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Episode 99: Looking back

It is incredible believe that we are on the precipice of 100 episodes of this podcast! Truly remarkable.  I mentioned at the beginning of the year Mel Robbins saying that we can not know where we are going unless we know where we have been. So this moment, before we step off into a new season seemed like that moment to reflect on so many incredible life lessons learned from 99 incredible guests!

Since 2020, the world has changed in ways none of us could have imagined. We’ve all lived through loss, fear, isolation, and uncertainty. And yet, during these years, something extraordinary happened here at Charity Matters … we kept meeting heroes.

Not superheroes.
Not people with perfect answers.

But ordinary humans who faced life’s hardest moments and chose love anyway.

Episode 99 is a pause. A breath. A moment to look back at the people who showed us what courage, compassion, community, and faith really look like. These are the stories that didn’t just inspire us….they changed us.

I’m so glad you’re here.

 Loss, Love, and Legacy 

“Some of the most powerful Charity Matters conversations begin with the unimaginable……the loss of a child.”

Episode 94: Kate Doerge  Penny’s Flight

Kate Doerge lost her daughter Penny to Neurofibromatosis. And yet, what stays with me most from that conversation was not just grief it was joy. Kate taught us that joy and sorrow are not opposites. They coexist.

Through Penny’s Flight, Kate searches for a cure for NF while keeping Penny’s spirit alive. She reminded us that love does not end when life does and choosing joy is not denial, it is bravery.

Lesson: Joy can be an act of defiance in the face of grief.

Episode 92: Rob Thorsen  Shoulder Check

Rob Thorsen lost his son to mental health struggles and instead of letting silence continue, he broke it. Shoulder Check is built on one life-saving idea: checking in.

Rob showed us that mental health conversations are not optional. Asking “Are you okay?” can be an act of love and sometimes, an act that saves a life.

Lesson: Love becomes legacy when it leads to action.

Episode 84:  Mary Fagnano Thrive N Joy

After a tragic surfing accident changed their son Nick’s life forever, his parents chose purpose. Thrive N Joy became a youth leadership organization rooted in resilience, character, and hope.

The Fagnano family reminded us that tragedy does not have to be the end of the story, it can become the mission.

Lesson: Resilience can be modeled, taught, and shared.

Episode 64: Ian Sandler Riley’s Way

When a father lost his nine-year-old daughter Riley at sleepaway camp, he created a movement of kind leaders in her name. Riley’s Way is about empathy, courage, and leading with heart.

Riley’s short life left a long legacy.

Lesson: Kindness is never small and leadership begins with compassion.

“None of these parents chose this path. But all of them chose what came next.”

Homelessness, Dignity, and Healing 

“Homelessness is not just about housing….it’s about dignity and being seen.”

Episode 90: Terry Grahl  Enchanted Makeovers

Terry Grahl knows homelessness and trauma personally. Through Enchanted Makeovers, she transforms shelters for women and children into spaces of beauty and calm.

These rooms say: You matter.

Terry taught us that dignity is not a luxury, it is the foundation of healing.

Lesson: Beauty can be a form of justice.

Episode 36: Kevin Adler  Miracle Messages

Kevin Adler showed us that connection can be the bridge back to life. Miracle Messages reconnects people experiencing homelessness with loved ones they’ve lost touch with….sometimes for decades.

Homelessness often begins with broken relationships. Healing begins with being remembered.

Lesson: Community heals what isolation breaks.

Community: How We Rise Together

“If there is one truth that echoes through nearly every Charity Matters episode, it is this: we are not meant to do life alone.”

Episode 71: Debbie Bial  The Posse Foundation

Debbie Bial believed that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. By sending students to college together in “posses,” she created belonging and tens of thousands of college graduates.

Lesson: Belonging is a catalyst for success.

Episode 69: Rachel Doyle Glamour Gals

Teenagers doing nails with seniors might sound simple but it dissolves loneliness on both sides. GlamourGals reminded us that community doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful.

Lesson: Small connections create big change.

Episode 46: Maggie Kane  A Place at the Table

Maggie Kane’s pay-what-you-can café invites everyone to the same table…..housed or unhoused. No labels. Just dignity.

Lesson: When we eat together, we humanize one another.

Faith: The Quiet Foundation 

“So many of these heroes didn’t set out to build nonprofits. They set out to live their faith.”

Episode 9: Brian Mavis America’s Kids Belong

Brian Mavis and his wife’s faith compelled  them to act for foster children turning belief into belonging for tens of thousands of kids.

Lesson: Faith becomes powerful when it moves us beyond ourselves.

Episode 24: Hal Hargrave  Be Perfect Foundation

After becoming a paraplegic, Hal Hargrave chose to see his setback as a calling. His faith helped him transform pain into purpose.

Lesson: Faith doesn’t remove obstacles—it gives them meaning.

 

Episode 58: Kurt Handler  410 Bridge

Kurt Kandler showed us faith in action through partnership, not handouts. Empowering communities to lift themselves up.

Lesson: True service creates possibility, not dependence.

“When I look back at all of these heroes, one thing is clear….none of them did this alone, and none of them did this without love.”

Episode 99 is not just a look back. It’s an invitation to belong, to believe, and to act.

Revisit these stories on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.charity-matters.com. Share the ones that moved you. And remember:

Every time you choose kindness, compassion, or service….you become part of this story too.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

Copyright © 2026 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

 

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Ways to make a difference

The Science of Kindness

For as long as I can remember, I have believed that kindness changes everything. I didn’t need a study to tell me that showing up for someone matters but it turns out, science agrees.

Over the past few years, researchers across psychology, medicine, neuroscience, and public health have been quietly confirming something many of us who live lives of service already know in our hearts: giving doesn’t just help the person on the receiving end. It heals the giver too.

At a time when loneliness has been declared a global public health crisis, when anxiety and burnout feel like constant companions, and when the world often seems more divided than connected, kindness is emerging not just as a moral choice but as a biological and emotional lifeline. This is the science of kindness. And it is powerful.

Loneliness Is Not a Feeling It’s a Health Risk

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General called loneliness an epidemic. By 2024 and 2025, researchers around the world were publishing data that made one thing heartbreakingly clear: loneliness isn’t just sad it’s dangerous.

A major 2024 scientific review published in Nature Reviews Psychology found that social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased risk of depression, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and early mortality. The authors concluded that social connection is as critical to health as sleep, exercise, and nutrition. Let that sink in. Connection is not a “nice to have.” It is a biological need.

In 2025, the World Health Organization reinforced this conclusion, stating that strong social connection improves both mental and physical health outcomes, while chronic loneliness increases the risk of illness and premature death. So where does kindness fit into all of this? Right at the center.

Volunteering: One of the Most Effective Antidotes to Loneliness

One of the most compelling studies I’ve read recently came out in 2025. It was a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard of research) examining the effects of volunteering on loneliness. The findings were remarkable.

Researchers found that older adults who already felt lonely experienced significant reductions in loneliness when they volunteered, and perhaps even more importantly that these benefits were sustained over time when volunteering continued. This wasn’t about grand gestures or massive commitments. It was about showing up, consistently, for others.

The takeaway? Helping gives people a place to belong again. And belonging heals.

Why Helping Others Makes Us Feel Better (Even When Life Is Hard)

One of the most beautiful things about kindness is that it works even when we are struggling ourselves.

A 2025 paper published in Current Directions in Psychological Science reviewed decades of research on prosocial behavior, things like volunteering, donating, mentoring, and helping strangers. The authors concluded that acts of kindness reliably reduce loneliness and increase well-being across age groups and cultures. Why?

Because kindness restores three things we often lose during difficult seasons of life:

  1. Connection  “I am not alone.”

  2. Meaning  “What I do matters.”

  3. Agency  “I can still make a difference.”

When grief, loss, illness, or burnout strip away our sense of control, helping someone else even in a small way and then returns it. This is why service so often becomes a turning point after trauma. It reminds us that even when we are hurting, we still have something to give.

And that realization is deeply healing.

Kindness and the Body: What’s Happening Under the Hood

Here’s where things get especially fascinating. Kindness doesn’t just change how we feel. It changes what’s happening inside our bodies.

A 2024 review examining the brain, and the endocrine and immune system (published in Frontiers in Neuroscience) showed that practices associated with compassion, meaning, and stress reduction can influence inflammatory pathways, pain perception, and immune response. In plain English? Lower stress and greater emotional regulation lead to healthier bodies.

Another 2024 clinical study focusing on mindfulness and inflammation found measurable reductions in inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) among participants. While the study focused on meditation, researchers consistently note that meaning-driven, connection-based behaviors, like service, often produce similar stress-buffering effects.

This helps explain what so many nonprofit founders have told me over the years: “Helping others saved me.” It wasn’t just emotional. It was physiological.

The “Helper Effect” Is Real and It’s Scalable

Sometimes people dismiss kindness as soft or sentimental. But the data says otherwise. A 2025 mixed-methods evaluation of a community health program found that youth volunteers meaningfully improved health screening outcomes for older adults. The impact wasn’t theoretical, it was measurable.

