3rd Act (Roger Steed)

Ellen has received two master's degrees in social work and healthcare administration and began her career opening inpatient, psychiatric hospitals for children and young adults in Detroit. From there. She started the mental health matters instrument care program at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan.

While raising two sets of twins, she decided to enter the field of clinical psychotherapy. She worked contract actually for the Henry Ford health care system and went on to open her own practice over the last 20 years. She currently has her own practice in Bloomfield Hills and visits with clients frequently with her handy companion Baxter. (That's her dog.) 

She is the corporate therapist for the Bedrock Detroit management company. She is currently on the board of directors of the Detroit Jewish Family Services Group and enjoys volunteering her time.

Ellen began to realize as she was treating more people dealing with depression and anxiety during the pandemic that some of the responses were similar to the model that Elizabeth Kubler Ross presented in 1969 called the Five Stages of Grief. People were in a sense "mourning" the loss of a way of life.

Looking for the silver lining she has notice some families taking advantage of the oppotunity to stay together and learn to work through their conflict. Parents are finding the extra time spent with their children in virtual learning as an opportunity to get to know them better. Parents are coming up with ways to help their children socially interact with friends while keeping them safe in groups called PODS. 

Although it has been disruptive to many relationships, Ellen is also finding ways that it is improving relationships as well.

Many people have been forced into a new work situation. Whether it is a hybrid, work from home, or some other approach due to COVID-19 Ellen shares some tips and practical steps for adjusting to the new normal.

As a therapist, before the pandemic, was never a fan of teletherapy. She believed it wouldn't provide the same level of service that face to face could provide, but she has proved herself wrong and now finds it to be very effective. 

Ways to improve your mental health during the pandemic:

1. Focus on the things that you can be grateful rather than you've lost
2. Try not to live in fear
3. Spend more time talking to other people
4. Be more validating of what others have lost
5. Find ways to help others
6. Learn to live with less
7. Be a good citizen
8. Make an effort to connect with others (they can't see your smile behind your mask.)

Tips for reaching out to get help today

• Google for therapists in your area
• Check out physcologytoday.com
• The department of social services has resources for mental health by county

In This Episode: 

• Kimber is an active advocate for children and seniors that are struggling without food and shelter in Pontiac and throughout Oakland County, Michigan.
• We talk about the housing issue in Oakland County, in part because of the definitions of homelessness in HUD housing. Kimber explains and unpacks some of the challenges of the nationwide housing shortage.
• With children, the definition is much "kinder" you have to be sleeping in your car or doubled up in someone's home. This makes it easier for them to get some services through their school or other programs.
• Oakland County has 3200 children who are considered to be homeless.
• When Kimber brought up how the definition of homelessness was hurting and not helping with Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence it started a task force.
• The three missions of the task force
  • Identify legislative areas to make changes
  • Educate leaders about the barriers that people in homelessness face
  • Get everyday people involved in the solution
• Kimber shares stories of what it is like helping people dealing with poverty and homelessness navigate the government programs designed to give funds to people. 

Quotes from This Episode: 

• Engaging the community to solve our problems is one of our missions. ~Kimber
• I've probably worked 20, 30 hours on it to get the right person (about funding in a program to assist with rent). And if you can imagine that I'm completely exhausted from trying to find the organization and supposed to help. Can you imagine, having not sure where you're going to go that night? Not sure when you're going to be trying to call these places to get help. ~Kimber

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• The HUD definition of homelessness.
• If you'd like to get involved you can reach out to kimber at kimber@kidsempowered.com, or call her at (248) 840-9858 or follow the Facebook page for Oakland County Task Force on Poverty and Homelessness
• Coats for the Cold - Coat Drive 2021
• Help a family in need this Christmas Season
• Kids Empowered On The Move

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.

If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Lauren shares a bit about the history of the nonprofit and some of their amazing initiatives. She felt called to make a difference as a high schooler when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred and she witnessed the way people come together in tragedy to take care of each other. 

Since 1992, Rebuilding Together OKC has provided critical repairs to over 3,000 homes, 30 nonprofit facilities, and 8 public buildings in the Oklahoma City metro area with the help of 70,000 volunteers. Their mission is responding to a crisis in our country – that of aging housing stock and the growing number of people who, because of age, disability, or lack of resources, live in dilapidated or inaccessible housing. What began as one workday in April has become a year-round mission to provide free repairs and rehabilitate the homes of low-income seniors in our community.

One initiative is SheBuilds OKC which isn’t just about home repairs- it’s about getting women from all over OKC civically-engaged in their own communities. Women-led and women-focused, She Builds provides critical repairs for women-headed households and women-focused community spaces to empower women to maintain safe and healthy homes, make a difference in their communities and build a supportive community network.

COVID has impacted their ability to hold workshops in person but they adapted to recording videos to help educate and provide assistance to women homeowners and empower them to make repairs and maintain their houses.

"We're not just a construction company, we are here to revitalize." - Lauren

They also have a ramp team that builds accessible ramps for homeowners that is an amazing group of people who continue to build ramps (safely) even during the pandemic.

Lauren shares their success with fundraising during COVID-19 and their plans are for the next six months.

"I'm always asked, isn't it hard to raise money and it is hard to raise money, but when you are telling the truth and you're serving the mission, it shouldn't be hard to raise money, because there is a need and we fill that need." - Lauren

She shares about an exciting upcoming event called the TopGolf 4 Homes Fundraiser which brings together corporate executives, civic leaders, skilled trades’ professionals, and community advocates to help rebuild lives and neighborhoods by making homes safe, warm, and dry – one swing at a time!

 As I think about the mission of the 3rd Act to shine a spotlight on deserving individuals and organizations that are making a difference in this crazy world we find ourselves in, I feel the desire to kick it up a notch in 2021. Over the last seven or eight months, I believe we have started a good conversation about incredible people who are truly making a difference in the lives of others. This effort has been rewarding to me but I feel compelled to reach higher for more participation and explore whether a more targeted effort can bring greater benefits to those that need a helping hand.

I thought it would be cool to provide a slide show of many of the great people I have worked with in 2020. Thank you. Thank you. For your help and support.

Watch the slideshow mentioned in today's episode

The pandemic shutdown and related issues have caused a multitude of problems across our country. And in many demographic groups, including the elderly military veterans folks suffering from mental illness and addiction, abused women, low-income parents that have lost their job and are struggling to feed their families.

Students that have seen their schools closed. And don't have access to computers and online learning devices. These are just a few of the groups that are struggling to survive in today's environment.

