They will learn about available services in Nassau and Suffolk Counties for underserved communities. They will learn about the history of the Hispanic Counseling Center and our mission.

Claudia M. Boyle serves as the CEO of the Hispanic Counseling Center (HCC), a multi-service agency in Long Island that provides bilingual and bicultural behavioral health and prevention services for underserved communities. Claudia joined HCC in 2007 as a clinician, delivering individual, family, and group counseling. Over the years, she advanced to roles such as Coordinator of the Kinship Program, Youth and Family Coordinator, and Associate Director, overseeing all HCC programs. In 2021, she was appointed CEO.

Originally from Colombia, Claudia earned her BA in Psychology from Universidad Del Norte and her MS in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Miami. Her professional experience includes counseling, program development, and research, with a focus on Latina women and families. Claudia is deeply committed to community collaboration and addressing the diverse needs of Long Island’s Hispanic population through culturally competent care and innovative leadership.

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Concerned global citizens and philanthropists interested in learning about the issues in Haiti and ways to support a unique, and critical solution to its health care crisis.

Haiti Air Ambulance is dedicated to providing life-saving air medical transportation to critically ill and injured individuals throughout Haiti, regardless of their financial circumstances. As the country’s only nonprofit helicopter emergency medical service, we are committed to enhancing access to timely, high-quality healthcare by bridging the gap between remote areas and medical facilities. Our mission is to support Haiti’s health infrastructure by collaborating with hospitals, clinics, and first responders, ensuring that

every person in need has rapid access to essential care. Through our services, we strive to reduce mortality rates, improve patient outcomes, and foster a healthier, more resilient nation. Our commitment extends to building local capacity, empowering communities through training, and promoting long-term, sustainable healthcare solutions for all Haitians

Organization: Haiti Air Ambulance

Website: www.haiti-air-ambulance.org

#PhilanthropyInPhocus #HaitiAirAmbulance #EmergencyHealthcare #MedicalTransport #GlobalHealth #HealthcareAccess #SupportHaiti #TommyDiMisa

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A better understanding of how Pride events and operations work, and the impact of fundraising in supporting LGBTQIA+ organizations in New York City and nationwide.

Kazz Alexander is a passionate and experienced nonprofit executive with a demonstrated history of enhancing programs and student experiences in non-profit management and youth development. Kazz has mostly recently served as Founding Executive Director of Hit The Books, Harlem NY’s first community-based organization focused on combining the pillars of mixed martial arts with mentorship and tutoring. Kazz holds a B.A. in history and has also earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia, as well post-graduate certificates from Fordham University (Executive Education), Baruch College (Non-Profit Management) and NYU (Diversity and Inclusion). Prior to leading Hit the Books and TeachableNYC, Kazz served as Chief Program Officer at BCNY, and as Director of several non-profits in New York and New Jersey. Kazz also serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at NYC Pride, advancing LBGTQIA+ community causes and organization partnerships throughout the New York metropolitan area.

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A Kid Again brings hope, happiness, and healing to families raising kids with life-threatening conditions.

The Greater Philadelphia Chapter of A Kid Again serves more than 230 families in PA, NJ, DE, and NY. We are condition-agnostic, meaning we serve kids ages birth to 20 with ANY life-threatening condition. We also serve the entire family, as the siblings and parents are included in all of our Adventures, not just the child with the illness.

Our Adventures are year-round, year after year, and they are cost-free for our families. We exist to give people a time out from illness.

Rachel Lippoff has worked in nonprofits in the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey region for more than 20 years. She has worked with organizations large and small, with varying missions. But she has never felt so deeply about her work as she does with A Kid Again. It truly feels like she changes lives, every day.

Rachel lives in South Jersey just outside Philadelphia with her daughter and their two dogs. In her spare time, when she's not hanging with her daughter, Rachel is an artist working with resin, ink, and macrophotography. She enjoys exercising, reading, cooking, and baking.

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Segment 1

The first segment begins with a brief introduction of Rachel Lippoff and then a bit of banter between Tommy D and Rachel about the music styles they are listening to and are enjoying. Tommy then asks a question about what drew Rachel to non-profit work. Rachel shares that her parents raised her to have an orientation towards community involvement and helping other people. Tommy D then provides a brief summarization of Rachel’s contributions and work within the nonprofit sector. 

Segment 2 

In the second segment of the interview, Rachel briefly describes the work she’s done with her non-profit organization; she discusses some of the programs her organization has facilitated and hosted with. The conversation then heads into a more light-hearted discussion between Rachel and Tommy and a little bit of banter between them. 

Segment 3 

In the third segment of the interview, Rachel shares more about the programming her non-profit organization does. She emphasizes that her non-profit organization offers services to the entire family and not just the child who has special needs or an illness. Rachel emphasizes how the programs enable children to just be themselves without feeling as if they are out of place or being made to feel that they are less than ‘normal’. Rachel shares that her organization has chapters all over the country and she highlights information about the different types of programs hosted by her organization throughout the year. Finally, Rachel speaks about the impact of her organization on different families.

Segment 4

In the final segment of the interview, Rachel shares a bit about some of the challenges that are faced by children who are in need of the services provided by her organization. Tommy then asks Rachel what her organization needs in terms of support of donors, stakeholders, volunteers and assistance from the general community. Rachel shares that her organization is looking for more partnerships with different companies and organizations. She shares about a recent partnership which was done with a farm and how this partnership has been very beneficial and advantageous to the children who participate in her organization's programs. She also shares that her organization is also looking for donors, companies and sponsors who can help the organization achieve its mission. Finally, Rachel shares that her organization is always looking for individuals and families who are in need of and can be supported by her organization's programs.

A Moment of Magic operates on the mission of restoring the magic of believing at a time when a child needs to ‘just-be-a-kid’ and reminding them to be brave, strong, and fearless.

Kylee McGrane is the Founder and Executive Director of A Moment of Magic Foundation, a President George H. W. Bush Daily Point of Light Honoree, a Sara Blakely and Spanx Red Backpack Fund Recipient, New York Yankees HOPE Week Honoree, and AERIE Change maker.

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Segment 1

Tommy begins the first segment of the show by listing Kylee’s credentials and accomplishments within the nonprofit sector. He then asks her what drew her to non-profit work. Kylee then talks about how her parents, who were both teachers, instilled the belief within her that one person is able to make a change in the world. She then attended a school in the Bronx which enabled her to learn while also engaging in community work. She then tells a story about how she had an idea to visit a children’s hospital and dress up as Elsa from Frozen. The amount of support she received inspired her to grow this idea and this eventually led to the creation and development of her nonprofit organization.

Segment 2 

Kylee discusses the first time went to the hospital dressed up as Elsa from Frozen. She had only expected to be there for an hour or an hour and a half and she ended up being there for about five hours. Kylee discusses the impact her presence had on the children in that hospital and how one person can change the trajectory of another person’s day. Kylee then discusses the level of outreach that occurred after her initial success; she realized that she was not able to travel to different areas of the country to do this work. This sparked an idea to begin different chapters of A Moment of Magic at different colleges in the U.S. She was then shadowed by a major media outlet who broadcasted her work and enabled the organization to reach new heights.

Segment 3 

In the third segment of the interview Kylee shares about the challenges that occurred when the Covid-19 pandemic first started. It became harder to do hospital visits with college student volunteers and sick children in hospitals and clinics. These challenges created a shift in the way the programs were able to be done. Kylee then discusses how the organization would like to do as much as possible, however, because they are a grassroots non-profit organization, they are limited in the amount of outreach they are able to do. She states that hospitals and other medical institutions would be the best institutions to partner with.

Segment 4

In the final segment, Kylee discusses the magnitude of the impact college students realize they can create while doing this work. She discusses the importance of college students having community and how that sense of community is achieved through this work. Kylee and Tommy further discuss the impact of the organization and Tommy emphasizes how this program is changing lives. Finally, Kylee shares her vision for the organization in the coming years. She shares upcoming events and encourages others to get involved.

Colorful Talks originated in 2020 from a mom, Vera Jones, living in Astoria, Queens NY who was concerned about the increasing violence and evidence of racial unrest in America.

She realized there wasn't a group or organization she knew of that aimed to specifically help parents facilitate positive and healthy discussions about race and diversity with their school-aged children....so she created one!

Their mission is to provide educational tools for families that will facilitate meaningful conversation and activities while developing an emerging awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion with their school-aged children and creating a lasting, positive impact on their communities and the world.

Vera Jones is the President of Colorful Talks and is also a motivational speaker, author, and professional development trainer with over 30 years of experience in varied disciplines. She offers leadership, communication, resilience, diversity, and inclusion, and conflict resolution coaching and consulting.

Vera has her master’s degree in television and radio from Syracuse University and ascertained in conflict dynamics and workplace conflict. A former ESPN and Big Ten Network basketball analyst, Vera is also featured in a 47-million view Goalcast viral video called “Trust Your Vision”-- the inspiring story of her young son overcoming the challenges of a brain tumor and blindness. Vera is a Prince George’s County, MD native, who now resides in Jacksonville, FL.

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The segment begins with a discussion about how Vera Jones came into the non-profit work. Vera tells a story about how her love for basketball led her to a sports broadcasting career. She shares that due to the disability of her son, she was able to learn more about the emotional challenges and struggles that arise due to issues such as bullying. She thought about the intersection between racism and ableism and discovered that children are often ill-equipped to deal with these sorts of challenges. She then created a grassroots organization to address these challenges and was eventually promoted to the role of president of the organization.

The second segment begins with a discussion about the value of this type of non-profit work and the importance of giving people the tools to succeed. Vera shares that time is often the resource that is limited or constrained when it comes to the work done by her organization. Vera is looking to get more people involved in the organization’s mission in addition to more sources of funding. Vera also shares that they also need parents to get more involved in the organization’s programs. Her organization would also like to form more connections and find more networking opportunities to grow the organization.

The third segment begins with a brief overview of the different types of modules which teach students how to acknowledge and accept differences; these modules are used to begin conversations with children about social differences. Vera briefly goes over the module and shares that the ultimate purpose is to teach children that across differences, we are all still human. Tommy then discusses the importance of the conversations and he shares that many people are not well informed about racism. Vera then reinforces the need for these kinds of conversations so that people are able to navigate differences. Vera emphasizes the importance of helping children understand that the world is full of differences and that differences don’t have to be negative.

The final segment of the interview focuses on the mission and the vision of the non-profit organization. Tommy then discusses that although there have been structures created to create divisions amongst people, all of us are members of ‘the human race’. Vera shares details on how to get in contact with her organization and Tommy re-emphasizes the needs of vera’s organization.

About Org: The League of YES is a baseball league for children with all "abilities." We are the League of YES because we do not say no to the children or their families. It doesn't matter your age or disability, you can always play baseball with our help!

Our mission is to establish and sustain baseball programs for people (of all ages) with disabilities. Our objective is to provide an opportunity for those individuals to experience the joy and benefits that come from playing our national pastime.

About Kristine: Executive Director and Founder of the League of YES. Kristine Fitzpatrick founded the League in 2010, formally known as the Miracle League of Long Island in association with the Miracle League Organization.

In 2014 Kristine made the bold decision to leave the Miracle League and create her own organization named, “The League of YES”, YES- where You Experience Success." Her mission is to establish and sustain baseball programs for people (of all ages) with disabilities and to make a positive difference in the lives of disabled children through recreation, and provide physically active outlets.

Kristine’s goal is to spread the word and joy of this program nationally. Currently, Kristine is a sales representative for American Recreational Playgrounds. Kristine is a proud mother of two sons Peter and Wade and resides in Dix Hills, NY.

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Segment 1

The first segment begins with a question about what catalyzed Kristine’s involvement in the non-profit sector. Kristine tells a story about a non-profit role she was offered in 2006 while she was still working in sales. While visiting the job site, she had an experience which touched her deeply and which motivated her to engage in non-profit work.  

Segment 2 

The second segment begins with a continuation of the story Kristine shares in the first segment; while visiting at the aforementioned job site, she met a young boy named Julian and her experience with him helped her to realize her calling in the non/profit sector. Kristine remarks that she never anticipated starting her own non-profit organization until this moment. She shares about her experiences gathering resources and community support to start her non-profit organization. 

Segment 3 

In the third segment, Kristine continues to share about the development of her non-profit organization. She discusses networking and the connections she was able to build through networking with individuals and organizations in the non-profit sector. She also shares how the networking and meeting process has been made so much easier through the normalization of Zoom meetings. 

Segment 4

In the fourth and final segment of the show, Kristine shares a story about being contacted by a woman whose brother is on the autism scale. Kristine’s organization helped to connect her to people who have family members on the autism scale and these individuals created a support group for one another. Tommy asks Kristine to share about what her organization needs. Kristine shares that they accept volunteers of all ages. Young volunteers may be accompanied by an adult or guardian. Kristine shares that her organization is also looking for board members with experience to help the organization grow to a national level.

American Friends of Neve Hanna (AFNH) is a non-profit children's 501(c)(3) organization associated with the Neve Hanna Children's Home in Kiryat Gat, Israel. They are the only Masorti Kehillah of its kind in Israel that assists with youth at risk children. American Friends of Neve Hanna raises funds to help support and sustain the individualized therapeutic programs, projects and extracurricular activities at the children's home.

In addition, they raise funds to maintain and develop the campus, fund birthday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs and holiday outings, provide psychological services, social workers, special tutors and religious instruction for the children.

Lisa Pollack is the Director of Business Development and Social Media Marketing for American Friends of Neve Hanna, a non-profit children's organization for the Neve Hanna Children's Home in Kiryat Gat, Israel.

Lisa was born and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. Her background and education is in marketing and communications. Lisa has 30 years of work experience in the business world. The last 8 years have been concentrated in the nonprofit industry. Lisa specializes in publicity, marketing, fundraising, building and maintaining business relationships within the community.

Lisa has organizational relationships and ties within the Jewish Community including Masorti, Alpha Epsilon Pi (Aepi), Stand With Us, MERCAZ-USA, Women's League for Conservative Judaism, and the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. She is also a Public Speaker, Israel Advocate, Activist and Photographer. Lisa blogs for the Times of Israel where she tells and shares the stories of Neve Hanna Children's Home.

Gilit Ullman Stein's grandmother, Hanni Ullmann, founded Neve Hanna in 1974. When I was 11 years old I ew to Israel to accompany my grandmother to the President's ceremony where she was granted the Israeli Prize for Volunteer Work. From that year forward I went to Israel every summer and stayed at Neve Hanna. I became very friendly with the children living at Neve Hanna that time and would assist them with painting the dormitory houses, cooking in the kitchen, cleaning the petting zoo and other chores around the Neve Hanna campus. I loved going to Neve Hanna each summer and it is the time of my life that I remember with fondest memories. My grandmother's legacy lives on through Neve Hanna and the children who live there today.

