3rd Act

Living & Learning Enrichment Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by Rachelle Vartanian. Rachelle graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in teaching for the emotionally impaired. Right out of college, she worked at a lock-up center for adjudicated youth. She was passionate about this and worked with this population for over ten years. During this time, she went back to school and obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Personality & Development. She did this to better understand why so many of her students chose to behave in self-destructive manners.

It was during this time Rachelle was seeing signs of autism in her youngest son. When he was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, she made the decision to go back to school and get a second Master’s Degree in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Madonna University. It was also during this time, she started teaching high school special education in Farmington Public Schools.

She took a leap of faith and quit her job after being a special education teacher for 20 years when a buy-out was offered at the school district she worked at. Selling her family home of twenty years, drawing money from her retirement, and downsizing her life allowed Living & Learning to be born.

We talk about how they found the property for their new headquarters and the series of miracles it took to move into this new facility that has allowed them to make an incredible impact on the people in their community and grow their programs.

It was the Don Massey Cadillac manion. On the other side of the street was housing. It seemed too good to be true.

Roger could see the dream as he walked the property with Rachelle. They started an alpaca farm. They are gentle animals and their fiber makes a high-end yarn that provides jobs for their people. They have a bunny farm. They sell fresh eggs and raise chickens. They opened an Mod market. 

They also have an IT academy for highly skilled individuals.

If someone you know or your child wants to get involved with one of their programs they can call 248.308.3592. We do an intake that takes about an hour with a tour to help understand the needs of the individual. The intake is free.

You can donate to The Living and Learning Enrichment Center to help them continue their work.

We talk about the upcoming open house 

Lynda taught language arts and the Detroit public schools system, although challenging, she loved educating and helping children through that experience.

After that time, Lynda decided to attend Wayne State University law school. And she says she happened upon a job posting for a position as an intern with the Wayne County prosecutor's office in the juvenile court. She worked there for years and the prosecutor's office gaining insight into the plight of young people and the court system.

And decided to start a nonprofit called the Ark Nonviolence Program to help children achieve their goals. Linda managed to direct the Ark, even after being recruited to the Michigan Children's Law Center (MCLC). And after 15 years, she closed the doors on the Ark to accept the position of co-executive director of what I call the MCLC.

We talk about what the Michigan Children's Law Center does and how it helps people. With clients who range in age from 0 - 20 years old. They help inside and outside of the courtroom. Their 12 attorneys represent many clients and it can be a challenging profession.

"You can only look at so many autopsies of a one-year-old or x-rays of broken bones on a five-month-old before you wondering, am I doing a good job? When will it get better? We really work together at MCLC to encourage one another." ~ Lynda McGhee

We break down how the courts work and how the dockets are arranged. From baby, drug, mental health, there is a team of people and judges that give wrap-around services to kids and teens.

"You wouldn't believe the enormous amount of services out here to help people, but they don't really know about it."

If you would like to donate to the Michigan Children's Law Center to give to families in need please donate online.

The donations help with things like backpacks, clothes, and other resources that children in the Foster system need. All proceeds will be used to help fund programs to prevent child abuse, address the needs of youth aging out of the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and teach tolerance.
 

Our guest is Jessica Marcetti, is the manager of volunteer resources at Vista Maria. Vista Maria services 1200 people a year and has roughly 450 children in their program and 80 women staying on their campus.

Vista Maria is a place for girls, youth, and their families to realize a life beyond trauma and ignite a life of possibility. I lead the Volunteer Resources department to connect our youth with caring adults, educate people about human trafficking, and help our community use their gifts and talents to support our mission and our youth.

Jessica has made an impact at Vista Maria
• Increasing Vista Maria's corporate volunteer engagement and grant compliance.
• Managing the Holiday Wish List program, providing gifts to the 150+ youth in our care ($39,150 in-kind value in 2020)
• Grew total in-kind giving by 44% over 2019.
• Re-imagining their alumni scholarship program to maximize impact for each recipient.
• Designed and implemented a custom, 6 phase COVID-19 safe-volunteering plan.

Vista Maria was founded by the sisters of the good shepherd who prayed to Mary and fell in love with a plot of land with a vista view. It happened to be in Henry Ford's backyard. Clara Ford later decided to sell the land to the sisters for $1.

Vista Maria offers various programs to help young women at various stages of their journey. However, there is a thread that runs through every young woman's story: trauma. Whether it is young women rescued from human trafficking, abuse, or sex trafficking.

The numbers on human trafficking in Michigan are difficult to track, and most believe the numbers are under-reported. As a result, it is a crime that exists in the shadows.

