Rochester Speaks

JoAnne Ryan, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Rochester, joins the show ahead of Bee a Hero Day this Friday to share what the day is all about and how the community can get involved. JoAnne shares what it looks like when a family arrives at the house, sometimes with nothing but the clothes on their back after a child has been mercy flighted to the hospital, and how Ronald McDonald House...

Barry Howard, President and CEO of the Webster Chamber of Commerce, and Barb Baldwin join the show to walk through everything changing for 2027 during annual enrollment season, and remind Rochester area residents that expert guidance is available at no cost through RocEnroll Health. Barry explains which major carriers are leaving the Monroe County Medicare market for 2027, what the new $2,400 drug...

Sheriff Todd Baxter and Ron Billitier, board member and pig roast chair of the Monroe County Sheriff's Foundation, join the show to talk about the annual pig roast coming up October 18th from noon to 4pm at Tony D's, and why the foundation's work matters more than most people realize. Sheriff Baxter shares what the foundation actually funds that taxpayers do not cover, including mental health and...

Katlyn Newberry, Community Outreach Coordinator at the Cancer Services Program of the Finger Lakes, returns to Rochester Speaks during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to talk about four upcoming Saturday screening opportunities and why getting a mammogram this fall could be one of the most important things you do all year. Katlyn shares why early detection changes everything, what to watch for betwe...

Albert Nocciolino, producer and presenter for the Rochester Broadway Theater League, joins the show to talk about Boop!, the brand new Broadway musical making its national touring debut right here in Rochester October 3rd through 10th at West Herr Auditorium Theatre. Albert shares why Rochester was chosen to open the tour, what the economic impact looks like when 100 cast and crew members spend fo...

Krista Jackson, board member of Embrace Your Sisters, joins the show to celebrate the organization's 20th anniversary and talk about the 15th annual Positively Pink in Pittsford Walk happening Sunday October 4th at Pittsford Sutherland High School. Krista shares how Embrace Your Sisters has quietly given away nearly $1 million in emergency financial assistance to breast cancer patients across 13 c...

Brian Keene, Director of Facilities and Special Projects, and Whitney Snead, Director of Development at the House of Mercy, join the show to talk about a major new Medicaid program that is quietly changing the way Rochester's most vulnerable residents get help and why eligible people need to act now. Brian explains how the New York State Social Care Network came to be, why the House of Mercy was o...

Debra Ross, founder of Kidsoutandabout.com and co-chair of the National Eclipse Task Force, joins the show to talk about her new book The Eclipse Effect and what the experience of organizing Rochester's total solar eclipse response taught her about community, leadership and what it means to seize an extraordinary moment. Debra shares how she went from eclipse skeptic to the woman who spent seven y...

Julio Vazquez, Board Chair, and Eugenio Marlin, Vice Chair, of Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School join the show to share the story of Rochester's longest running and only bilingual charter school, and to talk about the brand new 54 million dollar campus now open on Joseph Avenue. Julio and Eugenio explain how the dual language model works from kindergarten through graduation, why being bilingu...

Erica Fee, CEO of the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival, joins the show to preview 12 days of performances across 45 venues running September 15th through 26th, and make the case for why Rochester showing up for this festival matters beyond just entertainment. Erica highlights a handful of must see shows including Tea Party at the End of the World with only 30 tickets, Just to Be Close to You with 60...

Tom O'Connor, President of Al Sigl Community of Agencies, joins the show to talk about two of their biggest fall events and what makes this 65 year old Rochester institution unlike anything else in the country. Tom shares how Al Sigl supports seven nonprofit member agencies by providing space, shared services and fundraising infrastructure so they can focus on serving over 55,000 children and adul...

Colleen Parsons and Rob Poltrino, co-chairs of the Cancer Support Community Rochester Heroes Ball, join the show to talk about an organization that has been serving everyone touched by cancer since 1959 and the upcoming gala that helps make it all possible. Colleen shares what CSC Rochester actually offers, from one on one mental health counseling and support groups to yoga, art classes, a food pa...

