Hope. Sometimes it seems elusive, but it’s critical for pastors, leaders, and learners. And that’s the calling for Richard Parrish. He helps leaders who are weary in body and soul, offering spiritual resources with a health dose of encouragement, refreshments … and hope. Richard speaks from experience, having weathered all those challenges himself. He’s a listener and encourager, working locally and globally. He has been to Belarus, Georgia, Armenia and Uzbekistan working with leaders and on projects including refugee assistance, providing wells and water filter systems, and writing curricula to train and prepare leaders. He has found a unique niche to make this world a better place. Click here to learn more about Richard Parrish Ministries: https://www.richardparrish.com/ Original air date: April 18, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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At age 6, Zach Vogel’s identity was rooted in baseball. He was already praying that God would make him a major league ball player. Then four years later when he collapsed for the second time during a game, he was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome, a heart signaling disorder characterized by arrhythmia that caused him to pass out. It was more serious than that, though. It meant he had an increased risk of sudden death. At 10, it appeared Zach’s dreams were over before they began. What followed were years of depression. Hear about his amazing recovery, and how it makes him the perfect person to head Identity Sports, a nonprofit that provides events like Tales from the Tour and Tales from the Dugout as a platform for athletes to share their faith. Click here to learn more about Identity Sports: https://www.identitysports.com/ Original air date: April 11, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a whole new attack on society, one that most of us don’t have an idea of how to handle: security, identity theft, and fraud. Alan Saquella has made it his life’s work to help others protect themselves and fight against the danger of online crime. He is committed to shaping the next generation of security, intelligence, and fraud examiners, both professionally and as a mentor. In a day where dangers – real or imagined – can be delivered via your computer and phone, Alan’s background in both law enforcement and cybercrime helps him mentor students interested in careers focused on protecting people, property, and information. Original air date: April 4, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rick Morro went to Tanzania in 2012, and amidst the breathtaking beauty found heartbreaking ugliness in the plight of the Maasai people, and especially of the girls. Some were orphaned, others were abused, or runaways from forced marriages to much older men. Many were subjected to a tribal custom of genital mutilation that has been outlawed, but is still practiced by the Maasai. Most were suffering from lack of education and healthcare. Rick was so struck by the suffering that he came home, sold his possessions and moved to Tanzania. He formed the Maasai Girls Rescue Center, and when they outgrew that, they purchased land to build an ecoVillage to feed, house, and educate the girls, teach them marketable skills, and raise funds to support the effort through ecotourism. The result is a entrepreneurial village-level alternative to failed African aid, the more traditional approach of generous people providing billions in aid – that ultimately creates negative unintended consequences. Click here to learn more about the Maasai Girls Rescue Center: https://maasairescue.org/ Original air date: March 28, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Heckerman has a passion for inclusion and the community. She got a degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation. When she started working with Special Olympics Arizona in 2010, she found her life calling. Today, as president and CEO of the organization, she heads efforts to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them opportunities to not only develop physical fitness skills, but to demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. The first Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) competition in 1975 consisted of a one-day track & field event with 100 athletes and 20 volunteers. Today, that has grown to 21 sports, 675 regional competitions, and four statewide competitions for 21,461 athletes and a remarkable 24,743 day-of volunteers annually. Click here to learn more about Special Olympics Arizona: https://specialolympicsarizona.org/ Original air date: March 21, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sgt. Brian Bower is a true Phoenician – a native who graduated from Washington High School and came back to town after a stint in the military. With a passion for service, he signed on with the Phoenix Police Department. His current assignment is as Silent Witness Coordinator. Since 1979, Silent Witness has paired with media and law enforcement to solve and prevent crimes. In that time, more than $5.5 million in rewards have been paid out, more than 8,000 felony arrests have been made, and nearly13,000 felony crimes have been solved. Cash rewards are given for tips leading to arrest, and the tip process guarantees anonymity for the tipsters, to allay any fear of retribution from wrongdoers. Although Silent Witness works in partnership with the Phoenix Police Department, it is a separate, community-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All of the rewards monies are raised entirely through private donations and grants – rewards are not funded out of the city budget or tax dollars. Be part of the solution. Click here to learn more about Silent Witness: https://silentwitness.org Original air date: March 14, 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angie Simon had a passion to change the world and prayed for God to use her in His Kingdom. In 2006, she went on a life-changing trip to Peru with Hope 4 Kids, a nonprofit formed by visionary Tom Eggum in 1973. Today she is still with the organization, serving as the vice president of international development. Hope 4 Kids International (H4KI) oversees the Water 4 Kids program, which has drilled more than 1,051 wells throughout Uganda, Kenya, India, the Philippines, Liberia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Romania and Namibia. For 50 years, they have been committed to serving children