Our Community, Our Mission

In this episode, La Manda Cunningham CEO of TRM and Jessyca Moreno, Deputy Director of Mission Advancement and Marketing, talk with Kirstin Williams of Fleet Feet Topeka about how the Topeka Turkey Trot grew from an expected 250 runners to around 550 in 2025, turning a Thanksgiving tradition into meaningful community support. They discuss this year’s race upgrades, including the new Forbes Field l...

In this episode, we’re joined by Topeka Fire Department's Fire Inspector Diane Hawkins to discuss fire inspections, building safety, and what it takes to keep high-occupancy facilities like shelters and care centers code compliant. We explore the importance of communication and accountability during inspections, along with the challenges of maintaining safety systems in a 24/7 operation. Dian...

What does it take to keep a 24/7 nonprofit secure, stable, and moving forward? In this episode, Barry Feaker, La Manda Cunningham, and Miriam Krehbiel sit down with Kevin, CEO of Premier One, who is also one of TRM's Platinum Night of Praise sponsors, for a conversation about the technology that supports organizations like Topeka Rescue Mission. Kevin shares insight into outsourced IT, cybers...

In this episode, La Manda Cunningham talks about Topeka Rescue Mission’s fourth annual Night of Praise fundraiser and how prayer, financial support, and community involvement help meet the growing needs in Topeka. Then, Coach Damon Parker, Executive Director of The Jones Project, joins us for an honest conversation about teen mental health, bullying, social media pressure, and suicide prevention....

In this episode, Molly Howey, CEO of the Greater Topeka Partnership, talks with Barry Feaker, CEO of Compassion Strategies; La Manda Cunningham, CEO of TRM; and Miriam Krehbiel, CSO of Topeka Rescue Mission, about how real economic development in Topeka and Shawnee County means people building lives, businesses thriving, and neighbors tackling hard issues together. She unpacks the Partnership&apos...

Volunteers are the backbone of the Topeka Rescue Mission, helping provide everything from meals and clothing to critical support for people experiencing homelessness. In today's conversation with Suzie Paslay, Volunteer Coordinator at Topeka Rescue Mission, she shares what it takes to recruit, equip, and support thousands of volunteers, and reveals the full continuum of care that helps people...

This episode tells the story behind the Compassion Impact Center, featuring guests Barry Feaker, CEO of Compassion Strategies and La Manda Cunningham CEO of Topeka Rescue Mission. It traces how the project grew out of years of community listening, pandemic-era mobile outreach through the Moving Ahead Partnership, and the conviction that no single organization can tackle homelessness services alone...

Leadership isn’t just about making hard decisions; it’s about staying tender while carrying the weight of serving others. In this episode, La Manda Cunningham CEO of the Topeka Rescue Mission joins us for an honest conversation about burnout, comparison, staffing challenges, and the pressures of serving neighbors facing homelessness, hunger, addiction, and mental health crises. We also talk about...

What does it look like to truly serve the person right in front of us? In this episode, leaders from Topeka Rescue Mission unpack the SERVANT framework, seven biblical pillars shaping compassionate care, servant leadership, and staff culture. From empathy and dignity to truth, advocacy, healing in Christ, and trusting Jesus through difficult work, discover how these principles guide TRM’s everyday...

In this episode, La Manda Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of TRM and Miriam Krehbiel, Chief Strategy Officer of TRM, take you behind the scenes of Night of Praise, exploring how a community worship night can raise critical support while keeping people, not statistics, at the heart of the mission. They discuss avoiding mission drift, honoring the dignity of neighbors experiencing homelessness a...

 In this episode, we discuss how extreme heat is impacting our community, driving increased demand for food, water, and support at Topeka Rescue Mission. We're joined by Kathy Mosher, CEO of Astra Mental Health and Recovery, and Pam Evans, Director of Marketing and Development, to explore how Astra is expanding access to mental health services through same-day care, school-based programs, cri...

This episode explores the growing intersection of mental illness, incarceration, homelessness, and community support. Shawnee County Department of Corrections Director Brian Cole shares the realities facing the local jail, including the challenges of providing behavioral health care while preparing thousands of people each year to successfully return to the community. The conversation also highlig...

