As I write this, the leaves outside my office window are turning bright yellow, red, and orange, announcing a change of season. Here at my desk, a change of season is underway as well: I am entering my fifth month as the Good People Fund’s Executive Director Emerita and Master Mentor and it has been a journey. (Maybe even one I could write a book about!)

In 2007, the Good People Fund was little more than an idea, launched somewhat precipitously, but with care and no small amount of chutzpah. Why would such a venture succeed in an economic climate that was anything but favorable? And yet it did, in ways I never imagined. Over the next 19 years, I worked with our board to nurture it, develop new ideas, and expand our mission beyond financial support for visionaries to include mentoring and education. It was much like raising a child to adulthood. When we began planning for this “child’s” long-term future, I admit that the thought of stepping away was inconceivable. But time has a way of gently bringing the mind to a different place, and that is what happened.

Today, I am fortunate to remain involved in ways that reflect what I loved most about this work. My two-day-a-week role as a mentor allows me to work far more deeply with our grantees than I ever could before. Whether they are wrestling with a thorny problem, crafting a piece that captures their impact, or figuring out how to raise the funds to continue their work, I now have time to devote to them without juggling all the other details of an Executive Director’s job. Of course, I also remain available to Julie and stand ready to offer advice and counsel when asked. GPF has such a rich history, and preserving that context is important to the organization’s future.

Having more time has also brought me two additional gifts, both of which have made clear that our impact on the wider tzedakah world is anything but insignificant. The first is the chance to look back. As I go through old records, recalling early grantees and occasionally reaching out to see where they are today, I am sometimes stunned by what they tell me, so many years later. One wrote recently: “A long time ago, you found the good in me and I was able to help 12 million veterans get access to care and benefits. You ARE the woman who threw me back when I was suffocating.”

The second gift is the time to write. For years, the work itself left little room for reflection. Now I can sit with stories like Dr. Ruth Moore’s (referenced above) and put them into words, to share with others.

I look forward to staying in touch. What a blessing it has been to help create this unique and impactful organization.

On her family’s land in Israel’s Hefar Valley, Rani Erez was part of multi-generational effort to establish Kaima Beerotayim — a non-profit educational farm that is empowering youth on the cusp of dropping out of school or who are otherwise at risk. At the same time, the farm — a GPF grantee — is encouraging responsible food production and consumption. Rani, CEO and Co-Founder of Kaima Beerotayim, joins Naomi Eisenberger, Executive Director and Co-Founder of GPF, in conversation.

One quarter of pregnancies end in loss. For Reva Judas — whose son, Pesach, tragically died hours after birth — grief fueled a determination and vision to help individuals, couples and families facing the unimaginable. NechamaComfort, a GPF grantee organization, emerged to offer support groups, counseling, logistical guidance and more for those in the Jewish community — and beyond — facing pregnancy and infant loss. GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger speaks with Reva about her journey and impact.

In Western Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh, Gisele Fetterman and Kristen Michaels are bringing vision and commitment to uplift lives and communities. The founders of For Good PGH are creating a culture of care, compassion, inclusivity and empowerment to residents of once-thriving — but now under-resourced and struggling — Braddock and surrounding areas. GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger speaks with these two dynamic and impactful woman.

A healthy snack business? A clothing line? A pop-up restaurant? For street-connected youth in inner city Baltimore, social enterprise projects — and community service jobs — break the cycle of poverty, develop skills for positive futures, and transform a community. Driving this impact is The Food Project of UEmpower of Maryland, a Good People Fund grantee. Michelle Suazo, Co-Founder of UEmpower of Maryland and Executive Director of The Food Project, describes it all to Naomi Eisenberger, GPF Executive Director.

There are an estimated 30,000 asylum seekers in Israel today … men, women and children, mostly from Africa, who’ve risked their lives to escape adverse conditions and now await legal status in Israel or elsewhere — anywhere that will welcome them. But for now, they live in substandard conditions, invisible to many Israelis while the government threatens deportation. Rabbi Levi Lauer, Founding Executive Director of Atzum, and Julie Fisher, Founder and Director of the Consortium for Israel and the Asylum Seekers, speak with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger about the plight of this population and what they are doing to change the reality.