Giving Heart Beat

Episode 29 - Radioactive - Mental Health Matters - Host Donna Valente details her long absence from the airwaves, recounting physical illness that brought her thrice to the hospital emergency room in six months, and the last time landed her in the hospital for over a week. The deeply profound experience forced her to realize the importance of mental health and self-care. 

With the global pandemic, climate change, and extreme social unrest on many fronts compounding the already high stress levels of living in this world, it makes sense that our collective and personal mental health are affected, even if we don't want to admit it.

We have to learn how to take care of ourselves. So often we are so busy taking care of others that we put our own needs last, and eventually, even if it takes years, that neglect manifests. 

Please be kind to yourself and mindful of your loved ones. So many are suffering in silence and think they are alone in their pain. Every person you meet is dealing with hard stuff at some level because it's part of being human.

We must normalize therapy and prioritize mental health, and close the huge disparities in access to mental healthcare. Thankfully, online therapy services such as BetterHelp overcome some of the major barriers to accessing care--making it easy to find a  therapist that matches your needs; convenient to schedule sessions; eliminates the need for transportation to an office; and offers various means of communicating with your therapist and a host of helpful tools. BetterHelp even offers financial assistance.

Cost of care is still a huge barrier for many people. Even with some financial assistance, it may be out of reach for many.

Click here to receive a free week of therapy with BetterHelp.

If you or someone you know is in crisis:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 or call 911

Text "NAMI" to 741741

National Alliance on Mental Illness. 800-950-NAMI(6264)  info@nami.org

Connect with Giving Heart Beat! 

givingheartbeat@gmail.com

@donnaleevalente on FB and IG

Use discount code SWEETD to get 20% off the coolest magically-soft handmade tie-dye clothing at PinkGemArt.com

Thanks for listening!! xoxo

Episode 28 - Interview with Amy Rivera - Founder of Ninjas Fighting Lymphedema Foundation, Advocate, Entrepreneur, Mom, Wife, soon-to-be-published Author. Amy was born with primary lymphedema that affected one side of her body, but doctors failed to identify the correct diagnosis until she was 31 years old and required surgery.

Despite being the target of relentless bullying, as a teen Amy entered and won a beauty contest, and went from being "the girl with the big leg" to "the beauty queen with the big leg." Not wanting her big leg to be the focus of her identity, for years Amy wore long skirts to hide it while working at her successful corporate career. After finally getting her diagnosis and learning that there was no cure, and that surgery was the only way to remove the toxic tissue in her leg, Amy vowed that if she were to wake up pain-free from surgery, she would devote her life to helping other people who are dealing with lymphedema and other lymphatic issues. She formed Ninjas Fighting Lymphedema Foundation to spread awareness, educate, advocate and support people living with lymphedema, including helping to defray the cost of essential compression garments. 

Amy's first book called "Drop The Skirt: How My Disability Became My Super Power" is coming out in July 2021, and she is currently writing her memoirs. And, Amy is training for fitness figure competitions! Go Amy Go!!

AmyRivera.com

winourfight.org

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

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Episode 27 - Interview with Priti Mehta - Managing Director Foundation Operations, Investors Bank. Priti talks about growing up the daughter of parents that immigrated to the United States from India, and learning the practice of SEVA - giving back, from their example. Priti lends her experience to a number of philanthropic endeavors, including the boards of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Girls On The Run, and as a grants reviewer for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants Program. 

Shout out to County College of Morris (CCM) in Randolph, New Jersey for being the source of so much synergy and serendipity! Donna and Priti both graduated from CCM (many years apart), and it was through CCM's job board that Donna picked out Priti's resume 15 years ago and hired her at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to help with the Quality of Life grants program after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Priti shares her insight on how COVID affected philanthropy. While food insecurity needs overwhelmingly increased, the COVID pandemic actually facilitated better trust-based communication between funders and grantees. Priti offers sage advice for donors and grant seekers on the importance of being transparent about your most critical needs and passions to find the best philanthropic match.

