Bernadette Coggins has lived in the Tempe, AZ community she serves for more than 30 years. She gained a reputation as an advocate for children and those in need, and used her background in education to help in the passage of state legislation and grant funding for some key dyslexia programs. Today her passion for kids has brought her into a powerful new role as the program director for the Tempe (AZ) Coalition, developed to reduce underage drinking and drug use. Their initiatives include 21 or T...
Jan 14, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Dr. Brent Garrison Ph.D. spent 32 years in Christian higher education and leadership at respected institutions from the Moody Bible Institute to LeTourneau University in Texas and Arizona Christian University. He is an author, hosted a daily radio program and traveled to 40 countries. But in recent years, his students have been of a different sort. As a senior discipleship fellow of The CEO Forum, he works with leaders of businesses with $100 million in revenue to engage, encourage and disciple ...
Jan 07, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Tracey Beal was leading college students on service trips all over the world when she realized there were needs at home in Phoenix where they could help. Her experience with schools in other countries helped her realize they were the lifeblood of any community and a perfect place to make a difference. She began to bring businesses, churches, nonprofits, and university students together to serve Phoenix schools, and found there were other organizations who wanted to help, but didn’t know how to g...
Dec 31, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 37
The more you learn about Lydia Guzman, the more convinced you’ll become that she began advocating for positive change before she learned to walk. Her personal mission is to help the community to become politically engaged. In order to become empowered, she believes people have to be part of the process. One of her earliest accomplishments was helping Betsy Bayless, Secretary of State at the time, lead Arizona to becoming the first state in the nation to have totally paperless voter registration....
Dec 24, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Judy Borgeson saw a great need in the Phoenix area homeless community for basic hygiene care. She was inspired by an international ministry that was sending hygiene kits around the world inspired her and she began learning everything she could about the needs of nonprofits in the Phoenix area. She continued to hear that one of their greatest struggles was the funds to provide their clients with basic items needed for day-to-day care. In 1988, Judy founded Shoebox Ministry in the greater Phoenix ...
Dec 17, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Dave Hannah was a world-class athlete, signed to play with the Los Angeles Rams and unofficial holder of 14 world records in weight lifting. He could have never dreamed his most remarkable “lift” wouldn’t be in pounds, but in young lives. He joined the Campus Crusade for Christ and helped found Athletes in Action which he led for 22 years. Then in 2004 he began a bold new program, Ambassadors of Compassion that equips youth with the critical skills necessary to navigate and succeed through life’...
Dec 10, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Growing up in Southern California, Dawon Coleman didn’t think of his family as homeless, but they moved often, from living in a Motel 6 to his dad’s office to an assortment of houses and apartments for a few months at a time. His family struggled financially, his mom feeding a family of four on $10 a day. Part of Dawon’s story is how through dogged determination to overcome his background led to his success in business, as owner of The Dawon Coleman Agency-State Farm. But the real part of his st...
Dec 03, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 31
A RESCUERS CLASSIC for Thanksgiving Eric Sheldahl grew up on a farm just north of Des Moines, and had a successful career as a real estate developer. He and his wife Mary came to Phoenix planning to stay for a few months to flip houses – never knowing they would fall in love with Arizona. When they learned about an organization called Midwest Food Bank that was ranked in the top 10 out of 7,000 nonprofits, they had to learn more and in 2017 they opened the Arizona Midwest Food Bank in Gilbert. T...
Nov 26, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Kevin Cherilla’s passion is mountaineering, and his greatest personal accomplishment in that arena is in conquering the summit of Mt. Everest. But his life impact is even greater than that. He has shared his passion with those who might never know the joy of climbing, including those who are blind, paralyzed or who have lost limbs. In addition to helping those with disabilities to summit some of the most famous mountains in the world, he and his partner Kristen Sandquist formed the K2 Adventures...
Nov 19, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Demetrius Early is a Christian recording artist and motivational speaker. His life is full with writing music, promoting new designs for his clothing line, and spending time with his wife and two dogs. But in the streets of the neighborhood, he saw people living in pain. Lives full of hurt, depression, homelessness and addictions. Instead of just passing by, he found ways to reach out and help change those lives. Today, The PHREE Project – People Helping Reach Everyone, Everyday – partners with ...