This is what researchers call the “helper effect.” When service is structured thoughtfully, it benefits: the recipient, the helpers and the broader community. Everyone wins. And here’s the most important part: the helper effect doesn’t require perfection, wealth, or expertise. It requires presence.

Why Small Acts Matter More Than We Think

One of my favorite findings across this body of research is this: consistency matters more than intensity.

The volunteering study showed that sustained, modest engagement produced longer-lasting benefits than short bursts of activity. This aligns beautifully with something nonprofit founders say all the time: “Small actions, done consistently, change everything.” Science backs that up.

A smile. A phone call. A few hours a month. A handwritten note. These are not insignificant gestures, they are biological signals of connection. And connection is medicine.

Designing Kindness That Heals (For Individuals and Organizations)

So what do we do with all of this? Whether you’re an individual wondering how to feel better, or a nonprofit leader designing programs, the research points to a few powerful principles:

1. Make it social

Service that includes human connection is far more impactful than transactional giving.

2. Keep it doable

Small, repeatable acts are more sustainable and more healing than overwhelming commitments.

3. Show the impact

When people can see how they helped, they’re more likely to keep going. Meaning fuels momentum.

4. Serve with others

Community amplifies kindness. We heal faster together.

Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

We are living in a time of extraordinary need and extraordinary opportunity. Loneliness is rising. Burnout is real. And yet, kindness remains one of the most accessible tools we have to combat both. The science is finally catching up to what many of us have lived: service is not just something we do for others. It is something that restores us.

Kindness reconnects us to ourselves, to one another, and to hope. And perhaps that’s why it has always mattered so much. Because every time we love, we give. And every time we give, something inside us heals too.

 

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

Copyright © 2026 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Episode 98: Caroline’s Cause

Nonprofit founders are some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs on the planet. They see a problem and create a solution. Today’s guest, Drew Long is no exception. Her first entrepreneurial journey was to create a shopping cart for her disabled daughter, Caroline. Drew is an Alabama mom with a big heart, a thick skin, and the kind of determination that changes systems. After solving that problem for millions of families she went on to solve another. Drew founded Caroline’s Cause, a scholarship nonprofit created for the typical siblings of children with special needs. In the middle of caregiving, life, and all the messy real-world logistics, Drew looked at those overlooked siblings and said, “We see you.” That simple sentence becomes a force in this conversation.

Drew is that she’s the real deal. She is equal parts tenderhearted and tough, honest about how hard this life can be, and hilarious in the way only someone who’s been through it can be.  In our chat, Drew shares the moment she realized there were scholarships for everything and yet nothing for students growing up with a special needs sibling. So she built it. Her dream is simple: no unfunded scholarship, ever. If you want a story about grit, love, community, and what it looks like to take a hard card in life and turn it into change for good….press play.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Caroline’s Cause does?

Drew Long:  Caroline’s Cause is a nonprofit that awards college scholarships to entering freshmen who have a special needs sibling. To qualify, students come from families like mine—families where there is one child with significant needs and other children who are “typical.” In those families, the dynamic is real and unavoidable: the special needs child requires more time, more attention, more resources. That doesn’t mean you love the other children less. It simply means the needs are different.

In our home, my daughter Caroline has seizures, she doesn’t walk, she wears a diaper, and she needs full-time care. My other children grew up knowing that Caroline needed more of Mama’s time. They stepped back quietly and selflessly. And there is almost nothing out there that recognizes those siblings….the ones who take the back seat without complaint. Caroline’s Cause was created to say, we see you. We want to thank you for being such a great brother or sister. We want to honor that sacrifice and that love.

Charity Matters: What experiences did you have as a child that influenced this work?

Drew Long: I grew up with a special needs aunt, my mom’s sister had cerebral palsy. Looking back, I really believe that was God’s way of softening my heart and preparing me for a life I had no idea was coming. I was always tender toward special needs families, even before I fully understood what that life meant.

And I’ll say something that took me a long time to admit: nobody wants a special needs child and that’s okay to say. That doesn’t mean you don’t love your child. It means that as parents, we all have hopes and dreams for our kids, and when you face a diagnosis like I did, those dreams crash and burn. My heart had been prepared early on, not through nonprofits or philanthropy, but through proximity through seeing special needs up close and watching families navigate it.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Caroline’s Causes?

Drew Long: The moment came when my oldest daughter was getting ready for college. Like every parent, we started looking for scholarships and we found everything under the sun. If you’re left-handed, there’s a scholarship. If you have a tiny percentage of Irish ancestry, there’s a scholarship.

So I said, “Surely there’s a scholarship for students who have a special needs sibling.” There wasn’t. Not one.

That’s when I knew. I told my husband, “I have a great idea,” and he practically shut me down, until I said, “It’s not a product. It’s a nonprofit.” I thought that would make it easier. It didn’t. But it was born out of a real need, this time for my typical daughter, and for families like ours everywhere.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Drew Long: Honestly, my biggest challenge has been my own naïveté and strangely, that’s also what’s sustained me. I truly believed both my business and this nonprofit would be easy. Had I known how hard either one would be, I might never have started.

With the business, my husband and I ended up funding it with our retirement something we never planned or intended. With the nonprofit, I assumed that because it wasn’t a product, everyone would love it as much as I did. That hasn’t been the case. If I had sat down early on with seasoned nonprofit leaders and heard everything that could go wrong, I probably wouldn’t have done it. So not knowing what was around the corner actually worked in my favor.

Charity Matters: What fuels you to keep doing this work?

Drew Long: Award day. Every single time.

When I call the families and the moms are crying, telling me this was the only scholarship their child received…..that’s what fuels me. We don’t look at ACT scores. We require a 3.0 GPA and base everything on need. I lived the ACT nightmare with my own kids, and I don’t believe it’s a good measure of potential.

These kids often wouldn’t qualify for academic scholarships, but they are absolutely deserving. That moment when they realize, I got a scholarship, when they get to stand with their peers on awards day and that sense of pride is everything. It’s not just financial. It’s validation.

Charity Matters: When do you know you have made a difference?

Drew Long: I know we’ve made a difference because I stay in touch with the families. Our first scholarship recipients are graduating this spring. Parents tell me that we lifted a burden during that first year and that initial push made college possible.

And it goes beyond money. It’s confidence. It’s pride. It’s knowing someone believed in them. One of our recipients went to welding school, and his mom told me she applied on a whim. We were proud to support that because trades matter. AI isn’t replacing welders or plumbers. We need to normalize that path again.

Charity Matters: Tell us what success you have had and what your impact has been? 

Drew Long: So far, we’ve awarded 13 scholarships and each one is $5,000. People told me that was too much, but I wanted to move the needle. College is expensive. Five thousand dollars can cover a year at junior college. It’s enough to matter.

The impact isn’t just the number. It’s the pride these students feel. It’s families who thought college wasn’t possible suddenly seeing a path forward. That’s success to me.

Charity Matters: If you could dream any dream for your organization, what would that be?

Drew Long: My dream is simple: to never have an unfunded scholarship. Last year, we had 78 unfunded applicants. That number still sits with me.

Caroline’s Cause is my give-back. I don’t take a salary. If someone gives $5,000, it goes in and goes right back out as a scholarship. I want donors to know exactly where their money goes. People work hard for their money, and transparency matters.

Charity Matters: What life lessons have you learned from this experience?

Drew Long: Do not take no from someone who can’t say yes. Corporate America turned me down when I pitched the idea for a special needs shopping cart. Had I not lived the daily reality of this community, that cart wouldn’t exist today.

You cannot be afraid of hard. You have to be willing to put it all on the line. It’s terrifying. It’s risky. I never thought I was a risk-taker but that’s what it took. You may be asked to walk a path you never imagined, and you have to say yes anyway.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Drew Long: You can’t go through years of financial and emotional uncertainty and come out unchanged. Being a special needs parent gives you thick skin. You learn to advocate. You learn to fight. That prepared me for business and for this nonprofit.

I’ve heard “no” more times than I can count and I’m still hearing it. But you keep going. Failure is part of the journey. Community is everything. Nothing I’ve done, neither business nor nonprofit, happened alone. It was people rallying together to solve a problem.

Caroline’s legacy lives through this work. And if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this: just keep going.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

Copyright © 2026 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

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Heart Disease

February is all about heart

January gets all the attention. New calendars. Fresh planners. Big resolutions written in bold ink. We step into the New Year fueled by hope, energy, and the belief that this will be the year everything changes.

And then February arrives quietly.

The decorations come down, the confetti is swept away, and real life settles back in. The gym crowds thin. The lists get tucked into drawers. And yet, this is exactly when the real work begins.

February is Heart Month. And not just in the medical or nonprofit sense, though that matters deeply. February is the month that invites us to pause, look inward, and ask a far more important question than What do I want to do this year?

It asks: Who do I want to be?