I think we started a good conversation about incredible people who are truly making a difference in the lives of others. This effort over the last seven to eight months has been very rewarding to me, but I feel compelled to reach higher for more participation and explore whether we can target or a more targeted effort can bring greater benefits to those that need our help.

I believe strongly that after talking to so many fine people over the past eight months, that if you volunteer and are physically able to help others, the rewards are awesome. And you can see what you're doing is really making a difference.

We talk with Kimber Bishop-Yankee, founder of Kids Empowered which offers one-on-one, group programs, and training to empower children, teens, parents, and professionals to deal with unfriendly classmates and friends, bullying and to build confidence, emotional intelligence, character, leadership, self-esteem, mindfulness, fitness, and social skills.

She has spent 22 years. Helping families and children and difficult social and school-related situations, coaching counseling, one session, small group gatherings, and Michigan. She has led nine missions to Kenya. Jordan Palestine, Canada, she has sponsored over 500 weeks of summer camps. She has run seven marathons to raise money for clean water projects and Kenya. She has organizes sponsored eight 40 foot containers of different medical supplies, school supplies, soccer equipment for people in need, and Kenya. And she has raised thousands and thousands of dollars to help Kenya relief provide there or be able to purchase their first school bus, build a soccer field, and a cafeteria for 1000 kids.

18 Months ago Kimber became the chair of the Oakland County task for homelessness and poverty and explains how she came into that position and the role COVID-19 has played since March of this year in their efforts.

Over the past 23 Saturdays, her organization has joined up with other Pontiac nonprofits to form the My COVID response, team. They have organized 50 people to drive and take food to about 250 families and seniors that don't have access to the resources they need during the pandemic.

She has decided to use her nonprofit to help people who are need of these "little things" that are a major obstacle to people in poverty.

You can donate on kidsempowered.com

John was greatly affected by the Murray Federal Building bombing in April of 1995. They had a mutual friend from college that John shares a heartwarming and inspiring story fo how they reconnected through Half | Time Institue from Bob Buford. Their mutual friend used his resources and experiences to pool resources with others to buy a building in a food desert where they offered opportunities to community members to shop, learn to cook.

When their mutual friend, Clark, passed away, John took some people to visit this building believing it would be closed for the funeral. But they found it full of activity as a group of kids were excitedly learning how to cook a birthday cake for their mother. This meaningful exchange served as a metaphor for a man who lived out his convictions and his mission continued on after (and even during) his funeral.

Both men share an appreciation for his life and the example he left for them to follow.

Sign up for the 3rd Act newsletter on wearethirdact.com to find interesting videos from this great man.

We spent time talking about the Half | Time institute.

Many people are looking to move from success to significance. They use a tool called strength finders owned by Gallop to help people identify their gifts and understand how to maximize their strengths to make an impact in their community.

We also talk about John's involvement in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. He was attending a local church that had a young associate pastor at the time, named Craig Rochelle. The First Methodist church he was attending was right next to where the bombing occurred.

Their church became the morgue for the bombing that happened the Tuesday after Easter Sunday in 1995. Since the church was uninhabitable for years, John felt like they needed to have an outdoor shelter for people to worship. The church raised a third of the money, the Jewish federation matched their third and that generated some publicity. A local Muslim man was moved to match the remaining donation to complete the funding for the structure.

He learned throughout this season that during times of pain like the bombing there are good things that are birthed from tragedy. Craig Rochelle went on to pastor one of the biggest churches in the US that created the Bible App.

We also discuss John's work with scholarships for the University of Oklahoma.

Our guest is Jessica Marcetti, is the manager of volunteer resources at Vista Maria. Vista Maria services 1200 people a year and has roughly 450 children in their program and 80 women staying on their campus.

Vista Maria is a place for girls, youth, and their families to realize a life beyond trauma and ignite a life of possibility. I lead the Volunteer Resources department to connect our youth with caring adults, educate people about human trafficking, and help our community use their gifts and talents to support our mission and our youth.

Jessica has made an impact at Vista Maria
• Increasing Vista Maria's corporate volunteer engagement and grant compliance.
• Managing the Holiday Wish List program, providing gifts to the 150+ youth in our care ($39,150 in-kind value in 2020)
• Grew total in-kind giving by 44% over 2019.
• Re-imagining their alumni scholarship program to maximize impact for each recipient.
• Designed and implemented a custom, 6 phase COVID-19 safe-volunteering plan.

Vista Maria was founded by the sisters of the good shepherd who prayed to Mary and fell in love with a plot of land with a vista view. It happened to be in Henry Ford's backyard. Clara Ford later decided to sell the land to the sisters for $1.

Vista Maria offers various programs to help young women at various stages of their journey. However, there is a thread that runs through every young woman's story: trauma. Whether it is young women rescued from human trafficking, abuse, or sex trafficking.

The numbers on human trafficking in Michigan are difficult to track, and most believe the numbers are under-reported. As a result, it is a crime that exists in the shadows.

We talk about the merger with the Michigan Abolitionist Project (MAP) that allows them to start getting more involved in educating people about the issues that young women in their community face.

During COVID, there have been fewer cases of child abuse reported. However, the number has likely not actually dropped as many kids are not in school and in front of mandated reporters, teachers, and adults who often report abuse issues to DFHS.

Jessica shares some success stories of their alumni and the recent graduation ceremony. Every young woman is going onto college or community college.

One of their greatest needs right now is loving foster families. So many of the children in their programs are waiting for a Foster Family. Children thrive in a loving family setting, they heal from their trauma, and foster families can truly change someone's life.

You can volunteer at VIsta Maria here. 
You can donate to Vista Maria here.

Share Detroit is a community engagement conduit offering simple ways for neighbors, nonprofits, and businesses to come together and strengthen our local community. They make it easy for people to find local nonprofits and engage with them how they choose, whether it’s donating money, volunteering time, attending an event, or buying much-needed items from nonprofit wish lists. 

Their open and inclusive platform amplifies the needs of the entire nonprofit community, giving all organizations a chance to be seen and heard regardless of size, focus area, or budget. They believe that by doing good together, that we all can create a stronger, happier Detroit. Share Detroit is also a 501c3 nonprofit created to support all other nonprofits across metro Detroit.

Janette developed her skills working at Ameritech for 15 years. And she quarterbacked a huge sales effort with the general motors EDS effort many years ago. She is really a problem solver. She can take on big projects, clients and work with them to find solutions to any problems they may have in the nonprofit world.

We start talking about the origins of the platform and how it came to Detroit. Two major angel investors helped get the site off the ground by purchasing and further developing sharecharlotte.org so that the platform could be more robust and handle additional cities. ShareDetroit.org is the fifth city to have launched and they plan to continue to add more cities in the future.