Janet Tobin is the Co-President for American Friends of Neve Hanna, a non-profit children's organization for the Neve Hanna Children's Home in Kiryat Gat, Israel. Janet attended and graduated Brooklyn College with a B.A., major: Education and Psychology. She was a Teacher and Assistant Director of the Summer School Program for Great Neck Schools. Janet also served on the Health Education Committee of the Great Neck Public Schools. Janet has a long history of volunteerism within the Jewish Community including serving as President for Women’s League for Conservative Judaism (WLCJ) as well as the Membership Chair, Adult Education Chair, Vice President and Israel Affairs Chair and many other roles.

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Segment 1

The first segment of the show begins with Tommy introducing all the guests of this interview. Each interviewee provides a brief overview of the non-profit work they do and how they came into this kind of work. They share about how they are connected, through their Jewish heritage, to do service work within the Jewish communities they were within. 

Segment 2 

The second segment begins with Gilit sharing about her connection to non-profit work; she talks about the legacy of social work which her grandmother created and her desire to continue and extend that legacy. They then discuss how the American friends of Neve Hanna came to be established. Janet then discusses a bit about the success of Neve Hanna and shares an anecdote to highlight this success. 

Segment 3 

This segment begins with a discussion about the value of connection and community which are created through this non-profit work. The conversation then shifts to a discussion about American Friends of Neve Hanna award-winning bakery. In addition to creating some of the most delicious and amazing breads, the bakery also helps to bridge together disadvantaged and disconnected families. The bakery also provides an opportunity for people to learn about how to run a business and to gain the necessary skill set for running a business. 

Segment 4

The final segment explores programs which are offered by American Friends of Neve Hanna which assist children who may be socially or otherwise marginalized. Tommy and the interviewees discuss the value of these programs in what they contribute to the lives of the children who are involved and participate in the programs. The guests share that they need more exposure and a broader donor base in order to be able to continue to be able to do this work and to offer services through their organization. They share their contact information for those who are interested in connected with them and their work

The mission of the Jordan Porco Foundation is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults. JPF provides engaging and uplifting programming emphasizing peer-to-peer messaging promoting help seeking behavior, self-care, and coping skills. Their programs challenge stigma by talking openly about mental health, and educating about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide and other related mental health concerns.

Through awareness, education, and innovative programming, JPF is challenging stigma around mental health and help-seeking, creating open conversations about the prevalence of suicide and mental health issues, and saving young adult lives.

Marisa Giarnella-Porco is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Jordan Porco Foundation (JPF). JPF was founded in 2011 after the Co-Founders lost their son, Jordan, to suicide when he was a freshman in college. Prior to starting the Jordan Porco Foundation, Marisa has worked in human services since 1985.

She obtained her Masters of Social Work from the University of Connecticut in Administration. Her employment experiences range from the CT Department of Children and Families to various positions with local mental health authorities in Eastern Connecticut. She has volunteered for decades in her community and is currently an active member of the CT Suicide Advisory Board.

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Segment 1

In the first segment of the episode, the interview begins with Tommy asking Marisa how she became involved in this type of non-profit work. Marisa responds by sharing about how she grew up seeing the different issues within her family which were not openly discussed due to stigma and shame surrounding mental health issues. This inspired Marisa to study psychology and sociology and this enabled her to develop an understanding of the troubles that affected her family and other members of society. As she continued her studies, she developed an understanding of systemic problems that contribute to mental health issues.

Segment 2 

This segment begins with Melisa telling the story about how the organization came to be; she recounts the story about the circumstances and the aftermath of her son’s suicide. She describes her son, Jordan, as one of the last people who she ever expected would commit suicide. She discusses the expectations and ideas that must’ve led her son to feel isolated in that moment of his life. When Melisa decided to develop a program to promote suicide prevention and awareness, she first gathered the input from several individuals in order to develop a program that students would be willing to engage with. The program was very well received by students and the program was thus expanded to include more students. The foundation has since hosted hundreds of events which have impacted thousands of lives to date. 

Segment 3 

This segment begins with a discussion about the prevalence of suicide within society. Marisa shares a few stories about participants of her program whose lives were positively affected by the program: one young woman sought help after deciding against commiting suicide and another young woman realized, through her participation in the program, realized that she had been struggling with anxiety. Marisa and Tommy then discuss the specific mental health challenges faced by young people due to phenomena such as social media. Finally, Marisa offers a few ways in which young people can navigate these challenges.

Segment 4

In the final segment, Marisa emphasizes the significance of mental health programs, especially for college students. She frames the work of her organization as a form of preventative care which helps to prevent deeper and more significant mental health problems later in their lives. Marissa and Tommy highlight the importance of social work and share some information about how to get involved with the organization.

Exponents is a nonprofit organization located in the heart of New York City serving those impacted by substance use and other chronic health conditions.

Their mission is to deliver these services through a client-centered, strength-based approach, which greatly improves health outcomes and promotes overall wellness in our communities.

Joe Turner is the co-founder and current CEO of Exponents, a 30-year-old community based human services and harm reduction program in NYC. Exponents provides compassionate and person-centered drug treatment, recovery and wellness services to the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Since its founding in 1988, over 11, 000 program graduates have completed its programs-many of whom are in management positions of nonprofit agencies.

At Exponents, “…we meet people where they are, but we don’t leave them there”!

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Segment 1

The segment begins with a conversation about how the Exponents philosophy came to be. Joe Turner recounts his experiences and memories of the AIDS pandemic. He remembers how terrifying that time was and how the response of the LGBTQ+ community shaped the outcome of the lives of many individuals; instead of a philosophy of abstinence, Joey says the Act Up movement promoted ‘safer sex’ and in doing so, were able to provide a feasible alternative to the AIDS pandemic. 

Inspired by this philosophy, Joe Turner wanted to find alternatives to substance abuse treatments which are rooted in compassion. Joe states that his organization meets people at the stage of recovery they are in. 

Segment 2 

The second segment begins with a discussion about how the intersection of different social issues contribute to substance abuse and addiction. Joe says recovery “cannot be done in a vacuum”. Joe stresses the necessity of substance abuse programs which take into consideration or address different issues that contribute to addiction and the social effects of addiction. Furthermore, Joe highlights the conditions within different systems (such as the asylum system) which can actually exacerbate addiction. 

Segment 3 

The third segment of the interview begins with a discussion about the services they offer. Exponents offer multiple programs, some of which complement one of another. Joe refers to the variety of services as a ‘constellation’ of services which can help those who are addicted to substances to rebuild and reshape their lives. Exponents strives to create an atmosphere which allows people the agency to make choices. These services are low threshold services meaning abstinence is not a required condition to participate in these programs. All that is required to access these services is a willingness to show up and to make a choice about their recovery. After going through the programs, Joe says about 90% of people choose to participate in recovery programs

Segment 4

The final segment centers on a discussion about the needs of Exponents; certain services are not funded by grants and this creates a need for greater support from the community. Joe and Tommy also discuss the value of strategic connections and the importance of community engagement in the efforts of this non-profit organization. Joe shares some of the contact information of the organization for those who would like to connect with and get involved with the organization.

Tiegerman is a New York State approved non-public school program (K-12) for students with language disorders and developmental disabilities. Our programs focus on providing language-based learning for students to establish the foundation for their educational and social development and prepare them for a world filled with words, sentences, stories, and messages. We focus on the relationship between language development and academic success, providing intensive language immersion and academic instruction. The Tiegerman mission of “teaching the extraordinary” reflects the organization goal to substantively transform the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities from preschool throughout adulthood.

He received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland in 2000. Dr. Jeremy Tiegerman further pursued his education in the field of psychology and received his doctorate in school/community psychology from Hofstra University in 2005. Following this achievement, Dr. Jeremy Tiegerman acquired his NY State Psychology Licensure in 2006 and earned an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership from Stony Brook University in 2011.

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Segment 1

The segment begins with Jeremy sharing a story about how he became involved in this non-profit work. Jeremy tells a story told about his aunt who, at a young age, sustained a traumatic injury. This injury created certain “deficits” which resulted in learning difficulties. At the time, the only options available for special education students were very limited and Jeremy’s family felt unable to commit his aunt to the learning institutions that were available for his aunt. His grandfather then decided to take matters into his own hands; he purchased educational materials and developed an intensive learning regimen for Jeremy’s aunt. His aunt finished highschool, attended university, and then attended medical school. Jeremy’s mother then became inspired to do this kind of educational work and then Jeremy eventually came into his family’s legacy of providing educational services for people with learning disabilities.

Segment 2 

This segment begins with a discussion about how Tiegerman became involved in offering adult learning services. Jeremy discusses the development of these services which led to Tiegerman becoming a state-approved non-public school. Jeremy highlights that Tiegerman is approved to offer special education services in New York and Long Island. He also discusses the wide span of services offered by his agency for learners from preschool to adulthood.

Segment 3 

The third segment focuses on the Tiegerman language method. At Tiegerman, the subject teacher and speech pathologist work together to create a methodology to help students learn according to the students’ specific needs. Jeremy emphasizes the importance of learning strategies for languages as language skills are a necessary component of everyday life. Finally, Jeremy discusses the inequity in the distribution of funding and resources between public schools and non-public schools. He highlights that public school is not for every type of learner and emphasizes the need for different types of learning environments for different types of learners.

Segment 4

This segment begins with a discussion about how Jeremy would like to see Tiegerman grow as an organization. Jeremy remarks about how he would like to see the organization expand to include a vocational training program. He feels that this would help students to become work-ready after graduating from highschool. He highlights the importance of work-based learning and he shares the practical work experience that his organization has offered to students with special needs. This helps to ensure that students are able to take care of themselves after completing their highschool studies.

New Ground works with struggling Veterans and families to help break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. New Ground focuses support in key areas to achieve long-lasting success, including financial, literacy, career development, educational advancement, and more. Services are also provided to the children in the households to ensure the next generation will successfully complete school and move on to higher education programs and independent futures.

Shannon Boyle has been with New Ground since 2002, first serving as a front-line Social Worker, and then becoming Executive Director in 2006, She is a licensed clinical social worker in NY State with a master's degree in Social Work from Boston College. She has worked with the homeless for over twenty years, with experience also in psychiatric, addiction, and medical social work settings.

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Segment 1

The segment begins with a discussion about how Shannon became involved in the non-profit sector. She discusses her passion for community involvement and her work with homeless populations. Shannon and Danny then discuss homelessness as a social problem; Shannon describes the phenomenon of the ‘working homeless’ whereby homeless people may work one or multiple jobs and still be unable to afford rent. This keeps the homeless trapped in a cycle of poverty due to low wages and high rent costs in Long Island.

Segment 2 

This segment begins with a discussion about the unique challenges that families often face due to homelessness. Shannon also highlights the fact homelessness is often a long-term issue that can affect families and children for years. She shares some statistics of homelessness in Long Island, but she does state that many individuals and families are excluded from these figures. Shannon highlights that a large portion of the homeless population are composed of veterans, most of whom struggle with mental health issues that are related to PTSD. Finally, Tommy and Shannon briefly discuss the stigma around mental illness in our society. 

Segment 3 

This segment begins with more discussion about how homelessness keeps people trapped in a cycle of poverty. New Ground helps homeless people in many ways such as helping the homeless to manage their finances. Shannon also highlights the multiple barriers the homeless have to overcome and New Ground’s vision to support families through these challenges. For example, they help to pay for transportation to and from work and school, day-care fees and other expenses that need to be paid in order to keep a job and eventually maintain long-term stability.

Segment 4

In this final segment, Shannon shares some of the upcoming events her organization will be hosting. Shannon also states that New Ground is funded by private donations which allows them to be much more flexible in the services they are able to offer. Finally, Shannon shares that her organization is always looking for volunteers. Her organizations have different committees and boards that cover wide areas of interest- anyone can get involved with New Ground and support the organization’s mission.

The Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation provides heart screenings for children, teens, and young adults for the early detection of risk factors and conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest, training in CPR-AED, and life saving AED equipment to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and death in the young. DomHeart21 provides heart screenings for early detection, training, and lifesaving equipment in all communities, so no child is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest or death, no matter where they live, learn and play.

Melinda Murray-Nyack is the Founder and President of the Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation, a 501c3 established in 2010. Melinda is on the Board of Queens Chamber of Commerce, National Board of Parent HeartWatch, American Heart Association volunteer, Member of the Bayside Business Association, Member of the Health and Business Alliance and is a certified HeartSaver CPR-AED Instructor.

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The interview began with a question about what drew Melinda to the non-profit sector. She shares a story about her only child, Dominic, who passed away after experiencing sudden cardiac arrest during a basketball match. After his passing, it was discovered that Dominic had a congenital heart defect that had gone unrevealed during his life. She shares that 23,000 young people die of cardiac arrest each year and 7,000 of these deaths are young people under the age of 18. She says the majority of these deaths are completely preventable and she stresses the importance of educating parents and school staff about how to spot the symptoms of cardiac arrest.

Melinda highlights that her organization provides training and donates medical equipment for non-profit and other organizations that can’t afford equipment. She emphasizes the desire of her organization to hear from members of the community who would love to get involved with her organization. Melinda also shares that she was a part of the lobbying effort in New York to make it compulsory to have CPR taught in schools and she emphasizes the importance of having this information.

During the third segment of the interview, Melinda distinguishes between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest. She emphasizes the importance of knowing one’s family history and for parents and student athletes to take the time to accurately complete medical history forms. She also discusses the screening grants her organization provides. This screening is offered free of charge to students who may be at risk; to date the program has screened about 6,000 youth.

Melinda emphasizes the need for public and non-public schools to educate students on the signs of sudden cardiac arrest. She also highlights the importance of school coaches to be well informed about the signs of sudden cardiac arrest. She states that this knowledge should also be incorporated into their training along with the mandated concussion training. Finally, she announces that her organization is hosting a virtual fundraiser which will help raise funds for training and AED equipment. The details for this event can be found on her organization’s website under the “21 under 21” tab.

They will hear about two parents' resilience and strength and how that transformed the small Floral Park community and then the world. They will hear how they can get involved, enroll in the HFF's free Self-Esteem Rising programs for their community and learn about strategies that can save you on your darkest days.

About Org: The Hance Family Foundation was created in the summer of 2009 after Warren and Jackie Hance lost their three daughters in a car accident on July 26, 2009. Emma, Alyson and Katie Hance were only 8, 7 and 5 years old. Facing unbelievable loss and grief, Jackie and Warren started this foundation as a way to honor their girls and create some joy out of tragedy. The HFF teaches our original social-emotional learning programs called Self-Esteem Rising to females of all ages all across the world. We honor the Hance girls because they lived with enthusiastic confidence. Kate Tuffy created these programs and is the chairperson of the HFF Executive Board. Meet Warren Hance: is the president and founder of the Hance Family Foundation. He is father to Emma, Alyson, Kate and Kasey Hance. Meet Kate Tuffy: is a special education teacher and behavior analyst. She created Self-Esteem Rising after being moved by the incredible hope and optimism that the Hance Family Foundation symbolizes.