February is the month of love. Valentine’s Day reminds us of romance, connection, and affection but the deepest kind of love is not always wrapped in red paper and ribbon. Sometimes love looks like honesty. Often it looks like courage. More than that love looks like choosing to change patterns that no longer serve us.

This is the month to take stock.

By now, we have enough distance from January to tell the truth. Which goals still feel aligned? What goals were fueled by pressure instead of purpose? Which dreams are whispering instead of shouting and refuse to go away?

February doesn’t demand grand gestures. It invites quiet commitment.

In the nonprofit world, February is also Heart Month, a reminder of why so many of us do this work in the first place. We don’t show up to change the world because it’s easy. We show up because something in our heart tells us we must. Because injustice, suffering, or loss has touched us personally. Because love compels action.

And that’s the connection February offers us all.

Real change for good rarely happens in loud moments. It happens in the quiet spaces where intention turns into action. Where reflection turns into resolve. Where love becomes something we do, not just something we feel.

February is not about starting over. It’s about recommitting.

It’s about asking:

  • What habits am I willing to protect?

  • Are there boundaries  I need to strengthen?

  • Where have I been rushing past what really matters?

This is the month to check your heart…..not just your pulse, but your purpose.

Are you living in alignment with what you believe matters most?
Do your days reflecting your values?
Are you loving others and yourself in ways that are sustainable?

Winter still surrounds us in February. The pace is slower. The evenings are quieter. Nature itself seems to be resting and preparing. There is wisdom in that.

We don’t always need to do more.
Sometimes we need to become more intentional about how we do what we do.

February gives us permission to stop chasing shiny resolutions and instead nurture lasting change. Small, steady, heart-centered steps. The kind that don’t burn out by March but grow roots that last all year.

In a world that glorifies urgency and noise, February reminds us that transformation often begins softly…ireflection, in love and in choice.

This is the month to lean into compassion.
To forgive yourself for what didn’t stick in January.
Time to celebrate what did.
Then adjust, not abandon your goals.

Because love is patient.
Change is incremental.
And the heart knows the way forward if we’re willing to listen.

So as February unfolds, I invite you to treat it as a gift. A pause. A checkpoint. A heart check.

Let this be the month you choose intention over intensity.
Connection over perfection.
Purpose over pressure.

Because when change is led by the heart, it doesn’t fade with the seasons.

It becomes who we are.

And that is how we truly change for good.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

Copyright © 2026 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

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Cancer

World Cancer Day: February 4th

The words, “You have cancer,” change everything.

They change the rhythm of a heartbeat, the meaning of time, the way a family breathes together. Those words change plans and priorities, conversations and calendars. According to data from 2022, more than 20 million people around the world hear those three words each year, and over 53 million people are alive within five years of a diagnosis, still living with and navigating the disease.

There isn’t one person reading this who hasn’t been touched by cancer. A parent, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, a colleague and a neighbor. Cancer is indiscriminate and relentless, and yet, so are the people who rise to meet it with courage, grit, and hope.

Right now, I have three dear friends all young, vibrant, and full of life who are actively fighting this insidious disease. Watching someone you love endure cancer is its own kind of heartbreak. You want to fix it, take the pain away and most of all to do something. When the truth is that so much of it is out of your control. And yet, this is where love lives, in the something we can do.

Next week, on Wednesday, February 4th, the world will pause to recognize World Cancer Day. I’m sharing this early this year with one simple hope: that we use this moment not just to raise awareness, but to take action. Because kindness, support, and connection matter more than we sometimes realize especially to someone walking through cancer.

The Silent Weight of Cancer

Cancer is not just a medical diagnosis. It is emotional. Financial. Spiritual. It brings exhaustion that sleep doesn’t cure and fear that no amount of reassurance fully erases. Cancer affects the patient, yes but also their families, caregivers, and communities.

There are days filled with scans and waiting rooms. Days of good news and days of devastating setbacks and days when the bravest thing someone can do is simply get out of bed. And while survivors often speak of strength, what I have learned again and again is this: strength doesn’t mean doing it alone. Support matters. Being seen matters. Feeling remembered matters.

What Not to Say and What to Do Instead

Many of us want to help, but we’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. So we say nothing. Or we offer vague promises: “Let me know if you need anything.” Here’s the truth: people with cancer are tired. Tired of explaining, tired of asking and tired of being strong.

Instead of waiting, show up with intention:

  • Drop off a meal (or better yet, a grocery or restaurant gift card).

  • Send a simple text: “Thinking of you today.”

  • Offer specifics: “I can drive you to treatment Tuesday” or “I’ll take the kids Saturday.”

  • Sit quietly. Listen. Let them talk or not talk at all.

Sometimes the greatest gift is presence without pressure.

Small Acts That Make a Big Difference

As we approach World Cancer Day, here are tangible ways each of us can support those living with cancer:

1. Support Cancer-Focused Organizations
There are incredible nonprofits providing research funding, patient services, advocacy, and community. A donation large or small that all helps fuel hope. All of these resources below are linked.

2. Give Time, Not Just Money
Volunteer at a hospital. Help with transportation. Babysit. Walk a dog. Cancer steals energy and your time gives it back.

3. Send Comfort, Not Just Cards
Soft socks. Cozy blankets. Journals. A playlist. Small comforts can bring enormous relief during long treatment days.

4. Educate Yourself
Understanding the disease your loved one is facing allows you to be more compassionate and present. Knowledge builds empathy.

5. Honor Caregivers
Caregivers are often the quiet warriors. Check on them. Feed them. Encourage them to rest. They need support too.

The Power of Community

One of the greatest lessons cancer teaches us, if we’re paying attention, is the power of community. No one is meant to walk this road alone. When we show up for one another, we lighten the load in ways medicine alone cannot. I’ve seen how a meal train becomes a lifeline. How a text at the right moment becomes strength. How a prayer, a note, a simple “I’m here” becomes hope.

And hope matters.

Why World Cancer Day Matters

World Cancer Day isn’t just a date on the calendar. It’s a reminder that cancer is a global fight and a deeply personal one. World Cancer Day is a call to compassion, to advocacy and a call to action. On February 4th, wear a ribbon. Share a story. Make a donation. Reach out to someone who is fighting. Do something….anything that says, “You are not alone.”

Because love doesn’t cure cancer but it carries people through it.

A Final Thought

To those fighting cancer: you are seen, you are loved. and you are more than this diagnosis. For those who have lost someone: your grief matters, and your love lives on. And to those who want to help but don’t know how: start small. Start now. Start with love.

This World Cancer Day, let us turn awareness into action, compassion into community, and kindness into healing. Because when we care for one another, truly care, we change the world, one act of love at a time.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

Copyright © 2026 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

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Education

Episode 97: For Farmers Movement

Before Dana DiPrima ever set out to start a movement, she was busy connecting people and communities in every corner of her life…..government, nonprofits, corporations, and even as a soccer mom “on steroids” serving 4,200 kids. What she didn’t know then was that a simple “yes” to backyard chickens would quietly change everything. That accidental farm in the Catskills introduced her to farmers whose work is nothing short of miraculous, yet largely invisible. As Dana began listening to their stories, their struggles, their pride, and their resilience…..she realized that the people feeding us every day were not being valued. Farmers weren’t asking for charity; they wanted to be seen, valued, and supported. And once Dana sees a problem that matters, she doesn’t look away.What followed was the birth of the For Farmers Movement, a bold, grassroots effort built on small actions with big impact. Since 2022, Dana has helped distribute hundreds of grants to farmers across nearly every state, proving that even $1, when multiplied by community, can change lives. Fueled by persistence, heart, and a deep belief that good grows when people are given simple ways to act, Dana has created more than a nonprofit….she’s built a movement rooted in honor, connection, and hope. Her story will forever change the way you think about the food on your table and the people who make it possible.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what For Farmers Movement does?

Dana DiPrima:  Since 2022, we have given grants to farmers across the country in 48 states and one territory and that’s just a small piece of what the For Farmers Movement does. It really started because I felt like we go about our busy lives and we don’t think about the people who are doing things that are essential to our society. We just take them for granted. I sort of crept into the farmer space accidentally through a little accidental farm that I have. That introduced me to these local farmers who were the most amazing people.  I started listening to what they were saying and what they were doing.

 I started the For Farmers Movement because I feel like we need to focus on the people who are essential like this. Farmers are providing us with delicious and healthy food for our families, and they’re knitting together our communities. A lot of our grants are farmer-to-farmer by supporting projects where they’re buying locally, working locally, strengthening their own towns. Every single small farm is a local economic driver. Wouldn’t you rather have one giant farm driving an economy, or 200 small farms doing it? We do grants, but we do a lot of other things too. It’s all about helping people see farmers, value them, and support them in real, practical ways.

Charity Matters: What experiences did you have as a child that Influenced this work?

Dana DiPrima:   I think it’s always been a little bit a part of my DNA. I’m not 100% sure where it came from, except that in my first years out of college and in every job I’ve had every career I’ve had has always been about connecting the dots between people and communities. I’ve worked in government, nonprofits, corporations, and community-based organizations, and the thread through all of it has been moving the needle for good. Even when you’re making small improvements, it’s still an improvement, and I think it’s important to know that in your life the little things that you do that are good, they add up.

