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Episode 105: Ripple Effects Artists

What if art wasn’t just something we experienced but something that moved us to act? This week’s Charity Matters episode introduces you to Jessie Fahay, a true “Ripple Effects Artist” who is transforming the way we think about theater, storytelling, and service. Jessie doesn’t just create powerful productions ….she creates experiences that spark conversations, challenge perspectives, and connect audiences directly to the people and causes working to change our world. Her work sits at the intersection of art and advocacy, reminding us that when we feel something deeply, we have a responsibility to do something with it.

Jessie’s journey is a beautiful example of what happens when passion meets purpose. From performing in meaningful productions like The Diary of Anne Frank to asking herself the life-changing question, “What is my life actually for?” She found a way to use her gifts to elevate others. In this inspiring conversation, Jessie shares how one idea turned into a 15-year movement, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and why even one small ripple of action can create lasting impact. This episode will leave you thinking differently about the power of creativity and your own ability to make a difference.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Ripple Effects ARTISTS does?

Jessie Fahay: We are predominantly a theatrical production company, but what makes us unique is that everything we produce is rooted in purpose. We create theater and sometimes film or radio plays, that raise both awareness and funds for human rights organizations and advocates.

After every production, we host talkback conversations which are panels that feature leaders whose work directly connects to the themes of the show. So it’s not just about experiencing art and walking away. It’s about engaging, asking questions, and creating a space where audiences can connect what they’ve just seen to real-world action.

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

Jessie Fahay: There wasn’t just one moment….it was really a collection of experiences that shaped me.

One of the most impactful was touring as an actor with The Diary of Anne Frank. It was an educational production for students, and after every show we would have these deep, thoughtful conversations about prejudice, bigotry, and history. I saw firsthand how powerful theater could be not just as entertainment, but as a catalyst for dialogue and understanding.

Then there were experiences in high school, like when Columbine happened. We did a production called Bang Bang You’re Dead, which explored the root causes behind school violence. That was another moment where theater wasn’t just art but it was a way to process, question, and try to understand the world.

And living in New York, I’ve had the privilege of seeing incredible theater. Shows like The Normal Heart left me emotionally undone…..but more than that, they left me wanting more. I didn’t want the experience to end when I walked out of the theater. I wanted to keep talking, keep unpacking, and ask, “What now?” That feeling stayed with me.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Ripple Effects ARTISTS?

Jessie Fahay: It really came down to a question someone asked me: What is your life actually for? That question changed everything. It shifted me from thinking about what I wanted to do to thinking about what I was here to contribute.

I realized I understood powerful theater. I knew what meaningful storytelling looked like, and I also knew there were incredible nonprofit organizations doing important work that needed a platform. And it just clicked. I could bring those two worlds together.

All of my past experiences funneled into that moment. It wasn’t just one play or one experience, it was everything combined. But that question gave me clarity. It gave me direction. It made me see that this wasn’t just a career idea it was my contribution.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Jessie Fahay: In the beginning, the biggest challenges were simply figuring everything out. The logistics, the paperwork, how to even become a nonprofit….it’s a lot. We didn’t officially incorporate until 2013, even though we started in 2009. And beyond that, you have to be okay wearing a lot of hats. You’re an entrepreneur, a producer, a fundraiser, a marketer…..you’re everything.

You’re constantly pitching, not just a product, but a mission. You’re asking people to give their time, their money, their energy. You’re building something that depends on other people believing in it. And that’s both the challenge and the beauty of it. You’re constantly connecting people to something bigger than themselves. But it takes resilience, and it takes a willingness to keep going even when it’s hard.

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

Jessie Fahay: It’s the moments when I see the model actually work. When we have a talkback after a show and the audience is engaged and when you can feel that something has landed, that something has sparked…..that’s everything.

It might be a small theater, it might be a modest audience, but when people get it, when they connect the dots, there’s nothing better than that. It’s similar to what teachers describe when a student finally understands something. That moment of clarity, that moment of connection….that’s what fuels me.

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

Jessie Fahay: We’ve actually looked at some data, and about 5% of our audience takes immediate action during the show…..signing petitions, committing to volunteer, or deciding to donate. But beyond the numbers, it’s those connections that matter.

It’s when someone discovers an organization they’ve never heard of even though it’s right in their own city and decides to get involved. It’s when people from completely different worlds come together and realize they care about the same issue.

That’s when I know we’re making a difference…….when awareness turns into action, even in small ways.

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

Jessie Fahay: We’ve been doing this for over 15 years, and we’re heading into our 17th season. That alone is something I’m incredibly proud of. We’ve created a model where art and advocacy work together…..where theater becomes a platform for real-world impact.

We’ve helped bring visibility to organizations that people didn’t even know existed. We created spaces where audiences don’t just consume art, but engage with it and act on it. And while the numbers matter……the attendance, the funds raised, the actions taken…..it’s really about those moments of connection. Those are the true measure of success for me.

 

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

Jessie Fahay:  I would love to see Ripple Effect Artists on a Broadway stage…..creating work that is not only artistically excellent, but also deeply impactful. But beyond that, the bigger dream is that this model becomes something widely adopted—that the arts and advocacy become more deeply connected across all disciplines.

There is so much powerful art being created, and there is so much important advocacy work happening. Bringing those two together creates something even more meaningful. I truly believe that can elevate both the credibility of the arts and the reach of advocacy. That’s the vision.

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

Jessie Fahay: One of the biggest lessons is that this work isn’t for everyone…..and that’s okay. Not everyone wants to engage with heavy, thought-provoking theater. Not everyone wants to be involved in this kind of work. And I’ve learned not to try to convert people.

If I could go back and tell myself anything, it would be: don’t spend so much energy trying to make people fit. Let them find their own path, and focus on finding the people who align with yours. That shift would have saved me a lot of time and energy.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Jessie Fahay: This journey has required me to grow in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve had to learn how to embody different energies…..to be compassionate and open-hearted, but also strong, clear, and sometimes firm.

Running a nonprofit means making tough decisions, setting boundaries, and leading with clarity. You can have a big heart and still be a strong leader. And I’ve also learned to meet people where they are and to accept what they can give, without expectation or judgment.

At the end of the day, this work has made me more resilient, more grounded, and more committed to the idea that we all have something to contribute. And when we find what that is, and give it away, that’s when real change happens.

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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Episode 104: The Power of Sight

What if the moment that changed your life… became the reason you changed someone else’s?

In this week’s Charity Matters Podcast, Episode 104: The Power of Sight, we meet Gianny Cardenas, founder of Power of Sight, a mobile nonprofit bringing vision care directly to underserved communities. But this story is about so much more than glasses. It’s about loss, faith, and the unexpected way purpose can emerge from pain. After the tragic loss of his mother, Gianny found himself searching for healing and what he discovered was that by helping others see, he began to see his own life differently.

This powerful conversation is a reminder that sometimes the greatest impact begins with simply noticing and seeing a need, seeing a person, and choosing to act. From serving over 20,000 people to transforming the lives of children who can finally see clearly for the first time, Gianny’s journey will inspire you to ask: What am I being called to see? Because one small act of awareness can lead to one life-changing act of kindness…and that is how we change the world, one person at a time.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Power of Sight does?

Gianny Cardenas: Power of Sight is a 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofit organization, and what we do is bring optometry and vision services directly to the community. We’re a mobile nonprofit, so we go to where the need is; to schools, churches, and community events. Then we provide eye exams and glasses, often on the same day.

A big part of our work is in Title I schools. We screen entire student bodies, and statistically about 25% of students will fail those screenings. Those are the students we bring back for full eye exams with licensed doctors. What makes us unique is that we don’t just diagnose, we solve the problem right there. We have a mobile lab, so students can choose their frames and leave with glasses the same day.

At the end of the day, it’s about removing a barrier. Something as simple as a pair of glasses can change a child’s ability to learn, their confidence, and their future.

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

Gianny Cardenas:  I’ve been in the optical world for over 20 years. It was actually one of my first jobs out of high school while I was in college. I worked part-time at a corporate optometry office, and one of my tasks was to call families who had received vouchers from the Lions Club for free eye exams.

No one wanted to make those calls, but I remember doing it and hearing the excitement from parents and grandparents. They were so grateful just to get their kids in for an exam and glasses. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but that experience stayed with me.

Looking back now, I can see how that planted a seed. Just hearing how much something so simple meant to people, it impacted me more than I knew at the time.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Power of Sight?

Gianny Cardenas:  There was definitely a moment, but it came through a lot of pain first.

In 2016, my mom passed away in a tragic accident. She was one of 13 people who died in a bus crash. She was the backbone of our family, and losing her changed everything for me. I fell into depression, anxiety and everything you can think of. I tried therapy, medication, different ways to cope, but nothing really filled that void.

Eventually, I reconnected with an old pastor who helped me through that time. Through prayer and faith, I started to feel peace again. And when that shift happened, I began to see the world differently. Relationships mattered more. People mattered more. Everything looked different.

A couple of years later, I told my wife, “Why don’t we start a nonprofit?” I had always thought about it, but this time it felt real. I wanted to combine everything I knew about optical work with my faith and bring it into the community. In 2020, we started Power of Sight with about 100 donated frames and no doctors—just a vision to serve.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Gianny Cardenas: There are a lot of challenges, especially starting in 2020 during COVID. At first, it was just trying to figure out how to balance everything; my full-time job, my family, and starting a nonprofit.

My wife has been with me from the beginning, and we’ve built this together. We travel a lot for clinics, and we actually homeschool our daughters so they can be with us. Finding that work-life balance has been one of the biggest challenges, but also one of the biggest blessings.

On the operational side, there’s a lot people don’t see…..the insurance, costs, staffing, working with schools, compliance. A lot of it came out of my own pocket in the beginning. I didn’t know if we’d have donors or sponsors. We just moved forward by faith.

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

Gianny Cardenas:  For me, it’s my faith in God. That’s where I get my strength.

When we started, I thought we’d maybe do one event a month and help 50 people. But it’s grown into something much bigger. We now have staff, 25 doctors, partnerships with school districts and it’s expanded beyond what I expected.

What really fuels me are the moments when we’re serving people. Seeing a child put on glasses for the first time or a parent’s reaction and that’s everything. Those moments remind me why we’re doing this.

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

Gianny Cardenas: There was one moment that really stayed with me.

We were at a school, and my dad, who comes with me to clinics, noticed a young girl who reminded him of one of my daughters. She had never had an eye exam before, and her prescription was extremely high. She couldn’t really see the world clearly.

Her mom was emotional and asked if she could get a backup pair of glasses. We said yes, of course. When my dad gave her the glasses, the mom just hugged him and started crying. That was the first time I had seen my dad emotional since my mom passed.

Later that day, I told my wife that everything we had gone through…..the process of starting the nonprofit, the expenses, the challenges and it was all worth it for that one moment.

