Episodes

Join me today as we explore the powerful partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters and Luminous Minds, aimed at enriching the lives of children through mentorship and improved literacy. Listen in as my guests, Brenda Frascheur, Jacob Petersen and Chandra Roughton, shed light on the incredible mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters to create life-changing bonds between 'bigs' and 'littles' by fostering, supporting and teaching literacy for children struggling to read. Moreover, Chandra from Lumin...

Join me for a profound journey with Dr. Luke Wood, the trailblazing president of Sacramento State University, as we discuss the stories and struggles that have shaped his dedication to serving students from all walks of life. From his own experiences with food and housing insecurities to his tireless advocacy for vulnerable student populations, Dr. Wood offers an intimate look at how personal challenges can transform into a force for the greater good. Listen as he shares his vision for a univers...

Discover the story of how women's philanthropy is reshaping our community with Evelyn Jensen, CEO of Impact 100 Greater Sacramento. She illuminates the profound effect of collective giving, where each $1,000 donation unites to award significant grants to impactful nonprofits. Hear how these women leverage their financial might and insight to drive transformative change, with a whopping $200,000 disbursed in 2023 alone. Evelyn's personal narrative of dedication to community service intertwines wi...

Ever wondered how a city's economy thrives on tourism? Imagine if your backyard festival could generate millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. That's exactly what Mike Testa, the CEO of Visit Sacramento, brings to light in our chat about the city's diverse attractions and events. Coverig topics like the annual Aftershock music festival and Sacramento's farm-to-fork claim, you'll see how these unique experiences are shaping Sacramento into a destination that's increasingly hard to resist.Look...

Join me as I explore the critical work of Hope Cooperative, an organization committed to addressing homelessness and offering comprehensive wraparound services, with its CEO, Erin Johansen. Erin shares her journey with Hope Cooperative, which she joined 11 years ago when it had 85 employees and a 6.5 million dollar budget. Today, the organization has grown to include 350 employees and a 30 million dollar budget, expanding its services to meet the increasing challenges of homelessness. Erin provi...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so it seemed appropriate to feature an entity that has served and empowered survivors of domestic violence to grow into healthy, productive people and families. Learn from my conversation with Beth Hassett, CEO and Executive Director of WEAVE, Inc. as she brings to the table her profound insights on the myriad of challenges and hurdles faced by survivors of domestic abuse. We explore the thought-provoking rationale behind WEAVE's name change to 'When...

Founded by Father Dan Madigan and a group of volunteers, many of whom were World War II veterans, the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services has been addressing food insecurity in the community for over four decades. Starting by establishing a soup kitchen at Immaculate Conception Church in Oak Park, it has grown to be the source in the county for servicing those in need, including children, seniors, and families. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers, staff, and community support, they're ab...

I'll bet if anyone were to ask what you thought about HIV/AIDS in our community, you wouldn't have much to say. If you're like most, you may even have thought the virus was gone. While no longer an epidemic in the US, there are still many survivors, many infected and many unaware they're living with the virus. That means they can spread it to others but worse yet, pregnant women with the virus can give it to their babies at birth. Sunburst Projects works to prevent this with a variety of tools a...

What is the legal definition of blindness? How many people would be considered "legally" blind in our region? What resources are there to support those dealing with or suddenly finding themselves blind? Executive Director of Society for the Blind, Sacramento, Shari Roeseler walks us through these questions and more as she addresses the significance and necessity for an organization like this in our communities. Serving 27 counties and over 6000 people, the need is evident but the structure, tenu...

Lisa Wrightsman, Street Soccer USA Sacramento's Managing Partner, shares her story and how it lead to her involvement in Street Soccer USA, what Street Soccer is and how it engages communities to break the cycle of homelessness thru sport. The conversation continues to the process that led to Sacramento being awarded and becoming host to the first ever Homeless World Cup in the United States. An incredible story that produces incredible results.

Why do some schools perform better than others? What is the difference between a public school, a private school and a parochial school? How are charter schools funded? Do charter school students outperform their peers at other schools? These are just some of the questions that come up in our discussion today with Kevin Dobson, Founder and Executive Director of Capital College & Career Academy. You'll learn things you may not have known and certainly be inspired by his vision for the school and ...

Join Marisa DeSalles as she visits with comedian, improviser and team building strategist Betsaida Lebron. Betsaida will be conducting a virtual session at the What If Conference on the power of play and how it can reduce burnout for employees. Betsaida started her career working in mental health advocacy and now uses her experience in mental health and improvisation to teach adults in the workplace how to shed their armor and become more vulnerable and playful in their work and as a result, mor...

Join host Marisa DeSalles as she sits down with Lynn Malzone Ierardi, J.D. for a conversation about the importance of storytelling for nonprofits while fundraising. Lynn is the keynote speaker at the What If Conference and is the author of the book Storytelling: The Secret Sauce to Fundraising Success. She has been in the estate and gift planning field for more than 30 years and has served as Director of Gift Planning for the University of Pennsylvania since 2005. She has worked on multiple camp...

Today's discussion is with The ElDorado Community Foundation to learn about their Building a Better Non-Profit program. Listen as Chris Ringnes, Communications and Public Relations Coordinator for the organization shares the opportunity that has been developed to support Non-Profits and help then grow with proper guidance and direction. Learn how your organization can take part in the Building a Better Non-Profit by visiting www.eldoradocf.orgFor more information on how your organization can be ...

One of the more unusual fundraising events in Sacramento, Big Brothers Big Sisters take a unique approach to conquering fear and building relationships. Listen as donors take that huge first step to rappelling 16 stories down over the edge of the Downtown Sacramento Marriott Hotel. Demonstrating trust in the process and really changing lives for all, the stories represent the essence of the organization.

Dr. Gina Warren, along with a committed team of volunteers and staff have embarked on a journey to change their childhood community with an innovative approach through education. Working to break the intergenerational trauma that has left families in poverty, homeless, incarcerated and under-educated, Neighborhood Wellness is breaking that cycle of trauma with neighborhood Navigators, many with 20,30, even 40 years of familiarity in the Del Paso Heights community. Working to develop and prepare ...

Leadership Sacramento is a program of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation that develops community-minded business and civic leaders of tomorrow. Part of their curriculum for each annual class is to choose a local non-profit organization to share their leadership and fundraising support with. Hear about both Leadership Sacramento and their choice of non-profit from current class cohort, Sarah Pollo Moo. For more information on Leadership Sacramento visit www.metrochamber.org. This podcast was...

This episode is a departure from our support of cancelled events for non-profits rescheduling virtually. This is quite the opposite in that it's something this non-profit provides our community. CEO Dr. Linda Farley explains 5 lessons of leadership she's implemented to allow her organization to not only perform during the pandemic but exit with a stronger team, more options for the girls and young women they serve and better prepare them for leadership roles in their lives. The content in this e...