Podcasts about walmart foundation

Work should be the most reliable path out of poverty. But for many, low wages, job insecurity, bureaucratic red tape, and the benefits cliff create barriers to financial stability. Social Impact Pioneers Megan Spurgeon and Scott C. Miller are transforming economic empowerment by revolutionising workforce development and breaking systemic cycles of poverty in the U.S Megan Spurgeon is the Director of Empower Upper Cumberland, a collective impact initiative dedicated to creating sustainable workforce and human services solutions in Tennessee. With a strong background in higher education, workforce development, and community action, Megan is a key player in aligning economic, social, and workforce initiatives for lasting change. Scott C. Miller, founder of Circles USA and president of The Poverty Solution, has been a national leader in poverty alleviation for over 40 years. He has helped communities raise over $200 million to support families in achieving long-term economic independence. His groundbreaking Poverty Alleviation System (PAS) - germinated from collaborations with the Walmart Foundation and Keurig — is a comprehensive framework that supports individuals in fully escaping poverty and contributes to reducing poverty rates at scale.is replacing outdated poverty management models with innovative, results-driven solutions. During this podcast conversation Megan and Scott explore: ✔️ The Shift from Poverty Management to True Poverty Alleviation – Why current systems fail and how to implement real change. ✔️ Collaboration for Impact – How businesses, nonprofits, and policymakers must work together for sustainable results. ✔️ Breaking the Cycle of Poverty – The biggest challenges and innovative solutions shaping the future. ✔️ The Role of Employers & Policy in Economic Empowerment – How businesses can support workforce development and retain talent. So whether you are working to address poverty, curious about the programmes supporting workforce development or simply in need of some positivity – Megan and Scott are your people. Links: • Scott Miller - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottcmillerprofile/ • Megan Spurgeon - www.linkedin.com/in/megankellyspurgeon • The Poverty Solution: https://www.thepovertysolution.com/ • Empower UC - https://empoweruppercumberland.org/ • Annual Report - https://empoweruppercumberland.org/news-and-events/prosperity-press/ • TANF Opportunity Act - https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/tanf-opportunity-act.html • UCHRA - https://uchra.org/

In this episode of the Women's Vibrancy Code Podcast, Maraya Brown welcomes the brilliant Maresa Friedman—a TEDx speaker, certified Google expert, and top-tier business strategist—for a transformative conversation on building sustainable success in both business and life. Together, they explore: How to scale your business with influence and authenticity Mastering delegation and foundational leadership without losing control Why sustainable health and vitality are the keys to high performance Creative ways to diversify income streams and host zero-cost events Maresa draws from her vast experience working with global powerhouses like Google, NFL, and Tory Burch to help leaders uncover blind spots, harness their potential, and thrive. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a professional, or someone seeking greater vibrancy, this episode is packed with inspiration, practical tips, and strategies you can implement right away. Subscribe and tune in now to elevate your success, health, and vibrancy! Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review and share how it inspired you to take action. About Maresa Friedman Maresa Friedman is a TEDx and Certified Google speaker, as well as a strategic consultant for high-level media and business professionals. Her expertise lies in effective engagement, cross-cultural messaging, and social media strategy. An adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego, Maresa ranks in the top 1% of social sellers on LinkedIn and was part of the Google Global Sales Enablement team. She has collaborated with leading organizations, including the Walmart Foundation, Wix.com, Google, the NFL, and Tory Burch, to craft impactful marketing strategies. Connect with Maresa: Instagram: @MaresaSD Facebook: @MaresaSD Feeling exhausted and burnt out? It's time to hit PAUSE and reconnect with your vitality. Join us for a FREE 7-day virtual experience. Discover how to reignite your energy, confidence, and clarity in just one hour a day. Don't miss this chance to feel absolutely vibrant! Save your seat now: https://marayabrown.com/pause/ Join the Women's Vibrancy Accelerator Trifecta: Ready to reboot your foundational health? The Women's Vibrancy Accelerator Trifecta offers 90 days of deep personalized support, including three one-on-one calls, the Dutch Plus test, a full assessment, and access to bi-weekly live Q&A with Maraya. Plus, you'll gain access to the self-paced portal, where you can explore the most important aspects of your health journey, including energy, hormones, libido, and confidence. Visit our program page for more information and use the code PODCAST for a special listener discount: https://marayabrown.com/trifecta/ Download our free resources, including the Menstrual Tracker, Adaptogen Elixir Recipes, Two-Week Soul Cleanse, Food Facial, and more: https://marayabrown.com/resources/  Subscribe To The Women's Vibrancy Code: Women's Health And Wellness with Maraya Brown: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify Connect With The Show: Facebook Page | Linkedin | Website | Tiktok | Facebook Group Apply for a Call With Maraya Brown: Click here to apply for a call About Maraya Brown: Maraya is a Yale and Functional Medicine Trained Women's Health And Wellness Expert CNM, MSN with her undergraduate degree in marketing. She helps women feel turned on by their life, their lover and themselves.  Her work online brings her 21 years of experience supporting women together in one place to co-create deep transformation, energy and passion. Maraya is the founder of this Podcast and does a great deal of work with women to expand their energy, hormones, libido, confidence and much much more. DISCLAIMER: The podcasts available on this website have been produced for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only. Listeners should take care to avoid program content which may not be suited to them. The contents of this podcast do not constitute medical or professional advice, No person listening to and/or viewing any podcast from this website should act or refrain from acting on the basis of the content of a podcast without first seeking appropriate professional advice and/or counseling, nor shall the information be used as a substitute for professional advice and/or counseling. The Women's Vibrancy Code Podcast expressly disclaims any and all liability relating to any actions taken or not taken based on any or all contents of this site. The Women's Vibrancy Code: Women's Health And Wellness w/ Maraya Brown

In this episode of the Inspired Nonprofit Leadership podcast, Sarah Olivieri hosts Takema Robinson, a social justice strategist and CEO of Converge, to discuss strategies for integrating racial and intersectional justice in nonprofits.   Episode Highlights Operationalizing Equity, the Role of Learning, Listening, and Reflecting Challenges and Missteps in Change Management Understanding Privilege and the Greater Good The Role of Nonprofits in Community Shifts Historical Context of Nonprofit Boards and Diversity Meet the Guest Takema Robinson is a mother, social justice strategist, philanthropist, art curator, podcast host, and CEO and Founder of Converge, a national social-justice consulting firm, whose purpose is to accelerate the creation of a radically just new world where communities of color thrive. As a for-profit Black-woman-owned company, Converge is unapologetically committed to investing its dollars in companies owned by people of color, women, and companies that demonstrate a commitment to communities of color. With over 20 years of experience in strategic philanthropy, policy advocacy, and fundraising, Takema has built a company with clients like the Ford Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Walmart Foundation, and George Soros's Open Society Foundation, representing over $50 billion in philanthropic investment worldwide. Takema hosts the Converge for Change podcast, which features many stirring and thought-provoking conversations—like this episode with LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter—where they discuss her grassroots organization committed to turning red states blue. She is also an aspiring author who has published numerous insightful pieces for acclaimed magazines, including Inside Philanthropy, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and the Non-Profit Quarterly. Connect with Takema: IG:https://www.instagram.com/iamtakema/?hl=en LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamtakema/ Website: https://convergeforchange.com/ Sponsored Resource Join the Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Newsletter for weekly tips and inspiration for leading your nonprofit! Access it here >> Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that and follow us on LinkedIn. Connect with Sarah: On LinkedIn>> On Facebook>> Subscribe on YouTube>>

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that Gen Z will make up a third of the workforce by 2030 – and they're bringing their ideals with them. According to findings from Monster, 83 percent of Gen Z candidates say a company's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is important when choosing an employer. Businesses must acknowledge these ideals and adapt to reach Gen Z workers if they wish to attract, hire and retain the best talent. One way companies can do this is by offering robust CSR programs, which provide corporations a license to operate in value-driven ways.In this HRchat episode, we hear from Sam Caplan, Vice President of Social Impact at Submittable, the social impact platform used by teams to make better decisions and maximize their CSR efforts. Sam is a tech industry leader with 20 years of experience building large-scale philanthropic programs for organizations such as the Walton Family Foundation and Walmart Foundation. Listen as Sam discusses how CSR programs allow businesses to express and promote their values to prospective employees and customers.Questions for Sam include:How do you see the role of Gen Z evolving in the workforce, and what key ideals do they bring with them that businesses need to acknowledge?How can businesses effectively demonstrate and integrate DEI values into their corporate culture to appeal to this demographic?As the Vice President of Social Impact at Submittable, could you provide examples of how CSR programs contribute to making better decisions and maximizing social impact within teams?How can companies ensure that their CSR programs are not just seen as a checkbox but are genuinely aligned with their values and contribute meaningfully to social impact?As the landscape of social impact and CSR continues to evolve, what emerging trends or strategies do you foresee that will be crucial for businesses to stay relevant and appealing to the values of the upcoming workforce, particularly Gen Z?We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast and Iceni Media Inc.   Feature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here. Follow us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our newsletter Check out our in-person events

Battle Ground Police Department spreads holiday cheer at annual Shop with a Cop event, treating 20 local children to a festive shopping spree, made possible by support from the Walmart Foundation and Battle Ground Senior Citizens, Inc. Shop with a Cop event has been a favorite of the Battle Ground Police Department since 2014. http://tinyurl.com/2p9vrpwe #BattleGround #BattleGroundPoliceDepartment #BattleGroundPublicSchools #ShopWithACop #Christmas #ChristmasShopping #LawEnforcement #BattleGroundSeniorCitizens #WalmartFoundation #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

The Henrico Police Athletic League will hold its annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. at the HPAL office, 2401 Hartman Street. This year, Henrico PAL's goal is to deliver 500 Thanksgiving turkeys and fixing boxes to Henrico and Richmond area families identified by Henrico County Social Services, Mental Health, Schools, Henrico County Police Division and other agencies throughout the Richmond metropolitan area. Currently sponsored by the Walmart Foundation and West End Assembly of God, the giveaway also welcomes donations from the community.  To donate, visit henricopal.org and click on the "donate" button on the homepage; checks and...Article LinkSupport the show

Notes about Paul and SFP:Join SFP at Seafood Expo North America 2023 in Boston - Come see them at Booth #1073! Learn about SFP's new research on shrimp farming and mangrove regeneration in person with their aquaculture team. Keep up to date with SFP's events and activities: https://sustainablefish.org/seafood-expo-north-america-2023/The industry briefing and associated technical report was made possible through funding by the Walmart Foundation. The findings and recommendations presented in these reports are those of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Walmart Foundation.Links:Technical ReportIndustry BriefingAsian Farmed Shrimp Supply Chain RoundtablePaul's LinkedIn ProfileCheck out our website!: https://www.globalseafood.org/podcastFollow us on social media!Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | InstagramShare your sustainability tips with us podcast@globalseafood.org!If you want to be more involved in the work that we do, become a member of the Global Seafood Alliance: https://www.globalseafood.org/membership/

