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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.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

World Health Day: Caring for ourselves, Caring for our world

Each year on April 7th, the world pauses to recognize World Health Organization’s World Health Day, a global reminder that our health is our most precious resource. Established in 1950 to commemorate the founding of the World Health Organization, the day highlights critical health issues affecting people around the globe and encourages governments, communities, and individuals to take action toward healthier lives.

But while the name may sound global and grand, the truth is that world health actually begins in very small, very personal places: in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in the choices we make every single day.

Health is something we often take for granted….until we don’t have it. Whether it’s a sudden diagnosis, an injury that slows us down ( yep)  or watching someone we love struggle with illness, those moments remind us how fragile and precious our well-being truly is. Our health is the foundation that allows us to show up for the people we love, pursue our dreams, and serve others in meaningful ways.

Without our health, everything becomes harder….trust me something I am very aware of these days.

The purpose of World Health Day is not simply to recognize doctors, hospitals, or health organizations….although they certainly deserve our gratitude. It is a call for all of us to take responsibility for our own well-being and for the well-being of our communities. Because health is not just about medicine. It is about lifestyle, environment, connection, and care.

Healthy communities create a healthier world.

When we take care of ourselves we are better equipped to help others. A parent who prioritizes their health can be present for their children. A teacher who protects their well-being can inspire generations of students. A volunteer who feels strong and energized can serve their community with compassion and purpose.

Health creates capacity. In many ways, caring for ourselves is one of the most important acts of service we can offer the world.

Around the globe, access to healthcare, clean water, nutritious food, and safe living conditions remains a challenge for millions of people. These disparities remind us that health is not simply a personal issue but it is a collective one. When communities work together to improve health resources, advocate for better systems, and support those in need, we move closer to a world where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

But change does not always require sweeping global initiatives. Sometimes it begins with simple acts within our own neighborhoods.

Check in on an elderly neighbor who may be isolated.
Bring a healthy meal to a friend recovering from surgery.
Support a local health clinic or nonprofit that serves vulnerable families.
Encourage children to play outside and stay active.
Take a walk with a friend instead of meeting over coffee.

These small actions ripple outward in ways we may never fully see.

Health is also deeply connected to kindness and connection. Loneliness and isolation are now recognized as serious public health concerns. When we reach out to others, build community, and foster meaningful relationships, we strengthen not only emotional well-being but physical health as well.

In other words, caring for each other is a form of healthcare.

The past few years have reminded the world just how interconnected our health truly is. A virus that began in one corner of the world quickly affected every community on the planet. We learned that protecting one another through science, cooperation, and compassion was essential to protecting ourselves.

Global health begins locally.

When we make choices that strengthen our own well-being getting enough sleep, moving our bodies, nourishing ourselves with healthy food, managing stress, and nurturing relationships…..we are contributing to a healthier society. When communities prioritize parks, clean air, safe neighborhoods, and accessible healthcare, they build the foundation for future generations to thrive.

And when we look after the most vulnerable among us, we honor the idea that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life.

This World Health Day, perhaps the best thing we can do is pause and ask a simple question:

What is one small step I can take today to care for my health and the health of my community?

Maybe it is scheduling that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off.
Or choosing to move your body and enjoy the outdoors.
Maybe it is checking in on someone who may need encouragement or support.

Health is not built in a single day. It is built through daily choices, shared responsibility, and the understanding that we are all connected.

When we take care of ourselves, we strengthen our families.
And when we strengthen our families, we build healthier communities.
When communities thrive, the world becomes a healthier place for us all.

Because in the end, a healthier world begins with each of us. 🌎

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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

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Charity Profile

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:

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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What Matters?

March Madness 2026

March Madness means different things to different people. For some, it’s brackets, buzzer beaters, and the annual belief that this is finally the year their alma mater goes all the way. For others, it’s an Irish-infused celebration of green everything and wondering if corned beef is actually delicious or we’ve just convinced ourselves it is.

In our house? March is a full-contact sport of a different kind.

For 31 years, March has meant three sons, three birthdays, three cakes and enough candles to trigger the smoke alarm. It means springtime peeking around the corner, daffodils doing their thing, and the sacred family ritual of our March Madness  celebration. It’s a month of joy, fun, and often spring skiing because nothing says “let’s celebrate life” like strapping skis to your feet and launching yourself down a frozen mountain.

Speaking of launching oneself down a mountain.

Last week, my husband and I were lucky enough to spend three magical days skiing in one of our favorite places. A dear friend generously loaned us her home, and for a few blissful days, we skied and skied and skied. Blue skies. Crisp air. That satisfying crunch of snow under your skis. It was the kind of weekend that makes you feel 25 again.

Until it wasn’t.

You know how the last run of the day is always “just one more”? The victory lap. The grand finale. The triumphant glide into après-ski glory? Yes. That run.

