It was not the illness that defined Erik's daughter, Jessie, but her ebullient spirit, her heart to serve others and the encouragement she delivered to other children battling cancer to "Never Ever Give Up" (NEGU.)

Jessie's spirit lives on through the foundation her family founded to encourage children battling cancer. Jessie's dad, Erik, is here to share more about his daughter and family, Jessie’s JoyJars, and other initiatives led by the Jessie Rees Foundation.

To learn more:

⁠⁠https://negu.org⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://uncommonphilanthropist.com⁠⁠

#hope #JoyJars #pediatric cancer #foundation #NEGU #neverevergiveup #philanthropy #uncommonphilanthropist

Horses have power, intuition and gentleness within to be magical therapists. Hippotherapy can be used in a number of therapies--helping disabled children learn to walk and healing emotional wounds of veterans and other trauma survivors. Shining Hope Farms, a non-profit, is a three-farm facility in North Carolina that started small with tremendous results and is now delivering big impact for residents in that area.  Patrice Gibson, Executive Director of Shining Hope Farms, is here to share more. Our conversation includes details of a unique donation the organization received from a family to honor their loved one, who too loved horses:  the Ellie T. Tractor.  

To learn more:  https://shininghopefarms.org

https://uncommonphilanthropist.com

Dr. Deborah Heiser joins Rena for an inspiring word about aging (newsflash, it does have a few advantages) and how mentoring is a form of philanthropy.  Dr. Heiser is an Applied Developmental Psychologist and shares her brilliant insight on mentoring, generativity and how we can make the most of our later years. Let go!

For more information:

https://mentorproject.org

Https://uncommonphilanthropist.com

Walking with a loved one through dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease can be a long and often lonely experience. It can also be offset by moments of love and joy. Family members who’ve traveled this path of caring for a loved one with dementia often learn valuable lessons along the way. Many are inspired to write and publish books to help process what they are going through and to provide a roadmap for others. The ALZ Authors organization is here to support those writers and to bridge the gap so that these books find their way to those who need it most. Marianne Sciucco, a nurse, author and one of the co-founders of ALZ Authors, is here to share more about when words fail they can also inspire.

To learn more:  ALZauthors.com

uncommonphilanthropist.com

#dementia #alzheimers #homecare #servantleadership #caringforalovedone

In this episode of Uncommon Philanthropist, you'll learn more about the power of hope and help as shared by Ethan Forhetz, Vice President of Public Engagement/ National Spokesperson for Convoy of Hope. Convoy of Hope is a tremendous organization working to make a differenc ein the lives of children around the world. As UPs, let's connect, engage and support this faith-based organization with a passion to feed the world. Let go!

P.S. Since this episode was recorded, Convoy of Hope is now on the ground in Jamaica serving our brothers and sisters with disaster recovery support services following Hurricane Melissa. Please remember the people of Jamaica in your prayers and give generously if you are able: https://convoyofhope.

To learn more:

https://convoyofhope.org

https://uncommonphilanthropist.com

Please accept our apologies and excuse the less than stellar audio in this episode as we experienced an audio feedback issue on Rena's mic that went undetected until the recording was over. This conversation was too good, however, not to share, thanks to the professionalism and talent of our guest, Ethan Forhetz, a former news anchor with over 25 years experience. We hope you enjoy their conversation.

#disasterrecovery #hope #hurricanemelissa #giveservelove #convoyofhope #givetoday

Have you ever considered that connecting is a form of philanthropy? In this episode, you’ll meet David Homan, a next level connector, uncommon philanthropist, dad, author and composer. He is here today to challenge the way we think about connection and how we can maximize our ability as connectors to build purposeful communities.  Let go!

To learn more:

https://orchestratedconnecting.com

Https://uncommonphilanthropist.com

Caring for a loved one with dementia is truly one of the highest forms of philanthropy. Kathi Miracle is an author, expert and consultant and helps caregivers navigate the challenges of dementia care with compassion, knowledge and practical strategies.  She is here to share more with us about The Silver Tsunami.  Let go!  

https://www.mysilvertsunami.com

https://uncommonphilanthropist.com

Professor Renee Bourque leads us through the essentials of finding grant funding and so much more in this fun and informative episode. Renee advises UPs that curiosity should lead the way for those seeking to serve others through philanthropy. Let go!

For more information:

GettingFundedBooks.com

BrightStarGrantConsultants.com

UncommonPhilanthropist.com

#Philanthropy #uncommonphilanthropist #serve #servantleaders #servantleadership #gettingfunded

Homelessness is something that universally tugs on our heartstrings. You see that person, with a sign by the side of the road, and you want to help, so you stop and give money or you give “stuff”. As you will learn in today’s conversation with Chuck Willbanks, the former Outreach Director of SafeHouse Outreach, warns that does not help, and in fact may be causing more harm than good. As Uncommon Philanthropists, we are here to learn and then to mobilize. As it turns out, helping our homeless brothers and sisters is not about money or donations of items:  it’s about connection and love.  Let go!

To learn more:

https://safehouseoutreach.org

Https://cityofrefugeatl.org

https://uncommonphilanthropist.com

On our journey to becoming uncommon philanthropists, it's important we gain wisdom along the way. Chris Gabriel, a philanthropy and financial expert and author of the new book, WISEgenerosity teaches us how we become both generous and WISE in our philanthropy.

To learn more:

https://wisegenerosity.com

https://uncommonphilanthropist.com