Even when I worked in a big corporation with all the media moguls, I was the good girl. I was the head of cause-related marketing.  Where I could show clients how to have a heart and a soul in their work.  It’s been a long and interesting ride, but I think I bring everything to bear here in the For Farmers Movement. Everything I’ve experienced, all of the charities I’ve worked with, all of the innovative ideas, and all of the questions led to this.

I learned a lot from incredible experiences. With St. Jude Thanks and Giving, the one thing I learned from Marlo Thomas is never say die. She does not take no for an answer. And when I worked at Jones Apparel Group, I was so proud that we focused on smaller nonprofits, making a real difference with AdoptAClassroom, teacher fund, and campaigns like Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher. You have to get people’s attention in 100 different ways. You have to be tenacious. You have to never quit. And all of that, it all adds up. It all leads to this.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start For Farmers Movement?

Dana DiPrima: If you look at it from the 35,000-foot view, it might not make any sense at all. Before starting the For Farmers Movement, I was the commissioner for 10 years for the largest youth soccer league in the country.  More like, I was a soccer mom on steroids, with 4,200 kids. It was a community of people who needed support and direction. Around that same time, I had a property in the western Catskills and also lived in New York City, which is a pretty dramatic contrast. I had little kids, and when my daughter asked, “Can we get some chickens?” I said yes without blinking. Then one escaped, I panicked, called the farmer, and he said, “Find your inner predator,” and hung up on me. I hunted down that chicken with big leather fireplace gloves on, caught it, and I never looked back.

From there, things escalated. Chickens turned into goats, then donkeys, ducks, bees, and 17 gardens that I do myself. I just sort of went off the deep end. But through all of that, I started to understand farmers in a real way. They became friends, touchstones, people I learned from. In 2019, I started a podcast called Talk Farm to Me. I was just a microphone and I wanted farmers to tell their stories because they’re amazing.

What they do to get butter to your table is nothing short of miraculous. Your hamburger took two to three years to get to the plate, daily work for that one meal. Then the pandemic hit, farmers were suddenly considered essential, there was this huge spotlight moment, and then overnight it disappeared. I kept listening. In 2022, after hearing a woman speak about community at a conference, everything connected. I went home, wrote a 40-page manifesto, called my coach, and said, “I have to make a presentation to you, and you have to tell me if I’m nuts.”

That led to what I call the six-grand experiment. I started on Instagram and said, “You’ve got to find your local farmers. Tag them to nominate them for a grant.” It was a mess….hundreds of nominations, reaching out to farmers who had never heard of me but we awarded six grants across the country, and it was proof. Farmers can stretch a dollar like nobody’s business. There’s not one farmer who doesn’t have a project on the back burner that could help them get to the next level. The biggest aha for me was realizing that farmers are invisible. We don’t know where our food comes from, and farmers are incredibly proud. They don’t have their hands out for charity. This is not charity. It’s an opportunity to invest in your farmer and your community. That nomination is a permission giver, but it’s also honor. And even if nothing comes from it beyond that moment of being seen, that matters.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Dana DiPrima: The hardest things are like a daisy chain of hardest things. The end of 2025 is the first year I don’t feel like I’m carrying it all on my back. I feel like it’s moving on its own now. There are a lot of people invested in the, For Farmers Movement. Farmers supporters, and people across the country who care about their health, their communities, their economy, and their environment. But people are busy, and they care about a lot of things, so part of my work is helping them understand why they need to care about small farmers. That’s why it’s so important to me to give people small actions that have a big impact. We are built on that.

I’ve given away almost $200,000 in grants since 2022. Every year on January 1 the ticker starts again.  I’ve got to raise more money. But the spirit of this is that $1 from a million people is more valuable than a million dollars from one person, which I would accept, of course. Because when I give a farmer a $1,000 grant and tell them there are 1,000 people standing in their field, recognizing them, applauding them, cheering them on, that is more meaningful than a big corporate check.

Charity Matters: What fuels you to keep doing this work?

Dana DiPrima: On the one side, I get a farmer calling me crying on the phone because she’s so excited. A 10th year farmer that she just got a grant to move her farm. And she can’t believe the community behind her. I can’t tell you how meaningful that is.

And on the other side, I have farmers in my inbox: “I’m so disappointed we didn’t get a grant.” And someone sends me a farm with a huge fire. So what can I do? We have an emergency fund. We have wish lists. We have 97 farmers and growing on the wish list. It’s really easy to click send…work gloves, socks. My daughter sent socks to a farmer and got the delivery message.

So again: go to the wish lists. Find a farmer in your state. Click send.

Charity Matters: When do you know you have made a difference?

Dana DiPrima: Every single farmer I’ve supported with a grant has said it’s about way more than the money. The impact is them being seen, being recognized. That nomination is honor. Farmers are invisible every day. And for someone to honor the work that matters.

Charity Matters: Tell us what success you have had and what your impact has been? 

Dana DiPrima: I count numbers….291 grants, 48 states and one territory. People’s Choice Award: 45 farmers submit videos and we get over 20,000 votes. 97 farmers on the wish list.

But more important than any of that is being seen. And I share facts too: less than 2% of our population are farmers feeding 100% of us. We lost 141,271 farmers between 2017 and 2022 and that’s over 20 million acres we can’t get back. If you shop in your supermarket, 15% stays local, but if you shop at the farmers market, over 70% stays in your local community. I try to build awareness of how important your support is.

Charity Matters: If you could dream any dream for your organization, what would that be?

Dana DiPrima: I’m living a lot of it. Every year we’re doing something different and bigger. We went from that six-grand experiment to 100 grants a year.

In 2026 we selected 20 farms for a $10,000 farm-changing grant. We’ll make that award during National Ag Week in mid-March.

And I want to keep bringing customers closer. Nominate your farmer all year. In February we send postcards, kits of 10 stamped postcards. People tell me how much it meant to say thank you. We have the Voice Awards. We piloted Walk a mile in a farmer’s boots and we’re expanding to 10 markets. And anytime you can shop the wish list. Always opportunities to do something good for farmers.

Charity Matters: What life lessons have you learned from this experience?

Dana DiPrima: Starting a movement is a crazy idea, and it’s really, really hard, and I quit. Tuesdays and Thursdays I basically quit. And I didn’t quit. I didn’t take no for an answer. That failed? I’m trying this.

I’m always trying to give people opportunities to do something good that isn’t painful. Five minutes, forty minutes, $10,000 or $1. The strongest things are the simplest. Everyone can do $1. I’m going to get to a million dollars, $1 at a time. Vote for your farmers. You don’t even have to know them.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Dana DiPrima: Oh, I can pick up a chicken. I’m a veterinarian, a zookeeper, an excellent housekeeper and bucket scrubber. But I think I’m very much the same. I love to work, like to figure it out, like the challenges, talking to people and I like to hear why you don’t believe it yet so I can think about what I haven’t done.

The success is built on the small actions. My newsletter every Tuesday, 52 weeks a year. My podcast has gone two full years of not missing a Thursday. And I also have a life….dinner for nine, making my table nice, getting the Christmas tree up.

That is life. That is living. A full, beautiful life is giving.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Dreams for 2026

Since July of 2011, I have been sharing my dreams with you, every single week in one way or another. You are my confidants, my motivation, my cheer section, my diary and my accountability. More than that, you help me dream. I can’t dream without you.

I recently heard Mel Robbins say that if you’re looking at a map, you need to know where you were, how you got there, and where you are now to truly understand where you’re going. That stopped me in my tracks. Because as we stand on the edge of a brand-new year, I realized it was time to pause, look back, and reflect, so we can step forward with intention, pride, and excitement.

So today, let’s take a walk together through where we’ve been… so we can dream boldly about where we’re going.

The Early Dreams: Just Figuring it out

In the very first year of Charity Matters, the dream was simple: to find my voice and learn how to write a blog. That’s it. No grand vision. No master plan. Just the hope that maybe, if I kept showing up, the words would come and the message would matter. Creating a logo, a website those were the big dreams then.

There was no Canva, even a logo was a huge process…it was 2010 after all. Back then, tracking down nonprofit founders wasn’t easy either.  Finding them at all felt like detective work. Yet, like every nonprofit that begins with the hope of helping “just one person” a phrase I’ve heard from nearly every founder I’ve ever met. Charity Matters began the same way. One story. One voice. One post at a time.

Slowly, year by year, the dream grew.

Eventually, something shifted. Founders began coming to me. Today, we have more people to interview than we have time for and that is a gift I never take lightly.

The “All or None” Years

When I started at TACSC, I was asked a question I’ll never forget:
“How will you juggle a family, nonprofit boards, and this blog?”

The suggestion was that something had to give. My answer was simple and honest:
“It’s all or none.”

That belief shaped everything that came next.

