Lift the Spirit: a DEMDACO Podcast

Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones are joined by Monic House, the COO of Harvesters a Food Bank in Kansas City. Monic talks about her journey, the work of Harvesters, and how the face of hunger is all of us. Click on the link to learn more about Harvesters, and ways you can get involved. https://www.harvesters.org

Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones were joined by Patty Iba, the artist behind our Emo the Octopus, Yet the Yeti, and How to BEE.  We had a great time hearing about her life as an artist, and how she got connected with DEMDACO.

A follow up conversation with Rayanna Byers, owner of Messenger Gifts in Baton Rouge, LA. This is the fifth year for her Giving Bear Giveaway that brings comfort, love, and joy to children and families in the greater Baton Rouge area.

Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones are joined by Father Justin Mathews with Reconciliation Services in Kansas City. Hear what RS is doing to address the root causes and symptoms of poverty and trauma in Kansas City. Hear about Thelma's Kitchen, their Pay It Forward restaurant, and the licensed therapy they offer to the community. Visit them at https://www.rs3101.org/mission

Join co-hosts Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to hear from Alyssa Tucker and Greg Dunbar, the creators of Live From Snack Time. Live From Snack Time is an amazing and hilarious collection of children's quotes that capture the honesty, humor, and randomness of how kids see the world.  Here their story and how LFST has grown to over 800,000 followers on Instagram. www.livefromsnacktime.com

Aaron and Jonathan are joined by Jenny Kutz and Michelle Lawrence with KVC Health Systems to talk about their work with childhood mental health and foster care. KVC Health Systems  is a family of private, nonprofit organizations that strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and help people achieve mental health wellness. Through our broad continuum of care, we are proud to be a nation...

SevenDays founder Mindy Corporon joins the Lift the Spirit podcast to talk about the power of kindness, and how she turned a devastating tragedy into a transformative movement. Find more about SevenDays at www.sevendays.org

Broadway actor Ben Jeffrey joins Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to talk about the magic of theater, and how he found himself starring as Pumbaa in Lion King only four months after arriving in New York.

Grammy winning guest Charlie Peacock joins Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to talk about the power of music, its role in our lives, and his 50+ year career in the music industry. Find out more about Charlie Peacock here: https://www.charliepeacock.com

Braden's Hope is nonprofit in Kansas City that helps fund pediatric cancer research. Founder Deliece Hofen, Azure Miller, and Jake Jacobson join Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to talk about this amazing story, and the work they're doing to help children and families deal with the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. Find out more at https://bradenshope.org

Amy Allison joins Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to talk about the work The Farmer's House, a non profit in Kansas City who works with people with developmental disabilities. https://www.thefarmershouse.org

Brookwood In Georgetown or BiG provides meaningful work and community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their Mission is to provide a God-centered, innovative vocational and residential community for adults with disabilities, and to change the way the world views this population. Aaron and Jonathan speak with founder Erin Kiltz and Robin Gilleland to hear more about this...

Author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner is the award-winning creator of the  EngiNerds  series of Middle Grade novels, the  Geeger the Robot  series of early chapter books, the activity books  Give This Book a Title  and  Give This Book a Cover ,  The Hunger Heroes  series of graphic novel chapter books, and the  Nat the Cat  series of early readers, the first of which was named an ALSC/ALA 2024 Notable...

Susan Lordi, the artist best known for Willow Tree®, joins Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to talk about art and its role in our lives. Sue describes her childhood influences as well as some of her most meaningful career moments.

Coffee and coffee shops in particular play big role in many communities. In this episode Isaac Hodges, VP of Collective Growth; Market Ambassador for FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective, joins Aaron Heim and Jonathan Jones to talk about coffee, work, parenting, and much more! FairWave Coffee Collective is a group of specialty coffee companies based in Kansas City, Minneapolis and Milwaukee. At th...

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim are joined by Dr. Nicole Price to talk about the importance of empathy in healthy relationships and organizations. Dr. Price lives in Kansas City and is the Founder and CEO of Lively Paradox, a leadership development company. They specialize in empathetic and inclusive training for organizations. www.livelyparadox.com

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim are joined by Dayton Moore and Matt Fulks to talk about leadership, mentoring, and life lessons learned from playing baseball. Dayton was formerly the General Manager of the Kansas City Royals leading them to back to back World Series--winning it all the second time. C You In the Major Leagues is a mentoring program for high school students in the Kans...

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim are joined by Lori Siebert. Lori has loved art since childhood. She is a licensed artist with DEMDACO, as well as many other companies in the gift industry. She has also worked with the Children's Hospital of Cincinnati. Several years ago, Lori and some other partners formed ArtBiz Jam--an annual gathering of artists specifically to teach them how...

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim are joined by Rayanna Messenger who owns a gift shop called Messenger's Gift in Baton Rouge, LA. Rayanna is a cancer survivor. Listen to her story of dealing with cancer and finding a way to give back too her community with DEMDACO's Giving Bears.

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim are joined by Nicki Johnson, the Director of Volunteer Services and In-Kind Gifts at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and Steve Hower, the Director of Corporate Relations at Heart to Heart International, a relief organization based in Lenexa, KS.

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim discuss products that helped shape our Mission. This began with Willow Tree® and continues with our Giving Collection. This episode was recorded on February 21, 2023. www.demdaco.com

In this episode Jonathan Jones and Aaron Heim discuss DEMDACO's Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Values, and how each of those help guide the company. This episode was recorded on February 1, 2023. www.demdaco.com

Welcome to the very first episode of DEMDACO's Lift the Spirit podcast. In this episode you'll hear about how DEMDACO began, some of our key stories, and what we're hoping for in this podcast. This episode was recorded on January 18, 2023. www.demdaco.com