Rescuers radio show

The world’s first food bank. Those are startling words, and the story behind them is both encouraging and inspiring. Jerry Brown – who served as a sportswriter in Arizona for 25 years before joining St. Mary’s Food Bank as the organization's first director of public relations – shares that story and his own journey. St. Mary’s feeds 250,000 people EACH DAY, across 76,...

Cindy DeMaio noticed one night her daughter Rachel's bedroom light was on much later than it should have been for a school night. When she opened the door, she rushed to hold Rachel just before the 17-year-old took her final breath. Her parents knew Rachel had been drawn into the world of drugs, and were struggling to find her the help she needed. But the cocaine she took that night was laced with...

Life has it challenges. Sometimes, a person can have more than what seems like their fair share. Some might say that about Rhonda Cagle.  She’s lived through the loss of her husband, just 18 days following his cancer diagnosis. She nearly lost her daughter. She fell in love and married again, only to come close to losing her husband to COVID. And she herself is a survivor of Stage III b...

Arthur Mobley has been a part of the broadcasting industry for the past 50 years, and during that time he’s touched thousands of lives. From his time on the air in front of a mic, to starting the first black-owned radio station in Phoenix, having an inventor’s mind, being a civil rights advocate and creating innovative programs in advertising and management, he has left an indelible ma...

Mark Householder was a member of the University of Cincinnati football team when he attended his first Athletes in Action meeting on campus. It changed his life. Today, he’s president of the organization, changing other lives not just in the U.S., but around the world. Athletes in Action (AIA) is a global sports ministry, building spiritual movements through the platform of sport. Athletes e...

Picture a terrified lost dog, darting in and out of traffic, sleeping under brush in the desert, driven by fear to the point where it won’t allow anyone near. Its flight drive is so powerful it doesn’t even recognize its owner. Enter H.A.R.T.T. – the Humane Animal Rescue and Trapping Team, a volunteer-based Arizona nonprofit that finds and captures lost family pets, homeless dogs...

For nearly 50 years, Child Crisis Arizona has not only been there to support the community’s most vulnerable children experiencing abuse or neglect, but also to help strengthen families, build resiliency and prevent crisis situations. Torrie Taj leads the organization with a passion to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect, both by providing children and youth a safe environment, and cr...

Jesus + nothing. Gary Kinnaman's core message is that we don't need to "add" anything to Jesus to change the world. From early believers in the New Testament who first thought Jesus followers should be circumcised, to the myriad "additions" individuals and organizations want to make today, Jesus is ultimately all we need. Gary is an internationally respected pastor, author, and speaker. In more th...

LaKisha Deon and her husband were living at an air force base in the United Kingdom 13 years ago when she felt a calling to join God in transforming cities around the world. Three years later when the couple moved to Arizona, she learned about 4Tucson, a nonprofit designed to unite and mobilize Christians as they addressed systemic problems in the city. Today, as the organization’s CEO, she...

Inseong Kim is a woman with many talents and many passions, but they all focus on changing lives for Christ. Born in Seoul, she came to the U.S. at 23, and earned a B.S. in actuarial science from The Ohio State University, and recently completed the Harvard Executive Business Analytics program. Her heart though, is rooted in her faith. She is working toward a degree in Biblical and Theological Stu...

Marc Lucas has made a career as a pastor and a speaker. Over the past 20 years he has listened to men share about their needs and challenges, and helped them to find solutions and peace. Ultimately he realized his true calling was as a faith-based mentor and coach for families. In a culture that demands we conform, perform, be cut-throat competitive, strive to “pull ourselves up by our boots...

Sarah Levin has always felt called both to serve others, and to work in the medical field. It’s been her dream to combine both, and she’s been able to do that in her 18-year career at the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In her role as National Vice President of Community Events, Levin serves with the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with neuromuscular disease...

