How Can I Help?

Jenny McGee is the founder and CEO of Starfish Project, a nonprofit social enterprise that helps women escaping exploitation to build new futures through meaningful employment, education, and holistic care. For more than twenty years, Jenny has lived in Asia, where she and her team have had the privilege of walking alongside women as they discover their worth, develop their gifts, and achieve independence.

What started as a small jewelry business around a kitchen table has grown into an international organization currently employing around a hundred women and creating opportunities for survivors to thrive. Jenny is passionate about using business as a force for good and believes that every person deserves the chance to pursue their dreams and reach their potential.

When she's not leading Starfish Project, Jenny enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, running, and sharing stories of hope and transformation from the women whose lives inspire her every day.

LINKS:
starfishproject.com Discount Code: HELPER15 for 15% off

Mads Gobbo is the program supervisor of Literally Healing, an innovative literacy program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Mads worked in independent bookstores for a decade and is also a writer, illustrator, and teacher. She has published two books for children, one for adults, and is currently at work on a picture book.

Links:
https://www.chla.org/literally-healing

Catharina Doria is an AI ethicist, consultant, and content creator with an audience of more than 200,000 followers across social platforms. 

Recognized in 2023 as one of the 100 Most Brilliant Women in Ethical AI™, she empowers people worldwide to understand artificial intelligence and protect themselves from its risks. She has spoken on global stages, including MIT Horizon (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), TEDx, and Campus Party, sharing insights on #Tech4Good and digital safety. Fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and German, Catharina creates bilingual content that resonates with diverse audiences. 

She earned a BA in Communication & Digital Media and a Master’s in Business Analytics & Big Data—both with honors from IE University in Spain. Now based in São Paulo, she blends expertise with creativity to inspire worldwide, guided by her motto: “making learning cool again!

Jason Wise is an outdoor and online (@jasonjourneyman) environmental educator, a Certified California Naturalist, native plant dad, and a proud tree hugger. He has a masters degree in environmental policy (MPP) and loves helping everyone see the beautiful diversity of our urban ecosystems that’re all around us so we will fight to repair and preserve them. After a mid-career burnout at a government affairs desk job, he pivoted to search for meaningful work outdoors. 

Countless volunteer hours in plant and wildlife habitat conservation, as many local science classes he could fit into his schedule, and video making skills honed during the pandemic downtime, brought him to his current career as an environmental educator in person and on social media. Today he journey's around the western United States, documenting hopeful stories in nature and highlighting the conservation battles where our help is needed. He believes that by connecting to nature, we connect to ourselves and each other, which helps this world become a happier, gentler, more sustainable place.

If you'd like more California Native plants, sent a two sentence email to [email protected] (for LA) and [email protected] (for the rest of CA).

Links:
Jasonjourneyman.com
CivicSoul.org
projectmonarchla.org
Sierraclub.org
Treepeople.org
inaturalist.org
nrdc.org
give.nationalparks.org
On Instagram @jasonjourneyman @blackforager, @mixerchristiannn @goldernstatenaturalist @queerbrownvegan @goldenstatenaturalist @civicsoulorg

NINA WEST (Andrew Levitt) He rose to international prominence on the 11th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Other notable credits include Weird: Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead, The Al Yankovic Story (Divine), “Dragging the Classics: The Brady Bunch” (Alice), and voiceover work for Nickelodeon’s “Blue’s Clues,” “Baby Shark’s Big Show,” “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race,” the recent “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9,” “Drag Me To Dinner,” Bobby Moynihan’s “Loafy,” Hulu’s “The Bravest Knight”,  and documentaries Lady Like and Kings, Queens, and In Betweens. On stage, he starred as Edna Turnbald in the national tour of Broadway’s Hairspray The Musical.

Nina has hosted events around the world. Of note: 74th Annual ACE Eddie Awards, Disney+ Pride Special, events at San Diego Comic-Con, and galas for SAGE and Bring Change to Mind, among others.

His charitable foundation, The Nina West Foundation, has raised over $3 million dollars for charities in central Ohio and around the world.

His first children’s book, The You Kind of Kind was published in 2022 by PA Press.

Nina has performed with Kermit the Frog and The Muppets. It does not get better than that.

Links: 

https://www.ninawest.com/

Steven Sawalich’s latest work, Case for Kindness, is an award-winning documentary exploring the transformative impact of kindness on society and emphasizes its critical role in shaping our future. The film has earned over 75 awards worldwide.

Sawalich is President & CEO of Articulus Entertainment, combines a passion for humanitarian work with a commitment to capturing emotionally compelling and thought-provoking human experiences on film. Under his leadership, Articulus has consistently delivered commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies, television shows, and original programming to audiences worldwide.

His directorial debut was Music Within (2007), which won the Audience Award at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival and was distributed by MGM.

In 2015, he launched Operation Change on the Oprah Winfrey Network, a documentary series featuring global changemakers like the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, and Elton John. His 2019 film Where the Light Shines followed two Afghan skiers striving for the Olympics and offered a rare hopeful look at Afghanistan.

Sawalich has worked with numerous organizations, including Starkey Hearing Foundation, Eastern Congo Initiative, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program, Sentebale, X-Prize, THORN, Virgin Unite, Special Olympics, and Clinton Global Initiative.