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Extraordinary Lives Foundation - We provide Piggie Bear tool kits to help increase children's social emotional learning. The HUGS for Life Healing Center bridges the gap between medical professionals and approved holistic healers. Their mission is to improve children's mental health & wellness and support families by providing educational tools, resources and awareness events.

Originally from New York, Mara James relocated to California with her husband and her three children in 2007. They established Dr. James’s OBGYN practice, and for seven years, Mara managed the busyoce.

Then, in 2014, Mara unexpectedly experienced a manic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Through her battle with mental health, many wellness professionals helped Mara heal and transform her life. Mara’s experience—in addition to the experience of some of her close family members—has kindled in her a passion for forwarding the cause of children’s mental health. She established the Extraordinary Lives Foundation and created Piggie Bear to promote mental health awareness and provide both children and their parents with the resources they need to pursue holistic wellness in any and all avenues available. Mara lives with her family in Orange County, California.

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The segment begins with Mara discussing her story about what led her to create this foundation. After she experienced a manic episode, she was treated with medication and worked with therapists and psychiatrists to become better. She then experienced a moment of spiritual awakening and began to work with holistic healers to help her heal her inner wounded child. This inspired her towards holistic approaches toward healing.

She then discusses the origins of piggy bear: she felt compelled to purchase a stuffed piggy bear while shopping one day. The piggie bear, in addition to an insight received during meditation, led her to realize that she should publish a children’s book.

Mara discusses how her organization raises funds for Piggy bear kits which contain tools to help children cope and manage emotional health challenges. She describes children as empaths who often take on the feelings and states of minds of their parents. Mara remarks that children aren’t often given the tools to manage ‘big emotions’ and that the Piggie bear book helps children to master their emotions. Mara and Tommy then discuss the importance of holistic approaches to healing which need to be incorporated into everyday life.

Mara discusses the Hugs for Life Healing Center. She describes it as a space to bridge the gap between medical professionals and holistic healers. 

She tells a story about her son who was diagnosed with a few different conditions. She discusses his journey with different types of healing and how he has managed to maintain his wellness. She finally tells a story about an energetic chiropractor who is able to uncover and heal deeper spiritual issues that affect his clients.

Mara discusses her podcast called ‘Let’s talk Wellness’ which hosts conversations with different wellness practitioners. Her vision for Piggie bear is to have Piggy bear sold to Build-A-Bear and to have it be a part of Disney theme parks. She hopes to rent or to be donated a space for Hugs for Life Healing Center. She hopes to create a healing space through the center for children and celebrities who experience emotional pain. Her organization does monthly donations with organizations, homeless shelters and military families. The segment ends with a discussion about the interconnectedness between humans and the Universe.

Camp Good Mourning! is Long Island's ONLY nonprofit organization that provides FREE, overnight, weekend bereavement camp programs for children, ages 7-17, who are coping with the loss of a parent/guardian, and/or sibling.

Paul Rubin, Founder and Executive Director of Camp Good Mourning!

• Empathic bereavement support group leader with significant experience serving youth, adults and seniors coping with the death of a loved one
• Award-winning educator and engaging classroom facilitator recognized by Suffolk County officials for Community Education and unwavering commitment to children, adolescents, and teens
• Trusted source for information on bully and cyber bully prevention and intervention, internet safety, sexting, and sexual harassment
• Engaging public speaker with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills

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Segment 1

The first segment begins with a question about what drew Paul to the kind of work he does. Paul shares that he has always felt drawn towards service work with children. He describes different volunteering opportunities he’s been involved with over time. He then shares a story about a volunteer experience at a children’s bereavement camp in New Jersey. While volunteering there, he shared a special connection with a little boy whose family survived 911. The impact of this experience later inspired him to start an overnight bereavement camp in Long Island.

Segment 2 

The second segment begins as a continuation of the conversation in segment 1. Paul discusses his observation for a need for an overnight bereavement camp in Long Island; although Long Island did offer bereavement camps, at the time,  none of them provided overnight services. Paul found that overnight camps allowed for opportunities for more bonding and connections to form between children and camp staff. Paul discusses the unique services offered by his non-profit organization which also includes services for grieving parents such as support groups. 

Segment 3 

This segment begins with a discussion about volunteer work within the organization. Paul describes the stringent volunteer recruitment process which ensures the camp children are in the best possible hands. He then discusses the one-on-one buddy system in which volunteers work one-on-one with camp children.

Next, Paul discusses how he has created and sustained his nonprofit organization. Pro-Bono services have helped him to get the organization started and his organization is supported by grants, donations, and sponsorships. Finally, Paul discusses how camp services and processes are adapted to boost the wellbeing of the children involved.

Segment 4

In the final segment, Paul highlights his organization’s goal to fill in the gaps in bereaved services offered in Long Island. Paul also discusses the organization’s need for male volunteers and support group leaders. His team offers education and training for dealing with grief so that volunteers are prepared to serve in their designated role. Paul shares that the camp and volunteer applications can be found on the organization’s website and he shares the organization’s contact information. Finally Paul shares his organization is interested in growing their board and working with organizations with similar goals.

The Center for Great Expectations (CGE), a non-profit located in Somerset, NJ, provides transformational mental health and substance use disorder treatment to women, children, men, and families impacted by trauma, abuse, and neglect. CGE is comprised of approximately 115 staff who deliver comprehensive, collaborative, and compassionate services to over 1,000 individuals/year across 7 different counties.

In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cummings has the privilege of providing administrative oversight to CGE’s six unique programs, in addition to managing the Finance, Human Resources, Development, Compliance, and Facilities Departments. His leadership has contributed to the implementation of an agency-wide Performance Management system that promotes staff development, the launch of a 403(b) retirement plan, upgraded software and technology tools, and a robust agency-wide communication platform. Prior to joining CGE, Tim spent 13-years with an affordable and supportive housing provider in New York City. Tim has also had the unique privilege of providing care for, and living in community with, marginalized individuals in inner city Philadelphia, as well as homeless youth in Haiti and Peru.

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Segment 1

The first segment of the show begins with a question about how Tim became involved in the non-profit sector. Tim discusses how, from a young age, he was exposed to opportunities to get involved in social justice, equity, and inclusion work. By spending time in communities that were different from his own, he began to discover his power and the amount of impact he was able to make. 

Segment 2 

In the second segment of the show, Tim discusses a program he participated in during the gap year he took after graduating from college. The program took place in an inner city Philadelphia community and its purpose was to serve the residents of that community. He lived within this community for about two years and he discovered the level of privilege he had been afforded in life. He then decided to dedicate himself to giving back to the community through social work and by engaging in everyday acts of kindness and compassion. 

Segment 3 

In the third segment of the show, Tim discusses his professional non-profit work within CGE. He has worked with CGE for about 4 years and is incredibly passionate about the impact that has been and will be created by them. 

CGE primarily serves women and children who struggle with mental health issues and substance abuse disorders. They offer various programs and centers which support mothers and children as they try to break cycles of abuse and trauma. They also offer outpatient services which men are able to access. 

Segment 4

The final segment focuses on the programs offered by CGE. They offer a supportive housing program which offers housing and counseling services to women in need. They also offer an outpatient program for both women and men. Finally, they offer a start program which offers medical and mental health care and support services within the homes of the families they serve.This enables the non-profit staff to gain a greater understanding of the living situations of the families they support. This also enables non-profit organizations to provide better services to the communities they serve.

Human Options ignites social change by educating Orange County to recognize relationship violence as an issue that threatens everyone, advocating for those affected by abuse, extending a safe place for victims, and empowering survivors on their journey of healing.

As Chief Executive Officer, Maricela Rios-Faust provides vital leadership, support and vision to the continued growth and success of Human Options. Since 2006, she has capitalized on her 30 year experience working with vulnerable populations and been a key driver in Human Options becoming the most comprehensive domestic violence service providers in Orange County. Her commitment comes from a desire to raise her daughter in a world where relationship violence is not tolerated.

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Segment 1

The segment begins with a question about what drew Maricela into the non-profit world. Maricela remarks on the community involvement of her parents which inspired her to participate in civic engagement. During her college experience, she had different opportunities to get involved in community efforts such as the prevention of gang activity and relationship violence prevention efforts. 

Segment 2 

The second second segment begins by exploring Maricela’s journey into the non-profit world. She began by working with a gang prevention program in Huntington Beach. There, she formed meaningful connections with the women whom she worked with; one of these women shared with her a story about the domestic violence her family members experienced at the hands of her father. The woman was ultimately unable to leave her situation as her mother and brothers would be left vulnerable and unprotected. This situation inspired Maricela to get involved and to help children who were stuck in these situations. Maricela then discusses her work with different organizations who impacted families and children around issues of relationship violence.

Segment 3 

The third segment begins with a discussion of what unrestricted support means in the context of non-profit work. This allows non-profit organizations to become more flexible in the delivery of their services. This also enables nonprofits to develop programs and services that meet the specific needs of a community. The segment then moves into a discussion which outlines the services provided by Human Options. The organization started by offering a 24-hour hotline and an emergency safe haven. However, over time, the services provided by her non-profit began to expand and evolve according to the needs of domestic violence survivors. Maricela then discusses the importance of changing the narrative around domestic abuse and relationship violence.

Segment 4

The segment begins with a discussion about how Human Options handles domestic survivors who have animals and pets: Human Options partners with animal shelters to accommodate pets. Human Options cannot accommodate animals in emergency safe havens, however, pets may be accommodated in the “in-between” safe houses which relationship violence survivors may be placed in.

Maricela then discusses how her organization partners with police forces to enhance support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. 

The episode concludes with Maricela sharing options for getting involved with her organization and upcoming events.

The ALD Alliance helps families across the United States that are newly diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) by giving them the resources they need to fight this rare and devastating disease. This fight begins by making sure every baby born in the United States is tested at birth for ALD. The ALD Alliance was established to address the need for information and newborn screening with respect to Adrenoleukodystrophy.

After losing her son, Aidan to ALD in 2012 at the age of 7, Elisa Seeger started this foundation in his honor with the primary goal of having ALD Newborn Screening passed in every state. New York became the first state to start screening for ALD with the addition of “Aidan’s Law” in 2013.

Since then, Elisa has worked to help other states add ALD by traveling across the country to speak at newborn screening committee meetings. Elisa had federal bills introduced in 2016 which would mandate newborn screening for ALD nationally. This is still a work in progress and as of 2020 has changed this directive to include all diseases added to the federal recommended uniform screening panel.

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Segment 1

The interview begins with Elsa telling the story of the ALD alliance: she tells the story of her son, Aidan, who was diagnosed with ALD and ultimately succumbed to the disease. Throughout her story, Elisa describes the symptoms and treatment of the disease. She learned that when ALD is screened for at birth, it is much more treatable and the chances of a child’s survival are higher. She also discovered newborn ALD screening options were available in hospital labs, but rarely used in many states. At this point, Elsa realized it was her mission to raise awareness about early diagnosis and screening for ALD.

Segment 2 

This segment describes Elisa’s journey with having Aidan’s law which includes ALD in newborn screening. She highlights that each state has its own newborn screening panel, but there is a disparity across states for what testing each panel includes. In the latter part of 2012, Elisa moved to have a bill passed into law which would include ALD screening as a part of the newborn screening panel in New York State. On March 29 of 2013, exactly 11 months after Aidan’s passing, Aidan’s law was passed in New York State which ensured that each newborn was screened for ALD. 

Segment 3 

After Aidan’s law was signed into effect, Elisa realized her work wasn’t done. In many other states of the U.S., ALD screening was not a part of the newborn screening panel. She highlights that many states were reluctant to engage her at first, because she was not a constituent of that state. However, she managed to find other families in different states who were willing to share their story about how their children were impacted by ALD. At the moment, 23 states include ALD as a part of their newborn screening panel.

Elisa then begins to discuss how, at a federal level, diseases are recommended to be added to newborn screening panels: the federal government reviews conditions and adds them to a panel of recommended diseases to be screened for. As of 2016, ALD has been on this list of recommended diseases to screen for, but it is up to each state’s discretion to screen for each recommended disease.

Segment 4

Elisa discusses her efforts to have ALD screening mandated at a federal level, however, it has not been an easy journey. She is working towards having the federal government allocate funding towards testing for newborn screening; this is because many individual states do not have funding to ensure that this screening happens. She also highlights that this is not specific or exclusive to ALD, but that this also occurs with other diseases which the federal government has  recommended for newborn screening and testing. 

Finally, Elisa shares some details about Aidan’s ride which is a fundraising effort that will take place in West Virginia on October 9th. More details can be found on aldalliance.org.

CPA, CFP, FABFAManaging Partner, Cerini & Associates, LLP Ken Cerini is the founder and managing partner of Cerini & Associates, LLP. Like many of the nonprofits he serves, Ken is passionate about making a difference, believing that it is important to be deeply invested in every client relationship and providing real value to each of his clients. He is one of the top accountants/consultants in the State of New York working with special education providers, is well-versed in nonprofit issues, and also is heavily involved in the healthcare industry.

This gala event was created to offer formal acknowledgment to some of Long Island's and the City's Most effective and innovative non-profit organizations.

The Imagine Award is an Award Program That was Designed for 3 reasons:

1) To shine a spotlight on those nonprofits that are truly unique those with strong leadership

2)To foster relationships having the ability for nonprofit leadership to come together and communicate

3)To provide education it’s a little bit of a cliché, but we don’t know what we don’t know.

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Segment 1

On this week’s episode of Philanthropy in Phocus, Tommy D interviews Ken Cerini, the managing director of Cerini & Associates, LLP to discuss the Imagine Awards. These awards seek to recognize the efforts of unique non-profit organizations, to provide networking opportunities for those in the non-profit sector, and to educate those in the community about the efforts being made by non-profit organizations. Tommy D begins the interview by asking Ken Cerini how he made the decision to become involved in the non-profit sector. Ken responds by speaking about his desire to make a social impact within his community. Ken also highlights the need for alignment in partnerships between corporate businesses and non-profit organization; this ensures the sustainability of mutually beneficial partnerships. 

Segment 2 

The second segment of the interview discusses how to find the right business or non-profit organization to form a partnership with. Ken highlights how important it is for non-profit organizations to understand what it is they have to offer within a business alliance; this requires thoughtful consideration of what qualities would enable fruitful alliances. Some factors to take into consideration also include: the reputation of the businesses which a non-profit organization seeks to create partnerships with and the alignment of the visions of the business and non-profit organizations. Ken also discusses trends he has observed which affect the stability of such alliances such as changing government regulations and the need to retain quality staff and board members in non-profit organizations (which usually necessitates the need to increase wages). Finally, Ken remarks on the need for strong leadership within non-profit organizations; this enables the fulfilment of the vision and mission of these organizations. 

