnosed with Aspergerâs Syndrome, she made the decision to go back to school and get a second Masterâs Degree in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Madonna University. It was also during this time, she started teaching high school special education in Farmington Public Schools.
She took a leap of faith and quit her job after being a special education teacher for 20 years when a buy-out was offered at the school district she worked at. Selling her family home of twenty years, drawing money from her retirement, and downsizing her life allowed Living & Learning to be born.
We talk about how they found the property for their new headquarters and the series of miracles it took to move into this new facility that has allowed them to make an incredible impact on the people in their community and grow their programs.
It was the Don Massey Cadillac manion. On the other side of the street was housing. It seemed too good to be true.
Roger could see the dream as he walked the property with Rachelle. They started an alpaca farm. They are gentle animals and their fiber makes a high-end yarn that provides jobs for their people. They have a bunny farm. They sell fresh eggs and raise chickens. They opened an Mod market.
They also have an IT academy for highly skilled individuals.If someone you know or your child wants to get involved with one of their programs they can call 248.308.3592. We do an intake that takes about an hour with a tour to help understand the needs of the individual. The intake is free.
You can donate to The Living and Learning Enrichment Center to help them continue their work.
We talk about the upcoming open house
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Lynda taught language arts and the Detroit public schools system, although challenging, she loved educating and helping children through that experience.
After that time, Lynda decided to attend Wayne State University law school. And she says she happened upon a job posting for a position as an intern with the Wayne County prosecutor's office in the juvenile court. She worked there for years and the prosecutor's office gaining insight into the plight of young people and the court system.
And decided to start a nonprofit called the Ark Nonviolence Program to help children achieve their goals. Linda managed to direct the Ark, even after being recruited to the Michigan Children's Law Center (MCLC). And after 15 years, she closed the doors on the Ark to accept the position of co-executive director of what I call the MCLC.
We talk about what the Michigan Children's Law Center does and how it helps people. With clients who range in age from 0 - 20 years old. They help inside and outside of the courtroom. Their 12 attorneys represent many clients and it can be a challenging profession.
"You can only look at so many autopsies of a one-year-old or x-rays of broken bones on a five-month-old before you wondering, am I doing a good job? When will it get better? We really work together at MCLC to encourage one another." ~ Lynda McGhee
We break down how the courts work and how the dockets are arranged. From baby, drug, mental health, there is a team of people and judges that give wrap-around services to kids and teens.
"You wouldn't believe the enormous amount of services out here to help people, but they don't really know about it."
If you would like to donate to the Michigan Children's Law Center to give to families in need please donate online.
The donations help with things like backpacks, clothes, and other resources that children in the Foster system need. All proceeds will be used to help fund programs to prevent child abuse, address the needs of youth aging out of the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and teach tolerance.
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Our guest is Jessica Marcetti, is the manager of volunteer resources at Vista Maria. Vista Maria services 1200 people a year and has roughly 450 children in their program and 80 women staying on their campus.
Vista Maria is a place for girls, youth, and their families to realize a life beyond trauma and ignite a life of possibility. I lead the Volunteer Resources department to connect our youth with caring adults, educate people about human trafficking, and help our community use their gifts and talents to support our mission and our youth.
Jessica has made an impact at Vista Maria
âą Increasing Vista Maria's corporate volunteer engagement and grant compliance.
âą Managing the Holiday Wish List program, providing gifts to the 150+ youth in our care ($39,150 in-kind value in 2020)
âą Grew total in-kind giving by 44% over 2019.
âą Re-imagining their alumni scholarship program to maximize impact for each recipient.
âą Designed and implemented a custom, 6 phase COVID-19 safe-volunteering plan.Vista Maria was founded by the sisters of the good shepherd who prayed to Mary and fell in love with a plot of land with a vista view. It happened to be in Henry Ford's backyard. Clara Ford later decided to sell the land to the sisters for $1.
Vista Maria offers various programs to help young women at various stages of their journey. However, there is a thread that runs through every young woman's story: trauma. Whether it is young women rescued from human trafficking, abuse, or sex trafficking.
The numbers on human trafficking in Michigan are difficult to track, and most believe the numbers are under-reported. As a result, it is a crime that exists in the shadows.
We talk about the merger with the Michigan Abolitionist Project (MAP) that allows them to start getting more involved in educating people about the issues that young women in their community face.
During COVID, there have been fewer cases of child abuse reported. However, the number has likely not actually dropped as many kids are not in school and in front of mandated reporters, teachers, and adults who often report abuse issues to DFHS.