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

Gianny Cardenas: In the last five years, we’ve helped over 20,000 people and provided 20,000 pairs of glasses. That’s a huge milestone for us, especially considering where we started. But beyond the numbers, the real impact is in the lives we’re changing.

When a child can see the board for the first time, their confidence improves, their grades improve, and their whole experience in school changes. There are studies that show students can improve academically just from getting glasses. We’ve also responded to community needs in crisis situations. During the fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, we mobilized quickly and helped 1,200 people with vision care in just six days.

Impact isn’t just numbers…..it’s those individual stories and moments.

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

Gianny Cardenas:  My dream is to be in every school district in California and eventually expand nationwide.

Our program is scalable. Once we have the doctors, equipment, and partnerships in place, we can serve thousands more children. There are so many students right now who are undiagnosed and untreated, especially in underserved communities.

If we can reach them, we can change their future.

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

Gianny Cardenas: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of communication.

I used to be someone who worked behind the scenes. But in this work, you have to communicate your story, your mission, what you’re doing. Whether it’s with donors, partners, or the community, communication is key. It also applies personally. During my grief, opening up and talking about what I was going through was a big part of healing.

Another lesson is realizing that you don’t know everything, and that’s okay. I’ve had to rely on professionals such as; attorneys, accountants, mentors….and build a team.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Gianny Cardenas: The biggest change happened after losing my mom and growing in my faith. That’s what shifted my perspective and changed how I see the world. But since starting the nonprofit, I’ve also changed in how I approach responsibility. We now have staff, doctors, and families who depend on this work. That’s something I don’t take lightly.

It’s made me more intentional, more transparent, and more focused on doing things the right way. At the same time, I see it as a blessing……to be able to serve others and create opportunities for people to provide for their families through this work.

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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Episode 103: Walk with Me Brother

Some stories ask you to listen. Others ask you to feel. And then there are the rare ones, like this one, that ask you to walk alongside them. This week on the Charity Matters Podcast, you’ll meet Robb Pollard, a husband, father, entrepreneur, and now the founder of Walk With Me Brother, who is about to do something extraordinary. On Monday, Robb began a 2,500-mile run across America…..not because he’s a runner, not because it’s easy, but because he knows what it feels like to be at the very bottom and wonders if his journey might help someone else choose to stay. This isn’t about miles. It’s about meaning. It’s about one man’s decision to turn pain into purpose and to remind us all that asking for help might be the bravest step we ever take.

By the time this episode airs on Thursday, Robb will already be on the road one step at a time, inviting all of us to come with him. His story is raw, honest, and deeply human. It’s about mental health, about breaking the silence so many men carry, and about the power of simply showing up for one another. If you’ve ever wondered how one person can make a difference, this conversation will stay with you. Because sometimes, changing the world doesn’t start with a grand plan …it starts with one step… and the courage to take it.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Walk With Me Brother does?

Robb Pollard:  Walk With Me Brother is a mental health nonprofit, but I try not to overcomplicate it. At its core, it started with one simple goal: help one person. If I could save one person from taking their own life (most likely a man) then everything I’m doing is worth it.

That’s really it. That’s the mission.

People talk a lot about mental health awareness, but the truth is, we’re already aware. We know what mental health is. What we’re trying to do is take action…real action to prevent suicide. For me, that means creating connection. It means building a brotherhood where people feel safe enough to talk, to open up, to not feel alone.

The run across America is part of that. It’s a way to get attention without destroying myself. It’s a way to show people, especially men, that there is another option. That you can ask for help. That you can choose a different path.

If I have to run 2,500 miles to reach one person, then it’s worth every step.

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

Robb Pollard:   I grew up in a small town in England, and it was very community-driven. Everyone knew each other. Neighbors looked out for one another. It wasn’t nonprofit work in the formal sense, but it was people helping people.My grandmother, my Nan, had a big influence on me. She always used to say, “No matter what you’re going through, there’s always someone worse off than you.” That stuck with me. It gave me perspective early on.

As I got older, I naturally gravitated toward helping where I could. When I lived in Shanghai, I worked with an animal rescue and ended up fostering over 100 dogs. I also spent time with an orphanage, which was pretty eye-opening.

But even then, I never thought I’d start a nonprofit. I just thought I’d support causes, donate money, do my bit. Looking back now, all those experiences were shaping me. They were laying the groundwork for something bigger….I just didn’t know it at the time.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Walk With Me Brother?

Robb Pollard: The moment everything changed was when I said three words: I need help.I couldn’t even say it out loud at first. I had to write it in an email to my family. But that was the turning point. I knew that nothing was going to change unless I did something different.

I’d been struggling for a long time with my mental health, with addiction, with feeling like I was never enough. And even when I got sober, there was still that voice in my head. I knew eventually I’d crack if I didn’t do something drastic.

Then I went through ketamine infusion therapy, and during one of the sessions, I had this vision of myself running across America. It wasn’t about ego. It wasn’t about proving anything to anyone else. It was about doing something so big that people would notice and in noticing, maybe they’d realize there’s another way. That idea stuck with me. I couldn’t ignore it.

And once it was there, I knew I had to follow through. That’s when it shifted from just a personal challenge to something bigger….a mission. That’s when Walk With Me Brother really began.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Robb Pollard: I definitely underestimated how hard this would be. Starting a nonprofit is no joke. There’s no clear roadmap, and everything takes more time, more effort, and more consistency than you think. Fundraising alone is a massive challenge we’re trying to raise around $80,000 just to support the run.

Then there’s building the right team. The people around you have to believe in the mission. A lot of the people helping right now have personal stories of loss, struggles, experiences with mental health and that’s what drives them. On a personal level, the biggest challenge is balancing everything. I have a business, a wife, kids, a life. And I’m about to step away from that for a long time to do something that’s physically and mentally demanding.

There are moments where I think, “What am I doing?” But once you commit to something like this, there’s no backing out. You just have to keep going.

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

Robb Pollard: What keeps me going is the thought that someone might still be here because of this. Maybe a kid still has his dad. Maybe a parent still has their son. That’s what I hold onto.

And then there’s my own family. My kids might not understand this right now, but one day they will. I want them to see that you can push yourself beyond what you think is possible. That you can do hard things.

There’s also something personal in this for me. I’ve never really felt proud of myself. This is about changing that. It’s about proving to myself more than anyone that I can do something meaningful.

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

Robb Pollard:  If one person chooses to stay because of this, then I’ve made a difference.

That’s success to me. It’s not about numbers, followers, or how much money we raise. It’s about impact. One life is enough.

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

Robb Pollard:  We’re still early in the journey, but already I’m seeing the impact. People are reaching out. They’re sharing their stories. They’re opening up in ways they haven’t before. That alone tells me this is needed.

The real impact will come over time. We’re building something bigger than just the run it is a community, a brotherhood, a place where people can talk without judgment. We’re also working on future initiatives things like providing access to support for people who can’t afford it, creating local walking communities, and bringing in ideas that have worked in other countries.

This isn’t a one-time event. This is the start of something much bigger.

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

Robb Pollard: The dream is to create a system where no one feels like they have nowhere to turn. I want Walk With Me Brother to become a community….something people can plug into anywhere. Walks, conversations, meetups. Real connection.

I’d love to see it grow across the country and beyond. I want to go into schools, especially high schools, and talk to young men. If we can reach them early and show them it’s okay to ask for help, we can change outcomes.

Long term, I’d like to create access to real support whether that’s therapy, resources, or just someone to talk to. Something practical, not just awareness.

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

Robb Pollard: The biggest lesson is that asking for help isn’t weakness it’s strength. There is always someone out there who will help you. You just have to ask.

I’ve also learned that nothing changes unless you change something. You can’t stay stuck and expect things to get better. And I’ve learned how important it is to have the right people around you. This isn’t something you do alone. The people involved in this all have a connection to the mission. That matters.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Robb Pollard: It’s already changing me, and I know the biggest changes are still to come.

I’m someone who’s always been very family-oriented, very comfortable at home. This is pushing me way outside of that. Being away from my family is going to be one of the hardest parts. Physically, it’s going to be tough. But mentally, it’s going to be even tougher.

At the same time, I know that if I can do this, I’ll come out stronger. I’ll know what I’m capable of. And more than anything, I’ll know that I tried to make a difference. Even if it’s just for one person.

Because at the end of the day, that’s all this has ever been about.

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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Episode 102: JDS Creative

We often think of the arts as something extra….something creative, expressive, maybe even optional. But what if the arts were actually the bridge to confidence, communication, independence, and purpose? In this powerful and inspiring conversation, I sit down with husband and wife Diane and Scott Strand, the founders of JDS Creative Academy, who are using the arts in the most extraordinary way…..to transform lives. What began as two creatives working in Hollywood, juggling long hours and raising a young family, turned into a simple “what if?” and that one question has now grown into a thriving nonprofit that is changing the trajectory of lives every single day.

Through filmmaking, acting, digital media, and storytelling, Diane and Scott are giving people, especially adults with developmental disabilities, the tools to find their voice, build real-world skills, and step into a life they may have never believed possible. This episode is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the greatest impact doesn’t come from grand plans, but from saying yes to one person, one opportunity, one moment at a time. Their story is filled with heart, humility, and hope and it will leave you inspired to look at your own gifts and ask, “What if I used them to help someone else?”

 

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what JDS Creative does?

Diane Strand:  JDS Creative Academy is a nonprofit 501 c3 with a mission of using visual, performing, and digital arts to enhance life, creativity, and business. We serve youth, teens, and adults both mainstream and special needs through hands-on programs that allow people to step in and immediately be part of the creative process.

The goal is not just learning the arts for fun, although there is joy in that. It is about giving people tools they can use for career pathways, workforce development, and independence. We want people to understand the power of the arts….not just as expression, but as a way to build a life.

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

Diane Strand:  I always say you cannot connect your dots looking forward you have to look back. For me, those dots go all the way back to first and second grade. I was a little girl who just wanted to play Betsy Ross in the school play, and everyone told me I couldn’t. I was a struggling reader, an undiagnosed dyslexic, and school was not easy for me.

But the arts were my connection. They kept me engaged in learning and gave me a way to grow beyond my challenges. At the time, I couldn’t articulate why it mattered so much, but now I see it clearly. The arts gave me a voice when I didn’t have one in other areas.

Later in life, when Scott and I were in Hollywood and becoming successful, the environment wasn’t always kind. Something in me instinctively knew I wanted something different something rooted in kindness and purpose. Looking back, all of those experiences were pointing me here.

 

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start JDS Creative?

Scott Strand:  It really started with a “what if” moment. Diane and I were both working long, exhausting hours, and we had just had our son. I was taking him to auditions in a stroller, and Diane was leaving before he woke up and coming home after he was asleep. It just wasn’t sustainable.

One night, after I finished my film degree, I said, “What if we sold everything, moved, and built our own production company? You know how to produce, I know how to film….we can do this.” She said yes, and that started our entrepreneurial journey.

