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The Good People Fund

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Achlah – The Heyanut Center

“I strive to put myself in someone else’s shoes and to see every human being as a whole. … It is important for every person, regardless of their disabilities, to live a full life in the community, together with all of us.”

For more than 10 years Johanan Flusser worked in a school that catered to kids with serious mental challenges. There, he saw the complex problems these kids and their families faced — including being caught in a system bogged down by bureaucracy, insensitivity, and frequent misdiagnosis. After seeing the downward spiral this often caused, Johanan started Achlah-The Heyanut Center, the only multi-disciplinary institution in Israel that provides hope and solutions to families in crisis, especially those with special needs children. Johanan and his team work without bureaucracy to provide personal assessment and guidance, directing each child and family to suitable resources and a better quality of life.

Our funds underwrite the program’s modest administrative expenses.

Connections Mentor

“He was the only adult who really knew me anymore and the only one who wasn’t paid to care about me,” says Tommy, a teenager in the child welfare / juvenile court system. “He helped me open my first bank account … taught me how to go grocery shopping and helped me learn about health insurance and other adult stuff.” When Paul Muratore founded Connections, Tommy’s words were exactly what he’d dreamed of.

Paul, a longtime mentor to at-risk teens, retired in 2016 and followed his dream to start a program for kids just like Tommy: kids who’ve aged out of the foster care or welfare system and are in need of guidance and friendship. Since then, more than 130 youths have established deep relationships of a year or more with their mentors, even throughout the pandemic. Together, they’ve proven that when someone cares, anything is possible.

Our funds underwrite administrative expenses.

Courageous Parents Network

“The personal is what mattered most.”

The greatest impact of our time as a Good People Fund grantee was the personal, heartfelt encouragement I received from Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger and board members in that first meeting to move forward in our early years, and the vote of confidence through financial support.

Not all support is equal, even when the dollar amount is the same. A corporate grant doesn’t mean nearly as much as one from GPF, which is paying such close attention to the mission, the work, and the people. I felt the attention and grant as encouraging and motivating, but the personal is what mattered most.

We live at a time of overwhelming need and deeply distressing issues confronting all living things. The GPF community consists of those who have responded by doing whatever they can with the time and talents they have, and with the supportive treasures of generous others. GPF is an antidote to despair and disempowerment, a sign of hope and a jolt of encouragement.

 — Blyth Taylor Lord, Founder and Executive Director, Courageous Parents Network

SPIRIT Club Foundation

There’s a fitness club in Maryland that’s not your usual corner gym. At SPIRIT Club, individuals with physical and developmental challenges are lifting weights, doing aerobics, and working with personal trainers in a space that embraces diversity and inclusion.

SPIRIT (Social-Physical-Interactive-Respectful-Integrated-Teamwork) Club Founder Jared Ciner merged his fitness background and experience working with people with special needs to open SPIRIT Club in 2013. He later established SPIRIT Club Foundation to ensure that physical health and socialization is accessible to members of a too-often marginalized population, and to advocate for their visibility and accommodation.

“We have to understand that every person is an equal human being who deserves the same respect and opportunity as anyone else,” Jared says.

Our grant funds scholarships for a swimming program, and for technology allowing virtual participation in fitness classes during the pandemic and beyond.

Caravan to Class

Nine young women in Mali, a country perhaps better known for its military takeovers, are now on the road to new lives filled with untold possibilities. Recipients of Caravan to Class’s Bourse Jackie scholarships, each woman completes an intensive English course as well as attends university, with some graduating this year and already promised jobs.

Barry Hoffner began Caravan to Class after attending Mali’s famous desert music festival. Upon learning about the dearth of educational opportunities available to Mali children, Barry began to build schools in local villages. As Barry noted, “Imagine a world … where no matter where a child lives, the fundamental right of education is assured.” To ensure that those children break the cycle of illiteracy that had plagued their ancestors for years, Caravan to Class has constructed 15 schools with a 16th planned for late 2021.

Our funds are used to underwrite university scholarships.

Hope and Comfort

“GPF made me a better leader.”

The Good People Fund consistently pushed me to think strategically, to find better ways to raise awareness, and to use all of the resources available to us, including the wonderful GPF network. That confidence in me — and what we were doing — was incredibly reassuring and humbling given the amazing organizations that were and continue to remain part of the GPF portfolio.

Needless to say, the financial support that we have received over the years was critical, allowing us to scale our impact to help more children and families in need, whether by purchasing items at or below wholesale costs, or helping us find better ways to track and measure our impact.

But on top of the monetary support, the regular conversations that I’ve had with Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger have been invaluable in helping us think more wisely about chapters along the way — including key hires, ways to share resources across mission-aligned organizations, and the role of the Board, just to name a few. The advice has made me a better leader and our organization more impactful and efficient.

— Jeff Feingold, Founder and President, Hope & Comfort