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Armando Contreras is the National president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy Inc. The organization has 55 affiliates, 53 of which are here in the United States and two are in Canada. Armando grew up in East Los Angeles and then attended college at the University of Southern California where he obtained a degree in Business Administration. Later he secured a Master's degree in Divinity from the University of San Francisco.   Armando has worked both in the for profit world as well as for and with several nonprofit organizations. He tells us about all his life adventures including being a cancer survivor now for ten years.   Mr. Contreras and I have a great discussion about his vision for UCP which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Along the way, UCP expanded services beyond just working with persons with Cerebral Palsy. As he explains, the same kinds of services required by people with CP also apply to persons with Downs and Autism.   I hope what Armando discusses with me inspires you as much as it did me. Please let me know what you think.     About the Guest:   Armando A. Contreras is the President and CEO of the Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Virginia-based United Cerebral Palsy Inc., one of the nation's leading health associations providing vital services and advocating for the inclusion of people living with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome via its 55 affiliates (53 in the U.S. and two in Canada).   A native of Los Angeles, Armando's professional career includes having served as CEO of UCP of Central Arizona, President and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC), Director of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, and Executive Director of the Council on Small Business under former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.   He was featured in Activator Magazine's March 2021 issue (“A Servant Leader's Faithful Journey”). In November 2016, Arizona Business Magazine recognized him as a top CEO in the nonprofit health sector. In 2015, Armando was named one of the most Influential Minority Business Leaders in Arizona. He was also the featured CEO in the December 2013 issue of Arizona Business Magazine, and the Phoenix Business Journal awarded him a Champions in Diversity award in 2012. Armando was a special guest on The Hill newspaper's virtual Disability Summit, featuring policymakers, business and nonprofit leaders discussing ways to increase employment across the disability community.   Armando attended the Harvard School of Business Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program. In May 2001, he was honored to meet with President George W. Bush to discuss faith-based and community initiatives during a White House gathering on the topic.   Today, Armando serves on the Board of SourceAmerica. He is a former member of the Bishop's Finance Committee of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, and he recently completed a term serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Kino Border Initiative, a binational organization that promotes U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policies that affirm the dignity of the human person.   Armando earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in theology from the University of San Francisco. He also received certificates from the Indiana University School of Philanthropy and Harvard University.   He and his wife, Norma Contreras, live in Phoenix, where they are active in the community, particularly contributing their time and talents to faith-based social justice issues. The couple has three adult children and a grandson with another grandson on the way.       About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and I won't go through all that again, it's inclusion because that means we include disabilities. Diversity typically doesn't, but the unexpected is what we get to deal with a lot as well. It's all fun, and we're glad that you're able to be here with us, wherever you happen to be. Our guest today is Armando Contreras, who is the president of United Cerebral Palsy, Inc, and I'm really anxious to hear more about that keeps keeps him, and I think a lot of us busy, and there's a lot of good stories and very relevant things to talk about regarding that. So let's get to it, Armando, I want to thank you and really appreciate you being here. Michael,   Armando Contreras ** 02:06 it's such a pleasure, and really it's an honor that I can be here on your show. So thank you for the kind invitation. Well, you   Michael Hingson ** 02:15 are. You're certainly most welcome, and Armando is one of those people who came to us again because of Sheldon Lewis here at accessibe, and he's he's keeping us busy, which is a good thing, and he's probably working on getting Armando to use accessibe, unless you already are with UCP. I haven't checked the website lately. Well, we   Armando Contreras ** 02:33 have. So we've already put in that, I believe, a plugin, and some of our affiliates are actually using accessibe as well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:43 which is cool, and it does a lot to help, which is, of course, what it's all about. Because accessibe, using AI, is able to do a lot of the work with the AI widget, not all, but a lot that needs to be done. So it's really great that you guys are using it, and I appreciate that and thank you for it, or on behalf of all of us at accessibe, yeah,   Armando Contreras ** 03:04 you're welcome. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 03:06 why don't we start as I love to do at the beginning? Why don't tell us a little bit about kind of the early Armando growing up and all that sort of stuff? Yes, so might as well,   Armando Contreras ** 03:18 yeah, the early Armando, growing up, was in East Los Angeles, in East LA so my father had a disability for most of his life. He had a he was in a car accident, and the doctors had said he would never work again. And right about that time when he had that car accident. I was born. I was the first, the oldest of three and my brother Louis and my sister Elizabeth. So life really changed for him, because he was middle class entrepreneur in Mexico, while he was American citizen. Then when he married my mom, then they moved over to Los Angeles, and eventually East Los Angeles, and that's where I grew up. I grew up pretty much in, you can say, in poverty. And while we were in a neighborhood called in Barrio, it's just a neighborhood of of, really, for the most part, a lot of good people. Our neighbors were fantastic, and we knew each other. So that was kind of like the beginning of many years of really, you know, experiencing disabilities with my dad and seeing what he had gone through. And it was a it was a tough, really. It was a tough. It was tough growing up, let me put it to you that way, for for many reasons. So then later, I got involved with the Catholic Church, Saint Lucy. Catholic Church in Los Angeles or a small town called City terrace, and that kind of that really changed a lot for me, as far as getting involved with community issues, getting involved in helping people, getting involved in connecting with the kind of the local issues that were happening in the city of Los Angeles, because those priests, those Catholic priests, were very involved in that, in ministries, and they went outside of the ministries to help community members, regardless if they were Catholic or not, what. And prior to that, I got involved as a musician. So I was a trumpet player, and I played trumpet at St Lucy's church for about 23 years. But then that that did something, something of sort of a miracle for me, because when I applied after going to a junior college in Los Angeles College, and then I applied to a dream university, USC, so the University of Southern California, and I think one of the big reasons that I got in was because of my community involvement, so that that led to a full scholarship, and that was quite the blessing for me, because there was no way that that we can afford me going to a private university. So, you know, that's kind of like, in the nutshell, my my upbringing, otherwise I would be here three days, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 06:30 yeah, what year? What years were you at USC,   Armando Contreras ** 06:34 I was there. I was there in 8085 through 87 ish, around that time? Yeah, around that that time? Yeah, I graduated in 87   Michael Hingson ** 06:46 that's that's much beyond my favorite USC football game, which was, how was it? I think Notre Dame was leading SC 24 to nothing at the end of the first half. You know, the game, I can tell by the end, it was 55 to 24 USC, which is the way it should be.   Armando Contreras ** 07:07 You know, SC had his great moments, and sc has had their challenging moments. Has Yeah. So, you know, last year, it could have been a better year for us. But, you know, we look to the future. And like I always say, don't fight on. So fight on   Michael Hingson ** 07:23 is right. My wife did her graduate work at SC I've never been to a football game there or anywhere, and one of these days, I'd love to go, but she just passed away in November of 2022 we were married for 40 years, but I've already been an SC fan before I married her, and one of my favorite SC stories is that the day we got married, we arrived at the church, and it was supposed to be a wedding that would pack the church. A lot of people wanted to come and see us get together, but the wedding was supposed to start at four o'clock, and like the church was less than half full on about 412 suddenly the doors opened, and this whole crowd came in, and the wedding went forward, only about 15 minutes late. Later, we tried to find out what it was that kept people away for so long. And what we heard was everyone was in their cars waiting for the end of the USC Notre Dame game. And since SC one, it was that God clearly was on our side.   Armando Contreras ** 08:25 I love that. Yeah, it's a great story. And my my sister, condolences for loss.   Michael Hingson ** 08:31 Well, thank you. You know she her body was just slowing down. She was in a wheelchair her whole life, and just in 2022, things were kind of catching up. And as I say, the spirit tends to move ahead of the body sometimes, and that's what happened. But she's watching somewhere, and if I misbehave, I'll hear about it. I'm not at all worried I'm going to try to be a good kid. But that's great that she did go to USC, and you said something else. I think that's really interesting to me, and that is that where you grew up, people were very nice and very friendly. And I think that is so often true, and a lot of times people stray into some of these areas and they think it's going to be horrible, and they they look for the worst, and they find it because they're not looking for the best. They're not looking to try to find friendly people and and it's so unfortunate that too many, too many times, we don't really look for the best in people. And unfortunately, then it comes out.   Armando Contreras ** 09:34 Well, you know, I I could only say great things about East LA and the barrio that I, that I grew up in, were there elements in there? Of course, sure you were, we were about a block away from from the gang activity, and you just had a choice, right? And thanks to my parents that were super strict, they didn't, they didn't allow me to make those kind of choices when I was younger. You know. To join the gangs, but that element was in front of you, you know, and some of them, some of the folks I still know today, some of them that were in gangs and stuff, now they've settled down. They have families, but I just have to say that there was a sense of community there where I grew up, even, even, or despite the elements that were around us. So yes, do I hear the negativity when they somebody mentions East Los Angeles? Yes, but I could, I have to say that even though we grew up in poverty and even though there was a lot of challenges for us as a family, I I really cherish the neighbors that were there. When I remember that the kind of those gatherings, we had nothing. So there was no we played, you know, with just a regular basketball or something. There was no communication via a cell phone or anything like that. Yeah. So, you know, I have only good things to say. And part of my upbringing there today, I realized that wow, I was I was working on a strategic plan without even knowing what a strategic plan was back in the day. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 11:17 Do you think that today it's harder, or there's more of that kind of activity, or is it just that people are now having their attention drawn more to it, and again, still, I think all too often deal with it in such a negative way. But do you think it's worse than it was?   Armando Contreras ** 11:36 I mean, if we're talking about, if we're talking about gang activity. I mean that still, I think, is just as prominent that today, unfortunately, than what it was this as it was back. You know, when I grew up in the night, in the 60s, I believe that leaders, community leaders, our representatives, really have to invest into communities, invest in education, invest in in jobs, right? Because people, naturally, some of them, will start looking for a way of making a living, and they may choose a different route. In addition to that, gangs and they become a family. So, you know, parents do need to, you know, also be aware of what their kids are doing, and support them and and nurture them and show them love, right? And because, if you really get to the bottom of it, and you start speaking to a gang member, she or he, there's underlining problems, and maybe comes from family. You know, there could be so many things that are happening, but I truly have a vision that that someday there's going to be more funds invested into communities like East Los Angeles, because a lot of great people come out of there, and I'm not talking about myself, but there's just a lot of good people, good hearted people, that really like to help their neighbor and others. When   Michael Hingson ** 13:10 I was selling in New York, when still living in California, and would go back and spend days at a time, I stayed at a particular hotel in midtown Manhattan, Near Time Square, and if I went out at night, every so often, somebody would come up and he would say, I'm one of the guardian angels. You're familiar with them? Yes. And he said, I'm with guardian angels. I want to walk with you. And I said, you know, you don't need to. And he said, I want to. And I didn't mind, but what I always felt and and experienced was if I treated people right, if I treated people like people, if I was I was treated like someone, and I didn't really need to fear any of the other kinds of things. Now, I'm sure there were crazies around, but in general, I really do think that if we would be a little bit more open to just accepting and not fear so much those things that we don't understand, or those kinds of communities that we're not as knowledgeable about, and I'm not so much thinking of the gangs, but just all the other communities, like East LA and watts and so on, we would be a whole lot better off, and we would learn to get along with people better.   Armando Contreras ** 14:31 I totally agree with that. I think it's building relationships, right, and getting to help and getting to know, you know, folks from different ethnicities, people with different abilities, right? It all comes together. Here is that, knowing them, respecting them, listening for understanding, and then building a friendship, right? And collaborating together. Um. For the betterment of humanity. That's what I believe, where it's at, and everybody has an opportunity to do that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:08 Yeah, and I just think that we, we, we somehow also need to get the politics out of providing the funds. And I don't know, it's just people have locked themselves into some very hard political decisions sometimes that that don't help the process at all.   Armando Contreras ** 15:26 Yeah? Michael, so yes, yes. Part of it is yes, taking out the politics, but the other part of it is bringing in the politics right? Is letting our our representatives, our public officials, and on the local level, on the municipality level, state level, on the federal level, to bring them in and know what the issues are, because we're all part of the fabric of society. Yeah, all somehow we do give, and we do contribute, and I don't, I don't care what ethnicity, what religion you are, if you if you have a disability, if you don't have a disability, we're all part of the society, and I believe that our representatives really need to know that and how we contribute in a very big way.   Michael Hingson ** 16:16 I think the biggest part is they need to be open to listening to hear that some do, some don't. And I am a firm believer in the fact that over time, all the issues that we need to deal with will get dealt with.   Armando Contreras ** 16:30 I believe so too, and I think those that those that don't listen to communities, for whatever reason it is that eventually somebody in their family or them may end up in that situation themselves, and then, you know, they'll begin to have that lived experience. But while they've had a chance to make a difference, and if they ignore it, then there was a window of opportunity for them to do something.   Michael Hingson ** 17:01 Yeah, well, and, and if they choose to ignore that again, I believe that things will will happen to deal with that, whatever it is, and hopefully it it doesn't a negative, horrible thing that has to happen to make them realize it. But I think in some cases, that has been what has occurred. But I have a lot of faith in the human race. Yes, so do I. Well, so you, what was your degree in from USC?   Armando Contreras ** 17:29 It was in business administration.   Michael Hingson ** 17:32 Ah. And did you go to any football games?   Armando Contreras ** 17:35 I did, yeah, good   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 for you. My wife did too. Yeah.   Armando Contreras ** 17:38 And, and most recently, most recently, I've gone to the last two USC UCLA games. So last year, it was great. It was fantastic. We were at the Rose Bowl at, you know, in UCLA territory this year, not so good. We were so good, not so good. We were at home at the Coliseum. And, you know, it didn't, it didn't work at a while, but it was a fun game. I   Michael Hingson ** 18:04 don't know, what do you think of the coach?   Armando Contreras ** 18:07 Um, I think that he's good, and I think that he will continue to be successful this year, this next year. I think it will be better this year. Yeah, I think so. And they got this young, this young man that showed up at the at the bowl game. I'm trying to remember Miller. I think it was Miller, and it was his name, and he showed up. He was a he, he did a fantastic job. And I do see a great future for him at USC and perhaps in in the in the NFL.   