Impactually

In New York Harbor, oysters once shaped the shoreline, filtered the water, and anchored an entire ecosystem before overharvesting, dredging, and pollution nearly erased them. This episode of Impactually explores how the Billion Oyster Project and SCAPEStudio are helping New York rethink coastal resilience through restoration, design, and education throughout the city's waterways. From Governors Is...

Episode Description In Kitsap County, Washington — home to one of the largest veteran populations in America — nearly one in five adults has worn a uniform. Yet veterans make up roughly 12 percent of the county's homeless population, caught between rising housing costs and incomes that simply can't keep pace. In a place where a studio apartment can cost more than an entire month of Social Security...

Episode Description When seven-year-old Warren Carlyle slipped away from his classmates on a field trip and locked eyes with an octopus, he had no idea that moment would change his life—or the way thousands of people see the ocean. Diagnosed with ADHD and autism, Warren grew up chasing information about octopuses, only to find almost nothing written about them. Years later, he realized he could us...

Champale Green-Anderson wasn't raised with wealth, but she remembers goodness all around her in north St. Louis. Today, through her grassroots effort called  Sweetie and her organization Champ's Teardrops, she's become a vital neighbor and champion for the children of Penrose who face hunger and poverty. This encore episode of Impactually revisits one of our most-loved stories about how one woman'...

What happens when a language is on the brink of extinction, and a group of high school students decides to do something about it? In this episode of Impactually, we follow teacher Mark Eastburn and his students as they build a robot designed to help preserve the endangered Mam language for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. Their innovation opens the door to a global conversation about vu...

Puerto Rico's beaches hold both breathtaking beauty and heartbreaking reality. With an estimated 650,000 stray dogs struggling to survive, The Sato Project has become a beacon of hope. In this episode of Impactually, we share the powerful story of a grassroots movement born on "Dead Dog Beach" and how it grew into a national model for sustainable animal rescue and community care. Our Guests: Chris...

Discover how wrestling is transforming lives beyond the gym in this inspiring episode about Beat the Streets Chicago . Through the discipline, grit, and mentorship found on the mat, this nonprofit is empowering Chicago's youth to become Life Champions on and off the mat. Join us as we explore how wrestling is being used as a powerful tool for character-building, education, and community resilience...

Episode Summary: A storm hits harder than expected. You reach higher ground, but safety is fleeting. Then comes the sound that changes everything. The story follows the Ground Force Humanitarian Aid Organization—a volunteer-powered, data-driven response team born from the chaos of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey. With speed and precision, Ground Force mobilizes nationwide to rescue and support the m...

Discover the transformative power of green roofs as we explore their environmental, social, and economic impact on urban landscapes. Join us as we interview Tonya Gayle, Executive Director of Green City Force, and Amy Falder, Co-founder of New York Green Roofs, to learn about their innovative strategies and the inspiring stories behind this movement. Key Takeaways: Environmental Impact: Green roof...

Target explores the unexpected world of disc golf and its positive impact on a beloved Chicago community. We meet Tommy Ingles , the founder of Hyde Park Disc Golf, who discovered a passion for the sport during the pandemic and used it to revitalize Jackson Park, an historically rich and local green space. Key Takeaways: Disc golf is a fun, accessible, and environmentally friendly activity for all...

Description: This episode explores the challenges and opportunities faced by formerly incarcerated individuals re-entering society. We meet Philip Cooper, a force for good who is changing the reentry landscape through his organization, Operation Gateway. Key Takeaways: Second Chances Matter: Philip's story highlights the importance of providing opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration fo...

For one woman in Illinois watching the horrors of 9/11 on her television sparked her own personal call to action. Surely, she thought, New York City hospitals would be in great demand for blood donations and as a young, physically active mother of four – donating blood was the least she felt she could do. But an unexpected low-grade fever turned into something much worse, changing her life and bol...

What animals bring to society – to our families, into our homes or our work – is priceless. But sometimes, their lives don't start out or end up so great. From Houston to Wisconsin, for two women, their passions in life have come as a calling and they care for souls, both two and four-footed, with a love and patience focused to bring, heal or resurrect life. It's called Rescued and our story start...

For one woman in Teton County, Wyoming, education exposed her to concepts and truths about nutrition's roll in the health of our communities. A most unconventional date with a guy named Alex piqued her interest – refocusing her life's work path to non-profit food rescue. It's called Dumpster and our story starts here.

For one couple, the quest for a little extra space turned into an improbable journey that centers around the tucked away history of a small house with a captain, and a very special young girl. This episode shares the benefits of historic preservation through the story of the Captain Timothy Hill House on Chincoteague Island, VA. It's called The Jennie Effect and our story starts here.

There is a group of passionate volunteers who feel SO strongly about the Mountain State finding hope that they are collectively writing a new narrative and bolstering their imagination from the inside out.

From his work with local nuns looking for answers about their barren apple trees to his consulting with golf courses in natural habitat management to classrooms, and his own design workshop - he is a true beeliever in the good story - the gospel of abundance as taught by bees and he's helping protect Wisconsin's beloved pollinators. It's called BEHOLD and our story starts here.

She sent out an all-points-bulletin to 55 Michigan women - musicians, vocalists, and recording engineers, to gather virtually from across the state. They banded together to demand equality by paying homage to a woman who was among the first to break glass ceilings in the recording industry. It's called RESPECT and our story starts here.

For two Jewish women whose parents miraculously survived the Holocaust, storytelling as a means of remembering the tales of horror and heroism are part of their family legacies. While their stories of loss and survival are different, they are bonded in their work as active voices of the Second Generation. It's called "Testimony," and our story starts here. Sponsored by: Am Shalom of Glencoe, IL an...

We may call nurses humanitarian super heroes for any number of reasons, but at the end of the day they are people just like the rest of us. For one nurse who for decades has been a champion and advocate for her patients and their families through some tough medical therapies – even death, the reality of COVID is beyond her imagination. For another, nursing was not where his career began, but a shi...

Maria Yuan learned the meaning of democratic civic engagement by witnessing the journey of her immigrant family and how they embraced their duties as new American citizens. For another, Emma Welsh-Huggins, it was a college experience: a broad range of social science studies and a keen eye to the benefits of civic engagement. It's called "Now what?" and our story starts here. Sponsored by: JLB Imag...

Imagine, or maybe you don't have to, caring for a dependent with a sensory processing disorder. In the United States alone 1 in 20 people - children, teens and adults, experience some degree of difficulty filtering information from one or more of their heightened seven senses. An overload of stimuli to their sight, hearing, sense of touch, taste and smell, balance and body awareness, become stress...

Modern philanthropy is known as the powerful impact of kindness directed towards stranger, setting out to improve the human experience. Put giving and wealth together, these two very complimentary instruments allow us to address and work to answer global issues creatively, constructively and with purpose. But with giving patterns focused on 60+ US population and each averaging only two donations e...

This is a true, ongoing story of David versus Goliath. Of a tiny, 100-year-old Baptist church that – like David, stands alone in stark contrast to its neighbors – a towering apartment building to one side and a parking lot and open construction site to the other where church elders decry desecration of the remains of their enslaved African ancestors. For an unrelenting parishioner and her team, th...

What if a large cappuccino could significantly change a person's life. Sound implausible? Think again. For one woman, opening a small restaurant staffed by at-risk youth was her first step in mending a hole in the social justice system. It's called Brewed and our story starts here.