How to (Not) Kill Your Community

Susan Kent, executive director of Love INC of Mid-Delmarva, joins us to talk about providing housing and support for the homeless, while building a comprehensive social-service delivery system with a network of churches and nonprofits in Sussex county.   Love INC of Mid-Delmarva received a $50,000 grant from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to provide shelter for the homeless in Sussex County. The organization strives to build strong, holistic relationships with clients in order to provide compassionate, comprehensive aid. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve partnered with hotels to provide shelter for the most vulnerable members of the homeless community.  We also talk with Cynthia Pritchard, president & CEO of Philanthropy Delaware, and one of the DCF’s key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund.  All six episodes in this second season of Building Opportunity will feature stories about how the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund has helped nonprofits meet the needs of our community during this crisis. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay is our host.  You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast. 

Carolyn Fredricks, president and CEO of Modern Maturity, discusses how the largest nonprofit senior center in the state has adapted quickly to provide essential services to seniors across Kent County.   Modern Maturity has received a total of $100,000 in grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to deliver meals and provide grocery shopping services for seniors in Kent County who are among the most vulnerable to the virus. As the Meals on Wheels provider for the county, they’ve expanded operations significantly. At a peak moment during the pandemic, volunteers were cooking 2,500 meals per day and performing 3,000 wellness checks per month. They’ve also started teaching remote exercise classes on Facebook and YouTube, and hosted a socially-distanced tailgating party at their center in Dover.   We also talk with Sheila Bravo, president & CEO of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA), and one of the DCF’s key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund.  All six episodes in this second season of Building Opportunity will feature stories about how the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund has helped nonprofits meet the needs of our community during this crisis. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay is our host.  You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast. 

Father-and-son team Retired Major Kevin Conley and US Army Specialist Dylan Conley join us this week to discuss Warriors Helping Warriors, a grassroots organization in Middletown that connects veterans to employment opportunities, health care and housing. Warriors Helping Warriors received a $10,000 in grant from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to continue providing case-management for veterans. Kevin Conley cofounded the organization in 2010 when he returned from Afghanistan and faced his own difficulties navigating the healthcare system. During the pandemic, they have pivoted quickly to provide a safe environment for residents to shelter-in-place and self-quarantine in the event of testing positive for COVID-19. We also talk with Cynthia Pritchard, president & CEO of Philanthropy Delaware, and one of the DCF’s key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund. All six episodes in this second season of Building Opportunity will feature stories about how the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund has helped nonprofits meet the needs of our community during this crisis. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay is our host. You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Margaret Guy, executive director of Stop the Violence Prayer Chain Foundation, talks about providing educational and social services to children and families who live at or below the poverty level, and who are often impacted by domestic and gun violence. Stop the Violence Prayer Chain Foundation received $2,500 in grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to continue providing essential supplies for children in Wilmington during the crisis. In the past, the organization has offered after-school tutoring, educational trips, life-skills classes and apprenticeships, and has even partnered with Comcast to produce a children’s show. Now they’re finding new ways to connect with a community affected by the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. We also talk with Sheila Bravo, president & CEO of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) and one of the DCF's key partners in establishing the Strategic Response Fund. All six episodes in this second season of Building Opportunity will feature stories about how the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund has helped nonprofits meet the needs of our community during this crisis. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay is our host. You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

In the Season 2 premiere of our Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast, Rob McCreary and Kathleen Seipel from the Family Counseling Center of St. Paul's join us to talk about providing emotional and behavioral health services to uninsured families in low-income communities in Delaware. The Family Counseling Center of St. Paul's received $43,000 in grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund to continue providing mental health and family counseling services statewide during the pandemic. Rob and Kathleen serve many of our most essential workers — custodians, caregivers, supermarket clerks — who are members of Delaware's Spanish-speaking community and find themselves in new and stressful conditions both at work and at home. All six episodes in this second season of Building Opportunity will feature stories about how the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund has helped nonprofits meet the needs of our community during this crisis. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay is our host. You can listen and subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Bear Library specialist Adriana Camacho-Church talks about the role of libraries in building opportunity. The Bear Library's ESL programs for Spanish and Chinese speakers help people learn how to read, write, find job opportunities and integrate into their communities, benefiting the community as a whole. Camacho-Church also writes a monthly series in Delaware's Out & About Magazine called "Worth Recognizing: Community Members Who Go Above and Beyond." Our nine-episode Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast series focuses on how can we build opportunity and strengthen community for all. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Delawareans who are building opportunity through the arts, faith communities, libraries and everything in between. You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify. and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Rev. Edwin Estevez, senior pastor of Grace Church UMC and the Riverfront Church in Wilmington, talks about the role of the faith community in building opportunity. The son of Guatemalan immigrants, Estevez grew up in North Jersey and is now a proud Delawarean. With his leadership, Grace Church is launching a kitchen incubator to empower people struggling with poverty to learn culinary and restaurant skills, transforming the church campus into a green, energy-efficient example of "creation care," and opening Grace Cafe, a welcoming "third space" for conversation and reflection over a cup of coffee. Our nine-episode Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast series focuses on how can we build opportunity and strengthen community for all. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Delawareans who are building opportunity through the arts, faith communities, libraries and everything in between. You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify. and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast

Diane Laird, executive director of the Downtown Dover Partnership, talks about building opportunity through collaboration and economic development. The DDP drives improved quality of life for the diverse residents, downtown workers, students, tourists, shoppers, kids, families and seniors who spend time in downtown Dover. Our nine-episode Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast series focuses on how can we build opportunity and strengthen community for all. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Delawareans who are building opportunity through the arts, faith communities, libraries and everything in between. You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify. and Google Podcasts. Find all podcast episodes at delcf.org/podcast.

Micheal Crumble, director of the H. Fletcher Brown Boys & Girls Club in Wilmington, talks about building opportunity for underserved youth. Following a 20-year career in the military, Crumble found a second vocation creating opportunities for kids to learn and grow. Under his direction, the H. Fletcher Brown Boys & Girls Club recently opened a digital arts lab, funded in part by the DCF. Our nine-episode Building Opportunity in Delaware podcast series focuses on how can we build opportunity and strengthen community for all. DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay talks with Delawareans who are building opportunity through the arts, faith communities, libraries and everything in between. You can listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify. and Google Podcasts.