The service is free to nonprofits. And designed to help them connect with their donors, volunteers and promote their events and organization.

Since their launch, shareDetroit.org has added 207 nonprofits and more are currently being added. 

In order to be on shareDetroit.org you need be your own 501cs, have been in existence for a year, and have a functioning website.

You can reach out to Janette at janette@sharedetroit.com.

Lynda taught language arts and the Detroit public schools system, although challenging, she loved educating and helping children through that experience.

After that time, Lynda decided to attend Wayne State University law school. And she says she happened upon a job posting for a position as an intern with the Wayne County prosecutor's office in the juvenile court. She worked there for years and the prosecutor's office gaining insight into the plight of young people and the court system.

And decided to start a nonprofit called the Ark Nonviolence Program to help children achieve their goals. Linda managed to direct the Ark, even after being recruited to the Michigan Children's Law Center (MCLC). And after 15 years, she closed the doors on the Ark to accept the position of co-executive director of what I call the MCLC.

We talk about what the Michigan Children's Law Center does and how it helps people. With clients who range in age from 0 - 20 years old. They help inside and outside of the courtroom. Their 12 attorneys represent many clients and it can be a challenging profession.

"You can only look at so many autopsies of a one-year-old or x-rays of broken bones on a five-month-old before you wondering, am I doing a good job? When will it get better? We really work together at MCLC to encourage one another." ~ Lynda McGhee

We break down how the courts work and how the dockets are arranged. From baby, drug, mental health, there is a team of people and judges that give wrap-around services to kids and teens.

"You wouldn't believe the enormous amount of services out here to help people, but they don't really know about it."

If you would like to donate to the Michigan Children's Law Center to give to families in need please donate online.

The donations help with things like backpacks, clothes, and other resources that children in the Foster system need. All proceeds will be used to help fund programs to prevent child abuse, address the needs of youth aging out of the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and teach tolerance.
 

In This Episode: 

• In Christina's research and now her life she studies the practice of gratitude.
• Gratitude practices are something that anyone, no matter what they are going through can implement. They are all accessible and all free. This doesn't mean that they are easy, but they can make an incredible impact.
• Some examples include
  • Doing a gratitude list when you wake up in the morning
  • Writing letters to people you are grateful for and giving those letters to then in person or reading them on the phone
• We talk about some of her thoughts, poems and observations in her book, Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis Diaries
• For Christina, she wanted to bring attention to the narrative of loving your body and brain even during the time she had the uninvited guest of cancer. Trying to articulate the difference between fighting brain cancer without fighting or blaming her brain.
• Christina was a neuroscience undergraduate, and has always thought of herself as a "brain-nerd."
• We talk about her Ted talk and what that experience was like for her.
• Christina defines a neurodivergent person.
• Christina shares the moving story of sharing her Ted Talk and her diagnosis with her middle school students.
• We discuss why she wrote her book during her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery and the response she has seen from it. She also used some of the funds to help go towards research.

Quotes from This Episode: 

• Tragedy can kick you down and lift you up in the same breath. It can make friendships stronger. It can give you purpose. It can inspire, you can bring hope. It can strengthen faith and it can accelerate dreams. It can bring an unexplainable peace, a love for your body that you never knew. It can introduce you to the bravest people that walked this earth and the smartest people born to help you heal. And that's why I'm not scared. Thank you tragedy for what you've taught me. It's now time for you to go. - Christina
• But when you hear the word cancer, you then hear warrior fighter. You can fight this, you can beat this. And when I started hearing that, of course, I've seen that all around me in commercials and advertising, but when people started to say it to me, it was really uncomfortable.  It didn't sit right with me and thinking about how much I love the brain and how much I tell my students, the brain is amazing. I thought I don't want to fight my brain for the rest of my life. -Christina
• I've learned in therapy is do focus on truths. On what I know is fact, I don't know what my life will be like in five years, 10 years or longer, but I do know I'm strong. I'm resilient. I can rise again. I have community behind me. -Christina

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis Diaries - by Christina Costa
• Christina's Ted Talk
• The Michigan Medicine Multi-disciplinary Brain Tumor Clinic
• Kiss Your Brain for Research

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.

If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Jannie is an author physical fitness coach certified personal trainer, as well as a physical therapist assistant who has been serving in the Dallas, Texas community for over 20 years.

Jannie has extensive experience in sports, physical therapy field providing rehabilitation coaching. Two athletes and numerous sports, including basketball, football, rugby, soccer, hockey, and volleyball. Eight years ago, Jannie started her foundation focused on teaching and helping inner-city kids learn good eating habits and the importance of fitness.

The IDK foundation's mission is to address the prevention of obesity and chronic disease. By teaching young people, fun exercises, and good nutrition, which will help them improve their self-esteem by reinforcing positive thinking. IDK stands for, I didn't know, and it reflects Jannie's upbringing in a community that did not know the fundamentals of healthy eating and how to live a healthy life.

Jannie's passion to help children. Develop a healthy lifestyle is obvious. When you speak to her in a minute, you will hear a person devoted to helping kids and adults develop healthy habits that will lead to a healthier lifestyle.  I want to highlight her book is titled Jannie's Fitness Rehab to Clean Eating, which can be found on Amazon, and importantly, a portion of the proceeds from the book sales goes to helping children lead healthier lives.

IDK, which stands for I Didn’t Know, reflects Jannie’s upbringing and strong desire to help inner-city youth develop better eating and fitness habits. As a young African American woman, she realized that her environment prevented her from learning healthy eating habits. How could her family and community live a healthy lifestyle if they DIDN’T KNOW how? 

Along with the fantastic foundation that Jannie is leading to help children, she is also active with her company, Hands-on Training & Therapy, which provides one-on-one coaching and training for clients in the Dallas area.  On the podcast, we will discuss healthy habits we all can use to get our bodies and mental state in the best possible place to start 2021.

In This Episode: 

• Jack discusses his trip walking the Camino in August of 2021.
•  Dr. Jack Kirnan today specializes in helping folks explore new ideas and pathways to find success. Jack brings over 30 years of personal experience, financial services, and education to his professional coaching and counseling practice in New Jersey. 
• Jack shares what the experience of walking the Camino had in his practice and in his life.
• This was a 34-day trek of challenging hiking at an elevation change of 4,000 feet. He trained extensively before the trip. 
• Jack shares compelling stories of lessons learned along the way during his Camino experience.
  • Friends met along the way
  • Conversations about challenges, family, and work
• During the second phase of the Camino, you are walking through the Spanish Desert. It's hot and challenging and a great place for personal reflection. For Jack, it was grieving the loss of his brother and, later, his dream job.
• Jack shares how he carried four rocks for the first 25 days of the walk to have the experience of laying them down at the Cruz de Ferro. 
•  One of his main takeaways was learning to be in the present. 
• We hear so many behind-the-scenes stories of the Christmas Carol throughout the years, from provisions cast members who have gone on to stardom to meeting members of the Charles Dickens family.  