Michael Hingson ** 18:40 Well, it'll be fun. I know they got a new defensive coordinator and that they needed, so we'll, we'll see how it goes. But we won't bore everyone with football and our likes, but it's nevertheless, it's part of the world. So there you go, but then you went on to the University of San Francisco, right?   Armando Contreras ** 19:01 I did. So that was a few years later, and I graduated, I believe, in 2004 and I it was, it was something that drew me, and it was an opportunity for me to get a degree in Theology at a Jesuit university. So at that time, I was working for a faith based Catholic organization, a national organization called the National Catholic council for Hispanic ministry. And what we looked at overall in the United States were the issues of upper mobility for Hispanic Catholics for immigrants, or for our sisters and brothers that are immigrants, the issues that are happening with Hispanic families, education was a huge thing. You know, how do we how do we move, you know, our children that from, you know, grammar school to. Catholic high schools and perhaps Catholic universities were, yeah, unfortunate. Unfortunately, I have to say, is that there's not a whole lot of access, and we're the backbone of the Catholic Church, right? Because it's so expensive. So those were the things that that we were part of, and one of the opportunities that came about was attending the University of San Francisco and and I received, you know, I earned a degree in theology, master's degree, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 20:32 well, let's go back a little bit. So you graduated from SC then what did you do?   Armando Contreras ** 20:37 Well, then I had several jobs after that. I worked for a nonprofit in Los Angeles that helped people get jobs. And then after that, I believe, I went into a construction company as a contract administrator. I was here for maybe a year and a half or so, and then I went on for whatever reason I was interested in real estate. So then I worked for a corporation that did mortgage loans. And in that I met a gentleman who had his own real estate company, and then we decided to start our own real estate company. So I did that for about seven, seven years, and then I I got hired to work with this nonprofit, the National Catholic council that I just mentioned a little bit ago. I was there for about 10 and a half years. So I had I had a chance to travel around the nation and to meet with Hispanic Catholic leaders, lay leaders. I got to meet with religious orders of men and women from Jesuits, Franciscans, many other different orders. So it was, it was really a insightful time for me in those 10 and a half years about our church. And then after that, we moved from Los Angeles to Phoenix. And shortly after that, I got hired. Let's see here. I'm trying to remember the I got hired by governor Janet Napolitano, but I was her small business advocate, and in about 11 months, I moved into being a deputy director of a one of her departments, the Arizona register of contractors, and soon after that, I was on her cabinet. So I was honored to serve under Janet Napolitano when she moved to Washington, DC, because President Barack Obama appointed her as Secretary of Homeland Security. Then I moved on to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, here Arizona, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And then about a year later, then that's where I had folks come to me and said, there's an organization here that is the United Cerebral Palsy association of central Arizona. And I said, Well, I'm going to maybe put the word out and see who might be interested in that position, which was a CEO position. And then they said, No, we're looking for somebody like you. So to make a long story short, I got hired. And that was really a beginning of of a lot of things. I got hired not because I had the clinical background, or the researcher background, or that I had been involved with disabilities. I got hired so then I can take take that organization to another level, where they wanted to increase the revenues, they wanted to increase their brand awareness. They wanted to make sure that we had stronger collaborations in the community in Arizona, in in Phoenix, and that's why I got hired, to make sure that we enhance that to benefit the children and adults that we were serving.   Michael Hingson ** 24:05 Well. So what do you think about the differences since you've been in a position to have done both working in the for profit corporate kind of world, as opposed to working in the the nonprofit sector? That's,   Armando Contreras ** 24:21 that's Michael. That's a really interesting question, because there are similarities,   Michael Hingson ** 24:27 I know, and I've done the same thing. I've worked for both as well. Well,   Armando Contreras ** 24:31 look, you know, I'm working for a nonprofit, and those that are going to be listening to this, that are CEOs are working in development for both for profits and nonprofits. There's not a whole there's not a big difference there. Because we strive to be sustainable, like a for profit. We strive to look at years to come, because we want to be around and help people in the next 1015, 75, Years which we we're celebrating this year, our 75th anniversary. So part of our responsibility as a leader, as a president and CEO, is really looking beyond the years that you're going to be there. You can, you can serve for one year, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. But really the i i truly believe that the test is, once you leave, will that organization continue to survive because of what you put together? So to answer your question, a lot of similarities between a for profit and a non profit. However, at the end of the day, the mission for us is to not make a profit, but to be sustainable so we can continue our life saving work   Michael Hingson ** 25:49 and for not, not for profits. Nonprofits generally tend to work more in an arena where they're trying to make a social difference. And although they're they're still selling products. The products are different. They're oftentimes less tangible, although a lot of the services that that they provide, like UCB, UCP provides and so on, end up being very tangible, but still there's there's an intangibility, but still, I agree with you that the reality is that they're very similar. Development is extremely similar to what a for profit company does. And in reality, when you're in development, you're in sales, and when you're in sales, you're in development, it's just that people have come up with two words for the same thing, but they're so similar in what you ultimately are trying to get from them, and ultimately, how you present to people who you want to be your customers or your donors, is so much the same as well.   Armando Contreras ** 27:00 Yeah, I agree with you, Michael, so in development, because I also have a background in fundraising, it's aligning with the folks that have the same vision and that would want to contribute for an impact that's happening in society. So with United Cerebral Palsy and our affiliates are providing direct services to children and adults with cerebral palsy and many other conditions. So there are people that are very, very generous, but I have to say that in the world of philanthropy now, donors are becoming a lot more informed, and they want to make sure that the dollar that they're going to donate, that it's going to go a long way. Yeah, so obviously they're looking at at administrative costs versus your program program costs, right? And that's a good thing. I encourage the philanthropic community to do that, to do their research and to pick those nonprofits in the United States or maybe around the world that are really making a huge impact. Michael, we we serve 100 and approximately 155,000 children and adults on an annual basis, and this is our affiliates that are working day in and day out to provide those services, vital services, life saving services, and services that maybe other organizations don't or people don't want to do. So those are the things that that people that are going to invest their return is really what's happening in the lives of 1000s and hundreds of 1000s of people. Many,   Michael Hingson ** 28:45 many years ago, I remember watching a little bit of a telethon. It was actually on Channel 13 out here, kcop, and it was back in what had to be the early to mid 80s, I think, and it was a telethon put on by the Society for the Prevention of blindness, which I don't even know whether they're around anymore, but at the end of the telethon, they had raised, I think, like $200,000 it was a local, Just independent television station doing it. But what we learned was that 95% of the cost of the telethon went to pay for it, and that the organization only ended up with about 5% of that $200,000 which is, of course, a real problem.   Armando Contreras ** 29:39 It is so like I mentioned before, is that today you're having more informed donors, right, that are looking at that ratio, right? Yeah, how much of their dollar is going to go to actual services, right? Versus cost for putting on a. For putting like you mentioned, a telethon today, there's not a whole lot of telethons going on. Have a million channels, but back in the day, I remember the channels 13, 574, and maybe 11 nine. Yeah, 11 nine. So there was a few more today. What do you have? 234, 100, and then more and all of that. There's other ways that I certainly believe that that can be as impactful and less expensive than the telethons. But sure, you bring up a really good point, is that if you're going to, if you're a donor, if you're a philanthropist, if you really want to have your money change people's lives, they have to do some homework. Yeah, they have to look at that nonprofit and to make sure that 90% of your dollars not going into it, and 90% is not going into it, administrative expenses. It   Michael Hingson ** 30:55 may well be that that 90% works or maybe a little bit less. You're spending a little bit more money on administration, if you can justify it, to say, but look out of that we are able to reach more people and thus get more money. But I do think it's, it's a it's a tight rope.   Armando Contreras ** 31:20 Yeah, I definitely agree with that, that you have to be strategic when you're out fundraising and your your case statement really has to be where it's so compelling that and then showing the data and and and bringing children and adults to tell their story, right of how their lives have been changed. Those are the storytelling is really part, one part, or a major part, of development and fundraising.   Michael Hingson ** 31:56 Well, tell us a little bit about UCP, the history and so on, if you would to inform more people about it.   Armando Contreras ** 32:02 Well, one, you know, I'm, I'm so excited to share with everybody that we're celebrating our 75th anniversary, right? Uh, 75 years of providing vital services, right? 75 years of having our direct service professionals, the folks that are working at home, under the home community based services. We have we have pre Ks, the different therapies that are out there. We have group homes, we have transportation, we have employment. There's so many things that we're bringing to the community. But it started in 1949 right? It started with concerned citizens and concerned parents, that they felt that in that time, which was a totally different world for people with disabilities, that they felt that something more had to happen, that no more can society or the doctors or people in authority can say, would your kids have to go to an institution no matter if they had Down syndrome? Well, maybe autism wasn't. Were so prevalent back then, maybe not as prevalent, but cerebral palsy, spinal bifid, all of that that their kids suddenly were taken away from their home.   Michael Hingson ** 33:22 Well, my parents were told by our doctors that they should send me to a home when it was discovered I was blind, and my parents rejected that, which was very fortunate, but   Armando Contreras ** 33:32 yeah, and good for your parents. And that's how it started, right? I think, I think a lot of nonprofits started in that way, but back in 1949 that's when a group of parents got together and said, we have to do something more right. Then today, we've evolved where we're in the disability world, there's greater access than there was before, there's more inclusion than there was before, right? We're trying at least that used because UCP national and our affiliates, we're trying to help people be more independent, if it's through legislation, research, therapies, everything that we're trying to do. And we're very we're very centric to those issues that are out there, and we're trying to make a huge difference. So what I'm looking at is, I'm looking at another 75 years and that United Cerebral Palsy. One we're trying to in here. Four goals. One is brand awareness. Also let folks know about our 75th year anniversary. But one of the bigger things Michael that is the challenge for us is that United Cerebral Palsy serves children and adults with cerebral palsy and other conditions, so we're trying to bring that message out. And figuring out, how can we let the community know that if your child has Down syndrome autism, that we are there providing vital services for for them as well. The next goal is development, or what we just spoke about, connecting with the philanthropic community, because we, while a lot of our affiliates rely on government funding and reimbursement, I believe that there's another level that we have to engage with, and that's the philanthropic community right. There are millions and millions of dollars. Michael, I go to this to a an event called the heckling event in Orlando, I've been going there for now five years, and those professionals that are working with Planned Giving, some of them will come to me and say that their clients don't know where to give their money to. That's why we're present there, and that's why other profits are there too, as well. Is that we need to educate the community that that you can actually invest in something that's going to bring back this return of investment, but more of a humanity return, and something that's going to be great for society. The other goal that we have is advocacy. So we're known throughout the federal government, the Biden administration, as well as the Trump administration community, communicated with us, especially during COVID So we had communications with the White House. We still do. We're engaged at the Congress and Senate level with various representatives and senators to make sure that they create legislation that's going to be beneficial for our for the for the disability community, and that we don't ever go back to the institutions that that would be their only option. Unfortunately, Michael, today, there's still institutions that exist, not as many as before, but there's still institution the last goal we have is to grow our footprint, not only nationally, but but internationally. So we're having discussions locally, in places that were not present, to grow our footprint, to see how we can collaborate. We're also having, I'm having conversations with people on the global level, like the International cerebral palsy society, like aacpdm, the Academy for cerebral palsy. I've been invited twice, once, well, I got invited last year to the International Congress on cerebral palsy in Mexico City, I got invited again. I was their president, and I gave a speech. And I got invited again this year, in March, I'll be in medida Yucatan at an international congress again, and that brings a lot of awareness for us, brand awareness, and the main thing is really collaboration. So I kind of touched upon some of the some of the goals, Michael, and some of the things that important things and vital things that our affiliates are doing. So if there's, if there's something else that you want me to elaborate, I'd be glad, more than glad to do. So how are   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 you working toward creating more and better brand awareness to the general population?   Armando Contreras ** 38:27 Well, one of the things that we're doing, given that we have this window of opportunity that we're celebrating our 75th year, and that begins in that started in February, and we'll go all the way through January 31 is that one, we have a lot of partners out there that are doing things like you're doing access to be right, that invited me on this program. And that's one of the beautiful things that in social media, it's not it's not very expensive for us to be out there. So we're using the media vehicles such as LinkedIn, Facebook and the others that are out there. And we're also using YouTube to spread the message out there. So we're we're also sharing the stories of our affiliates and their accomplishments and the people that are being served, the parents and their children, so they can share those great stories that sometimes are miracle stories because of the people that are serving them and providing quality services, care and love. So that's one vehicle. The other one is that I I was on 26 I traveled to 26 locations last year, so I'm also providing that message out there. And then within our affiliate network, they're also doing marketing, and they're doing. Brand awareness as well. So it's a whole it's really this whole core nation that we want, not only the nation, no, but globally. Let the people know who is you at UCP and United Cerebral Palsy,   Michael Hingson ** 40:16 what caused UCP to add in as part of the services that are provided, services for people with downs and autism, as opposed to just UCP   Armando Contreras ** 40:32 or UCP. Yeah, so if I go back to when I was at the local United Cerebral Palsy the UC central Arizona. It just happened to be that the programs, the same programs that were provided for children and adults with cerebral palsy, also were beneficial to other conditions. I'm not a researcher, but when there's a breakthrough in cerebral palsy or in autism or in a different condition, they try to see if that same breakthrough will help people with different conditions. What we do know is that the therapies that are being offered to children and adults with cerebral palsy, those same types of therapies are also impactful to other conditions. So what was happening is that, then parents started to to, I guess, the word went out, and what we have across the board in the United States is that we have a high percentage of non cerebral palsy clients, or we'll call them family members, that are are getting services because that's much needed. One Michael is like respite, like respite care. You know any, any family can use that rest, that respite care, no matter what the condition is. So if you're offering that, then you can offer it to the disability community, a broad range of of people that have various conditions,   Michael Hingson ** 42:13 which makes perfect sense, because a lot of the care that needs to be provided is very similar. Well, or is the same? Yes, well, you know, you, I understand, had a an involvement with cancer, and you survived that. How has that affected you and in your attitude? Because, clearly, you're a very sensitive person and very much involved in community and family and helping people. But what, what was the whole situation with you in cancer?   