In this episode of Let Go & Lead, Maril talks with Sylvia Burwell, the 15th president of American University. She shares the leadership principles that have guided her through an impressive and wide-ranging leadership career — from serving as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration to Chief Operating Officer at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to her current role as the first woman to lead American University. Sylvia and Maril discuss the importance, for a leader, of creating a leadership team that doesn't look like you, with true diversity of perspective; of being a calm, optimistic presence during crisis; and of taking it on yourself to “see around the corner” as a leader — to ensure your energy goes more toward anticipating the future than preserving the past.   Learn about: 10:55 Three critical leadership principles 12:01 The key elements of great teams 14:52 How inclusion creates excellence 22:10 The role of community to build alignment 27:44 The role of emotions in decision-making 33:50 What leaders need to let go of —  Sylvia M. Burwell is American University's 15th president and the first woman to serve as president. A visionary leader with experience in the public and private sectors, President Burwell brings to American University a commitment to education and research, the ability to manage large and complex organizations, and experience helping to advance solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Burwell joined AU on June 1, 2017. Burwell has held two cabinet positions in the United States government. She served as the 22nd secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services from 2014 to 2017. During her tenure, she managed a trillion-dollar department that includes the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the Medicaid and Medicare programs; oversaw the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and led the department's responses to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. Before that, she served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, working with Congress to negotiate a two-year budget deal following the 2013 government shutdown. In both roles she was known as a leader who worked successfully across the aisle and focused on delivering results for the American people. Her additional government experience is extensive and includes roles as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, deputy chief of staff to the president, chief of staff to the secretary of the Treasury, and special assistant to the director of the National Economic Council. Burwell has held leadership positions at two of the largest foundations in the world. She served 11 years at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including roles as the chief operating officer and president of the Global Development Program. She then served as president of the Walmart Foundation and ran its global Women's Economic Empowerment efforts. Her private sector experience includes service on the Board of Directors of MetLife. She earned a bachelor's degree in Government from Harvard University and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. A second-generation Greek American, Burwell is a native of Hinton, West Virginia. She and her husband Stephen Burwell are the parents of two young children. ABOUT LET GO & LEAD Let Go & Lead is a leadership community created by Maril MacDonald, founder and CEO of Gagen MacDonald. Maril brings together provocateurs, pioneers, thought leaders and those leading the conversation around culture, transformation and change.  Over the course of the past 12 years, Let Go & Lead has existed in many forms, from video interviews to resource guides to its current iteration as a podcast. At its core, it remains a place where people can access a diversity of perspectives on interdisciplinary approaches to leadership. Maril is also working on a book incorporating these insights gathered over the past several years from global leaders and change makers.   Maril has interviewed over 120 leaders — from business to academia and nonprofits to the arts — through the years. In each conversation, from personal anecdotes to ground-breaking scientific analysis, she has probed the lessons learned in leadership. From these conversations, the Let Go & Lead framework has emerged. It is both a personal and organizational resource that aims to serve the individual leader or leadership at scale.  ABOUT GAGEN MACDONALD At Gagen MacDonald, we are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the human struggle of change. We are a people-focused consulting firm and our passion is improving the employee experience — for everyone. For almost 25 years, we have been working with companies to create clarity from chaos by uniting employees across all levels around a single vision so they can achieve results and realize their future. We have been a pioneer in bringing humanity to strategy execution, leading in areas such as organizational communication, culture, leadership, and employee engagement. Our Vision is to lift all humanity by transforming the companies that transform the world. Full episodes also available on:   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-go-lead-with-maril-macdonald/id1454869525   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gaf7JXOckZMtkpsMtnjAj?si=WZjZkvfLTX2T4eaeB1PO2A   Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRnb2xlYWQubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M   Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/let-go-lead   —   Gagen MacDonald is a strategy execution consulting firm that specializes in employee engagement, culture change and leadership development. Learn more at http://www.gagenmacdonald.com. 

Upon its arrival to the United States, Ian was a Category 4 hurricane, just short of a Category 5. The Salvation Army meticulously planned its response, staging canteens and other equipment for immediate dispersal after the storm exited the affected areas. But The Salvation Army couldn't serve at maximum capacity without the generous assistance of its partners. The Walmart Foundation committed $150,000 dedicated to Hurricane Ian relief in support of feeding and hydration efforts. Polaris offroad vehicles were to used to distribute food.   As well as Mercy Chefs, PepsiCo, Midwest Food Bank, UPS, FedEx and Delta Airlines which have all been crucial in The Salvation Army's response.   Through October 24th, The Salvation Army served over 360,000 meals, drinks and snacks and provided emotional and spiritual care to over 60,000 people. To support The Salvation Army's continued response, visit help.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

The Walmart Foundation Monday announced a $750,000 grant to the National FFA Foundation to incorporate sustainability principles in school education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Salvation Army is partnering with Walmart and the Walmart Foundation for Hurricane Ian recovery efforts. In keeping with this effort, Walmart has offered space in their parking lots throughout the affected areas to allow Salvation Army canteens to set up and provide meal service. The Salvation Army was on the ground delivering meals and hydration to areas affected by Hurricane Ian within hours of the storm passing. With an aim toward serving and making local communities stronger, Walmart, the Walmart Foundation, and The Salvation Army have moved quickly to provide relief after Ian. Over the last three weeks, the Walmart Foundation has committed $300,000 in support to The Salvation Army.   Through October 13th, The Salvation Army has served over 290,000 meals as well as provided emotional and spiritual care to families and individuals across the state of Florida in response to Hurricane Ian.   To make a financial donation to support ongoing relief efforts, go to helpsalvationarmy.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Kathleen McLaughlin, Chief Sustainability Office at Walmart, Inc. and President of the WalmartFoundation, discusses how Walmart plans to achieve its goal to avoid a gigaton–a billion metrictons–of greenhouse gas emissions in its global supply chain by 2030. She shares some of thechallenges and opportunities of operating on such a large scale and offers advice for thoseinterested in working in the business and climate change space. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org.   Guest: Kathleen McLaughlin, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer,Walmart, Inc.; President, Walmart Foundation

In the seventh episode of All In - The Sustainable Business Podcast, Chris, David and Mark explore where the sustainability agenda is going and why 2022's big sustainability push must be networks and collaboration. In this special roundtable episode, they are joined by three thought leaders: Pia Heidenmark Cook, Former CSO of Ingka/IKEA, Kathleen McLaughlin, Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart and President of the Walmart Foundation, and Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, Chair of the Circular Economy Innovation Partnership (CEIP).

The IDEALS Institute at the University of Arkansas delivers diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training to state agencies, institutions, and community groups across the state. Executive Director Elecia Smith says with a more than $2.1 million dollar grant from the Walton Family Foundation and Walmart Foundation, IDEALS staff will, starting next year, provide DEI resources to a hundred regional nonprofits.

The Skill: Emotional Intelligence and Social Capital are two skills that you should consistently work on strengthening to not only improve your hire-ability but your quality of life in general!    This week, we're diving into Season 1 Episode 6 of Let's Talk About Skills Baby. In this episode, Kelly speaks with Gayatri Agnew, Senior director of Walmart Giving at the Walmart Foundation about the immense value of social, emotional, and relational skills, and the power of skills to unlock human potential.  Key Takeaway: Social capital is not about knowing fancy people, it's about having relational value in the relationships you do have, and constantly working to add to and grow your relationships.   Transform your social capital with The Reach Out Party. Learn more at https://my.captivate.fm/carlyvalancy.com (carlyvalancy.com)  Learn more at https://my.captivate.fm/skillsbaby.com/gotskills (skillsbaby.com/gotskills)   Got Skills is produced by https://my.captivate.fm/growthnetworkpodcasts.com (Growth Network Podcasts) 

The Skill: Emotional Intelligence and Social Capital are two skills that you should consistently work on strengthening to not only improve your hire-ability but your quality of life in general! This week, we're diving into Season 1 Episode 6 of Let's Talk About Skills Baby. In this episode, Kelly speaks with Gayatri Agnew, Senior director of Walmart Giving at the Walmart Foundation about the immense value of social, emotional, and relational skills, and the power of skills to unlock human potential. Key Takeaway: Social capital is not about knowing fancy people, it's about having relational value in the relationships you do have, and constantly working to add to and grow your relationships. Transform your social capital with The Reach Out Party. Learn more at carlyvalancy.com Learn more at skillsbaby.com/gotskills Got Skills is produced by Growth Network Podcasts

The Skill: Emotional Intelligence and Social Capital are two skills that you should consistently work on strengthening to not only improve your hire-ability but your quality of life in general!    This week, we're diving into Season 1 Episode 6 of Let's Talk About Skills Baby. In this episode, Kelly speaks with Gayatri Agnew, Senior director of Walmart Giving at the Walmart Foundation about the immense value of social, emotional, and relational skills, and the power of skills to unlock human potential.  Key Takeaway: Social capital is not about knowing fancy people, it's about having relational value in the relationships you do have, and constantly working to add to and grow your relationships.   Transform your social capital with The Reach Out Party. Learn more at carlyvalancy.com  Learn more at skillsbaby.com/gotskills   Got Skills is produced by Growth Network Podcasts 

More than a dozen area nonprofits are continuing the process of bolstering their diversity and inclusion. The effort, with support from the Walmart Foundation and Walton Family Foundation, creates partnerships between the organizations and a central program. We talked with a representative from one of the funders (above) and a representative from one of the participating nonprofits (below) about the TRUE initiative .

Retiring after 31 years in the U.S. Army, Brigadier General Gary M. Profit began his transition to a civilian career – and developed a passion for helping other military veterans do the same. In 2008, Gary joined Walmart as its Senior Director of Military Programs. On Memorial Day 2013, he set about delivering on the retailer's commitment to hire 100,000 veterans by 2018. To date, Walmart has hired more than 70,000 veterans. On Veterans Day 2010, the Walmart Foundation announced a five-year, $10 million commitment to support veteran employment and transition, and, in August 2011, increased the commitment to $20 million. In 2014, the Foundation delivered on its promise more than a year in advance and committed another $20 million to ensure the support continues through 2019. Gary believes that much can be achieved by empowering veterans to use their considerable skills in their new futures. “Once you get in the door, the advancement opportunities are endless.”

La comunicación NO violenta se presenta cuando desde nuestros actos como humanos etiquetamos, juzgamos y culpamos a nosotros y a los otros. En este podcast conversamos con Chechi Murillo fundadora y directora ejecutiva de la Fundación Moda y Flores en Colombia quién desde su niñez estuvo expuesta a señalamientos y burlas por su discapacidad. Te invitamos a escucharla, seguirla, y conocer su impacto.Emprendiendo en tiempos de crisis hace parte de una estrategia del Proyecto VIVE 2020 México para abordar unas temáticas que surgen a partir de la expansión del Covid-19 en el mundo y como éste está afectando en diferentes niveles el ecosistema de las emprendedoras. Proyecto VIVE es implementado en México gracias al apoyo de Walmart Foundation.

En este episodio invitamos a Sandra Huenumán emprendedora Chilena que convierte la tradición del pueblo Mapuche en joyería y orfebrería para conversar sobre la inteligencia emocional y como generó estrategias para "reinventar" su negocio. Conoce sus productos: @huenuman.orfebreria.Emprendiendo en tiempos de crisis hace parte de una estrategia del Proyecto VIVE 2020 México para abordar unas temáticas que surgen a partir de la expansión del Covid-19 en el mundo y como éste está afectando en diferentes niveles el ecosistema de las emprendedoras. Proyecto VIVE es implementado en México gracias al apoyo de Walmart Foundation.

La vivencia a través de los otros hace que aprendamos y observemos el mundo diferente, hoy en este episodio conoceremos el testimonio de una mujer emprendedora donde su mente y sus manos fueron su pasaje a una completa transformación de vida. Ella es Jessica Guzman creadora de Flower´s by. Encuéntrala en facebook como @Flower´s by.Emprendiendo en tiempos de crisis hace parte de una estrategia del Proyecto VIVE 2020 México para abordar unas temáticas que surgen a partir de la expansión del Covid-19 en el mundo y como éste está afectando en diferentes niveles el ecosistema de las emprendedoras. Proyecto VIVE es implementado en México gracias al apoyo de Walmart Foundation.