The nonprofit came later, and it happened organically. We had a successful production company and an actor studio that grew out of a drama club we were running. People kept asking us to do more teach writing, filmmaking, theater. We kept saying yes.

Then one day someone asked, “What if you worked with an adult with developmental disabilities who wanted to learn audio?” We said, “Let’s try it.” And once we saw what was possible, it became, “If we can teach one, we can teach many.”

That was the moment. It wasn’t a grand plan……it was a series of “what ifs” that we chose to answer.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Scott Strand: One of the biggest challenges is capacity. The need is so much bigger than what we can serve. When we started, we had five adults in the program, and very quickly that number grew. Once people saw what we were doing, the applications started coming in.

It’s a good problem, but it’s also a hard realization that you cannot meet every need. No matter how much you want to help, you can only serve as many people as your resources allow.

Another challenge is building the right team. Not everyone understands the nonprofit space or shares the same vision right away. We had to grow into leadership that allows people to be creative while still supporting the mission. Now we have a team that truly believes in what we are doing, and that makes all the difference.

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

Diane Strand:  For me, it’s the people. It’s our students, our families, and our team. Some of the people who stepped in during the early years are still here today. That kind of loyalty and belief is incredibly powerful.

Our own children fuel us as well. They grew up in this environment…. in the arts, in the theater, in this mission and they’ve bought into it completely. That tells me we’re building something that matters.

And truly, the more you serve, the more you receive. That has been one of the greatest lessons of this journey. You give and give, and somehow your life becomes fuller in the process.

 

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

Scott Strand:  It’s in the small, real moments. It’s when you see the light bulb go on. I had a moment recently where I walked into the studio and saw a group of students some neurotypical, some adults with autism sharing their ideas for films they wanted to create.

They were listening to each other, supporting each other, and fully engaged. I stopped and thought, “This is it. This is why we do this.”

It’s not about numbers it’s about those moments where someone feels seen, heard, and capable.

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

Diane Strand:  Of course, we’ve had awards and recognition, and those are wonderful. But our real success is in the lives we’ve seen transformed.

We’ve had students who didn’t speak much at home start coming home and sharing their day with their families. We’ve had individuals placed into internships and jobs. We’ve seen people gain independence and confidence in ways they never thought possible.

I always say, “Help one person every day,” because that one act creates a ripple effect. When someone grows here, they take that growth home, into their families, into their communities. It changes everything.

 

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

Diane Strand:   We created JDS Creative Academy to outlive us. The dream is legacy. We want this work to continue far beyond our time.

I would love to see programs like this across the country arts-based workforce development programs that help adults with developmental disabilities build real skills, find independence, and thrive.

We are working toward making the organization self-sustaining so it can continue without relying on us. That’s the dream that what we’ve built lives on and continues to serve.

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

Diane Strand:  Patience has been one of the biggest lessons. I came from a fast-paced, results-driven world, and this work requires a different kind of leadership one rooted in patience, kindness, and compassion.

It has also taught me to be more open. For most of my life, I worked around my dyslexia and didn’t talk about it. Now I can share that part of my story and recognize that it’s not something to hide, it’s part of what shaped me.

Kindness, clarity, and perspective those are the lessons I carry with me every day.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Scott Strand: It’s allowed me to become more myself. I’ve always been a performer at heart, but for a long time I felt like I had to be more guarded as a business owner and leader.

Now I can lead with humor, creativity, and openness. I can be playful, and that actually makes me a better leader. It creates an environment where people feel safe to express themselves and grow.

This journey has shown me that when you help someone step into who they truly are, it doesn’t just change their life it changes yours 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:

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Episode 101: Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Most of us tuck our children into bed each night without giving it a second thought. A warm blanket, a pillow, a place to rest….these simple comforts feel like basic parts of life. But what if you discovered that thousands of children in communities just like yours don’t have a bed at all? That realization changed everything for Luke Mickelson. What began as a small Christmas project in his garage with a few teenage boys and a power drill has grown into a global movement dedicated to making sure no child sleeps on the floor.

In this powerful episode of the Charity Matters Podcast, Luke shares the unforgettable moment that opened his eyes to the hidden crisis of child bedlessness and the little girl named Haley whose first bed changed the trajectory of his life. From one bunk bed to more than 425,000 beds delivered to children around the world, Luke’s story is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the simplest acts of kindness create the biggest ripple effects. This conversation will inspire you to look at the world a little differently and maybe even pick up a hammer and help change a child’s life.

 

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Sleep in Heavenly Peace does?

Luke Mickelson:  Sleep in Heavenly Peace started as a family Christmas project in a garage, and now it’s a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that’s been around since 2012. Our main and only mission is to see that no kid sleeps on the floor in our town. Of course, we want “our town” to be everybody’s town. So what we do is build and deliver twin beds and bunk beds for kids ages three to seventeen.

The name came around Christmas time, and it really fulfilled two things. It’s what we wanted those kids to feel like when we left, and it had a little tie to the one person we know who didn’t have a bed when He was born. It’s simple, but that’s the whole idea: no kid should be sleeping on the floor.

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

Luke Mickelson: The answer is absolutely and not really. What I mean by that is I grew up in a very small town—about 4,000 people. The beauty of growing up in a small town is you know everybody. The crappy thing is, you know everybody. But because you rub shoulders with people everywhere you go, you learn to support each other. I didn’t know any different. That built a desire in me to want to help people. That’s just what you did.

I also grew up most of my school years with my mom as a single parent. There were five of us kids. We didn’t have much. I remember one Christmas, right after my parents divorced, I was pretty sure we weren’t going to have much at all. I went out to the mailbox for my mom, and there was an envelope with $1,500 in it. We knew where it came from. We knew it was our community, people who had donated. Those are the things that happen in your community that change you.

So I didn’t grow up thinking, “I’m going to be philanthropic.” I just grew up in a place where helping each other was normal. I played sports, was team captain, student body president, and I loved being involved. I loved big groups, loved people, loved serving. It was ingrained in me.

I’ve always felt that if there’s one common denominator among all of us, it’s that we’re human. We’re all just humans. Deep down, I think all of us have some desire to help our own. I had a mission president tell me once: if you want to enjoy your career, look at it as a way of service. That stuck with me. If you show up looking at your work as service, it changes everything.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Sleep in Heavenly Peace?

Luke Mickelson: I was about thirty-five, and on paper my life looked great. I had a good job, had moved into the corporate office as executive vice president of sales and marketing, was coaching my kids, serving in church, and even planning to buy the business. Everything looked awesome. But internally, there was a hole being developed in my heart. It was a slow erosion over a couple of years, and even though I’m a happy, service-oriented guy, I could feel myself slipping.

Then one night at church, a family was mentioned, and in passing someone said, “The kids don’t have beds.” I stopped her. “Wait a minute, what?” She said they were sleeping on the floor. It hit me like a two-by-four. I went home, drew up a simple bunk bed plan off my daughter’s bed, got the boys together, and we built one. Delivering that bed filled something in me instantly. A few days later, when my own kids were asking for another Xbox, I walked straight to the garage and said, “I’ve got leftover wood. I’m going to build another bunk bed, and you’re going to come help me.”

We didn’t know who to give that second bed to, so I posted it online. What stunned me was how many people responded and how many knew children sleeping on floors, couches, pallets, anywhere but a bed. Then I met Haley, a six-year-old girl who had never slept in a bed, only in the backseat of her mom’s car. When I saw the pile of clothes in the corner where she slept, I almost lost it. But when we put her bed together, she hugged it, kissed it, and her mom stood there crying. That’s when I knew this was way more than a bed.

On the drive home, I told my buddy, “No kid can sleep on the floor in my town if I have anything to do with it.” That Christmas we built and delivered 21 beds. There was no going back.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Luke Mickelson: When you’re passionate about something, passion can be contagious, but it can also act like a bulldozer. You gain friends and you lose friends. Some people wanted to keep it local, and I was thinking, “No, I need to do this.” That’s hard.

Another challenge was my job. Every vacation, every spare minute I had, went to helping the charity grow. My employer saw that this wasn’t slowing down. Eventually my boss sat me down and basically said, “I know you. This isn’t going to stop. You either quit the charity and go to work, or quit work and go do your charity.” At the time it was hard, but it was a gift.

And then as we grew, the challenge became scale. We could build beds fast, but delivering them, organizing volunteers, funding chapters, building a structure that’s real work. Even now, the need is huge. There are 155,000 kids on our waiting list, and we only geographically cover 27% of the United States. That means most of the country still doesn’t know child bedlessness is even a thing.

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

Luke Mickelson: I live by this mantra: if you want true joy, stop looking at yourself and see how you can help someone else out. Your problems won’t go away, but they won’t seem nearly as heavy.

That’s what this work did for me. It filled something in me that nothing else had. I didn’t care about the paycheck anymore. I didn’t care about the zeros behind it. What fueled me was knowing this mattered. I also had support at home. My wife at the time supported me, and not everybody would support someone saying, “Hey, I’m quitting my job and we’re going to sacrifice for a while.” But she knew this was what made me happy.

Then the mission got a megaphone. Mike Rowe’s Returning the Favor aired our story to 10 million people. We went from seven chapters to 125 in a year. CNN Heroes, Good Morning America, People Magazine….all of it furthered the mission. But at the center of it, what fuels me is still the same thing: helping one kid at a time.

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

Luke Mickelson: I knew right there in Haley’s room. When a little girl hugs and kisses a bed, and her mom is crying because for six years she hasn’t been able to give her daughter that, you realize this is way more than furniture.

A bed means physical rest, mental peace, dignity, security, and a sanctuary. These kids sleep better, go to school better prepared, and feel like they matter. They can have friends over. They’re not hiding their lives. So when I see a child’s face, or a parent’s tears, I know we’ve made a difference.

And honestly, I also know it every time a volunteer delivers a bed and comes back changed. The mission helps the child, but it changes the person serving too.

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

Luke Mickelson: We started in 2012 with one family Christmas project. We made it a charity in 2014 because we couldn’t finance it ourselves anymore. By the end of 2017, we had seven active chapters in five states. Then after Mike Rowe’s show aired, it exploded.

Now we’ve trained over 440 chapters in four countries. We’re in almost every state, and this year we’ll pass 425,000 beds built and delivered. We’re the largest bed-building charity in the world. That’s remarkable, especially when you realize I found only one other charity in the country doing this when I first looked.

The success is huge, but the impact is still one child at a time.

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

Luke Mickelson: The dream is simple: that no kid sleeps on the floor. Right now 70% of the country still doesn’t know who we are. I want every family, every teacher, every counselor, every foster agency, every church, every volunteer to know there is a solution.

If someone’s sister in Miami has a child sleeping on the floor, I want them to know exactly where to go. I want chapters everywhere. I want awareness everywhere. I want this epidemic to stop being invisible.

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

Luke Mickelson: I’ve learned a lot about people, about passion, and about myself. Skill set matters, but passion matters more. I’ve learned the value of people’s hearts.

