Be The Good

Ryan Williams Jenkins is a former Navy Football player, who graduated from The United States Naval Academy in 2015. Ryan currently works in player engagement and scouting in the NFL for the New York Giants and is the founder of the INAM initiative, which stand for “Its Not About Me”. The goal of the INAM initiative is to use athlete’s platforms to create change in underprivileged communities.

 Having been a collegiate athlete himself, Ryan says that it was only after taking a step back from this role that he was able to truly see the influence he and his team members had and how much opportunity there is for athlete’s with a platform to do good and give back. Ryan is here to share with us today what inspired him to create this initiative and what his goals are moving forward with this mission.

To learn more about INAM please visit: https://www.inaminitiative.org/
To support INAM's ongoing efforts please visit: https://www.inaminitiative.org/takeaction
To learn more about host, Christy McCaffrey, please visit: https://www.christymccaffrey.com/about

Elementary School teacher Jenn Welby Gilbert wants her students to know that they are never too young to make a difference and that they have the ability to change the world. Since 2008, her students have done exactly that through their inspiring and service- oriented “Charity Project”, raising more than $60,000 for a variety of important causes and initiatives. 

Students in Jenn’s class learn about various aspects of community and how people work together for the common good. They discuss the importance of helping others and the impact each person – no matter how young- can have on their community, both at the local and global levels. Jenn takes her students through the process of how to choose a charity or mission they want to support and how to successfully raise funds. 

After years of implementing this program in her own classroom, and with a desire to make an impact in an even larger way, Jenn has gone on to create a non profit called “The Giving Project For Children”. Through this non profit Jenn is now sharing the curriculum she created with parents, teachers and administrators to incorporate the study of giving and philanthropy within the classroom. 

On this episode of Be The Good, Jenn shares with us her passion and vision for this incredible project.

To learn more about "The Giving Project For Children" please visit: https://thegivingprojectforchildren.org

To learn more about host, Christy McCaffrey, please visit: https://www.christymccaffrey.com/about

Bob Saget is an acclaimed actor, comedian, director, writer, and producer. He has starred in many successful television shows, including two of the most family-friendly shows network TV has ever produced (Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos).  For over thirty years, he also has been a stand-up comedian and earned a Grammy-nomination in 2014 for his stand-up special, That’s What I’m Talkin’ About.  

Most importantly, he wrote and directed the film For Hope, chronicling his sister’s struggles with a disease called scleroderma. He joined the Scleroderma Research Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2002 and has been a key figure in organizing and producing the SRF’s annual signature event, Cool Comedy–Hot Cuisine.

Bob and I have known each other for almost 10 years now as we have a common passion for this cause. Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune disease that causes a hardening of the body’s connective tissue. Scleroderma literally means “hard skin” however this disease can also affect internal organs with life threatening consequences. Unfortunately the common passion Bob and I have for this cause is that he lost his sister to this disease and I lost my mom to scleroderma as well. 

My own personal loss led me to create a nonprofit called Project Scleroderma to raise awareness for this illness and together with Bob and the Scleroderma Research Foundation we have created several documentary videos to help shed light on this terrible disease and to help encourage support of more lifesaving research.

Through this work I have had the true pleasure of getting to know Bob and what I can tell you is that he is one the most genuine, kind and compassionate people I know. He has dedicated an incredible amount of time, energy and passion to this cause and ultimately his fundraisers have raised over 53 million dollars for scleroderma research. 

Many of us grew up watching Bob as Danny Tanner on Full House or as the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. He has been doing stand up for many years and produced many great projects, but what I am happy to shed light on today is the passion project he has been sincerely committed to for all these years as well.