Karin M. Norington-Reaves is a lifelong public servant with more than 25 years of experience in education, law, advocacy, community, and workforce development. In 2012, Karin became the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) upon her appointment by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.   As CEO and change agent, she led the merger and restructuring of three diverse workforce systems into what is now the nation’s most extensive workforce system managed by a non-profit administrative agency. Karin leads The Partnership’s mission to ensure that “every person has the skills to build a career and every business have the talent it needs to compete in a global economy.”   She oversees the administration of federal, state and philanthropic funds and the creation of effective programs that assure alignment between the skills demanded by a changing economy and those offered by the region’s labor force. She also works to generate both private and public funding to expand the services available throughout Chicago-land. In her tenure, The Partnership has raised nearly $50 million in diverse funds, including a $10.9 million grant awarded by the Walmart Foundation – the most significant gift in the history of the foundation.

~ The Huddle with John Furner ~ Kathleen McLaughlin has two big jobs at Walmart. She’s our Chief Sustainability Officer and President of the Walmart Foundation. A company can do good in several ways – everything from reducing emissions to developing a sustainable Supply Chain, creating opportunities for associates and advancing work on racial equity. Listen to this newest episode of The Huddle with John Furner to hear the steps we’re taking to make a difference in our communities around the world.

Kathleen McLaughlin has two big jobs at Walmart. She's our Chief Sustainability Officer and President of the Walmart Foundation. A company can do good in several ways – everything from reducing emissions to developing a sustainable Supply Chain, creating opportunities for associates and advancing work on racial equity. Listen to this newest episode of The Huddle to hear the steps we're taking to make a difference in our communities around the world.

Ashli Cotton is originally from Chicago, IL. She has always enjoyed entertainment. It was during her time as a background actor in Los Angeles that she discovered her calling for her current line of work. After living in Los Angeles, she relocated to Oxnard, CA., where she created and hosted “The Life” Talk Show. As a gifted communicator, Ashli takes pride in creating a talk show environment that is non-confrontational, guest-driven and informative. Although “The Life” Talk Show is a Christian based show, no topic is off-limits or taboo. When it comes to sharing testimonies, Ashli discusses finances, business, personal goals, entertainment, and current issues affecting the African-American community and the world at large. In this day and age of digital marketing, Ashli relies on a refreshingly old school advertising method: door panel magnets on her car. Ashli’s guests have been sourced from church, recommendations from friends, and conversations with fellow drivers who saw her car magnets while at a stoplight or in a parking lot. She will offer up a business card and the opportunity to appear on her show.In 2016, Ashli created The Life 14:16, a non-profit dedicated to assisting single mothers and fathers. As a single mother herself, she understood the unique challenges faced by single parents and felt called to create a means of helping them. Her faith and efforts paid off: the Walmart Foundation recently awarded The Life 14:16 a grant to cover expenses for three first-generation students/parents in college. Ashli is blessed to be a vessel for these hardworking students to ease the burden of attending college while raising a child on their own. Ashli encourages all new business owners to begin by legalizing the business: filing the necessary paperwork for incorporation/licensing and for new non-profits to take the steps to become an office 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. As a true believer, Ashli reassures us that God will provide the rest and things will fall into place once we take those first steps. As we move through a period of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty, Ashli offers the following suggestions: 1) Focus on safety and health of self and loved ones, 2) use this time to pause and take a break 3) Keep in mind the safety and health of others 4) focus on prioritizing what is truly important. As a woman of faith, Ashli firmly believes that God is in control, and will be there for all who are open to receiving His blessings and guidance. Currently, Ashli resides in Dallas/ Fort Worth, TX with her son, and is hosting “The Life” Talk Show on Fishbowl Radio Network, the largest Internet and Global radio network in the United States. WHERE TO FIND ASHLIWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Emailhellocsdorsey.com