Nov 12, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 28
He’s just one man, but his ministry experience ranges through almost 50 nations, and from arts in evangelism, missions and ministry, to Jewish & Muslim evangelism, to church planting, worship ministry and coaching, and the theology of worship, imagination and the arts. The Rev. Dr. Byron Spradlin surrendered his life to Christ’s service at age 19, and from that point on his steps have taken him all over the world. His legacy may be in the organizations he has founded or served with, includin...
Nov 05, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 27
When Rachel Cinader first traveled to Uganda on a mission trip, she had no idea where that journey would take her. She was in Uganda to create a program to help local women make dresses for little girls in their communities who had only rags to wear. But on returning back to the U.S., she found hundreds of women here eager to sew dresses for the children. That led her to founding Hope 4 Women International, which not only includes the Dress a Girl Around the World program, but is designed to emp...
Oct 29, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 26
When Miriam Antolik’s husband died suddenly in 2010, she was determined her youngest children needed to stay at the private school they had been attending. She wanted them to have stability, familiar faces, friends, and teachers, as they were facing many challenges and adjustments. The Arizona Tuition Tax Credit program allowed her children to continue at the school of choice which best met their educational, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. She found not everyone was familiar with the ...
Oct 22, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Teen Challenge gave David Dobkins his life back as a young man; and now his given his life to the organization in gratitude. Growing up in Phoenix, David had a good family, was involved in church, and enjoyed using his talents as a musician, artist and athlete. As a teenager, David faced serious challenges in his life, as a series of bad choices led him into deep drug addiction, trouble with the law, and two drug overdoses that almost ended his life. Fortunately, his family never gave up on him,...
Oct 15, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Kit Danley was still in college when she felt called by God to serve the poor in urban communities. In 1982, she helped launch Neighborhood Ministries in Phoenix, an organization to be the presence of Jesus Christ, sharing his life-transforming hope, love, and power among distressed families of urban Phoenix to ignite their passion for God and His Kingdom. Neighborhood Ministries is a hub of community activity where basic necessities of life are joyfully met, including providing a safe place for...
Oct 08, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Ben Sanders grew up on the ASU campus where his father was a professor. After working as an accountant and financial analyst, he joined Community Ministries International in 1997 and returned to ASU to do full-time campus ministry with Christian faculty members and campus ministry leaders. He and his wife Sarah met at a prayer meeting on campus in 1980, and together they started the Campus Christian Center (C3) in 2012, hosting up to 30 Christian ministries to the ASU campus, ranging from the Af...
Oct 01, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 22
When a BMX accident left Ryan Pinney paralyzed from the waist down, it slowed him down. Briefly. Nine years later, he was in the international spotlight as a Paralympics medal winner. He figures that everyone has barriers in life, and it’s our choice if we let those challenges stop us from doing the things we love. Riding a bike led to his injury, but riding a bike also led to his greatest victory – to date. Ryan loves competing and has always wanted to be the best in the world. The bike is his ...
Sep 24, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Rick Johnson likes to say his business is really a ministry created by God, working undercover as a fastener company. And that’s not far from the truth – the way he has integrated his faith into the workplace makes him a role model for many businesses. It hasn’t been an easy road – his story talks about failure and success, adversity and ultimately, miracles. Click here to learn more about how Rick offers his employees so much more than a simple paycheck! Click here to learn about RC Fasteners :...
Sep 17, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 20
No two children have the same gifts or the same learning styles. That’s why the nonprofit Edkey Inc. doesn’t have any schools with the same mission or identity. Mark Plitzuweit has found a way to help kids find out what makes them special, whether they are gifted in academics, wonderful artists, or need special help in learning English, accommodations or distance learning. Learn how he is helping set kids up for success! Click here to learn more about the Sequoia Schools and EdKey, go to https:/...
Sep 10, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 19
When Kim Perea was a young girl, her father had an accident that left him physically and mentally impaired. The community came together and blessed their family by bringing food, and helping with childcare, transportation and loving care. Then when she was 10, her brother fell into the pool and she was able to save him. Helping others became a calling, and she says “I wanted to serve from the overflow of my heart, not from a paycheck,” and as an adult she became a Phoenix firefighter. Learn how ...