By 2013, Sundays became writing days. I spent three to five hours every Sunday transcribing handwritten notes, replaying phone calls, and doing my best to get every word right. It was hard. It was imperfect. And it was sacred.

Looking back now, I smile at that version of myself….determined, tired, and deeply committed to showing up anyway. Who knew then that all of that was training ground for what was to come.

Big Dreams and Paused Ones

In 2018, something extraordinary happened. CBS decided to move forward with a Charity Matters reality show. It was surreal. We worked on it all through 2019, dreaming big and imagining what could be.

When my champion at CBS left in November 2019, we decided to pause and pick things up in 2020.

And then… well, we all know what happened next.

That dream didn’t die….it simply went on hold. And I’ve learned that sometimes dreams don’t disappear; they wait patiently for the right season.

The Podcast Pivot

By 2020, the dream shifted again and this time toward finding an easier way to transcribe interviews. That practical need is what led me to start the Charity Matters podcast. I naively assumed my readers would naturally become listeners.

Some of you did. Many of you didn’t. And that was okay.

What I didn’t expect was that the podcast would create an entirely new audience. One I never could have imagined. Thanks to transcription tools and new technology, the way I worked and the way we connected….all of that changed forever.

Today, the podcast is top-rated. Proof that dreams often unfold in ways we never plan, but always need.

Dreams Written in Ink

In November of 2023, during a podcast interview with Cindy Witteman, I admitted something out loud that had lived quietly in my heart for years: I had always dreamed of writing a book and contributing to a magazine.

On October 1, 2024, that dream became reality.

Change for Good launched and became an Amazon bestseller in five categories before it was even released in paperback. Weeks later, Cindy launched FORCE Magazine, and I’ve been writing a monthly column ever since.

Dreams really do come true and sometimes when you say them out loud to the right person at exactly the right time.

What 2025 Taught Me

2025 was filled with book promotion and public speaking—and I loved every minute of it. Being back in rooms with people, hearing your stories, laughing, crying, connecting… it reminded me of something essential.

Connection is what I want more of. Connection with the founders I interview. Connection with readers, listeners, and audiences who believe that kindness and service can change the world. People need people and zoom just isn’t enough.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As I look toward 2026, I see more public speaking ahead and I want to be better at it. I want to grow as a storyteller. To move people not just with words, but with presence and purpose.

I also want to fully embrace technology. No more fighting it. No more resisting. Technology is a gift that gives us back time and time is precious. I’m taking AI classes, learning new tools, and yes… I still write every word of this myself. (Though maybe that’s something I’ll rethink, too.)

One dream that feels especially bold? A TED Talk. Like training for a marathon, having that goal would push me to grow, stretch, and rise to the challenge.

The Biggest Dream of All

Perhaps the biggest and most vulnerable dream for 2026 is monetizing the podcast.

For years, I’ve paid out of pocket to keep it going by supporting our incredible team of sound editors and social media experts. Money went out every month, but none came in. I told myself I couldn’t accept funds for anything connected to charity, because this was my charity.

This year, something shifted.

If my mission is to help the helpers, then growth matters. Expansion matters. Sustainability matters. And all of that costs money.

So in 2026, we’ll begin partnering with select organizations that align deeply with our values. No selling yoga pants. No “micro-influencer” nonsense. Just meaningful partnerships with people doing good in the world.

And that feels right.

Cheers to the Journey

When I look back at where we’ve been and how far we’ve come together, I feel overwhelming pride. When I look ahead at where we’re going, I feel excited, hopeful, and deeply grateful.

Life really is about the journey and not the destination.

Thank you for being such a powerful part of mine. Thank you for dreaming with me, believing with me, and showing up week after week.

Here’s to where we’ve been and blessings on where we’re going.

Happy New Year! May all your dreams come true!

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

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What Matters?

It always begins with loss

The 80-mile-an-hour winds blew all night. The noise was deafening. The glass doors rattled so hard it felt like they might explode. We woke to our home phones and cell phones ringing at the same time…….evacuation orders.

It is still hard to believe that one year ago today, we packed up our home along with all of our neighbors, assessed how little really mattered except photos and pets, and we left.

The night before, I had been at book club with girlfriends on the east side of Pasadena when our host’s sister-in-law walked in from Altadena and quietly said, “There’s a fire.” We wrapped up early and headed home. As I drove, trash cans blew across the street and the San Gabriel Mountains glowed ominously above us. None of us knew that glow was only the beginning.

When Everything Changes in an Instant

The days that followed were surreal. Our neighborhood was a ghost town, silent in a way that felt unnatural. We were the lucky ones…..our homes were spared. But 9,400 structures were gone, and more than 6,000 of them were homes. Schools vanished. Neighborhoods disappeared. Markets were reduced to ash. The beautiful San Gabriel Mountains turned charcoal. Our community was in shock. Life, as we knew it, changed on a dime across the San Gabriel Valley.

Loss always marks the beginning of these stories. And this loss was almost impossible to fathom. It’s one thing to hear about devastation on the news; it’s another to drive past it and see Anderson Cooper and CNN broadcasting from your town auditorium, to recognize a street corner where memories once lived, and to see nothing but emptiness.

Like any death, the casseroles arrived. The community arrived. People showed up in force. Clothes were gathered. GoFundMe pages sprang to life overnight. Friends who had lost everything were still in shock, and yet the help was immediate and overwhelming. Thousands volunteered. Thousands donated. Over and over again, we witnessed the absolute best of humanity.

I will never forget watching people who had lost everything themselves volunteer to help their neighbors receive clothes, choosing to serve before standing in line for their own needs. That kind of generosity stays with you forever.

The Wave of Kindness and What Comes After

I spent weekends for months volunteering and started and ran a GoFundMe for dear friends with some reluctance. They were one of thirteen families we knew who lost their homes in both this fire and the Palisades fires. Donations poured in from all over the country. From former neighbors. From strangers. From students. From people with very little to give, who gave anyway. Everyone was helping.

And then, just like after a death, the world slowly moved on.

But many of those who lost everything couldn’t move on so easily. Where do you go when your house is gone? How do you navigate insurance, temporary housing, rebuilding timelines, bureaucracy, and endless paperwork—while grieving? How do you keep going when the adrenaline fades and the silence sets in?

It was, and still is, a grief magnified by its scale. This wasn’t one family, one street, one school. It was thousands of lives upended at once. And grief, like healing, does not follow a timeline.

The Long Arc of Resilience

There is never a death without a rebirth. There is never an earthquake without a new city, or a forest fire without new growth. Nature teaches us this cycle over and over again, even when it feels unbearably brutal. People are still in every phase of loss…..shock, anger, sadness, rebuilding, acceptance. All of it is valid.

One story, though, has stayed with me as a reminder of what resilience can look like.

A close girlfriend lost her home. Weeks later, she was surprised to learn that their garage had survived. At the time, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to discover that all she had left were a few Christmas decorations, understandably so. It felt insignificant compared to everything else that was gone.

But right before Thanksgiving, she and her husband moved into a new home. When I visited a couple of weeks before Christmas, they were beaming. Truly beaming. They had lost everything and yet they had moved forward. Their neighbor bought their burned-out lot. Insurance settled. They found a beautiful new place. And those surviving Christmas decorations? They mattered more than anyone could have predicted.

Their resilience, their positive attitude, their willingness to move onward and upward made my Christmas. It reminded me that hope doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it shows up quietly, wrapped in gratitude, sitting on a shelf where memories still live.

What Moving On Really Means

Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting. It doesn’t mean minimizing loss or pretending everything is fine. Moving on means learning how to carry grief while still choosing hope. It means honoring what was, while building what can be.

For our community, moving on looks different for everyone. For some, it means rebuilding on the same land. For others, it means starting fresh somewhere new. For many, it means navigating a maze of decisions with courage they didn’t know they had.

What I’ve learned this year is that resilience isn’t about strength in the loud moments. It’s about showing up in the quiet ones. Moments when the volunteers have gone home, when the news cameras leave, when the long road stretches ahead.

A Year Later, Still Holding Hope

I know my friend’s story isn’t everyone’s story. I know there are still families waiting, still grieving, still exhausted by a process that feels endless. And yet, one year later, stories like hers give me hope for Altadena, for the San Gabriel Valley, the Palisades and  for all of us.

Hope lives in the people who keep helping long after the headlines fade. Hope lives in neighbors who check in, in communities that remember, in small acts of kindness that continue long after the fire is out. Hope lives in resilience……the quiet, steady decision to keep going. Even this puppy pictured above found hope and a new home.

One year later, the scars remain. But so does the goodness we saw in people. And that goodness, the kind that shows up in the darkest nights, is what will continue to rebuild not just homes, but hearts.

Because even after everything burns, love, community, and hope still find a way to rise.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

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Causes

Who we met in 2025 and some of the lessons we learned

As we say goodbye to 2025 and prepare to welcome a brand-new year, it feels important….necessary, really to pause. To breathe. To look back with gratitude at the people who crossed our path and the lessons they so generously shared.

