Rescuers radio show

What began as a project to spotlight people making a difference in our community grew far beyond initial expectations. When Art Brooks sat behind a mic for the first Rescuers show in 2020, COVID had just closed down workplaces across the country. It was not an auspicious time to start a new project, but it was the ideal time to introduce stories that would bring light and hope into a troubled era....

Unplanned pregnancies create a wealth of challenges. For the woman who is expecting. For the father, regardless of the circumstances. For the family, and for the community. Choices Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix was founded with the vision of serving the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of women and families who are in crisis because of an unplanned pregnancy. Choices is one...

It’s an intergenerational project that connects our country’s veterans and high school students who together build relationships and immortalize priceless memories. Michelle DiMuro leads Imprints of Honor, whose mission is to recognize veterans, preserve America’s heritage, and develop students as future leaders. Bridging the gap between civilian and military life, they strive to...

When an individual goes missing or is the victim of a violent crime, the entire family suffers. And when that case lingers without resolution, the pain can impact generations. Kelly Crockett is an instructor of Forensic Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. Her passion is cold cases, rooted in service to her community, to victims, and to the families who are still waiting fo...

Advance Community specializes in care, love and concern for people – beginning with the Latino community in Phoenix more than 50 years ago, and now serving in seven countries in Mexico, Latin and South America. Committed to transforming lives in communities both locally and globally, the organization focuses on improving health outcomes for under-resourced communities through nutrition,&nbsp...

It haunted her. When Elizabeth Ayers-Cluff was diagnosed with her first round of breast cancer, she was grateful for her circle of friends who provided her with support and hope. They walked with her through treatment, remission, and the countless challenges, and treatments, including nine failed reconstruction surgeries. But she was haunted thinking about other women on a similar journey without...

There are many services for the unhoused in the Valley. But Pastor Jackie Parks saw the need in her own community, and couldn't wait for someone else to reach out. She and the members of her church created Community House to provide community, dignity, and hope for neighbors in need. What makes them different is their focus on relationships and hospitality, They support people in their journey to...

 Rodney Smith is the Community Outreach Manager for TigerMountain Foundation, an organization formed to help build flourishing neighborhood gardens ... and so much more. It helps build genuine self-value and competency in participants that enables people to rise above poverty. The program uses gardening to touch lives in many ways, to:  Restore pride in a community through beautification...

Vera Marinez’s sister had Down’s Syndrome. In 1963, the family left Pennsylvania for the drier climate of Arizona. There were no services for her sister, so her mother – Mary Lees – made that her passion. She began several programs, including bringing Special Olympics to the state, and started the Special Services Section for the city of Phoenix. One of those projects was t...

What began with a shoebox and a vision is now a healthcare operation that completes more than 63,000 medical appointments every year by meeting those facing homelessness where they are. Circle the City was founded by Sister Adele O’Sullivan in 2010, when she began caring for people on the street. Supporters offered donations to cover the cost of medical supplies, and she stored the cash in a...

Chances are, you've lost someone close to you from cancer.  That happened to Jennifer Caraway when she lost her dear friend Joy Seitz-Butts to ovarian cancer. Jennifer showed her love by delivering home-cooked meals to Joy during her illness, and this act of compassion not only nourished the family's bodies but also kindled their spirits. This experience inspired Jennifer to create "The Joy B...

Jonathon Basurto likes to brag on the Lord. And he has a lot of opportunities these days, as principal of the first Christian classical dual language K-12 school in the nation. Jonathon is a fifth-generation Tucsonan, descended from family who were ranchers in the area even before Arizona became a state. He loves his community and talks about how desperately the Spanish-speaking residents had pray...

Darryl Brandt is no stranger to hardship. In the span of a single, devastating month, he lost his father, his family, his business … and his sense of peace. Known as The Dreaded Barber —a nod to both his hairstyle and his craft—Darryl faced deep depression in the aftermath. When he began to find his footing again, he made a deliberate choice: to turn his pain into purpose. As he...