Armando Contreras ** 42:42 You know, I think it's that. I think that's, it's the experience that all people go through when they first hear that you have cancer, right? First thought is, are you going to survive? You know, the first, first thing that comes to you is that it's, it's terminal, right? You're not going to get through it. You know this when you hear news like that, and you know, maybe it's the same as parents hearing that their child has cerebral palsy or disability, you know, you just, you just, it's a scary moment. It's a scary time. So what? Yeah, it was a difficult time for me and for my family, especially, I think my family knowing that I had transitional carcinoma, high grade, and it was a it was a tumor in my bladder that was nine and a half centimeters. I haven't really talked about it a lot, but it's been 10 years. So February, when I had seen that as a suggestion, like you want to talk about that, my first thought was, No, I think I'm going to skip it. But a few seconds later, I said, maybe it's time for me to share with the community, because it's been 10 years since I was diagnosed so and I'll try to make this short, I got diagnosed huge tumor. They had asked me if I wanted that tumor to be taken out, otherwise I could die. And I said, of course. So they took out the tumor. I had a brilliant surgeon that did that. And then after that, they basically said to me that if I don't, if I don't do radical surgery, taking out my bladder, taking out some lymph nodes, my prostate, that I wouldn't live very long, that I had really, like a 35% chance or less to live. So I had said that I wanted to put a pause on this rush, and that perhaps there's an option out there, perhaps there was another way, because I knew that billions of dollars have been raised for cancer. And maybe because this is a whole new journey for me, that the cure was somewhere out there. Well, after going to five different doctors for second opinions, they all said the same to me, that I only had one choice, and that choice radical surgery. And even after that, even after that, I was still I was confused, I was scared, but I was still. There was a pause that I felt that maybe there was something out there. So thanks to my sister, she really saved my life. She connected me with the scientists that she was researching, and that scientist said, you know, I only, I've only done lab studies on this particular oil called frankincense oil. I haven't done any clinical studies, and today, Michael, there's still no clinical studies on frankincense oil. So I started doing that three months after they they took the tumor out. I had 20 more tumors come back in my bladder. But they were small. They were lesions. So I just asked them to scrape, scrape them. The doctors were furious with me. I get it. I mean, that was, that was a protocol. I totally get it, you know. But something, people say that I had a lot of courage. I'm not sure if it was, like just something, it could have been something was telling you. I mean, I definitely there was a lot of prayer during that time. Yeah, a lot of prayer happening at that time. I just couldn't see myself dying, and I didn't want that to happen. So just to kind of, like, kind of close on this is that when those 20 tumors came back, they scraped them. They were supposed to be a lot more coming back, or it was going to invade my body. Three months later, I had nothing, absolutely nothing. Three months after that, I had six lesions come back, and that was March of 2015, so it's been nine years since the last reoccurrence. It's been 10 years since I was diagnosed, and I get checked very often. Once a year in the beginning, I would go in and get checked every three months. So it's been quite the miracle. But I have to say, this is that one I changed. I had changed my diet at the time for about four and a half years, I was strictly doing a lot of juicing, no sugar, a lot of prayer, a lot of family love, a lot of support. I did the frankincense oil. So I think in a comprehensive way, that helped me, and that gave me another option. And I'm very grateful for that, and I'm very grateful that every day I wake up and I say to God, thank you for sparing me. But on the advocacy side, Michael, I just didn't leave it there. I've had conversations with with the with the University of Arizona, with the Arizona State University, with Cancer Centers of America, with St Joseph's Hospital, with my alma mater, USC, and the last conversation I had was with Georgetown University, and these were top CEOs. And I was sharing my documentation, because I have it all there. But sadly, I have to say that they're not interested. They're not interested in a cure, and I'll continue to pursue it when the opportunity continues on, but it's only my story, and I didn't want to leave it where. Well, Lord, thank you so much. You know it never came back, so thank you. No, I have a responsibility to figure out some ways, somehow, that my my story, can turn into a clinical study, and that someday, and maybe not in my my time, that there's going to be an option for millions of people that will contract cancers. So that's my story in a nutshell. Thank you for asking.   Michael Hingson ** 49:04 So what did the frankincense oil actually do? I assume that you feel it was a very significant part of your ability to deal with it.   Armando Contreras ** 49:12 Yeah, it's a good question, because medically, I can't tell you, because we haven't done right? Yeah, we haven't done clinical studies. And I've been, I've been asking these universities and these hospitals and these cancer firms, you know that are out there, and said, Why don't we do the clinical studies so you can so you can see exactly what it did. I can't tell you that what it did. The only thing I can tell you is that is that as they, as they as they took samples of the cancerous tumors. So you had the big tumor, and then the 20 small tumors, and then you had the six lesions that, according to the scientists, dr, dr Lynn, HK Lynn, what he did see is that the cancer cells were becoming less aggressive. And at the end, some of the cancer cells actually turn into good cells. Now, you know, people can believe that or not. I'm I'm okay with that. Sure, only thing I'm saying, Michael is that there should be, there should be clinical studies on this, because I believe it would save hundreds of 1000s of lives. What was it? We don't know. Was it the combination? Is it the combination of me juicing on a daily basis for four and a half years? Was it that, as a Catholic, you know, I was going through all the different sacraments, prayers and healing masses? So I believe there was a holistic healing process. And then my family that was supporting me during a very difficult time,   Michael Hingson ** 50:49 sounds to me like it's time to write a book.   Armando Contreras ** 50:54 I've I've been asked many times, and I think when I think, when, when I feel that, that when I'm ready for that, that, yeah, that's that will happen.   Michael Hingson ** 51:03 Yes, you've got to, you've got to feel ready and feel that it's the right time. But that might be one way to bring visibility to it. Yes, well, you know, you you value family a lot. I understand that there are music connections in your family, has music always been a part of your life or   Armando Contreras ** 51:24 or, yeah, I think I think so. I think that. Well, I know so, because when I was the trumpet player, young trumpet player at St Lucy's Catholic Church, a few years later, my lovely wife, Norma, joined the choir. I didn't know she was married, but she joined the choir. And you know, we have this thing that she doesn't agree with me, but I say, hey, when I when I met you, when I seen you, was love at first sight. And and I said, but not for you. It took a while. And she says, no, no, but so So music, I was playing trumpet, normal was singing. And then later we got married, and then we had our first child. Was Andrea, Andrea Michelle, our daughter, our beautiful daughter, who's with child today, her and her husband, Fabian. So she knew that in our home there was a lot of music happening, and if it was church or at home. And then our second child, Armando, Michael, he started catching on a little bit, but we started to notice that he started to sing and sing right in tune. And then we said, hey, maybe there's something here. So his first recital in Los Angeles, he's saying pop by the Sailor Man and over the rainbow. And he did pretty good. So later he joined as a as a young child, you know, five years old, he joined the choir at St Lucy's. And then we moved. We moved from, we moved from Los Angeles over to Phoenix, Arizona, which was a great blessing being here. And we then were exploring how we can continue to support his talent. And he joined the Grammy Award winning Phoenix boys choir, and that's where he began to sing. Got to meet some wonderful people. They had wonderful directors there, and had a great experience. That experience led him to fall in love with the classics. Oh, there he began to be part of some of the local, local opera performances. So to make a long story short, Norma, my wife and I supported him. He went to the Cleveland Institute of Music, from there in vocals, and then from there, he went to the University of Missouri in Kansas City for his masters. And today he's a professional opera singer. He's a baritone. So it's it's been amazing. All our kids are amazing. I also have to mention that our youngest Andrew, Matthew. He went to Gonzaga University and then graduated from Lewis and Clark in clinical psychology. He's worked with a lot of kids with disabilities. He's a drummer and he's a guitar player. So yes, music is a big part of our family.   Michael Hingson ** 54:28 Well, it is getting to be that time of the year that Gonzaga will become visible again as we get back down to march madness. I actually, I actually had the pleasure of going up there once to speak and and I hadn't really known a lot about Gonzaga at the time, and they were the ones who told me, however, one always said, Where is Gonzaga? You know what? What kind of a place is it? And so I've kept up with it ever since, but it is kind of funny that their basketball team is good. Yeah.   Armando Contreras ** 54:59 Yeah, it's a, it's a beautiful place. It's a great Jesuit university. We, I, you know, he had a great experience. This is Andrew. He had a great experience out there. So, yes, I totally agree. Yeah, we had a chance to go out to Bob, trying to remember the city here. Spokane, yeah, yeah, yeah. Spokane, various times with him,   Michael Hingson ** 55:25 that's pretty cool. Well, so is he professionally doing music now? No, so,   Armando Contreras ** 55:30 So Andrew, our youngest, he's professionally now a clinical psychologist. Ah, yeah, now and now. Armando, Michael, he is a professional opera singer, right? And that's what he does. So, you know, his, his, one of his dreams, is going to be singing at the Metropolitan Ooh, we do see that perhaps happening within a year or two, because they he'll be, right? He'll be auditioning for that, probably very soon, and he's very young. He's just 34 years old.   Michael Hingson ** 56:03 So that'd be super What would you like people to know about the disability community in general, when we think about disabilities, you know, when there's so many prejudices, what would you like people to know and in terms of disabilities and how to maybe change attitudes, yeah,   Armando Contreras ** 56:23 well, they're definitely part of the fabric of society, and we, nobody, not me, or anybody else in in any organization, can speak for them. We need to allow for them and give them that opportunity and space to voice their concerns, to voice whatever joy they have, to voice things that we need to hear in our community. We have to provide while we're here in the United States, and there's been laws that have been enacted, enacted that laws now have to be updated. We have antiquated laws that do not even pay people with disabilities even minimum wage, right? So, so that we really have to be conscious of a community that is part of our society. We need to engage. Furthermore, we have to collaborate. We need them as public, public officials. They need to run for office, right? Some of them do. They have to be part of the decision making, decisions that are being made from all levels of government, all levels of corporation, all levels of nonprofits. And that's the way, that's the way I really see it. Is that, and we also have to have breakthroughs in research, right? What are some of the things that that we can do so we can those lives can be more that they would have more of a more access, right? That even if you go to certain states in the United States that I've been, there's not even accessibility for wheelchairs. And just speak about the airlines, right? How, how and why are people thinking in those corporations that a person that has a disability can easily go into their bathrooms. There's no way, right flying, especially if it's a long flight. So no, there's, there's been some great things Michael that have, that have evolved and happened through a collaboration of a lot of advocates, and a lot of them are self advocates, but we still have a long way to go.   Michael Hingson ** 59:08 Yeah, and I think that's absolutely true. So what is UCP Inc doing to celebrate its 75th anniversary? What kinds of plans do you have and where do you go from here?   Armando Contreras ** 59:19 Well, we do have a an annual conference coming up in Orlando, and this year in April. So that's a good thing for us, you know. But the bigger thing for us is to celebrate is really bringing that education, bringing that awareness of what we're doing, not only in here in the United States, but we also have affiliates in Canada. So as we celebrate, part of our celebration is educating the society about exactly what we do and please, you know, knock on our door for for help. So that's that's really part of it. The other part of it is acknowledge. Gene, the folks that started UCP back in 1949 right? Like the, like the golden sins, and also the housemans and many others that that have helped us get through the 75 years.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:18 Yeah, well, it's, a great milestone to be able to celebrate 75 years, and I am sure that you, with your background, is very concerned about making sure that there is great sustainability for the future, which is really important and cool that you're thinking about that, because it's something that always needs to be with us in whatever we're doing. That's a good thing. Any kind of last thoughts that you have that you want to convey to people who are listening or watching us.   Armando Contreras ** 1:00:51 Yes, one is first, I want to share my gratitude for inviting me, Michael. And then second, please reach out to us the disability community. Please find us@ucp.org we may be in your backyard. If there are organizations out there that want to become an affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy, please reach out to us as well. We are here. We want to continue to be here for the next 75 years, so that our community can be part and be an inclusive part of our society. That we can bring that help, bring that independence, but we can continue to see those miracles, that children that we're told, and families that were told that they would never walk. I've seen them walk, and were physicians that said to a mom and dad that their child would never move or never speak, and I've seen them hug their parents and tell them that they love them, right? And we want to continue to make those miracles happen through therapies, through early detection, through early intervention, all these forms of of of a reach that we have through United Cerebral Palsy in the United States and Canada and and watched for us in the near future as we begin to go global, and that's really a vision that that I have. But and also, again, is that it's important to know that we know that I know that, Michael, you know that is that everybody is a fabric at society, some way, somehow, no matter their abilities. And that's really important, important message for people to know.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:43 I agree. Well, I want to thank you for being here with us and conveying all this information, and I hope people will take it to heart and that they'll support UCP and and reach out and learn more about the organization and that you are doing, and will continue to do a lot to just help people in general, with disabilities, which is cool. I appreciate that, and I want to thank Go ahead. No, no.   Armando Contreras ** 1:03:10 I just wanted to thank and I also want to thank accessibe, right? That's how we got here. So I really thank them for what they're doing and providing. I love their model that they have. They have a for profit, a for profit model. However, the services that they, that they provide for nonprofits, are free, and that's that's amazing. So we're really happy with the services, the access services for websites, the accessibility that they're providing for people in the disability community to have that access. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:48 thank you, and we're excited about the time ahead and and I think that's that's a good thing, and we'll all work to make it happen. Well, I want to thank everyone who was listening and watching today. We really appreciate it. I hope that you'll give us a five star rating wherever you're observing our podcast. We value that. Love it. If you'd reach out to me, give me your thoughts, your opinions and Armando for you and for all of our guests, our listeners and so on today, if you know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, please let us know. Provide introductions. We're always looking for guests. You can reach out to me directly at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www dot Michael hinkson.com/podcast, and Michael Hinkson is spelled M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S o, n.com/podcast, so we really do value all the thoughts and and information and suggestions that people provide. Yeah, as I think I've mentioned to many of you before, I also do travel and speak, especially after September 11, 2001 if anyone needs a speaker, please reach out. You can get me easiest at speaker at Michael hingson.com but however you do it, you've got all sorts of ways to reach out to me. Love to hear from you. And you know, once again, Armando, I want to thank you very much for being here, and thank you for all of your time today.   Armando Contreras ** 1:05:24 Michael, thank you many blessings to you and your family, and many blessings to everybody out there who is going to listen to this podcast interview.   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:39 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

