COTS: The Art of Family Podcast

Join us for a special edition of The Art of Family podcast as Paige Blessman (COTS Director of Communications) and Lucy Couch (Detroit Pistons Business Development Executive) talk about the collaboration between COTS and the Detroit Pistons. Hear how an intro at a networking event blossomed into a remarkable partnership, resulting in COTS Night at the upcoming Pistons game on March 20th.

Learn about the unforgettable experiences planned for the night, the impact of this event, and how you can get involved in supporting Detroit families experiencing homelessness. Tune in for a story of partnership, generosity, and the transformative power of sports and community. Join us at COTS Night, buy your tickets here: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Cots

As a current dialysis technician, Amber shares her aspirations of pursuing medical school despite the daunting obstacles of standardized tests and self-doubt. Through her candid reflections, listeners are invited into the complexities of her past, including the loss of her mother and the challenges of caring for her younger brother.

Amber's story reveals common misconceptions about homelessness and the importance of compassion and understanding. Her journey from uncertainty to empowerment exemplifies the transformative impact of organizations like COTS, providing not just shelter but a pathway to stability and self-sufficiency.

Tune in as Amber's narrative unfolds, reminding us that even in our darkest moments, a glimmer of hope is always waiting to be embraced. Hit play and embark on a journey of heart, hope, and healing.

Get to know Cynthia as she talks with Paige Blessman (Director of Communications at COTS) about her life journey, filled with ups and downs. From her early years growing up with her grandmother to surviving a difficult domestic violence situation and experiencing homelessness, Cynthia shares her story of resilience and growth. She also talks about finding a sense of belonging at COTS, how coaching has positively impacted her life, and common misconceptions about homelessness.

Hear from host Gerald Edwards, leader of the COTS Fatherhood Initiative, who engages in a dynamic conversation with Damarqio Williams, CEO, and founder of Detroit Father LLC. Together, they shed light on their individual fatherhood initiatives, emphasizing the shared mission to empower and support fathers in their respective communities.

Damarqio Williams shares the heartfelt origins of Detroit Father LLC, a community he created out of a personal need for a safe and supportive space to discuss the joys and challenges of fatherhood. His journey is one of building a community from the ground up, inspired by the absence of such a resource in his city. The pandemic posed its challenges, but resilience prevailed.

Gerald Edwards, on the other hand, discusses the evolution of the COTS Fatherhood Initiative. Recognizing the need to fully incorporate fathers into the equation, this initiative seeks to empower fathers with the knowledge, resources, and support necessary to be actively involved in their children's lives.

Together, Gerald and Damarqio explore the role of fatherhood across generations, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. They share their experiences from the "Dad-Scussion" sessions, highlighting the importance of embracing diverse perspectives and fostering a no-judgment zone for fathers at all stages of their journey.

Black women face a three-fold higher risk of pregnancy-related death than white women. Doulas are increasingly recognized as vital in addressing disparities and supporting marginalized communities during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Join Angelene Love (Doula) and Aisha Morrell-Ferguson (Chief Development Officer of COTS) for part 2 as they delve into the world of doulas.

Tune in to stay current on campaigns for legislative bills regarding reproductive health and find out where to get more information on community resources and doula advocacy.

Join hosts Corisa Reed (Executive Assistant to CEO, Cheryl P. Johnson) and Aisha Morrell-Ferguson (Chief Development Officer of COTS) on The Art of Family Podcast as they remind us of the importance of downtime, especially in today's fast-paced world. Discover how COTS prioritizes a break by not scheduling meetings in July, allowing more space and time for everyone’s rejuvenation and creativity. Tune in to hear the benefits of taking a step back, getting fresh air, and indulging in hobbies. Aisha and Corisa share personal anecdotes and strategies to overcome burnout and introduce tranquility in everyday life. 

Black women face a three-fold higher risk of pregnancy-related death compared to white women. Doulas are increasingly recognized as vital in addressing disparities and supporting marginalized communities during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Join Angelene Love (Doula) and Aisha Morrell-Ferguson (Chief Development Officer of COTS) as they delve into the world of doulas. They discuss doula training, the emotional support doulas provide, the benefits of having a doula during and after pregnancy—especially for BIPOC women, creating personalized birthing experiences, and how doulas work alongside medical professionals.