This past year, we were privileged to meet some of the most extraordinary humans. These nonprofit founders who opened their hearts, shared their stories, and reminded us what it truly means to live, to give, to serve, and to lead. These are the people who show up when life breaks open. The ones who take pain and transform it into purpose. The ones who remind us that service heals not just the world, but the soul.

What follows is a reflection on just a few of the remarkable people who we met in 2025 and the wisdom they entrusted to us, using their exact words, because their voices matter. Their truth matters. And their lessons deserve to be remembered as we step into a new year with hope.

Mission, Mentorship, and the Courage to Act

We began the year with ICL Founder Kirk Spahn, whose clarity around mission and momentum set the tone for the year ahead. Kirk said, “It goes back to being mission driven, and the idea that when you inspire someone, and someone gets inspired, you want to take action right away.” Kirk spoke about honoring what has come before while still having the courage to evolve. “I have a concept in education that we use at ICL that says, respect tradition, but embrace tomorrow.”

He reminded us that inspiration is not passive, it is meant to move us. And that mentors and teachers change lives not only by what they teach, but by what they see in us. “I believe that teachers and mentors are still what motivates people… It’s also on the flip side, someone that believes in you as an individual, that the world might see the potential in you.”

The lesson? When we believe in people and give them tools to apply their passion to the real world, we don’t just educate. We empower.

Faith, Purpose, and the Strength to Persist

We were deeply moved by KinderSmile Foundation founder Dr. Nicole McGrath Barnes, whose words were a masterclass in purpose-driven perseverance. Nicole said, “To be very honest, what fueled me was my faith and that I was brought here for a reason. This is my purpose.” And when you know your purpose, you don’t quit.

She said, There’s no such thing as giving up… You understand that there will be dark times and there will be light times, but you still persist, because it’s bigger than me. It’s serving a community and it’s creating a legacy.” Her lesson was simple and profound: purpose anchors us when the road gets hard and it always does.

Finding Your Voice So Others Can Find Theirs

Then there was the incomparable Enchanted Makeovers founder Terry Grahl, whose journey from silence to strength reminded us that voices are often born in pain. Terry is a warrior who said, “At the very beginning, I prayed through tears, arms lifted, saying, ‘God, give me a voice, please just give me a voice so I can be a voice for others.’”

Terry shared how she was once told to stay quiet and how God had other plans.“I was painfully shy… I was bullied constantly… But God kept His promise.” Her lesson was unmistakable: “God gave me this voice so I can use it for women, for children, for those who don’t yet believe they’re worthy of being heard.”

Sometimes the very thing that once silenced us becomes the tool we use to set others free.

Lessons From Parents Who Have Lost the Most

When people ask what nonprofit founders leave the biggest impressions and teach us the most? The answer is always the same: parents who have lost a child. Their grief is profound and so is their wisdom.

Choosing Meaning Over Ease

Thrive N Joy Foundation founder Mary Fagnano shared this truth after losing her son Nick: Mary said, “Never to take a day for granted. Every day is precious. Every relationship that is important to you is precious.”

And then, a line that stays with you forever:“I don’t want to live an easy life. I want to live a meaningful life.”

Being Cracked Open by Loss and Love

Susie Shaw, Founder of William’s Be Yourself Challenge, spoke with breathtaking honesty about losing her young son William. “When William died, my entire life changed 100%.” Grief reshaped her identity and expanded her compassion.“We were just cracked open. Everything just came pouring out… I’ve grown so much in my empathy.”

Her lesson was one we all need to hear: “We all just need to slow down.”

Grief, Gratitude, and Love Organized

Penny’s Flight founder Kate Doerge shared words that feel like poetry and truth intertwined. Kate said “I used to search for the ‘one client’ that would let me move the needle; now I see that the needle is people, and the work is love organized.” She reminded us that grief and gratitude are not opposites.“I’ve learned that grief and gratitude can share a sentence.”

And perhaps most beautifully: “It’s our wingspan… how far we’re willing to reach for others… that measures a life.”

Fathers’, Loss, and Clarity

A Brighter Day founder Elliot Kallen reminded us how fleeting life truly is. He said, “Life goes by in the blink of an eye.”His lesson centered on intention and impact:“What truly matters is the people around you, the lives you touch, the impact you make.”

Pain and Purpose Living Side by Side

Finally, Shoulder Check co-founder Rob Thorsen shared a powerful vision of leadership shaped by loss. Rob said, “Pain and purpose live together now.” And with clarity born from heartbreak: “Less time for what doesn’t matter, more devotion to what does.”

His closing reflection says it all: “If my legacy is simply that people checked in on one another more often, that would be a life well-lived.”

Gratitude as We Step Into a New Year

Each guest and lesson is a gift we have been given. It is my hope that we can all carry some of these words of wisdom into the New Year.  There are so many wise people we met this year and far too many people to list. To every nonprofit founder who shared so deeply and so personally…..thank you. Your journeys inspire us to be better, to find joy in loss, to keep moving forward, and to believe, deeply, that service heals.

To everyone who read, shared, subscribed, listened, and cheered us on….thank you for being part of this movement for good. The world needs us all now more than ever.

May we enter the New Year remembering that every small act of kindness makes the world better. Wishing you all a blessed, hopeful, and beautiful New Year ahead.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Merry Christmas 2025

“Christmas, my child is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”

Dale Evans

christmas-love

Today is Christmas Eve at last,
It’s here so quickly…..far too fast.
A sacred pause, a softened night,
Where hearts grow warm by candlelight.

It’s always been my favorite eve,
A night I hold and still believe.
My parents’ table, stretched and wide,
With room for all who stepped inside.

For friends and family, near and stray,
For those with nowhere else to stay.
No questions asked, no need to prove
Just open doors and space to move.

In giving love, our home once grew
More full than walls could ever do.
And now, again, we gather near,
With laughter, joy, and holiday cheer.

This year’s no different, still the same
The love, the noise, the glowing flame.
My heart is full beyond its seams,
Overflowing hope and Christmas dreams.

Yet on this night, so calm and bright,
We pause to honor those not in sight.
The empty chair, the voice we miss,
The ones we loved, remembered in this.

Their presence lingers, soft and true,
In whispered prayers and memories too.
They live in stories, love, and light,
Especially on this holy night.

And still, we’re called to look around,
For lonely hearts that may be found.
A neighbor quiet, a friend alone,
Far from the place they once called home.

A simple act, a gift so small,
Can mean the most, it means it all.
For Christmas lives in what we give,
In how we love, in how we live.

Each time we love, we freely give,
That’s how the truest gifts all live.
My wish this night, both far and near,
Is that all feel love this time of year.

May hope be felt, may hearts feel whole,
May peace and kindness fill each soul.
Merry Christmas, warm and true
May love find its way home to you.

Merry Christmas

 

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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Raising Philanthropic Children

Charity begins at home….and raising charitable children

charity-begins-at-home

We have all heard the expression that, “Charity begins at home,” a phrase that I wholeheartedly agree with.  However, when people approach me about how to “teach” philanthropy and the beauty of giving to others to their children…my response is that giving isn’t necessarily something you “teach” but rather a value that you adopt and model as a family.

In thinking about the best way to show your children how to care for others and to foster their love of helping others, reflect upon your own values and your families. If that is a goal for your family, then start by creating a culture of kindness and generosity where giving becomes something natural that your family does together.

Some other tips on raising charitable children…..

1. Start young, the earlier the better. For little ones (4 or 5), keep it simple, perhaps canned food for a local shelter or blankets for the homeless. Something that they understand.

2. Be age appropriate. Don’t overwhelm young children with world hunger but rather something relatable to them, perhaps something local in your community.

3. Engage your children in the process, especially the older they get. Find out what they care about? Perhaps they love animals and want to support a local shelter? Have them use their passion to make a difference. I have one son who struggled to learn to read, he ended up reading to children who struggled with the same thing he did when he was in high school.

4. Research together and suggests a few choices. With 1.6 million non-profits it can be overwhelming for all of us. Our family usually picks 3 or 4 ideas and then we vote on a holiday philanthropy project. We have adopted soldiers, fed homeless, adopted inner city families for Christmas. Ultimately it is the kids’ vote that decides.

5.  Be intentional with your own giving. Teach by example. Discuss what causes you care about. Let your children hear and see your volunteer efforts or participate in them if possible.

6.  Make giving habitual by being consistent. Whether its part of your allowance structure, a holiday tradition or something you do at birthdays, be consistent and establish giving as a tradition and habit. It’s no different from any sport, the more you participate the easier and more fun it becomes. Ultimately it becomes a part of who they are.

7.  Emphasize the joy and the experience of giving rather than money. Philanthropy is about being a part of something bigger than yourself. Giving is so much more fun than receiving. Make it a joyful experience for your family and something you share in together. Perhaps, start with entering a 5k walk or charity run or volunteering together.