He’s been called one of the best athletes to ever play the game of football. But J.D. Hill’s greatest accomplishments were still before him. J.D. excelled not just in football, but also lettered in baseball and track in college, an NCAA record that still stands today. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and also played for the Detroit Lions. But after his pro career came years of personal struggle...

Every life matters. Yet once every 11 minutes, someone in the U.S. takes their own life. As president of the board of directors for the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition, Nikki Kontz leads the charge in providing resources and education to support individuals, families, and communities impacted by suicide. The organization is comprised of a diverse group of mental health leaders, educators, hea...

It’s estimated nearly 7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and the ripple effects of the disease impacts families from all walks of life. As executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association – Desert Southwest Chapter, Terri Spitz is on the front lines of battling the disease and working to accelerate global research, drive risk reduction and early detection, and maximize quality care and support...

Kelli O’Toole has dedicated her career to serving others. From working at Central Arizona Shelter Services to  being COO for STARS (Scottsdale Training and Rehabilitation Services), she has found her passion and her calling in working to help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities as CEO of The Opportunity Tree. The organization has touched lives for 60 years – there are 75 people...

David Johnson says his greatest joy in life is inspiring men to take their walk with Christ seriously. He is also a student at Phoenix Seminary and when people ask what his goals are he says he wants to become a better foot-washer. And why does he call himself “the worst men’s ministry volunteer ever?” Tune in and find out! Original air date: October 31, 2024 See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Josie Brandon had a profound spiritual encounter at age 7 that would be the foundation of her life calling. Today, she uses her gifts to help people break free from trauma, brokenness, and repeating life patterns from abuse to addiction. Josie provides a safe, judgment-free space for participants to discover self-love and the love of God. Click here to learn more about Pain to Promise workshops: w...

Patti Luttrell was starting a great career as a pediatric nurse when she overheard a family in the hospital who had just lost their young daughter to cancer. In the midst of their heart-wrenching grief, they were also burdened by not having the gas money to make the two-hour drive back to their home. She started thinking about all the ways families whose children were dealing with cancer struggled...

The impact of traumatic events in a person’s life are far-reaching. The approach to helping them has historically been “what’s wrong with you?” Trauma-Informed Care changes that question to “what’s happened to you?” Dr. Robert Rhoton has focused his career in the mental health field in developing and teaching others how to help hurting people. He founded the Arizona Trauma Institute to train other...

Arizona has the 12th highest poverty rate in the country – more than 19 percent of the state’s children live in poverty. Kelly McGowan leads an organization designed to not only help those who need it most, but works to prevent poverty in families throughout the state. Originally known as the Arizona Community Action Association when the organization started in 1967, Kelly led the effort six years...

Stacey Womack has a heart for the survivors of domestic violence. And she also wants to help those who commit that violence who are seeking to change. After years of homeschooling her six kids, in she felt a calling and in 1997 Stacey  formed Abuse Recovery Ministry Services (ARMS), leading it to become a nationally and internationally recognized force in the battle against domestic violence. The...

Movement.org has two primary foundations: a commitment to cities and a commitment to prayer. When Josh Miles joined Movement.org at the first of the year, he came alongside founder Mac Pier. Among many other projects, Mac co-founded the first Movement Day in 2010 with pastor and author Dr. Tim Keller. Josh was chosen for his post in part due to his balanced background both in the faith and busines...

Who knew that a movie released 29 years ago would change the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids by giving them the opportunity to learn and play music in school? Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation was inspired by the acclaimed motion picture of the same name, based on the true story of the impact a dedicated music teacher had on generations of students. Composer Michael Kamen, who wrote the score f...

Brad Schneeflock knows first-hand the impact faith can have on students, so it comes as no surprise that he has dedicated himself to helping others make that same discovery. So when he got a calling to move 1,500 miles to the Seattle-Tacoma area, he and family – including his wife Rainy and the four of their seven kids still living at home – said yes. He accepted a mission with Northwest Collegiat...