Imagine you would like to address food and food insecurity in particular and could start with a blank slate, what kind of programs and practices would make sense given the incredible array of possibilities? Our guest today, Curt Ellis and Karrie Denniston have addressed this issue in their own work. Welcome to The Leading Voices in Food. I'm Kelly Brownell, director of the world Food Policy Center at Duke University and professor of public policy at Duke.  I'll begin by introducing Curt Ellis, who was co-founder and CEO of FoodCorps, a national organization affiliated with AmeriCorps. He has received numerous awards for his work and is in my mind one of the most creative people anywhere working on food issues. Curt, it's really nice to have you here. Thanks so much for having me, Kelly. The work of FoodCorps is something that I know personally because my daughter worked in Arkansas as part of the AmeriCorps and FoodCorps program, and I saw the transformative experience it had on her, but also the impact that the FoodCorps volunteers can have on the community. And I assume some of our listeners will know a lot about the organization and others less so. So could you please tell us what FoodCorps is all about? Of course, our work at FoodCorps is an effort attempting to address the challenges of healthy food education and healthy food access for kids at real scale. And we currently support the daily work of 250 AmeriCorps food educators who are working in high poverty schools across 18 states to build school gardens, to introduce kids to new foods on the lunch line and to work with their school communities to build a school-wide culture of health. In addition to that direct impact work that's focused on healthy food education, FoodCorps is doing a new body of systemic work called reWorking Lunch, which seeks to improve the quality of school food at scale and unlock some of the ways in which the way school systems approach healthy food education and access have been stuck in old patterns for far too long. And in addition to those two efforts, we advocate for policies that are rooted in the evidence and that you can see in real life form when you come out to FoodCorps schools around the country, policies that have a potential to drive greater progress faster, in improving what kids eat in school, and what they learn about food there. Our next guest, Karrie Denniston serves as Senior Director of sustainability with the Walmart Foundation, and in this role manages the strategy and grant making for the foundation's efforts to help create environmentally and socially sustainable supply chains globally. Prior to joining Walmart, Karrie served as a vice president of national programs at Feeding America and also worked as a policy analyst with USDA. Karrie, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here. Why did the Walmart Foundation make food insecurity an important priority? Thanks, Kelly. That's a great question. At Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, first think about where we can make the biggest difference. And if you go back in history, Walmart was founded on the idea of helping to democratize access to things that people need in their everyday lives. That was the whole idea of Sam Walton opening a store in rural areas so that people could have affordable access and have that same access that living in a city would afford. So today as the nation's largest grocer, we're continuing that legacy and providing access to safe and affordable food is one important way that we do that. So that's an important backdrop. But also, we fundamentally believe in the importance of addressing hunger, food insecurity, and nutrition and its importance to society. This is a place where we have a lot of assets that we can contribute, even just going beyond philanthropy. So if we think about the business side, what might that look like? Having low food prices. That looks like thinking about how do we reformulate product to make it healthier so that people can access that. It looks like us donating any excess food that's coming through that may not be sellable but is still quality and could still be utilized. And it also means that engaging our suppliers and customers to helping them understand issues of food insecurity and how they can help. We utilize our philanthropy to try to help increase the capacity of the food banking system, the charitable system, access to federal benefit programs. How do we make that system help people get food when and where they need it? So we support initiatives to increase things like access to emergency food programs, or things like benefits, like the SNAP program, the WIC program, children's meal programs in schools, which Curt has a lot of experience with. And we also help to think about how can we advance nutrition literacy and skills. Curt, if you think back to when you founded FoodCorps back in 2010, there were lots of things one could have done. Why did you choose to focus on children and then schools in particular? One in six kids today is growing up in a food insecure household where they don't reliably have enough healthy food at home. And one in three kids across our country is already showing early signs of diet related disease and we know that these diseases discriminate and we know that one in two of our kids of color are expected to develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetimes. And for FoodCorps and the five folks who I co-founded this organization with back in 2010, it was clear to us that our nation's school system represents the best chance we have as a country to reach kids when they are setting their lifelong eating habits in place and school systems represent one of the most powerful leverage points for unlocking larger change in our food system as a whole. There are seven times as many school cafeterias in this country as there are McDonald's franchises. And if we could only turn those school cafeterias into places where every child is getting great high quality food every day and where the supply chain that serves those school meals protects the lands and waters that we depend on, that could be a powerful transformation. For a company as large as Walmart, is this caring for example about the welfare of the farmers and caring about sustainable practices and things like this just considered a good business? Is it part of the ethical nature of the company? Is it because customers care about it? Why be doing these things? Yes to all of that. I think the principle of shared value first is that if we don't actually do those things, very hard for us to run business in the longterm. If we aren't thinking about the sustainability of supply chains and the practices that are in place, and we aren't thinking about how we can have that, we are not going to have a supply in the future, right? So that's important. So it is good business and it is important to business. That is coupled with it is also a place where we can have a leadership position and help advance those issues forward. And customers do care and they should care. Well, given the enormous scope of the Walmart customer base and the stores all over the world, why did you decide to partner with FoodCorps? Well, one objective of our philanthropy is to help improve people's confidence in their ability to consistently consume healthier foods. So we decided to support FoodCorps for a couple of reasons. First was the approach. Nutrition education itself, it's an incredibly valuable tool and it has an importance in trying to help advance people's ability to understand what's healthy and how to make choices. But FoodCorps also developed their program with the belief that nutrition education had to be delivered in context. So if the food quality in the cafeteria and the overall school environment was sending a different signal to the kids after they just had this great nutrition education lesson, that was going to be really hard to maintain those healthier choices. We were also really impressed because FoodCorps thought about, and I'd be curious for Curt to comment on this, they thought about learning from day one. I really feel like FoodCorps wants to know if their efforts are making a difference. They're willing to be creative and they're willing to take some risks in figuring out some paths forward. For us, because we were also trying to figure out this balance, this important question of what can you do at scale in a really structured and thoughtful way, and what has to be built at the local community and really contextualize to a particular location, FoodCorps was really thinking about that and wrestling with those same questions. So we were really excited to be a part of that journey with them. So Curt, can you explain how the partnership with Walmart is working? What's actually occurring on the ground because of it? Yeah. Over the five years that FoodCorps has been able to partner with the Walmart Foundation, so far we have scaled up our quite significantly. So a big piece of what we've been able to do has just been to reach more kids and more schools with the kind of hands-on food education that we know make a really powerful difference in what children eat. This year, FoodCorps is reaching 170,000 students in 350 high poverty schools, thanks in really significant part to the partnership we have with Walmart. The relationship we have with the foundation has also enabled us to bring a strong equity lens to the AmeriCorps service members who we are recruiting and supporting in their work in the field. The Walmart Foundation has made it possible for us to increase what we pay our core members well above what AmeriCorps requires of us. That means we're able to attract core members who come from limited resource backgrounds themselves or members who themselves grew up struggling with hunger and food insecurity, grew up struggling with the realities of a food system that did not serve them healthy food every day. It makes a huge difference in how effective our core members are and how much authenticity we can show up with in the communities where we serve. And the Walmart Foundation has made it possible for FoodCorps to bring our work to places that don't have the kind of philanthropic supporter base that a New York city or a Bay area has. At least a third of our service members are in rural communities and small town settings that don't typically get reached by a national organization. But for FoodCorps, serving native and indigenous communities thoughtfully and well, serving communities like Flint, Michigan, serving communities like the Arkansas Delta and the Mississippi Delta and rural areas in North Carolina, these are huge priorities for us as an organization and they're the kind of priorities that are very hard to achieve without the kind of high trust partnership that we have with the Walmart Foundation. Curt, your mission is so noble and important and I also admire you and your colleagues being willing to have an objective evaluation done to learn and then to move on to other paths that may be more productive than what was going on in the past. Can you give an example of somewhere along the way where you learned something from evaluation that surprised you and changes the way you did things? Yeah, absolutely. So we did a big external evaluation project with Columbia University Teacher's College and the Tisch center on food education and policy there. And one of the findings of that evaluation work was that the real magic happens in food and nutrition education when that approach is hands on. There's a really powerful shift that happens in what kids learn about food and more importantly, what their behaviors are towards healthy food, fruit and vegetables in particular when they engage directly in a school garden and taste a beat pulled raw out of the ground with the dirt still on it, or when they cook in their classroom and learn the skills and build the agency to make a salad dressing themselves, and a cook our recipe for their family at home. We know that kind of thing works because supermarket in Oregon told us they ran out of rutabagas the week FoodCorps taught the rutabaga lesson. That kind of hands-on approach to learning about food is a dramatic shift from what I certainly got in my nutrition education as a kid, which was an authority figure pointing at a government poster on the wall. And I think that old model is one that we've kind of kept going in far too many schools. But because of this finding coming out of the research we did with Columbia University, which showed that when kids get more of that hands-on food education, they triple the fruits and vegetables in their school meals. FoodCorps has oriented much of our policy agenda that we're currently working on in the upcoming child nutrition reauthorization towards trying to stand up programming that would put food educators into school meal programs around the country, because we recognized if we can give more kids that kind of hands-on food education, we'll suddenly be able to take different advantage of the $18 billion our country already invests in putting food on lunch trays for our nation's kids and we can get that healthy food we're putting on lunch trays and the fruits and vegetables in particular eaten by more and more kids if they just get the right introduction to it. So Karrie, from your perspective, what do you see is the value of your work with FoodCorps and what sort of outcomes are you seeing? It's really, it's interesting, Curt listening to you talk about what you sort of see as some of the value and the outcomes. My list would be similar. I think of it in a couple of areas. One has been the learnings on the direct programmatic work. We are seeing that there are practices that are working and some that aren't, that we shouldn't be doing anymore. And in that kind of learning about what are the outcomes that are being driven and what are the different techniques and experiences that can be created more at scale to try and support that. And I think Curt, what as you were sort of talking about, then how do we take that to a more structural level, whether that's through policy or other kinds of mechanisms or embedding that kind of learning across multiple programs. These are really valuable insights that go beyond one organization and one donor, but really start to have implications across the entirety of the field. The other that Curt touched on that I do want to highlight that has really advanced our thinking is how intentional FoodCorps has been about things like hiring, and about diversity, equity and inclusion. Their approach of thinking about recruiting talent, training talent and having that be of the community is incredibly thoughtful and they've been very honest about what does that take. What does that take in terms of stipends? What does that take in terms of support for core members over time? But I think the organization has also not just stopped with frontline. They've also internalized training across their staff in the organization. I would say as a sector, and whether that's food, security support organizations, nutrition education organizations, or really as a nonprofit sector, struggling with issues about how we think about diversity, equity and inclusion in our own organizations and our programmatic work and in the services being provided is something that is very difficult and that the FoodCorps has really been leading the way in starting to put some ideas on the table, learning from those. So that's informed us. It's informed the field. That's really changed the way we thought about the work as well. What sort of training skills do you think are important for the next generation to help tap with food and nutrition and food insecurity issues? Kelly, I love this question because we speak a lot with organizations about how are they thinking about preparing for the future. So the first is that I think we recognize that the needs of families who are experiencing food insecure, they're not static. They're not static in any way. This is a really simple example, but think about when food banks used to hand out information about where pantries were and what their hours were, they handed out paper lists. Today, what's the first thing you would do? You'd go online and you'd do a search. Where is my local place to get help, right? That's an example of how the changing nature and expectation around how people would find information and resources. Now take that to a bigger scale. That means the choices, like do we build a physical location to provide services? Do we offer mobile services? Do we need to explore more on demand kinds of services? Same with nutrition education. Is that hands-on experience the thing that matters? How much can digital play a role? This all has implications for how our responses need to be built for these kinds of issues. So I think our future leaders are going to have to understand and think about how to apply a more human-centered design approach to figuring out how our organizations need to be structured in the future. We need to start with the individuals who are experiencing the situations and build from them as opposed to starting from the structures that we have in place. The second area that I think about is about how technology can be applied to the problems of response. How do we use data? How do we better understand who's in need? How do we better target responses? How do we support shared learning about outcomes? I think about future skills for this sector, applying things like machine learning. How is that going to help us be faster and more targeted in the approach? And then probably the third thing I would offer is not to underestimate personal competencies that we need in the leaders of the future. This is incredibly hard work. It's complex, it's important. It really, really matters. I really think about the kinds of creativity and the passion that's going to be needed from future leaders but also a strong ability to be self-reflected. And as we talk about self reflection, I think Curt talked about this willingness to pivot away from things that aren't working. If it's not working as well as it could, we have to be brave, and that bravery is really important. Thanks for that description. Curt, I was going to ask you the same question. But as Karrie was speaking just now, it made me think of another question that I'd like to ask you instead. Communities often are quite distressful about outside organizations and people coming in to help them, and for a good reason. There's been a long history of this happening without much benefit and the communities are worried about the motives of the people coming in. They just want to get their research done or they want to do their philanthropy and feel good about it. There are a lot of reasons communities have this distrust. How do you address this? Because you're in so many communities of need and I'm sure trust must be a big issue. Trust is the foundation on which all of this work rests and for anyone who's spent meaningful time in your own kid's school or another school setting, you know how relational those environments really are at the end of the day. And it makes me feel like Karrie was spot on in saying a big piece of what is needed in this next wave of work given the ecosystem we all find ourselves in is the ability to be nimble and adaptive and responsive to local context. And so for FoodCorps, that begins with a very strong priority on recruiting folks who work for us, whether it's in our AmeriCorps program as frontline food educators, or the folks who are in our field offices leading the kind of district and principal level relationships and working with other organizations and allies and policy makers around the state, begins with recruiting local talent who come in with expertise and relationships and informal knowledge as well as formal knowledge about the ecosystem in which they are operating. But at an organizational level, it requires us to be placed-based. And it's a tricky thing for a national nonprofit like FoodCorps to strike the right balance between enough consistency from place to place that we get all the benefits of replicability and scalability and measurability and we can tell a powerful story to policy makers, to our partners, and have what is most important, which is adaptive responses to local context, the fact that climate and culture and food culture play out so differently in the Navajo nation from how they play out in rural Maine, from how they play out in New York City. That adaptability is what gives you relevance and it's what actually makes your work make a difference. We work really hard to lean in on the place-based side of that and the culturally relevant side of that. I do think our nation school meal programs in large part are still trying to solve the problems of the last century. The modern school meal program has its origins at a time when we were trying to get the surplus commodities, we were growing on our nation's farms used up by our school system and try to make sure that folks going off to the battlefield in our country were not malnourished and we have a different food landscape today, one that needs to put public health at its center and needs to recognize the fact that in today's incredibly diverse America, food is one of the best tools we have to connect across lines of cultural difference and come together around a shared table to affirm our values. I do believe there's a way we can have school food be an engine, not just for kids being well nourished, but kids feeling really, truly cared for and valued and affirmed in who they are and where they come from. I also would say that there's been a sea change in what young adults are interested in around food. And now everywhere I go there's more and more young people raising their hands saying, "How do I get involved in FoodCorps? How do I donate a year or two of my life to this cause of building a more just and healthful and sustainable food system?" And that is totally thrilling to see. Karrie, do you share Curt's optimism? I do share that optimism. There is an incredible amount of passion. I'm seeing a lot of ignition around what it means to have positive food experiences and how people are relating to food and valuing food within their communities. Food is the most personal thing we do. It's a decision that we make multiple times a day. It's cultural, it's our families, it's we gather around food. We celebrate with food, and we celebrate our communities, our heritage, all around this core convening factor. I am seeing where the value of doing that and putting that in the center is starting to become more and more important, and that is really encouraging for the structures and the processes and the systems and addressing some of these issues. I think that gives me a lot of hope that we have this very personal base in which to build. Given that food insecurity is a major problem in the US and around the world, despite years of efforts to try to help address it, what do you think are the most important things that need to be done? I think first starting with most people just simply don't realize how pervasive food insecurity really is. I often will give people the fact that we look at data and food insecurity exists in every county in America. This is neighbors, friends, family, and that means that we have to think about solutions at a community level and at scale. And it's really complex. At the core, I think food security and food insecurity is about instability. So that might mean housing. That might mean employment. That might mean health. That might mean a very personal family situation. And it also isn't about a static aspect, right? A person isn't food insecure forever. They're insecure often for a moment in time or a few months or some years. For some people, it's more of pervasive over a lifetime. But people are cycling in and out of need. And I think those are all dynamics and aspects that are important to understand. And I think that leads us to two reasons that it continues to be such a pervasive issue. So first, there's still an incredible stigma associated with people who are struggling to have access to healthy food. And it's difficult to ask for help when needed because of that. And second, because it can be so cyclical, it also means that our systems have to make it seamless for people to be able to ask for help when they need it. So it's not easy to navigate a benefit application. It is not easy to figure out, "Where do I go? What's going to be the best place for me," especially when a family is struggling with other stressors in life. So setting aside more of the structural questions around things like housing and healthcare. I think there's some practical short term things that we can really do. We can prioritize helping to reduce stigma, to demystify what food security really is, and to assess where these systems that we have in place may be putting up barriers for people that don't need to be there, that they could be accessing food easier. You know, in our part, well, we think about our own work. We're still going to address these issues at scale. And for context over the last five years, we've helped to provide about 4 billion meals to people in need, right? So scale matters for sure. That is something that needs to happen. But As we think about those lessons and the learnings and some things we can immediately do, we're also thinking differently about how do we prioritize investing in programs in the geographies and for communities that are disproportionately impacted by these issues. You know, Curt shared some of the stats in the beginning for communities of color, for rural geographies. There are areas where we need to have a more targeted approach to develop better tools to address stigma and better tools to reduce some of those system barriers so that people can get access to their needs met in the communities where they're at. So thank you, Karrie. Curt, what are your thoughts on that? At FoodCorps, we're really focused on how do we leverage the scale and reach of our nation's school system to make sure that the 30 million kids a day who are spending half their waking hours and eating often half their daily calories in school learn what healthy food is in a reliably effective way and eat healthy food every day in the meals their schools provide. And our sense is that systemic change that we could catalyze across the school system will have huge longterm impacts on the trajectories of kids who have the chance to fulfill their potential and fulfill their dreams in school and in life and also have a huge impact on how our food system as a whole works there. But I would say if we want to change our school system to better address the needs of the kids who are walking through their school doors food insecure, the kids who on snow days don't get enough food to eat, we have to change some of the stuck mindsets and mental models that have kind of been holding our schools in the place where they've been around food for so long. And really I think we have a school system that very often sees food as a cost center to be minimized instead of an impact center waiting to be unlocked. And when we treat it as a cost center to be minimized, we minimize the amount of time kids have to learn about healthy food. We minimize the amount of time kids have to eat healthy food in their lunch rooms, and we minimize the investment we make in the quality of food we're serving to kids in school, and we minimize the attention we pay to the lunch ladies and gents and the district level school food leadership who are on the front lines of actually getting healthy food to our kids. The result of that is a food system that devalues food in school and leaves a whole lot of kids feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled and being unnourished by that system and I believe there's another way to approach it, which is to treat it as an impact center and a value center and show what happens when we use the power of food to make sure every child gets the nourishment they need to thrive and every child gets that feeling that only food can give you of knowing you are valued and cared for by the adults around you. Thank you. Well Curt and Karrie, there couldn't be any two more capable, insightful, and passionate people working on this problem. And thank the heavens you're doing this work. And congratulations for what you've accomplished. I know it's only begun. And thank you for being leading voices in food and of course for joining us today. Thanks so much. Our guests today have been Curt Ellis co-founder and CEO of FoodCorps and Karrie Denniston, Senior Director of Sustainability with the Walmart Foundation. And thank you for listening. If you would like to subscribe to the Leading Voices and Food Podcast series, you may do so at Google Play, Stitcher, RadioPublic or Apple Podcasts, or by visiting our website at the Duke World Food Policy Center. This is Kelly Brownell.  