Priti talks about caregiving and the critical importance of adult day care to provide safe, fun, medically-supervised activities for adults, while providing respite for caregivers who can be assured that the needs of their loved ones are being met. COVID shut down adult day care centers in 2020, and hundreds of families are still coping with the effects of the isolation and depression resulting from this invaluable service being shuttered.

info@investorsfoundation.org

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

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Episode 26 - Interview with Lee Woodruff, Co-Founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Author of 3 NY TIMES bestselling books, Speaker, Journalist, Communications Consultant, Advocate. The Bob Woodruff Foundation's mission is to assist injured service members and their families heal from the wounds of war. 

In 2006, Lee's husband Bob Woodruff, television journalist with ABC News, was imbedded with troops in Iraq when the tank they were driving in hit an IED - improvised explosive device - and Bob suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. While Bob was in a medically-induced coma for 38 days, Lee witnessed many severely injured soldiers that received excellent medical care but did not have the privilege of having family members close by for support. She vowed then that if her Bob recovered, she would do everything in her power to make things better for injured service members and their families.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation is a Guidestar 5-Star Charity, and celebrates 15 years of compassionate caring for wounded heroes and their families; raising and distributing over $70 million for innovative, evidence-based programming for wounded veterans and their families, including VIVA, a special program that helps provide funding for wounded veteran families to undergo fertility treatments. Responsive to the needs of veteran families, the Bob Woodruff Foundation traditionally has funded caregiver support, rehabilitation, and emotional support programs. As a result of the COVID pandemic, the most desperate issue now facing veterans and their families is food insecurity, so the Foundation's efforts are currently focused on addressing that critical need.

Please keep our heroes and their families in mind and support your local food pantries. Be kind. It costs nothing and can change the world. Look out for Stand Up For Heroes  information as the year unfolds!! 

Thanks for listening!

xoxo

www.BobWoodruffFoundation.org

givingheartbeat@gmail.com

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Episode 25 - Interview With Jane Elliott - Internationally Known Teacher, Lecturer, Diversity Trainer, and Recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education. Ms. Elliott recalls the origins of the "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise" that she conducted on April 5, 1968, the day after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This exercise cast her in the national spotlight for educating her all-white students in Iowa about how it feels to be treated on the basis of a physical characteristic one is born with that can't be changed, and it also caused her to become an outcast in her community.  Combining a lesson she had already planned about Native Americans, she used the Sioux prayer "Oh great spirit, keep me from ever judging a man until I have walked in his moccasins" to help teach her students what it feels like to be treated as a person of color in this country. 

Ms. Elliott is considered a pioneer of diversity training. She has spoken at 350 universities  and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show five times.  She is listed on the timeline of 30 notable educators by textbook editor McGraw-Hill, amongst the likes of Confucius, Plato, Booker T. Washington, and Maria Montessori. On November 2016, Ms. Elliott's name was added to the BBC's annual list of 100 Women.

JaneElliott.com

jane@janeelliott.com

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

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Episode 24 - Interview with David Jacobsen, Psy.D. - Chief Executive Officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region (RMHC-CR), Albany, NY - The House That Love Built. Dr. Jacobsen is an experienced, mission-driven nonprofit leader. He focuses on implementing best-practice standards to develop self-sustaining, value-evident programs that serve communities one person and one family at a time. 

Ronald McDonald House Charities is an organization that draws on the compassion of the community to deliver and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families. Prior to joining RMCH-CR, Dr. Jacobsen provided executive leadership to various nonprofit organizations serving children and youth, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee populations, veterans, and families. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Wheaton College in Illinois, is an active volunteer within his faith community, and enjoys spending time with each of his six grown children.

Ronald McDonald House of Albany

David Jacobsen, Psy.D. - CEO

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

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Free Giving Heart Beat Facebook Group launching March 17, 2021!!

Next episode features interview with Jane Elliott!

Episode 23 - Interview with Hector Del Valle & Willis Washington: Co-Hosts of Living The Balanced Life, a video talk show that brings in experts from key areas of life to share their knowledge with the community. Hector and Willis are both disability advocates, having met at a national conference on independent living in Washington, DC over ten years ago. Living The Balanced Life is a program of L.I.F.T.  - Legacy Impact Foundation Team - which advocates for affordable accessible housing and provides information on community resources, particularly for people with disabilities.