living in impoverished environments around the world by establishing economic, spiritual, water, orphan, and feeding programs. Their vision is healing and empowering destitute communities with hope and necessary care to raise a new generation of healthy individuals who can break the generational cycle of poverty. They exemplify the spirit of Jesus to show that all children are worthy of a prosperous life and bright future. Click here to learn more about Hope 4 Kids: https://www.hope4kidsinternational.org/ Original air date: March 7, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask sportscaster Gary Bender what were the first games he announced, and he might say they were during his countless hours driving a tractor on the family’s farm outside of Ulysses, Kansas. He made up baseball games in Yankee Stadium, and football games in the Orange Bowl or maybe the Los Angeles Coliseum. He’d even sing the national anthem, and do the commercials. Ultimately, those imaged games became reality, as he announced some of the most memorable competitions in sports history, from a young Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot as a freshman, to Roger Staubach’s Hail Mary pass when the Cowboys beat the Vikings, and the alley-oop “Shot Heard Around the World” when North Carolina State upset Houston at the buzzer. Gary broadcast 29 different sports in his 40-year career, and during that time inspired countless people to reach for their dreams with class and determination. Original air date: February 29, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people who are caregivers are not necessarily there by choice. At least not in the sense of choosing it as a profession – rather, choosing it through love for a family member with health issues. Dr. Nelly Clotter-Woods leads the Arizona Caregiver Coalition, whose sole purpose is to support caregivers and their families. Their website offers a wealth of material that not only talks about the coalition and what they do, but consolidates valuable information from other organizations and government agencies on caregiver respite, support groups, training classes, emergency respite, and even information for caregiver youth. They also take an active role in advocacy and building new partnerships to help the caregiving community, including those who do it as a profession. Click here to learn more about the Arizona Caregiver Coalition: https://azcaregiver.org/ Original air date: February 22, 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kent Chase was flying high – literally. Jetting around the world as a pro golfer, he stayed at five-star resorts, met celebrities and presidents of countries he visited, and traveled with body guards. Also considered one of the best junior golf teachers in the world, he was featured on the cover of magazines. He had a wonderful family life. But then his wife developed breast cancer, and lost her life after an excruciating seven-year battle. Kent dealt with the pain by drinking himself into a ruinous state. When he was caught driving under the influence, his family insisted he get help, which he found through the Teen Challenge recovery program. And he found Jesus. Kent is back on his game now. During his dark period, he discovered a remarkable parallel between the game of golf and the game of life, and how faith can make a difference in both. Click here to learn more about Kent Chase: www.creatingyoungmasters.com Original air date: February 15, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner for 30 years, Tara Sundem was a frontline worker in the growing opiate epidemic, caring for the newborns suffering through opiate withdrawal.  Her passion to transform the healthcare experience for them and their families led her to found Hushabye Nursery, a nonprofit dedicated to caring for opiate-exposed newborns in their first weeks of life. The 12-bed inpatient nursery opened its doors and its arms to these babies and their mothers in November 2020. Hushabye Nursery has grown from an idea to “save the babies” in 2016, to a unique model of care for this underserved population that focuses on the family unit, both prenatal and postnatal. The nursery has 12 rooms for inpatient detox customized for infants born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), where their family members can stay, and provides intensive outpatient services for all family members as part of Hushabye’s continuous care. Click here to learn more about Hushabye Nursery: https://www.hushabyenursery.org/ Original air date: February 8, 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Albert Celoza is a teacher and a lifelong learner. It's been his profession for many years, and now as executive director of the Arizona Interfaith Movement, he gets the opportunity to help individuals and groups learn more about the other faiths in our community. The organization's vision is a world of harmony, good will and peace among persons of all faiths, where the Golden Rule is a universal way of life. The goal is not for the different groups to compete in an effort to convert others, but to learn more about other faith traditions and what they share in common. That vision is beginning to come true. Arizona became the first official Golden Rule state in the U.S. in 2003. Albert encourages anyone interested in this vision to go to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department and get a license plate that says "Live the Golden Rule." And - one step at a time - it may happen. Click here to learn more about the Arizona Interfaith Movement: https://interfaithmovement.com/  Original air date: February 1, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendon Zastrow had a successful 21-year career in aerospace and engineering, when he made a dramatic career change into a more people-oriented arena. Today, Brendon is devoted to helping men, couples, kids, and coaching sports in his role on staff both at Dream City Church and the Phoenix Dream Center that helps victims of human trafficking, those in rehab, provide affordable housing for those in transition, and distributes food and clothing. In the midst of all this, he lost his beautiful 12-year-old daughter Zailey to a rare form of leukemia. Yet he still serves, and he still finds joy. Your talents and skills can be applied in many different ways, and you’ll want to see how Brendon is using his life to the greatest good. Click here to learn more about the Phoenix Dream Center:  