The institution of work is in a crisis in the US. Americans continue to believe in the value of hard work, but for far too many, hard work is insufficient to pay the bills. The 2016 election heightened attention to the white working class, the #MeToo movement pulled back the curtain on abuses many women experience at work, the role of immigrant workers has become a divisive flashpoint, and fears of an automation-induced jobs apocalypse abound. These current challenges have historical precedents. In an engaging new book, Beaten Down, Worked Up – The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor, veteran New York Times reporter Steven Greenhouse relates how working people organized to address similar challenges in the past, how the gains they achieved began to erode, and how working people today are again finding their voice. Like their predecessors, workers are uniting in common purpose to respond to today's challenges and demand a better world of work for themselves and for future generations. Enjoy this conversation with one of the nation's leading labor reporters discussing the past, present, and future of work in America and the role of working people in determining that future. This event features Steven Greenhouse (former reporter, The New York Times) and moderator Maureen Conway (Vice President for Policy Programs, The Aspen Institute; Executive Director, Economic Opportunities Program). This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. We are grateful to the Ford Foundation, Prudential Financial, and the Walmart Foundation for their support of this series. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

Back in episode 43, Gary gave his original testimony on Borne the Battle. This week’s Borne The Battle episode provides an update from the Senior Director of Military Programs at Walmart on the hiring initiatives through the company and the Walmart Foundation donating $1 million to Hire Heroes USA. Profit is the first person to serve in his role—a role that has now spanned a decade. He plans on retiring by the end of this year.

At a time of record low unemployment, the problem we now face is not that people don't have work, but that they don't have good work. As the economy booms, low wages, limited benefits, and insecure employment are still the reality for many working people. What will it take to make sure everyone in the United States has quality jobs? The Aspen Institute and Urban Institute have been exploring this issue through different vantage points, to better understand the challenges that we face and the implications for policies and practices that improve job quality. And while the issue of quality jobs is one of national importance, solutions also need to respond to the needs of different places and communities across the country and be inclusive of all, regardless of race, gender, or other factors. Governments at all levels, businesses, civic, labor, and community organizations and more, all have roles to play in addressing the need for quality work. What do we know and what do we need to know so that we can build a world of work in which hard work truly does lead to a dignified living? This conversation brings together different experiences and perspectives to explore this question. We feature a senior researcher from the Urban Institute together with Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellows from business, community development finance, and workforce and policy development who are working to create quality jobs in their communities. This event features Sarah Keh (Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Prudential Financial), Amanda Blondeau (Business Services Director, Northern Initiatives), Demetra Nightingale (Institute Fellow, Urban Institute), Rick Plympton (CEO, Optimax Systems), Caryn York (Executive Director, Job Opportunities Task Force), and moderator E.J. Dionne (Columnist, The Washington Post). This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. We are grateful to the Ford Foundation, Prudential Financial, and the Walmart Foundation for their support of this series. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

Kathleen McLaughlin is Chief Sustainability Officer for Walmart Inc., and President of the Walmart Foundation. In this conversation, she talks about her upbringing and career path (0:45), Walmart's "Project Gigaton" initiative (8:37), efforts to prevent deforestation (16:22), and more. Plus: WWF's Kerry Cesareo breaks down a new approach to saving forests in Malaysia (20:03).

As Chinese economic growth slows to its lowest rate in 30 years, there is rising concern (including among some Chinese scholars and officials) about the long-term viability of China's distinctive form of state-led capitalism, sometimes characterized in terms of a "China Model".  Nevertheless, the Chinese government still appears committed to the approach marked by heavy state intervention in the economy that has driven China's growth since the 1990s, and especially since the global financial crisis of 2008 and then under President Xi Jinping.  In this episode, Neysun Mahboubi discusses China's state-led capitalism, and the prospects for reform, with one of the foremost scholars of China's economic development, MIT political scientist Yasheng Huang, whose pathbreaking work has highlighted the contributions of private entrepreneurship to China's "economic miracle" in the 1980s, and the various costs levied by the shift away from that approach.  The episode was recorded on April 27, 2018. Yasheng Huang is Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he also serves as faculty director of action learning, and runs both China Lab and India Lab, which have provided low-cost consulting services to over 360 small and medium enterprises in those countries.  He has published widely in both English and Chinese, and his book Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics: Entrepreneurship and the State (Cambridge University Press), based on detailed archival and quantitative evidence spanning three decades of Chinese economic reform, was selected by The Economist as a best book of 2008.  His current research projects include a new book on "The Nature of the Chinese State", collaboration with researchers at Tsinghua University to create a complete database of technological innovation in China, and serving as co-PI for a Walmart Foundation supported study of food safety in China.  He is or has been a fellow at the Center for China in the World Economy at Tsinghua University; a research fellow at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics; a fellow at the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan; and a World Economic Forum Fellow.  He also has served as a consultant to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the OECD, and on a number of advisory and corporate boards of non-profit and for-profit organizations. Sound engineering: Shani Aviram and Neysun Mahboubi Music credit: "Salt" by Poppy Ackroyd, follow her at http://poppyackroyd.com

From Workforce Today Podcast: As a follow up to Ep. 10 with Ellen Davis at the National Retail Federation, Bill talks with Walmart’s Julie Gehrki about training its 2.3 million associates, upward mobility within the company, and how customer behavior impact job roles. Julie Gehrki is Senior Director of Business Integration at the Walmart Foundation and sat down with Bill during a visit to Walmart’s Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters.

From Retail America, Pathways to Opportunity Podcast-Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Programs at the Walmart Foundation, shares insights into retail as a sector of opportunity by highlighting Walmart's best practices and strategies for advancing frontline retail workers during the first episode of the Retail America: Pathways to Opportunity podcast series.  

 :arrow: :arrow: YMCA and Walmart Promote Healthy Kids Day to Combat Child Hunger on Georgia Business Radio DISCOVER WHY SUMMER IS A CRUCIAL TIME FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH & WELL-BEING  Stacey McDaniel, Anti-Hunger Initiatives Specialist, YMCA of the USA, Shares Important Information about the Y's Healthy Kids Day & Art Contest YMCAs in all 50 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico) will be celebrating Healthy Kids Day for a fun celebration that will also bring attention to the epidemic of child hunger in the U.S. The Y's Healthy Kids' Day includes activities and games encourage physical activity and encourage reading and exploration, including a new art contest this year. To help raise awareness about the year-round epidemic of child hunger and highlight the importance of good nutrition, the Y and Walmart Foundation are kicking off a national call for youth art submissions for the Y's 'Child Hunger Is No Fairytale' campaign. Stacey McDaniel, Anti-Hunger Initiatives Specialist at YMCA of the USA, will preview the Y's Healthy Kid's Day Events and share some staggering - even shocking - statistics about child hunger. In the U.S., millions of youth and teens (1 out of every 6) are struggling with"food insecurity." That is when a child doesn't have regular access to fresh food or proper nutrition so that their development is severely impacted. Studies show that kids can't learn, grow, or reach their full potential on an empty stomach. That's why-in partnership with Walmart Foundation-the Y has nearly 4,000 sites where children can receive a healthy meal and/or snack. In 2017, the Y served 476,00 kids more than 22,000,000 meals and snacks. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT THE Y'S HEALTHY KIDS DAY: How to enter a special art contest to promote hunger awareness Why summer is a crucial time for children's health Learn about the epidemic of child food insecurity in our country Why child hunger is much worse during the summer SPOKESPERSON BACKGROUND:  McDaniel has been the Anti-Hunger Initiatives Specialist at the YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) since 2013, working to offer assistance and guidance to local Ys to strengthen child nutrition programs across the country. During her tenure, the Y has expanded its anti-hunger work, increasing number of youth served per year by 131% and number of meals served per year by 165%. In 2016, over 476,000 youth received over 22 million meals at more than 3,900 sites and after-school programs through the Y's Year-Round Food Program. CHILD HUNGER IS A SERIOUS AND OFTEN UNDER-REPORTED PROBLEM IN OUR COUNTRY. IN FACT, ONE IN SIX CHILDREN IN THE U.S. STRUGGLE WITH FOOD INSECURITY. THIS EPIDEMIC OFTEN HITS HARDEST DURING SUMMER MONTHS WHEN KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL. THAT'S WHY THIS YEAR'S ANNUAL Y-M-C-A HEALTHY KIDS DAY, WHICH PROMOTES HEALTHY HABITS IN KIDS DURING SUMMER, WILL HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS ON NUTRITION. HERE TO SHARE SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS YEAR'S HEALTHY KIDS DAY, IS STACEY MCDANIEL  CHILD NUTRITION ADVOCATE AND ANTI-HUNGER INITIATIVES SPECIALIST FOR THE Y-M-C-A. QUESTIONS: CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE YMCA'S HEALTH KIDS DAY ACTIVITIES? WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE Y'S HEALTHY KIDS DAY? NEW THIS YEAR AT HEALTHY KIDS DAY, MANY Y LOCATIONS WILL BE OFFERING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR KIDS TO PARTAKE IN AN ART CONTEST – CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT? HOW SERIOUS IS THE HUNGER PROBLEM FOR CHILDREN IN THIS COUNTRY? WHAT CAN PEOPLE AT HOME DO IF THEY ARE STRUGGLING WITH CHILD HUNGER OR FOOD INSECURITY? HOW SUCCESSFUL HAVE THE Y's ANTI-HUNGER PROGRAMS BEEN? WHERE CAN WE GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HEALTHY KIDS DAY AND CHILD HUNGER IS NO FAIRY-TALE? Learn more at:  www.YMCA.net/Healthy-Kids-Day Georgia Business Radio Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. Relevant content on current business trends live from the Pro Business Channel studios in Atlanta. In addition to the live broadcast,

Giving Back: Jay Jorgensen, Walmart Opinion, Issues & Entertainment: NOB Our guest today is Jay Jorgensen. Jay Jorgensen is the executive vice president and global chief ethics and compliance officer for Walmart Inc. As the leader of Walmart's Global Ethics and Compliance team, Jay develops the company's strategic vision for our ethics and compliance program. I've known Jay for some time, and know what a great person he is, and I've watched first hand all the good he's doing. Jay Jorgensen discusses his role in helping other retailers, manufacturers, and work places to create safe environments, and to give back to others with his work at the Walmart Foundation. Enjoy.

Dr. Dawkins talks about a new grant from the Walmart Foundation to support the College's accreditation reaffirmation efforts, and the critical work of fundraising to ensure the campus meets a $4 million goal by June 30.