9/18/24 6am CT Hour - Ashley Noronha/ Joe Boland   John, Glen and Sarah chat about Trump looking for more security, exploding pagers, Dolphins player and Cheeseburger Day.   Ashley reports on Papal audience in St. Peter's Square, his message for diocesan World Youth Days, why the iconic Spanish Steps are at the center of a dispute between Rome and Paris, the feast of St. Robert Bellarmine and tomorrow's feast of St. Januarius.   Joe shares the importance and rich history of Hispanic Catholic in the history of America.

A new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research survey reveals Vice President Kamala Harris is leading former President Donald Trump among Catholic voters – Mark Irons reports on the survey's findings and we break it all down with RealClearPolitics' Susan Crabtree and religion and politics data analyst Dr. Ryan Burge. Pope Francis has embarked on his most ambitious papal trip yet for his Southeast Asia tour – we catch up with Catholic News Agency's Rome Correspondent Courtney Mares in Indonesia as she travels with the Holy Father. As rage sweeps Israel following the murders of six Israeli hostages – we speak with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America's Nathan Diament for his reaction to the devastating tragedy. The U.S. Bishops surveyed parishes to better meet the needs of Hispanic and Latino Catholic Americans – Roselle Reyes has the details and Angelus' Editor-in-Chief Pablo Kay shares how the Church can better respond to the growing Hispanic Catholic population.