Segment 3 

In the third segment of today’s episode of Philanthropy in Phocus, Tommy and Ken continue their discussion on the sustainability of corporate and non-profit organization alliances. Ken emphasizes the importance of balancing the need to benefit the community with the need fulfil the mission of the non-profit organization. Ken and Tommy then discuss the Imagine Awards which have been going on for 10 years and which took about 10 years to actualize. Ken discusses his realization of a need for a space to recognize the impact created by the non-profit sector. He describes the Imagine Awards as a place to bring non-profit leaders together to create a stronger sector. The awards consist of 5 distinct award categories: Leadership, Arts and Culture, Innovation, Social Impact, and the Rising Award. The last two categories assess the micro and macro impact of the non-profit organization on the community. 

Segment 4

In the final segment of the interview, Tommy asks Ken what he imagines the award series to become several years from now. Ken describes his hope that this award series will enhance the visibility of the non-profit sector. Ken also highlights the Fan Favorite Award and he announces that voting for this award goes live on Monday September 9th. Any 501c org providing services in and around long-island can be considered for this award. He also mentions that organizations need not have a brick and mortar establishment to be 

considered for this award. Ken also mentions the Let’s Imagine Awards. He encourages organizations to attend as there will be a large presence of several non-profit leaders and this will provide a rare networking opportunity for those in the non-profit world. Finally, Tommy and Ken wrap up the show by re-emphasizing the importance of recognizing the work done within the non-profit sector.

The Ray Pfeifer Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization dedicated to assisting September 11th first responders, firefighters and police, with medical needs not covered by insurance. The foundation was established in memory of Ray Pfeifer, a NYC firefighter who died on May 28, 2017 from 9/11 cancer. Ray never stopped putting the needs of others before his own. He was a leading force in lobbying to extend the Zadroga Act through 2090, ensuring health care coverage for 75,000 people who need, or will need, treatment for health conditions developed as a direct result of 9/11 exposure.

“Do the right thing, even when no one is looking,” words you’d often hear from Ray Pfeifer. A member of the FDNY since 1987, Ray was going with other FDNY firefighters the morning of September 11, 2001.When he learned of the attacks, Ray went to his rehouse at Engine 40/Ladder 35, grabbed his gear, and spent the next eight months searching and digging at Ground Zero.

Rob Serra sits on the board of directors of The Ray Pfeifer Foundation.

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Segment 1

Tommy introduces his guest Rob Serra a member of the board of directors of the Ray Pfeifer Foundation. Rob shares his story on how he got involved with the Ray Pfeifer Foundation. Rob also shares his passions and how they’ve played into his life. Tommy and Rob focus on the topic growing up with hockey and that large part of Robs life. Tommy makes the connection that his team work mindset may have influenced how he works together with other firefighters. 

Segment 2

Tommy mentions how he makes connections with the nonprofit organizations that he meets so they have better opportunities to reach more. Tommy asks the hard question of if we truly do forget how much September the 11th effects people. Rob talks about the aftermath and health issues that many of the firefighters had contracted. He continues to explain how not only was it firefighters getting sick but anyone who was near the site. 

Segment 3

Rob talks about Ray and how the foundation started. Tommy shares the knowledge he has on the Ray Pfeifer Foundation and Rob further explains to create a immaculate idea of who Ray Pfeifer was. Rob tells how Ray was more than a mentor. 

Segment 4

Tommy asks Rob to share how he and the audience can pitch in. Rob tells the many different volunteer positions and how anyone could help out. Rob talks about different events that are happening and which Ray truly enjoyed. 

Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk is an affordable home ownership program for families earning between 40% and 60% of average median income. We are the only home ownership program that services this income range. We build in partnership with the local government which donates land, local businesses which fund our operations, volunteers who help build and our families that must complete 300 hours of sweat equity building their home or others that we have under construction.

Lee Silberman consistently generates revenue for organizations by using scientific methodologies to attack business problems. After earning his BS in Organic Chemistry from MIT in 3 years, he graduated with an MS from UCLA. Immediately after, he joined a 40-person, privately held textile company, and went on to learn all aspects of organizational leadership from the ground up. Silberman led the firm before, during, and after a merger, when it became one of the world’s largest decorative fabric wholesalers with a workforce of 550 employees.

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Tommy brings listeners up to date with what has been happening on the show and gives insight for what the show will look like in the future. After Tommys recap he introduces his guest Lee Silberman Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County. Lee tells his experience and how he got to the position he holds today.

Lee shares the moments that make his work worth all the labor and love. He shares how he feels after he passes the keys onto the new owners seeing their excitement and joy. Lee talks about the give and take of working in non-profit organizations. He shares how the corporate companies and other vendors are two sided as it is a relationship that is giving donations for the recognition. Tommy and Lee share that this give and take is not a bad thing as it is how companies work and function as it keeps the relationships strong.

Lees talks about the three myths of Habitat for Humanity. He explains the process to what really goes on from raising money to build a home all the way to how Habitat houses are sold. He also tells how they receive income and support as well as where that funding goes. Tommy asks Lee what the biggest struggles are and Lee shares what hurdles the company goes through and how they get over them.

Lee shares with the listeners some opportunities to get involved with Habitat for Humanity. He shares some of Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk County's events and volunteer opportunities that are coming up. Tommy offers Lee to use this platform to engage with listeners to get involved and join the work that is being done. Lee encourages business to get involved because it not only helps the cause but it gives good publicity and shows the public eye the community that will help serve them.

Homes for the Brave has provided housing, vocational training, and life skills coaching to help individuals leave homelessness behind. To date, we have worked with nearly 1,200 men and women, most of whom are Veterans.

Robert Kozlowsky is a 21 year veteran with the Shelton, CT Police Department currently assigned to administration duties. Outside of work, he has been a volunteer basketball coach, involved with the Shelton Exchange Club, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and a money counter for his church. However, his real passion has been veteran related organizations.

Robert has been a board member of Homes for the Brave (HFTB) since 2015 and has served as chairman of the board at HFTB since 2019. He recently joined the board of directors for General Needs as well. He has a bachelor’s degree in business marketing and computer science from Southern CT State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice management from the University of New Haven.

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Tommy is joined by two guests this week as he talks about Homes for the Brave. Tommy introduces Bob Kozlowsky, 21 year veteran with the Shelton, CT Police Department and board member of Homes for the Brave. Lonnie Sherman is Tommy's second guest on Philanthropy in Phocus and is the president of General Needs Ltd. Bob is also a board member of General Needs Ltd. and that is how he and Lonnie work together to make a difference for Veterans that struggle with homelessness and any other needs.

Lonnie shares the struggles he and Bob have seen throughout the years of their work, they explain what they do to directly help veterans and other individuals. The two share that they go directly to the source and will find ways to provide any needs that people may need. Lonnie tells a story of how a woman in need had lost her confidence and through the simple aid of helping her find appropriate apparel helped her feel better.

Tommy defines what Philanthropy is and tells what service is to him and what his goal is by participating in nonprofit service work. Bob tells Tommy about their Step Out For the Brave campaign and fundraiser that helps provide aid to the veterans who need homes and materials. Lonnie talks about their volunteers that are the heart of the organizations and how they couldn’t do it without them. Tommy asks the pair what they need for their organizations. Lonnie and Bob share that they need all the help they can get, whether that be volunteers, supporters, donations, or partners.

Tommy asks about the details behind getting the supplies for the veterans and how he could lend a hand to the cause. Lonnie and Bob share how donations help support the veterans physically and help keep their organizations flowing so no veteran will have to wait to receive aid. All the financial donations go straight to supporting the veterans and getting them what they need.

Like many other professionals, performing artists value support in administrative disciplines which enables them to focus on what they do best “create art and engage with audiences.

With an unwavering focus on providing artists with individualized administrative support and tools to build their infrastructure, Pentacle’s hands-on programs and services each year directly serve over 300 companies and project-based artistic entities providing employment to more than 1,500 artists and providing work to more than 750 independent contractors; 350 youth are served through its Education & Outreach programs; and more than 1,300 audience members attend its performances and showcases.

By providing artists with the support, they need to make their high-quality work, Pentacle enriches the cultural landscape through cross-sector partnerships in multiple communities across NYC and the U.S. As a not-for-profit management support organization for the performing arts, Pentacle designs and provides unique and robust programs of support for artists at critical stages in their careers.”

Tommy D will meet with Clarissa Soto Josephs – Pentacle’s Executive Director and will discuss:

• How Clarissa got involved in the arts and how she made her way to Pentacle
• Pentacle’s history and how we have remained flexible and adaptive over the last 45 years
• Clarissa’s new role as Executive Director, the first non-founding director in this position, and how she can pay tribute to Pentacle’s legacy while still bringing in a new vision for the company
• Why the arts are important, now more than ever. How Pentacle plays a role within the arts ecosystem. We’re not the artists but we help the artists run their artistic entities as a business and help them find a sustainable business model.

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Hopefully the audience will hear or message and want to be part of the solution to child poverty on Long Island

About Org: Longwood Blessings is part of a National Organization in 45 States and D.C. whose sole mission is to provide food for food-insecure children for school weekends. Longwood Blessings started 10 years ago feeding 50 Children and now we feed over 500 students every school weekend. Our organization is completely powered by volunteers who fundraise, buy, pack and deliver food each school week. About Trisha Ewald: is a founder of Longwood Blessings in a Backpack. She has been Program Coordinator for the past 10 years. She now also works as a full time employee of the National Organization and oversees about 100 other Blessings in a Backpack programs on the east coast. About John Ammirati: joined Longwood Blessings as volunteer fundraising coordinator a year and a half ago after retiring from managing real estate offices

Longwood Blessings in a Backpack Website longwoodblessings.org Facebook Profile https://www.facebook.com/BiaBLongwoodNY

#EndChildHunger #FeedTheFuture #NoKidHungry #HungerFreeKids 

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Founded by Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., who served as disability advisor to eight U.S. Presidents and became one of the world’s leading advocates, The Viscardi Center is a nonprofit organization that educates, employs, and empowers people with disabilities. It serves children, adolescents, and adults with a wide variety of disabilities, providing Pre-K through High School education (up to age 21), school-to-work youth transition services, vocational training, career counseling and employment placement, and assistive technology.

John D. Kemp, Esq. is President & CEO of The Viscardi Center. A renowned, global speaker and a person with a disability, he inspires others to achieve the impossible through knowledge, experience, vision, and persistence. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1971 and Washburn University School of Law in 1974. He has received two honorary degrees, the first a Doctorate of Law from his alma mater, Washburn, and the second a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Connecticut.

In 1995, Mr. Kemp co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities with Paul G. Hearne.

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Segment 1

Tommy introduces John D Kemp the President and CEO of The Viscardi Center. Tommy voices his appreciation due to his fascination and appreciation for all John has done. John shares his story and all his influences. John tells about his disability and how he has grown and lived through it. John shares the impact his father had had on his life and how he taught him resilience. Tommy talks about how important goals are to growth in individuals. 

Segment 2

Tommy dives deeper into The Viscardi Center and it’s message behind the facility. John talks about his education and how although his disability gave him different obstacles he did not let them slow him down. John recognized the difference in his culture growing up where some were not as lucky as he was. Both Tommy and John voice the importance of service and how it adds to a person. Tommy talks about the evolution of service and inclusion from different organizations and individuals. 

Segment 3

 John tell about his disability and what others go through having disabilities. John goes into public policy and how different groups of people that are not with social norms are seen as different and as lower. John tells about his prosthetics and how he has to think three jumps ahead when doing many tasks. John speaks about how his father has been his ultimate supporter and has continued to encourage him to achieve whatever he wants despite his disability. 

Segment 4

John tells about how he has even spoke to congress appealing to certain disability related issues. He continues to point out how The Viscardi Center provides community and health services for individuals with disabilities. The goal is for all students with disabilities to graduate and create a plan for after school. Tommy and John talk about the future of the The Viscardi Center and how it will grow and help others.

Project Reclaim is a leadership training program for youth who may not be ordinarily selected for leadership training. Their focus is to provide the involved youth with the requisite skills to become successful, contributing members of society by helping them to be positive young leaders in their homes, schools and their community.

Ron Anderson is the Executive Director of Project Reclaim of Minden, Inc. which provides:

• Juvenile delinquency prevention programs for youth
• Parental involvement activities and parenting training

His public service awards include:

• The National Conference of Community and Justice “Brotherhood/Sisterhood Humanitarian” Award
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield “Angel” Award Finalist
• First recipient of the Volunteers for Youth Justice “Ron Anderson Champion for Youth” Award
• Louisiana Association of Educators “Human and Civil Rights Trailblazer” Award
• Shreveport, Louisiana Bar Association “Liberty Bell” Award
• Twice named “One of the 10 Most Outstanding Leaders of the Community” by The Shreveport Times

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Segment 1

This week on Philanthropy in Phocus Tommy DiMisa welcomes Ron Anderson, Executive Director of Project Reclaim of Minden. Tommy starts the show by reminding his listeners the importance of the ripple effect and the long lasting effects it can have on individuals. Tommy shares Rons list of awards and achievements that he has gained throughout his nonprofit work. Ron tells his history and how that impacted his decisions to take part in his nonprofit organization. Ron talks about how important foundation is and how it was a major role in his life, he specifies how his foundation made him realize he had a choice to do better. Tommy mentions how leaders and educators are critical to kids' upbringing. Ron notes that children are able to notice genuine individuals and those are the people who will have the most impact. 

Segment 2

Tommy discusses different programs that Project Reclaim offers and their mission. Ron gives more of his history, how he struggled in school with violence and how he had to make the decision to reach out to someone. Ron talks about how he was an angry kid not a bad kid. It was the situation surrounding him that provided an unhealthy outlet. Realizing his rage helped him change his path, he now shares to educators and leaders the tactics that helped him turn his life around. Ron talks about how service work called him and drew him in to share his knowledge. 

Segment 3

Tommy recites the Project Reclaims mission from their website to remind listeners of Ron's mission. Ron tells of different programs he went through and worked for before identifying with Project Reclaim. Ron then tells the beginning of his work with Project Reclaim. He tells of the planting of branches and his work with the kids. Ron tells how he saw that all students should be given the opportunity to receive leadership training. 

Segment 4

Ron shares about Project Reclaims programs and leadership training. There is an emphasis on leadership training as some leaders are bad leaders so through the program there are different trainings that can make more effective leaders. There are other programs that range from educational training to parental meetings to reach most of the community. For the community to support their youth gives them better opportunities.

In 2014, the clinics of three Long Island Human Services agencies: Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI), Family Residences and Essential Enterprises (FREE), and United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Suffolk Inc. (UCP), formed Long Island Select Healthcare, Inc. (LISH). Our first day of operations providing low income medical services in Long Island, NY and the surrounding area as Long Island Select Healthcare, Inc. was on August 22, 2016.

