Small & Gutsy

Dr. Charity Dean, the public health leader who helped guide the strategic response to Covid-19 in California and elsewhere, shared her incredible personal story of being very poor, born on the side of the tracks in rural Oregon where the kids are never encouraged to seek college or any higher educational degree; in fact, Dr. Dean shared that she should have grown up to pump gas at the local station; she was regularly discouraged from seeking her dream of being a doctor and many doors were slammed in her face repeatedly. So, what drove her to succeed? She shares that there are at least two versions of everyone’s story, and both are 100% true. The first version is that she could have stayed in her small community, pumped gas with her friends and simmer with anger at the injustice in being born poor and in her situation where others had no expectations that she would succeed or that she should even try; then, there’s version number 2, being the hero of her circumstances became the guiding principle of that story - meaning her being born into poverty taught her to scavenger and scramble for everything including opportunities that looked out-of-reach including flunking out of college and still being determined to go back and finish. Every block and barrier became an opportunity for determination. Dr. Charity Dean wanted to belong, but belong as defined by her version of her story, not someone else’s. Belonging is an essential desire for most of us and certainly for young folks who are trying to find their way. Growing up in dysfunctional families, as many of us have, can sometimes push us into trying to belong to a group that may not be the best for our development, particularly for our character - but survival trumps good judgment at a young, vulnerable age and survival include needing, not wanting, but needing to belong somewhere. especially when you feel you don’t belong even in your own family. I shared these insights from Dr. Charity Dean, because my guest today experienced some of what she spoke about and had the determination to choose a path that moved him away from his past and encouraged him to believe in himself. Because of that, he is now in a position to help others who have experienced their own isolation or lack of acceptance. Do Something Cool is a Foundation, founded by Bryan Hawkins and his sister, Sarah Kawada, dedicated to supporting youth in reaching their full potential and they do this through the belief that sport, culture, and community are powerful tools for change.Their Vision is to help youth learn and develop skills that lead to social, emotional, academic, and physical well-being.Through their grant partnerships and initiatives and soon directly through their own programming, they aim to help young people to lead lives that are good for others as well as themselves. They want to inspire young individuals to accomplish audacious endeavors that will inform and inspire the rest of us. I need to say a few things about how Do Something Cool defines the word, “cool” - their interpretation of cool challenges the conventional label that you and I might have aspired to as a younger person or perhaps even as adults - it transcends a single definition and rather than being seen as hip or trendy - Do Something Cool defines cool as an ever-changing emblem of authentic individuality and collective action - could be play something cool, create something cool, learn something cool...I love this definition, because rather than cool meaning set apart to ‘show-off’ or self-subscribed, being better than others - it is actually, the ambition to lead, venturing into new territories while building self-confidence. Cool is the bravery to try something new, despite the fear that is often connected to the unknown - the courage to explore new paths and embrace challenges; cool is the willingness to embrace new experiences fearlessly and the boldness to push boundaries. Cool is the commitment to a greater cause, a community, a giving-back, and the humble gesture of supporting someone else’s climb towards overcoming adversity. The way I define cool is simply, Bryan Hawkins and Sarah Kawda. Do Something Cool, in my mind, is more like a movement; if we all subscribed to this concept of advancing our community by elevating its people in this way, just think of what a world we might have... To learn more: www.dosomethingcool.org

When the typical person thinks of Hollywood, they think of fame & fortune, the whirlwind of celebrities, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the celebrity hand and foot cement impressions, Groman’s Chinese theatre, The Hollywood sign, and many more iconic symbols of glamor, representing the rich and famous...there is another part of Hollywood though, the real people who live there, and some of those real people are disadvantaged and marginalized, and don’t often have the opportunity to reach their potential. If they are given that opportunity to fulfill their goals by living up to their potential, they will become contributing members of their community; this community that cares about sustaining their people’s future. One of the ways to do that is to focus on youth, ages 6-17, and to instill the belief that they can do anything. Whatever it takes to build great futures is the mantra of one very special organization that is also quite iconic.

Since 1937, the Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood has provided a safe haven for children to discover, learn, lead, and succeed. It was known then as the Boys Club of America, designed to give boys and young men a ‘fighting chance’ to be successful. There is a tremendous amount of history that leads up to 1987, at which point the name was changed to include girls as it was recognized that girls needed that same fighting chance as their male counterparts.

The Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood’s mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring adults.

The Boys & Girls Club fills the gap between school and home. With so many distractions that can have negative impacts on our youth, this is one organization that gets it right; they inspire their young participants through education and empowerment.

Contributing to quality education allows for learning and leadership opportunities; there are numerous programs that enhance the lives of the many young members: Girls empowerment, coding, the READS program which stands for Reading Excellence Always Delivers Success, anti-bullying program, the UCLA music program, the Tietjen scholarship program, Great Futures, and I am sure our guest today will fill us in on all of the activities that take place at the Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood.

https://www.bgchollywood.com

Let’s take a moment and define community, particularly in today’s very divided and extraordinary divisive environment where community and, in many cases, democracy is misunderstood and missused. Community in its simplest form is often defined as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals; upon further elaboration, it can include a joint ownership or liability - not sure I like liability part, but I get the nuance behind it, which I think is best articulated by Maya Angelou who beautifully wrote: “If it is true that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, isn’t it also true that a society is as healthy as its sickest citizen and only as wealthy as its most deprived?” Taking this a bit further...

Democracy is defined as a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives including the practice or principles of social equality.

This podcast is not a civics lesson although I think many of us could benefit from understanding the benefits and shared responsibilities of living in an equitable, not equal, but equitable society where we are actively participating in maintaining the health of our society as a whole, meaning all of its people...

One individual saw the need to build this in Los Angeles and my hope is that it spreads everywhere if it hasn’t already.