We talk about the merger with the Michigan Abolitionist Project (MAP) that allows them to start getting more involved in educating people about the issues that young women in their community face.

During COVID, there have been fewer cases of child abuse reported. However, the number has likely not actually dropped as many kids are not in school and in front of mandated reporters, teachers, and adults who often report abuse issues to DFHS.

Jessica shares some success stories of their alumni and the recent graduation ceremony. Every young woman is going onto college or community college.

One of their greatest needs right now is loving foster families. So many of the children in their programs are waiting for a Foster Family. Children thrive in a loving family setting, they heal from their trauma, and foster families can truly change someone's life.

You can volunteer at VIsta Maria here. 
You can donate to Vista Maria here.

Rochelle Beckemeyer has been serving as senior pastor at Echo Christian Fellowship in Lake Orion, MI, since June of 2008, having received a Master of Divinity degree from Michigan Theological Seminary (May 2008) and ministry credentials through the Assemblies of God (Certified Nov 2006, Licensed Nov 2007). She received her ordination credential in May of 2010.

In addition to serving in ministry, Rochelle has worked at Chrysler (now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) since January of 1999, first as an IT consultant for ACS, Inc (A Xerox Company), then as a direct employee (June 2014). Prior to her work at Chrysler, Rochelle worked for General Physics of Troy as a technical writer, having received a Bachelor of Arts in Scientific and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University in May of 1993.

More important than these degrees and credentials, Rochelle received Christ as her Lord and Savior in December of 1997. Since that time, she has been increasingly consumed with a passion to see lives transformed through relationships with our heavenly Father.

in 2019 pastor Rochelle and her daughter founded a separate nonprofit called Safe and Sound Ministries focused on improving the quality of life for mentally ill as special needs individuals.

Rev. Rochelle shares the amazing journey of starting her nonprofit, becoming a caretaker for mentally challenged people to now pastoring a congregation that is 75% mentally or cognitively challenged. This all happened during a pandemic and they have continued to thrive.

Housing is their focus currently. Providing consistent housing for participants in Safe and Sound Ministry. They found a contractor who caught the vision and totally renovated their property into a beautiful home.

Residents in the program have real responsibilities, they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves, cooking, and using their skills to help the others in the house.

You can support Safe and Sound Ministries through their website. And you can find out more on their Facebook page.

Aly is co-founder and executive director of UPchieve, a free 24 seven online tutoring, non-profit organization that provides high school students with academic support to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.

Eligible students can create a free account and request help in a specific subject (e.g., Algebra) 24/7. When UPchieve gets a request, we search for an available volunteer who is certified in that subject. In under 5 minutes, the student and volunteer are paired in our virtual classroom.

Their mission: To democratize access to academic support so that all students have an equal opportunity to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.

Aly has been featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists for education and honored as a Rodenberry fellow in 2021.

Aly was a low-income student without access to many things despite her being an excellent student. She started in community college and worked her way to an amazing education and a job at JP Morgan. But her desire to serve in the community was difficult for her to nurture at that job because of the hours, and she decided to start UPcheive.  UPcheive makes it easy for students to get help when they need it and makes it easy for volunteers to fit volunteering into their busy lives.

"Coming up with the idea was easy, but leaving JP Morgan to start UPchieve was difficult." - Aly.

Aly shares about the early days of starting her nonprofit and how there isn't an equivalent to angel investors for nonprofits.

They talk about what they've learned from the now over 8,000 students and 7,000 volunteers on the platform. They've learned to prioritize availability over all else since it's unreasonable to expect students to know when they will run into issues with their homework. And how to revise their volunteer process to make it very easy to volunteer in the most inflexible schedules.

We highlight some of the amazing funding awards that have been won by UPchieve that speak to the technical prowess of their platform and their impact on students.

Want to learn more about how you can support UPchieve. Visit their website and donate today.

Charlie brings his background as a social worker and international work. He founded an innovative nonprofit called Pay It Forward Initiative while at Wayne State University and working with New Detroit, and a nonprofit focused on racial justice.

We talk more about Charlie's background and his inspiration for his social-minded work.

My chosen purpose in life is to empower people to recognize their potential and then help them fulfill it. ~ Charlie

This passion came from his personal experiences.  His mom passed away when he was two, and his dad went to jail when he was ten, so he spent time in the foster system that taught him empathy and curiosity to question why the world is the way it is.  This led him to become a global citizen.

Charlie talks about the Pay it Forward Initiative and how it got started, and what's going on today.

