Purposeful Pitch

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put a strain on economies throughout the U.S., many nonprofits are feeling the impact, especially those focused on homelessness and poverty. With limited support from the public, and rising demands for food and supplies, these organizations have had an uphill battle since the start of the pandemic.

This reality is all too real in Phoenix, Arizona, where the nonprofit Phoenix Rescue Mission is in the midst of its annual Code: Red Summer Heat Relief Campaign, a city-wide mobilization effort to prevent heat-related deaths and illnesses among Phoenix’s homeless population. The campaign is centered around a fleet of Hope Coach vans, armed with water and other heat-relief items, that travels the streets in search of those caught in the deadly heat. Add in the pandemic, along with diminishing resources, and the Mission is facing its toughest challenge to date.

On this episode of the Purposeful Pitch, Phoenix Rescue Mission Chief Program Officer Nathan Smith joins my colleague, Josh Skalniak, and me for an in-depth conversation on the struggles and risks associated with homeless street outreach during a pandemic. We’ll look behind the scenes of what it takes for an organization like Phoenix Rescue Mission to be successful in preventing heat-related deaths while curbing the spread of the virus among the city’s most vulnerable population.

Following his life’s passion, Smith has worked as a missions pastor, case manager, program director, board president, and executive in several churches and nonprofits. Smith has been with Phoenix Rescue Mission for the past six years, and he now oversees all of the nonprofit’s programs, including its public-private partnerships aimed at reducing crime, poverty, and homelessness in targeted regions of the metro area.

Smith was instrumental in the expansion of the Mission’s reach into neighboring regions like Glendale, where he and his team saved the city’s largest food bank, Hope For Hunger Food Bank, from closing for good. His team reopened the food bank and increased the output of the previous ownership by more than 50% – serving more than 160 families per day. He was also a key player in the formation of Glendale Works, an integrated workforce development program aimed at reducing homelessness in Glendale by providing homeless individuals day-work cleaning city property.

In his years of public service, Michigan State Senator Peter MacGregor has been a man of action. Serving as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on health and human services, Senator MacGregor recently led the Senate in providing $524 million in federal COVID-19 funding to deliver much-needed supplies to front-line workers, help families in need of financial assistance, and to support critical state infrastructure.

A former small business owner, Senator MacGregor can empathize with the challenges facing local businesses experiencing hardship as a result of the COVID pandemic. During this episode of the Purposeful Pitch, Senator MacGregor shares his thoughts on the pandemic’s impact on Michigan and the efforts needed to continue to build on the progress seen across Grand Rapids and Kent County over the past decade.

In our conversation with Senator MacGregor, we also discuss the issue of systemic racism across the country and the protests taking place to institute necessary change. As all agree, the time to listen to voices calling for critical change to address racial injustice is long overdue, but that is where we must first start for such change to occur.

The path to public service differs for many. For Michigan State Senator Winnie Brinks, it included serving as executive director for One Way House, a non-profit serving non-violent female offenders in a residential setting as an alternative to incarceration, as well as working with a number of public schools in the Grand Rapids area. It was her work assisting individuals and families in overcoming barriers to success that inspired her to run for office in Michigan’s House of Representatives in the early 2000s.

After more than seven years in the House, Brinks became the first woman to represent Grand Rapids in the Michigan Senate since Eva McCall Hamilton was elected in 1920. While certainly proud of this distinction and acknowledging that we should celebrate such firsts, Senator Brinks shares during this episode of Purposeful Pitch that she would prefer that women in public office in West Michigan and across the state become the norm, not the exception.

Of course, we can’t discuss any topic at present without including the impact of COVID-19. As the global pandemic continues to turn our world upside down, Senator Brinks remains confident that Grand Rapids—which has experienced remarkable growth over the past decade—will be able to recover given the city’s entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit. Still, she admits, there will be many challenges due to funding uncertainties at the state and federal level. Learn more about the road ahead in this episode.

School leaders across the country are working diligently in preparation for the upcoming school year, despite the continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. As you can imagine, developing plans becomes even more challenging when you have no idea if or when you’ll be able to safely re-open school buildings or what funding you can expect from the state and federal governments.

Like all states, Michigan is facing a sharp decrease in tax revenues as a result of the extended shutdown. Projections from the state’s recent Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) estimate a $1.25 billion hit to the existing year’s School Aid Fund, money that’s largely already been spent as the academic year soon comes to an end, and $1.1 billion in next year’s budget. It remains to be seen what per pupil funding will look like as a result. Any cuts to school funding will impact services provided to students – be it in the classroom, the lunchroom or on the field.

In addition to the grave health concerns surrounding COVID-19, the global pandemic is wreaking economic havoc on communities around the world. While nothing is as important as the health and well-being of our neighbors, the long-term impact of COVID-19 on local economies should not be ignored – especially as it relates to the education of our children.

As school superintendents across the country try to figure out how best to educate students via distance learning, they must also start preparing for the next school year amidst great uncertainty surrounding budgets. Economists are predicting billions of dollars in decreased tax revenues in the state of Michigan as a result of the current recession—and that’s going to have a dramatic impact on state funding for schools, roads and other critical infrastructure.

On this episode of the Purposeful Pitch, former Michigan State Senator John Proos joins my colleague, Clare Liening, and I for an informative discussion on state budgets. We take a look behind the curtain at the state budget process, the grim reality facing businesses, nonprofits, schools and other organizations, and the tough decisions that have to be made in developing the next state budget.

Senator Proos is an experienced former legislator with over two decades of public service at both the federal and state levels – including serving in the Michigan House of Representatives and most recently in the Michigan Senate. He served on appropriations committees for 12 of his 14 years in public service, so he’s more than qualified to talk about the state budget process and the challenges that lie ahead.