Our valued partner, Bank of America's Meaghan Madison sits down with COTS Chief Development Officer, Aisha Morrell-Ferguson, to discuss the experience of partnering with Bank of America. The bank has been instrument to bring some of their financial literacy curricula our emergency shelter Peggy's Place.

COTS CEO, Cheryl P. Johnson, speaks with chefs Jeremy Abbey and John T. Piazza from the juggernaut of Soil2Service, Detroit Institute of Gastronomy and EdibleWOW! magazine. Their conversation covers many topics from the level of participation of women in the culinary industry to the ways COTS and Soil2Service work together to positively impact our community.

Once more Corisa Reed sits down with our esteemed guest, LaTonia Walker to wrap up our exploration of the narratives that exist both within and outside of COTS and how we work to counter negative narratives and improve the ones we work from both as an organization and individuals.

Continuing our exploration of the narratives we found in our review of internal behaviors and attitudes, Corisa Reed speaks with Deja Farr-Lowery regarding the narrative of Paternalism. Corisa and Deja discuss what the narrative of Paternalism is and ways to mitigate its effects.

Continuing COTS' March exploration of narratives, Corissa Reed speaks with Wanda Milledge to define the harmful narrative of Fatalism and look at some tools to mitigate its effects.

COTS is taking some time during March to examine how we all carry narratives into situations and how they affect how we perceive issues, like poverty. COTS own Corisa Reed and Nikki Carbonari talk about what narratives are and how COTS has been confronting them.

Michigan weather is something else! COTS recorded a podcast with Gerald Edwards facilitating COTS Fatherhood Initiative and Alexis Hloros, a father participating in our initiative. This episode was hosted by our Chief Development Officer, Aisha Morrell-Ferguson.

Last week's ice storm forced us to use a different tech and introduced a few audio artifacts. We hope that you listen to this conversation; it was great to get a participating father's perspective and learn a little about where the initiative could head from here.

It's hard to see #FamilyFocusedFebruary wrap up, and we hope it has been helpful. Please leave comments and suggestions as we seek to improve Family Focused February next year.

#CreatingOpportunitiesToSucceed
#COTSat40

To close the loop on the podcast portion of our program, at 7p this evening we will release another conversation CEO Cheryl P. Johnson had with Dara Griffin and Kevin Bremond They are leaders of a similar initiative in California and helped Ms. Johnson implement a new narrative for COTS addressing fathers and fatherhood issues confronted within our programs.

COTS' CEO Cheryl P. Johnson sits down with a 20+-year supporters of COTS Charisse Harper and her father, Benjamin Franklin Nubia for a discussion on their experiences partnering with COTS. Charisse speaks to the importance of having a father in a child's life while Mr. Nubia describes how his stay at COTS helped to turn his life around.

COTS' Chief Development Officer, Aisha Morrell-Ferguson, speaks with Dara Griffin from the Fatherhood Initiative in California and Gerald Edwards of COTS about the launch of a community initiative in Detroit supporting fathers dealing with the issues of being a positive family influence.

Janette Phillips of ShareDetroit (sharedetroit.org) stops by the Art of Family studios to talk about the work of the relatively new nonprofit, ShareDetroit, how they work with COTS, and celebrate the worldwide Giving Tuesday movement here in the greater Detroit area.

We wrap up the conversation with the COTS associates that collaborate with families daily and discuss the impact they facilitate and their day-to-day experience creating opportunities to succeed for Detroit families. Our conversation was deep and long enough that we split it into 2 episodes.

The COTS associates that collaborate with families daily discuss the impact they facilitate and their day-to-day experience creating opportunities to succeed for Detroit families. Our conversation was deep and long enough that we split it into 2 episodes. Be sure to tune in next week as we wrap up this exploration of the work families engage in with COTS.

COTS' Chief Development Officer, Aisha Morrell-Ferguson speaks with journalist Rodd Monts and photographer Larry Gardner regarding their long history of working with COTS. Rodd and Larry were instrumental in producing the magazine COTS produced for our 40th anniversary; without them documenting the lives of many of our COTS' families, we wouldn't have been able to complete that project. Thanks to Rodd and Larry and their library of stories.

COTS CEO Cheryl P. Johnson speaks with COTS Youth Engagement Coach Denise Godfrey about the addition of youth coaching to the Passport to Self-Sufficiency framework and changing career paths to make a positive impact on the world.

