Podcasts

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.

Asher Lovy grew up in the insular Haredi community of Borough Park, Brooklyn and was sexually, physically and mentally abused by his mother. The silence within his community — where discussion of such aggressions was neither acknowledged nor welcome — propelled Asher to make some noise as head of ZA’AKAH (Hebrew for “outcry”), advocating for survivors of child sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community. GPF Co-Founder and Exec. Dir. Naomi Eisenberger speaks to Asher about his personal journey and ZA’AKAH’s impact.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, The Survivor Mitzvah Project has been operating in overdrive, navigating turmoil and destruction in Ukraine to maintain contact with Holocaust survivors, deliver them more critical aid, and in some cases provide them safe passage out of the country. Good People Fund Exec. Dir. Naomi Eisenberger speaks with The Survivor Mitzvah Project Founder Zane Buzby about the organization’s work and impact during this international humanitarian crisis, and how GPF support is helping.

At The Warehouse NJ, individuals and families emerging from homelessness and displacement are finding new beginnings with dignity. Here, they choose donated furnishings and home goods for their new apartments and living spaces, as they begin an upward trajectory in their lives. Kim Sleeman founded The Warehouse NJ — a Good People Fund grantee — because she saw the need and a community-based solution. She speaks about her journey and impact with GPF Co-Founder and Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger.

Elysa Rapoport gave birth to a stillborn daughter in 2016, and soon discovered a lack of emotional and practical support systems in Israel for those facing pregnancy and infant loss. So she determined to make change and co-founded Candles of Hope, a GPF grantee. Her organization is building and providing resources and channels of support, and is shining a light on what for many is an uncomfortable topic. GPF Exec. Dir. Naomi Eisenberger talks to Elysa about her journey and impact.