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In this episode we interview Livi Kerszenbaum, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Orange County United Way. Orange County United Way’s mission is to improve lives in Orange County by delivering measurable long-term solutions to complex issues in education, financial stability, health and housing. 

Orange County United Way’s unique approach comes from an understanding that the community’s most critical issues are interrelated and must be tackled in an interconnected way to provide long-term solutions that break the cycle. Orange County United Way is focused on four key initiatives: 

United to End Homelessness

United for Financial Security

United for Student Success

2-1-1 OC. 

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In this episode we interview Isaac Esene, Founder/Director at GoodWorks. GoodWorks’s belief is clear: to create safer communities, we must foster a more informed and proactive generation. Beyond just witnessing, we are cultivating a generation equipped to act, ensuring fewer preventable deaths and injuries in emergencies.

Through tailored workshops, strategic partnerships, and cultural engagement, we simplify crucial life-saving concepts like bleeding control, opioid overdose response, harm reduction, and CPR.

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In this episode we interview Robb Munger, Founder & President of Exodus Place. Exodus Place’s mission is to Glorify God by meeting each man where they are. We provide a hand up rather than a handout by equipping these men with physical, emotional, mental and spiritual tools for successful reintegration into the community. 

Exodus Place is the largest transitional Housing Facility for men in Michigan. Transitional Housing is a stepping stone for homeless people who need temporary residence until they can afford long term or permanent housing. Exodus place can house up to 135 men at a given time and we call our residents members. We provide our members with a hand up not a hand out. Members pay low monthly dues (not rent) to live here. These dues include access to case management, education & job training, meal program, spiritual counseling, medical care and more. Although we deal primarily with the homeless population, we are not a homeless shelter. We're different for the following reasons: 

At Exodus Place, we understand that problems require big solutions that's why we're different from a shelter. We don't treat the symptoms for homelessness, we provide the cure. 

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In this episode we interview Elizabeth Cushing, CEO at Playworks. Playworks’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to transform children’s physical and emotional well-being. With more than 25 years of experience, the organization aims to bring out the best in every kid and hopes that one day, every child in America will get to play every day. Through direct-service coaching of youth and providing training and consultation for adults working with kids, Playworks partners with elementary schools, districts, and community-based organizations to bring games and youth development practices. With an emphasis on social, physical, and emotional skill-building, students feel included while being active and developing valuable skills needed to thrive in and out of the classroom. During the 2023-2024 school year, the nonprofit is ensuring more than 600,000 youth in over 1,300 schools and community partners experience safe and healthy play during and beyond the school day nationwide.

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In this episode we interview Diana Canant, Founder and CEO at LifeSpheres. LifeSpheres’s mission is to To build resilience that empowers people to thrive by resolving trauma in peer-communities globally.

LifeSpheres, a California 501(c)(3) Public Charity and a South African NPO, facilitates trauma healing through a community program. They create safe spaces for deep listening and mutual support, addressing trauma effectively and affordably. Their PeerCommunity CoCare Program serves diverse communities, offering workshops on deep listening skills and tailored CoCare sessions. Graduates can further support others and access resources through follow-up workshops. Operating on a commitment-based model, LifeSpheres offers free services with support from donors who share their mission.

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Lynn Margherio, founder and CEO of Cradle to Crayons, discusses the mission of the organization to end clothing insecurity for children. She shares her personal inspiration for starting the organization and the initial activities they undertook to understand the needs of families. Lynn highlights the growth of Cradle to Crayons over the past 20 years, from supplying 2,000 packages to children in the first year to projecting a million packages this year. She emphasizes the impact of the organization through feedback from agency partners and volunteers. Lynn also addresses the ongoing need for essential items and the importance of policy changes to support families in need. She outlines the future goals of Cradle to Crayons, including raising awareness, educating the community, and distributing more packages to children across the United States.

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In this episode we interview Nate Pietrini, Ed.D., Executive Director at High Jump. High Jump equalizes access to education for Chicago middle school students who have exhibited academic ambition and potential and who are of limited economic means. We provide academic enrichment, counseling and support to students of diverse backgrounds, with the goals of sending our participants to superior college preparatory schools, ensuring their success while they are there, and enhancing their ability to gain admission to highly regarded four-year colleges and universities.

High Jump empowers Chicago’s middle schoolers to become well-rounded leaders through our tuition-free programs, which offer one-of-a-kind experiences, resources, and educational support for curious and motivated 7th- and 8th-grade students who want to challenge themselves academically.

We provide a holistic learning program to help learners develop the skills they need to thrive wherever they go. The program consists of six weeks of daily instruction in the summer and an average of two Saturdays each month during the school year. Our curriculum exposes students to culturally relevant literature, themes, rigorous math instruction, and experiential learning.

What makes a student a scholar? A love of learning and a desire to seek experiences to challenge themselves socially and academically. Our students are intellectually curious and academically motivated; many are the first people in their families to attend college.

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