Jessica shares some success stories of their alumni and the recent graduation ceremony. Every young woman is going onto college or community college.
One of their greatest needs right now is loving foster families. So many of the children in their programs are waiting for a Foster Family. Children thrive in a loving family setting, they heal from their trauma, and foster families can truly change someone's life.
You can volunteer at VIsta Maria here.
You can donate to Vista Maria here. -
Rochelle Beckemeyer has been serving as senior pastor at Echo Christian Fellowship in Lake Orion, MI, since June of 2008, having received a Master of Divinity degree from Michigan Theological Seminary (May 2008) and ministry credentials through the Assemblies of God (Certified Nov 2006, Licensed Nov 2007). She received her ordination credential in May of 2010.
In addition to serving in ministry, Rochelle has worked at Chrysler (now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) since January of 1999, first as an IT consultant for ACS, Inc (A Xerox Company), then as a direct employee (June 2014). Prior to her work at Chrysler, Rochelle worked for General Physics of Troy as a technical writer, having received a Bachelor of Arts in Scientific and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University in May of 1993.
More important than these degrees and credentials, Rochelle received Christ as her Lord and Savior in December of 1997. Since that time, she has been increasingly consumed with a passion to see lives transformed through relationships with our heavenly Father.
in 2019 pastor Rochelle and her daughter founded a separate nonprofit called Safe and Sound Ministries focused on improving the quality of life for mentally ill as special needs individuals.
Rev. Rochelle shares the amazing journey of starting her nonprofit, becoming a caretaker for mentally challenged people to now pastoring a congregation that is 75% mentally or cognitively challenged. This all happened during a pandemic and they have continued to thrive.
Housing is their focus currently. Providing consistent housing for participants in Safe and Sound Ministry. They found a contractor who caught the vision and totally renovated their property into a beautiful home.
Residents in the program have real responsibilities, they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves, cooking, and using their skills to help the others in the house.
You can support Safe and Sound Ministries through their website. And you can find out more on their Facebook page.
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Aly is co-founder and executive director of UPchieve, a free 24 seven online tutoring, non-profit organization that provides high school students with academic support to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.
Eligible students can create a free account and request help in a specific subject (e.g., Algebra) 24/7. When UPchieve gets a request, we search for an available volunteer who is certified in that subject. In under 5 minutes, the student and volunteer are paired in our virtual classroom.
Their mission: To democratize access to academic support so that all students have an equal opportunity to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.
Aly has been featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists for education and honored as a Rodenberry fellow in 2021.
Aly was a low-income student without access to many things despite her being an excellent student. She started in community college and worked her way to an amazing education and a job at JP Morgan. But her desire to serve in the community was difficult for her to nurture at that job because of the hours, and she decided to start UPcheive. UPcheive makes it easy for students to get help when they need it and makes it easy for volunteers to fit volunteering into their busy lives.
"Coming up with the idea was easy, but leaving JP Morgan to start UPchieve was difficult." - Aly.
Aly shares about the early days of starting her nonprofit and how there isn't an equivalent to angel investors for nonprofits.
They talk about what they've learned from the now over 8,000 students and 7,000 volunteers on the platform. They've learned to prioritize availability over all else since it's unreasonable to expect students to know when they will run into issues with their homework. And how to revise their volunteer process to make it very easy to volunteer in the most inflexible schedules.
We highlight some of the amazing funding awards that have been won by UPchieve that speak to the technical prowess of their platform and their impact on students.
Want to learn more about how you can support UPchieve. Visit their website and donate today.
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Charlie brings his background as a social worker and international work. He founded an innovative nonprofit called Pay It Forward Initiative while at Wayne State University and working with New Detroit, and a nonprofit focused on racial justice.
We talk more about Charlie's background and his inspiration for his social-minded work.
My chosen purpose in life is to empower people to recognize their potential and then help them fulfill it. ~ Charlie
This passion came from his personal experiences. His mom passed away when he was two, and his dad went to jail when he was ten, so he spent time in the foster system that taught him empathy and curiosity to question why the world is the way it is. This led him to become a global citizen.
Charlie talks about the Pay it Forward Initiative and how it got started, and what's going on today.
Not having access to between $400-800 is when most Americans fall into poverty. So the Initiative set up a fund that allowed participants access to a $500 savings account that they could access if needed.