Quotes from This Episode: 

"Pilgrims from all over the world walk the Camino for various personal reasons. However, everyone is seeking their own way toward clarity or a better understanding of a major loss or event in their lives." - Jack Kirnan.

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• Walking the Camino
• Kirnan Coaching Associates, LLC - Creating New Pathways in Life and Career 
• The Way with Martin Sheen
• Mi Buen Camino: The Place Where Everyone Becomes Your Brother and Sister - A Documentary about Jack's experience
• Jack Kirnan on LinkedIn

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.

If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

In This Episode: 

• Share Detroit is a technology platform that allows charities to post their sites, raise funds, solicit volunteers, and communicate with anyone on the Share Detroit website. It is a terrific endeavor that Detroit needs as well as other major cities in our country. 
• With me today are Jeanette Phillips, Executive Director, and Karly Moore, Director of Community Impact.
• They are helping small and mid-size charities get their message out and help them raise awareness about their mission. And how anyone interested can immediately get in touch and establish a relationship with a charity that you believe in that is important.
• We discussed Giving Tuesday on November 29, 2022.
• The platform was launched during COVID with 20-25 nonprofits, and they grew quickly by the previous Giving Tuesday 2021 to 120+ nonprofits.
• Now they have 320 nonprofits on the platform.
• Through a partnership with Wayne State University, they provided an alternative spring break allowing students to serve their communities.
• Join the Michigan region’s Giving Tuesday celebration! Support your favorite nonprofits through SHARE Detroit!
• Give on November 29th during Giving Tuesday. Let’s celebrate what we can do in just 24 hours!
• During this season of giving, it is easy and fun to donate to causes you are passionate about in just a few clicks. Support animals, children, veterans, or the environment. With SHARE Detroit, even more of us can unite to make a difference in our communities. Plus, bonus funds can stretch your dollar further when you give through SHARE on Giving Tuesday. Mark your calendar for Giving Tuesday on November 29th.
• We learn about how the platform works and how nonprofits benefit from the platform.

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• Share Detroit
• Need Doesn't get a vacation
• Knowledge Exchange Events

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.

If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Life Skills Coach with a compassionate and counterintuitive approach to working with people and organizations.

Author - Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men's Groups

Founder - Men's Fellowship: Circles of Men Project

As a life skills coach and business leader, Clay Boykin has developed a compassionate and counterintuitive approach to helping people and organizations find their purpose, direction, and path in the world. 

Clay's life purpose is to help make the world a better place by helping raise compassion consciousness among men.

He is the author of, Circles of Men: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Creating Men's Groups and has dedicated his next twenty years to make the world a better place by cultivating compassion consciousness among men. He Founded the Circles of Men Project in 2012 which has grown to a worldwide network. Clay facilitates repeats and workshops and has led them in both the U.S. and Kenya.

Clay hosts both men and women on his podcast: In Search of the New Compassionate Male, which he launched early in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Clay is a former United States Marine Corps officer and in 2007, after 38 years in the corporate world, a mystical experience sent Clay on a journey through his own dark night of the soul, later emerging to find his calling.

Clay shares his story of finding peace during the midst of a heart attack in the fall of 2007. He then found himself laid off and experienced his dark night of the soul for the next two years. He metaphorically reached the top but found himself wondering what it was all for and what to do next.

"The new compassionate male is emerging as a new archetype." - Clay

What is the new compassionate male? Clay is on the search for the answer. The whole world is currently going through massive change and there is a lot of time for reflection within. It is something you can feel even if you can't articulate it. He shares of tremendous stories of people who are also joining him in the search.

Watch the video called the My Mandala of Life we spoke about on this episode.

 Find out more about Clay on his website and check out his podcast, In Search of the New Compassionate Male

Todd has been instrumental in starting CARES and seeing it through the early years of development with a kind heart and a knowledge of what the community needs. Todd's history as the director of Farmington Hills, youth, and family services for many years placed him in the perfect role to see firsthand that many families in the community needed food security, along with other personal services. I was excited to visit the campus of hope recently and see the current operations and visit with Todd and Elaine and hear about their plans and dreams.

We are excited to introduce Todd and CARES to the 3rd Act community in this episode.

Todd's experience launching a youth program that didn't necessarily have the communities support at the time, but gained support after many success stories posed him to be an excellent leader to continue the food pantry and launch the food market in an area where some didn't want to be associated with people needing assistance.

If you're interested in joining CARES as a volunteer the best way is to go online to http://caresfh.org or call Todd directly at 248 231-8490

Their vision for the future is to become a true campus of Hope in their area. Including services to help people deal with service issues, a free clinic,  two gardens, a baseball field, a community center, and a gym. 

There is something special about the campus, when people visit it they start to understand the impact that it has made in the lives of people in the community. Todd is happy to give tours and hopes to get more corporations and nonprofits to partner with CARES in donating. They are even open to giving naming rights as they expand their reach.

Though the pandemic has taken a lot from us this past year, looking on the positive side it has helped many people return to some core values such as kindness. Kindness doesn't cost you anything but it makes a huge impact in the lives of others.

We talk about the 3rd Act podcast and what it represents for people who are searching for significance in their lives, maybe they've been successful in their careers and now looking for what to do next. An organization like CARES could be a fantastic place to invest your time and energy.

After summering in Lake Michigan for decades, Mark found himself in a familiar swimming hole with his father, wife, and 3 sons anchored 75 feet offshore. Mark jumped into the cold Lake Michigan water and swam to shore. As he got within 10-15 yards he wanted to walk to shore but couldn't find the bottom. He could not find the bottom. His son found him on the bottom and began to pull him up. A retired navy-pilot happened to be nearby and helped his son. They pulled him to shore. He had no pulse, was turning purple, and started performing CPR. There happened to be another few CPR trained people on the beach. After 6-8 minutes they revived him. He believes it was a series of miracles.

He said he didn't experience the white light, but felt a sense of calm and warmth and knew he was close to the end. It was as if someone was telling him everything was going to be okay.

The fact that so many trained people were available on a remote beach contributes to his belief that this was a miraculous event. 