Today, Proos is the CEO of JP4 Government Solutions, providing strategic counsel to corporate, manufacturing and not-for-profit organizations seeking to increase productivity while decreasing the uncertainty and burden of regulations.

The president and chief innovation officer at Skypoint Ventures in Flint, David Ollila, is a serial entrepreneur with 12 patents on products ranging from sporting goods to wearable technology. He’s also deeply interesting and funny as hell.

Detroit is experiencing a major renaissance—returning to its former glory as one of America’s greatest cities. One way in which this renaissance is obvious is in the vast amount of development taking place across the city. While development is certainly a positive for economic growth, it’s critical that development be inclusive and equitable, so as not to exclude existing residents who have called Detroit home for decades.

Parents have never had more choices for their children’s education than they do today. Whether it’s traditional public schools or public charter schools, brick-and-mortar or virtual, parents have myriad opportunities to select the learning model that best fits their child’s needs.

Though far from a new model, classical education is gaining popularity across the country. Rooted in the traditions of Western culture – hearkening back to the form of education that was at the center of most, if not all schools, just a generation or two ago.

On this episode of the Purposeful Pitch, Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, assistant provost of K-12 education at Hillsdale College and a former principal at Founders Classical Academy of Leander, joins me for a discussion on the rebirth of classical education. Dr. O’Toole and I discuss why more parents are seeking out the model—in some cases, going so far as to open their own schools through the Barney Charter School Initiative.

As part of the Barney Charter School Initiative, which was founded more than a decade ago, schools receive curriculum development and teacher training support from Hillsdale College. The Initiative includes more than 20 schools across the country founded by local residents committed to training the minds and improving the hearts of young people.

Have you seen the movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt? It’s one of my favorites. Whether that is because Brad Pitt is my favorite actor or because baseball, my favorite sport, is heavily featured throughout the movie, I’m not sure. What I can tell you, however, is the movie’s focus on the intersection of data and baseball IS NOT the reason why I adore Moneyball.

Today, data rules the world. It has seeped into every aspect of our lives, from sports like baseball to major corporations, local retailers and even schools. Unfortunately, the datafrication—yes, I just made up a word—of baseball has hindered my love of the game. Long gone are the days when baseball fans focused on easy-to-understand stats like homers, runs batted in, batting average and wins. Since the introduction of Moneyball, the sport has shifted to less warm and fuzzy statistics like WAR (Wins Above Replacement), OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) and velocity angle.

While ceaseless chatter about data has led to a slight decrease in my passion for baseball, there’s no denying its usage has led to smarter team building. That’s why CEOs continue to look to data to help fill their teams and strengthen their bottom lines. It’s also the reason schools are increasingly turning to data to support learning and help guide students through their career journey.

Anyone who’s had the pleasure of meeting Ashanti Bryant can’t help but be engrossed by his enormous personality. By making every person he meets feel as though they’re the only one there, he captivates every room he walks into. As a result, he’s become a tremendous public advocate for those whose voices aren’t always represented.

Having worked with public schools for more than two decades, I continue to marvel at the commitment required by superintendents. A typical work day for a school superintendent is 14-16 hours long, due to early mornings and the various evening commitments that take place throughout the school district. Of course, this doesn’t factor in winter months, when decisions about weather-related school closures start late at night and end before 5 a.m. You won’t hear superintendents asking for compassion and understanding, but let me tell you, they deserve it, and they also deserve our thanks.

I can’t express how important having a good (great) superintendent is to a community. Given the vital role schools play in a community’s success, strong leadership is critical. When you’re responsible for stewarding public funds, like superintendents are—in partnership with their boards of education—you always have a bullseye on your back. Being able to handle that pressure isn’t easy. Those who have been to public meetings where residents register complaints against the superintendent will certainly agree, especially when those complaints are uncensored.

Due to growing epidemics like the opioid crisis, and systematic underfunding of mental and behavioral health services, discussions on such issues have become more prevalent over the past decade. Open conversations take place more frequently among families, in business settings and within schools. Our understanding of the importance of mental and behavioral health on our overall well-being has come a long way—to the point where Oregon now allows students to take mental health days during the school year—and these conversations are critical for continued progress.

While we have made tremendous strides, there are still stigmas associated with mental and behavioral health that need to be eradicated. Additionally, how we treat and fund these issues remains a serious concern across the country.

On this episode of Purposeful Pitch, I engage Bob Sheehan, CEO of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, in a conversation on the evolution of how we approach mental and behavioral health in the United States, the current state of treatment and what more we should be doing to increase access to services.

During my conversation with Bob, I talk about my own experience as the father of a child with anxiety. I can see now that I was never fully prepared to help her through that experience – dealing with her feelings in a way that wasn’t beneficial to either one of us. For that reason, this conversation is very personal to me. Knowing that there are others who have probably been through similar experiences, I would encourage you to listen, and join in the conversation.

School funding is a sensitive topic. While many think we don’t spend enough on schools, others would argue that we spend too much. Having worked with public schools for more than 20 years, I know that administrators and parents are always fighting for more funding. One thing is clear – there will never be a consensus on school funding.

On this episode of the Purposeful Pitch, I speak with Sally Andreatta, executive director of the Grand Rapids Student Advance Foundation. If you’re unfamiliar with school foundations, you’re not alone. Education foundations are privately operated, nonprofit organizations established to assist public schools by augmenting, supplementing or complementing programs and activities currently being provided by the school district.

Sally has a long history in leading nonprofit organizations and is a self-proclaimed intrapreneur, implementing strategy to elevate the nonprofit’s leadership profile, engaging effective partners, raising awareness and inspiring action. Join me for a discussion with Sally on why more people don’t know what school foundations do and why they’re more important than ever.