In this episode, Scott Bryant, Director of the TRM Distribution Center and Marcus Molinar, Deputy Director of Property and Security Operations discuss the Topeka Rescue Mission's Back to School Drive and why it makes a meaningful difference for local children and families. They explain the goal of providing backpacks and essential school supplies to around 400 kids across Shawnee County befor...

In this episode, Isabell Cronister and Jamie Wiegert from Topeka Rescue Mission's Trauma Education and Development program explore the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences, the lasting effects of trauma on individuals experiencing homelessness, and the reality of secondary trauma among those who serve others. They discuss why ACE scores are a tool for understanding rather than a p...

In this episode ( https://bit.ly/OCOM_EP317 ), we reflect on insights from the City Gate Network conference, where La Manda Cunningham and Miriam Krehbiel discuss the challenges of serving others and the importance of lasting change rooted in faith, collaboration, and shared purpose. Centered on the theme “All For Love,” the conversation emphasizes that while effective strategies are essential, lo...

In this episode we discuss one of Scripture’s most powerful images of grace, the father who watches in Luke 15, and what it means that he does not simply wait for his son’s return but runs to meet him. Through stories of faith, compassion, and unexpected moments of care, we explore how God calls us to see people beyond labels, beyond assumptions, and beyond their worst decisions. Sometimes the gre...

In this episode we sit down with Barry Feaker to share the remarkable story of how a collapsing shelter in 1989 led to one of the most inspiring community efforts in Topeka Rescue Mission's history. What began as a crisis became a powerful testament to faith, perseverance, and the generosity of thousands of people who came together to make the impossible possible. Send us a Message!

 What does it actually take to move someone from homelessness to lasting stability? In this episode, R.E.S.T.O.R.E co-directors Ashley Davis and Crystal Guerrero explain how Topeka Rescue Mission is reshaping homeless services through a relationship-first, trauma-informed approach that focuses on long-term support instead of short-term shelter. They walk through how the R.E.S.T.O.R.E program works...

“Just pray more” can feel like an answer… until you’re the one lying awake with anxiety, carrying grief, or absorbing trauma from the people you serve. In this episode we sit with Mike Schoettle, our Director of Spiritual Wellness and Discipleship, to talk plainly about Mental Health Awareness Month and what mental health support really looks like in a faith-based rescue mission setting. Send us a...

Safety isn’t just a statistic, it’s about trust, relationships, and whether people truly feel secure in their community. In this episode, Chief Chris Vallejo shares how he’s leading in Topeka with transparency and a strong focus on connection, while working to modernize the department and build trust. The conversation also explores how local partners respond to urgent situations affecting those ex...

In this episode we talk with Matt Fessman, Director of Main Shelter Operations at the Topeka Rescue Mission, about what pulled him from military service, banking and an unexpected layoff into faith based non-profit leadership in Topeka, Kansas. Matt shares the moment he stopped chasing the next paycheck and started chasing what God put in front of him, then how volunteering at TRM helped confirm t...

Barry Feaker talks with La Manda Cunningham and Miriam Krehbiel from the Topeka Rescue Mission about their 2025 annual report and what it reveals about homelessness in Topeka. They break down key numbers, like over 1,200 guests, over 81,000 shelter nights, and more than 600,000 meals served, while exploring the human stories behind them. The conversation highlights longer shelter stays, rising dis...

We chat with GiDeanLeigh Ogilvie from Phoenix Rescue Mission to explore how partnerships can turn homelessness response into a shared community effort rather than a siloed one. We see that profit and purpose are able to feed into each other and that businesses can do good, while doing well. The conversation highlights how collaboration with local organizations, churches, and businesses builds trus...

This week we talk with leaders from Astra Mental Health and Recovery about the work they're doing and the strong partnership TRM has with them. Our guests explain why the merger between Valeo and Family Service & Guidance Center to form Astra is more than administrative. It reshapes access to care across the lifespan of individuals. The conversation breaks down what community support real...

On this week's episode, we talk with the key players of the new Compassion Impact Center. The Center is a bold step toward replacing a fragmented system with a single location where people can actually get help. Instead of sending individuals and families through a maze of referrals, the Center brings key services together under one roof at the Topeka Rescue Mission's Children's Pal...