I’ve also learned that founders have to grow. Your role has to shift if you want the mission to outlive you. That’s hard, because your mission and your identity get fused together. But growth isn’t loss. Growth is legacy.

And I’ve learned that tiny moments matter. We dismiss them too easily. We think, “I don’t have time,” or “Someone else will do it.” But those little moments of inspiration can become something massive if you act.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Luke Mickelson: A million percent it changed me. I value success differently now. I used to think success was the stuff you had and the zeros behind your paycheck. I don’t believe that anymore.

I believe more deeply than ever in humans helping humans. I wish everybody would adopt that. We’re all human first. If we could put differences aside or even celebrate differences….we’d be so much better off.

And maybe the biggest thing is this: I can now step back and see that if I died tomorrow, the mission would keep going. As a founder, that’s one of the greatest gifts you can ever have.  It means what started in a garage as one family Christmas project became something bigger than me.

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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Episode 100: Safe Families for Children

For our 100th episode of the Charity Matters Podcast, we are celebrating in the most meaningful way possible….by spotlighting a true innovator, a quiet disruptor, and a modern-day hero who dared to ask a simple but world-changing question: What if no parent ever had to say, “I have no one to call?” When psychologist Dave Anderson saw firsthand the devastating ripple effects of child abuse and foster care, he didn’t just shake his head at a broken system, he built something different. What started with one desperate mom, one brave “yes,” and one family opening their home has grown into a national movement that has helped over 100,000 children and counting.

In this powerful Episode 100 conversation, Dave shares how his bricklayer father’s words, “If I don’t help them, who will?” became the blueprint for Safe Families for Children, a revolutionary approach that mobilizes communities to step in before crisis becomes catastrophe. This episode is about courage, radical hospitality, and the extraordinary impact of ordinary people choosing to care. If you’ve ever wondered how one idea can spark a movement or how you can be part of changing the world? This conversation will leave you inspired, hopeful, and ready to say yes.

 

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Safe Families For Children does?

Dave Anderson:  Well, I’m a psychologist, and I started Safe Families really, to prevent what I was seeing in foster care. I also run a child welfare agency. What we do is we mobilize communities and engage volunteers to do really a couple different things.

One is to host children in their home for however long a parent needs in order to keep them safe and eventually be able to go back to their parent… and to come alongside and mentor parents and help them get back on their feet. So our goal is to really prevent child abuse, prevent the need to go into foster care, and ultimately, to keep families together. Because our belief is, in nearly all situations, the family is the best place for that child.

 

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

Dave Anderson:  I come from a blue collar family. My dad was a bricklayer, so my goal in life was to be a bricklayer… and I was what they call a laborer… and I noticed my dad would always bring on new bricklayers without really any warning. And as kind of a shy, quiet guy, I would talk to these guys that were hired by my dad… and they would say, ‘Oh, I’m from Joliet… Joliet prison.’ And another guy… ‘I just got out of this prison…’”

So one time… I said, ‘Hey, Dad, I think you need to do a better job of vetting your people… all these people you’re hiring are prisoners.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I know that.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, why in the world would you do that?’ And he said, ‘If I don’t help them, who will?’” And it was really those words that… got me thinking about… our role and responsibility in society… there are people in our society who have no one on their side, and I think we as a society have a responsibility to do that.

And what was interesting… my dad never had any of them steal from him… and I remember asking one of them… ‘Why would you risk it?’ And he said, ‘No one else would give us a chance. And your dad did, and I would do anything to support him.’ So that was really the initial model for me… the responsibility to give back.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Safe Families For children?

Dave Anderson:  It’s interesting. I actually wanted to be a bricklayer. I didn’t want to be a psychologist. And my dad said, ‘Well, whatever you do, don’t be a bricklayer.’” I used to drive a city bus… people from the university would get on my bus and just sit there and talk to me for hours… and eventually someone said, ‘People like to talk to you… why don’t you become a psychologist?’”

And I got into the world of foster care and child abuse… I worked at a large medical center. My job was to assess children who had been horribly abused… determine what’s the psychological impact… find out who did it and put them in jail. And it was a very hard job. But… I met this girl… she happened to be the same age as my daughter at the time… her arm was broken, her retina was detached, and her brain was swelling.

And eventually I talked to her mom… and she said, ‘I grew up in foster care… when I turned 18, my foster parents didn’t want anything to do with me anymore… my bio parents’ rights were terminated… I turned 18 and there was really no one helping me out.’

And she said, ‘I got pregnant… I tried to work… my daughter got sick… if I were to miss one more day of work, my job… so I asked my ex-boyfriend to take care of her… I didn’t realize he went back to drugs, and he did this to her while I was at work.’ And she basically said, ‘I just had no one to call.’ And I couldn’t imagine, in a crisis situation, not having anyone to call.

And I began to look at… that’s why a lot of kids go into foster care because their parent has no one to call. And if they had extended family or a support system… they could tolerate most difficult situations. But if you have no one to call when things go wrong, then worse things are going to go wrong.

So I started to think… what if we could have had a network of people that this woman could call… someone could step up and say, ‘Oh, you need someone to watch your kid today. I’ll take them in.’ We could make a huge difference in preventing kids from going into foster care or from being abused.

And then there was another moment… I was running a nonprofit called Lydia, and this mom came… knocked on my door and said, ‘I’m in trouble. I need someone to take my kids.’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry. We can’t take them unless you abuse them… if it gets like that, then come back…’ And then I thought, What in the world did I just say?

She grabbed my arm and said, ‘I need someone to take my kids, and I want you to do it…’ And I said, ‘Okay, my wife and I will take your kids.’ And she was emotional. She said, ‘There’s no one in my life willing to help me out… it’s just shocking that a stranger… is willing to help me out.” She completed what she needed… got her kids back… and she called me a couple weeks ago—this was 20 years.

And then more moms would end up calling… and I was pastoring a church… and anyone could take them home… and I realized, we should vet people… and we should probably call it something. And this second mom said, ‘I don’t know you… I just have one question… Are you a safe family?’ And that’s kind of how I came up with the name.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Dave Anderson: One is, I didn’t know how to scale. I never actually even had a desire to scale… but I knew there was a couple problems. How do I convince people to do this? Because everyone’s busy… concerned about their own kids… and if we’re trying to build a safety net and mobilize communities, that means everybody has a role to play.

And what we were looking for was host families… who could take kids at the most critical time. Then… how do we find others who are willing to just befriend a mom or dad and say, ‘I’m a listening ear,’ or ‘I can help you find work,’ or ‘you need a ride… And then I needed someone who had things… because moms needed a mattress… dishes… whatever. So those were my three things.

My biggest issue is recruiting people not based on need, but based on shared values… how do I find people that have similar values… and then how do I unleash them and connect them with parents that are in difficult situations.

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

Dave Anderson: There were times like I’d lay on the floor in my office and cry and think… if we don’t help, kids are going to be harmed. For me… I thought of my kids… If my wife and I weren’t available, I would hope somebody would help them. And I go back to this little girl at Mount Sinai… she’s suffering now the rest of her life… because of a simple problem that had a solution.

And foster care isn’t bad… but when I started Safe Families, if your kid went into foster care, you as a mom or dad would only have a 20% chance of getting them back again… and I just thought, that’s wrong. In the end, kids want to be with their mom and dad… and if we can come alongside mom and dad… help them become what their kids want them to be… that’s the issue.

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

Dave Anderson: When you’re helping, it’s not just giving them something… the key thing that they need is relational connections. We call it transactions versus relationships. Everybody does transactions… ‘I’m going to give this kid a pencil or a backpack’… and not that it’s bad, but that’s really not what they need.

What they need is community. They need someone to call and they need a safety net. That happens when isolation is replaced by connection…..you see real change.

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

Dave Anderson: I think… one is I had to figure out how to write laws… and so we wrote and passed 17 laws. And… we’ve hosted or placed over 100,000 kids in homes and have probably helped another 100,000 families.” I had to learn what is a movement… because we didn’t want to be a program… we wanted to be a movement.

We did research… in Illinois, they randomly assigned kids that were called into the hotline to Safe Families versus business as usual… and we were able to prove that we were more effective in keeping kids safe and out of care and ultimately with their parents… so that was a big deal for us—to be an evidence-based program.

Then it started growing internationally… helping kids in human trafficking situations and child labor… and the solution is really the same: how does the community take care of these kids, support their parents, in order to avoid these other situations?

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

Dave Anderson:  I think we can not eliminate foster care, but we can substantially reduce it… cut it in half.And… the idea that if people had a network of people around… that’s how you survive.

How do we create this network… for any family, for any reason… and I don’t think people should have to prove that they’re worthy of that. It has nothing to do with government benefits… it’s, you’re a human… and we as humans… have a basic responsibility to be the safety net… to be this loving neighbor… particularly at times of need.

And it’s not about me anymore… it’s getting people who are doing it to believe in it… to realize, ‘I’m not necessarily part of a big national movement… I’m just helping these kids in my neighborhood.’ They’re the change agents.

 

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

Dave Anderson: With a new idea comes failures… and to really be good at something new, you have to be good at getting over your failures. I had failed… I kind of thought of giving up. But… the need is too great to not figure it out. And… you have to learn when something is ‘good enough.’ My dad would say, ‘It’s good enough,’ and I realized in order to do this, you can’t have things perfect. Try a bunch of things.

I’ve learned… people don’t need professionals necessarily. They need what you have to offer. No matter what you have, you have what they need. For me… how do you make it a way of life? I call that hospitality… love of strangers… welcoming people into your home.

I wrote a book, Unleashing Radical Hospitality because I think what we’re doing is bubbling up principles we all have… loving our neighbor… intentional compassion… resurrecting these ideas and values.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Dave Anderson: I grew up with very low self-esteem and not a strong person. I’d always give up when something bad happens… Okay, I’m not going to push that issue. So I’ve become more confident, more comfortable with failure. And I’ve learned you can’t make it perfect. It has to be ‘good enough.

And the joy of doing something for somebody, not just giving them something….has changed me. We call it transactions versus relationships. Not that a backpack is bad. But what sustains people is connection. I think that changed me for the rest of my life.

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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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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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:

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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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Episode 95: Uprising Yoga

 Pablo Picasso said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” That’s the thread running through this week’s episode with my dear friend Jill, founder of Uprising Yoga. Jill’s journey is a full-circle story. From an angry, hurting teenager to a joyful healer bringing trauma-informed yoga and life skills to youth in juvenile halls. She discovered a gift that first saved her own life: breath, presence, and the slow, steady return to self. And then she did the most beautiful thing….she gave that gift away, again and again, to kids who need it most.

In this conversation, Jill invites us into the processing units at juvenile hall, where resistance softens into resilience, where a single breath can become a lifeline, and where hope looks like one small practice done with love. If you’ve ever wondered how purpose finds us in the mess and the miracle of real life, you’ll feel it here. Come listen to how a $10, ten-day yoga pass became a mission, how community shows up when we “look for the helpers,” and how gifts once found…can ripple out to change the world.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Uprising Yoga does?