To support The Scleroderma Research Foundation and their ongoing mission to find a cure for Scleroderma please visit: https://srfcure.org

For the latest information on Bob's stand up shows and other projects please visit: https://www.bobsaget.com

Kristina Hillstrom’s journey to advocating for vulnerable children began 15 years ago when she spent several months in the orphanages of Ecuador. Her time there opened her eyes to the tragedy of broken families and also the strength and innate goodness of children. Her experience ignited a desire inside of her to speak up and raise awareness for vulnerable children. 
 
She has since gotten involved with and volunteers for several non-profit organizations who work tirelessly to fight for and support children in need. She started an Instagram page- Amity & Anthem in hopes of starting a conversation and raising awareness for children in foster care. 

She is a wonderful example for us all of following your heart and passion to make a difference. She is a sweet and genuine soul with a mission to do good.

Listen as Christy and Kristina discuss the experience that initially sparked her passion for this cause and how she has taken steps to get more involved over the years. Kristina is here to help us all learn more about the great need to wrap our arms around those in the foster community!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Amity and Anthem Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amityandanthem/
Amity and Anthem Website: http://www.amityandanthem.com
Dallas Ft.Worth Angels: https://www.dfwangels.org
CASA: https://casaforchildren.org/

 To learn more about host, Christy McCaffrey, visit:
https://www.christymccaffrey.com/about

Pete Bombaci is the founder of The GenWell Project and he is proud to be leading a campaign that he truly believes can make the world a happier and healthier place. The campaign idea, in the making for over a decade, was inspired by the events that Pete witnessed during blackout back in 2003; Kindness, generosity, empathy and connection. 

Pete says , “We live in a fast paced and distracted world and sometimes we just need a reminder or an excuse to take the time to do the thing that will make us and those around us happier and healthier.”

This interview is a breath of fresh air. A reminder of how important human connection really is, and how in today’s world we are so easily distracted from this very essential part of our health and well being.

Listen as Christy and Pete discuss what led him to create this movement and the positive and powerful impact human connection can have on our world!

View links discussed in this episode:
The GenWell Project: https://genwellproject.org/

To learn more about host, Christy McCaffrey, visit:
https://www.christymccaffrey.com/about

Alex Lewis started Car Window Poetry with the belief that words matter. Deeply invested in Colorado Springs' poetry community, Alex believed poems are more than just rhymes - they are words that can give hurting humans hope.

Initially inspired to simply share the poems of those in his local community, Alex created this platform to encourage others to share their own poems with a simple print out he offered on his website.

His idea has now been amplified by thousands. All across the country people have joined his mission and are sharing words of hope, encouragement, kindness and inspiration on car windows, in schools, and all throughout their communities. 

Listen as Christy and Alex discuss his journey to poetry, how he was inspired to create Car Window Poetry, and how he hopes this mission will serve the people and communities it reaches.

A very inspiring conversation!

Visit the links mentioned in this episode:

Car Window Poetry https://www.carwindowpoetry.com/
CWP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carwindowpoetry/
Alex Lewis: https://www.instagram.com/lewisalex10/

To learn more about host, Christy McCaffrey, visit:
https://www.christymccaffrey.com/about

Hally Bayer is founder and owner of Thrive Pilates Studio in Philadelphia. She is a lululemon ambassador, a board member of The School Mindfulness Project, and a big sister with The Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program in Philadelphia.

On this episode of Be The Good, Hally shares with Christy her own journey into mindfullness and wellbeing and how she feels a mindfulness practice can help us all better navigate the stress of our daily lives. Hally also shares how she felt called to make a difference for others and how she ultimately found a way to make that happen.

This interview offers us a great set of tools to best access a more mindful approach to our lives and plenty of inspiration when it comes to finding our own unique ways to make a difference. A feel good conversation!

Visit links from this episode:

Philly Power Yoga and Thrive Pilates: https://www.yandpphilly.com
The School Mindfulness Project: https://www.schoolmindfulness.org
Big Brothers/ Big Sisters: https://www.independencebigs.org


To learn more about host, Christy McCaffrey, visit:
https://www.christymccaffrey.com/about