Long Island Select Healthcare provides services to all of those who are in need of medical services, regardless of their ability to pay or if they need uninsured primary care services in Long Island, NY. The uninsured are charged for services on a board-approved program for sliding scale health services in Long Island, NY and Suffolk County, NY, which is based on a patient’s family income and size and we are also financed through a mix of Medicaid and Medicare. A large portion of our 6,000 patients served include Intellectual/Developmentally Disabled (ID/D) individuals, we provide primary, behavioral health, dental, specialty services and OT/PT/speech therapy within our organization. We are a Patient Centered Medical Home that places focus not only on what our patients’ medical needs are but focus on the whole patient experience, seeking what barriers our patients may face that may negatively impact their outcomes. Through screenings such as PRAPARE, we will work with patients and assist with any linkage to resources that they may need to support their overall well-being.

Dr. James R. Powell, Jr. is the Chief Executive Officer for LISH. Dr. Powell is a board-certified Internist as well as the Medical Director for both DDI and UCP of Suffolk.. He is currently on staff at Mather Memorial Hospital, St. Charles Hospital, and Peconic Bay Medical Center.

A former board member of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Powell has presented lectures nationwide in which he has championed the healthcare needs of the underserved. Thanks to LISH’s experience with a pre-COVID-19 telehealth program he has been quoted in journals and lectured on topics regarding virtual care and the need for long term sustainability.

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Show Notes

Segment 1

Tommy introduces James R. Powell Jr. Chief Executive Officer for LISH. Tommy gives Powell’s background and James shares how he was lead to the non-profit profession. He tells how he thought he knew about patience but he realized that he had so much to learn. He shares his passion to take care of others and share his knowledge and learning experience through his work. Powell tells how his passion to help others led him to go from private practice to non-profit organizations. Tommy connects that Powell’s passion may come from the feeling of helping others who need it most. 

Segment 2

Tommy gives the background for LISH and all the organizations it is connected to. James tells how LISH came to be. He tells about the three health centers that were in need and how they came up with a separate entity that could serve all three companies. James talks about how important the board was in creating this new organization. He talks about how the changing of dynamics and different cultures played into forming a unified organization. James talks about being conscious about where their care comes from and the quality of care the patients get. James further explains how they do not stop showing concerns for their patients as he explains how they prioritize after-care. 

Segment 3

James explains how they collaborate with bigger health care providers. James explains partners and how they set up programs to keep connected to services outside their own organization. Tommy explains how reaching out helps organizations keep connections with other organizations for support. James tells about an in-person event to celebrate five years of growth, to showcase the partners efforts in making a difference in the nonprofit community. The nonprofit organizations deal with budget strain and James explains his goals in aiding that process towards growth for the organizations to make the process easier. Tommy talks about the change and ingenuity that James and his organization have come up with over the years and how the changes they have made have helped so many. 

Segment 4

Tommy asks how James reaches out to other companies to receive support and partnership. Tommy reaches out to see different ways to connect with other organizations to network and share support. James shares he wants his organization to gather more donors and solidify their partnerships. James shares contacts for organizations and individuals who need care or want to be a part of James' nonprofit organization. James shares the partnerships the company has now and how that supports and expands the outreach his organization reaches.

Project Refit is a non-profit organization, focus and committed to combat isolation and change the negative connotation around mental health.

PR efforts are for military members (past/present) and first-responder along with their families. They have created a new strategy of the hybrid model, combine technology and in-person support to meet the modern military member and family where they are both online and off. They are confident that combating isolation will reduce suicide rates.

James Corbett, Co-Founder of Project Refit, will be meeting with Tommy in the attic.

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Tommy uses his skill as the non profit sector connector to introduce James Corbett the Co-Founder of Project Refit. James has helped other nonprofits get off the ground with the combination of his education and his passion to help others. James is drawn to nonprofit work because it provides hope, he has taken on himself to make sure he leads with a voice filled with hope. James describes Project Refit as a wake up call for those who need help. The non-profit is reaching to change the stigma around communication between the men that serve our country. James talks about Dan and Chris the other two founders of Project Refit and how they formed the non-profit.

The word Refit comes from the refitting of vehicles so they can be ready for another mission. Project Refit uses this refitting technique for life situations for the people who served. James tells his connections to Chris and Dan and how they formed Project Refit and really set in stone their plan to reach out to others. Tommy and James talk out about how these men come back broken and hurt but will not ask for help yet there is not a community for them to confide in for support.

Tommy and James talk about the process of how the men can reach help. James talks about the different programs that they provide to give the individuals a means of community. James told how the program even raises money for certain members that need financial help to alleviate some stress and pain. James introduces their app which helps the serving men and women keep in touch with each other.

James talks about the need for monthly donors and their program 1776. The program fuels the ability for Project Refit team members to show up and help others in need. James explains their plan to expand and how their different chapters will work locally and over zoom. If you need to reach out to James and his team go to ProjectRefit.Us

Finding Your Pajamas began when I made it my mission to get children across New York City a pair of pajamas. From there we expanded across the country! Before I began volunteering to read bedtime stories at shelters, I had no idea that tens of thousands of children were going to bed every night without pajamas. Once I knew, my heart seemed to know what to do.

Genevieve Piturro was a TV executive in NYC for 20 years when a little girl’s question changed the course of her life - and she jumped off the corporate ladder. She began delivering pajamas and books to children in shelters and in 2001 founded Pajama Program, a national non-profit which is recognized for both its success - to date having delivered 7 million new pajamas and new books to children through its 63 chapters across the US - and Genevieve’s story.

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This week Tommy introduces Genevieve Piturro, founder of Pajama Program. Tommy gives some insight to Genevieve’s working past in television. While working in the entertainment business, she felt inside that she heard “Is this what you want to do for the next 30 years of your life.” Genevieve explains she was reading to a children's shelter when a little girl's question changed what she wanted to do with her life, she decided she wanted to help others by providing pajamas to them.

The two talk about the impact of one idea, and how Genevieve turned one idea into 7 million pajamas. Genevieve tells how she was inspired by the children and became obsessed with helping them, then began to plan and organize her non-profit. She recalls being a workaholic and waiting to leave to get pajamas, she explains the feeling like juggling her time. Genevieve explains how she realized that she could make her purpose her job.

Genevieve talks about her journey to get to where she is today. She explains that in her corporate setting there was not much purpose or inspiration, but now she feels that it has changed. Tommy talks about getting involved in things you are passionate about, that could be things separate from work or in your work. Genevieve also admits that she did not know what she was doing in the beginning but learned as time went on.

Genevieve explains what Pajama Program does for children and how the non-profit works. She further explains that they focus on bedtime and how important it is for children to have comfort and stability. Tommy and Genevieve talk about networking and other non-profit organizations leaders they know and share stories with, and how they are all so passionate about the work they do.

Career Day Inc.™ organizes a program that aims to change the lives of young adults by introducing high school students to the paths others have taken to reach their career goals. By working in partnership with a variety of professionals and school staff, Career Day Inc.’s program creates an atmosphere of acceptance and opportunity for all students at every academic level.

Beth Bucheister (Executive Director/Board Chair) is the founder and Executive Director of Career Day Inc., a not-for-profit organization created to inspire young adults to reach high and believe that with endurance and positive self-esteem they can achieve their goals. Beth is a Certified Professional Coach who has been advocating for those in need all her adult life. Her ability to identify, prioritize and plan a positive course of action is a strength she uses as a Life Coach. Her late husband, Arie, is the inspiration for the scholarship awarded to students who are inspired by Career Day.

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Tommy introduces Beth Bucheister founder and Executive Director of Career Day Inc. Going from protesting the vietnam war to being a life coach, Beth highlights her passion for reaching out to others almost her whole life. She credits her awareness to her mentors throughout her life. The two elaborate on how doing what you love is important and should be taken more seriously when considering an individual's career.

Beth explains how certain students take opportunities to meet with professionals that last their whole career. Students that take the time to understand the opportunities that will further them in the future are the students who take advantage of scholarships and networking. Tommy brings up the ripple effect that he mentioned last week and applies it to changing the trajectory of life. Beth talks about how she has seen the ripple effect in her work with different students.

Beth talks about Career Day Inc. and their achievements they have had this past year. Beth talks about how her non profit organization had to go virtual and the success that it had with the students. Beth and her team came up with sending the students to learn about jobs they may not have thought about before. Tommy admires how Beth had integrated flexibility into Career Day Inc with all that is going on in the world today.

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Career Day Inc tells students about not only careers but about perseverance and learning to adapt to change. Beth tells her desire to get into more schools, expanding into New York City and to spread career awareness world wide. She tells her goals for Career Day Inc. of reaching more schools, more professionals, and more volunteers. Tommy wraps up the show by offering a hand to Beth for volunteering for any position she needs for Career Day Inc.

One Sandwich at a Time is a nonprofit organization with a mission to combat hunger and homelessness through volunteerism, kindness, compassion, and our two hands! It is the simple action of making a sandwich that creates a ripple effect of change.

Erin Dinan is from Chicago and went to college at Auburn University and graduate school at Harvard University. She moved to NYC to pursue photography and one night, while going through a personal struggle, said a prayer for guidance, to make a change in this world that can help those in need.

Shortly after, while running through Grand Central Station to catch the last train, she shared her sandwich with a man who was hungry. This eventually led to One Sandwich at a Time!

Dinan lives in NYC and loves art, travel (have been to over 30 countries!), family/friends, and humanity. They are her greatest passions!

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Tommy DiMisa introduces Erin Dinan, Founding Executive Director of One Sandwich at a Time. Tommy goes through the creation and origin of One Sandwich at a Time and how it creates a ripple effect with its mission of fighting hunger and homelessness. Erin tells what inspired her to make a change in the world. The two dive deep into how humanity plays into how we treat each other. 

Erin gives detail about the connections that she has made through the community of volunteers, companies, schools, and organizations she works with. She even admits that she did not plan on One Sandwich at a Time becoming a nonprofit organization. One Sandwich at a Time has provided over half a million meals to those in need. Tommy and Erin talk about collaboration and partnerships with other nonprofit organizations and how important they are.

Erin talks about the impact of school events and how students learn that they can create a difference no matter how old you are. Erin tells multiple stories about how One Sandwich at a Time has reached so many different groups of people who face hunger and how the ripple effect of the organization has changed so many lives. Not only has One Sandwich at a time supplied food for the homeless and hungry, but it also provides hope and inspires others.

With the corona virus being a large obstacle for much of the world, Erin and her organization had to figure out how to help with food insecurity. Erin created a challenge to reach out to more families and individuals to make 100 sandwiches, they have reached around 20,000 sandwiches just from reaching out in times of need. Tommy voices his interest about getting involved and encourages others to truly get connected with One Sandwich at a Time. Erin shares that they strive for One Sandwich at a Time to grow and she encourages others to get involved and volunteer because it takes two hands to create one world.

NRH is a trade association whose mission is to serve, be a resource to, educate, and connect its members to the nonprofit community.

At the same time, NRH serves the nonprofit sector as a bridge connecting nonprofit organizations to each other and to helpful resources.

Danette O’Connell, the Co-Founder and President of the Nonprofit Resource Hub and the CEO of Triumph International. Her passion is helping both national and international NONPROFITS by providing expertise in growth, sustainability, strategic planning, operations, technology, and financial management.

She had been assisting organizations for over 20 years with her entrepreneurial spirit.

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Overlooked, underfunded, and underrecognized Tommy brings to light that nonprofit organizations are run by strong passionate individuals that want to help others. Danette and Tommy know each other as both took part in the creation of the Nonprofit Resource Hub. Tommy projects Danettes passion as he introduces her and all she has done in her 20 years of experience. Danettes passion to serve and to give back is what drives her to continue to reach out and not only educate, but connect with communities domestically and internationally.

Seeing that Danette is a Co-Founder and the President of the Nonprofit Resource Hub she has to go though a process of project management. Danette shares what she goes through when meeting with a client and observing what can be done to grow their business. Tommy and Danette go through opportunities that can be uncovered from project management for Nonprofits. She not only takes into consideration what will benefit the nonprofit as a whole but the individuals that are working as well.

Danette has had satisfied businesses in Malawi, Uganda, the United Kingdom, China, and more. Danettes experiences had led her to the creation of the Nonprofit Resource Hub. After countless nonprofits turning to her for resources and help she and the other founders brought the Nonprofit Resource Hub to life. It is a free resource that can connect the nonprofit community to resources that they need to thrive. For more information nonprofits can get in touch with the hub and become partners.

Tommy and Danette talk about hub offers to its members. Danette goes into detail about what connections can be made and the different opportunities the Hub provides to nonprofit organizations. One of the main functions of the Hub is to connect communities and reach out to others. If you need to reach out head to the Nonprofit Resource Hub or connect with Danette at Doconnell@nonprofitresourcehub.org

At Solace House, their services include free, easily accessible counseling and support for individuals who are experiencing suicidal distress, have made a suicide attempt, engage in self-harm and/or have been bereaved by suicide.

They also offer Family Support for our clients' loved ones, group bereavement counseling and community awareness workshops. All of the programs we provide are completely free of charge, confidential and conducted by highly qualified Licensed Clinical Social Workers.

Danielle came to Solace House in 2017 after working on the Communications and Development team at the Center Against Domestic Violence (CADV), a non-profit providing shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Danielle’s role at CADV supported the organization’s fundraising/development, events, marketing, communications and outreach efforts. While at CADV, she participated on Cities for CEDAW, New York City Steering Committee. Along with representatives from multiple New York City organizations, she advocated for a local women's bill of rights ordinance based on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Connector.

Join us with our special guests, Danielle Gallagher & Elizabeth McInnes.

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The first segment starts with Tommy introducing the show and today's guests, Danielle Gallagher and Elizabeth Mclnnes. Tommy then sets up the conversation with some background on Danielle, Elizabeth, and Solace House. After Tommy gives some setting background, Danielle gives more specific background on her career. Elizabeth then follows Danielle in giving more specific detail on her background. Solace House began in Ireland and came to New York when a few members came to New York to perform the walking out of darkness into light events. Members walk the streets as the sun is rising and in this event they found that the need for their services were needed in America. Solace House then began their international venture to help more people in America and hopefully one day globally.

The second segment starts with the show coming up from break. Tommy then asks Danielle and Elizabeth to give more detail on their transition to New York. The first location opened in 2017, located in Yonkers. Danielle then urges the audience to take advantage of the program because it is an absolutely free service. Danielle and Elizabeth then give some detail on the exact process of getting started with Solace House as a client and getting the help you're seeking out.

The third segment starts with the show coming back from break and Elizabeth then speaks directly to the LGBTQ+ needs regarding mental health. Elizabeth explains that a lot of the times sexual orientation or gender identity are often not tracked when trying to find the reason for suicidal tendencies. This leads to the statistics being skewed and not accurate. Tommy then switches the conversation to what the Solace House needs to grow. Danielle explains that geographical expansion is their main priority. Putting a headquarters in every state and major city. Next, Danielle says funding and collaborations is the next step in growing the organization.