Jill Ippolito: At Uprising Yoga,the main thing we do is bring trauma-informed yoga life skills to those incarcerated and communities that need it most. That’s the mission. What we’re actually doing currently: we have trauma-informed yoga trainings that we have taught, but right now we have two classes at Los Padrinos in juvenile hall, in the processing units, where youth are taken and detained and moved through the system.

Charity Matters: What were some early memories of service or giving?

Jill Ippolito: I was an angry teenager. Resistance. Always getting in trouble. Defiant rebellion to authority. Refusal to be a part of volunteering. My mom insisted. I have a picture of me wearing a shirt called “Do Something,” and that was the name of one of the organizations she dragged me to. I had a frown on my face. I did not want to help anybody. And she just insisted that, you know what, wherever we are, we can reach out and help anybody in need. She made me do it. There are pictures of me…reluctant.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start  Uprising Yoga?

Jill Ippolito:  In 2001 I was dealing with my own addiction issues. I was in jails and institutions. I was told to go to a program for recovery. Shocking, daunting and defiant refusal again. When I tried to go into some of this recovery, the lights were really bright, the people were smiling, facial expressions hard. I signed up for $10 for 10 days to a hot yoga studio, and it helped me feel safe. It changed everything. I left the class feeling lighter, like my life could have purpose if I went to yoga every day. Just $10, 10 days…I wondered how many times can I go in those 10 days? That’s where something started to shift in my personal recovery.

Fast forward to 2006. I was dating my now husband, Nick. He went to a place called Challenger, a youth probation camp…basically prison camp….named after the astronauts. He came home with a look on his face: horror story. The conditions were so terrible there. I said, “Can I teach yoga there?” By then I had become a yoga teacher. It was a really long time, but we started our first class back in November of 2011.  This month Uprising Yoga turns 14 years.

I started volunteering in juvenile hall; there were a lot of hurdles to get there, but that’s when we aligned with LA County. I called my mom and said, “Hey, we’ve been volunteering in juvenile hall.” She said, “Is that the one I picked you up from when you were a kid?” I had been in juvenile hall as a youth without remembering it. I started to really study trauma and the effects, and how yoga gave me that sense of peace that I wanted to breathe and live life in a healthy way, instead of choosing the darkness I was trapped in at the time.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Jill Ippolito: I never wanted to be a yoga teacher. I fell into it by falling off buildings and landing in: I need this yoga; what do I do? And I never wanted to build a nonprofit. I was working at a yoga college, talking about volunteering, and a close friend said, “Why don’t you file for a nonprofit?” I said, “I don’t know how.” He goes, “You just fill out the paperwork, and if you do anything wrong, trust me, they’ll call you.” That put the seed in me.

I didn’t want to sit at the counter forever. I wasn’t really hireable. Working for someone else wasn’t my personality, so I thought I’d better build something I can run and do. I started playing with names, organization, building it from there, looking around at colleagues. People said, “I want to be a part of this. I want to teach.” They brought resources and education. We wrote a manual. We did a training. We basically became a pipeline to get yoga instructors to share their gifts.

The hurdles are heavy: child sex trafficking, foster youth, gangs. We brought in experts, integrated their knowledge into our trainings. There’s bureaucracy, red tape, security…just to get into prisons and juvenile halls. But we kept going.

photo: Robert Sturman

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

Jill Ippolito: I know how much it helped me. It turned my life around, from the impossible to a beautiful life. That keeps me going. When the kids come up and say, “Miss, I could feel my heartbeat,” “I can breathe,” “What you taught me helped me sleep last night.” Watching the resistance like I had…being angry at the world and really believing there’s no one who’s going to help me… My main mission has been autonomy: go within. What is there? Find your resilience and trust yourself. Do some re-parenting if you’ve never had any self-love, self-care. It’s never about yoga. It’s all about mindfulness, meditation, self-care. The resilience of: how can I apply these skills directly in my life? If I sit, breathe, feel, connect then when I slow down, the urgency to react and resist softens.

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

Jill Ippolito: The stories and the notes the kids bring us. A kid saying, “You’re my hero….you’ve lived this life we’re living and you’ve had triumph.” The one-on-one communications: “How do I do this when I get out?” If I never see this kid again, I want them, in five minutes, to know they can inhale, hold it, and use a longer exhale to regulate their nervous system so they can think clearly. For example when they’re in court testifying against their abusers. Planting a seed: we care about you; there are people out there who care about you; and this is a five-minute thing you can do to calm down.

“Yoga is a gift. No one can take it from you.” Breathing is life. People may take and take; what is something nobody can take from you? Your breath. Your connection to your heart.

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

Jill Ippolito: The thousands of incarcerated youth and community members we’ve served. Bridging people together……working with Indigenous populations and other countries. I loved getting to work with Elmo on Sesame Street for Monster Yoga. My peers invited me to write a book with them called Best Practices for Yoga in the Criminal Justice System. Collaboration with other nonprofits…all of that’s success to me.

I was on Roadtrip Nation with PBS; kids chose their heroes and brought a bus to my class. To have a kid say you’re my hero… just wow! Data matters too: from August to this month….22 classes; 144 kids; twice a week. I’m proud of career pathways: getting jobs for our youth taking our class. We recognize talent. I tell them, “Yoga really likes you.” They brighten up. We’ve helped youth become yoga teachers and then hired them. That’s a huge success.

And I’ll add my personal success: being true to myself and my artistry. I love doing stand-up comedy. I have a persona, “Jill So Chill.” I keep people to chill out, laugh, have fun. After heavy stories that feel like there aren’t solutions, my biggest skill is to laugh and be in the present moment.

Photo: Robert Sturman

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

Jill Ippolito: A dedicated Uprising Yoga Center, where people can go: safe space for healing, nourishment, food. With food insecurity and SNAP issues, there’s more need for impact and fostering community. Partnering with other nonprofits.

One of my biggest dreams is to put our trauma-informed yoga training into a slick, interactive system….like the DMV: read something, take a test; read something, take a test; earn a certificate. We did three in-person trainings a year pre-pandemic in two days, 16 hours, certified. They’re online for purchase now but mostly videos. I want it more interactive trauma-informed community care throughout the system. I trained probation staff in yoga life skills. What if I train volunteers across other programs too?

I was part of something called the LA Model, transforming the whole probation institution into trauma-informed care: chefs, officers, everyone. That impact helped close one juvenile hall and build a Wellness Center. How do we change from punitive to restorative? Those are my big dreams.

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

Jill Ippolito: Learn what my teachers taught me. When I went to that $10 for 10 days in Silver Lake, I was not great at yoga, cussing in the mirror when I fell out of a posture. I had no balance. I’d fallen off three two-story buildings, broke my back, did physical therapy. No sense of groundedness. The yoga teachers said, “If you could just sit down….you don’t have to do every posture.” How do you begin to take care of yourself? How do you restore chaos and neglect? Go slow. Take the wins. Celebrate yourself. “Love yourself” is said a lot. What does that mean when I don’t understand it? Break it down so it’s tangible: stop fighting everybody and everything. Surrender.

I have spirituality, a God I connect to guiding me, that I trust. Not the punitive Catholic-school God I grew up with. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Stop the cycle of abuse. Don’t tolerate it. People-pleasing can interrupt healing. It’s messy. It’s not linear, two steps forward, four back. Be patient. Be gentle. This month we’re doing a 30-day self-care yoga challenge fundraiser. Supposed to do yoga every day for 30 days but it’s not fanaticism. If I don’t go that day, maybe I hug a tree. Maybe I write a love letter. Something kind that’s self-care. I need that still, today.

And one more: “Helping” isn’t the same as empowerment. I started seeing all the people wanting to help—and realized there’s a bridge between people who want to help and people who need help. How do I hook them together? That’s what our trainings do. I thought yoga was about me getting in shape, but when I do yoga, I help others in community. Healing community is heart-centered focus: get everybody on the same page and find solutions that work.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Jill Ippolito: My whole mindset changed. I didn’t know there are people who really want to help you. I thought other people were enemies. Don’t trust anybody, that’s how I grew up. It took a long time for this broken child in me to look around and go: there are people coming out of the woodwork who want to help….not just me, but others.

We work with a lot of CSEC survivors. At a symposium, an adult formerly trafficked stood up and said to the social workers and helpers: “I didn’t know there were people like you looking to help people like me.” I agreed. I thought the same. Look for the helpers because they really do show up.

So the momentum came from seeing them and then realizing: helping is not service; it’s not empowerment. We want to empower and lift up. I bridge the people who want to help with the people who need help. That’s the work: connect the yoga studio, the foster youth, the prisons, the activists. Blend everyone and offer: let’s find a solution that works. That’s healing community. That’s heart-centered focus.

And I’ll always tell the youth: yoga is a gift. No one can take it from you. You may not have a refrigerator to open. No one may be coming to pick you up. The system may be taking and taking. But you have your breath. You have your heart. In five minutes, you can inhale, hold it, exhale longer calm your nervous system and think clearly. If I never see you again, I want you to know that. That’s how I’ve changed: I trust that simple, powerful truth.

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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Episode 93: PopDrop

Some stories grab you by the heart from the very first line. John Snyder’s begins on a first date with his wife, Nikki, when the two of them decided to do something radically simple: instead of sending candy to their toner customers, they’d use that money to feed people experiencing homelessness. That small act became Project Pop Drop. A monthly movement  that rallies “givefluencers” to bring meals, new socks and clothing, and joy-filled experiences to shelters across Los Angeles. Today, Pop Drop is more than a delivery….it’s Easter bunnies and race cars for kids, partners who show up with food and gift cards, and even tiny homes that help families move from encampments into dignity and safety.

What makes John’s story unforgettable is his families full circle story.  I had the privilege of meeting John and his wife Nikki last week and they are a power couple in the best sense of the term. This week’s episode is a shot of hope and action, packed with contagious energy, hard-won wisdom, and tangible ways to help. If you’ve been looking for a reason to believe that giving changes everything…and how you can be part of it…don’t miss this conversation with John Snyder of Project Pop Drop.

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Pop Drop does?

John Snyder:  Project Pop Drop Foundation is something my wife, Nikki, and I founded on our very first date. We have a for-profit company…..Platinum International Products & Services…..and someone pitched us one of those “send chocolates and candies to every customer” programs, like Office Depot and Staples. We decided we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to save that money and buy food for people experiencing homelessness. What started as a simple program inside our toner business has blossomed into a nonprofit.

Since 2011, once a month, we go to a different homeless shelter and bring life-saving supplies and partners with us. Bombas donates socks. Whole Foods helps. Raising Cane’s is a big partner—they help feed people and share gift cards so folks can buy food later. Target’s a partner too. We call the people and companies who come with us givefluencers….we trademarked that……because they’re influencing the world by their giving actions.

