Furniture Bank of COH Transforms 10,000 Acts of Kindness | with Steve Votaw

10/27/20 • 38 min

Steve Votaw from Furniture Bank of Central Ohio discussed the depth in their mission to “turn empty houses into homes of hope”. A phrase of “empty houses” referring to the barren conditions of a household pushing through poverty. A lack of material resources, such as furniture and appliances, can eat away at the warmth of a home. Furniture Bank of Central Ohio noticed the resources are available, yet oftentimes wasted by fortunate families wishing to trash items. At the core, the initiative is redirecting items from becoming waste to finding renewed purpose in a new home.Each tale has its own twist. Origins for this initiative start with being a nonprofit. Steve talked through how the service and businesses model was not sustainable solely through philanthropic giving. The team decided to bring social enterprise into their nonprofit. In fact, there was urgency for a pivot. A partner who regularly gave the initiative $1 million could no longer support at that capacity. With no time to spare, the team was pivoting and experimenting with their external and internal operations.Ultimately, the shifts led toward two main approaches. The initiative now earns funds through owning thrift stores and operating a downsizing company. Funds can be secured by sales and received for the value of service. Conveniently, furniture can be gained through both options, which adds to the furniture the initiative supplies to families.Steve indulged in finding a good rhythm and the topic alludes to the compound of effort. While discussing the journey of their first thrift store, he expressed the growth from $40,000 in surplus the first year to $250,000 surplus the second year. The thrift store was more for maintaining operations, so any surplus was a gift. Discovering a fitting business model did more than expected.“It takes away the pressure on philanthropy because if we can raise our own resources through these efforts, it reduces our dependence on philanthropic support.”--Steve VotawFocusing more on numbers and impact, Steve explained the evolution of impact within Furniture Bank of Central Ohio. He first observed the growing need created by poverty being amplified by the disproportionately smaller presence of government assistance. Impact driven by the initiative comes from earning funds, volunteers, donations, and adjustments to the business model personalized for the mission. Steve broke down a few numbers to the core operations making everything function.In the near future, the initiative will be tested again by another residual issue of the pandemic. Steve expressed his thoughts on what role evictions will play in the initiative’s operations moving forward. Recognizing a shift reminds the team that the work is not over. Sharing a personal story, Steve recalled a “moving” moment he witnessed as one family was being helped. The moment is proof of simple things holding tremendous meaning. Steve summed up the experience saying that even the smallest moment “helps make a house, a home”.If you would like to learn more, check out Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or the official website.

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Lasheyl Stroud Maintains Deep Rooted Advocacy While Serving Within the Social Justice Ecosystem

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Trigger Warning: Content in this episode involves conversations on human trafficking and trauma-based family dynamics.Lasheyl Stroud brought her expertise and authentic understating to share the work being done in and around the juvenile court system. At the time of recording, Lasheyl is growing past her role as Lead Magistrate, and running for judge of the Franklin County Court. She prepped the discussion by first explaining the difference between a judge and a magistrate. Lasheyl handled cases in Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, which typically involve family-based issues. She also handled cases in Empowerment Court, where cases relate to human trafficking.Going across the state, and working with a sense of urgency, Lasheyl participated in every part of the court. The urgency comes not from a lack of time, but is sustained by clarity and passion. In her experience, she represented parents and children. From full time commitments at the Attorney General’s Office to volunteering as a Guardian Ad Litem, her focus on social justice impact exposed her to a wide range of experiences. Her passion and focus come from a profound sense of care, which explains the actions she upholds when children, children she considers as if they’re her own, are involved directly in court cases.Moving to a topic the public is less educated on, Lasheyl described the system of human trafficking from the perspective of her role in court. Unlike movies, human trafficking often begins with familiar figures in an individual’s life. Family and romantic partners are predators more often than people imagine. She revealed the name “Empowerment Court” is meant as a message to empower the victims within the court cases.Youth are showered in a love that is pure and genuine for the duration of the transition through court. Court staff, child services, and related stakeholders tend to be the first healthier examples of adults for some youth in court. Lasheyl unpacks the careful and attentive approach used to build true relationships with the youth. Lasheyl also dives into the delicate details of family dynamics. For example, removing youth from environments where the a parent is allowing the child to be trafficked by a significant other.If urged to add to the love being given to the youth, Lasheyl shared that people can donate gift cards, clothing, or other forms of service. As a step further, she also mentioned training conferences and mentoring programs can help people become more educated towards the social issue.Our discussion changed direction towards juvenile delinquency. Based on Lasheyl’s explanation, the harshest issue becomes the lingering consequence felt by youth after being engaged in the court system. Court personnel and volunteers aim to resolve this issue, with one hopeful option being restorative justice circles.In closing, Lasheyl took a deep dive into her journey through the social justice sphere that led to running for judge during COVID-19. (So, go out and vote, and vote all the way down your ticket!)If you would like to learn more, you can visit Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or the official website.

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Cova Cowork Proves Working Together is One of the Greatest Resources for Social Enterprise | with Josh Boone

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Josh Boone of Cova Cowork shared his experience building support around social enterprises. Cova is a workspace providing tools and resources for entrepreneurship. While working as a freelance lawyer, Josh went on a global trip with a group of 50 others. He started an entrepreneurship mastermind with people who were interested. Oddly, a trend of social good came from out of the mastermind.Those first steps gained momentum, and eventually became the coworking space. Despite how smooth the transition may appear, Josh was candid about the learning process. One of the first lessons he gained was about execution. While reflecting, Josh said:“A lot of people have really great ideas and they can have a lot of energy in the beginning; and even getting down a business model, getting a few, few dollars of funding. But when it comes to taking that idea and making it real, it's hard.”-- Josh BooneOnce a space was secured, the real test of execution began. A factor many social enterprises have trouble with is their business model. Securing funding, operations, and logistics can take a toll in the ongoing process of refining. Josh shared what the process looked like for Cova. He mentioned a very intentional feature included with the workspace. Cova has childcare available on-site. This feature is geared towards parents that typically work from home. Josh explained the extra weight of commute time, parental managing, and expenses parents bare while trying to figure everything out. Cova relieves a lot of what could become anxiety, by addressing those concerns through the on-site childcare.Another program at Cova is their Changemakers program where space and resources are provided to help aid development. In the words of Josh, the program is “a long term incubator for businesses who have some traction, but basically needs space and resources to grow.” Most social enterprises in the program have a few paying customers and a tangible product, but Josh encourages all levels to engage with the space. For example, one of the social enterprises at Cova started without any customers. That social enterprise was deep into a research phase for building a program around helping kids deal with therapy. Josh praised the development of the idea related to behavioral therapy in two years of witnessing the project.Cova symbolizes a support system in more ways than one. From the business support to colleague support, the workspace creates an atmosphere of community. We discussed how tiresome ventures can be for solo entrepreneurs, and understanding the encouragement of interactions play into growing entrepreneurship.Speaking of support, Josh returned to the lesson of execution when asked for his advice to budding social entrepreneurs. Execution is not simply following through. Execution goes along with collaboration, and not doing everything by yourself. While giving compliments to amazing partnerships he values, including his wife, Josh explained having support means you see multiple scenarios and can make better decisions.If you would like to learn more, you can visit Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or the official website.