For Evansville

Hear Logan's talk on the value of art and beauty in a flourishing city, recorded at the January 2022 Imagine Evansville event in downtown Evansville. The second Imagine Evansville event is coming September 15th! Learn more and get your ticket at www.forevansville.org/imagine We'll be back to our regular podcast episodes in a few weeks to talk about our city's needs and dreams highlighted in our up...

It feels good to volunteer, but sometimes, the things we do to help have unintended consequences. In this episode, we sit down with Gina Gibson, CEO of the Evansville Christian Life Center, and Catherine King, CharityTracker Manager to talk about the idea of toxic charity - what is it, and how do we find ways to give our neighbors a hand up, not a handout? Together we explore what makes helping me...

Plants in space, vertical farming and growing produce in your house Keurig-style seems straight out of a science fiction novel. But it’s actually straight out of Evansville. Today’s guest, Scott Massey, is the co-founder and CEO of GroPod. Using his understanding of technology and agriculture, GroPod wants to give people the tools and knowledge to empower everyone to grow pure produce in their hom...

In a time where our country seems more focused on our differences, we want to share a story of how an Evangelical leader and a political leader (specifically, the openly gay mayor of Portland, Oregon) realized they could do a lot of good together. In our interview with Kevin Palau, he talks about how despite their differences, both communities had to learn that you don’t have to sacrifice what you...

The phrase "Preschool to Prison Pipeline" sounds pretty alarming. Fortunately, we have a lot of great organizations and individuals, like our guest Joann Hunter, walking alongside kids to disrupt the systemic problems that cause a pipeline like this to happen. But it doesn't end there. You can also help disrupt the pipeline by getting involved, or as Joann puts it, just showing up. Love disrupts e...

Despite being torn down 9 years ago, Roberts Stadium is still talked about as Evansville's beloved arena. But if you loved Roberts Stadium, does that mean you have to hate the Ford Center? In this episode, we talk about why people still love talking about Roberts Stadium, constructive criticism vs. complaining, and a healthy way to think about our city as it changes and grows. We'd love to hear fr...

You read the title correctly - this week our guest, Ubi Ntewo talks about not only why we should discuss politics, religion, and other hard topics with people, but why it’s necessary. Ubi himself covers some pretty hard pills to swallow in this conversation like why you shouldn’t actually “agree to disagree” and that pastors should be unified in their theology. If you’re part of Evansville’s faith...

Take a quiz with us! In this Episode, we test our Evansville knowledge by taking Evansville Living Magazine's "How well do you know Evansville?" quiz. We were surprised at Evansville's contribution to the world! After the quiz, we wrap up by discussing why it's actually important to know things about our city. Spoiler alert - you can't love what you don't know. Let us know how you did, or any othe...

“Our ceiling is their floor.” Theophilus Akai hails from Ghana, West Africa, and after living in multiple states in the U.S., he settled in Evansville - and loves it! Theo has a passion for music and creating spaces for people, especially kids, to learn and grow. His thoughtful commentary on exposing kids to all sorts of opportunities, not just music, inspired us to dream of ways we can invest in...

If you were riding on an elevator with someone and they asked you to describe Evansville, what would you say in that one minute? The For Evansville team kicks off season 2 by discussing what makes Evansville unique, why it’s important to highlight problems, and looking forward to this upcoming season. Show Notes The Grippos Episode   Randy Hobson’s interview   State of E Report   Sh...

We hope you've enjoyed Season 1 as much as we have, and we hope the conversations you've heard have motivated you to pursue the flourishing of our city in new ways. In this final episode, Ross and Jonathan share about For Evansville's mission, initiatives, and goals for 2022, as well as what you can look forward to in the next season of the podcast. Thanks for listening! Do you have a story or gue...

“Just after 6 o’clock in the morning. It’s 25 degrees. It’s cold. I didn’t sleep all that well. I’m exhausted…It’d be a very different experience if I didn’t know this was going to end.” That was the perspective of State Representative Ryan Hatfield as he participated in Aurora’s Homeless Experience Project. In this episode, Aurora’s Executive Director Zac Heronemus talks with us about his 48 hour...