Not having access to between $400-800 is when most Americans fall into poverty. So the Initiative set up a fund that allowed participants access to a $500 savings account that they could access if needed.

Charlie spent time working on a startup incubator for a triple bottom line business. The three bottom lines are people, planet, then profit. He also spent time in Uganda working with a company that was working on a model to sell charcoal door to door to allow women to start their own company with a low-interest loan to buy their first lot of charcoal to resell. Then he worked on rural employment in Egypt.

Charlie also spent time in the room during Detroit's economic problems including the water crisis. After his experiences, he decided to run for County Commissioner. If you're not at the table, you're on the menu. So he wanted to be at the table.

County Commissioner Cavell feels
1. We need to return to a time when we realized that government was an integral part of your life, whether you like it or not so you might as well participate.
2. They are taking a third of your paycheck so you should care to become involved.

We talk about the fair housing initiative in Oakland County and the source of income discrimination that comes into play when some landlords don't accept vouchers. Landlords don' like the extra paperwork associated with vouchers. They are trying to cut down on paperwork and provide assistance for landlords. They are also setting up a fund to defray the cost of getting up to code. And finally, trying to break the stereotype that people who pay with vouchers will mess up my property. So tenants who receive a complaint from landlords will lose their voucher for life, and landlords have access to additional funds to mitigate the risk.

"And it's not that this is a bad deal for landlords. It's not that this is a bad deal for tenants. This is a good deal for everybody is just making sure people's fears are overcome with people's hopes." ~ Charlie Cavell

You can find out more and donate to Habitat for Humanity by visiting the website.

Ways to get involved:

1) Call Charlie to ask questions!

248-807-4347

[email protected]

2) Saturday Zoom call 10m:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bloomfield-org.zoom.us/j/96835207420

Meeting ID: 968 3520 7420

Passcode: 339718

Meeting ID: 968 3520 7420

Find your local number: https://bloomfield-org.zoom.us/u/acBf4ApB3w

3) Come to County meetings and be heard. More info here:

https://www.oakgov.com/boc/Committees/Pages/resources.aspx

Todd has been instrumental in starting CARES and seeing it through the early years of development with a kind heart and a knowledge of what the community needs. Todd's history as the director of Farmington Hills, youth, and family services for many years placed him in the perfect role to see firsthand that many families in the community needed food security, along with other personal services. I was excited to visit the campus of hope recently and see the current operations and visit with Todd and Elaine and hear about their plans and dreams.

We are excited to introduce Todd and CARES to the 3rd Act community in this episode.

Todd's experience launching a youth program that didn't necessarily have the communities support at the time, but gained support after many success stories posed him to be an excellent leader to continue the food pantry and launch the food market in an area where some didn't want to be associated with people needing assistance.

If you're interested in joining CARES as a volunteer the best way is to go online to http://caresfh.org or call Todd directly at 248 231-8490

Their vision for the future is to become a true campus of Hope in their area. Including services to help people deal with service issues, a free clinic,  two gardens, a baseball field, a community center, and a gym. 

There is something special about the campus, when people visit it they start to understand the impact that it has made in the lives of people in the community. Todd is happy to give tours and hopes to get more corporations and nonprofits to partner with CARES in donating. They are even open to giving naming rights as they expand their reach.

Though the pandemic has taken a lot from us this past year, looking on the positive side it has helped many people return to some core values such as kindness. Kindness doesn't cost you anything but it makes a huge impact in the lives of others.

We talk about the 3rd Act podcast and what it represents for people who are searching for significance in their lives, maybe they've been successful in their careers and now looking for what to do next. An organization like CARES could be a fantastic place to invest your time and energy.

Life Skills Coach with a compassionate and counterintuitive approach to working with people and organizations.

Author - Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men's Groups

Founder - Men's Fellowship: Circles of Men Project

As a life skills coach and business leader, Clay Boykin has developed a compassionate and counterintuitive approach to helping people and organizations find their purpose, direction, and path in the world. 

Clay's life purpose is to help make the world a better place by helping raise compassion consciousness among men.

He is the author of, Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men's Groups and has dedicated his next twenty years to make the world a better place by cultivating compassion consciousness among men. He Founded the Circles of Men Project in 2012 which has grown to a worldwide network. Clay facilitates repeats and workshops and has led them in both the U.S. and Kenya.

Clay hosts both men and women on his podcast: In Search of the New Compassionate Male, which he launched early in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Clay is a former United States Marine Corps officer and in 2007, after 38 years in the corporate world, a mystical experience sent Clay on a journey through his own dark night of the soul, later emerging to find his calling.