Living The Balanced Life was started in 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic as a way to reach out and connect people who were isolated, particularly people with disabilities. Living The Balanced Life will resume in Spring 2021 with its much-anticipated second season to focus on going forward in all aspects of health: physical, mental, social, financial and spiritual.

Legacy Impact Foundation Team (L.I.F.T.) - www.liflives.org (website under construction as of 3/3/21 - will update once it goes live!

willis@liftlives.org.  mswhectordelvalle@gmail.com

Giving Heart Beat Facebook Group Coming Soon!

Donna Lee Valente  @DonnaLeeValente 

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

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Episode 22 - Interview with Heather Ehle, RN - Founder and CEO of Project Sanctuary. Project Sanctuary serves military and veteran families across the USA through therapeutic recreation and education at in-person family retreats, along with a holistic spectrum of services before, during and after. Project Sanctuary is one of the few organizations that addresses mental health for the entire military and veteran family, particularly the children.

Ehle first learned of the unmet needs of military families 14 years ago when she volunteered as a registered nurse at a free clinic in Colorado. After 9/11, she tried to find the organizations that were taking care of military families, and upon discovering there were none, she created Project Sanctuary in the beautiful outdoor recreation paradise of Colorado. 

Project Sanctuary's programs and services are guided by the families it serves to address what they identify are critical needs. Like other organizations serving military and veteran families, Project Sanctuary has a "no wrong door" policy, so they will help to find solutions to unmet needs.

ProjectSanctuary.US

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

On Facebook and LinkedIn Donna Lee Valente and Instagram @donnaleevalente

Giving Heart Beat private Facebook Group coming very soon! Reach out if you want in!

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THANKS FOR LISTENING .... AND READING!! XOXO

Episode 21 features an interview with Michael Bethune, Author, Speaker, Minister and Educator with over 25 years of leading and serving some of the most vulnerable populations through the nonprofit sector. He himself is a once-homeless military veteran, whose life's calling and purpose emerged from his own pain. [Trigger warning]

Michael Bethune's book Unto The Least of These - 12 Stages of Genuine Compassion, For Churches That Are Serious About Helping the Less Fortunate breaks down the true meaning of compassion that is so crucial in serving the most vulnerable in our communities who may be homeless and/or addicted and most certainly poor. Through Covenant House, for many years he worked with homeless youth  who had aged out of foster care and were ill-equipped to handle independent living and make up the second largest segment of people experiencing homelessness.

His second book 8 Steps to Getting Unstuck in Life - Lessons My Brother Taught Me After He Committed Suicide provides practical suggestions on how to get past difficult life challenges. Michael wrote the book as a way to deal with his grief and in the process created a useful tool for others.

Michael Bethune has a Facebook group The University of God's Grace & Mercy and just launched Repair the Breach Life Transformational Center which will present live weekly worship and educational sessions. He is available for presentations, workshops and consultations online.

Find out more at https://mikebethune.com/

michaelbethune@ymail.com

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Connect on Facebook at Donna Lee Valente, and on Instagram at  @donnaleevalente 

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

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Episode 20 - Caregiver Confidential - Solo provides a glimpse behind the Giving Heart Beat podcast microphone into the life of a caregiver entrepreneur, with a cautionary tale for caregivers. 

Host Donna Valente shares the journey of finding her way forward into an uncertain future, and describes a bit about caregiving for someone with late onset type one diabetes. 

The cautionary tale for caregivers is a heartfelt plea to take care of yourself. The safety instructions on airplanes are true: put your own mask on first and then assist others. 

Turn around the saying "Treat others how you wish to be treated" to "Treat yourself as you would treat others." Be as compassionate with yourself as you are to others! 

Check out the most awesome Nelia Hutt's podcast Giving Starts With You which is all about self-care.

Coming soon: Giving Heart Beat Facebook Group

E-Courses on nonprofit development and philanthropy!

