Nonprofit Luminaries

On today's episode I speak with Ayan Hersi and Amy Do, Board President and Vice President of All Girls Everything Ultimate, also known as AGE UP. AGE UP is a nonprofit organization South Seattle that uses Ultimate Frisbee as a catalyst for change. They help empower future leaders through relationship building, social justice education, and providing leadership opportunities. It's a unique approach, using a sport they all love, to connect young people of color to opportunities and resources....

Navigating the child welfare system can be a daunting task, even for seasoned professionals. There are layers of regulations, policies, state laws, and industry jargon. It's enough to make your head spin. The power dynamics in a courtroom are also challenging. Lawyers are arguing for and against you. Professionals are making statements about your life. And, finally, waiting for a judge to make a decision about your family. Imagine that and you have a glimpse of how difficult it can be for...

Every parent hopes to have the support of their friends and family as they grow in their parenting. Parenting advice, resources knowledge and a helping hand are key to "parenting success". For families of color however, the support and resources can be hard to come by, especially if you live in a community that doesn't have as many people or families who look like you. Questions about identity, cultural traditions, navigating the community and dealing with things like racism and systemic...

On Today's Episode, I'm joined by Russell Brooks, Executive Director at Red Eagle Soaring. We talk about the work of Read Eagle Soaring, its impact on Native Youth and what inspired him to pursue filmmaking.

My guest for this episode is Suzanne Gwynn, Executive Director at Ladybug House. Suzanne shares her vision for family centered palliative care for children and how Ladybug house is supporting families dealing with end-of-life care. Suzanne has served as a critical care nurse for more than 35 years, in both the United States and Canada. She’s worked with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Providence Hospice and Swedish Medical Center. Suzanne has worked with...

I'm back after a long break adjusting to the "normal" this pandemic has thrust on us.My guests this week are Alice Casson and Amber Lindamood of Hand in Hand. Alice Casson serves as the Executive Director of Hand in Hand, after 9 years of volunteering and serving as the Director of Operations within the organization. Alice is passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families, and contributes her passion to her role as a relative caregiver and adoptive mom.Amber...

Today's guest is Samantha Kelly Executive Director of Youth in Focus. Youth in Focus provides a supportive and inclusive community with a sense of belonging and safety for youth from a variety of backgrounds. Their programs help youth find their creativity, identity, and voice while sharing their unique and personal stories through photography.Samantha is a dynamic leader with more than 20 years of leadership roles in nonprofit organizations. Her primary goal at Youth in Focus is to ensure...

Domestic violence impacts a wide range of people in the community. Survivor's lives can be impacted for years, but so can the lives of their children, friends, family and even their pets. For many survivors, the emotional and psychological abuse is harder to recover from than the physical damage. Isolation, manipulation, gas lighting, harassment and other controlling behaviors can wreck havoc on a survivor's mind and mental health. That's why, for over 40 years, New Beginnings has been...

On today's episode I sit down with Helen Lakeru, President of Many Lights Foundation and talked with her about their mission to heal the pain of abuse and neglect in children by providing children in kinship and foster care with permanent homes in a multi-generational community. Many Lights Foundation tries to espouse the "it takes a village" approach by bringing people together to live in intentional relationships so that they can have a neighborhood where everyone flourishes. You can find...

Welcome to Nonprofit Luminaries, I'm you're host, Anibal Ruiz, today I get the privilege of sharing my conversation with Vu Le, author of Nonprofit AF and former executive director or Rainier Valley Corp. Vu has a passion for making the world better by developing leaders of color, strengthening organizations led by communities of color, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities. During this conversation Vu shares some important views on how we can make the nonprofit sector more...

I'm back with a new episode after a short holiday break. Here's hoping for a great 2020 for you, your friends and loved ones. Think back to your high school days. What took up most of your time and energy. If you were like me it was sports, hanging out with friends and sometimes being up to no good. I was somewhat aware of the civic and social issues happening around us, but I was in no way mature enough to help address any of them. Today's guest, Fadumo Roble, isn't spending her high school...

The future belongs to you. That's the refrain we usually give to young people as a way to encourage them to engage in complex societal conversations or to push them forward to take their studies and other responsibilities more seriously. But what are we actually doing to equip them? How are we developing young people to be the influencers of tomorrow that we often say they will be? Beyond that, are we providing opportunities for them to have a voice and be or become influencers in their own...

Foster care is a complex subject and an even more complex system that has a goal of keeping children in safe and stable homes. Most people don't understand what foster care is and for a lot of people, their understanding is shaped by misinformation, misunderstanding and a lot of bias. All of that impacts our ability to empathize with the people involved. Most of us are willing to think of the children impacted, but what about the caregivers? The foster parents and relatives caring for the...

All of us want to belong, to be a part of something or some place where we are valued, where our contributions make a difference and where we are appreciated. We all want a place where we can nurture and grow our relationships and where we are supported in our struggles and share in our successes. In short, we all long for community. Unfortunately, people experiencing homelessness and addiction have a hard time finding that place to belong. Many have been ostracized by family, friends and...

Since their domestication approximately 5000 years ago, horses have played an important role for humanity. They have carried soldiers into battle, pulled wagons and tilled fields, Herded cattle, and provided a mode of transportation. In other cases, their beauty can be seen through performance and art like the dancing Lipizzaner Stallions or those used by Mexican Charros and Mariachis. No matter the view, horses are helpful companions and majestic animals, but their magic doesn't end with...

Communities of color have a unique set of difficulties due to systemic injustices. racism, red lining, gentrification and other societal issues that contribute to those communities being at a disadvantage. How do you combat that? You get together with guys like Andre Franklin, Cedrick Alderman and the other leaders of BUILD 206 and invest in your community. You help to strengthen young people through relationship building, mentoring, providing resources and in general being an example for...

All of us experience grief. None can escape the fact of death or suffering that exists all around us. Often our grief is aided by a cherished memory, a photo or a gift from a loved one that has passed. However, for some families, the cause for grief is so sudden or so intense that they are too busy or too exhausted to capture those moments. That is where Lynette Huffman Johnson and the team at Soulumination step in. Soulumination celebrates the lives of children and parents facing...

Music has been a tool for expression for a long time, a way to communicate opinions, emotions and express identity. In some cases, music has helped us rally against oppression, uniting us under and anthem of advocacy and empowerment. Music can encourage us, motivate us, and help to transform us. It can help us discover our voice, exercise our creativity and build confidence in ourselves and others. That is what Natalie Walker, Executive Director of Rain City Rock Camp, and her team strive to...

Imagine a school where children with disabilities are understood by their peers. A school where incidences of bullying decrease because children empathize with one another. What if children weren't left out of activities because they don't look like they could participate? What if a child with sensory issues was given the space to self regulate and then embraced by their peers rather than shunned for their "strange behavior" What would that school look like? How would those students be...

Today's episode is a brief overview of the origins of Nonprofit Luminaries, how it got started, what I hope to accomplish and how you can help support the podcast and the organizations that are featured. I'd love your feedback, message me on any of the social media platforms below, leave a comment on this page or e-mail me at info@nonprofitluminaries.com Follow me on Social Media for up to date information. You can find me on Facebook (@nonprofitluminaries), Instagram (@npluminaries),...