At the Frontier

This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty.

Last week, we heard from an expert at the Urban Institute on the state of poverty in the U.S., what it means for families and the strategies that point to a way out.

So what does that kind of support look like day-to-day?

Maybe that axiom is correct: It takes a village.

You've heard that one before, right? It takes a village to raise a child. But what if the same is true for all of us, child or not?

Perhaps we need each other. We need community.

That's what Trina Crawford will tell you.

As the Director of The Salvation Army Service Center in Havre, Montana, Trina becomes part of that village for those in the Pathway of Hope. She becomes a daily fixture in their lives, checking in with them, providing tangible help and resources, directing them toward community and reminding them of the hope that exists in Christ.

How does she do it? Why does she do it? And what impact has she seen through the years?

(And stay tuned later in this episode for a special guest appearance…)

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How do we approach the longstanding, sometimes ideologically divided issue of poverty?

How do we inform consequential choices about the well-being of people in the U.S.?

Who helps to shape decisions and offer solutions for economic and social policy?

And is poverty even a solvable issue?

Dr. Elaine Waxman says yes.

She is a senior fellow in the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization that believes decisions shaped by facts, rather than ideology, have the power to improve public policy and practice, strengthen communities, and transform people's lives for the better.

Dr. Waxman is on the show today to help us better understand the state of poverty in the U.S., what this means for families and the strategies that point to a way out.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

THE SALVATION ARMY 101. Get the info.

STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection.

GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group.

BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Studies suggest children who spend at least half of their lives in poverty are 32 times as likely to be poor as adults.

Which means a continued, intergenerational cycle of life-long poverty.

But it doesn't have to be this way. With access to adequate resources, support and guidance, there is a way out.

That's the premise of TSA's national initiative—the Pathway of Hope—which started 10 years ago to provide individualized services to families with children.

By addressing immediate material needs AND providing long-term engagement, it aims to stabilize families and stop the chronic cycle.

The essential ingredient? Hope.

This season on the Do Gooders Podcast, we're delving into Pathway of Hope and its many facets to explore poverty in America and how The Salvation Army is fighting back.

Starting with Ron Skeete who is on the show to introduce us to Pathway of Hope.

Until just a few weeks ago, Ron was the initiative's Director for The Salvation Army in the southern U.S. He also volunteers as a mentor for young men of color as a member of 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta—and was named in 2021 to the media agency Pocstock's inaugural Future of Black America Top 50 list.

In his role with The Salvation Army, he led the coordination and implementation of Pathway of Hope across the south.

He saw families change forever.

And he'll tell you he's seen the organization change for the better, too. It's meant a paradigm shift from serving the poor to solving intergenerational poverty. To digging out the root causes of a family's poverty.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

THE SALVATION ARMY 101. Get the info.

STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection.

GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group.

BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

The past year and a half tested us all but it also brought countless examples of hope and sacrifice. We saw brave Salvation Army officers, staff, volunteers and friends continue to serve and show care in their communities in ways big and small.

We're designating these incredible individuals—nominated by you!—our Caring Heroes. And, as a small gesture of respect and gratitude, we honored them in a live virtual awards ceremony July 23.

We named the 2021 Caring Heroes—the brave, compassionate, passionate, uplifting, caring members of our communities. We were inspired by Brad Montague, New York Times bestselling author and creator of Kid President. And we were encouraged and challenged by The Salvation Army's Western Territorial Commander Commissioner Douglas Riley. He thanked the awardees for "loving people who need it—whether they know it or not."

And on this episode of the podcast, we're bringing you his message along with a song by Matt Woods, with accompaniment by Jill Ulmer, titled "Love Changes Everything."

As the song goes: "Love will never let you be the same."

Enjoy this clip from the awards show and then watch the full replay.

EPISODE SHOWNOTESRead more.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection.

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BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

As The Salvation Army California South Divisional Camp Director, it's been a tough year for Marty Brown.

Imagine: A sprawling camp without campers.

He's on the show to talk about the long-lasting impact of a week at camp—and what is planned for this summer as we transition to a post-pandemic world. Because, while it may not look like a traditional Salvation Army summer in many ways, camp is back on across the West this year.