Over time we’ve evolved. Nikki builds the days into experiences—Easter Bunny visits, race cars for kids living at the shelter, face paint, laser tag……so a hard season can include some joy and smiles. In the early years we’d just drop food. Now our customers and partners come with us, bring supplies, put Pop Drop boxes in their car dealerships and hotels, and give alongside us.

We’ve also grown into housing. We have seven Project Pop Drop tiny homes that are moving families from encampments into safety. Each has a door, a lock; on-site there are washers, dryers, showers, and games. All of this came from deciding not to send M&M’s to toner customers and, instead, to feed human beings.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start  Pop Drop?

John Snyder:  I’m an LA person, big Laker fan. As a kid, birthdays meant my dad took me to the Forum. Once, on the way, I mouthed off……I said something dumb like, “We don’t live that well.” He got mad, drove me to Skid Row, and showed me people sleeping in cardboard boxes. “Dad, people are living in those?” “Yeah. You’ve got it pretty good, don’t you, Johnny?” Right then I said, “When I grow up, I’m going to help those people somehow.”

Years later we did our first Pop Drop at Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row. I told my mom, “We’re going to give back every month” and she started crying. I asked why. She said, “Don’t say anything, but my father was homeless…..at Union Rescue Mission.” I never met him. He had a drinking problem and left when she was 12. I had no idea. We had started Pop Drop at the very place where my grandfather had been homeless. Full circle. That’s when I knew everything was connected and I was on the path I promised as a kid.

On our first date in Century City, Nikki and I said, “Let’s go every month.” Instead of customer gifts, we’d bring food and companies. She asked, “What’s the name?” I said, “I don’t want to show off.” She said, “If you want to expand and get people on board, make the giving pile bigger, you have to name it.” She pushed me. We named it, built donation boxes, and got them into our clients’ businesses. She said, “Make it an experience. You can’t just drop food and leave.” That’s how Pop Drop really began….organically and from the heart.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

John Snyder:  We’ve got four kids….triplets and our superstar daughter, Chloe….and we’ve brought them to shelters since they were six months old. In those early nonprofit years, we’d roll the triplets in this long “limousine stroller,” food piled around them, and meet other businesses bringing donations. We’ve been to Skid Row more times than I can count. I’ve had the car swarmed while delivering supplies, people yelling not-nice things through the window while my kids watched. We had to explain: “Don’t take it personally. This is about pain and survival. We’re here to help.”

COVID was the biggest challenge. LAUSD is a big partner; they run donation drives and have our boxes in schools. Suddenly the world shut down. People were told, “Don’t go to shelters.” Meanwhile, shelters are some of the cleanest places you’ll ever see. The whole distribution system, our nonprofit supply chain, broke. We pivoted to Zoom. Students made videos to get donations from families and parents’ workplaces. Wildly enough, during COVID we brought more donations doing it on Zoom than in person. So we kept going.

There was also the noise on social. “Oh, they’re still going to shelters.” “I saw them without a mask.” People were on their couch, and we were out making things happen with Zoom drives, deliveries, feeding people. That pushback actually fueled us. We weren’t going to stop helping people. Period.

Another challenge was resources. People kept saying, “Walmart put your Pop Drop boxes in their stores. Did you know they’ll give grants if you’re a nonprofit?” We became a 501(c)(3) in 2018/2019. That move helped when donations dropped everywhere; Walmart and Target support enabled us to buy more supplies and expand. We never had a grand plan. Things kept falling into place because we kept showing up every month.

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

John Snyder: I like helping people. I like seeing faces when you help them. I like talking with people, giving hope and showing someone that somebody still cares. I’ve been in rough spots where people helped me, and I know what that means in the moment. It can be everything.

I love that we’re giving back and showing our kids…..and our kids are inspiring other kids. It’s contagious. I love when friends and business associates come with us and afterward say, “John, I’m so thankful we went. We’ve been looking for a way to give back.” People want to help; they just don’t always know how. We say, “Come with us.” That’s givefluencing…..bringing others into the act so the giving pile gets bigger.

And when people tell you to stop doing something you know you’re supposed to be doing? That fuels me too. If everyone had stopped during COVID because they were told to, a lot of people wouldn’t have eaten. We kept going. Educating others fuels me as well…..our online course, Giving While Making a Living, teaches businesses to pick a cause and create a simple monthly social responsibility system. Keep it turnkey: name it, pick the last Saturday at 12 o’clock, show up. If you don’t make it simple, you become a “Thanksgiving and Christmas philanthropist.” We’re about consistent, monthly giving.

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

John Snyder:  When customers say, “We know we can buy toner cheaper on Amazon, but we choose you because of Pop Drop,” that’s impact. When companies ask, “How can we get involved?” and then start collecting donations, put boxes in their lobbies, and show up at shelters to make an impact. When a friend or client brings their team and says afterward, “We’ve been looking for this,” I know we made a difference.

I’ve watched kids inspire other kids. I’ve seen donations surge because a middle-schooler made a Zoom video. I’ve seen a day at a shelter turn from “drop and go” into an experience where kids in tough situations are laughing, gaming, and smiling. That’s difference you can feel.

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

John Snyder: Since before we were a nonprofit and now as the Project Pop Drop Foundation, we’ve helped contribute to feeding over 90,000 meals per month to people experiencing homelessness. Every month. That’s a big highlight.

We’ve empowered thousands of businesses “our givefluencers” to give back with us. We’ve expanded partnerships: Bombas, Whole Foods, Raising Cane’s, Target, Dave & Buster’s, LAUSD, and Impact 13. We’ve built seven tiny homes to move families from encampments into safety with a lock, a shower, a washer and dryer, and dignity.

We’ve been recognized along the way. We received a Gold Medal which is the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the White House. We were invited to the Pentagon because they liked Pop Drop. Walmart put our boxes in stores. Each of those moments opened doors to expand the giving.

But the thing I’m proudest of is the evolution from dropping supplies to creating experiences that bring joy and connection. That’s Pop Drop.

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

John Snyder:  My dream is to change the way the world does business. I want every company to start a program within their business…..like we did before Pop Drop was a nonprofit…..where every single month they give back. Do it for the cause that’s close to your heart, homelessness or anything else, but do it monthly. Make it part of your DNA. I’d love to see extra tax credit incentives tied to that monthly commitment. I want a world full of givefluencers…..people influencing the world through giving actions.

Our course, Giving While Making a Living, helps push that into reality. A woman in Wisconsin bought it and finally started the nonprofit she’d dreamed about serving kids traumatized in childhood. I held her hand through it: naming, logo, shirts, accountability. Most people watch a course, get pumped, and Monday morning do nothing. We want action. I want to figure out how to scale that….maybe through something like the SBA….so more businesses step into monthly giving.

We have something special with “givefluencer.” There’s so much we can do to fuel more life from saving supplies and empowering more businesses to give. If we find that one big thinker, that magical person who sees what Pop Drop is and what it can be and helps us expand it. I’m ready to receive that partner.

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

John Snyder: Everything is connected. You can live within your life’s purpose without it being the only thing you do. It’s perspective: a young punk kid says, “We don’t live that well,” and a dad drives to Skid Row to show cardboard homes; that kid says, “I’m going to help,” and later he does at the exact place his grandfather, who he never met, was once homeless. Full circle.

The lesson is to keep my eye on the giving prize. Name it. Show up monthly. Make it simple so it’s sustainable. Invite others so the pile grows. Remember why you started….people, not programs. Keep it real and keep it consistent, or you drift into being that “Thanksgiving and Christmas philanthropist.” We’ve seen that a simple, turnkey system like “last Saturday of the month at 12” is what actually keeps the giving going.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

John Snyder: It’s made me a nicer person. In business I used to be “sell, sell, sell”…..numbers, aggressive, go-go-go. We still have numbers in nonprofit, but Pop Drop humanized me. When you start something and discover your mom’s father was homeless in the very building where you began your giving, it’s hard not to see a higher purpose in that. This journey made me more faithful. It shifted me from feeding printers to feeding people, from transactions to connection, from me to we. And I don’t plan on stopping.

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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Episode 92: Shoulder Check

 

In the past fifteen years, I have not resent the same interview twice in one week. However, when I orginally scheduled this to be delivered last Thursday, September 11th I didn’t foresee all that would transpire the day before. The assassination of Charlie Kirk followed by the 24th anniversary of September 11th created so much noise that this very special story might have been missed. So, yes if you are seeing this twice it is intentional because I want you to have a bright light on your Sunday morning. Something to start your week to remind you of all the good in this world. So here you go….once again…

 In full disclosure, I know very little about hockey….especially as an LA girl…..but what I do know is that rare and extraordinary group of people who take unimaginable loss and somehow transform it into a mission for good. Today’s guest, Rob Thorsen, is one of those people. After the heartbreaking loss of his son Hayden, Rob chose to honor his memory by spreading kindness and compassion in the most powerful way.

Drawing from Hayden’s love of hockey, Rob used the term “Shoulder Check” not just as a sports reference but as the cornerstone for a movement. What began as a nod to the game has become a beautiful legacy of connection and care. Shoulder Check is about more than hockey…..it’s a mission and a movement about reaching out, checking in, and making contact with those around us. Rob’s story is one of resilience, love, and the reminder that even in the deepest grief, we can create something profoundly good. Take a listen and you will want to be a part of this…

 

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what ShoulderCheck.ORG does?

Rob Thorsen:  ShoulderCheck.org is the first initiative of the HT40 Foundation, which we created to do one simple, specific thing: inspire and enable young people to check in on one another…regularly. We give them the language, tools, and motivation to make “checking in” a daily habit. The culture we’re pushing against is that paradox the U.S. Surgeon General called out in April 2023: we’re hyper-connected by tech, yet lonelier and more isolated than ever. Shoulder Check is our answer.

It started in hockey, our son Hayden played, and the community rallied around us after his death but it quickly became bigger than a sport. The signature gesture is literal: hand on a shoulder, paired with the refrain, “Reach out. Check in. Make contact.” We do this in locker rooms, at center ice, in school assemblies, classrooms, and community events. The goal is behavior change through a simple ritual and a shared brand language…something memorable enough to spread, practical enough to use, and human enough to matter.

Charity Matters: What were your early experiences in PHILANTHROPY?

Rob Thorsen: I didn’t come up through a lifetime of traditional volunteerism; I came out of marketing and advertising. I ran ad agencies. My wife did, too. Ideas, brand-building, behavior change….that’s our professional DNA. After we lost Hayden, I didn’t set out to “become a nonprofit founder.” I set out to develop an idea that could help people the way Hayden helped people….by making contact.

In that sense, Shoulder Check “just happens” to be a nonprofit vehicle. It is, first and foremost, an idea carried by a brand and a toolkit. From day one we treated it like a serious creative brief. Our team (pro bono) built language, design, rituals, and programs the way we would any world-class brand……with clarity, consistency, and heart.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start ShoulderCheck.org?