It was a pretty long road to recovery after the complications of drowning over the next year. About a year into his recovery he chose to retire early. Mark says he crossed a line between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic. His recovery became a priority. His prior life was one of selfishness and greed and now he views his mission as compassion and helping others.

He also got a prostate cancer diagnosis that is, at the time of this episode, in remission. 

His near-death experiences were traumatic for Mark's family. His wife stayed by his side 24-7 in the hospital. They thought, early on, that he would be braindead. She also stood by him throughout the next year or two as he struggled to quit drinking. His wife has a strong faith and these events brought them all closer in their faith. He is now 6 years sober and it took a lot of prayers, mediation, community, and treatment. 
Mark is now very active in Alcoholics Anonymous. 

Kate discusses the opportunity gap and her passion for making education equitable. She worked as a teacher in DC and saw first hand some of the challenges as her class was put into lockdown multiple times because of gun violence.

Kate shares about UPcheive whose mission is "Every student deserves the opportunity to attend college and achieve upward mobility" Co-Founded by Aly Murray, whose story of hard work and perseverance overcame systemic poverty through education. She believes everyone should have access to academic support, especially low-income families and students. 

Roger feels that UPchieve is the right organization at the right time and feels fortunate to help spread the word about this impactful organization. 

The organization's model is unique. Free Tutoring & College Counseling Available 24/7, On-Demand.

You can think of it as the education equivalent of a 24/7 free health clinic. It's not your primary physician, but they are there when you need them. There are about 2,000 students in the program currently. Most students are from low-income families, and many may be the first to attend college in their families. After signing up for the application, they are matched with a tutor in less than four minutes. Students are helped by digging into the concepts to gain understanding and not just finishing their homework.

Students can sign up directly; students who attend a title one high school are eligible or fulfill a low-income student's qualifications. 

UPchieve started with math but quickly expanded to cover more subjects.

We talk about the gap for students in the US looking for STEM jobs. There is a huge demand for STEM workers and a low supply. This means STEM jobs have a wage greater than $50k per year more than non STEM jobs. There is a huge underrepresentation of low income and children of color. This is not due to a lack of interest but a lack of equitable access. 

Right now, UPchieve has over 2,000 people who volunteer their time to help these students. You don't have to be a teacher or come from an education background. UPchieve will provide you with training and certifications in subjects they wish to tutor.

We talk about the role COVID-19 has played in UPchieve's growth. They were growing and expanding before the pandemic but they have experienced an increased demand with more students requesting tutoring with at-home learning.
 
You can donate to UPchieve online at UPchieve.org/donate.

Aly is co-founder and executive director of UPchieve, a free 24 seven online tutoring, non-profit organization that provides high school students with academic support to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.

Eligible students can create a free account and request help in a specific subject (e.g., Algebra) 24/7. When UPchieve gets a request, we search for an available volunteer who is certified in that subject. In under 5 minutes, the student and volunteer are paired in our virtual classroom.

Their mission: To democratize access to academic support so that all students have an equal opportunity to finish high school, attend college, and achieve upward mobility.

Aly has been featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists for education and honored as a Rodenberry fellow in 2021.

Aly was a low-income student without access to many things despite her being an excellent student. She started in community college and worked her way to an amazing education and a job at JP Morgan. But her desire to serve in the community was difficult for her to nurture at that job because of the hours, and she decided to start UPcheive.  UPcheive makes it easy for students to get help when they need it and makes it easy for volunteers to fit volunteering into their busy lives.

"Coming up with the idea was easy, but leaving JP Morgan to start UPchieve was difficult." - Aly.

Aly shares about the early days of starting her nonprofit and how there isn't an equivalent to angel investors for nonprofits.

They talk about what they've learned from the now over 8,000 students and 7,000 volunteers on the platform. They've learned to prioritize availability over all else since it's unreasonable to expect students to know when they will run into issues with their homework. And how to revise their volunteer process to make it very easy to volunteer in the most inflexible schedules.

We highlight some of the amazing funding awards that have been won by UPchieve that speak to the technical prowess of their platform and their impact on students.

Want to learn more about how you can support UPchieve. Visit their website and donate today.

Rochelle Beckemeyer has been serving as senior pastor at Echo Christian Fellowship in Lake Orion, MI, since June of 2008, having received a Master of Divinity degree from Michigan Theological Seminary (May 2008) and ministry credentials through the Assemblies of God (Certified Nov 2006, Licensed Nov 2007). She received her ordination credential in May of 2010.

In addition to serving in ministry, Rochelle has worked at Chrysler (now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) since January of 1999, first as an IT consultant for ACS, Inc (A Xerox Company), then as a direct employee (June 2014). Prior to her work at Chrysler, Rochelle worked for General Physics of Troy as a technical writer, having received a Bachelor of Arts in Scientific and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University in May of 1993.

More important than these degrees and credentials, Rochelle received Christ as her Lord and Savior in December of 1997. Since that time, she has been increasingly consumed with a passion to see lives transformed through relationships with our heavenly Father.

in 2019 pastor Rochelle and her daughter founded a separate nonprofit called Safe and Sound Ministries focused on improving the quality of life for mentally ill as special needs individuals.

Rev. Rochelle shares the amazing journey of starting her nonprofit, becoming a caretaker for mentally challenged people to now pastoring a congregation that is 75% mentally or cognitively challenged. This all happened during a pandemic and they have continued to thrive.

Housing is their focus currently. Providing consistent housing for participants in Safe and Sound Ministry. They found a contractor who caught the vision and totally renovated their property into a beautiful home.

Residents in the program have real responsibilities, they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves, cooking, and using their skills to help the others in the house.

You can support Safe and Sound Ministries through their website. And you can find out more on their Facebook page.

I am pleased to record my first guest-focused podcast of the year with Elaine Grohman. I was introduced to Elaine last fall by a friend who thought we should get to know each other, since we are both involved in a journey to help individuals through acts of kindness. It is becoming increasingly clear that by focusing our minds and actions on the improvement of our health, the actions we take help us get the most out of our days on this planet.

Elaine is a teacher, author, energy healer, radio host, intuitive, and public speaker. In our conversation, she shared her perspectives about compassion and appreciation of Life, and the enormous potential we all have as Human Beings. Elaine comes from a large blended family of 15, and is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and has learned her intuitive craft from years of experience, beginning with her work in hospice.

Elaine Grohman strives to nurture people by demystifying our connection to the Living Earth, offering a greater understanding of the enormous Gifts of our Spirit, Body, Emotions, and Mind. Elaine lives in Southeast Michigan and offers her services to people through individual and group meetings. She conducts podcasts with guests on her show, Earth Wisdom Circle, on Empower Radio, and also has her own webinars available on her website, www.elainegrohman.com.