Marty has attended camp, worked on staff at camp and now oversees The Salvation Army's camps in Calabasas and Big Bear, California. He holds a master of theological studies from Tyndale University and Seminary.

And as he'll tell you, in between the camp fun and the food, most importantly, kids at camp learn that God loves them and they experience that love from so many people who are at camp specifically to care for them.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

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FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Have you been to a Salvation Army summer camp? If so, you probably remember it well.

Camp is a place where kids discover inner-strength, learn valuable life skills, make lifelong friends, appreciate the outdoors and are mentored with love and kindness.

And Mechale Mency remembers it well.

In fact, she recently emailed a thank you to the director of Camp Gilmore, The Salvation Army's Calabasas, California, camp that she attended in the late 1970s.

Mechale is from the Los Angeles-area, and for three summers she spent a week at Camp Gilmore at no cost to her family. Did you know every summer thousands of kids attend one of 12 Salvation Army camps across the West, many of them on scholarships funded by generous donors?

Mechale is one of them and she's on the show to share what she remembers of camp and the experience she had there that made her want to be an experience for others today. Now, as the principal of Garfield Elementary School in San Diego, she's out to make sure kids feel seen and valued, and learn to value others—just as she did at camp.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

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BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Only those who've experienced grief can truly understand what it means to grieve.

For Donna Shea to understand, it meant the loss of her daughter to cancer.

Donna leads support groups for grief with The Salvation Army and facilitates classes in the local elementary schools for children suffering from a loss.

And as she'll tell you, grief spins its web around you. A web of guilt, remorse, fear, anger and more—but a web that you don't have to stay stuck in.

In her groups, Donna helps participants identify grief and shares tools for the grief journey.

She's on the show to share more about her grief and her ministry to help others find a way out.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read here.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

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BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

When was the last time you felt that spark? An igniting of your soul?

As Emily Ley will tell you, there's inherent magic at the intersection of God's calling for your life and what makes you feel truly alive.

Emily is the founder of Simplified, a brand of planners and home organization tools for busy women, the bestselling author of four books, a wife and mother of three.

She didn't always have a life she loved, however, and her latest book, "Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love," is a look into her journey to creating one. It's a letter to women everywhere to believe in yourself, imagine the life of your dreams and chase it with grit and determination.

She offers five key practices that propelled her in her latest book and she's on the show to share from her book on pursuing what makes you come alive.

As she says, your calling is to connect with that spark within you, that unique switch placed there by God, that will ignite your soul.

So how do you pursue what makes you come alive?

EPISODE SHOWNOTES

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BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

When Joseph Valadez posted a photo of himself outside of his college, he never could've seen the response coming.

Joseph, in a white tank top, beige chino shorts and black Nike Cortez, held a graduation certificate in his tattooed arms.

It went viral and media outlets started calling.

Joseph graduated this year from Cal State University, Long Beach on the president's honor list with a bachelor's degree in sociology.

He's 63.

And he spent much of his life addicted to heroin. Joseph went to prison a staggering 40 times on various drug-related offenses before entering The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Anaheim, California.

He reached a point, he said, where he knew he had to change and he started calling programs, looking for help. But no one wanted him, he said, until he called The Salvation Army.

That cost-free, residential, addictions work-therapy program is one of more than 130 in America in which The Salvation Army aims to help people break the chains of addiction and find not only sobriety, but recovery.

The Salvation Army equips more than 150,000 people every single year to combat addiction, regain health and stability, build work and social skills, and restore families.

And Joseph says it saved his life.

He's on the show to share his story and exciting news for what's next.

EPISODE SHOWNOTES

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection.

GATHER WITH CARING MOMS. Join the group.

BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram.

FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

Surprise—Caring Magazine has a new podcast launching today! The Commons Podcast is a show for women who want to talk about relevant and relatable topics—from mental health to marriage, and even what the Bible says about equity. Get to know your hosts, Cassandra Amezquita and Meagan Ruff, in this intro episode and get a preview of the real-life conversations to come.

Listen in and enter the launch party giveaway today!

EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read here.

LAUNCH PARTY GIVEAWAY: Enter now.

WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz.

STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection.

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FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.