Rob Thorsen: When Hayden died by suicide in May 2022, our lives were instantly and permanently altered. The first feeling was compulsion: we have to do something. I reached out to a national mental-health nonprofit whose executive director told me, bluntly, “Leave interventions to the professionals.” It stung, but at the same time, it focused me. She was right: I’m not an interventionist. I am a professional in another realm.

A few months later I sketched a simple thought in a notebook: “I have a hand to give. I could use a hand.” That became our north star. We began gathering with 30–70 kids at a time, at home, at the community center and iterating together. We wanted this to be everyone’s idea, not mine. The first crystallized concept to emerge was Shoulder Check: make kindness a contact sport, give everyone a role in the dialogue, and make the ask actionable.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Rob Thorsen: Processing grief and launching a nonprofit at the same time…..there’s no handbook for that. You’re building a startup out of a garage emotionally and literally, while processing the heaviest thing you’ll ever carry. We’re not clinicians. We’re not event producers. Yet we’re running programs and putting on major events because that’s what the idea requires to spread.

Operationally, the work is exhausting….production, follow-up, stakeholder care, constant outreach. Conceptually, the challenge is staying disciplined: we’re not trying to “do everything mental health.” We’re doing one thing well which is equipping friends to check on friends. The saving grace is that the idea is a virtuous circle. The very act of placing a hand on a shoulder….giving or receiving….feeds the work that sustains us.

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

Rob Thorsen: The stories. Constantly. We hear from people who finally knew how to start a hard conversation and did it……and from people who were struggling and felt their friends show up. Nearly everyone will accept help from a friend; Shoulder Check gives those friends simple language and a moment to step in.

And the ritual itself is its own therapy. When hundreds or thousands of people put hands on shoulders and say “Reach out. Check in. Make contact,” there’s a tangible lift in the room. You feel the possibility of a culture shift……one conversation at a time.

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

Rob Thorsen: I know it in two ways. First, in the micro: when a young kid writes to say, “I went home and checked on someone because of Shoulder Check….and it mattered.” Or, “My friends came to me, and I didn’t feel alone.” That’s the point.

Second, in the macro moments. At our events, 2,500 people….families, players, kids….all link up and speak the refrain together. You watch the posture in the building change. You hear “Lean on Me” sung by an arena and feel the message land. Those moments are catalytic….but they exist to seed a million small, private ones later: on buses, in bleachers, down hallways, at kitchen tables.

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

Rob Thorsen: We launched the idea with the Shoulder Check Showcase in August 2023; this year we hosted our third annual showcase. It’s a community-run charity game anchored by NHL players who’ve believed in the mission from day one….people like Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Trevor Zegras, and many others who donate a week of their time to play, meet kids, sign, and amplify the message.

Each year, 2,500 people pack the arena. Before the puck drops, everyone places a hand on a neighbor’s shoulder and repeats our refrain. The response has been overwhelming…..an emotional jolt you can see and hear. This year, New York Rangers anthem singer John Brancy performed the National Anthem and led a “Lean on Me” sing-along. The NHL, the NHLPA, teams, and media have all helped carry the message; we’ve appeared on Good Morning America two years running. The Showcase fuels grassroots adoption…..teams, schools, and communities taking the toolkit and making it theirs. That’s the impact we care about most: replication and daily habit.

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

Rob Thorsen: I want Shoulder Check to become cultural shorthand for empathy…..like a color you instantly associate with a cause. Think Komen’s pink for women’s health or Movember’s mustache for men’s health. Our teal-aqua should say “kindness, connection, and awareness.” Not as a merch play, but as a signal that prompts action: check on someone right now.

I imagine late-August/September activations timed to back-to-school and fall sports….teams, classrooms, clubs, workplaces…….all making commitments to one another. I want the toolkit to be accessible and flexible: bake sales, 5Ks, pre-game rituals, morning meetings…..however a community wants to manifest it. We’re not raising dollars for a lab; we’re raising awareness for each other. If Shoulder Check becomes the universal cue for “I’m here…..let’s talk,” that’s the dream.

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

Rob Thorsen: I’ve learned presence over control. In the immediate aftermath, your mind tries to script the unanswerable: Why did this happen? What will my life be a year from now? You can’t solve those questions. What you can do is show up….in this hour, with these people, for this work. When you do that, you give yourself something better than certainty: integrity.

I talk a lot about reflection vs. regret. Reflection is learning from what happened while knowing you did the best you could in the moment. Regret is knowing you didn’t. The line between them is presence. If we keep showing up as honestly as we can, we can live with the outcomes, even the imperfect ones, because we’re learning forward.

And I’ve learned about duality. The loss doesn’t lessen, but growth helps you understand where that loss lives with you. New people come into your life, new work emerges, and you hold both pain and purpose at once. That duality has become the constant: grief and goodness side by side. There is peace in knowing something beautiful can grow from tragedy, even if the sorrow never leaves.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Rob Thorsen: This experience has changed me completely. I sometimes think of myself in three chapters: original Rob 1.0, then Rob 2.0 after Hayden’s death, and now something new….a version who carries both. I wouldn’t say I live in the world in a totally different way, but I see differently. A part of me that was smaller before has been amplified. The idea itself feels like Hayden. Shoulder Check is Hayden. So I feel a duty of care, as if tending this work is tending him.

That sense of duality shapes me too. Pain and purpose live together now. When I watch a stadium of people place hands on shoulders and say our refrain, I think: How did this happen? It’s beautiful, and it’s born of heartbreak. Holding those together has become who I am.

And practically, I’ve changed in how I manage time, people, and vision. We’ve been naïve in believing that a good idea will just travel….and in many ways, that faith has worked. But we’re also at the point where we need to manage like a real business, with intention and sustainability. It’s a “big small business,” and its next stage requires maturity. That responsibility makes me a different leader and a different person.

Ultimately, the change is clarity. Less time for what doesn’t matter, more devotion to what does. More comfort in knowing that if I keep showing up honestly, this work and Hayden’s legacy will keep growing. And if my legacy is simply that people checked in on one another more often, that would be a life well-lived.

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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Season 9 Premiere! Episode 91: Supplies for Success

Back-to-school season is filled with excitement for so many children…..the thrill of fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, and a brand-new backpack ready for a year of possibility. But for countless students living in poverty, this same season brings a heavy burden of anxiety and shame. Instead of walking confidently into the classroom, they arrive empty-handed, feeling different before the first lesson even begins. The simple joy of new school supplies, something many of us take for granted, can make a meaningful  difference as these young students begin their new year.

This week on the Season Nine Premiere  we sit down with Mindy Richenstein, the founder of Supplies for Success, a nonprofit that has been equipping children with dignity and the tools they need to learn for more than twenty-four years. What began as a small effort to help 68 students has now touched the lives of over 300,000 children. In our conversation, Mindy shares her powerful journey of resilience, the heartbreaking loss that deepened her mission, and the joy of turning pain into purpose. Her story is a reminder that something as simple as a backpack can carry more than supplies……it can carry confidence, opportunity, and hope.

 

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

 

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Supplies For success does?

Mindy Richenstein: At Supplies for Success, our mission is to equip children with the essential tools they need to thrive in school and beyond. We believe that every child deserves a fair shot at success, and we know that education is the clearest pathway out of poverty. For twenty-four years now, we have been making that belief a reality.

Each year, before school starts, we provide children living in need with brand-new backpacks filled with the supplies on their class lists. It may sound like something small, but the difference it makes is enormous. When a child arrives at school looking just like their peers….with fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, and a sturdy backpack—they feel included. They feel ready. They walk through those doors with dignity and confidence, rather than shame and embarrassment. That confidence can shape how they approach learning for the entire year.

Most of us have happy memories of back-to-school shopping: the excitement of choosing crayons, binders, or even the “perfect” pencil case. But for children whose families can’t afford these basics, back-to-school time brings anxiety and stigma. That gap in opportunity and self-esteem is what Supplies for Success seeks to close. Over the years, we’ve grown from serving just 68 children in our first year to helping over 300,000 nationwide. Every one of those children walked into school knowing someone cared enough to set them up for success.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start  Supplies for Success?

Mindy Richenstein:  Looking back, I think my path toward this work was influenced by my upbringing. My parents weren’t particularly involved in organized philanthropy, but they gave me the gift of unconditional love and instilled in me empathy, compassion, and strong values. In Judaism, we call this tzedakah, which is often translated as charity but really means justice. It’s not optional, it’s an obligation to make the world better. That belief has always guided me.

The first Supplies for Success drive began in 2002 when I learned of children who were starting school without basic supplies. The thought of a child showing up empty-handed broke my heart. That year, I organized an effort to provide backpacks for 68 children. It was simple, grassroots, and powerful.

Over time, our work grew. By our 18th year, we were serving more than 11,000 students annually. For many years we operated under the umbrella of UJA Federation of New York, which gave us wonderful support. But in 2018, they told us we had grown so large…with huge backpack packing events drawing in thousands of volunteers that it was time to become independent. That was daunting, but in 2019 we officially launched as our own nonprofit.

Then came March 2020. My beloved son Eric, just 37 years old, died in a ski accident. Six days later, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. My personal world had collapsed, and suddenly the entire world shut down too.

In the midst of grief, I found purpose. My daughter called, worried because her three-year-old son’s preschool had closed. As I comforted her, my mind went to first responders….mothers working in hospitals or nursing homes who had no choice but to work. What would happen to their children suddenly stuck at home?

I called our suppliers to see if they had art supplies. Two were open. Within two weeks, we created Eric’s Care Kits. Boxes of crayons, markers, and activities that we sent to food banks, hospitals, and nonprofits. They gave children a way to stay creative and hopeful, even in lockdown. Those kits became my lifeline. They gave me a way to honor Eric’s memory and turn unbearable pain into purpose.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Mindy Richenstein:  Time is always the biggest challenge. Supplies for Success has always been almost entirely volunteer-run. Aside from our dedicated college interns, we don’t have paid staff. Coordinating volunteers, assembling supplies, fundraising, and distributing tens of thousands of backpacks is a massive undertaking.

Fundraising is another challenge. Nonprofits are essentially small businesses, but with a very difficult business model…we rely on generosity. During the pandemic, we had to reinvent how we fundraised and distributed supplies since our large-scale events weren’t possible. That required creativity, flexibility, and resilience.

And then there’s the challenge of growth. Every year, the demand increases. Meeting that need while staying true to our mission and ensuring quality is a constant balancing act.

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

Mindy Richenstein:  The children fuel me. Their stories, their smiles, their dignity. I keep a picture on my computer of a little girl we helped who lost her mother at six, was removed from her neglectful father, and placed in foster care. She was embarrassed to start school without supplies. When she received her backpack, her smile lit up the room. I look at her and see myself as a little girl. Her story could have been mine, if not for the parents I was blessed with. That sense of gratitude drives me.