Elaine shares this ancient truth: “We are Spirit born into a Body. Because we have a Body, we experience our world through our Emotions, which are “Energy in Motion.” We must learn to decipher the information we glean from our Emotions so that we can learn to use our Mind, and thus our intellect in the most appropriate ways. Spirit, Body, Emotions, and Mind are not separate - rather they are parts of one system that allows us to have this experience called Life. This is the only way to know the Self that we are. Every Human Being is here to Learn.”  Elaine Grohman also explains how the Energy of the Living Earth is accessible to us as physical Human Beings.

Elaine Grohman can be reached through email at egrohman55@gmail.com, or on her website, www.elainegrohman.com.

Finally, you can pick up copies of her books, entitled, The Angels and Me: Experiences of Receiving and Sharing Divine Communications along with, Spirit Awakening: Wisdom for Life and Living, both are available on Amazon.com.

Elaine is currently working on her third book.

In This Episode: 

• As Oakland County’s only comprehensive program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, HAVEN provides shelter, counseling, advocacy and educational programming to nearly 30,000 people each year.
• HAVEN has helped domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their families escape abuse and create safer lives for over 40 years. 
• Their survivor-centered services honor survivors as experts of their own experiences.
• MiVida Burrus, Director of Development, has held key roles in fund development, grant writing and donor cultivation for area nonprofit organizations, municipalities and colleges.
• Jasmine Valentine is in the marketing and development program at HAVEN.
• We are pleased to have MiVida and Jasmine are join us today to has helped spread the word about the good works taking place 24 hours a day, seven days a week and to allow HAVEN to share more about their services and programs.
• HAVEN received a perfect score, perfect assessment score from the Michigan domestic and sexual violence prevention and treatment board. It was a first perfect score and their 14 year history.
• All their services are under one roof to better service their clients that can face up to 22 barriers to receiving services.
• All of their services are free of charge and they always appreciate donations of any kind.

Quotes from This Episode: 

• "We operate on an empowerment. We do not tell survivors what to do. We empower them to make choices and decisions that are going to be positive for their own lives." ~MiVida Burrus

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• HAVEN of Oakland County MI
• There are job opportunities available at HAVEN
• The HAVEN Gala on May 12

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.

If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Steven is a disabled motivational speaker, based in London.

Themes he speaks about:

• Disability
• Forced Change
• Planning for Resilience, and
• Dealing with Uncertainty

Steven Dowd committed to get fit and agreed to compete in a charity cycling event.

He bought a bike, started training and rode to work like thousands of others.

Early one June morning he was headed to a friend’s flat to do the daily commute together, but never arrived…

A freak accident left him paralysed from the neck down.

With candour and humour in keynote talks for international corporate audiences Steven shares his story, the highest highs and the lowest lows of an against-all-odds recovery journey and how he approached the situation to achieve his greatest successes to date.

An ‘Everyman’ with a long corporate career himself, Steven genuinely understands the corporate audience and is highly relatable. He clearly underlines that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things with the right toolkit.

The insights and take-aways are specifically aimed at benefitting anyone going through personal or professional challenges, facing significant events or forced change. 

 
After Steven was injured, in his a very dark time, he even started to talk to his wife about going to Switzerland for assisted suicide, but he decided against it and instead made a decision that after surgery he would give himself 200 days to get better.

He started to take steps after 90 days and lived by the advice try to be better than you were the day before and if you are celebrate that little step as a victory.

Stephan talks about how he decided to be a motivational speaker and what that process was like for him.

We discuss the importance of not comparing your biggest challenge to another persons biggest challenge. 
Stephan talks about the rowing event he was apart of and how impactful it was

Living & Learning Enrichment Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by Rachelle Vartanian. Rachelle graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in teaching for the emotionally impaired. Right out of college, she worked at a lock-up center for adjudicated youth. She was passionate about this and worked with this population for over ten years. During this time, she went back to school and obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Personality & Development. She did this to better understand why so many of her students chose to behave in self-destructive manners.

It was during this time Rachelle was seeing signs of autism in her youngest son. When he was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, she made the decision to go back to school and get a second Master’s Degree in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Madonna University. It was also during this time, she started teaching high school special education in Farmington Public Schools.

She took a leap of faith and quit her job after being a special education teacher for 20 years when a buy-out was offered at the school district she worked at. Selling her family home of twenty years, drawing money from her retirement, and downsizing her life allowed Living & Learning to be born.

We talk about how they found the property for their new headquarters and the series of miracles it took to move into this new facility that has allowed them to make an incredible impact on the people in their community and grow their programs.

It was the Don Massey Cadillac manion. On the other side of the street was housing. It seemed too good to be true.

Roger could see the dream as he walked the property with Rachelle. They started an alpaca farm. They are gentle animals and their fiber makes a high-end yarn that provides jobs for their people. They have a bunny farm. They sell fresh eggs and raise chickens. They opened an Mod market. 

They also have an IT academy for highly skilled individuals.

If someone you know or your child wants to get involved with one of their programs they can call 248.308.3592. We do an intake that takes about an hour with a tour to help understand the needs of the individual. The intake is free.

You can donate to The Living and Learning Enrichment Center to help them continue their work.

We talk about the upcoming open house 

Matt Hook has two main life goals: “To get to heaven and take as many people with me as possible,” and “To provide as many ministry opportunities for as many people as possible.” Matt moved to Dexter with his wife Leigh in 2003 to be Sr. Pastor of Dexter United Methodist Church. Matt’s number one ministry is to be a husband to Leigh and dad to 4 children: Hunter, Jillianne, Graham, and Joy (as well as several fish and a dog named Casey Stengal).

Matt grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, attended DePauw University for music/business, Garrett-Evangelical Seminary for his Masters in Divinity, and Asbury Theological Seminary for his Doctorate in Ministry, examining “How Seminaries are Preparing Spiritually Alive Pastors for the Local Church.” Matt is active in World Methodist Evangelism.

At church, Matt works with worship, stewardship, & staff leadership, in order to get our church to envision things only God can do, and then attempt those things!

He also has a podcast called The Shepherd & The Shrink which is available anywhere you get your podcasts.

We talk about the media, fear, and the effects of the pandemic and the election in 2020 with a focus on looking forward and elevating your perspective.

We talk about the importance of having a mission. Pastor Matt Hook highlights some organizations that he called glocal (global + Local).