A former litigator, with a PhD in Policy from USC, my Alma Mater, with a long history in philanthropic efforts and leadership, Dr. Denise McCain responded to a 2012 request from the Los Angeles City Library for a homeless youth resource guide, Dr. McCain developed and published a comprehensive, citywide Directory of Services for Homeless Youth, known at that time as: Our Children LA.

This effort was SO successful that expansion was both sought after and necessary, evolving into the nonprofit, Our Community LA, Or OCLA, with the tagline: Technology, Empowerment, Connections, Hope and their mission is to leverage technology that connects youth, families, and adults experiencing homeless or in need to easily connect to essential resources that can help them make positive changes in their lives; They are doing just that with the WIN APP - WHAT I NEED - easy to remember and easy to use; OCLA’s long-term commitment is to social justice by envisioning a world in which no one will be hungry, unhoused or in need of important supportive service, enabling individuals to build a life out of poverty, abuse or neglect.

For more information, check out their website:

https://oclawin.org/

Being the mother of 5 children, my 5th one, adopted later in his life and mine, the thought of losing any one of them, is unimaginable. This episode is about the unimaginable - a mother, a family, who lost a beautiful, funny, feisty, smart, caring, courageous 7-year-old to cancer. As many of you know, I have had my personal battle with cancer and currently, my younger brother is facing his - unless you have been through your own, it is hard to imagine the havoc that chemotherapy, radiation, and medications wreak on your body, not to mention your spirit when you are feeling sick and definitely not looking like anything familiar to your pre-cancer self - As a grown-up, there are certain expectations of how I should be weathering my cancer journey - after all, I have lived a life, even if I am not ready to say good-bye, but a child - that is an entirely different story; one in which they are just beginning their life’s journey, only to be shortchanged or at best, sidetracked for a period-of-time where we bear witness to their suffering through various cancer treatments - it doesn’t get much worse...

Isabella Joanne Santos had a rare form of cancer, neuroblastoma, at age 2. She endured chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, antibodies, numerous ups & downs, meaning multiple relapses for 5 years until she passed away at age 7; while many of us were reading our children bedtime stories...Isabella and her family were waging a war. What was so spectacular about Isabella was that she was truly a rare gift to her family and to those who were lucky enough to meet her; the word rare in this context means an unusual, talented, gifted, special little girl, and yet, in the cancer world, rare means 700 children are affected each year. It means children, usually under the age of 5, are diagnosed with a form of cancer. It means scary statistics about survival rates and relapses. In the case of the latter instance, rare is not one of the words you ever want to hear.

Established in 2007, The Isabella Santos Foundation (ISF) is dedicated to eradicating pediatric cancer’s devastating impact while honoring the legacy of Isabella Santos, her courageous fight against neuroblastoma. Collaborating with medical institutions, ISF drives innovative research to pioneer new treatments and enhance young cancer patients’ lives. Over-the-course of seventeen years, ISF has provided over $7 million in funding toward expanding the scope of research and treatment and supporting families dealing with cancer in a variety of ways.

It was Isabella’s dream to Beat Cancer, Grow Hair, and Live Her Dreams. Although research and advanced treatments didn’t come in time for her dreams to come true, Isabella’s legacy will give other kids a fighting chance against rare childhood cancers.

Like so many smaller, gutsy organizations, they iterated in a positive direction to meet the unmet needs of their constituencies - in this case, all childhood cancers

Check out their website: www.isabellasantosfoundation.org

Su Casa in Spanish simply means your home - which if I take a little poetic license, could mean this space is your home or the contraction you’re, you are home - let’s go with you are home... The concept of home is something many of us often take for granted! Home can mean we can breathe, let down our hair, and be ourselves, and in general, we are in charge of our own lives, decisions we make, etc..for many, though this doesn’t exist or feels completely unattainable, not because it isn’t, but because there are life-threatening circumstances that create an almost insurmountable barrier. I recently did a podcast for another organization that focuses on global preservation by sharing information about what is happening to our global ecosystems and the individuals and animals who are being negatively impacted by being displaced or for some, the threat of extinction. We as a society are experiencing a wake-up call; a wake-up call to pay attention to preserving and rebuilding our ecosystems and a wake-up call to the realization that our domestic environments can also be threatening and threaten, most often women and children.

Su Casa is a healing sanctuary where victims - I prefer the term, survivors, can find their voice, develop inner strength, and become self-directed agents of change in their own lives. Su Casa has been around for over 40 years and was founded in 1979 by Petra Medelez, a survivor, who out of her own home took crisis calls and housed individuals being threatened and their children. Petra’s vision was to fill her community with peaceful homes. In order to truly realize her vision, Su Casa expanded its services to include not only immediate shelter from danger but also case management and counseling for residents and for survivors still living with their abuser or batterer, shelter-based certified childhood education, community awareness training, and transitional housing.

Su Casa continually strives to be present and relevant to the folks who are in need and therefore has enhanced their programs to include the growing number of Asian and Pacific Islanders. The value placed on empowerment and cultural competence drives the agency’s ever-expanding range of services that are survivor-centered. These services are practical, therapeutic, and educational.

Su Casa is also forward-thinking: they realized that 30 days may not be enough for women to be empowered enough to put their lives back together so more than 25 years ago, in 1996, transitional shelter was developed and is still being offered. The extended time enables families to bridge the gap between crisis and independent living. What I particularly like is Su Casa’s commitment to offering support wherever a woman is along her journey to safety; if she is not ready to leave, Su Casa is there to provide counseling and support and is available whenever she might be.

Su Casa’s Mission is to empower individuals and families to live free from domestic abuse and build partnerships with communities to end domestic violence.

Our wake-up call is to pay attention to those who may be asking for help and to connect them to resources like Su Casa

Website: www.sucasadv.org