And Eric fuels me too. Every kit, every coloring book we create in his memory allows his light to shine on. Turning pain into purpose has been my medicine. It gives me strength to keep moving forward.

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

Mindy Richenstein:  I know we’ve made a difference when I hear from teachers, social workers, or parents. A teacher might tell me that a child now proudly walks into class, ready to learn. A parent might share that their child no longer feels embarrassed. A social worker may say that our supplies gave a student the confidence to keep going and even pursue college.

Sometimes it’s as simple as a hand-drawn thank-you note. Sometimes it’s realizing that a child we once served has now become the first in their family to graduate. Those stories remind me that our work matters.

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

Mindy Richenstein: Success, to me, is measured in both numbers and stories. From helping 68 children in our first year to more than 300,000 today, the growth speaks volumes. Last year alone, we served nearly 40,000 students. We’ve raised millions of dollars to make this possible—entirely from generous individuals, companies, and foundations. We’ve never taken government funding.

But the true measure of success is in the children. It’s in their confidence, their joy, their sense of belonging. It’s knowing that we’ve made education accessible to children who might otherwise have felt left behind.

We’ve also evolved our programs. Eric’s Care Kits provided creative outlets during the pandemic. More recently, we launched a Mandala Coloring Book, designed to support youth mental health and promote unity at a time when children are struggling with stress and the world is struggling with division. Each evolution has been about finding new ways to meet the needs of children in the moment.

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

Mindy Richenstein:  I dream of the day when Supplies for Success is no longer needed….when poverty is no longer a barrier to a child’s education. While I know that day may be far off, it remains the ultimate dream.

In the nearer future, I dream of expanding the reach of our Mandala Coloring Books, created in Eric’s honor. Mandalas symbolize unity and harmony. Coloring them reduces stress and builds focus. I want to see those books in schools, hospitals, and youth programs across the country, supporting children’s mental health and helping to counter hate with healing.

And personally, I dream of ensuring strong succession. After twenty-four years, I want Supplies for Success to continue thriving beyond me. A strong leader to carry this mission forward would be a dream fulfilled.

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

Mindy Richenstein: I’ve learned that I am stronger than I ever believed. Surviving the loss of my son and continuing this work has shown me resilience I never thought I had.

I’ve learned that action matters more than intention. Good intentions are beautiful, but they don’t change lives unless we act on them. Picking up the phone, sending the email, packing the backpack….that’s where change happens.

And I’ve learned that purpose is everything. I believe I am here because I have a mission to fulfill: to help children, to honor Eric, and to leave behind a legacy of love and service.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Mindy Richenstein: In some ways, I am the same person I was when I started…..compassionate, hopeful, driven by empathy. But in other ways, I’ve changed profoundly. I’ve grown into a leader, learned to take risks, and discovered the power of community.

This work has introduced me to extraordinary people…..volunteers, donors, social workers, and other nonprofit founders…who have become lifelong friends. It has deepened my gratitude and shown me the best of humanity.

Above all, it has taught me that love can multiply even in the face of devastating loss. Supplies for Success has shown me that when we act with compassion, we don’t just change individual lives…..we change entire communities. That knowledge has transformed me.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Episode 90: Enchanted Makeovers

Seventeen years ago, Terry Grahl received a phone call that would change not only her life but the lives of countless women and children across the country. What began as a simple request to paint one wall in a shelter became a profound calling—one that transformed Terry from interior decorator to nonprofit founder, from a woman with a paintbrush to a warrior with a mission. Her nonprofit, Enchanted Makeovers, was born from that moment…an act of faith and heart that would grow into a national movement dedicated to restoring dignity, hope, and beauty to women and children escaping domestic violence and human trafficking.

In this deeply moving 90th episode of Charity Matters, Terry shares the raw and powerful story behind Enchanted Makeovers. With humility, grit, and grace, she opens up about her childhood, the influence of her mother, and the quiet, persistent voice that led her to walk beside women on their path to healing. This is not just a conversation about nonprofit work it’s about listening to your heart, honoring your calling, and discovering how one simple act of love can ripple out to change the world.

 

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Charity Matters: Tell us a little about what Enchanted Makeover does?

Terry Grahl : Enchanted Makeovers is a national nonprofit serving women and children who are escaping human trafficking and domestic violence. We just celebrated our 17th anniversary this past December. From the beginning, our mission has been to bring everything that is sacred, healing, and beautiful into their lives.

We believe deeply in the healing power of handmade items. There’s something truly personal and loving in something made by hand. Our programs reflect that belief. We create sacred spaces by transforming bedrooms in shelters, and we also provide sewing rooms and host hands-on programs like “Capes for Kids,” our “Doll Adoption” project, and the “Pillowcase Program.” Each initiative is designed to bring dignity, hope, and healing into the lives of women and children who have experienced deep trauma.

Charity Matters: In looking back at your childhood is there anything that helped lead you to whre you are today?

Terry Grahl: My mother is my hero, my role model and warrior. She taught us the importance of creativity and the power of imagination. We experienced homelessness as a family, and the community played a role in helping us during that time. I remember one Christmas, my mom gathered us all up and said, “Put on your boots, we’re going to an event for kids.” It was held at a VFW hall, and we had to stand in this perfect line while volunteers watched from the walls. A man came over and said, “Come here, girl. Pick out a toy.” That moment stuck with me, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.

Years later, I saw how that memory shaped the heart of Enchanted Makeovers. Today, we don’t believe in perfect lines or creating separation. Everyone stands side by side. Everyone is equal. We ask, “What is your name?” and it transforms how we serve and how we see one another.

When we lost our home, I didn’t fully understand what was happening, I just thought we were moving again. My mom drove us from city to city in a giant old station wagon until we came across a run-down house with weeds up to her waist and tires in the yard. She walked over to a nearby church and asked, “Who owns this house?” They told her the deacons used to live there. And she said, “I need a home for my children. If I put down a small deposit, could I eventually own it?” And they said yes.

That house became our home. I remember her describing how she’d restore it, telling us all the things she would do. The house had been abandoned, but to her, it was full of potential. She even wrote a poem called “The Promise” about the house. I remember my mom laying her face against the front door and promising to bring the house back to life, just as it would help bring her back to life too. That home became her healing project and in truth, she was restoring herself in the process.

Charity Matters: What was the moment you knew you needed to act and start Enchanted Makeovers?

Terry Grahl: When my children were all in school full-time, I started a decorating business. I told my mom, “This isn’t about decorating, it’s about giving women hope.” My first client’s home was heavy with sadness, though I didn’t yet know her story. I began working in her kitchen and said, “This floor isn’t just a new surface…it’s a new path for your life.” She later told me her father had abused her. When I finished the home, I said, “Let’s name your house.” She said, “High Hopes.” We hung a sign outside with that name.

A year later, a man visited the house and saw the sign. He asked about it, and my client told him how I had helped heal her through design. He said, “I also fundraise for a shelter for women and children, do you think she’d be willing to paint a wall there?”

On December 6, I called him back. He said the shelter was in an old post office where women stayed for a year with their children and nothing had ever been done to the space. I agreed to visit after Christmas.

In January 2007, I walked through the shelter. The last stop was the women’s dorm. I had to use both hands to push open a heavy metal door. Inside were 30 women and children, all sharing one room with no dividers, no privacy. I asked, “Where are the dressers?” The director said they used cardboard boxes. The bunk beds had come from a prison. Everything was worn and institutional. Duct tape held baby cribs together. The bedspreads were faded, identical, and from another era. The energy in the room was so heavy with sadness that I could hardly breathe.

I took some “before” photos, though I wasn’t sure what I could do. Driving home, I was angry. I said, “God, why did You bring this to me? I have four children and a new business. I don’t have time for this.” I tried to ignore the photos all week. But by the end of the week, the last image of a stained mattress with no pillowcase just broke me. The pillow had polka dots, and I’ve loved polka dots since I was a little girl. When I saw it, I heard the words, “Trust me.” I raised my hand and said, “I’ll do it.”

I didn’t know how I’d get the money, the volunteers, or the supplies. But it was a leap of faith. I returned a week later with a design board and stood before about 50 women in the chapel. Then I started to cry..you know the ugly cry. I was so overwhelmed.

Then, one woman looked at me with her purple eyeshadow, blue nail polish, and butterfly necklace, and she said, “It’s going to be okay.” I looked around and saw not women but girls. They were crying with me, saying, “It’s going to be okay.” That was the moment I knew: I wasn’t there to save anyone. I was there to walk beside them.

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

Terry Grahl:  In the beginning, it was tough. I remember going into a store trying to get paint and thinking, “If I just share these women’s stories, they’ll help.” But it wasn’t that simple. There were a lot of no’s. I cried in the car after those rejections.

One week, I sent out a massive email campaign, sharing from the heart why the women needed new mattresses. I needed 30 of them. Out of the blue, a man called. He was on vacation and had seen my email. He said, “My father raised me to help when you can, so I’m donating all 30 mattresses, along with mattress pads and pillows.”

That was our first big donation. After that, I knew nothing could stop us. The women knew it too. What we didn’t know then was how long this journey would be…or how much it would grow.

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

Terry Grahl:  The promise I made to those women, right there in that shelter, is what fuels me. I said I would do everything in my power to transform their space, and I had to fulfill that promise.

But looking back now, I see that it was more than that. I was on my own healing journey. The little girl inside of me needed this transformation just as much as the women did. She needed to feel heard, to have a voice, and to believe in something beautiful again.

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

Terry Grahl:  For me, success is measured by the stories the women share. One woman I’ll never forget is Donna. She lived in the shelter during the time of the transformation. Later, I ran into her and asked how she was doing. She told me she had moved into transitional housing.

I asked, “What was the moment that felt most meaningful to you?” And she said, “Making grilled cheese and tomato soup for my children. Just that.” That simple act of care and comfort meant everything to her.

These women have taught me what it means to be a warrior.

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

Terry Grahl:  I’ve learned that I am a warrior. In 2008, I attended a Country Living event focused on handmade products. We missed our flight, I had a migraine, and I thought, “Great, now I have to talk to a stranger on this plane.”

A man sat next to me and asked what I did. I told him about Enchanted Makeovers. He said, “I minister to men in prison,” and we started sharing our callings. I told him I had been praying for God to break me into a million pieces and rebuild me.

He gently put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Sister, He’s already done that. It’s time to be a warrior.” I got off that flight in tears, but I knew that I was equipped. I could do this.

I’ve also learned the power of prayer and that I am forever a student on this journey. Every lesson, every relationship, every door opened and there’s a reason behind it. Now, even large corporations are reaching out to partner with us. And I’ve learned to hold my head high and use my voice to speak up for women and children everywhere.

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

Terry Grahl:  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.”

As a child, I was painfully shy. I was bullied constantly from first grade through high school. I was always told to stay quiet….and I did. But God kept His promise. I still can’t believe that a shy girl would grow up to speak on national platforms, even on Kelly Clarkson’s show.

But I know why I’m here. 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.

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 © 2025 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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