In the coming decades, the success of the US economy will become increasingly tied to the success of Latino Americans. With 58 million Latinos in the US today and projections of population growth in the years to come, Latino workers, consumers, and business owners will shape the present and future of the US economy. How can we secure economic stability and mobility for Latino workers, families, and communities? What policies, practices, or strategies could help to improve job quality, increase skills and access to high-quality jobs, and expand business ownership opportunities? The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) and the Latinos and Society Program (AILAS) invite you to watch “Drivers of Opportunity: How Will Latinos Shape the Future of the American Dream?” This event was presented as part of EOP's Working in America event series and AILAS's Latino Economic Advancement series. The Economic Opportunities Program is grateful to the Ford Foundation, the Prudential Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation for their support of this work. The Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program would like to thank the Ricardo Salinas Foundation, Target, the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation, Comcast/NBCUniversal Telemundo, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Edison International, and Weingart Foundation for making this event and the work of the Latinos and Society Program possible. This event features Jose Corona (Director of Equity and Strategic Partnerships, Office of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf), Marie Mora (Professor of Economics and Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), Maria Rios (President and CEO, Nation Waste, Inc.), Carmen Rojas (CEO, The Workers Lab), and moderator Kimberly Adams (Senior Reporter, Marketplace). This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

Workforce development has moved beyond basic job boards and conventional training and development to digitally immersive experiences facilitated by a growing market of employment technology products. Think LinkedIn, Coursera, and Indeed; then, think bigger. Tools and technologies designed for low-skill workers are also changing the game by providing on-ramps to employment and career advancement for these populations. At the epicenter of this movement is Wal-Mart, which through its foundation has contributed millions to projects designed to get employment technology in the hands of workers who need it most. In this episode, we sit down with Gayatri Agnew, Director of Opportunity at Walmart Foundation to discuss Walmart’s support of these efforts.

Workforce development has moved beyond basic job boards and conventional training and development to digitally immersive experiences facilitated by a growing market of employment technology products. Think LinkedIn, Coursera, and Indeed; then, think bigger. Tools and technologies designed for low-skill workers are also changing the game by providing on-ramps to employment and career advancement for these populations. At the epicenter of this movement is Wal-Mart, which through its foundation has contributed millions to projects designed to get employment technology in the hands of workers who need it most. In this episode, we sit down with Gayatri Agnew, Director of Opportunity at Walmart Foundation to discuss Walmart’s support of these efforts.