Sep 03, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 18
“I was no longer consumed by fire. I was consumed by gratitude.” Growing up, Jason Schechterle had one dream - to serve as a Phoenix Police Officer. Inspired by the tragic loss of a local law enforcement hero, Jason worked persistently towards his dream. After serving four years in the Air Force, at the age 26, Jason achieved his goal to work on the streets of Phoenix as a rookie police officer. Then, only 14 months into what was supposed to be a life-long career, Jason's life took an unexpected...
Aug 27, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 16
It’s obvious that Donna Kafer is a woman of many talents. Her bio lists experience as an actor author, screenwriter and producer. She’s written two books – “Women of Courage” and “Women of Faith.” She’s passionate about prison ministry. But it’s her 23 years serving the Arizona State Legislature and staff through her nonprofit, The Arizona Legislative Chaplaincy that has had the most impact, providing one-on-one prayer, scriptural counseling and encouragement. Original air date August 19, 2021. ...
Aug 20, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 16
“Unconditional love.” “Resilience.” Rev. Sanghoon Yoo led ministries and social services in the Valley of the Sun for 20 years, when he was introduced to an idea that inspired him to merge mental health and faith in his work. He was delighted to discover that current neuroscience developments support what scripture and his faith teaches. From there he formed the Arizona Trauma-Informed Faith Community Network with a mission of building resilient faith-based organizations to facilitate sensitive ...
Aug 13, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 15
David Zook’s first career was in sales and marketing. He didn’t know how well he was being prepared for his true calling: helping churches and pastors impact their communities. After being called as a pastor in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, it became clear that he had a gift for developing leadership to help build the church spiritually, and ultimately in attendance. His creativity and passion is influencing churches and pastors around the country. Hear his thoughts about the church of to...
Aug 06, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Doug Brooks spent the first 20 of years of his professional life in sales management; then he answered a holy calling that led to seminary, and ultimately back to the workplace in a totally different capacity. As a regional director for Corporate Chaplains of America, he helps bring care and compassion to hurting employees, meeting them where they are. No one can predict when life is going to have challenges, from hospital visits, to illness, or a devastating family death, it’s difficult to keep...
Jul 30, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Randy Spencer has represented Grammy Award-winning recording artists. He’s written for Billboard Magazine. For the past 30 years he’s been involved with the music business. Now he’s working with the most promising artists of all at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers, where they allow teens to build confidence and discover their passion through music, dance, self-expression and creativity. They provide private lessons for guitar, bass, drums, pianos and vocals for free. They provide instrumen...
Jul 23, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 12
When her grandfather died of Alzheimer’s, Tiffany Ramirez’s heart was broken. That loss fueled her passion to bring the healing properties of art and imagination to lives of people living with dementia. Tiffany is committed to raising awareness of the value of creativity and faith for people living with cognitive challenges among memory care communities, care partners, support groups, and spiritual organizations. Her work has been recognized by the County of Sacramento with the Hero of Human Ser...
Jul 16, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Darien Bennett had dreams of being a professional athlete until serious knee injuries sidelined him permanently. He worked for IBM for 23 years before retiring to focus on coaching. His life, however, had become one of regret and destruction. Divorced, depressed, and discouraged, he felt lost and alienated. But then a man of faith came alongside him and he was forever changed. Today, his goal with Men Coaching Men is to strive to help men to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reaso...
Jul 07, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 10
For years, Chey Castro’s life centered around success and focused on his profession. Then something happened – he found Christ. Now his focus is on giving hope to other, mentoring and talking about his faith. Original air date: July 1, 2021 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 02, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 9
He likes to say his life has taken him from the suburbs of L.A. to Siberia. Jonathan Sanborn always knew he was destined to work globally. For more than a decade, he traveled the world, equipping churches to practically serve the poor in their own communities. But God kept changing what was important to him. Today, he is the Area Director (Arizona, California, Utah and Hawaii) for CarePortal, a nonprofit that connects children in need to churches and other organizations nearby to fulfill needs d...
Jun 25, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 8