Recent data from Pew Research reveals a remarkable tilt among American Catholics, demonstrating robust backing for former President Donald Trump over current President Joe Biden. Current trends indicate that a solid 55% of Catholics now either endorse or lean towards endorsements for Trump, while Biden lags behind at 45%. It is quite significant to note that Trump's popularity has seen accentuation since 2020 when it was a competitive 50% - 49% against Biden. Interestingly, Biden enjoys a slim lead within the Hispanic Catholic cohort, boasting slight support from 49% of this group, as opposed to Trump's 47%. Despite the lead, however, the numbers also represent a shift toward more conservative values in this demographic, as Biden had previously enjoyed the favor of 67% Hispanic Catholics in a similar 2020 poll. Protestants, on the flip side, have a definite inclination towards Trump, and have expressed resounding support for him with roughly 60% backing the former president. In contrast, a mere 38% voiced their preference for Biden. Atheists, agnostics, and those associating with no particular religion had a distinct favoritism for Biden, with about 69% of them saying they would back him, while only 28% suggested they would support Trump. Both candidates bring forth strengths and policy points deeply interconnected with the core issues that American citizens consider when casting their ballots. Particularly, concerns revolving around immigration and democracy challenges placed second and third respectively in deciding voter preferences, at 24% and 23%. This was closely followed by economic considerations and inflation, which constituted 29% of the voters' decision-making process.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fr. Mike Kueber joins Dina Marie to discuss his work as Hispanic Ministries Director for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. As reported in the Church Alive weekly e-newsletter from the Archdiocese, Fr. Mike explains "the Hispanic Moment" in the US and in Western Oregon and invites the Hispanic Catholic community to join him to develop leadership and expand parish ministries serving the Latino community. Those interested in Hispanic ministry are invited to attend the upcoming gathering at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Tigard on May 18th from 6-9pm. Details are at: https://evangelization.archdpdx.org/hispano or email Fr. Mike at: mkueber@archdpdx.org. Father Mike's book: Preaching to Latinos: Welcoming the Hispanic Moment in the US Church can be found online: https://www.amazon.com/Preaching-Latinos-Welcoming-Hispanic-Moment/dp/081323624X.Subscribe to the Morning Blend on your favorite podcast platform.Find this show on the free Hail Mary Media App, along with a radio live-stream, prayers, news, and more.Look through past episodes or support this podcast.The Morning Blend is a production of Mater Dei Radio in Portland, Oregon.