The benefits of philanthropic children: 

  1. Opens children’s eyes to the fact that others are not as fortunate as they are
  2. Develops empathetic thinking
  3. Fosters an appreciation for what they have
  4. Enhances self-esteem
  5. Correlates to improved performance in school

Like everything we do with raising our children, it takes time , patience, consistency and love.  Chances are you already do most of these things and don’t even realize it and your children do too. This holiday season, enjoy the process of giving in whatever way you decide to participate. You and your children will experience the real joy of the holidays….together.

Charity  Matters.

 

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Christmas Came Early This Year

There are moments in life when the universe seems to wink at you.  Moments when all your hard work, heart, and hustle come full circle in the most unexpected and delightful way. Well friends, that moment came early for me this year. Forget wrapping paper and ribbons, because this year’s Christmas gift came straight from Spotify. And let me tell you, it was wrapped in joy, gratitude, and more than a little disbelief.

When I opened our Spotify Wrapped report for the Charity Matters Podcast, I felt a little like a kid sneaking down the stairs too early on Christmas morning ….. excited, giddy, and totally overwhelmed. There it was in black and green: we’re in the top 5% of podcasts in our category! Cue the sleigh bells and maybe a little happy dance around my office.

I have to admit, I blinked a few times, refreshed the page, and maybe even said a little “Wait, what?” out loud. But there it was again. And as if that wasn’t enough Christmas cheer, the stats just kept on coming:

 Our show’s growth outpaced 64% of all podcasts this year.
 Our listeners stayed tuned in 73% longer than the average show.
Our average rating was 75% higher than other podcasts.
And best of all …. our audience grew by 25%, with our followers growing even more than that!

If this isn’t a Christmas miracle, I don’t know what is?

When I started Charity Matters, it wasn’t about numbers or rankings . Charity Matters is  about storytelling, service and kindness.  It was about shining a light on the helpers, the doers, and the givers who are out there quietly changing the world every single day. What began as a blog over a decade ago just me, a laptop, and a whole lot of heart has blossomed into a community, a conversation, and yes, now a top 5% podcast.

That’s not my doing. That’s you.

You, the listeners who tune in each week while driving to work, folding laundry, walking your dog, or just needing a little reminder that goodness still exists in this crazy world. You, the readers who open each week’s story, share it with friends, and send me messages that remind me why I do this. You, the guests …. the amazing nonprofit founders, the changemakers, the dreamers each who share your stories so vulnerably and powerfully that they ripple far beyond the microphone.

This isn’t my Christmas gift … it’s ours.

When I think about the spirit of Christmas and the real meaning behind it ……Christmas is about love, gratitude, and giving. And that’s exactly what this podcast has become: a community built on giving. Every episode, every interview, every listener who takes an idea and turns it into an act of kindness . Each of you are proof that goodness is alive and well.

And maybe that’s why this milestone feels so personal. Because for me, Charity Matters has never been just a show  but rather  a movement for good. It’s about making kindness and service not just something we do when we have time, but something we live.

When I wrote Change for Good, I shared a line that I come back to often: “When we serve others, we heal ourselves.” That’s what I see in each of you. Every download, every listen, every small act of service that was inspired by one of our episodes  those are all little sparks of healing and hope. Together, we are creating something extraordinary.

Now, I have to confess , I’m a bit of a stats nerd (I know, shocking). But these numbers are more than data points; they’re proof of connection. Proof that even in a world obsessed with negativity and noise, people are still choosing to listen to stories about kindness. Proof that you are hungry …no, starving  for good news, for hope, for inspiration.

And you’re finding it here, week after week.

Our little show that started with a microphone and a mission has found its place in the top 5%. That’s not luck, that’s the result of thousands of ears and hearts choosing to tune in. You’ve made Charity Matters part of your lives, and in doing so, you’ve made me believe even more deeply in the power of storytelling to change the world.

Every time you share an episode, every time you leave a review, every time you tell a friend, “You have to hear this story,” you are helping kindness go viral. You are helping to make service contagious. You are proving that goodness is not only alive but it’s growing, one listener at a time.

So yes, Christmas came early this year. But the real gift isn’t the ranking or the growth or even the shiny Spotify badge (though I’ll admit, that’s pretty fun). The real gift is knowing that we are making an impact  together.

It’s knowing that somewhere out there, a listener heard a story that made them volunteer for the first time. Or donate. Or start their own nonprofit. Or maybe just smile at a stranger. Because that’s how kindness works and it multiplies.

And that’s the mission. That’s the heartbeat of Charity Matters.

As we head into the holiday season, I want to take a moment to simply say thank you. Thank you for believing in this movement for good. Thank you for making kindness a choice, not a coincidence. Thank you for showing up  week after week, story after story to remind me that there are helpers everywhere.

Fred Rogers once said, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Well, I don’t have to look far.  I see them every time I open our listener stats. I see them in you.

So from the bottom of my heart and from everyone behind the scenes who makes this show possible …thank you for being the heartbeat of this movement.

Here’s to the year ahead. To more stories, more kindness, more connection, and more moments that remind us that change for good always begins with one simple act …. choosing to care.

May your holidays be filled with joy, love, and gratitude. And if you need a little extra holiday spirit, might I recommend scrolling through our Spotify playlist of goodness? You helped build it, after all.

Merry Christmas, my friends. You are the reason Christmas came early this year and I couldn’t imagine a better gift.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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Charity Profile

Episode 96: Mom’s Christmas Stocking

Some stories find us when we need them most. Wendy Strauss’s began with a slip of paper discovered in her late mother’s tidy little office. It was a simple note titled “Mom’s Christmas Stocking,” asking her children to keep filling a stocking for Mom by giving it to a woman who needed “a shot of love.” That tender request became a calling. What started as one timid lunch-hour drop-off blossomed into an annual community tradition that now fills hundreds of beautifully curated stockings for women in shelters, prisons, and recovery programs across New York City, each one a love letter, a reminder that someone sees you and you matter.

As we enter the Christmas season, Wendy’s story reminds us what the holiday is truly about….it’s not the gifts we buy, but the love we give. It’s about connection, kindness, and finding ways to bring light to those who need it most. Through Mom’s Christmas Stocking, Wendy has turned her grief into grace, transforming loss into a legacy of giving. Her journey captures the real spirit of Christmas: that joy multiplies when we share it. If you’ve ever wondered whether one small act can change a life…..or if you’ve needed a nudge to turn love into action, then Wendy’s story will fill your heart and remind you that the greatest gift we can give is love itself.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Mom’s Christmas Stocking does?

Wendy Strauss:  Each holiday season we fill hundreds of Christmas stockings and donate them to a group that distributes them around the five boroughs of Manhattan. Women, often in prisons, rehabs, or shelters receive these beautifully filled stockings to get a “shot of love” and a little holiday joy, women who might not otherwise receive that.

Charity Matters: What experiences did you have as a child that helped shape your giving?

Wendy Strauss:  I was the last of five, so I grew up almost like an only child. My mom had me later in life, and I tagged along as she did a lot of spiritual seeking….yoga and meditation before they were popular. She surrounded herself with younger people, almost mentoring these hippie-type kids who were chanting and meditating. That openness to people who weren’t “the norm” formed my childhood. We were vegetarians when it wasn’t really a thing. She was my role model…open, curious, ahead of the curve. It wasn’t about “giving back” yet; it was about discovery, but that spirit of openness and love was the seed.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Mom’s Christmas Stocking?

Wendy Strauss:  In 2007 my mom passed away unexpectedly in March. We already had a trip planned for June to see family. We stayed in her house, she’d fixed it up for us and it felt like she was welcoming us even though she wasn’t there. One morning I wandered into her very tidy little office. She was a wonderful writer—so many articles, Historical Society work, family tree research. I picked up a random file folder and a slip of paper fell to the floor. It was titled “Mom’s Christmas Stocking.” It said:

“Every Christmas you have always filled a stocking for Mom. I want you to continue to do so. Choose the very things I would love and those you love to give to me. Find someone to give this filled stocking to a woman in prison or in a drug rehab or a homeless center. This is the most precious gift I could receive or that you could give, sharing the love we know with someone who really needs a shot of love. And in this way, I will continue to share your Christmases and continue to be a part of my wonderful family.”

I made copies for my siblings. That Christmas I took it very seriously. I filled one stocking, Googled where to bring it, and found Women In Need. On my lunch hour I brought it over, explained why, tucked in a copy of Mom’s note, and they said they’d find someone to give it to. I went back to work and felt so good the rest of the day. At my evening workout my friends said, “Something’s up,” so I told them and they said, “Next year we’ll all fill stockings.” The following year we did eight. Then 75. It just grew. People wanted to donate more and know how it worked, and eventually I looked up how to become a nonprofit and did the paperwork myself.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Wendy Strauss: Starting anything is hard, and once I became a nonprofit the pandemic hit. I got my determination letter in 2020 and then everything closed. I was filling stockings by myself….Amazon donations came, but no gatherings. Funding is always a challenge. Spreading the word is a challenge. Space is a challenge. We host an annual stocking-stuffing event at the gym where it all began, Grassroots Fitness Project, and that’s a gift, but organizing, storing, keeping things moving when you’re doing it primarily alone is a lot. I’m good at admin, but the bigger we get, the more time those pieces take.