Charlie spent time working on a startup incubator for a triple bottom line business. The three bottom lines are people, planet, then profit. He also spent time in Uganda working with a company that was working on a model to sell charcoal door to door to allow women to start their own company with a low-interest loan to buy their first lot of charcoal to resell. Then he worked on rural employment in Egypt.
Charlie also spent time in the room during Detroit's economic problems including the water crisis. After his experiences, he decided to run for County Commissioner. If you're not at the table, you're on the menu. So he wanted to be at the table.
County Commissioner Cavell feels
1. We need to return to a time when we realized that government was an integral part of your life, whether you like it or not so you might as well participate.
2. They are taking a third of your paycheck so you should care to become involved.We talk about the fair housing initiative in Oakland County and the source of income discrimination that comes into play when some landlords don't accept vouchers. Landlords don' like the extra paperwork associated with vouchers. They are trying to cut down on paperwork and provide assistance for landlords. They are also setting up a fund to defray the cost of getting up to code. And finally, trying to break the stereotype that people who pay with vouchers will mess up my property. So tenants who receive a complaint from landlords will lose their voucher for life, and landlords have access to additional funds to mitigate the risk.
"And it's not that this is a bad deal for landlords. It's not that this is a bad deal for tenants. This is a good deal for everybody is just making sure people's fears are overcome with people's hopes." ~ Charlie Cavell
You can find out more and donate to Habitat for Humanity by visiting the website.
Ways to get involved:
1) Call Charlie to ask questions!
248-807-4347
2) Saturday Zoom call 10m:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://bloomfield-org.zoom.us/j/96835207420
Meeting ID: 968 3520 7420
Passcode: 339718
Meeting ID: 968 3520 7420
Find your local number: https://bloomfield-org.zoom.us/u/acBf4ApB3w
3) Come to County meetings and be heard. More info here:
https://www.oakgov.com/boc/Committees/Pages/resources.aspx
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Todd has been instrumental in starting CARES and seeing it through the early years of development with a kind heart and a knowledge of what the community needs. Todd's history as the director of Farmington Hills, youth, and family services for many years placed him in the perfect role to see firsthand that many families in the community needed food security, along with other personal services. I was excited to visit the campus of hope recently and see the current operations and visit with Todd and Elaine and hear about their plans and dreams.
We are excited to introduce Todd and CARES to the 3rd Act community in this episode.
Todd's experience launching a youth program that didn't necessarily have the communities support at the time, but gained support after many success stories posed him to be an excellent leader to continue the food pantry and launch the food market in an area where some didn't want to be associated with people needing assistance.
If you're interested in joining CARES as a volunteer the best way is to go online to http://caresfh.org or call Todd directly at 248 231-8490
Their vision for the future is to become a true campus of Hope in their area. Including services to help people deal with service issues, a free clinic, two gardens, a baseball field, a community center, and a gym.
There is something special about the campus, when people visit it they start to understand the impact that it has made in the lives of people in the community. Todd is happy to give tours and hopes to get more corporations and nonprofits to partner with CARES in donating. They are even open to giving naming rights as they expand their reach.
Though the pandemic has taken a lot from us this past year, looking on the positive side it has helped many people return to some core values such as kindness. Kindness doesn't cost you anything but it makes a huge impact in the lives of others.
We talk about the 3rd Act podcast and what it represents for people who are searching for significance in their lives, maybe they've been successful in their careers and now looking for what to do next. An organization like CARES could be a fantastic place to invest your time and energy.
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Life Skills Coach with a compassionate and counterintuitive approach to working with people and organizations.
Author - Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men's Groups
Founder - Men's Fellowship: Circles of Men Project
As a life skills coach and business leader, Clay Boykin has developed a compassionate and counterintuitive approach to helping people and organizations find their purpose, direction, and path in the world.Clay's life purpose is to help make the world a better place by helping raise compassion consciousness among men.
He is the author of, Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men's Groups and has dedicated his next twenty years to make the world a better place by cultivating compassion consciousness among men. He Founded the Circles of Men Project in 2012 which has grown to a worldwide network. Clay facilitates repeats and workshops and has led them in both the U.S. and Kenya.
Clay hosts both men and women on his podcast: In Search of the New Compassionate Male, which he launched early in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Clay is a former United States Marine Corps officer and in 2007, after 38 years in the corporate world, a mystical experience sent Clay on a journey through his own dark night of the soul, later emerging to find his calling.