@donnaleevalente

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

podcast merch on Amazon under CosmicDayDreams brand

 

Giving Heart Beat podcast episode 19 features an interview with Nichole Reed, Event Coordinator for Family Promise of Sussex County, New Jersey. Family Promise is a national nonprofit with a unique model of serving individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness or at high risk for becoming homeless. 

The description here is from the Family Promise website and also from host Donna Valente's personal experience volunteering to cook meals and serve them for guests of Family Promise of Sussex County emergency shelter program over the years in different churches. While the emergency shelter program is not possible right now due to the COVID pandemic, Family Promise is pivoting and serving the needs of the community in new ways, addressing needs as they emerge, focusing on a continuum of prevention, serving current needs, securing housing, and follow-up support. Nichole describes the hidden homeless families and individuals that are living in rural Sussex County, New Jersey, and how Family Promise is adapting to serve them. The government allocated $100 million and the actual need is $3 billion to address the growing needs of homeless individuals and families.

Family Promise began in 1986 in New Jersey with a woman named Karen Olson buying a sandwich for a homeless woman named Millie on the street, and grew into a national organization of networks of caring  for homeless children and adults in their communities. The Family Promise emergency shelter model relies on community networks of churches and houses of worship to provide shelter for guests at night, while receiving services and working and going to school during the day. Volunteers in each participating church bring in meals and make sure the guests are comfortable. In 1992 the organization was awarded one of the 21 Points of Lights by President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. The former name of Family Promise was National Interfaith Hospitality Network, changed in 2003 to reflect their broad range of programs and vision of ending family homelessness.  In 2004 they celebrated 100 affiliates, and in 2016 they reached 200 affiliates and growing, with the mandate "homelessness is a national issue but a highly local problem."

Follow Family Promise of Sussex County on Social Media!

FaceBook @HelpNJHomeless

Instagram & Twitter @FPSussex

Purchase Bits of Me Here % proceeds donated to Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

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@donnaleevalente

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

Episode 18 of Giving Heart Beat podcast is an interview with Odunola "Ola" Ojewumi - Entrepreneur, Nonprofit Founder, Model, Public Speaker, Patient Advocate, and Public Policy Worker. Ola survived multiple major organ transplants as a young teenager and then survived cancer that resulted from the transplants. She quickly learned first-hand how to fight for her rights to--among other things--use the elevator in her 4-floor high school. This experience led her to advocacy and activism for people with disabilities. While still in school, Ola started the nonprofit Project ASCEND to provide college scholarships for disabled students, particularly individuals of color in the USA, with funded projects in Nigeria and Guatemala.

Ola talked about the cultural shame that surrounds disability, and how she is working to change that with her disability-pride line of clothing and products available at Ola's Truth Boutique. She said that people need to know that there is a long way to go for civil rights for people with disabilities; citing the extremely high percentage of people with disabilities that have suffered from police brutality, loss of benefits when 2 disabled individuals marry, and a minimum wage that is significantly lower for workers with disabilities.

olaojewumi.com

Just in time for holiday giving . . . Olastruth.com

Bits of Me now available here!

MERCH available here!

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com - We'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for Listening!!

Giving Heart Beat podcast Episode 17 features an in-depth interview with Kimberly Igel, Director of The Church at Hemlock Farms Second Harvest Food Pantry, located in the Pocono Mountains of Lords Valley, Pennsylvania. Kim explains how she got involved with the mission of helping families experiencing food insecurity after joining The Church at Hemlock Farms and  learning of the problem. She was encouraged to align and train with Second Harvest Food Bank and for two years has been orchestrating successful food distribution events monthly to serve a growing number of families in need. Kim describes her passion to help others that was sparked by her own family receiving loving assistance and acts of kindness they so desperately needed to get through an extremely difficult health crisis.

Kim talks about the benefits of aligning with Second Harvest Food Bank to ensure proper safe food handling measures are in place, and that standards for providing compassionate service are established. She also discusses the critical importance of empathy and grace and how connecting with families on a personal level strengthens community bonds, which benefits everyone.

The Church at Hemlock Farms 570-775-6787

Mailing Address: 1493 Hemlock Farms, Hawley, PA 18428

Physical Address: 98 Willow Drive, Lords Valley, PA 18428

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com -- Tell us about your passion project!!