Food for Families https://www.parkviewcommunitymission.org/food-for-families Interview Transcript   Hugh Ballou: Greetings to this episode of The Nonprofit Exchange. We have two guests today. They both work in the same charity. It's called Food for Families. I was down there yesterday hearing some stories. There was a lunch gathering for a bunch of charities that work out of the same building. I have been talking to these guys for a while and said that we needed to tell their story because people have a lot of ideas, and putting some traction to ideas is pretty important. I learn from people who have lessons to teach, but I also learn from people who have life lessons to teach through stories. I am going to ask these two gentlemen to introduce themselves, a little bit about their background, and then we will circle around and talk about their foundation. Ray Booth, who are you? Ray Booth: I'm one of the rare breeds. I was born here, and I'll die here. I'll never live anywhere else. Hugh: We are in Lynchburg, Virginia by the way. Ray: It's a great place. Come join us. I felt a calling early in my life to be an engineer, and I was a simple engineer graduate. After I got out of college, I felt called to ministry and considered that quite a bit. I think I'd do best in public service. I spent my whole working life in public service, first with the state government, then 25 years with the city as Director of Public Works. I have impacted this community. Everywhere I drive, I see my impacts and construction all the time. After I retired, I went to work with my construction company. I did more private/public partnerships here in Virginia in many of the cities and counties throughout Virginia. I retired from that, and now I am a consultant and real estate broker and am still trying to impact the community for the better. Hugh: Gordy Harper, tell us who you are. Gordy Harper: I am the director of Food for Families. Previously I was a real estate broker. Before that, a Harley Davidson dealer in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Hugh: We are across the state from the commonwealth. That is four or five hours away the other way. Gordy: Virginia Beach? Hugh: Yeah. Gordy: Four hours, at least. Hugh: It's real flat over there. Gordy: Yes, it is. Hugh: I ran a half-marathon there. Part of the reason I chose it was because it was flat. The other part was because Yuengling served beer at the water stops. Food for Families, this is a nonprofit here. Let me set the context. We live in Lynchburg, Virginia. Lynchburg has one of the largest populations of those that live below the poverty line. I think 24% of the population. Food for Families is sort of geographically located where a lot of that population is. When was Food for Families started, and why was it started? Ray: Many years ago, Food for Families is located in a church that currently is in a poorest area in the city. Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was the heartbeat of the city. The first shopping center was there. This was the in place to be. It grew exponentially and was one of the wealthier cities and churches in the city. As time moved on and the new shopping mall was built in the suburbs and all the retail people in that part of the city left and went to the new mall and the development moved there, this area became more of a transient location. Over time, the poorest people in the city moved into this area. Lynchburg in the early 1900's was one of the six wealthiest cities in the nation. A lot of wealth here, and they built huge homes. We have a lot of beautiful inner city homes. They were turned into apartments in the '50s and ‘60s. Once the people started to come and appreciate the architecture, they bought all of those homes and moved the poor people out. The poor people gathered around the Parkview Community Church. That is now the poorest area west of Richmond in the whole state of Virginia. The church was flourishing. As retail moved out, it started going downhill. They started having a Wednesday night meal every week. Back in 1996, a street person came in, and they fed him. The next week, he brought two of his friends. And more and more of the street people came in. More of the congregation left. They continued to feed the poor, and that number grew and grew. Still to this day, 21 years later, there is still a Wednesday night meal. We feed 125-150 people on Wednesday nights. The church started food boxes in 2007 because they saw all of these poor people on Wednesday night needing food. In 2008, the church was closed, and the food pantry survived another year or two until the guy who ran it died. It was closed for three or four months. Through a grant, we reopened the food pantry in 2011 as a client choice facility, the first one west of Richmond and one of the few- Hugh: Tell us what client choice means. Ray: Client choice means the neighbors come in and get a grocery cart and actually go back through the pantry and pick up the items their family will eat. Pick a produce, meat, dairy, bread, so forth. They only shop like you would shop in a grocery store or anywhere else and pick up the items their family will eat. That was very successful and still is to this day. There has been a number of changes over the years. In 2012, a gentleman who has never been married, very poor, never owned a car died and left $225,000 for the benefit of youth in Lynchburg and to be used by the district superintendent. They developed a partnership with UMFS, which houses foster care and adopting. They agreed to put a regional office there. They used a third of the money to run the space. After they came, the district office moved there. We divided expenses three ways and utilities, and the Lord has continued to bless over the years. It has really taken off, and now we have 13 different nonprofits in the building. Many of those are very complementary to Food for Families and the neighbors, and today we serve 25% of the poor people in Lynchburg with food. That's 3,000 individuals. We have had as much as 80,000 pounds of food going through the facility. Hugh: 80,000 pounds. I have been by there on a Saturday. There is people waiting. Ray, when did you join this organization? Ray: I joined in 2010. Hugh: 2010. This is 2017 when we are making this recording. People may be listening to this in some other year or universe. Gordy, when did you join this organization? Gordy: 2016. Hugh: 2016. Year and a half. Ray is the chairman of the board, and you are? Gordy: The director. Hugh: What other data would you like to share? What I'm hearing is there are people who were doing something that was meaningful and they stayed with it. There is people listening to this who've had an idea and tried it, but haven't really stayed with it long-term. I've also heard because of the value of the people staying with it, you attracted some funding and some other synergies with some other organizations. What other things do you want to share about what you know from the history and what the history is from 2016 going forward? Gordy: As I came in, what we tried to focus on was changing the culture. I would sit in meetings in the city and hear people talking about how they didn't feel respected when they went into those places. A lady said a culture of respect, and that locked into my brain. I went back and we tried to change the culture and help people see our neighbors, our clients who we call neighbors, not clients. Our focus was on changing the culture. A lot of that is in developing relationships because what I was hearing was people needed to help them come from where they are. I just knew from my own life that if you wanted to help me come from where I was, you were going to have to have a relationship with me, to be able to sit with me and share with me and listen and take it to heart. It mattered the things you said to me. The first year I was there, I was trying to build relationships and trying to bring down the walls that people build up around themselves because of where they are. We tried to show the love of Christ to people. Hugh: Russell, they said a couple magic words. Relationships. They said culture. Do you have some comments or questions for these gentlemen? Russell: Culture is more than just a cereal. It's supposed to be good. It's wonderful because what you are talking about, and I have dealt with it a lot, is basic human dignity. Sometimes it's hard for people to reach out for help because they are in a circumstance through no fault of their own, and it's important to treat people with that basic dignity. I commend you for making the effort to do that and connecting with these people that you're serving. I was also excited to hear that you are co-located with a number of different agencies. If you could, talk about some of the things you have been able to do with some of those other folks that are partnered with you to provide a more holistic service to those people you are serving. Gordy: We have a free clinic. We have tried to build relationships actually with all the different partners in the building. But we have a welcome center. Our welcome center is like a resource center, and I have set them up a satellite in our office. We are in the lower level of the building. Everything else is in the upper levels of our building. We have tried to establish ways to draw them down to where the neighbors are. But we have set a lady up in our office that can actually one-on-one with the neighbors. They are actually in the room waiting for hours at times. Some days I am there at 7:30, and there is a 2:00 distribution with people waiting already. We try to capture those morning hours where people are waiting to be able to shop and draw people in that can lead them to resources. The free clinic, we have an establishing relationship. There is a nurse practitioner in there that is going to come down and meet with the neighbors, announce what services are available, and what she has actually talked about is coming to the Wednesday night community meals and establishing relationships by sitting with the neighbors and letting them know what's available. We are trying to get flu shots. There are little things we talk about just from what we hear with the neighbors and try to see what needs they have. We have a relationship with the local bank and a lady that is vice president there who is coming in and teaching personal finance classes, basic computing classes, reading, math skills, different things that will help people be in a better position to get employment. Ray: There is a nutritionist that has been there several years that is teaching cooking classes. While the neighbors are waiting, she is up there showing them how to cook. We also have a counseling service there. This facility started even before everybody else moved in with a facility bin there. We met there for over seven years. As a result of that synergy that came around that facility and those people being there, you have 50-60 people there every day at lunchtime for an AA meeting. As some of those people were able to overcome their addiction, one of them started a telecommunications company that is in the building that provides low-cost Internet and phone within a one-and-a-half-mile radius of the building. Two others actually formed a counseling service using the peer group model that is now extremely successful. They have contracts with all of the local school systems and hospitals, so if a student gets caught with drugs and alcohol, instead of being suspended, they are sent there. They have nine counselors now. They have a lot of people whose lives have turned around as a result of that. The UMFS has foster care and adopting services for the entire region. They have contracts with all the schools as well. We have three churches that meet there. One on Saturday that is in a growth of the AA group. A lot of the people at the church service are across the spectrum. We have doctors, lawyers, all types of people there that through prescription drugs and other things, you read about it so much today, that were cured or came off the addiction that didn't feel comfortable in their own churches or places. They come there with brothers and sisters who shared the same war and are helping each other. After the worship service, they have a meal together. That's every Saturday night. We have a Sunday morning church, and then we have a Sunday afternoon church. They are now getting more involved in the mission. Most recently, we have had one of the larger churches move their church office into the building because they want to be close to the neighbors and be more involved in administering to the poor. We have a number of different things there. We are continuing to try to expand more services as we get there. It's continuing to grow. Hugh: Russell is one of the first people. SynerVision is the synergy of the common vision. I have trademarked that name. We like the word charity because nonprofit is a stupid word. You have to make some profit if you are going to do any good. We like the word charity a little better. It is a tax-exempt social benefit organization or social capital. Lots of ways to describe it. People think of nonprofit as a philosophy, not a tax classification. I don't hear any of that thinking from what I hear today. Russell and I have reinvented the consultant model. I went from being a consultant to an insultant to a resultant. Now we partner with them to help them find the way, so we are WayFinders. We created a whole different paradigm because 98% of the consultants out there give the rest of us a bad name. Maybe they give answers, maybe they don't. It's the stock answer. Our calling is to give people information, free or at a price they can afford, so they can improve their culture, their service, and therefore improve their funding. I wanted to talk about two other pieces here. We teach leaders that you don't push, you influence. I am hearing some of that in your dialogue. You have been steady. You have worked out these collaborations with these other organizations with some synergistic work. I am gathering you were the first one on board and the others have come on board since then. Because of the impact of your work, I want to shift, and a lot of charities do that, but I know since I've heard your stories. There is measurable, profound impact from the work you do. That is part of the position of influence. Your operational guidelines, your high standards of integrity, the value you give people: those are all really strong principles. Those are part of who you attract, both in the collaborations and in the funding side. If that influence piece makes some sense, you talked about improving the culture, redefining the culture. I'm not sure what word you used, but it was working on the culture. I watched you yesterday where you had most of those organizations represented at lunch. It was a lunch to share stories and be together. You were a servant leader there. You were handing out plates and checking on people. I don't know if you were official, but you were an unofficial hospitality person yesterday. It gave me some insights into your leadership, sir. Culture is so important; that's part of the work you do. Leadership is a culture. It's not just a person, it's the culture. What's been your journey of helping them—I like the word transform rather than change—transform their whole idea of culture? Give us a snapshot of what that journey has been like. Gordy: It goes back probably. For this journey, when I was seeing it, people don't really mean some of the things you see sometimes. It's just more the nature of people as a whole unfortunately. I was watching. I would hear certain things and watch certain responses. It just wasn't the outcome I was hoping for. I want more of a warm and comfortable- The way I have tried to sell it is the people we are serving don't really get experiences. If I want to take my kids to Disneyworld or my grandkids, we are going to go. They don't really get to do the same thing. We have tried to help people see that we want to create an experience where you look forward to coming back. I know it's just shopping to some people, but to our neighbors, when you see that they will come, some come at six in the morning. I have had people tell me- We start at eight, so I come around 7:30. There can be 10-15 people waiting. It just makes me understand the value. I know it's free groceries. But they get to come once a month. I would like over that month's gap for them to really look forward to it. We try to take everything, implement everything we can to make it an ice experience. We want to do it like the nice stores do, like Walmart. You want it to be. We need vests to say, “How can I help?” We want it to be clean, well-stocked, and with customer experience. We have to put it in the mindset that an average person would be thinking. When you walk through the grocery stores, what do you see? What is happening around you? Everything is neat and in order. The only difference is that we bring our pallets right through the front door. We set them right in the middle of our produce room and start picking through it to be able to distribute the food. It's harder to keep it clean. We don't have people come in the middle of the night to stock us to be ready for opening tomorrow. We have certain challenges that Walmart has mastered because of finances and the help they were able to bring in. if you think of it as creating a wonderful experience and not just feeding people- Hugh: I love it. It's the visual of people waiting in line for the new iPhone. They are excited. Gordy: It's hard because my family does what everyone else does when they want to do it. We have been very blessed. But I realize these folks don't. Hugh: It's hard to realize that. Russell, we were born into white privilege. It's not a disease, but there is a cure for it. I was in a room yesterday, and I said to Leigh Anne, “It's nice to be in a room where everybody doesn't look like me.” Because if everybody were to look like me, that would be scary. We had a cross-section of Lynchburg in that room. Age demographic, educational background, race, some of us better-looking than others, but not me. The culture thing is something that we work with charities and churches on because we have inherited a culture. We don't realize that people aren't responding to us because we are doing the things the same way. I started a workshop Saturday with church leaders, and I said, “Who knows the seven last words of a church?” Nobody knew. “We have never done it that way before.” I said a lot of us come to meetings with that written on our foreheads. How about stripping it off? Let's start with an open brain. You came in 18 months ago. Ray, what sort of transformation has happened during his tenure so far? Ray: Obviously his approach is very positive and very much like what we were all looking for. Our previous people took it more- In fact, he was a retired military person and was more for giving orders and this is the way we do it type of approach. That doesn't create the same level of respect. You have to have a heart that you want to share and relate to these people rather than treat them as something to go through the door. Gordy has brought the heart into it. As a result of his faith, he has ben able to share that heart and love with the people. That is something I strongly believe in and something I try to do. I grew up very poor, not white privilege. I relate to these people really well. It's all by the grace of God. It could be any of us. It's been wonderful to see Gordy there and the way he has transformed the people there. The other thing that has been such a huge benefit is the tremendous amount of volunteers we have. We have only a couple part-time people. Gordy is part-time. It takes at least 30 volunteers to run a distribution day. We have brought hundreds of volunteers in and hundreds of volunteer hours. If it wasn't for the volunteers, we couldn't survive. It's important for the volunteers to have a good experience as it is for the neighbors. If they don't appreciate and we don't appreciate them and what they do, they wouldn't be coming back. We have a tremendous amount of volunteers repeat on a continuous basis. Also, Wednesday nights, we have numerous groups that cook the food, serve the food, provide music devotions, and relate to the people. That is probably 30 different groups over the years. That creates an experience of love and a relationship that carries forward into the volunteers on Thursday and Saturday and Wednesdays. Hugh: This is what Gordy's brought to the table. We like to teach that culture is a reflection of the leader. We want to criticize other people and take the blame off of ourselves. I want to ask some stories. Russell, what questions are you hearing, and do you want to throw some questions on the table? Russell: What we are talking about is critically important. There is reasons why people want to support you. A nonprofit that is effective creates win-win-win scenarios: wins for the people who are working, wins for the people they serve, and wins for their supporters, whether they are giving time, talent, or treasure. Having the connection with people. When you go into a community, particularly if you look different, there is a bit of a level of suspicion you have to overcome. That has been my experience. People get to know you and see you as genuine. You go in and ask a lot of questions; you don't walk in with a lot of answers. People respond to that, and it's a constant dialogue. How can we make this better? How can we serve you best? What is something that we can do that we're not doing? These are all things to be critical. It's having these conversations. You have hundreds of volunteers. I am seeing people like Travis Smith, who has spread impact locally to 11 cities now. He has been successful at leveraging large numbers of volunteers. The question that I have is: What are you learning as you ask the people who volunteer for you why they keep coming back, why they enjoy serving, what makes them want to work with you? Gordy: That's a tough one to figure out. We do get responses and things from people. I haven't really done a lot of research on it as much as it seems almost a standard amongst, especially the students. I see the students come in, and they start, they don't know where to plug in. Some of them require hours and things like that, community service hours. You can start to see develop within them a heart for service. I think most of the young people nowadays really want to do something. They have something inside them that is stirring to give back. It's interesting because I know one of the local colleges, they get 20 hours they are required to serve in their community. Over and over, I get comments of, “I had to do it up until then. I want to do it now.” It's just something stirs within them to make them come back and want to do it. I think any of us, they will actually step outside of our comfort zone and go into these places and start to invest your time and energy, it's in us. Ray: All of us want to do things and please people. When we serve people, these people appreciate it and show their appreciation verbally, nonverbally, and so forth. Everything you do is appreciated. That warms people's hearts, and they want to continue to be able to help the people. It's all about being able to help and se that immediate impact and the smile on the face. That is what brings them back, and that is why if they get past that first hurdle and get comfortable, at least talk to people, then they can develop a dialogue. Particularly for young people, they don't have the boxes that older people do as it relates to race, culture, etc. They more quickly join in if you will than the older people. They have a harder struggle sometimes getting past that barrier. One of the big things that has been in Lynchburg the last five, six, seven years is Bridges over Poverty. We have gone through lots of training on that. Just a local pastor recently shared with me that he had the white privilege, if you will, to serve in larger churches. He really didn't know how to talk to the poor. He went into one of these Bridges programs and came back and tried some different things. All of a sudden, they responded, and all of a sudden, he comes back every week because he's retired and he sees how he can bring a smile to these people's faces and how they can all of a sudden smile rather than sit there frowning. Hugh: We bought this house recently. I said to the realtor and the mover, “You do this all the time, but we felt like we were your only clients. We move once in a great while. You move somebody every day. You sell a house every day.” These people, it's a unique experience for them. You're doing it all the time. What I am hearing about the culture it is a profound experience for everybody. You have created a win-win for everybody. Parts of white privilege don't have to do with money. Just because we're old white guys, there is a lot of dimensions to that. What I am hearing is you have evened the playing field in that people are people. I'd like to hear a couple of stories that you can share. We have some time here. Is there a story of impact? Either one of you can start. Is there a story that you'd like to share that warms your heart or really made a difference in somebody's life? Gordy: Recently, we had two ladies come in. it was an off-time in our schedule. They were homeless. The way it hit me was it was impactful because of the pieces that came together. We are sitting in the office. We were able to draw the lady from the welcome center. She was in there. We were able to see them get their housing that evening. By establishing the housing, we were able to establish their food. She was able to get them bus passes. All the pieces, we stood in the office, and we talked it all through. All the pieces in a matter of 15 minutes came together. We stood there, we all held hands together, prayed together. We said, “Wouldn't it be something if six months from now, we talked about, Remember when we all gathered here and figured out all the pieces?” In two weeks, they came in and both had jobs. It was powerful for them to come in and share and for us to remember all the different resources aligned at that moment. It's a powerful image of us remembering to draw the resources. You have to keep a pool of everybody together. They wanted me to understand all of our resources there and make sure what's happening and get everybody everything they need and understand that the other partners in our mission are in as well. We have come to find out they are in as well, and they were actually doing some things that I hadn't even realized. The counseling, I sat with one of them and said, “I really want to figure out what we can do together.” They're like, “Did you not realize Steve has been sending people up for a long time?” I'm like, “I did not realize.” Steve is the face you see first when you come into the office. Steve has been directing people to the resources they needed. Ray: There are so many stories that happen all the time. We had a guy come in the office, and we had been getting money from somebody that gave us $100 a month for a long time. We didn't know who it really was. One day, this guy comes through the door and says he didn't have a car or anything. He rode the bus. “One month, I didn't have the money to give you, and I got on the bus. Somebody got on with a bag of groceries, and I said they need it more than me.” He came back and gave us that $100. That guy has since come back numerous times, and he had Gordy go with him to the bank. The bank is sending us a check for $100 every month from his account. He had money when he first came to Lynchburg, and he has donated most of it. He has enough just to live. He really has the heart to help people. You look at him, and he has a long beard, long hair, but he has a heart. You never underestimate people. Don't judge a book by its cover. Hugh: That's a remarkable story. What do you think, Russ? Russell: I think that's great. That's probably typical of the work you're doing there. It's all about people. As you bring people in, they come through the front door, and it's almost like having them slide into your funnel as it were. When I worked for a tribe, people walked through the door. My programs were about jobs and business, but I was familiar with all of the other programs around me within the tribe. When somebody walked into my office, they could start anywhere in that office, and they would be walked around from one end to the other, or across the street to the health clinic. When they walked in, they left with what they needed. Nobody took time to say, “This is not quite my job.” They would take the time. As a program director, we take time to walk people from one office to the other and make sure they are getting what they need before we hand them off. It's a team effort. I looked at it as I worked for the community. I had a boss, I had the tribal chief and the tribal council, but I worked for the community. I am on display with everybody I serve. It is important for them to have satisfaction. It is important for people writing the checks to be satisfied. It is important to have good relations with the community. All of that is important. Everybody has to feel like they are winning here. I commend you for setting up that type of environment. Asking people what they like and why they serve is critical because once you find out what it is they like, you can do more of it. Even if they have to do a certain number of hours, they can do those hours with any nonprofit in Lynchburg, but they choose you. That is because of what you have been doing. That is your work on the culture. Find out a little bit more. I am in the frame of mind you can never ask too many questions to find out what makes people tick and to be there and to be that solution and have that heart of service that people need. As we are coming up on this holiday, this is a great time to remember a lot of these things we are grateful for. Are you going to see some people over the next few days? I know the holiday is coming. There are a lot of meals to be served. What is on the agenda for the rest of this week? And Giving Tuesday is coming up. What is on the agenda? What do folks need to know so they can help support the work you're doing because you serve a lot of people in need there? Hugh: We are recording this prior to Thanksgiving in 2017, to put in context for people listening to the podcast. We are approaching a holiday where a lot of us eat a lot of food and celebrate with family that other people don't have that option. What I have learned is when you are down and out, the society doesn't help you most of the time. You guys are giving a hand up. This is so encouraging. To relay Russ's question, what particular reflection do you have this season of the year? How do you interact with people that is different? Or is it different? Gordy: I don't see it as different. Hugh: A lot of places shut down. It's a trick question. Gordy: I don't understand the question, haha. Hugh: A lot of places shut down, Russell. Oh, it's a holiday. We are going to take time off. A lot of them close today and open again on Monday. Gordy: We have our Wednesday night dinner. It will be a sit-down, serve you at the table. Hugh: Who comes to that? Gordy: Everybody in the community is allowed to come. It's an open-door policy. We don't even know who will be there yet. But the expectation—I reached out today to get more tables and chairs because we are expecting a huge crowd. Hugh: Just to go back to the lineage and history of this that we heard, this was a very active large Methodist church. It dwindled down in membership, and it was no longer viable. The building is owned by the Methodist church. It reverted back to the district office who had to maintain it. Through the wisdom of the district superintendent, they started using it. It had a rebirth. Not just one church worships there, but there are at least three. Plus you have 13 different organizations. The ministry has sorted- It's not all under the umbrella of the church. They are still ministries, I think. Go ahead. Ray: It's a building that originally started in 1857 on that site. It has grown until now, where it is 26,000 square feet. Then it died, and it's now been reborn and rebirthed in even a greater sense. It's how the people use the facilities. What makes this site so unique is that it is in the very heart of the very poorest area. Two blocks away is the Salvation Army and the Center of Hope. Across the street is the public health department. Another block is a recreation center. There are ten Methodist churches within a two-mile radius of this. There is probably another 30 or 40 storefront churches and others around this. We have now partnered with another church, where a bus picks up people in the neighborhood. We give out so much food. We average 30 pounds of food for an individual in the family. A family of four will get over 100 pounds of food. The biggest problem they have is getting it home. They can't get on the bus with that much. They all have to get taxis and share. It is a tremendous undertaking to take 80,000 pounds and distribute it in over two days. This past week leading up to Thanksgiving, we had over 300 families that went through there. Hugh: Say those numbers again. You just slid those in here. How many pounds of food? Ray: 80,000 pounds a month. Hugh: 80,000 pounds of food per month. That other figure. Ray: This past week, we had the most families we've ever had of 320-something families on Thursday and Saturday, just those two days. Hugh: Over 300 families. That's a lot of people. Ray: Over 2,000 individuals. Hugh: Wow. On Saturday? Ray: Thursday and Saturday. Hugh: Thursday and Saturday. That is just one week in this month. The impact of your work is pretty huge. We find that helping charities define their impact in quantifiable terms helps them attract regular, recurring funding. Talk a bit about how you sustain this, how you continue to make sure there is operational money, food in place, and you pay the light bill. How do you attract the funding? How many sources does it come from? I'm sure there is some in-kind, but there is some cash in there, too, isn't there? Ray: We have been tracking the cash. It comes from different areas. We get from churches, we get from organizations, we get a lot from grants. A lot of individual donations. If you donate $10, it will feed a family of four for one month. That is based on the supply of 100 pounds of food. We are able to present it that way. A lot of people respond to that because they want to help. It's individuals, churches, organizations, and grants. Our biggest supporter by far is Walmart. Over that 80,000 pounds of food, a third of that comes from Walmart. We pick up from three Walmarts, a Little Caesars, a Panera Bread every week. Walmart supplies are tremendous. 30-40,000 pounds a month comes from Walmart. They have given us grants. We have had a $55,000 grant to widen the entrance so we can get food in easier. Last week, we got another $55,000 grant from Walmart to buy a refrigerated truck so we can keep the produce fresh longer and pick it up and keep it fresh. They give community service grants as well. The people here are just so supportive of what we do. This community is very supportive. Hugh: We qualify for that by showing the impact of your work. I want to point out to any businesspeople listening to this. You heard three brands mentioned here: Walmart, Panera, and Little Caesars. Those companies support you. You don't have to toot their horn about their brand. It's good for business to do this. This is the Walmart Foundation. It is philanthropic, but you have also had support from local stores, which is another source of funding. What I heard you say is you have individual and company donations. You have in-kind donations, which is the food. You do get grants, so that's three. We teach charities there is eight streams of revenue. We have money, which we call partner money. It comes from a rotary foundation or a church. They have designated funds for particular projects. It's not really a grant or a donation, so it's partnering. They have the funds and aggregate and take a bunch of churches or a groups like a rotary foundation. Each rotary has their own foundation. They can purpose special gifts. For charities to think about partnering with churches, synagogues, and other community organizations that want to give you a little bit of money, and you multiply it by 10 or 20 organizations, then you have some sustainable revenue to help you sustain your work. Are there other sources of revenue? I heard those. Ray: I think you hit most of them there. You just never know when the Lord is going to bring something. Recently, last year, we got a big donation from an individual we have never heard of before, from another city. They just happened to have a family member that heard about it, and the foundation wrote us a check. We had to find out where it came from. You just never know how the Lord is going to provide and how the money is going to come. You never know. Hugh: Russell, we are on the final wrap here. We are going to run over time. Any closing comments from you or a parting question? Russell: I'd like to thank you for the fine work that you're doing down there. You have some marvelous opportunities to leverage all the work you're doing. I could say the same thing about the business. Find out what it is they like that makes them support you so you can just keep doing more of that and bring in more people through the door and keep talking to people. Those relationships are important. Keep working on culture because that is where it starts. This is what draws all of these gifts. When you have the right culture, you create the type of energy field, and the synergy to bring all this stuff about. Keep up what you're doing. Blessings to you. Enjoy the holiday. I don't know if you planned anything special for Giving Tuesday, but that is an opportunity to reach out and talk to people. Go on your Facebook feed and talk about the work you're doing. Remind people that Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to support you. Hugh: I want you to think about a parting comment. There are people out there struggling who have not been able to get traction. What encouragement would you give them if they are thinking about starting or they have tried to start and haven't got traction? As we are signing off here, which one of you wants to give a challenge, tip, or thought for somebody who wants to up their game? Ray: Never give up. Just keep trying. Gordy: Love the people you are doing it for. Hugh: Love the people you are doing it for. And I heard with. You do all of that. I watched you in action. You can't hide. Thank you so much for sharing. Russell, we are three guys having coffee in my kitchen. This is a kickback. Russell: I am having coffee with you guys. It's great. I noticed that I am drinking more coffee than you guys. Hugh: We don't subscribe to whether it's half full or half empty because we think it's all refillable. Russell: It is. Hugh: Blessings to everyone. Thank you for great stories on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a follow up to Ep. 10 with Ellen Davis at the National Retail Federation, Bill talks with Walmart’s Julie Gehrki about training its 2.3 million associates, upward mobility within the company, and how customer behavior impact job roles. Julie Gehrki is Senior Director of Business Integration at the Walmart Foundation and sat down with Bill during a visit to Walmart’s Bentonville, Arkansas headquarters.