• Alpha House
• Delonis Homeless shelter in Ann Arbor
• Operation Christmas Child
• Project Angel Tree
• Cass Community Services in Detroit
• Service Over Self Memphis
• Redbird Mission in Kentucky
• Healing the Children in Guatemala and Honduras
• Hands for Peacemaking in Guatemala

Pastor Matt shares the story of Felix, a little boy from Guatemala who lived with him and his family for six months. Felix had a giant bubble on his face that was full of brain fluid and non-functioning brain matter. He changed the town of Dexter. 

Pastor Matt closes the episode with some encouraging words on prayer. 

Delisa Herbert runs and owns a 501c3 nonprofit ministry from her Second Chance Thrift store in Oklahoma City.

This is not just a simple thrift store, like the personality of it's owner, it is about changing lives for the better, in a remarkable and loving manner that will amaze you and bring a smile to your face.

"My life story is the whole purpose of Second Chances." Delisa

DeIisa describes her early life as being born into sickness:
Family incest and molestation. Eventually sold to a pimp by her mother at age 13 she began a life of prostitution. She became an addict and ended up in prison. She was shot and stabbed multiple times and survived. She was high for 30 years and each of the three times she went into prison and was released she planned to do the same thing again because it was all she knew.

She shares her "wow" moment that changed her life forever.
 
Now, as a survivor of domestic violence and human trafficking and sex trafficking, homelessness, addiction, she is paying it forward for those in need in her community.

Every day through her store she is helping people in need with transitionary housing, finding a job, transportation to a job, and feeding between 50 and 75 people each day with the help of some amazing volunteers.

To volunteer, you can call (405) 470-6530

At the time of the interview, there were three homeless camps bulldozed in Oklahoma City, and are in need of camping tents, sleeping bags, food, and the things they need to start over.

They are also in need of donations like furniture and appliances that help pay the rent for Second Chances Thrift Store. This allows them to fund their efforts.

You can donate at https://secondchancesthrift.org/donate

In 2008 the Believe It Foundation was formed by Andrew McAllister for the purpose of promoting the inclusion of physically challenged children. Far too often these children are needlessly excluded from opportunities to participate with others when a little extra effort is all that is necessary.

Attending a major sporting event, taking a family trip, participating in Scouting, or going to summer camp can all be life-changing experiences for any child, especially if physically challenged. “I know because I enjoyed these experiences and many more”, declares Andrew.  “In every case, it was due to someone or some organization willing to be inclusive.”

The Foundation has continued to work with Kinetic Kids, a San Antonio non-profit organization that provides safe, healthy recreation opportunities for children with physical and mental differences.

As I talked to Andrew and started doing a little homework on his, Believe It Foundation, I knew instantly that I wanted to support and promote Andrew's organization any way I could. The principal reason Andrew launched his foundation that is helping to promote inclusion among physically challenged youth into mainstream activities, is that he grew up with physical limitations and knows the hardship and isolation that many children experience.

Andrew shares the importance of the inclusion he felt as a young man. When he went to college he realized that his experience was unique and wanted to do something to afford similar opportunities to others.

He believes that participants in the program are afforded opportunities to do things like camping, riding a bike, sports, etc. and when they do they may think, "If I can do this, I can do anything!"

In This Episode: 

• The Good Eggs Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works hard to identify childhood support programs, organizations, and families facing challenges in order to provide care and assistance. Once an organization is 'EGGED," it will receive the help that is needed. “EGGINGS” can take various forms, such as offering jackets/hats/gloves, offering school supplies to a group of students, or even helping with local children’s events for those in need.
• Sandy holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and has taught morality, ethics, and social justice courses at a private high school in Michigan. 
• In addition to her teaching career, she has taught, developed, and implemented programs and curricula that are focused on helping children realize the importance of living altruistic lives centered on love. 
• The Good Eggs series is her contribution to supporting children as they learn about virtues, diversity, and service – essential concepts to integrate into their lives as they grow into Good Eggs!
• Sandy is also the Founder and President of The Good Eggs Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children in need. The Foundation’s outreach can take many forms, including monetary assistance, educational resources, and basic needs. Part of the net proceeds from book purchases go directly to the Foundation. Improving quality of life at a local, state, national, and even a global level is key to helping others grow and succeed!
• Sandy shares the story of how she came up with the Good Eggs children books.
• We talk about how the foundation does "Eggings" and how they select the recipients and needs that they meet. Things like providing baby monitors, helping out families who have fallen on hard times, provided bedding for habitat for humanity, and about 30 more to date.
• The foundation is primarily funded through book sales.
• We discuss the animation projects for the Good Eggs on YouTube.

Quotes from This Episode: 

"I wanted to put the books into action and I wanted the foundation to help kids since the books are for kids."

Links To Things We Talk About: 

• The Good Eggs Foundation
• The Good Eggs Podcast
• The Good Eggs Books

Episode Info: 

This episode of the 3rd Act podcast is brought to you by WeAreThirdAct.com. Built on the pillars of illumination, compassion, and inspiration, it's your place to get involved, spotlights of non-profits, and 3rd Act Merch. 

Join the 3rd Act Community to bring together connections, good stories, and a shared mission to help others.

If you like the 3rd Act podcast, visit our website to subscribe, listen to past episodes, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.  

Grace Centers of Hope is Oakland County's oldest and largest homeless shelter formerly known as the Pontiac Rescue Mission. As an organization, our main priority is to help those who are hurting to regain confidence in themselves, renew hope in their futures, and restore their faith in God. We inspire change from the inside out by offering our One Year Life Skills Program. Our program is open to men, women, and children, from 18 to 81 years old, or older. The One Year Life Skills program gives our residents the resources needed to achieve the success they seek.

Pastor Clark shares a brief history of the organization and the miracles they've seen. Over 30+ years ago it was the old Pontiac Rescue Mission, which basically had the philosophy of feeding them, clothe them, and shelter them. After serving on the board and seeing the inside scoop he realized that was a great start but he wanted to see people get their life back. Many were addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and needed help transforming from the inside out and not the outside in.

Much of that has changed in 30 years. They've added life skills programs and other programs to help people restart their lives.

We talk about the impact of COVID-19. "This is the most unusual time I've ever lived in, and I've 76 years old." Pastor Clark believes they've been divinely protected. They haven't had a single case of COVID with 300 program members and 50 houses.

He is grateful for the supporters who also believe in the non-government-funded approach for coming alongside people who are addicted or homeless and giving them community and accountability. They have seen record-setting support from donors since COVID-19.

One of their best and biggest fundraisers is "The Night of Hope" This year it is a virtual event for the first time. They would love to have people register and watch the event because it fully funds the Children's program. 