Clay shares his story of finding peace during the midst of a heart attack in the fall of 2007. He then found himself laid off and experienced his dark night of the soul for the next two years. He metaphorically reached the top but found himself wondering what it was all for and what to do next.

"The new compassionate male is emerging as a new archetype." - Clay

What is the new compassionate male? Clay is on the search for the answer. The whole world is currently going through massive change and there is a lot of time for reflection within. It is something you can feel even if you can't articulate it. He shares of tremendous stories of people who are also joining him in the search.

Watch the video called the My Mandala of Life we spoke about on this episode.

 Find out more about Clay on his website and check out his podcast, In Search of the New Compassionate Male

Kimber is also the chair of the Oakland County task force on poverty and homelessness and uses her skills to collaborate with many political and charitable organizations to help her community in a myriad of ways.

Roger made a challenge to donate

Kimber shares personal stories from volunteers who are delivering to families. She also shared some amazing stories from their Christmas time efforts where they provided clothes, furniture, food, and even boots to families in need. They ran into logistical challenges due to language barriers, under-resourced families who may not have had telephone or internet access. But the volunteers rose to the challenge and they were able to help 175 families!

They currently have plans to do the same for Easter 2021. Families will be sponsored with Easter baskets and Easter meals.

Kimber shares a story of a man who was living in a trailer with no electricity, heat, or food, and when an angel in the organization found out they stepped up to pay $1800 in back rent so he wouldn't get evicted. He now has furniture and slept in a bed for the first time since last May. He also said that he, for the first time, is feeling hopeful. He is in awe that the volunteers, who are strangers to him, have shown so much kindness.

Rogers asks Kimber about her role as the chair of the Oakland County task force on poverty and homeless. Kimber says she ended on the council on accident. She was trying to help a homeless woman get help and found it so frustrating that she reached out to her public officials. Her goal with the task force is to help everyday people learn what the barriers are for people who are in poverty.

In Oakland County, they have 2,400 children who are considered homeless in one of the wealthiest counties in Michigan.  The root of the issue is that they don't have affordable housing in Oakland County or many areas in the United States.

Kimber is developing a book buddy program. Since the pandemic hit and schools and summer camps shut down, it was eating away at her knowing that there were so many students who didn't have access to education.  Each child will get six books, hot chocolate, and pajamas to encourage nighttime reading. They are setting up two book buddies for each child over Google Meet. Once they complete the first six books they will receive six more. 

Kimber believes that there are about 5,000 kids in the Pontiac schools that could use this program! They are in need of volunteers.

You can donate here.

I am pleased to record my first guest-focused podcast of the year with Elaine Grohman. I was introduced to Elaine last fall by a friend who thought we should get to know each other, since we are both involved in a journey to help individuals through acts of kindness. It is becoming increasingly clear that by focusing our minds and actions on the improvement of our health, the actions we take help us get the most out of our days on this planet.

Elaine is a teacher, author, energy healer, radio host, intuitive, and public speaker. In our conversation, she shared her perspectives about compassion and appreciation of Life, and the enormous potential we all have as Human Beings. Elaine comes from a large blended family of 15, and is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and has learned her intuitive craft from years of experience, beginning with her work in hospice.

Elaine Grohman strives to nurture people by demystifying our connection to the Living Earth, offering a greater understanding of the enormous Gifts of our Spirit, Body, Emotions, and Mind. Elaine lives in Southeast Michigan and offers her services to people through individual and group meetings. She conducts podcasts with guests on her show, Earth Wisdom Circle, on Empower Radio, and also has her own webinars available on her website, www.elainegrohman.com.

Elaine shares this ancient truth: “We are Spirit born into a Body. Because we have a Body, we experience our world through our Emotions, which are “Energy in Motion.” We must learn to decipher the information we glean from our Emotions so that we can learn to use our Mind, and thus our intellect in the most appropriate ways. Spirit, Body, Emotions, and Mind are not separate - rather they are parts of one system that allows us to have this experience called Life. This is the only way to know the Self that we are. Every Human Being is here to Learn.”  Elaine Grohman also explains how the Energy of the Living Earth is accessible to us as physical Human Beings.

Elaine Grohman can be reached through email at [email protected], or on her website, www.elainegrohman.com.

Finally, you can pick up copies of her books, entitled, The Angels and Me: Experiences of Receiving and Sharing Divine Communications along with, Spirit Awakening: Wisdom for Life and Living, both are available on Amazon.com.

Elaine is currently working on her third book.