COTS CEO Cheryl P. Johnson speaks to the accomplished photographer, Ethel Rucker. Cheryl and Ethel talk about Ethel's journey through COTS with her family and how she is now a thriving businesswoman working to pass along her entrepreneurial spirit to her children.

On the eve of our 40th Anniversary celebration, COTS' CEO Cheryl P. Johnson and COTS' Director of Coaching and Engagement LaTonia Walker explore the establishment and evolution of the Passport To Self Sufficiency, the program that sets COTS apart.

Shameika Richardson speaks to COTS' Rachel Minion about her experiences working through COTS programs, the benefits of the Passport To Self Sufficiency and preparing her daughter's future as a designer and entrepreneur. 

Ms. Julie Howard Miller shares her experiences and philosophies with COTS Chief Development Officer, Aisha Morrell-Ferguson and COTS Corisa Reed. 

This is part 2 of a wide ranging conversation; COTS CEO Cheryl P. Johnson  speaks with COTS Development Director Aisha Morrell-Ferguson about COTS  mission, philosophy and evolution over our 40 of serving Detroiters in  need.

This is part 1 of a wide ranging conversation; COTS CEO Cheryl P. Johnson speaks with COTS Development Director Aisha Morrell-Ferguson about COTS mission, philosophy and evolution over our 40 of serving Detroiters in need.

Cheryl talks with Rachel Minion about her movie night pick, Zootopia, as part of our #FamilyFocusedFebruary Series

Cheryl talks with Ethel Rucker from Hart Eclectic Photography about her movie night pick, The Little Mermaid, as part of our #FamilyFocusedFebruary Series

Ethel's portfolio is on display at: harteclectic.com  for more information on #FamilyFocusedFebruary please visit soupcity.org

You can find out more about COTS at cotsdetroit.org

Cheryl and Corisa chat with Ebony about her movie night pick, Enchanto, as part of our #FamilyFocusedFebruary Series

We chat with Cynthia about her movie night pick, Inside Out, as part of our #FamilyFocusedFebruary Series

Ethel Rucker is a COTS Passport to Self-Sufficiency(TM) graduate and a budding entrepreneur!  Armed with a camera, Ethel shares with Cheryl about her journey to stability, the benefit of coaching and mentorship, and the joy of turning a passion into a purpose. 

COTS: The Art of Family Podcast Episode 2

Guest: Kiko Davis, Founder & President of Don Davis Legacy Foundation

For decades COTS has been serving the most vulnerable in our community, the homeless. With shelter, support, and love, COTS has been able to create programs and infrastructures that provide more than a roof; they provide stability and economic mobility.

Through tireless leadership by Cheryl “Che’row” P. Johnson and a passionate team of dedicated professionals, COTS tackles the root causes of poverty and works to address what they see as one of the most significant challenges of our generation: intergenerational poverty.

In 2017, COTS launched a new campaign - The Art of Family. It is a celebration of the work they have done and a new way to tell truly emotional stories about the families they serve. COTS knows that family is not just whom you were born to. It is who’s there for you when you need it most.

The Art of Family Podcast is a unique opportunity to change hearts and minds about what it means to be homeless, what a homeless family looks like, and what a family is. Lead by the charismatic Che’row, prominent Detroiters and COTS families discuss life, hope, challenge, and dreams for the future in what is sure to be an emotional journey of discovery, heartbreak, and love.

COTS: The Art of Family Podcast Episode 1

Guest: Mary Sheffield, Detroit City Councilperson, President Pro Tem

For decades COTS has been serving the most vulnerable in our community, the homeless. With shelter, support, and love, COTS has been able to create programs and infrastructures that provide more than a roof; they provide stability and economic mobility.

Through tireless leadership by Cheryl “Che’row” P. Johnson and a passionate team of dedicated professionals, COTS tackles the root causes of poverty and works to address what they see as one of the most significant challenges of our generation: intergenerational poverty.

In 2017, COTS launched a new campaign - The Art of Family. It is a celebration of the work they have done and a new way to tell truly emotional stories about the families they serve. COTS knows that family is not just whom you were born to. It is who’s there for you when you need it most.

The Art of Family Podcast is a unique opportunity to change hearts and minds about what it means to be homeless, what a homeless family looks like, and what a family is. Lead by the charismatic Che’row, prominent Detroiters and COTS families discuss life, hope, challenge, and dreams for the future in what is sure to be an emotional journey of discovery, heartbreak, and love.