Links:

https://caseforkindness.com/

https://www.starkey.com/

https://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/

https://www.citizensofsound.com/

*Interview recorded in February 2025.

Rewiring America is looking to electrify the country!  Whether it’s replacing your gas stove top, changing out your heat pump, adding a solar roof, or getting solar panels, going electric can save you money and save the planet.  

Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, business owner and political leader whose innovative approach has continued to break barriers and support transformational progress. She served as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history. Abrams has launched multiple nonprofit organizations devoted to democracy protection, tackling policy issues and building a more equitable future. Abrams founded Sage Works Productions, Inc., a media company dedicated to leveraging the power of storytelling to craft creative solutions.

Link:

https://www.rewiringamerica.org/

https://www.staceyabrams.com/

Habitat for Humanity has been helping to put roofs over people’s heads for decades and in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in January of 2025, CEO of Habitat for Humanity San Gabriel Valley has promised to build 200 homes for those fire survivors.  Caitlin and John Stamos recently volunteered at a build day and want to get more people involved in the many upcoming build days on the road to recovery for the Altadena area.

Bryan Wong has been leading a team of 50+ individuals in the mission of building homes, community and hope in the San Gabriel Valley since April 2021. Prior to his role as SGV Habitat CEO, the Cal Poly Pomona graduate founded his own affordable housing nonprofit, The American Homeownership Foundation, served 10 years on the board of directors for Los Angeles Nation Bank, and on the Monrovia Board of Education for about 17 years – highlighting his greatest passions, education and homeownership.

Link:

https://sgvhabitat.org/

Ed Diab is a leading wildfire litigation attorney who has recovered over $1.65 billion on behalf of wildfire victims against power companies. He has secured numerous landmark settlements, including $415 million in the 2017 North Bay Fires, $582 million in the 2018

Camp Fire, and $210 million in the 2018 Woolsey Fire. In 2020, he received the prestigious Daily Journal - California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award for recovering $360 million for 20 public entities affected by the 2017 Thomas Fire, Montecito Mudslides, and 2018 Woolsey Fire. Recently named to the Daily Journal’s Top Plaintiffs Lawyers list for 2024, Diab has represented numerous counties and municipalities, including Los Angeles County, Sonoma County, and the Town of Paradise. He has also been court-appointed to serve in multiple leadership positions in wildfire litigations.

Ed Diab’s Trusted Resources:

Mental Health & Counseling Services: Adrienne O’Neal, MS, MFT,

www.redrockcounseling.com;

Medical: Dr. Brandt Maloney, MD (646) 416-1233; Offering free telehealth consultations for wildfire victims/evacuees

Public Insurance Claim Adjuster: Iron Claim, Michael Fusco, [email protected];

(404) 456.3333; (404) 875-5866 www.ironclaim.com;

https://meetironclaim.com/california (Free resource guide for insurance)

Realtor: Michael Ragazzo, (818) 200-3040, [email protected]

Wildfire Lawsuit (Eaton Fire) – property damage, business losses, injuries/wrongfuldeath:

Ed Diab, Esq.; https://www.dcfirm.com; https://www.fireattorneys.com; [email protected]; (626) 248-8660

Construction/Rebuild Consultant: OHS Construction, Sam Oh (818) 913-0638; [email protected]

Insurance Coverage/Bad Faith: Renee Callantine, Esq.,

https://www.cornerlaw.com/attorneys/renee-c-callantine

Tax Lawyer: Robert Wood, Esq.; (415) 834-0113; https://www.woodllp.com

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Additional General Resources:

Visit https://www.ca.gov to replace important documents, such as driver’s licenses, state tax records, birth certificates, and more.

Los Angeles County Parks is offering free youth and teen camps for those impacted by the Eaton Fire. Visit www.parks.lacounty.gov to register https://RESPONSE.CA.GOV provides Californians with information and resources for current incidents, transportation impacts, vital health services information, shelter and housing locations, unemployment assistance, and other state information.

Information about filing an unemployment claim with the California Employment Development Department. Call 800-300-5616 if you have questions.

Help for military veterans through the California Department of Veterans Affairs.

Apply for food assistance from the state.

Apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance through the state.

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For other resources, see LawHelpCA.org listings on disaster assistance and recovery. Your recovery may start with establishing who you are or where you lived. The State Bar provides a list of agencies and next steps to get a duplicate California driver’s license or identity card, birth certificate, marriage license, or other documents. Get help with a lost document or find duplicate documents.

Christopher Carlin
Founder
MGMT Partners
Project Management / owners representative
Help manage the projects and streamline the process from permitting to completion of build.
http://mgmtpartners.com

In 2010, Christyn Taylor’s life took a drastic turn when her then seven-year-old daughter, Rebecca, was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. She immediately immersed into the world of pancreatitis as her daughter subsequently endured over 1,400 hospitalized days and 150 surgical procedures that also involved the removal of seven organs, including a Total Pancreatectomy and an Auto-Islet cell transplant. Through this process, Christyn realized the immense lack of knowledge and specialized care in the world of pediatric pancreatitis, which eventually led to the creation of Rebecca’s Wish.

In this episode, we deep dive with Christyn on how she and her family take whatever life hands them and uses it all to make life better for others.

LINKS:

www.civicsoul.org/events 

www.Howcanihelppod.com 

www.Citizenofsound.com