Our visionary and engaging partners talk about their drive and impact in Good People Talk, the monthly podcast of The Good People Fund. It’s all about good people doing good in the world with creativity and hard work … and talking about it!
Find a new episode of Good People Talk here each month, or subscribe on SoundCloud. We’d love to hear your comments or suggestions too. So be in touch!
Episode 35: In Rural Mali, Planting Futures Through Education
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.
Episode 34: Shutaf: Filling a Void with Inclusion
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.
Episode 33: “Homeless Women Need Bras” — Giving Dignity to Those in Need
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.
Episode 32: Advocating for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse in the Orthodox Jewish Community
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.
Episode 31: Aiding Holocaust Survivors in Ukraine, as Humanitarian Crisis Continues
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.
Episode 30: Creating a New Beginning, Starting at Home
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.
Episode 29: Moving Pregnancy and Infant Loss Out of the Darkness
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.
Episode 28: Alternative Learning and Socialization, on the Farm
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.
Episode 27: Turning Grief into Impact
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.
Episode 26: Creating Hope and Beauty In a Once Thriving Steel Town
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.