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Episode 16 features an interview with Andy Arias - actor, model, federal policy worker, advocate, and civil rights activist.  

Andy has been an advocacy and policy professional for over seven years, most recently at the national level on disability policy. In Washington, DC, Andy worked closely with Judith Heumann, pioneer of the Independent Living movement and the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

As an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University, member of many boards and commissions, and subject matter expert on diversity and inclusion, Andy works to ensure that people with disabilities are represented. Andy continues educate the public about people with disabilities and the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexual identity through his weekly live FaceBook shows: Wednesdays with Andy and Friday Funnies. 

Andy advocates in the entertainment industry by creating visible pathways as an actor and stand-up comedian. As an actor, Andy has had the pleasure of working with Tom Hanks, Mark Ruffalo and Hilary Swank on projects. He is often asked to consult with producers and directors in creating greater media visibility of people with disabilities. He has also produced several small projects that have brought attention to persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ community.

Find Andy Arias: FB @ActorAdvocateAndy  IG @AndysWheelz  TheAndyArias.com 

Contact Donna Valente: GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

GivingHeartBeatPodcast merch on Amazon brand CosmicDayDreams

Episode 15 - Interview with Nikki Brown-Booker, Program Officer, Disability Inclusion Fund, Borealis Philanthropy, shares insights and wisdom from the funder's side of the table. Nonprofits focused on social justice and civil rights should listen closely!

Nikki Brown-Booker is a Filipino/Black woman with a disability who works in philanthropy. "When I enter a room no one looks like me. This is my life experience. It doesn't change except for the rare occurrence when I attend an advocacy meeting or training that people with disabilities would attend."

Nikki's story is, in her words, ". . . exclusively American. My mother immigrated from the Philippines after WWII at the age of 18 along with her 6 siblings and her parents. She worked as a domestic worker, nanny, and housekeeper. Her father fought in the Philippine army defending America against the Japanese. My father grew up outside of Jackson, Mississippi and moved to California in the sixties because he could no longer tolerate being a black man in the South. He went to trade school in Mississippi to become a chef. When he moved to California, he worked his way through kitchens before eventually owning his own successful restaurant. That was good food. My parents both had previous marriages with children before the met. They blended their families and they had me."

Both of Nikki's parents actively participated in workers' rights and never crossed a picket line.  Her mother's father organized with Cesar Chavez and her grandmother was the first director of the Filipino community center in Vallejo, home to one of the largest Filipino populations in the United States. Nikki writes, "To put this in perspective, 44% of all U.S. Filipinos live in California. My family taught me the importance of social justice and organizing others who felt the same. Through example, I was taught never to leave others behind."

Nikki was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis as a child. She was extremely strong-willed despite poor health and chronic pain. "My parents never put limits on me. They raised me to be generous, strong, kind and to be proud of who I am. I was taught that we are all equal and that my actions need to reflect that belief. This is what brought me to philanthropic work."

Nikki writes, "As an advocate who promotes racial and disability justice I can tell you that organizations engaged in philanthropy have a lot to learn before they can effectively serve intersectional communities. I come from marginalized identities. My presence as the the Program as the Program Office for the Disability Inclusion Fund is one  example of inclusive but so much more is needed. I am uniquely qualified through education and personal history to make decisions that can affect the community I was born into. I am stakeholder. In order for the field of philanthropy to successfully help marginalized people they must be working at the foundation level and in the boardroom. We need to see those faces in the room. We need to hear their voices. We must advocate from a place of experienced insight and true empathy. I am working to witness this in my lifetime. I hope you will join me."

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

Giving Heart Beat Episode 14 features a fascinating interview with  Nancy Gonzalez, a survivor of domestic violence and Founder of Mustard Seed Bags of Courage, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2016 with the mission to encourage victims of domestic violence to become survivors. Nancy has won multiple awards for her work and was nationally recognized in the magazine publication Woman's Day.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

Nancy provides invaluable information for individuals currently in abusive domestic situations so that they can signal for assistance without speaking. The pandemic lockdown hit everyone hard, and for families living with abuse and violence at home, it becomes exponentially more difficult. Imagine being forced to spend extended periods of time with your abuser, who is always there and listening. Nancy talks about the tremendous courage it takes to leave a domestic violence situation, and why she started Mustard Seed Bags of Courage. She is also a Speaker, Author and Transitional Support Coach, transforming mindsets by navigating audiences to create their roadmap to success. Nancy's passion is to equip her audiences with the techniques to live better, not bitter.