Clay shares his story of finding peace during the midst of a heart attack in the fall of 2007. He then found himself laid off and experienced his dark night of the soul for the next two years. He metaphorically reached the top but found himself wondering what it was all for and what to do next.
"The new compassionate male is emerging as a new archetype." - Clay
What is the new compassionate male? Clay is on the search for the answer. The whole world is currently going through massive change and there is a lot of time for reflection within. It is something you can feel even if you can't articulate it. He shares of tremendous stories of people who are also joining him in the search.
Watch the video called the My Mandala of Life we spoke about on this episode.
Find out more about Clay on his website and check out his podcast, In Search of the New Compassionate Male -
Kimber is also the chair of the Oakland County task force on poverty and homelessness and uses her skills to collaborate with many political and charitable organizations to help her community in a myriad of ways.
Roger made a challenge to donate
Kimber shares personal stories from volunteers who are delivering to families. She also shared some amazing stories from their Christmas time efforts where they provided clothes, furniture, food, and even boots to families in need. They ran into logistical challenges due to language barriers, under-resourced families who may not have had telephone or internet access. But the volunteers rose to the challenge and they were able to help 175 families!
They currently have plans to do the same for Easter 2021. Families will be sponsored with Easter baskets and Easter meals.
Kimber shares a story of a man who was living in a trailer with no electricity, heat, or food, and when an angel in the organization found out they stepped up to pay $1800 in back rent so he wouldn't get evicted. He now has furniture and slept in a bed for the first time since last May. He also said that he, for the first time, is feeling hopeful. He is in awe that the volunteers, who are strangers to him, have shown so much kindness.
Rogers asks Kimber about her role as the chair of the Oakland County task force on poverty and homeless. Kimber says she ended on the council on accident. She was trying to help a homeless woman get help and found it so frustrating that she reached out to her public officials. Her goal with the task force is to help everyday people learn what the barriers are for people who are in poverty.
In Oakland County, they have 2,400 children who are considered homeless in one of the wealthiest counties in Michigan. The root of the issue is that they don't have affordable housing in Oakland County or many areas in the United States.
Kimber is developing a book buddy program. Since the pandemic hit and schools and summer camps shut down, it was eating away at her knowing that there were so many students who didn't have access to education. Each child will get six books, hot chocolate, and pajamas to encourage nighttime reading. They are setting up two book buddies for each child over Google Meet. Once they complete the first six books they will receive six more.
Kimber believes that there are about 5,000 kids in the Pontiac schools that could use this program! They are in need of volunteers.
You can donate here.
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I am pleased to record my first guest-focused podcast of the year with Elaine Grohman. I was introduced to Elaine last fall by a friend who thought we should get to know each other, since we are both involved in a journey to help individuals through acts of kindness. It is becoming increasingly clear that by focusing our minds and actions on the improvement of our health, the actions we take help us get the most out of our days on this planet.
Elaine is a teacher, author, energy healer, radio host, intuitive, and public speaker. In our conversation, she shared her perspectives about compassion and appreciation of Life, and the enormous potential we all have as Human Beings. Elaine comes from a large blended family of 15, and is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and has learned her intuitive craft from years of experience, beginning with her work in hospice.
Elaine Grohman strives to nurture people by demystifying our connection to the Living Earth, offering a greater understanding of the enormous Gifts of our Spirit, Body, Emotions, and Mind. Elaine lives in Southeast Michigan and offers her services to people through individual and group meetings. She conducts podcasts with guests on her show, Earth Wisdom Circle, on Empower Radio, and also has her own webinars available on her website, www.elainegrohman.com.
Elaine shares this ancient truth: âWe are Spirit born into a Body. Because we have a Body, we experience our world through our Emotions, which are âEnergy in Motion.â We must learn to decipher the information we glean from our Emotions so that we can learn to use our Mind, and thus our intellect in the most appropriate ways. Spirit, Body, Emotions, and Mind are not separate - rather they are parts of one system that allows us to have this experience called Life. This is the only way to know the Self that we are. Every Human Being is here to Learn.â Elaine Grohman also explains how the Energy of the Living Earth is accessible to us as physical Human Beings.
Elaine Grohman can be reached through email at [email protected], or on her website, www.elainegrohman.com.
Finally, you can pick up copies of her books, entitled, The Angels and Me: Experiences of Receiving and Sharing Divine Communications along with, Spirit Awakening: Wisdom for Life and Living, both are available on Amazon.com.
Elaine is currently working on her third book.
- Vis mere