More than 20 years ago, he was honored as a “Living Legend.” In the following 23 years, Dr. Warren H. Stewart, Sr. has continued to change this world for the better. Congenial and warm as always, Pastor Stewart looks back at his time in ministry, as a respected civic rights leader, proponent of immigration reform, social justice, equality, and at his 48 years serving as pastor at the h...

When she took the reins of the Assistance League of Phoenix in 2012, Aimee Runyon was the first executive director in the history of the organization that had served the community – totally run by volunteers – since 1960. She was recruited by another organization briefly but returned to the Assistance League in time to escort the nonprofit into another new era as they disaffiliated fro...

Jacque Salomon was lost. Her 11-year-old son had just died following a severe allergic reaction to a prescribed pharmaceutical. She and her other children were reeling, fighting their own health issues. But she found an answer. Through a whole plant foods lifestyle, meditation, yoga, and psycho-spiritual remediation, she and her boys rediscovered health, and in the process, rediscovered themselves...

Ted Taylor is a small-town kid. He grew up in Globe, AZ, raising animals in 4-H and passionate about the debate team. As an adult he’s worn many hats, working in the cotton business, for an aerospace company, a law firm, construction business, and in healthcare technology. But 15 years ago, he found his true calling – as CEO of Family Promise-Greater Phoenix, a shelter for unhoused fam...

Jana Ferraro earned a double major in biology and criminal justice, but her heart for service pulled her into the nonprofit world. Now her job is making sure other organizations have the right tool for the job. The Phoenix ToolBank is a nonprofit tool lending program that provides fellow nonprofit organizations with year-round access to an inventory of tools to use in volunteer projects and mainte...

Mary Kaech’s first experience with refugees was spending time with the “Lost Boys” from South Sudan. From there began a growing respect, deep friendships, and a passion for seeing these new neighbors not just survive, but thrive. That passion led to mobilizing with others to build a community where our refugee neighbors could belong. She got involved with the young organization,...

Harold Grandstaff Moses likes to say he grew up under a grand piano. His mother – a concert pianist – helped instill a love of music in Harold that shaped his life. Harold is a composer, pianist, violist, choir director, and lecturer. But his greatest gift to the world is as co-founder of The Institute of Harmonic Science, and the therapeutic use of music and the power of the voice to...

Jeff Coury had a vision of helping foster youth living in group homes – he wanted them to become “the heroes of their own lives.” He got together with a couple of friends, and in 2023 the Fostering Heroes Foundation was born. The focus is to deliver mentorship, life skills and experiences to provide kids aging out of the foster system with the skills, beliefs, encouragement &ndas...

We sometimes think the issues raised through growing technology as a negative. But Jared Bodine leads an organization that addresses the challenge of castoff computers, and creates a win/win/win situation, by refurbishing them, reusing them, recycling parts, and doing it all while teaching students marketable skills. In the past year alone, Arizona Students Recycling Used Technology – AZ StR...

Kimberly Vehon is the proud mom of seven children, four of whom experienced Arizona’s foster care system. She’s also the grateful wife to an amazing husband that supports and encourages her to dream big and change the world. As a foster parent who was preparing to adopt, Kimberly was haunted by the reality of more than 13,000 children still waiting in foster care. Then one day during h...

Lauren Daniels was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35 when her youngest child was just one month old. She had to have three surgeries over a four month span of time, and there were many challenging days during her recovery. She wasn’t able to lift her baby for months after her surgeries. Despite all that, just six months after her diagnosis she founded the Happily Ever After League (HEAL...

Sam Fowler once began a student body president election speech in sixth grade by saying, “I’d like to demonstrate my greatest skill.” Then, he stood there and said nothing. “Listening. That’s right, listening,” were the next words out of his mouth. Since that time, he’s been listening to people tell their stories… and then encouraging them find ways...