Nancy is also a social worker for HeadStart in her community, an active presence and voice for survivors of domestic violence, and vision of hope for current victims. She knows that there are people suffering in silence and that by telling her story, she is giving them hope as well as resources. Nancy is truly a super hero for survivors of domestic violence because of her willingness to help others. Nancy is co-author of One DAE At A Time, A 365 Daily Devotional of Declarations, Affirmations and Encouragement for Women coming out in October.

https://NancyEncourages.com

National Domestic Violence Hotline:  1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com - Have a nonprofit you want to promote?  Have questions? Want to network with other nonprofits and funders? Donna wants to hear from you!

Giving Heart Beat Merch available on Amazon - CosmicDayDreams

Episode 13 - Letters for Superman, The Reluctant Entrepreneur, Panic Attack on Route 80 [Trigger Warning] is the first monologue by Donna Valente, Giving Heart Beat podcast creator, host, producer and (at this moment) solo financial supporter. Sponsors are being sought!

Since launching on August 2, 2020, over 400 episodes have been downloaded and Giving Heart Beat podcast ranked very high on the iTunes nonprofit charts; reaching #4 in the USA, #3 in Canada and in the United Kingdom, and #2 in Spain!! 

Giving Heart Beat podcast is now available on Amazon Music and Google, and soon to be on other platforms. And, MERCH IS NOW AVAILABLE!! . . .

Giving Heart Beat podcast t-shirt design was created by Donna Valente and sold on Amazon under her brand CosmicDayDreams. 

Coming Soon In Future Episodes . . .

Episode 14 features Nancy Gonzalez, Founder of Mustard Seed Bags of Courage, a nonprofit with the mission to encourage victims of domestic violence to become survivors. It airs on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.

Episode 15 features Nikki Brown-Booker, Program Officer of the Disability Inclusion Fund of Borealis Philanthropy, a fascinating new coalition of funders that targets social justice issues and funds myriad grassroots endeavors. It airs on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

Donna read three poems from her book Bits of Me: Letters for Superman, Panic Attack on Route 80, and Bits of Me. Please note that Panic Attack on Route 80 could potentially trigger anxiety.

Also coming soon will be GivingHeartBeat.com website and more where Donna will sell copies of her book Bits of Me and create a community of Giving Heart Beat guests and continue to make connections to Turn Unsung Heroes Into Everyday Super Heroes!

FB and IG @donnaleevalente

Contact: GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

Eves's Fund for Native American Health Initiatives

Barbara Crowell-Roy, President

www.EvesFund.org

www.EveCrowell.com

Please visit Eve's Fund on FaceBook and Twitter!

Your support is welcome!

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com

Edna Sutton is a survivor of domestic violence as a young woman that resulted in paralysis. She lives independently with assistance from caregivers that come to her home to provide assistance for activities of daily living. Edna found that the caregivers that were sent to her home had virtually no training at all, let alone on how to care for someone with paralysis. She created Compassions Training and Awareness Center to provide specialized hands-on training to home care providers on how to take care of a person living with paralysis, as well as to teach people who need caregivers how to advocate for themselves to get the safe, competent care they require.

Edna is passionate about speaking out to bring awareness to the critical but rarely talked about issue of abuse by caregivers to the people in their care. Edna has personally endured abusive situations of rape, neglect, and much more, and is committed to being a voice for change.

Edna has achieved numerous awards and recognitions for her work.

Hope Loves Company is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Hope Loves Company, P.O. Box 931, Pennington, NJ 08534

HopeLovesCompany.org

Jodi O'Donnell-Ames - Founder and Director

jodi.odonnell-ames@hopelovescompany.org

609-730-1144

Find Hope Loves Company on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and AmazonSmile!

GivingHeartBeat@gmail.com