The final segment opens up with Tommy bringing the conversation to the walk out of darkness event. Danielle explains it is about breaking through the stigma of mental health in our country. Starting in the darkness represents the alone feeling most people may feel when first signing up for the service, but eventually bringing themselves to light. The show closes out with Elizabeth giving some insight on how we can see the signs of degrading mental health in our loved ones.

The Book Fairies is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that collects reading materials for people in need throughout metropolitan New York. The reading materials foster literacy and academic success, provide a respite from personal struggles, and nurture a love of reading across age groups.

Amy Zaslansky is the founder of The Book Fairies, a nonprofit organization that provides books to people in need across metropolitan New York. Since its inception in 2012, The Book Fairies has donated more than 2.7 million books to underserved schools and nonprofit organizations including hospitals, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and correctional facilities. Amy, a lifelong avid reader and lover of books.

She is a Maryland native, graduated from Emory University with a BA in Psychology and earned her MS in Occupational Therapy from Temple University. Her earlier careers included being an Occupational Therapist, and operating an e-commerce site. Amy resides on Long Island with her husband, three children, and a small menagerie of pets.

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The first segment opens with Tommy introducing the show and today's guest. Amy Zaslansky, founder of the book fairies, a non profit organization that provides books to people in need across metropolitan New York. Also on today's show, Eileen also from the book fairies. Tommy then goes into some background about Amy and Eileen. After Tommy is done reading their accomplishments, they both give some more detailed background.

The second segment starts with Tommy giving a testimony to the book fairies service and opening up the conversation to Amy and Eileen. They both explain that the people coming to get books have an unlimited amount they can take. This is due to having a surplus in books to donate. Amy and Eileen explain that in their warehouse, they are starting to overflow in inventory and truthfully approaching not having enough room to store the books. Roughly 50,000 books are given out a month and half of one million a year. Amy explains that her love for reading and becoming aware of the statistics regarding the correlation between poverty and certain social impacts and not being able to read led her to finding the book fairies.

The third segment starts with Tommy bringing the show back up from break and giving a reintroduction of the guests, Amy Zaslansky and Eileen. Tommy brings the conversation back to how The book Fairies goes about getting books to the community. Amy explains through an incredible partnership with life's work, she was able to grow over 30 special needs organizations and get books to the community. Tommy then discusses the impact of the book fairies over the last decade. Amy and Eileen explain that without the volunteers and organizations, they wouldn't be able to move the books to the people that need them. Amy says that without the relationships with these organizations, the book fairies simply wouldn't be able to function.

The final segment starts with the show coming back up from break. Then Tommy moves the conversation to what the future looks like for the book fairies. Amy and Eileen explain that funding is their top priority. Funding will allow them to upgrade their current platform and allow them to fill a void in the community that even the government isn't filling today. The main form of funding for the book fairies comes through donations, Amy and Eileen explain that even the slightest donation could have a massive impact on their mission.

About Org: 

Envisioning Access is a Boston based 501 c 3 that is developing, in conjunction with tech start-ups and universities, innovative technologies like AR/VR, robotics, AI for those living with physical disabilities. Started in 1979, the organization has recently undergone a dynamic transformation from a service animal model to establishing an Innovative Technology Initiative. We are working with scientists and designers,

some of whom have physical disabilities themselves while also using our recipient base and developing relationships with other partners to bring on those who will use these technologies to test the products and provide input on the design and efficacy of the product. At Envisioning Access, we are amazed to discover that technology developed for the disability community is often developed without the input of anyone in the disability community. Our hope is that no technology for the disability community will be

made without the feedback of those using the tech, and if possible, developed by someone in the disabilitycommunity.

All our projects have three main goals in addition to providing accessibility for all. The technology must:

• provide a means to assist with a path for meaningful employment;

• offer assistance to getting back to school if that is what the individual wants; and,

• help alleviate isolation.

About Diane: 

As the executive director of Envisioning Access, Inc., Diane Nahabedian leads the organization's dynamic transition from providing service animals to developing innovative technology for people with physical disabilities. With over 35 years of nonprofit management experience, she has a proven track record of enhancing the stature, financial security, and strategic partnerships of organizations through effective

development, marketing, and communications.

Diane has expertise in branding and rebranding organizations, and works with teams including boards and staff to plan and execute revenue-generating events and programs. She creates comprehensive marketing and public relations strategies to increase awareness of the organization and its key players. Her mission is to empower people with disabilities to live more independent and fulfilling lives through technology that meets their needs and preferences.

Name of your organization: Envisioning Access

Website: https://www.envisioningaccess.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonkeyHelpers/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monkeyhelpers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2411204/admin/feed/po

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The Corporate Source (TCS) is a 501(c3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving employment equity for individuals with disabilities. TCS achieves this with dynamic collaborations within the federal, state and private sector by providing outsourcing business services including: disinfecting and janitorial services, total facilities management, mailroom operations, call center support, messenger services, kennel care and more. In the process, TCS helps its partners meet their Corporate Social Responsibility objectives to increase disability employment, inclusion and acceptance.

Michael Kramer is Chief Executive Officer of The Corporate Source, a nonprofit organization based in Garden City that is dedicated to creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and providing services leading to independence and fulfillment. Celebrating its 25th year changing lives, TCS creates these opportunities through outsourcing service fulfillment to federal, state and private sector contracts, employing a workforce of nearly 400 throughout New York City, Long Island, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

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The first segment starts with Tommy reintroducing the show to the audience. Tommy then introduces today's guest, Michael Kramer, chief executive officer of the corporate source. A non profit organization based in garden city that is dedicated to creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and providing services leading to independence and fulfillment. Tommy then opens the conversation to Michael to give a brief history of his career. Michael then tells Tommy how his company, the corporate source, how exactly they place people in jobs and the resources they have to keep them there.

The segment starts with the show coming back up from the break. Then, Tommy gives the audience a run-down of some of Michael Kramers accomplishments. Tommy then gives the conversation back to Michael to discuss a large societal shift that needs to happen so more opportunities can open for people seeking employment with disabilities.

The third segment starts with Tommy bringing up a quote Michael Kramer once said about the corporate source. Tommy then opens the conversation up to Michael to expand on the quote. This gives Michael the opportunity to tell the audience how they can get out and help but more importantly sometimes, listen. Michael says, “it's not about what people can't do, it's about what they can do.”

The final segment opens with Tommy bringing the show back up from break. Michael then talks about the corporate source and what they do for the people they work with. Michael gives the example of his organization being a nonprofit, which means they dont bring in a profit. Obviously, but the point is that every resource they have goes into training people to ensure they can do whatever job available to them.

Heroes to Heroes provide spiritual healing and peer support for American combat veterans who have attempted suicide or are on a path to self-destruction due to moral injury/PTSD. Judy Isaacson Elias founded Heroes to Heroes in March 2010.

She spent most of her career in Broadcast Media in radio advertising sales and management with Regional Reps Corporation, XM Satellite Radio, Emmis Communications, CBS Radio, and Viacom.

Judy lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, with her husband Zev, their dog, Benji, and is enjoying being a Grandma while following her passion of helping our veterans through Heroes to Heroes.

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The show opens with Tommy introducing the show and guest to the audience. Today Tommy and his guest, Judy Isaacson Elias, will be discussing Heroes to Heroes. Judy's non profit helps veterans who are on a self destructing path due to injury or ptsd. Judy explains to the audience that operating a non profit was never her plan for life, but as she worked in the world she saw the need to implement lessons learned as a child to her life and career as an adult. Tommy reflects on a time where even he didn't have a mind for philanthropy, but like Judy, saw the need to give more wherever he could.

The second segment opens with Tommy bringing the show back up from commercial and giving the conversation over to Judy. She then goes into a brief explanation of where her passion for philanthropy originated. Judy explains that growing up with a father suffering from PTSD drove her to leave home at 16 to, how she explained, escape her household. Leaving home, having problems with school and family, drove a wedge between her and her father specifically. Although Judy found clarity when she went on a retreat to Israel and in that retreat she found a deeper connection to her faith. That deeper connection to her faith led to a need to become more charitable and involved in her life. Judy lost her father in a car accident while he was driving to a reunion for jewish soldiers. When talking to some of her fathers friends they explained that even they, his friends, felt like he was too broken due to the trauma inflicted by the horrors of war. Judy explains she couldn't have had a more clear sign to get involved in veteran affairs and their mental challenges.

The next segment opens with Judy bringing back the conversation to some of the early research she did on mental health and suicide rates across veterans. This research was shocking for Judy, but she found a sliver of hope when she found out people connected to a faith or community were 5 times less likely to commit suicide. Judy explains that a massive blanket stigma regarding mental health affects the veteran community harder due to the black and white nature of war. Something discussed at length is the non defined difference between killing for your country and murder. Judy explains that difference is a gray area but without breaking through the mental health stigma in our country then no veteran will get the help they need. Judy explains the retreat veterans take across Israel with Heroes to Heroes, and how she has seen so much improvement with these veterans in her work.

The final segment opens with Tommy giving the conversation to Judy to discuss how she helped over 300 people with her program. Judy gives a detailed story about a man named Harrison. He was an angry, depressed individual, wanting no help whatsoever. Judy explains Harrison was desperately looking for a sign to stay alive. Just when he decided to take his life, Judy explains, the phone rang and it was Heroes to Heroes telling him he's been selected to take the retreat to Israel. This emotionally intense experience going to some of the holiest places on earth changed Harrisons outlook on his life. He seeked the help he needed with Judy and is now a spokesman for the organization. Judy gives a sign off and a call to action to the audience and the show ended.

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation is an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. RWCF was founded in 2018 to advocate for – and raise funds for other nonprofits working toward – gender equity, racial justice, fair wages, and healthy work environments in the restaurant industry. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, RWCF’s additional focus is on supporting workers in crisis and small business owners with the Restaurant Workers COVID19 Crisis Relief Fund.

Michael Hamill Remaley is Board Vice President and Fundraising Committee Chair or Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation. For the first three years of its growth, Michael Hamill Remaley was board Treasurer and the Lead Consultant to Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. As an independent consultant to nonprofit and philanthropic organizations with his firm Hamill Remaley, he works with a client roster that includes the New York Community Trust, Bridgespan, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Public Agenda, the Support Center for Nonprofits and Inside Philanthropy.

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The first segment opens with an introduction of the show and this episode's guest, Michael Hamill Remaley, Vice president and fundraising committee chair of restaurant workers community foundation. Tommy then gives a history of how he met today's guest and the networking group TNG. Through multiple networking opportunities, Tommy met Michael and ultimately led to appearing on today's episode. Michael and Tommy give a history of his organization and their impact on the restaurant and non profit industry. Michael gives a semi detailed story about his beginning days working in philanthropy and nonprofits. For Michael, these early days were crucial for establishing his love for helping others and forming his mentality of leaving the world a better place than you found it.

The second segment opens with Tommy discussing the main topic of the episode which is Michael's Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. In 2018 Michael started RWCF as an action nonprofit. Michael and his foundation raise and distribute funds through grants for workers in the labor sector. He believes that in 2018 his foundation became the first to focus specifically on issues facing these labor workers and the organizations that support them. Michael and Tommy share their experiences over some of the most damaging factors facing the restaurant industry and their workers. For Michael and his husband, the results of the 2016 election was proof to them that either restaurant workers were unaware of the policies impacting their lives or they didn't care. Either way, this was enough motivation for Michael and his husband John to start RWCF as a way to help these workers.

The next segment opens with Michael discussing RWCF program goals. Michael hopes to provide the services needed to help restaurant workers with wage fairness, gender equity, racial justice, support for the immigrant community, mental health, and substance abuse. Michael explains that the best way to reach these goals is through grant making, community organization, and impact investing. In the first fiscal year of the organization, Michael saw growth he wasn't expecting and was able to raise $40,000 in 2019. He then distributed $13,000 over 11 different companies. This was working well for Michael, even growing a board of 20 people. Michael explains that this helped survive the incoming year. In one notable way. The board signed off on hiring a part time employee to handle all of their social media. Michael explains this was insanely helpful due to the fact that he and his husband were doing most of the work for the foundation all through 2020. What RWCF needed, according to Michael, in this time was a more diverse leadership across their committees. Michael got that diverse leadership he was looking for and was able to start other projects in the foundation to get even more people help. This was of course 2020 so the one thing on their mind, like everyone else's, was the global pandemic. More relief funds were set up to help workers and restaurants with being able to survive the lockdown in New York, not only as business but in general. Michael and his team raised over 8 million dollars. Yes, 8 million dollars, to be distributed to workers and businesses.

The final segment opens with a reintroduction of the show and a reminder that yes, what you before was right. 8 million dollars. Michael gives a hopeful yet complex vision of the future for his foundation. Michael explains that he and his team have distributed funds to over 40 companies working with COVID relief and how he plans to network his foundation and those nonprofits to work together because they all have similar goals. Michael explains that the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation will continue the work they have been doing, but actively looking for new ways to help the people in the restaurant industry. This means informing the roughly 15 million restaurant workers in the United states of their existence and their services.

Today’s Guest is Jennifer Singer – Executive Director of Bright Futures for Youth

Bright Futures for Youth is a community-focused nonprofit organization committed to addressing the ever-changing needs of youth, from sixth-graders to those in their mid-20s, in Nevada County.

Teens and adolescents face many challenges and many changes that are part of growing up. It’s a time to figure out who they are, what they value and hope to achieve. A little extra support, tools and resources along the way can make a big difference and help youth overcome obstacles. There certainly are more challenges today than when we started in 1995.

Bright Futures for Youth, created by the merger of The Friendship Club and NEO in summer 2020, has three programs to address the issues and help youth in numerous ways, from after-school programs and a drop-in Youth Center to ensuring access to services. Our focus areas are health and wellness, healthy relationships, goal setting, self-awareness, self-sufficiency and community connectedness.

We’re about helping youth today to ensure a better future for tomorrow.

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The show opens with host Tommy D discussing how the nonprofit sector often goes overlooked and underfunded, but the goal of his show is to spread more awareness to what nonprofits can do. Tommy goes on to introduce Jennifer Singer, Executive Director of Bright Futures for youth. Before Tommy and Jennifer start discussing her position and nonprofits, Tommy talks about the growth of his reach with his TalkRadio show. Tommy shares his goals of learning and helping. Learning as much as possible and helping others just as much. The interview begins and Tommy explains how Jennifer was part of the Friendship club in 1995 and has gone on to grow in many organizations and positions. Jennifer Singer makes her presence known to the audience. Tommy goes on to start the interview with Jennifer and she explains where her passion for service and leadership started. Jennifer shares how in high school she gained perspective to others in her community and how they might not be as privileged as her. This led her to wanting to work with many organizations helping elementary school kids all the way up to high school aged kids. Jennifer took a focus on young women and showed them that there are other choices to make to better your life and not to get caught in the same predicaments their family and friends may have got in. Jennifer discusses how a boat trip around the world inspired a lot of people to go travel and help others but it inspired her to go home and help her own community.

