Podcasts

In Israel’s Negev, the Bedouin community is mired in a generational cycle of economic and educational stagnation. Al-Baqour — a Good People Fund grantee — is using innovative approaches to early childhood education and family empowerment to break it … while respecting the traditional groundings of the community. GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger speaks with Shlomit Somech-Lehmann, CEO of Al-Baqour, and Dr. Foad El Sana, its executive director.

Eli Weinstock was a college student in 2021, when he died from unintentional exposure to Fentanyl. Dr. Beth Weinstock, Eli’s mother, and Olivia Weinstock, his sister, began BirdieLight — a Good People Fund grantee organization — to educate youth about Fentanyl and its lethality, and to save lives and honor Eli’s memory. They speak with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger.

As founder of MyChild’sCancer — a GPF grantee — Oded Grinstein gives parents of children with cancer the medical knowledge and social support they need to be strong advocates for effective treatments and positive outcomes. The journey began when Oded’s infant daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that she effectively beat back. Oded speaks with GPF Co-Founder and Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger.

In Israel, Shana Aaronson is the CEO of Magen for Jewish Communities, a GPF grantee organization addressing sexual abuse and exploitation in the Orthodox Jewish community. Under her leadership, the organization is making huge impact by helping and supporting survivors, raising awareness and educating  in the community and beyond,  and advocating for survivors in investigatory and legal channels.

The art of deriving and telling life stories can be the great connector — empowering individuals on the edges of society, bridging divides in communities, and advancing social justice. Cara Solomon is a former journalist establishing and practicing this approach as Founder and Executive Director of Everyday Boston, a GPF grantee. She describes the impact she seeks and is making, here in conversation with GPF Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger.

For individuals in emotional distress — including those with suicidal tendencies — an empathetic advocate trained to gauge the severeness of need can be a bridge to a positive outcome. Sahar — a GPF grantee — is a volunteer-driven Israeli non-profit organization using a unique tech model as a form of intervention. GPF Co-Founder and Exec. Dir. Naomi Eisenberger speaks with Sahar CEO Yael Levy.

For underserved and vulnerable youth and families involved in the juvenile court or child welfare systems in Massachusetts, resources as varied as a bus fare, a laptop, even a bed, can tilt the balance toward improved systemic and personal outcomes. Anne Bader-Martin is a juvenile court attorney who founded One Can Help — a Good People Fund grantee — to provide missing but needed resources and create positive trajectories.

Barry Hoffner was on a personal trip to Mali in 2010, when he was struck by the lack of educational opportunities for young people in rural villages around Timbuktu. So he decided to build a school. Now, a dozen years and 16 schools later, his organization, Caravan to Class — a Good People Fund grantee — has grown from building schools … to supporting women’s literacy and sending young women to college through a scholarship fund named after his late wife, Jackie.

Barry speaks with GPF Executive Director — and host of Good People Talk — Naomi Eisenberger.

Beth Steinberg and Miriam Avraham both have children with Down syndrome, both moved to Israel, and both found a lack of informal education programming for those with developmental challenges. So, they started a program themselves.

Shutaf, which means “partner” in Hebrew, is a Jerusalem based organization — and a Good People Fund grantee — practicing an inclusionary model of informal programming mixing kids, teens, and young adults across the spectrum of developmental, physical and learning abilities.

Beth and Miriam speak with GPF Co Founder and Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger about Shutaf and its impact.

Dana Marlowe was a working mom in metro Washington, DC who was driven by a personal experience to start I Support the Girls, a Good People Fund grantee. The organization gives bras, menstrual products and other personal care items to people around the world who need them desperately — due to homelessness, natural and human-made disasters, and other extreme circumstances. Dana sits with Naomi Eisenberger, GPF Co-Founder and Executive Director, to describe the genesis and impact of I Support the Girls, and the power of dignity.