To like the neighborhood you live in, you have to like the actual people that live there - your neighbors. And to like them, you have to know them. Sometimes it seems harder than it sounds, so that’s why we asked Dan Sullivan, expert on being a good neighbor (we gave him that title), to join us this week. From simple, practical stories of starting conversations to genuinely loving Evansville and r...

Being involved with over 26 local non-profits, our guest Lisa Vaughan has a good pulse on the needs and dreams of our city. During the quarantine, she used that knowledge to shed a light on one of Evansville’s biggest needs - food insecurity. After making a lot of phone calls and bringing people together, Feed Evansville was born, working together with community organizations to provide boxes of f...

Although the origins to Grippo's have no known connection to the city of Evansville, Indiana, the Bar-B-Q Potato Chip product is incredibly popular there, and has become a significant part of the local culture. “Grippos.” wikipedia.com, 09 September 2021, wikipedia.com/grippos. We’re not sure about you, but we were pretty shocked when we found out that Grippo’s BBQ potato chips aren’t actually mad...

Part of our vision is that Evansville becomes a place where everyone has work that provides community value and individual purpose. That’s why we wanted to sit down and talk with Amy Bouchie - she is a great example of how this idea plays out in her own life. It wasn’t always like that for her, so in this episode, Amy shares with us her journey from seeing her career as just a job, to viewing it a...

We're launching this episode a few days early in celebration of HOLA Evansville's Latino Festival this weekend (August 28)! We don't often think of Evansville as a multicultural city, but in Marisela's words: "Wrong! We've got it! We've got it here!" She's been doing great work celebrating, exposing, and just genuinely enjoying the different cultures and people groups represented in Evansville. Wi...

Sometimes we don't find ourselves in a dream job, but for Lane Young, it's the personal connections and impact you have with people that matters most. In this episode, we talk about looking at the bigger picture of your vocation, the importance of bringing others along with you, and why living in a city on a river is pretty cool.    IN THIS EPISODE:  Lane Young, Executive Director o...

“If we think about death, then we think about how we’re going to live.” In this episode, we sit down with Social Worker, Therapist, Counselor and co-founder of What Matters Most, Evansville? Andrea Lanz. She walks us through her unique story about how she went from wanting to never live in Evansville again to loving it. She’s passionate about coping with and preparing for various life transitions,...

As Evansville foodies ourselves, we love talking about pizza and donuts just as much as anyone. And maybe that was a little bit of our motivation for bringing Founder and Owner of Pangea and 2nd Language, Randy Hobson, on our show. But what we weren't expecting was to meet a guy who loves our city and cares so much about its people and culture, that he figured out a way to bring his passions and c...

We've wrapped up the first half of our season, so Ross, Jonathan, and Adrienne are taking this short episode to recap what topics we've covered (that's where the quiz comes in). But we're not just looking back - we're really excited about the second half of this season, so we talk about the new direction our podcast is taking and why. Let us know what has stood out to you so far!

Our city's economy impacts every person and organization in Evansville in important and complex ways. What does it really take to grow the economic pie so that there's more to go around? Ross and Adrienne talk with two experts from the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership to learn more. IN THIS EPISODE: Greg Wathen, Co-CEO of Evansville Regional Economic Partnership Audrie Burkett, Evansville...

In this episode, we learn how quality places, nurturing relationships, and thriving startups contribute to the flourishing of our city. IN THIS EPISODE: Candace Chapman , Executive Director of Downtown Evansville Development Corporation Bob Myer , Entrepreneur, Investor, and Board Member at Elevate Ventures

What if the most important question you had to answer today was, "Where are we going to live next, since we can't stay here?" In this episode an academic and a practitioner help us understand what life is like for someone experiencing housing insecurity - and how that person's circumstances directly affect the flourishing of our city. GUESTS: Eric Cummings Executive Director of Community One Dr. M...

Imagine living in a house that's missing a window or an apartment where the electricity in the kitchen doesn't work. Due to a lack of safe, affordable housing, many families in Evansville are paying more than they can afford to live in unsafe conditions. In this episode we learn what's being done about it, and how you can be part of the solution. GUESTS: Serita Cabell Executive Director at Memoria...