The second segment opens with Tommy bringing back the conversation Jennifer and him were discussing before the segment break. This led to Jennifer to finish her conversation on Semester at Sea and how that led to finding a program to help with in her hometown. Jennifer began with summer activities for young women but then realized in order to be more effective it needed to be a full time, year round effort. Jennifer and her colleagues worked for over 20 years with these young women in her community to ensure they had the plans to be successful after high school. Jennifer talks about a big move for her organization and how that opened her eyes to new opportunities. Growing the building in size led to a domino effect of more ways Jennifer and her organization could help the community. For example, homeless youth and families became more of a priority. Jennifer and Tommy discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic affected nonprofits everywhere due to the very social nature of most programs. Jennifer goes on to explain the change to operating virtually hit her organization hard but that wasn't going to stop her mission. Jennifer kept in individual contact via phone calls and zoom meetings. Although, this made her and her coworkers come together and discuss what the heart of the mission is and this inspired them to work harder than ever for this increased need for her community.

The next segment opens with reintroducing the show and Jennifer Singer. Tommy brings up the challenge of sharing geographical areas with similar organizations with similar goals and how working together could benefit both organizations. Jennifer goes into discussing how her organization recently merged with another and the challenges of going through a merger. This could be things like structure, culture, and mission priorities. Jennifer often looks to her mentors for help with situations like this. People in the industry had confusion about Jennifer's merger but she continued to explain how both organizations are working wonderfully together. Jennifer tells how both organizations did work well together but mostly succeeded in focusing on their individual goals and affected the community better ways that way. Jennifer looks out to the audience and others and gives a call to action to just get out and help anyway you can. Tommy moves the conversation to discussing Jennifer's current goals and how they have changed since her days of first starting the friendship club. Jennifer wants to show young kids that your unfair start to life does not determine what you do with the rest of it.

The final segment opens with a conversation about where Jennifer thinks her mission is going to end up moving forward. Jennifer explains big plans to open a youth center in her community. This will only boost their efforts in getting kids reliable internet and a place to go for help. The next step for Jennifer after that is opening up an emergency center for teenagers. Currently there is nowhere reliable for teenagers to go and Jennifer wants to change that with her organization. Jennifer wants to create absolute zero barriers for teenagers to get help in her community. Funding has proven to be the biggest issue with finding housing and basic needs for teenagers on their own. Jennifer closes the show with addresses and links to get in contact with her, her organizations, and to help.

The Allied Foundation, Inc. is a for impact, designated 501C3 that was formed in 2015 by a group of concerned pediatric physicians who saw a lack of access to essential resources within their patient population and joined together to actively make a difference in the greater community. Ending diaper need is one way in which we fulfill our mission. Diapers are an essential need no baby should ever have to go without.

Heather Edwards is a mission driven development professional who is passionate about generating philanthropic support to advance the mission of the organizations she serves. Her career in development spans 17 years where she held leadership positions in healthcare at academic medical centers, higher education and social service agencies.

Heather also spent 7 years of her career building brands for national products including Post Kids Cereals-Honeycomb, Avon, US West and Tri-State Cadillac. Heather is happily married to her wonderful husband Kevin and proud mom to Jack, Katie and Linda.

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Tommy introduces his host Heather Edwards, who has 17 years of development experience and is the current Executive Director of the Allied Foundation. During her time working on building brands, heather realized that she wanted to make a change and start a family. Heather wanted to make a difference and decided that the nonprofit sector was the best fit for her to make an impact. She now works for the Allied Foundation. This organization was created by a group of concerned pediatric physicians who wanted to address the lack of access to essential needs for health and well being. They are currently in the process of developing period projects to bring menstrual products to those in need.

Tommy shares his experience purchasing diapers for his own children. For some families, the cost of diapers alone can be nearly 14% of their income. A member of Allied Physicians, Doctor Sher, noticed that many of her patients were developing diaper rashes and bacterial infections due to their family’s inability to afford diapers. The Allied Foundation has been serving Long Island and Queens but 2020 the need has become exacerbated. Last year they assisted 40,000 families, and Heather believes that there are even more in need. They recently distributed 966,000 diapers and are closely approaching 1 million. Heather thanks Flexible Systems, a company that has assisted them in the distributing the diapers

The Allied foundation receives support from the national diaper bank and many more. They also advocate politically for families in need and seek support for causes like End Diaper Need. It is their goal to make things simple for the agencies they support so that they can help as many people as possible. They have worked with contact tracers in order to find families who are in quarantine and in need of diapers so that they can send supplies directly to them. Heather observes that many politicians are simply not aware of the need for this service but after showing them the statistics they are ready to assist. Heather speaks on the need for menstrual products. The Allied Foundation is aiming to work with the Alliance for Period Supplies.

Heather believes that even if they are able to successfully advocate for families and minimize the need, Allied Foundation will continue to assist those who fall through the cracks. Visit https://alliedfoundation.org/ and give today.

Integrate for Good is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization empowering students and adults with disabilities to share their talent through inclusive volunteerism, community leadership and meaningful employment. Dr. Bev Weinberg is an Occupational Therapist with a passion for enhancing community engagement for individuals of all abilities. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Temple University. Dr. Weinberg returned to Temple and received her Clinical Doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy in May of 2016, along with a Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Temple University Fox School of Business.

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Tommy introduces the show and talks about connecting non-profit organizations, he believes that these organizations are underrepresented, unrecognized, underfunded, and overlooked. Tommy and his special guest today are here to amplify the message and get nonprofits connected. Tommy talks about being open, unattached, and that it's okay to get uncomfortable. Tommy introduces herself to the audience; Dr. Bev is an occupational therapist with a passion for enhancing community engagement for individuals of all abilities. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Temple University. She then returned to Temple and received her Clinical Doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy in May of 2016, along with a Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Temple University Fox School of Business. Dr.Bev has over 25 years of experience and is very passionate about helping people who are often in need of assistance - helping them attain and flourish in leadership roles as providers of service to their communities. She has partnered with local and national organizations to help push her progressive agenda and has worked tirelessly to achieve the goals of the nonprofit. After some personal experiences as a child, Dr. Bev decided that she had to be the change she wanted to see in the community and environment she lived in.

After some casual banter, the two get right into it; The mission of Integrate For Good is to create opportunities for people of all abilities to contribute talent through inclusive volunteerism, community leadership, and competitive employment. Dr.Bev starts by talking about how she first started working in the field with new diagnoses and she explains that she saw a disconnect. This disconnect was where the child reached new milestones which were amazing however, the parents had no idea what this progression and growth meant to them. She gives a great example of a boy from Ohio who lives with autism, his parents would contact Dr. Bev talking about how he can do little things - however, he discovered guitar hero and asked his parents for a guitar, and he now plays guitar and now sings better than most musicians. Who cares if someone can't tie their shoes or zip up their bag when they have the potential to do much more, according to Dr. Bev, “why to focus on things you can't do!”

Tommy starts right off by asking about the three pillars of the organization, empowerment, education, and connection - Tommy asks about the background of these three pillars and how they integrate into the organization. Dr. Bev explains that it’s not only about the money for Integrate for Good, they hold trying to make personal connections and partners at a much higher pedestal. She goes on to talk about how getting people to come onboard, volunteer and partner were across the board from events at zoos and schools to now fully virtual events - as the country slowly gets back to normal, they hope for a summer in-person or hybrid model programs. She talks about really looking around your community, and if there are people who have not even been given a chance it is integral to find a way to bring them into the process as with them on the sidelines we cannot progress.

Tommy asks who does Integrate for Good need to get connected and grow, Dr. Bev starts by saying that Integrate for Good is always looking for new opportunities, volunteers, and partners. According to Dr. Bev as a start-up non-profit organization it is almost impossible to get funding, it is important to understand that if you do have time, money, or experience to share you should push yourself to do something bigger than yourself. Dr. Bev presses that Non Profits may be doing good work, but this work is limited as there isn't enough funding. Tommy closes out the show and tells the audience how to get connected to Girls Inc, and queues Always Freyday.

Options for Community Living, Inc. provides housing, support services, and care coordination for people recovering from mental illness and those living with HIV/AIDS or other chronic health conditions. Many of the people we serve were formerly homeless. Options is a private not-for-profit agency, operating on Long Island since 1982. Their goal is to help each program participant and family find stability, improved health and the tools to build productive self-sufficient lives as community members. Yolanda Robano-Gross joined Options for Community Living as Executive Director in 2014 with more than twenty years of prior executive level experience in the healthcare industry. In January of 2021, her role was officially changed to Chief Executive Officer. She is responsible for oversight of all aspects of agency operations and reports directly to the Board of Directors.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.

Tommy introduces the show and talks about connecting non-profit organizations, he believes that these organizations are under represented, unrecognized, underfunded and overlooked. Tommy and his special guest today are here to amplify the message and get nonprofits connected. Tommy then introduces his special guest Yolanda Robano Gross, has about 20 years of work, experience, and success in the nonprofit sector - she has a masters degree in social work as well as a mass amount of personal work experience in the field. Yolanda is the Executive Director at Options for Community Living, she took on this role in 2014, however in January of 2021 her role was changed to become Chief Executive Officer. Options for Community Living provides housing, support services and care coordination for mental illness, people who are struggling with HIV and Aids, and other chronic health conditions - people they have served have formerly been homeless. They provide options for community living and a window of opportunity towards a better life.

Options for Community Living has been using mentoring as a way to get through to people in need. According to Yolanda the reason they have been using mentoring is because mentors help form your path, she personally has been inspired by her mentors and has had a great experience working with mentors who have shaped her professional and personal life. The way Options for Community Living does this is by getting a group of students, the organizations have reached out to students from all walks of life, including college students such as students at Stonybrook University. Yolanda believes that high schools need to be more involved, she said that she had high school students who had to gain a mandatory 24 hours of mentoring and those students get a taste of life, it helps nurture youth to progress to be individuals who give back. Both Tommy and Yolanda talk about how their similar personal development growing up in Long Island was what drew them to the nonprofit sector.

When talking about collaboration, Tommy asks Yolanda about the ways in which Options for Community Living collaborates with people as well as organizations internally and externally. Yolanda describes a story about a girl who was aging out within their children's program and she was on the track of leaving their program without a home, therefore ending up homeless. After getting more support and guidance from Options for Community Living, she was able to go to school and get a job, she then bought a car and is now working and is stable - Options for Community Living was able to help a girl grow and become an independent young woman with stability. Three years later she is still someone who is in need of mentorship, she comes once a month to talk to someone, however she is on her own two feet, living on her own, making her own decisions and money. Yolanda said “She was someone who didn't have organic support, so she had optional support,” and the optional support is just a community that is giving you the tools to get on the right track.

Yolanda describes what Options for Community Living as a nonprofit organization needs as it continues to grow and do great things. According to Yolanda the major need is unrestricted funding and donors, even though there is government funding it is extremely tough and barely makes a dent. Yolanda presses that they also need people to get more involved, as they need people to help keep the lights on and the doors open for the people in need under the Options for Community Living umbrella. Yolanda says they could not shut down during covid as they are working tirelessly to make sure that they keep valuable lives safe. Yolanda breaks down a lot of the many needs, but focuses on how urgent the need for funding and the need for more people to get involved. Tommy closes out the show and tells the audience how to get connected to Girls Inc, and queues Always Freyday.

Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE), founded in 1977, benefits and proudly supports more than 4,000 individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. It is the mission of FREE to help individuals of all abilities realize their full potential. FREE provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing; recovery services; transition to work; employment; day, community and family services; respite; crisis services; education and after school support; specialty health services; and advocacy. We welcome our guest, Robert Budd to talk about it all.

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Tommy begins by talking about how it has been a year of being in a global state of COVID-19, and he continues to describe what ‘Philanthropy in Phocus’ is all about. Tommy officially starts the show off and then welcomes Robert Budd - today’s guest. Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) founded in 1977, benefits as well as supports over 4000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injuries. Family Residences and Essential Enterprises have been dedicated to helping individuals who have been affected and are very driven to have a mission that helps individuals of all abilities to realize their full potential. FREE provides a diverse variety of support - from housing, recovery, transition to work, employment, education, family programs, after school programs, crises programs, specialty health services, advocacy and so much more. Tommy begins by talking about the word “Differently Abled,” and how all words have meaning and how this word is very important to him. Tommy then diverts into introducing Robert, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc, he is a vision driven, result oriented with over 35 years of progressive leadership experience - joining free in 1985 and has held several leadership positions, most recently becoming CEO chief executive officer in 2008. FREE has grown into a 135 million dollar organization, serving more than 35,000 individuals annually. Robert Budd has dedicated his life outside of FREE to helping people, being an active member of communities and committees that are dedicated to helping people. Robert also describes that he has always been attracted to giving back and he believes that there is a sense of connection to something bigger than us and fuels us - this is naturally energizing.

Tommy and Robert begin this segment by talking about what the organization does and how FREE handles their very complex, unique cases and situations. Robert begins by talking about the change in language that Tommy had mentioned earlier - he describes the story of how FREE decided to begin this initiative long before it hit mainstream media. This was created to change the narrative for many people and find different ways to have people connect to the cause, and the term “Differently Abled” came about due to the change in very robust vision and mission statements which were all designed to be all inclusive. FREE designed their mission statement not only to include the people they support but also to integrate those who support them - this is an all inclusive belief system that helps people realize that we are all on the same page/ same side. FREE has a range of opportunities, and one of the main reasons for this is to give people many options to get into this side of philanthropy - according to Robert this because they want to give people the opportunity to find something that might peak their their interest and usually this is just a door that opens and inspires them and helps them realize that they are passionate about this cause.

The third Segment begins by talking about the impact of the collaborative opportunities of people that the organization serves as well as the other members of society. Robert begins by talking about the organizational skills that FREE provides, and that is completely vocationally driven. Robert mentions that it is important to collaborate with other philanthropic organizations and opportunities - one of which he has experience with is ‘Smile Farms’ which is a group that helps provide competitive employment opportunities to people FREE is working with, it is a way to build bridges to other communities as well as build a connection within the philanthropic community. Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. through collaborating with various community members, philanthropic organizations and other people have been able to create over a thousand jobs within their umbrella as they expanded. However there are challenges that this sector face; this is something Robert is passionate about as he believes it is an issue within the system. There has been a need to educate and inform people as “they just don't know,” according to Robert - people don't understand the joy of giving therefore it is important to give them the opportunity to learn about the cause and let them know that their support is welcome, as it is mutually beneficial.

Robert takes it away by talking about what the future is for FREE, as well as what collaborative opportunities that Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. may be looking for in the future. Robert explains that Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. is looking to partner in the community, such as local businesses, as people don't understand the diversity that FREE offers, and they can benefit greatly from making the effort to look into FREE. Robert ecstatically mentions the organizations love for new ideas, dedicated members to join the team, and especially loves participation. Tommy closes out the show and tells the audience how to get connected to Girls Inc, and queues Always Freyday.