Christopher Buchanan is Director of Public Affairs and State and Local Government Relations currently responsible for state and local government and community relations for the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut on behalf of Walmart and SAM'S CLUBS. In addition, Chris manages media relations and is Chairman of the company's Foundation Philanthropic State Giving Councils. Buchanan holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the American University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Providence College. Born and raised in Boston, Chris currently resides in Plymouth.

We hear the term everywhere, but it means different things to different people. In this episode, we break down how diverse groups, from corporations to conservationists, are working toward the same goal. And how you can make a positive impact, too. Hear from leaders in sustainability including Carter Roberts (World Wildlife Fund), Kenneth Sullivan (Smithfield Foods), Matt Knott (Feeding America), and Kathleen McLaughlin (Chief Sustainability Officer for Walmart).  

This episode was recorded at the NAWB Forum 2016 and features an interview with Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation. Discover the various ways that Walmart is investing in developing the workforce of the future and how they are supporting the workforce system overall. 

Six of the Nation’s Largest Food Companies & the Walmart Foundation to Generate 28 Million Meals & $3 Million in Donations to American Food Banks Celebrity Chef G. Garvin is ready to explain why the FIGHT HUNGER, SPARK CHANGE Campaign is being launched at a critical time for many Americans.  Food banks are facing a growing need for donations due to historically high food prices and drought conditions threatening to drive up the prices of fresh produce and meat. In fact, Feeding America recently released its Hunger in America 2014 report showing that in a single year one in seven Americans, including 12 million children, turn to the Feeding America network for food assistance. To help meet this need, the Walmart Foundation is teaming up with six of the nation’s largest food companies – including General Mills, Unilever, Hormel, ConAgra Foods, PepsiCo/Quaker and Kellogg Company – to distribute $3 million to food banks and local partner agencies across the country.  On Sept. 25, join Chef ‘G’ in the kitchen as he explains the importance of making sure that families have access to nutritious meals. For more information, visit: www.walmart.com/fighthunger. Hosted by Min. Jonathan Simmons and guest co host Chef Sara Ray of A Culinary Life  

Classroom 2.0 LIVE webinar, January 11, 2014 presented by Carolyn Jacobs, Senior Manager for Training and Professional Development at WGBH - PBS station. Carolyn shared a special grant collection on PBS Learning Media called Inspiring Middle School Literacy. Enhance the literacy skills of middle school students with this collection of online lessons for blended learning.These online self-paced lessons for blended learning, funded by the Walmart Foundation, are designed to enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers in grades 5-8. Each uses videos, interactive activities, note taking, reading, and writing to present students with an engaging science, social studies, mathematics, or English language arts topic. Each lesson addresses a range of literacy strategies, which are listed in the accompanying teacher's guide. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/midlit/

Classroom 2.0 LIVE webinar, January 11, 2014 presented by Carolyn Jacobs, Senior Manager for Training and Professional Development at WGBH - PBS station. Carolyn shared a special grant collection on PBS Learning Media called Inspiring Middle School Literacy. Enhance the literacy skills of middle school students with this collection of online lessons for blended learning.These online self-paced lessons for blended learning, funded by the Walmart Foundation, are designed to enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers in grades 5--8. Each uses videos, interactive activities, note taking, reading, and writing to present students with an engaging science, social studies, mathematics, or English language arts topic. Each lesson addresses a range of literacy strategies, which are listed in the accompanying teacher's guide. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/midlit/

Did you know that more women die from breast cancer in the city of Portsmouth than any other city in Hampton Roads? The overwhelming number of fatalities from this curable disease are African American women. Why Portsmouth? How can women in that city and all over Hampton Roads take control of their health and their lives? On the next Another View we'll talk about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer with Community Health Advisor and breast cancer survivor Fredda Bryan; breast cancer survivor Elaine Gishard; Community Health Advisor Manager Carol VanCamp, and Leon Thomas, who will speak about supporting a loved one with breast cancer. Find out about the special partnership between the American Cancer Society, the Walmart Foundation and the city of Portsmouth to beat breast cancer. Plus Lisa Godley takes us behind the scenes of the opera Aida! It's all on Another View, Friday, September 30 at noon on 89.5 WHRV-FM, or whrv.org.