Em has more partners right now than she has in a while and she's loving it. She tells us about all the new things she's exploring—her Dominant side, playing with other Doms, her first hot YES-DADDY rendezvous, meeting kinky people on Feeld and Fetlife, new nipple piercings, anal, and recent health and safety convos that are a far cry from the reticence of growing up in a traditional Hispanic Catholic household, when her shame-o-meter was much higher. She remembers having always been a very sexual person, playing Mommy and Daddy as a kid, and later spin the bottle at sleepovers, learning about masturbation at school, exploring insertion, online chat sites with friends, starting to explore her queer side, and losing both virginities in eighth grade, learning she loved public and outdoor sex, almost getting caught at school, and learning through amateur porn. Em recalls getting cheated on and switching to a private Catholic school created the perfect conditions for a wild sex rampage, which led to her meeting her high school sweetheart and future ex husband, and exploring really good sex with physical intensity that she now associates with kink, but without the explicit communication. We hear about their long distance relationship that led to some lady explorations, finding out he had a secret girlfriend, then her first threesome with a hot sweet amazing couple, an aggressively hot tryst with a Parisian man, moving into a sex-positive house with girlfriends that was basically like a brothel, discovering she likes spanks and punishment, squirting and switching with her ex-girlfriend, taking turns strapping each other, big dick strap-on energy, fisting, loving intensity, choking, fluids and messes, filming herself, exploring sexy and kinky community, orgy dreams with multiple cocks, a hot upcoming exploration date, being a pleaser—AND: Em and Wyoh share their favorite places to receive cum, and dreams for double-sided dildos in the future.

Since today is the first day of Pride month I wanted to feature an LGBTQ speaker and as I started looking through my archives it quickly came down to a choice of  two, either Robyn W or Brenda J. I decided on Brenda but Robyn will get posted sometime this month. This is a repost and I wish I had more recordings of her and if you have any please reach out. She has a great sense of humor plus a powerful story and they make for a great speak. Brenda J. from San Angelo TX is a self described lesbian, hispanic, catholic, alcoholic, drug addict, full-figured woman speaking at the Big D Roundup in Dallas TX in May of 2003. LGBTQ NSFW (REPOST) Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate We have added a page of meetings that have moved online https://sobercast.com/online-meetings Sober Cast has 1800+ episodes available, visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.

Brenda J. from San Angelo TX is a self described lesbian, hispanic, catholic, alcoholic, drug addict, full-figured woman speaking at the Big D Roundup in Dallas TX in May of 2003. She has a great sense of humor and a powerful story. LGBTQ NSFW (REPOST) Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Sober Cast has 1700+ episodes available and many podcast players only list the last 100. Visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.

Hey, Everyone! In Michigan, it feels like summer finally! The sun and hot weather is welcomed here. April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month and May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Nearly half a million people every year are victims of sexual assault or rape in the United States. These same people are at higher risk of becoming addicted to substances and struggle with post traumatic stress disorder. Laura comes on the podcast to discuss her experience with these confusing and sad statistics/issues that have directly impacted her life. Please be aware that this episode may be triggering for some listeners as we hear graphic depictions of abuse. No kids allowed. Laura is such a wise and resilient woman who has grown so much from her greatest hurts and shame. Laura shares what it was like growing up in a Hispanic Catholic family, and how she has learned to cope through music. It is a great conversation filled with hope, inspiration, and overcoming. I am so grateful to her for coming on the podcast! Check out her Instagram pages for updates, music, and her book release @lauramarieinwords @lauramariemusic or on Twitter. Thank you so very much for your bravery, Laura!I want to hear YOUR story. Please consider contacting me and sharing your story of resilience. We have a big following---you never know who you could inspire during their darkest days. You are never alone. Come along with us and then check back soon for more content. Please review Push Diaries Podcast on iTunes so more people can find it. Visit www.pushdiariespodcast.com/laura to learn more about this episode and see resources that go along with the topics discussed. Checkout www.patreon.com/pushdiariespodcast to become a sustaining member of the show. Every penny is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you so much! I hope you have been enjoying these conversations. Many thanks for sharing my show with a friend! Peace until next time! -- Host Tess#substanceabuse #depression #sexualassault #rape #ptsd #sexualabuse #childabuse #childsexualabuse #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #sexualassaultawarenessmonth #awareness #hispanic #catholic #assimilate #parenthood #masterbation #spirituality #religion #nakedpastor #godlovesyou #jesuslovesyou #lauramariemusic #lauramarieinwords #raiin #suicide #hashimotos #thepoisonwoodbible #podcast #newepisode

April Willow Castillo knows what it is to believe yourself to be the only queer person in all of Peru; to question your sexuality while in Catholic youth group in the US; and to finally grow into yourself at a university supportive of LGBT faculty and students. In this episode, April discusses how the love of God has pulled her from depressive states and religious trauma into deep joy and pride in being herself and bonding with other Hispanic queer folk. She also talks about LGBT community in Peru and the US; the history of Indigenous and Catholic religion in Peru; and how God is often twisted into a political weapon in the US. For an episode transcript, visit blessedarethebinarybreakers.com. Content warnings: swearing; depression; grandparent's death; homophobia & transphobia from friends, family, & faith leaders; internalized queerphobia; brief mentions of conversion therapy _______ Talking Points: (0:00 - 5:35) Introducing April - Latina trans Catholic university student, Peruvian immigrant, aspiring gamer girl (5:36 - 8:50) Growing up - Hispanic Catholic communities in US; Peruvian town where Catholic celebrations bring the community together (8:51 - 13:57) Youth group - from depression to a spiritual reawakening (13:58 - 21:28) Questioning sexuality and realizing how church wields God as political weapon; youth group & church tainted by fear - though some peers are more accepting (21:29 - 25:29) "Are you a man?" - questioning gender - "how did anyone ever think i was cis?” (25:30 - 26:30) Jesus would be seen as a communist/socialist - but US churches twist him into pro-capitalism (26:31 - 30:52) Exploring Peru's indigenous religion - coming to terms with being a proud Catholic while holding the history of it being forced on her ancestors (30:53 - 36:18) queerness in Peru - not talked about: "I was pretty sure I was the only queer person in Peru" - more recently, ads using LGBT figures (36:19 - 39:17) In college - realizing she had to do something about gender - finding a good therapist and community - finding joy in being trans (39:18 - end) wrapping up - more of April's story in future ep _______ Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows, such as Hot Tea Hot Takes, at www.rockcandyrecordings.com. This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also includes "Damage" by EleventySeven.