Pastor Clark shares the story of beginning the Children's program about giving $.50 per "A" on their report card. The kids embraced the challenge and 90% of the kids were on the honor roll! He gave over $800 that semester!

Coming up on the one-year anniversary of their Book "Redefining Normal" Justin and Alexis update our audience what they have been up to and what is coming up for them.

Growing up, they didn’t believe they had a future. Together, they are building forever.

Alexis Black was six when her mother died and thirteen when her father went to prison for child endangerment.  After subsequently surviving a long and abusive relationship, the college junior promised her foster parents that she would avoid romantic entanglements for at least a year. But when she met incoming freshman Justin on the first day of their scholarship program, they both felt the world melt away, leaving just the two of them in the room. 

Justin Black lived in abandoned houses in the poorest section of Detroit before his parents surrendered him to CPS at the age of nine. He stayed in the child welfare system until he was graduated from high school. Determined to be the first in his family to pursue higher education, Black attended Western Michigan University, where he met beautiful third-year Alexis. At first,  their past traumas--and their age difference--conspired to complicate their attraction. But the joy each took in the other eventually conquered those obstacles, and these two survivors journeyed hand-in-hand toward healing.

In their stark and often shocking story,  Alexis and Justin reveal how two people brutalized in childhood managed to defy the odds, get healthy, and build a new life together. Guided by hope and a sense of purpose, as well as a desire to help others who have similarly suffered, they learned to reject the abusive patterns of their past, thereby breaking the cycle of generational violence and neglect. 

Written in alternating accounts,  Justin and Alexis offer a thoughtful exchange of ideas and personal experiences illustrating how anybody, no matter their background, can heal and find joy.

We talk to them about how they met and started their romantic relationship. They are now working as full-time entrepreneurs.

They started an organization called Redefining Normal to talk about mental health boundaries, healthy relationships, definitions of love, community success, and all of the things in the books.

They have several workbooks, graphic novels, and other items in the works. Justin has a podcast called ROSE from Concrete.

You can reach out at info@re-definingnormal.com or follow them on social media
| Facebook | Instagram | Tick tock @re.definingnormal

Charlie brings his background as a social worker and international work. He founded an innovative nonprofit called Pay It Forward Initiative while at Wayne State University and working with New Detroit, and a nonprofit focused on racial justice.

We talk more about Charlie's background and his inspiration for his social-minded work.

My chosen purpose in life is to empower people to recognize their potential and then help them fulfill it. ~ Charlie

This passion came from his personal experiences.  His mom passed away when he was two, and his dad went to jail when he was ten, so he spent time in the foster system that taught him empathy and curiosity to question why the world is the way it is.  This led him to become a global citizen.

Charlie talks about the Pay it Forward Initiative and how it got started, and what's going on today.

Not having access to between $400-800 is when most Americans fall into poverty. So the Initiative set up a fund that allowed participants access to a $500 savings account that they could access if needed.

Charlie spent time working on a startup incubator for a triple bottom line business. The three bottom lines are people, planet, then profit. He also spent time in Uganda working with a company that was working on a model to sell charcoal door to door to allow women to start their own company with a low-interest loan to buy their first lot of charcoal to resell. Then he worked on rural employment in Egypt.

Charlie also spent time in the room during Detroit's economic problems including the water crisis. After his experiences, he decided to run for County Commissioner. If you're not at the table, you're on the menu. So he wanted to be at the table.

County Commissioner Cavell feels
1. We need to return to a time when we realized that government was an integral part of your life, whether you like it or not so you might as well participate.
2. They are taking a third of your paycheck so you should care to become involved.

We talk about the fair housing initiative in Oakland County and the source of income discrimination that comes into play when some landlords don't accept vouchers. Landlords don' like the extra paperwork associated with vouchers. They are trying to cut down on paperwork and provide assistance for landlords. They are also setting up a fund to defray the cost of getting up to code. And finally, trying to break the stereotype that people who pay with vouchers will mess up my property. So tenants who receive a complaint from landlords will lose their voucher for life, and landlords have access to additional funds to mitigate the risk.

"And it's not that this is a bad deal for landlords. It's not that this is a bad deal for tenants. This is a good deal for everybody is just making sure people's fears are overcome with people's hopes." ~ Charlie Cavell

You can find out more and donate to Habitat for Humanity by visiting the website.

Ways to get involved:

1) Call Charlie to ask questions!

248-807-4347

cavellc@oakgov.com

2) Saturday Zoom call 10m:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bloomfield-org.zoom.us/j/96835207420

Meeting ID: 968 3520 7420

Passcode: 339718

Meeting ID: 968 3520 7420

Find your local number: https://bloomfield-org.zoom.us/u/acBf4ApB3w

3) Come to County meetings and be heard. More info here:

https://www.oakgov.com/boc/Committees/Pages/resources.aspx

Kimber is also the chair of the Oakland County task force on poverty and homelessness and uses her skills to collaborate with many political and charitable organizations to help her community in a myriad of ways.

Roger made a challenge to donate

Kimber shares personal stories from volunteers who are delivering to families. She also shared some amazing stories from their Christmas time efforts where they provided clothes, furniture, food, and even boots to families in need. They ran into logistical challenges due to language barriers, under-resourced families who may not have had telephone or internet access. But the volunteers rose to the challenge and they were able to help 175 families!

They currently have plans to do the same for Easter 2021. Families will be sponsored with Easter baskets and Easter meals.

Kimber shares a story of a man who was living in a trailer with no electricity, heat, or food, and when an angel in the organization found out they stepped up to pay $1800 in back rent so he wouldn't get evicted. He now has furniture and slept in a bed for the first time since last May. He also said that he, for the first time, is feeling hopeful. He is in awe that the volunteers, who are strangers to him, have shown so much kindness.

Rogers asks Kimber about her role as the chair of the Oakland County task force on poverty and homeless. Kimber says she ended on the council on accident. She was trying to help a homeless woman get help and found it so frustrating that she reached out to her public officials. Her goal with the task force is to help everyday people learn what the barriers are for people who are in poverty.

In Oakland County, they have 2,400 children who are considered homeless in one of the wealthiest counties in Michigan.  The root of the issue is that they don't have affordable housing in Oakland County or many areas in the United States.

Kimber is developing a book buddy program. Since the pandemic hit and schools and summer camps shut down, it was eating away at her knowing that there were so many students who didn't have access to education.  Each child will get six books, hot chocolate, and pajamas to encourage nighttime reading. They are setting up two book buddies for each child over Google Meet. Once they complete the first six books they will receive six more. 

Kimber believes that there are about 5,000 kids in the Pontiac schools that could use this program! They are in need of volunteers.

You can donate here.