Charity Matters: What fuels you to keep doing this work?

Wendy Strauss: Loss has been part of my story….after my mom passed, we lost my dad; my husband passed in 2014; my brother shortly after. Everyone we encounter has something going on. I know what makes me feel better. A dear friend, who had gone through something horrific, came to one of our events and said, “Wendy, giving is healing.” That became my motto. It is so healing. Yes, the recipients get something, but we get so much in return.

Charity Matters: When do you know you have made a difference?

Wendy Strauss: The feedback is beautiful…..families who look forward to the event every year, friends who never miss. People who moved away now run their own stocking-stuffing gatherings; Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Colorado, and now North Carolina. Local New York businesses and schools do their own events and ship stockings to me. That impact and seeing the seeds become their own gardens is how I know.

Charity Matters: Tell us what success you have had and what your impact has been? 

Wendy Strauss: I try to prioritize quality over quantity. I get pushed on numbers….“How many this year?” The need is so great that providers want to honor as many moms as possible. I do my best. But success, to me, is the community that’s grown around this. The families who plan their December around coming, the kids who love it, the businesses and schools who join in, the chapters springing up in new places. In one or two hours at our New York event we’ll fill 400 stockings and it goes so quickly because so many people show up. The impact is the joy and connection we create, the “shot of love” that keeps rippling.

Charity Matters: If you could dream any dream for your organization, what would that be?

Wendy Strauss: A solid team. A couple of “sugar donors,” I always joke. More space. My vision is a year-round space where the stocking operation is always set up and groups could come in any time to fill stockings, from small gatherings to big parties. People could take them to distribute wherever they’re needed. I love working with other organizations and donating to them when I can, collecting items so I’m ready when someone calls and says, “I need size 9 sneakers.” I like to manifest, so I’m putting this out there.

I’m also learning to ask for help. I’m a do-it-yourselfer, but when I finally asked a friend to help, she said, “I’m so happy you did. I love doing this for you.” I’d love a teenage intern to help with social media. A countdown to the event or the season and those little things make a big difference.

Charity Matters: What life lessons have you learned from this experience?

Wendy Strauss:  Discernment. Everybody has a story and we don’t know it at first glance. Being kind to the worker on the street, saying good morning—those small things matter. They also help me; they soften my shell. People say New Yorkers are tough, but kindness makes the shell flexible. I’ve also learned boundaries—soft ones and hard ones—to help me grow in my life and in the nonprofit. We can only give when our cup is full. The need is always greater than we can meet, so boundaries keep us going.

I’ve planted a lot of seeds. My mom was a wonderful gardener; I’m not, at least not with plants—this is how I garden. I’ve seen growth, and it’s meaningful for so many people that they want to help. That’s beautiful. And I’ve learned that we don’t need that much to be grateful. I’m grateful for the tiniest things now.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Wendy Strauss:  I’m not the same person I was in 2007…..I hope not. I want to keep growing. I take care of a lot, but I can do it. With focus, there’s more we can do than we expect and while staying within boundaries. My compassion has grown. I’m an empath, and landing in New York City amplified that, but compassion is universal. Once you open up to other people’s stories and to hearing them and serving them, your understanding deepens. That makes you want to keep helping. It gives you gratitude, and gratitude gives you joy.

Charity Matters: Any closing thoughts….

Wendy Strauss: Giving is healing. That’s the heart of this. My mom’s note was her way of comforting us and staying part of our Christmases. Every stocking is a love letter and something a mom would have loved, passed on to a woman who needs that “shot of love.” It began with one stocking, one note, one person. Now it’s families, schools, businesses, and chapters across the country. I’m grateful for every helper who shows up, every year-round donation, every kind word. Christmas should be all year and it can be, if we keep sharing love.

CHARITY MATTERS.

To Support Mom’s Christmas Stocking visit: momschristmasstocking.com

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Thanksgiving 2025

Every November, as the air turns crisp and the days shorten, something shifts inside of us. We slow down, just a little and begin to think about gratitude. Thanksgiving arrives like a gentle reminder, asking us to pause, look around, and take stock of the blessings that surround us. It’s one of my favorite holidays, not because of the turkey or the table setting (though I do love those too), but because of what it represents: connection, community, and grace.

For me, Thanksgiving will always carry a deeper meaning. The holiday became sacred in 2002, the year we lost my mom. That November, grief was a constant companion. My sisters and I were staying in our childhood home while my dad still in the hospital, the world around us still blurry from shock. We were exhausted, numb, and trying to hold one another up. Everyone was dancing around the idea of Thanksgiving, unsure if we could celebrate when our hearts were shattered.

And then, on Thanksgiving morning, the doctor gave us an unexpected gift. My dad could come home. After weeks of fear and heartbreak, we suddenly had something to be grateful for. That day, we ordered take-out turkey, set the table in the home that had always been our family’s heart, and gathered around with our newborn niece. It wasn’t perfect, but it was beautiful. My dad’s chair was filled, even though my mom’s was heartbreakingly empty. For the first time, I realized that sadness and joy can coexist with loss. Even in loss, gratitude can bloom. Our take-out turkey had never tasted so good, and our laughter through tears became a form of prayer.

That Thanksgiving taught me something essential: gratitude isn’t about everything being right. It’s about being thankful anyway. It’s about recognizing the light even in the darkest moments, about seeing blessings wrapped in grief. It was the beginning of understanding that gratitude is not a reaction…..it’s a choice.

Over the years, I’ve come to see how gratitude and service are inseparable. In Change for Good, I wrote that “there is no joy without gratitude.” The two are intertwined, and together, they transform our lives. Gratitude softens us; it reminds us that what we have is enough. Service, in turn, amplifies that gratitude. It’s the natural overflow of a full heart and the way love finds its way outward.

When I began interviewing nonprofit founders for Charity Matters, I noticed something extraordinary: every single one of them, in one way or another, was fueled by gratitude. Some had survived loss or trauma; others had simply been touched by profound kindness. Each story was a living example of what I call “miracle fuel” which is the energy that comes when we stop focusing on what we lack and instead recognize how much we already have. Gratitude propels us forward; it’s the quiet force that turns pain into purpose.

Take Paige Chenault, who realized that her gift for throwing parties could bring joy to children living in homeless shelters. Her gratitude for her own daughter’s birthday became a spark that ignited The Birthday Party Project. Paige’s story beautifully shows how gratitude becomes contagious and how one thankful heart can inspire thousands to celebrate others.

Every story I’ve shared and every interview I’ve done, reinforces what Thanksgiving teaches us: gratitude changes everything. It rewires our hearts, softens our spirits, and reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness can ripple outward in ways we may never see.

As I’ve learned through my own journey, gratitude is more than a polite “thank you.” Gratitude is a daily practice, a perspective, and a way of life. It’s the decision to look for grace when it would be easier to focus on what’s missing. It’s the steady voice that whispers, you have enough.

And when gratitude overflows, it naturally becomes service. We can’t help but give when our hearts are full. That’s why Thanksgiving feels like the truest reflection of who we are meant to be….not a day of indulgence, but of awareness. It reminds us to see one another, to gather, to care, to serve. Because gratitude without action is incomplete. When we give thanks and then give of ourselves, we honor the very spirit of the holiday.

In Change for Good, I shared how service healed me in unimaginable ways. Grief cracked me open, but gratitude stitched me back together. Service filled the empty spaces that loss left behind. When we serve others that is when we are living the truest form of Thanksgiving. We are saying, through our actions, thank you for this life.

Today, I think about the new table our family will be celebrating around. Joining our daughter-in-law’s family and the blending of two families coming together. I think of my mom and how much she would love all of them. Then I come back to that first Thanksgiving after my mom’s passing. There are still absences that ache, but also new blessings that fill the space. Gratitude, I’ve learned, is cumulative. It grows when shared. Each year, each moment of thanks adds another layer to the tapestry of our lives.

So as we gather this year around big tables or small ones, with family, friends, or even alone I hope we take a moment to truly feel the miracle of the ordinary. The smell of the meal, the sound of laughter, the warmth of someone’s hand, the quiet peace of being alive. These are the things that matter.

Thanksgiving is not about perfection but about presence. It’s about seeing what remains, not what’s gone. The day is about opening our eyes to the beauty that is always there, waiting to be noticed. And when we do, we discover that gratitude isn’t just for one day but it’s the rhythm that can carry us through every season.

This Thanksgiving, may we remember that gratitude isn’t something we feel once a year, it’s something we live. May we find joy in the small things, hope in hard times, and purpose in helping others. Because when we live with grateful hearts, every day becomes Thanksgiving.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

YOUR REFERRAL IS THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT,  IF YOU ARE SO MOVED OR INSPIRED, WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO SHARE AND INSPIRE ANOTHER. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please connect with us:

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