Religion Unplugged wraps up the 2020 Election in a roundtable discussion with editors and contributors including data journalist and political scientist Ryan Burge. The next big question on religion and politics: What does the future of voting for people of faith look like? Big moves among Hispanic Catholic and Evangelical communities in Florida, Black Churches in states like Georgia, and some surprises in Catholic Blue Collar states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois signal the need for new strategies for both Democrats and Republicans in 2022 and beyond.

Joining us this week is acclaimed Catholic speaker, author and academic Dr. Hosffman Ospino, Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education, as well as chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College. Dr. Ospino’s research explores the dialogue between faith and culture and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis, and ministry. He has served as the principal investigator for several nationally recognized studies on how the Hispanic Catholic presence is transforming parishes, schools and organizations. Dr. Ospino was also a keynote speaker at the Diocese of Camden’s Convocation of Catholic Leaders in 2018, which is why we asked that event’s executive director, Donna Ottaviano-Britt, on to the show to talk about some of the ways the Convocation has led to the percolating of new ideas in our parishes. The duo give our hosts, Marianela Nunez and Mike Walsh, and our listeners a lot of great information that should provide a roadmap into the future for our parishes. Listen to Talking Catholic on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Alexa or at https://talking.catholicstarherald.org/show/talking-catholic/ You can also catch us on Domestic Church Media radio Sundays at 11 AM or Mondays at 4 PM https://domesticchurchmedia.org. Follow us on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingCatholic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingcatholic Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingcatholic

When someone states their skin color or culture--"I'm a Black Catholic." "I'm a Polish Catholic." "I'm a Hispanic Catholic." It can be tempting to want to wave it off. We're all *one family*, right? Why do these differences matter? But today's guest is here to talk to us about how our church is bigger than our culture, and therefore, all of our cultures must be allowed to be present. Shannon Schmidt is a mom, podcaster, and biracial Catholic with a passion for theology and our church. We discuss how her race plays into her faith and why she thinks it's important for her to embrace her Black Catholic label. Shannon and I also chat about how to fight against using orthodoxy as a shield, the importance of de-centering any one particular culture to instead become a beautifully diverse family, and what's been bringing her closer to God lately. Enjoy! Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist. Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Cleveland's first Hispanic Catholic bishop is heading home to Philadelphia, the Cleveland International Film Festival will move to Playhouse Square and more stats about how rare the weather is so far this winter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cleveland's first Hispanic Catholic bishop is heading home to Philadelphia, the Cleveland International Film Festival will move to Playhouse Square and more stats about how rare the weather is so far this winter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brenda J. from San Angelo TX is a self described lesbian, hispanic, catholic, alcoholic, drug addict, full-figured woman speaking at the Big D Roundup in Dallas TX in May of 2003. She has a great sense of humor and a powerful story. LGBTQ NSFW Email: sobercast@gmail.com Support Sober Cast: https://sobercast.com/donate Sober Cast has 900+ episodes available and many podcast players only list the last 100. Visit SoberCast.com to access all the episodes where you can easily find topics or specific speakers using tags or search.

Well hello lovebirds, it has been long requested that I have my girlfriend on the pod and what better time than on Valentine's Day to do it? We watch some Valentine's Day theme videos, which gets us discussing the logic behind buying your boyfriend a sex doll. Then we get into the nitty-gritty of our relationship by answering an anniversary questionnaire I found on the internet. Y'all wanted a look behind the curtain at our relationship and you got it! We talk about the highs and lows of our relationship and what annoys us about each other. We also talk about our cultural differences, her being a Hispanic Catholic and me being Jewish. A really funny and lovely episode I'm excited for you all to hear it.   Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thankbrandon Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thankbrandon   Submit videos, suggestions, feedback, or just about anything to canwetalkfirst@gmail.com 

Hello listeners!  It’s me, Cristal Martinez Acosta, Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified counselor. It's #mentalhealthawarenessmonth and this episode is part 3 of 4! In this episode, my special guest, Carlos, speaks about his depression.  I have to say, this is one of the most candid and detailed interviews I have had on the podcast. He talks about how being a gay, depressed college student in a mostly-Hispanic/Catholic community takes its toll.  We talk about his struggle with depression, anxiety, and a history of suicidal thoughts.  We also discuss medication types, side effects, how to help a depressed person, and of course, THERAPY.    He has a special message for all of you out there who are battling mental illness at 18:15.  If you or someone you know needs immediate counseling from the National Suicide Prevention hotlines you can text the number 741-741 or call 1800-273-8255 any time of day or night. *Podcast Content is for informational purposes only and you should always seek your own consultation/therapy from your own doctors and/or mental health professionals.  

Welcome everyone to episode 202 of the Everyone’s Agnostic podcast. I’m Cass Midgley. Today, Bob Pondillo and I interview Elisa. Elisa was one of four women featured on Episode 200, the Sexpisode as she called it. We taped both conversations on April 15th, 2018. We interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith. Please subscribe to our podcast, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, we offer these podcasts freely. And your support truly makes a difference. You can support us monetarily in two easy ways: you can pledge a monthly donation through Patreon. that’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast,  or leave a lump-sum donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. Credits: "Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU Intro background music is "Never Know" by Jack Johnson The bumper music on this episode is a jam on the end of "Closure" by Maroon 5 Thanks for listening, and be a yes-sayer to what is. Elisa was raised in the Gulf Coast of South Texas in a large Hispanic Catholic family.  As a runaway teen, troubled about treatment at home, she became involved with the Praise Chapel/Potters House evangelical church and became born again at 17. She found herself in the Southern Baptist Church when she fell in love with a Baptist boy and remained there until she met her husband. They married nearly 19 years ago and have two children. Elisa was a teacher  but remained home after having children and she homeschooled for many years. Elisa almost left her husband when he came out as an atheist 8 years ago. She had been struggling with her own doubts but was holding on tightly to her faith. When the black lives movement came on the scene she had a hard time understanding the hate from Christians. This opened her eyes to the Christian political machine that actively oppressed minorities, immigrants, women, and the lgbtq communities. When Trump became the Republican presidential nominee with huge evangelical support, she finally felt comfortable calling herself an atheist. Her life has changed from a life of fear to a life of peace, a life of homeschooling to a life of pole dancing. She has let go of god and has embraced herself and is having the time of her life. Psychologist Abraham Maslow first developed his famous theory of individual development and motivation in the 1940’s. He suggested that human beings have a hierarchy of needs. That all humans act in a way which will address basic needs, before moving on to satisfy other, so-called higher level needs. Maslow represented this theory as a hierarchical triangle. It shows how basic needs are met before one can “climb” the hierarchy, to address more complex needs. The Maslow motivation theory is typically represented by 5 steps:Physiological needs – such as hunger, thirst and sleepSafety needs – such as security, protection from danger and freedom from pain.Social needs – sometimes also referred to as love needs such as friendship, giving and receiving love, engaging in social activities and group membership.Esteem needs – these include both self-respect and the esteem of others. For example, the desire for self-confidence and achievement, and recognition and appreciation.Self-actualization – This is about the desire to develop and realize your full potential. To become everything you can be.Maslow’s contention was that one’s sense of well-being. i.e. the ‘feelgood factor’ increases as the higher level needs are met. I want to merge this needs study with a few of David Richo's declarations of healthy adulthood. Keep in mind that one of the things that fundamental Christianity did to us was stunt our growth. Even Maslo's needs reveal that within Christianity, we weren't responsible for meeting our needs! God was! We were to ignore our needs. It would be selfish to think of our own needs--the very self we were trying to die to. But in this deconversion process, along with acknowledging our own needs, the absence of a supernatural being to meet them, and resurrecting our own agency to meet them, we might do well to combine this line of thinking with our arrested maturation development. Richo teaches that a healthy adult can say the following things: I accept full responsibility for the shape my life has taken.I accept that I may never feel I am receiving – or have received – all the attention I seek.I acknowledge that reality is not obligated to me; it remains unaffected by my wishes or rights.One by one, I drop every expectation of people and things.I reconcile myself to the limits on others’ giving to me and on my giving to them. In these declarations, we can hear a powerful agent taking responsibility for ourselves. So there's two very important things going on here, especially for us ex-Christians: we discover our selves, our power, our voice, our thoughts and feelings. Self-awareness, or as Maslo puts it, self actualization is a big first step once we acknowledge the delusion of an imaginary god to whom we had surrendered our selves, power and voice. we acknowledge that we can't just transfer our dependence on god to another person in our lives. It's up to us to secure our place in this world, our footing, our grounding, our needs. I would think that the intent, or at least the hope, would be that we could be fully present, fully engaged in our relationships because we're bringing our full selves, un-needy, and interdependent. Feeling neither inferiority nor superiority to those in our lives. Comfortable in our own skin, no delighted in our skin, AND responsible for the emotional health of the soul encased in our own skin, that we might find ourselves, ideally, in community with others exercising the same level of power and agency, and thus fully free to enjoy and be enjoyed by one another. Delivered from the insecurity, fear, and competition fostered by Christian gatherings where we're all trying impress each other with how advanced we are in our devotion to and relations with Abba. Because we've been trained co-depency by and with God, we have our work cut out for us to find what must be a wonderful balance between wanting other's company, yet not needing it. Wouldn't that be something?    