I was following my husband who, as usual, was far ahead of me when I noticed that the center of the trail was filling with little ones zig-zagging their way down the mountain. It was icy and crowded. So, I confidently decided to move to the left side of the run into the shadier part of the slope.

It seemed like a brilliant plan…..Until I skied off a three-foot drop I didn’t see because of the shade and that charming phenomenon known as flat light. One moment I was upright and composed. The next, I was airborne……unintentionally.

To say I missed my landing would be generous.

There was a brief, cinematic pause in midair where I had time to think, “This is the end.”  Then came the yard sale. Skis here. Poles there. Dignity somewhere further down the mountain. Enter Todd. A kind young stranger who skied over and said, “Wow. I can’t believe you’re okay. That was incredible.”

Incredible. That’s one word for it.

It turns out, I was not, in fact, okay. I tore my calf muscle and did some soft tissue damage in what I will now refer to as my Non-Olympic Landing of 2026. The good news? It could have been so much worse. No surgery, no head injury and no dramatic helicopter rescue. Yes, there was ski patrol and a snowmobile but thankfully no toboggan.

The bad news? I can’t walk or drive for about a month. My curent transportation consist of my crutches, and a very humbling scooter. I’m one week in and still in total denial. Surely tomorrow I will spring up like a gazelle? This scooter can’t belong to me? How is it possible that I am now the woman who now calculates how far it is from the couch to the refrigerator?

And yet…here we are.

March Madness has taken on a whole new meaning.

It has literally forced me to slow down. I am not a slow-down kind of girl but more like a “just one more run,” “just one more meeting,” “just one more project” kind of girl. But when you can’t physically get from point A to point B without wheels, crutches, or assistance, you start to listen a little more carefully.

God is whispering (or possibly shouting), “Pause.” And as much as I don’t love the method, I’m starting to appreciate the message.

Because here’s the beautiful twist in this tale of ice and ego: this forced slowing down has given me space. Space to think and to reflect. And space to pour my heart into something that fills me with joy….our 100th episode and Season 10 premiere of the Charity Matters Podcast.

Can you believe it? One hundred episodes. Ten seasons. Hundreds of modern-day heroes who have opened up to share their stories of courage, compassion, and service.

My calf may be in a brace, but my dimples are working overtime. Our team is putting the finishing touches on conversations that are inspiring, grounding, and deeply hopeful. And I cannot wait to share them with you.

Our first guest this season is one of the most compassionate, kind men I have ever met. His work for children and families is beyond beautiful. It is the kind of story that reminds you that while the world may sometimes feel like it has gone mad, there are extraordinary humans quietly stitching it back together.

And perhaps that is the real March Madness.

Not the brackets, not the birthdays and not even the three-foot drop I didn’t see coming. The real madness is how much goodness is out there how strangers like Todd who stop to help. How founders give their lives to serve others and even how an unexpected fall can become an invitation to grow.

So however you celebrate the madness this March…..whether it’s basketball, birthdays, green cupcakes, or cautiously navigating icy slopes. I hope you celebrate the helpers, that you cheer for the modern-day heroes. And I hope you let their stories steady you.

If you happen to find yourself unexpectedly airborne this season, figuratively or otherwise…….may you land in grace, surrounded by kindness, and maybe with a good story to tell.

Just preferably without the crutches.

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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

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Charity Matters Inspiration

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.

 

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Cancer

World Cancer Day: February 4th

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

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

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

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

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

The Silent Weight of Cancer

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

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

What Not to Say and What to Do Instead

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

Instead of waiting, show up with intention:

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

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

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

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

Sometimes the greatest gift is presence without pressure.

Small Acts That Make a Big Difference

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Power of Community

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

And hope matters.

Why World Cancer Day Matters

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

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

A Final Thought

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

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

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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Education

Episode 97: For Farmers Movement

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

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

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

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

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

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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What Matters?

It always begins with loss

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

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

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

When Everything Changes in an Instant

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

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

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

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

The Wave of Kindness and What Comes After

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

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

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

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

The Long Arc of Resilience

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

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

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

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

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

What Moving On Really Means

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

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

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

A Year Later, Still Holding Hope

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

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

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

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

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Merry Christmas 2025

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

Dale Evans

christmas-love

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas

 

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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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Raising Philanthropic Children

Charity begins at home….and raising charitable children

charity-begins-at-home

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

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

Some other tips on raising charitable children…..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The benefits of philanthropic children: 

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

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

Charity  Matters.

 

 

Copyright © 2016 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Christmas Came Early This Year

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s not my doing. That’s you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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

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Charity Profile

Episode 96: Mom’s Christmas Stocking

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

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

 

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charity Matters: What are your biggest challenges?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charity Matters: How has this journey changed you?

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

Charity Matters: Any closing thoughts….

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

CHARITY MATTERS.

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

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

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Charity Matters Inspiration

Thanksgiving 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CHARITY MATTERS.

 

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

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Charity Matters Inspiration

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.

 

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