This week, Tommy interviews Renee Daniel Flagler, covering exciting topics that relate to empowering young girls. Flagler is the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Long Island, whose mission is to empower girls to be strong, smart and bold. Renee is also an award-winning writer, adjunct professor, and a speaker who is passionate about encouraging women and youth to pursue their passion and purpose. Renee advocates for youth both in the United States and abroad.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.

Tommy introduces himself from his attic and introduces his guest Renee Daniel Flagler - an award winning writer, a professor, a speaker who is passionate about motivating women and the youth to pursue their passions and their individual purposes. Renee has published several books over her career, even a few romance novels under the Pen name Nickki Knight. One of her books ‘Society Wives is now being auctioned for a show and has now published another book called “Dream Journey.” Renne has facilitated literacy groups, developed curriculums and teaches creative writing to people whose ages range through kindergarten to college. Renne is the executive director of ‘Girls Inc’ Long Island - ‘Girls Inc’ is driven to empower girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Renne dives right in and tells the audience about how she was an avid reader growing up, she spoke about how her passion for reading led her into being an author. However writing - even though it was therapeutic it was not something Renne focused on, until she did - and now Renne Daniel Flagler has 20 books. Renne started helping the community by teaching people how to write - it was a slow start but eventually she was doing all sorts of writing sessions. She was always passionate about helping youth that were labeled as disadvantaged, she worked with them from group homes to detention centers, from the prison systems to the writing camps of the Upper East Siders. When it came to working with ‘Girls Inc’ it was an easy answer for Renee, as she was extremely passionate about the cause.

The two dive right in by talking about how Renee accepted the job - Renee said she was not chasing a title, she was trying to find fulfilment in her work. Renee gives the audience a little insight on how the organization shows the girls they inspire about leadership. Girls Inc works hard to inspire the girls in their program to change the narrative on who a leader can be - they work hard to show girls that they are the leaders of their own lives. After doing a national study on how girls lead, Girls Inc want to use that information to reveal women's strength - these young ladies have the motive to flourish and shine, and they need to be given the information, the tools and a push to really reach their true potential. Renee continues to tell the listeners a story about her experience with a young lady from the program; she briefly describes the experience about a girl who was a completely introverted, until she went through the Girls Inc program. Renee said after the student went through the program she was going on stages talking about her experience with Girls Inc, she was introducing herself to donors and sponsors, she was a changed young lady.

The two dive right in breaking down what goes on inside Girls Inc; When the organization says ‘strong’ they mean young ladies who are mentally strong, physically strong, emotionally strong, health wise strong. When the organization says ‘smart’, they intend to help the young ladies enrich their lives academically, educationally and focus on exposing girls to opportunities in STEM. When the organization says bold they mean, any and every life skill - this teaches them about media literacy, economic and financial literacy, cyberbullying, professional development, advocacy (and advocating for themselves). However Renee pushes that you need to give them the belief that they can do anything along with the tools other wise the young ladies will not be motivated to achieve. The nonprofit is open to reaching out to all girls but it specifically targets girls who are from or grew up in low income/under resourced communities.

The two dive right in to talk about the event ‘Girls Inc’ is hosting in a couple of weeks. Renee talks about how this event is themed around ‘The Resilience of the Girl’ - the event will be filled with women who represent and personify resilience, women from all walks of life will talk about their experience and strength from a range of professional fields. Renee presses that girls need strength, and they women know that they are strong as the patriarchal mindsets of the world continue to push a suppressive narrative about women. Tommy closes out the show and tells the audience how to get connected to Girls Inc, and queues Always Freyday.

Today Tommy D is joined in The Attic by Taina Sanin, who’s the Programs Director of Nonprofit New York. We will discuss how Nonprofit New York Educates, Advocates & Networks on behalf of its 1700+ Nonprofit members.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.



Tommy introduces himself and the show and gives some insight about Philanthropy in Phocus - from the attic. Tommy then introduces Taina Sanin and her Non-Profit, and welcomes her to the show. Tommy asks Taina what pulled her to the nonprofit sector - Taina explains that it all began when her family immigrated to the United States of America from Haiti, and her mother had a dream where she saw Taina helping people. Taina said she has always wanted to give back in some way, and she struggled as an immigrant to have a need to be successful, but that world was not her life. According to Taina the only thing that separates the nonprofit sector from the for profit sector is; the individuals working for the nonprofit are trying to get investors to invest in missions and causes rather than a product.

After some playful banter the two get back into it - Taina gives an introduction to “Nonprofit New York” the company that Taina has worked tirelessly with - Nonprofit New York works to unify the nonprofits of New York, they have managed to serve 42,000 non-profit organizations in the last two years. The company knew what the nonprofit organizations deserved and have really advocated for the sector. Nonprofit New York has been around for over 30 years and the people of the organization strongly believe that healthy nonprofits are much more equipped to focus on their various missions and services. The company built itself off advocacy and continued on to grow - people wanted more out of the organization, such as training and knowledge. The biggest challenges the organization has faced is growth - as they bring on more partners, more companies, more employees their ‘need’ increases and therefore the company needs more support and funding to function and attain that growth.

Nonprofit organizations cover about 5 percent of all New York City businesses according to Tommy. Taisha talks about how Nonprofit New York helps other nonprofit organizations, by providing them opportunities of training and giving them various tools, resources and knowledge to help them with their various problems and hurdles. Nonprofit New York’s goal is to strengthen the various nonprofit organizations, they specialize in helping in strengthening the various management positions in the nonprofit organizational structure. Taina talks about the various trends you see in her company's work, by truly strengthening best practices at the various levels of the organization's structure. Taina mentions that this year specifically the company is focusing on the work on equity - specifically racial equity - and the best practices in nonprofits relating to equity.

Taina takes it away by talking about how for small organizations it can be expensive to get the resources to strengthen their professional work community and that's why many nonprofit organizations struggle because they can't access those tools. This is where Nonprofit New York comes in, they specialize in providing them those tools at an affordable cost. The new membership campaign launched by Nonprofit New York to provide support to nonprofits that are bipoc (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)running organizations and provide them a two year membership. This means that the organization and everyone in it has unlimited access to the tools and resources - provided by Nonprofit New York - needed for an extended period of time. This would give them access to 77 labs, training, resources and tools - and Tommy has pledged to help 10 businesses for two years. Tommy introduces ‘Always Freyday’ and says goodbye.

1. A better understanding of the population we serve.

2. The need that 1 in every 17 New Yorkers -- over 525,000 -- have in New York City

3. How we raise funds to invest in high-impact programs, evaluate them, and scale them across NYCHA

communities.

Alex Zablocki is a veteran public servant with nearly two decades of experience working with nonprofit organizations and government agencies at all levels. Before joining the Fund, Alex served for five years as Executive Director of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. The public-private partnership supports 10,000 acres of City, State, and federal parkland in Brooklyn and Queens. Before leading the Conservancy, Alex served as Senior Program Manager at the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery and also previously served as Director of Community Relations for the New York City Department of Homeless Services and has held various roles with the New York State Senate and New

York City Council. Alex received a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance and investments from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and earned a Master of Arts degree in community and economic development from SUNY Empire State College. Alex joined the Fund as its Executive Director in June 2022.

Website: https://www.communityfund.nyc/

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Today Tommy D is joined in The Attic by  Hey There Beautiful Foundation Founder & Executive Director Dailisha Rodriguez

Whose goal is to empower women and young girls with the confidence they seek in order to achieve success and abundance. Their vision is to provide support, connection, trust, inspiration and leadership skills. With workshops continually beautify communities while creating personal human connections to support empowering the world. They believe anything you can dream will flourish with hard work and perseverance.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.



Tommy introduces the show from his attic and gives the audience a brief introduction about his guest Dalisha Rodriguez. The two jump right in by talking about Dalisha’s Non-profit, Hey There Beautiful. Dalisha gives the audience an introduction to her past, talking about her need to leave the corporate sector and stray from the societal norms that constrained her, as she was unsatisfied in the legal world. The two go over Dalisha’s story and she describes how it is important for girls to look within themselves and rather than be given the answers to find their path in this world. Dalisha emphasizes that “beauty is loving yourself,” as 90% of young girls want to change their bodies - but according to Dalisha, we must help change mindsets around us.

The two dive in by talking about Dalisha’s TedX talk - she talks about how the beginning of her momentous speech was a little chaotic, however it came together with a great ending. Tommy then transitions to talking about some of the programs that ‘Hey There Beautiful’ has; Get your life together, live on facebook is a show that is hosted by two coaches. This show talks about moving forward and discusses difficult situations in comedic ways, this program is made to motivate individuals to do more, succeed and rise up. One of the programs offered spanked inspiration for Tommy as well, Dalisha says that she had a similar experience - she said that while making her Non-profit she was letting go of friendships and relationships, as she was trying to grow and people were choosing not to push her up at that moment in her career.

Both Dalisha and Tommy talk about the impact the organization is making on the ground. Dalisha talks about the STEM program that is run by ‘Hey There Beautiful,’ teaching kids all sorts of things, including coding. They just initiated their STEM program and the innovative platform already has about a dozen students, this is to motivate entrepreneurship - according to Dalisha it would be great to see more students with the power of developing their own ideas on their own. Dalisha talks about her toy drive that was extremely successful and she was happy to have brought so much joy to the community. Dalisha talks about one of her students who is selling cupcakes and making $500 a week, at the age of 13. Dalisha presses that it is important to partner with other non-profit organizations, collaboration brings a lot more success compared to working alone.

The two dive in and talk about connecting each other to various nonprofit organizations. Dalisha talks about the organizations that she plans to connect with; organizations that are large, financially beneficial and organizations that are prepared to be as ambitious as Dalisha. They go over on how to get connected and in touch, and Dalisha talks about how her social media is all public to be a s accessible as possible. They thank all the supporters on facebook live. 

Shawn Slevin started Swim Strong Foundation in 2006 to reduce unintended drowning by teaching water safety and swimming skill education. Swim Strong offers Learn to Swim (including Adaptive) through Competitive programs for ages 3 through Seniors. They have taught more than 10,000 students how to swim and given more than $1 Million in free swim lessons to families in need.

Swim Strong’s newest offering is “Know Before You Go™” series of four environmentally focused water safety educational programs which may be taught in person, remotely or in blended fashion. Shawn is a passionate advocate for water safety and has been featured in two documentary films, many articles, tv and radio appearances and been recognized for her community work by several local civic and governmental agencies and nationally by USA Swimming Foundation.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.



Tommy D introduces the show and talks about how the non-profit on today's episode is one that is close to his heart. Tommy emphasizes the importance of bringing non profit organizations on his show to give them recognition, because according to him they are often overlooked. Tommy then introduces Shawn Slevin, the founder of ‘Swim Strong,’. Tommy Continues to talk about the work Swim Strong does, and how they have raised over 1 million dollars for the cause. Shawn takes the reins to talk about how she became a water safety advocate, and her story on being a drowning victim.

In this segment Tommy and Shawn dive into the large numbers of drowning victims, and how climate change is making it more necessary to know how to swim. According to Shawn, the increase of strength and number of storms has opened up an opportunity for people who don't have the skills to swim, to learn. Tommy reflects on his experience on living with the fear of water bodies, and transitions into talking about the various programs that Swim Strong has. Shawn takes the lead in this portion providing a summary of the various statistics on drowning. According to Shawn one of the more prominent parts of their non profit is that they teach them about the importance of water safety as well as teaching people how to swim. Swim Strong has reached out to whomever they can, and now have approximately 9000 students and 4 different programs that look at water safety from an environmental and seasonal point of view.

Tommy dives right in talking about the programs association with schools, but he asks about the post covid lockdown situation that has molded the entire program. Shawn mentions how due to covid they have seen more people who are dedicated to learning how to swim, and the skills they are learning here are being transported to other areas of their lives - they are even being able to create income out of this. Swim Strong has also been working very hard to bring swimming to places and communities that don’t have access to it. The non profit organization has been actively going into areas where people of color reside as according to shawn disadvantaged people should be able to learn life skills without struggle. Shawn also mentions a film that Swim Strong has been involved in with a production company, this film shows how people of color have been disadvantaged when it came to learning how to swim. Shawn also talks about all the packages they have at swim strong, from school based packages to individual packages.

Shawn talks about the various collaborations that Swim Strong is doing, especially in the environmental conservation field - as climate change increases and various water levels rise it is important to learn about water safety and how to swim. Swim Strong has partnered with the board of Education and several politicians to implement swimming and water safety into modern educational systems. Shawn plans to take this program global and has already implemented Swim Strong in 3 countries, with international sponsors. Tommy thanks shwan for being on the show and introduces ‘Always Freyday’, and says goodbye to the listeners/viewers.

Tommy D interviews Sophie Dubuisson, State Director of NY, for Best Buddies International.

They will discuss Best Buddies Programs that increase inclusion for the IDD - Intellectually & Developmentally Disabled community.

Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.



Tommy D Introduces himself and the show from his attic. Tommy gives a reference to what his show is about and then talks about general philanthropic organizations that are underrepresented and underfunded, he also gives reference to how these nonprofits need more attention and be more in the spotlight. Tommy then introduces Sophie Dubuisson and talks about her professional career and her connection to the organization Buddies international. Sophie takes the reins by giving her introduction about her profession in event management, and then talks about ‘Best Buddies International.’ The two go into the history behind Best Buddies International, and how the organization that helps people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They give an emphasis on inclusion and how integral it is to keep them in the conversation as well as a part of the conversation

Steve begins by sharing the story of how he learned about the program ‘Best Buddy’s’, and how Best Buddies International won at the ‘Imagine Awards’ all in the same night. Sophie then begins by talking about the Best Buddies program – starting from Georgetown University to a program that is diverse and can be associated with or added to any school. Sophie talks about Best Buddy’s presence in New York, and their intention to continue to grow. She gives the audience an idea of how involved people can get, from 20 to sometimes 200. It is very common to have students get involved in the Best Buddies program, According to Sophie.

Tommy asks Sophie about the jobs program at Best Buddies. Sophie talks about how this program is different from the one they hold at schools – it is an adult based program for people who are 18 – they work with various organizations to pair people with intellectual or developmental disabilities with jobs in a professional environment. Sophie mentions this past year has been difficult due to the pandemic, however, she is grateful that they have been able to maintain their partnerships with their organizations.

Tommy and Sophie talk about the various events for Best Buddies in 2021 to grow awareness and attract the audience to their cause. Sophie mentions a Covid Safe friendship walk that is hybrid. Sophie compares the event to last year and how the organization has more opportunities because last year the pandemic forced their event to be completely online. The walk has been able to raise $50,000 but their goal this year is $20,000 as the organization understands the financial difficulties that have risen this year. Sophie also spoke about how without this funding they can’t grow, start more programs, and develop. Towards the end, Tommy gives the show a send off and then a shout out to the next show ‘Always Freyday.’