Another episode of Werewolf Radar has tricked you into the crawl space by mimicking the sounds of a trapped kitten and now you are stuck in here with it! In this episode Denver podcastronaut extraordinaire, JD Lopez of Left Hand Right Brain, guides the crew of the radar through the treacherous, demon-haunted forest of a Hispanic Catholic adolesence. You will hear tales of drunk assholes getting their comeuppance from demonic (angelic?) enforcers, discover what it takes to get into demon hunting, and find out the awful truth behind the clandestine mating rituals that take place in Witch-Alley. Join us, as the crew gets to know JD, and all four of us eventually get to know a terrifying entity known only as the Monterey Witch.

Today's topics: Immigration and the American and Catholic Ideal Summary of today's show: As Congress returns to Washington and takes up the political football of immigration reform, Cardinal Seán has written to parishioners in Boston asking them to get involved in the debate from a moral standpoint. In addition, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles reminds us in a lecture of the history of an America that was Hispanic-Catholic before it was Anglo-Protestant. Scot Landry, Fr. Chris O'Connor, and Fr. Chip Hines consider the words of these bishops and discuss immigration from a Catholic moral and social justic viewpoint. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Fr. Chip Hines Links from today's show:

Summary of today's show: Continuing Catholic Schools Week, Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams welcome Sr. Mary Murphy, Fred Gilfeather and Nicholas Fernari from Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School in Lawrence to talk about the unique Cristo Rey model and their success in Massachusetts' poorest city. The students at the school spend four days per week in class and the fifth day at good jobs in corporate environments, earning money for tuition but also gaining valuable workplace experience well ahead of their peers. The model works as evidenced by a college retention rate that's twice the national average. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Sr. Mary Murphy, Fred Gilfeather, Nicholas Fernari Links from today's show: Today's topics: Catholic Schools Week: Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School, Lawrence 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. He noted that this week is Catholic Schools Week. Today's profile will be Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School in Lawrence which follows the Cristo Rey educational model. But first he welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show after he went to the March for Life last week. He said this March was the best they've ever done with over 500 middle schoolers, high schoolers, and young adults. Fr. Matt said he is a product of Catholic schools his entire life. He said his vocation is partly attributed to his Catholic schooling, especially the powerful witness of the priests and sisters he's know along the way. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Mary Murphy, the president of the school; Fred Gilfeather, director of corporate development; and Nicholas Fernari, a junior. Sr. Mary said the school is in Lawrence to serve the people of Lawrence and the model is that students work one day per week to earn tuition and at the same time to gain corporate work experience. It is keyed in on serving people with limited income. It originated in 1996 in Chicago. The Sisters of Notre Dame were invited to be part of the network in 2003. Since then the high school has graduated more than 190. While the majority of students come from Lawrence, they come from surrounding towns. They have 293 students and will cap population to 400. Nicholas said he chose Notre Dame because both his parents value education and grew up a Catholic. He said he many choices for high school, but he chose Notre Dame for the corporate work-study program. This was completely different from what other Catholic high schools offered. He said there's something you can get from the workplace that you can't get in the classroom and those skills are useful in the classroom. His freshman year he worked in a small consulting agency with engineers and scientists. He spent most of his time doing filing and other smaller tasks. For the past two years he's been working at a paralegal firm. Nicholas said he's leaning toward education. He knows he doesn't want to be a lawyer after having experienced the profession. Fred said Nick is representative of the student population. He said he's trying to get a well-rounded basis of what the students are passionate about so he can match them with the right corporate experience. They have medical technology, manufacturing, and the whole gamut of industries. His biggest challenge is to find every student the perfect job. When he knows what they're passionate, he can try to put them in a job at which they'll be successful. Scot asked what's in it for the corporations? Fred said he often connects with someone in the company who believes in what they're doing and they run it up the ladder. The companies get a good, reliable worker, while the school gets a funding source. The companies also get the satisfaction of helping low-income students from the city of Lawrence, not through a handout but through an opportunity. Scot asked about job-sharing. Sr. Mary said when they talk to companies, they ask them where their needs are. In most cases, it's not job-sharing, but they do specific jobs. Nick said he's learned how to be a team member and to realize that if you create a problem, you have to be part of the solution. That's improved his ability to be part of the school. He's also learned organizational skills, how to file, how to navigate a workplace. Scot asked Sr. Mary how they prepare the students for the professional poise and work habits. She said they have a training session in the summer for incoming freshman, to educate them about what a supervisor is, what is a performance review; how to respond to others. The students are always afraid on their first day, but universally they are accepted and treated as equals. The school monitors their performance in the workplace each day. Nick said his classmates are generally four years ahead of their peers in knowing what it's like to be in the business world, which is very different from working in the fast food restaurant or supermarket. Fred said the biggest misconception to overcome is doubts about what a 14-year-old can do for their commpany and he will relate the list of big-name companies hiring these kids, which helps to convince. When the companies meet the kids and how focused they are because these kids know they need to do a good job to stay in school, they understand. The kids are not doing make-work jobs. They're doing real important work. Fred talked about one company that saw such a return on their investment with students providing translation services that they're adding even more translators from among students next year. Fr. Matt asked about the witness. Sr. Mary said they talk about the core values and try to live it. The students also evangelize their peers. Employers universally talk about how the students exemplify the best values. Sr. Mary said they're not just trying to get the students into college. They follow them for six years to make sure they finish college. It's education for life. their hope is that when times are tough, that the faith life they support becomes more important. She said Notre Dame Cristo Rey is making a difference in Lawrence and families often tell her that the school is their hope to get out of poverty. Sr. Mary said the Cristo Rey Network has partnered with colleges, helping students who can't afford tuition. Most of their students tend to stay locally. Scot asked Nicholas how he would differentiate a Cristo Rey student from students at other schools. Nicholas said they all have a good sense of the language of business which contributes to their professionalism. Sr. Mary said the lives of students outside school can be chaotic, and the school offers them something to hold onto, something stable, something that helps with their resiliency. 3rd segment: Scot asked Fred what are the coolest jobs. Fred said he thinks the coolest is at New England BioLabs in Ipswich. the company has a rain forest inside the building that they use to purify all the water that the building uses. Another is NuPath which provides day services and residential options for adults in need. She said some students even go on their own time to volunteer. They also discussed the distances the students will have to travel for their jobs. Fred said they transport all their students to their jobs, which contributes to a very high attendance rate. Even for those who miss a day, they have to make it up during vacation or another day. Fr. Matt asked Nick about how they make up for the one day per week they spend at their jobs. He said their school day is longer and so is their school year. The school day is 8am to 3:30pm. He said they are in school from the end of August to the middle of June. Sr. Mary said the school has sports, but they're not intent on being in the top tiers. They have basketball and cross-country and have had softball and baseball teams. But practice and game schedules have to be adapted to class and work schedules. She said the school is sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and so they ensure the Sisters' charism is carried through. They have a staff person who deals with the Catholic identity of the school, not just in religion classes, but throughout everything the school does. They have a strong religion program that is tied into the directives from the Cristo Rey Network. They have school Masses with the Augustinian friars serving the local parish, St. Mary of the Assumption. They have retreats through campus ministry. Seventy-three percent of students are Catholic and the parish is one of the largest Hispanic Catholic communities in the Archdiocese. For companies or organizations in the Merrimack Valley interested in partnering with Notre Dame Cristo Rey, Fred said he wants them to know that these students are very focused. If you need one student or four or 26, they can help with that. He tells them that the companies change people's lives from day one. He encouraged companies to call him and come by for a tour. Fred said the national average retention rate through sophomore year for Latino students in college is 43 percentage. Notre Dame has an 86 percent retention rate.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** St. John Vianney; contraceptive mandate; immigrants' contributions to US; the Knights' new priorities; the new euthanasia push **Summary of today's show:** Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry join Scot to discuss the news of the week, including Houston's Cardinal DiNardo's statement on the proposed religious exemption from a federal contraception mandate; Archbishop Gomez's remarks on the contributions of Catholic immigrants to the US; the four new initiatives of the Knights of Columbus, including the purchase of the John Paul II Cultural Center; and Fr. Roger's editorial on euthanasia. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Greg back to the show. Susan is off this week. Scot said today is an important day in the Church's calendar for priests because it is St. John Vianney's priest. He asked why the Church has singled out this one priest to be the patron saint of priest. Fr. Roger said he showed proper priestly priorities. When he went to Ars, France, it was dead spiritually and he prayed daily in his church for 10 years asking God to convert his people and spent 18 hours per day in the confessional. There was a lot of sin in his town when he arrived, but at the end people who came to Ars were amazed at the holiness of the people of Ars. He was not a gifted man in human measurement. He was kicked out of seminary three times for his academic deficiencies, but he shows that you don't have to be as smart as Pope John Paul to be a good priest. * [St John Vianney](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vianney) Greg said St. John Vianney really came into his consciousness when his relic came to Boston. It was available for veneration and he saw many people come to visit with him during the Year of the Priest. He was a man of deep, fundamental faith, not necessarily learned or a scholar, but truly one who has inspired millions through his humble Christian life. Scot said he's like Tom Brady, nobody's first pick, but on his way to the Hall of Fame. Scot asked everyone to pray for all priests today. **2nd segment:** Scot said earlier this week, the Department of Health and human Services proposed a religious exemption for the mandate on all new health insurance plans to include coverage of contraception. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston said this exemption is way too narrow. For example, Catholic Charities would have to only employ Catholics and stop serving non-Catholics. * ["Cardinal criticizes contraceptive mandate, calls exemption too narrow," CNS, 8/3/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1103049.htm) * ["USCCB: HHS Mandate for Contraceptive and Abortifacient Drugs Violates Conscience Rights"](http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2011/11-154.shtml) * [Full text of Cardinal DiNardo's letter](http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/religious-liberty/upload/respect-for-rights-of-conscience-act-cardinal-dinardo-letter-to-congress-hr1179-07-22-11.pdf) Greg said this follows up recent coverage on this issue. As part of the new federal health mandate, "preventative" care must be provided free of charge and contraception is considered preventative care. Planned Parenthood has said there is an "epidemic" of unplanned pregnancy, but pregnancy is not a disease. HHS issued the regulations that include the abortifacient morning-after pill and sterilizations. Greg read the religious exemption in the regulations: >Employers "that: (1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization." This would not include Catholic schools, hospitals, and social service agencies. While HHS said the language is taken from existing state regulations, many state regulations simply don't cover health insurance plans provided by religious employers. Federal law does not provide the same exemption. Scot said the cardinal said Catholics aren't alone in objecting to these mandates. >Cardinal DiNardo added: “Catholics are not alone in conscientiously objecting to this mandate.  The drugs that Americans would be forced to subsidize under the new rule include Ella, which was approved by the FDA as an ‘emergency contraceptive' but can act like the abortion drug RU-486.  It can abort an established pregnancy weeks after conception.  The pro-life majority of Americans – Catholics and others – would be outraged to learn that their premiums must be used for this purpose.” >“HHS says the intent of its ‘preventive services' mandate is to help ‘stop health problems before they start,' said Cardinal DiNardo. “But pregnancy is not a disease, and children are not a ‘health problem' – they are the next generation of Americans.” >“It's now more vital than ever that Congress pass the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act to close the gaps in conscience protection in the new health care reform act, so employers and employees alike will have the freedom to choose health plans in accordance with their deeply held moral and religious beliefs.” Scot said one of his biggest concerns about the Obama universal healthcare plan was how sweeping the changes to health care would be. Fr. Roger said a big concern here is that it says that taxpayers need to pay for abortifacient pills, even before we talk about religious exemptions and conscientious objection. He said for a long time the strategy of the Church was too lax because it sought just exemptions for the Church rather than saying that the principle itself of violating the consciences of all Americans by forcing them to pay for abortifacients, contraceptives, and sterilization. They're forcing their immorality on all Americans. Are we going to stand up and say enough is enough. **3rd segment:** Scot said the Anchor this week has an article called "When children are immigrants" about a recent forum in the Fall River diocese to discuss the support of children who are immigrants, especially those born to undocumented parents. Fr. Roger said the issue of immigration policy is shown in relief when we look at how we treat the kids. He recalled an immigration raid in New Bedford a few years ago in which parents were rounded up and sent off to Texas while the kids were still in school. When first- and second-graders returned home, their parents and cousins and aunts and uncles were nowhere to be found and it was up to the Catholic churches to find and take care of these kids. Often these kids are exploited in the underground system they find themselves and they are denied full legal representation and advocacy in our government system. Scot said immigrants are too often dehumanized by those opposed to some kinds of immigration, especially when their own parents were themselves immigrants. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles is himself an immigrant from Mexico and recently spoke on immigration. * ["Archbishop Gomez: immigrations helps recover Christian origins of America," CNA, 8/2/11](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/archbishop-gomez-immigration-helps-recover-christian-origins-of-america/) Greg said the archbishop was speaking on the important role of Hispanic immigrants in the nation. He said we have a too-New England-centric view, but "long before the Boston Tea Party, Catholic missionaries were naming this countries rivers, mountains, and lakes for Catholic saints." Catholics were here for many decades before the first immigrants on the Eastern seaboard. Scot said he liked that Archbishop Gomez said: >While the New England-focused American history tells the story of “great men” like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and also of “great documents” like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, it is not the entire story. >“When we forget our country's roots in the Hispanic-Catholic mission to the new world, we end up with distorted ideas about our national identity,” Archbishop Gomez said. “We end up with the idea that Americans are descended from only white Europeans and that our culture is based only on the individualism, work ethic and rule of law that we inherited from our Anglo-Protestant forebears.” >The “whole story” about America starts in the 1520s in Florida and in the 1540s in California. This story also centers on New Spain and teaches that “before this land had a name its inhabitants were being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Fr. Roger said Gomez has seen this firsthand and now presides over a church with more than 5 million immigrants. He is thrilled that the archbishop has become a spokesman for the entire Church on immigration and becoming a voice for the voiceless on this issue. He agrees that the notion of our history is too New England-centric. >The archbishop said that although America was founded by Christians, it has become home to “an amazing diversity” of cultures and religions that flourishes “precisely because our nation's founders had a Christian vision of the human person, freedom and truth.” >But America is changing because of globalization, threats from abroad, and internal cultural forces. >“We have an elite culture — in government, the media and academia — that is openly hostile to religious faith,” he continued. “America is becoming a fundamentally different country. It is time for all of us to recognize this — no matter what our position is on the political issue of immigration.” Greg said it is true that there is a creeping secularism in America's elites and it is significant to him that these immigrants are coming here with a strong faith. Those most active in our Church with growing families are Hispanic. He noted that Europe is also experiencing massive immigration, but these communities are not integrating into society and hold values different from the historical values of Europe. In the United States, immigrants from Central America want to become part of our society and hold the same Christian values. Fr. Roger said the HHS mandate is a clear example of the elite openly hostile to religious faith. They do not want to accord us a right to say this is wrong. He noted that the US State Department has re-defined the right to religious belief to the right to worship; i.e. the right to attend a church, not a right to live out our faith the rest of the week. He said Archbishop Gomez speaks not just to immigration, but also the xenophobia of those who don't want those with a great religious faith to come in and renew our country. **4th segment:** Scot said the Knights of COlumbus are having their annual meeting in Denver this week. They have 1.8 million members and donated more than $150 million to Catholic causes and more than 70 million volunteer hours. The Knights also give a lot of support to the Vatican. they announced four new initiatives this year. The first is a disaster-response fund to help local councils become second-responders in providing food, clothing, and shelter in response to disasters. They are are setting up an outreach for children in Africa. The third is supporting vocations and Catholic chaplaincy in the military. And fourth the Knights are purchasing the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington and expanding it to encompass the whole 500year history of Catholic culture in North America. * ["Supreme Knight Announces New Initiatives for Knights"](http://www.kofc.org/un/en/news/releases/detail/new_initiatives_08032011.html) * ["Knights of Columbus Plan Shrine to Blessed John Paul II in Washington, DC"](http://www.kofc.org/un/en/news/releases/detail/jpii_shrine.html) * ["Preserving Blessed John Paul's Legacy," Annual Report of the Supreme Knight 2011](http://www.kofc.org/un/en/conv/2011/skreport/jp2.html) * [John Paul II Cultural Center](http://jp2cf.org/_index.php) Fr. Roger said Cardinal Adam Maida, the former archbishop of Detroit, was the leader in getting this started back in the 90s. It is a first-rate museum, but suffered from low attendance. Fr. Roger think the Knights will draw far more people there. He's very excited that there's a resolution for the center. The Archdiocese of Detroit has been trying to find a buyer for several years. A women's religious order in Michigan had tried to buy it, but that fell through. He said Catholics need a museum in the City of Museums. Greg said it's the Knights coming to the rescue once again. They have such a love for the Church and that's why the Church goes to them when there's a special need. The Knights have provided such critical support to the Archdiocese of Boston in the recent past. Greg admits he's walked by the JP2 Center many times, often because he's in town on other business and never seemed to make it inside. With the extra visibility that the Knights bring to it, especially if they make it a centerpiece of other activity there, it will draw much larger crowds. Scot said when Supreme Knight Carl Anderson was on The Good Catholic Life back in April he was much more excited about the time the Knights gave in volunteerism than the money they give. Scot said he's especially happy about the second-responder program. Fr. Roger launched a Knights of Columbus council in his parish a few years ago. He said it forms men into strong men of the Church and of their families. It calls them clearly to live up to chivalrous heroism. The Knights have four pillars, one of which is service of community. In north New Bedford, they've been very active in the community especially for disabled and deceased veterans, programs for youth, Marian pilgrimages, pro-life activity in and around New Bedford including supporting crisis pregnancy centers. The Knights overall are getting stronger in both numbers but also the quality of the men and organization. Scot said the Knights of Columbus annual gathering is important in the life of the Church, especially since so many bishops from around the US gather to express their gratitude for all the Knights do, including Cardinal Seán and Bishop Hennessey. Some of the addresses given at the meeting are available at [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com), which has been covering it live. **5th segment:** Scot wanted to follow up that the reason the Knights can give so much to Catholic causes is because they provide life insurance to Catholics and because so many men join. * [Massachusetts State Council Knights of Columbus](http://massachusettsstatekofc.org/) Fr. Roger said in June the US bishops had a pastoral letter on living each day with dignity and he had not had a chance to work closely with that letter to explain it. Also Dr. Jack Kevorkian died in early June which focused attention again on the idea that killing those with terminal illness is compassionate. The bishops said that there is a movement to pass laws in certain places where they think it will be easier to set a precedent for killing people with terminal illnesses and other debilitating and chronic diseases. Economic arguments about health care costs are often cited. The US bishops are ahead of the curve. There are only two states in the US that have passed referenda allowing assisted suicide, but there is a growing movement to push the ides of "dying with dignity" through euthanasia. Fr. Roger quoted the bishops: >“The sufferings caused by chronic or terminal illness are often severe,” the bishops wrote. “They cry out for our compassion, a word whose root meaning is to ‘suffer with' another person. True compassion alleviates suffering while maintaining solidarity with those who suffer. It does not put lethal drugs in their hands and abandon them to their suicidal impulses, or to the self-serving motives of others who may want them dead. It helps vulnerable people with their problems instead of treating them as the problem.” * ["Pressured to Die: Euthanasia push continues," Zenit, 7/17/11](http://www.zenit.org/article-33090?l=english) * ["Living and Dying with Dignity," Fr. Roger Landry, The Anchor, 8/5/11](http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=articles&articles=20110805anchor) * ["US Bishops approve statement on physician-assisted suicide," EWTN News/Catholic World News, 6/17/11](http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=113955) Greg notes that in Europe this issue has progressed much further than here, even to the point where the decision to kill the victim has been undertaken by others, including doctors and family members. Fr. Roger noted also in the Anchor this week that the Fall River diocese had a pro-life boot camp. The last abortion clinic in the diocese is in Attleboro and they're working to put them out of business. The boot camp gathered about 35 young people to teach them how to be advocates for life and then be witnesses themselves, including praying outside the abortion clinic. Greg pointed a story about Bishop Elias Chacour from Haifa, Israel, visiting Boston recently and being interviewed by the Pilot about the state of Christians in the Holy Land. Scot pointed out a story about the parishioners of St. Evangelist in East Bridgewater reaching out to youth.