https://phoenixdreamcenter.org/ and Where Hope Lives: https://wherehopelives.org/  Original air date: January 25, 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Glenn Jordan went into his shop early the morning of August 26, 2021 at the All-American Eyeglass Repair to work on some orders. He was on the phone at 9:23 a.m. when the building was rocked by a natural gas explosion. Glenn survived thanks to fast work from first responders, but it would take the next 40 days at the Arizona Burn Center with second- and third-degree burns on 40 percent of his body, followed by 10 days of rehab. It’s been a long and painful recovery, but Glenn and his family were helped by the Arizona Burn Foundation, a nonprofit that provides burn survivors with crisis care - lodging and transportation assistance, emotional support, food vouchers and emergency financial assistance – recovery care, and learning to thrive through providing social gatherings, camps, retreats and peer-to-peer support groups. As Glenn’s condition improved, he immediately wanted to help others. He started by volunteering at Camp Courage, a camp for children who are burn survivors. Always a physical guy, Glenn – who had done a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim hike of the Grand Canyon a few years before the explosion – worked back up to doing 1,000 pull-ups a month in physical therapy and at the gym. Then he had an idea for a fundraiser for the Arizona Burn Foundation that had helped him so much – completing 2,000 pull-ups in a seemingly impossible 12 hours. The result? He went over his goal, raising $40,000 for the Foundation Click here learn more about the Arizona Burn Foundation: https://azburn.org/  Original air date: January 18, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Joyce Buekers is a fourth-generation harpist. Her grandmother was the first woman in the Los Angeles Philharmonic and played with Walt Disney Studios for over 40 years, including the harp in the ground-breaking film Fantasia. While Joyce continued the family legacy, she also got an undergraduate degree in math, with minors in systems engineering and music. She followed that with an MBA in systems engineering, but after a successful 15-year marketing career with IBM she was involved in a life-threatening accident that led to earning a master’s in divinity and a career change. Her true calling is founding the Therapeutic Harp Foundation, designed to enhance the quality of life for patients, their families, special needs individuals, PTSD vets, neonatal intensive care babies withdrawing from opioids and terminally ill hospice patients while they transition. Over the years the nonprofit has served more than 30 healthcare educational institutions, and more than 300,000 patients, staff and volunteers. Click here learn more about the Therapeutic Harp Foundation: https://therapeuticharps.org/  Original air date: January 11, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The American Red Cross just celebrated the 100th anniversary of alleviating human suffering through disaster relief ranging from home fires to devastating floods, earthquakes and wildfires. The organization also supports the hurting through blood donations, first-aid training, service to military families and more. Melody Birkett first experienced the power of Red Cross volunteers as a reporter for Phoenix radio stations when she saw them respond to disasters throughout the state. Today, as Regional Communications Director for the Arizona-New Mexico Region, she is helping to tell the stories of the organization, its dedicated volunteers and the people it helps. Click here to learn more about the American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/local/az-nm.html  Original air date: January 4, 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Ellis has discovered that while we often put our military veterans on pedestals, we overlook the fact that many are struggling. His dad, a World War II vet and Pearl Harbor survivor, was in a wheelchair by the time Charlie was a teenager, and he witnessed first-hand the challenges his father faced. In 2014 Charlie was part of a team to rebuild a home for an elderly woman, and by the time it was done he knew his calling was to serve veterans in whatever way needed, and Operation Enduring Gratitude was born. A lifetime in construction has gifted him with the skills to lead volunteers in projects ranging from building wheelchair ramps to total reconstructions. Click here to learn more about Operation Enduring Gratitude:  https://operationenduringgratitude.org/  Original air date: December 28, 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s been called one of the best athletes to ever play the game of football. But J.D. Hill’s greatest accomplishments were still before him. J.D. excelled not just in football, but also lettered in baseball and track in college, an NCAA record that still stands today. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and also played for the Detroit Lions. But after his pro career came years of personal struggle and addiction to crack cocaine that led to loss of his three sons and wife of 20 years. That could have been the tragic end of his story. But it wasn’t. He found his way back to faith, restored relationships and a purpose for living in helping change and save the lives of others. Today he shares his story of redemption and how God helped change his life from a mess into a ministry. J.D.'s ministry is Catch the Vision, and you're invited to check out his book, Go Long - With a Little Help from my Friends: The Story of JD Hill. Original air date: December 21, 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His drug use and 35 years of alcoholism had caught up with Jim Morrissey. When he was arrested for DUI for the seventh time, instead of facing a few months in jail, he was looking at seven years in prison. Then one day he opened Pastor Greg Laurie’s “New Believer’s Bible,” and his life would never be the same. Today he has personally placed 2,198 copies of that Bible into people’s hands; and has sent another 4,000 to various churches and rehab centers. He started a nonprofit, Direction, Instruction, and Guidance (D.I.G.) Ministries, to help both youth, and those seeking help from drug and alcohol addiction. Click here to learn more about D.I.G. Ministries: https://justdigitusa.com/ Original air date: December 14, 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.