Jeff Pier, President and CEO of the Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester, joins the show to talk about the child abuse epidemic hiding in plain sight across our community and what his organization does when a child comes forward. Jeff shares how the CAC brings 20 partner agencies including police, the district attorney's office, medical professionals and child protective services under one r...

Jen Cathy, President and CEO of Delphi Rise, joins the show to mark the organization's 90th anniversary and take stock of how far addiction treatment has come since the 1930s when the only answers were jail or church. Jen walks through nine decades of evolving understanding, from moral failure to chronic disease, from the War on Drugs to harm reduction, and shares where Delphi Rise stands today on...

Julia Oakley, director of Agape Haven of Abundance, stopped by Rochester Speaks with ten of her summer camp youth to share what seven years of out of school programming has built in the Rochester community. The kids speak for themselves. In just a few minutes of conversation, they cover financial literacy, mental health, Black history, yoga, sailing, horseback riding, job fairs and what it means t...

Lindsay Kremers, Community Engagement Coordinator, and Haley Rockow, Youth Engagement Coordinator at the Smoking and Health Action Coalition of Livingston and Monroe Counties, join the show to talk about where tobacco use stands today and why vaping has created a whole new set of challenges for public health advocates. Lindsay and Haley walk through the coalition's four main program areas includin...

Albert Nocciolino, producer and presenter for the Rochester Broadway Theater League, joins the show to preview the 2026 to 2027 M&T Bank Broadway Season at West Herr Auditorium Theatre and make the case for why this is one of the best lineups RBTL has put together in years. Albert walks through all seven shows, talks about the economic impact of touring Broadway on Rochester businesses and hot...

Rob Sullivan, speaker and author of The Trek Within, joins the show to share one of the most remarkable personal journeys you will hear on Rochester Speaks, starting with a cancer diagnosis on his 48th birthday and ending with a dream that saved his life years later. Rob talks about why he chose to go public about his illness, why he never used the word "have" to describe his cancer, and what shif...

Erica Fee, CEO and Festival Producer of the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival, joins the show fresh off a scouting trip to the Edinburgh Fringe to talk about what is coming to Rochester September 15th through 26th, and why this festival continues to stand apart from anything else happening in American cities. Erica shares the origin story of the Edinburgh Fringe dating back to 1947, how Rochester's fe...

Dr. Laura Ellick, licensed psychologist specializing in eating disorders, joins the show for an honest and eye opening conversation about a condition that affects nearly one in ten Americans and carries the second highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. Dr. Ellick shares what eating disorders actually look like across the full spectrum, why they affect far more people than most assume i...

Shawn "Gee" Goburn, Executive Director and founder of Alive + Well, joins the show to talk about the work his organization does helping Rochester youth discover who they are, what they want and how to build a path forward that actually fits them. Shawn shares his own story, what the three fundamental questions at the heart of Alive + Well's work actually unlock in young people, why focusing on mon...

Joshua Shea, addiction and trauma coach and author, returns for a follow up conversation focused on parents, kids and how to navigate a world saturated with sexual content in a way that actually protects children rather than putting them at greater risk. Joshua shares why making sex and nudity taboo often backfires, what the research says about how porn addiction actually develops in young people,...

Dean Lucas, founder of the Lee Lucas Memorial Poker Run, joins the show to talk about the 10th and final year of a ride he created in honor of his son Lee, who died of a fentanyl laced heroin overdose in December 2016 at the age of 27. Dean shares Lee's story, what this ride has meant to him and his wife Brenda over the past decade, why proceeds go to Father Tracy's Advocacy Center in Rochester an...

Julia Locey, CEO, and Stephanie Campanelli, Development Director at Vertus Charter School, join the show to talk about one of Rochester's most distinctive public schools, a tuition free all-boys high school at 21 Humboldt Street built around developing men of character. Julia and Stephanie share what makes Vertus different from both traditional public schools and other charter schools, how the pre...

Nanette of the Filipino American Association of Rochester joins the show to talk about the very first Filipino Festival in Rochester, happening this Saturday July 25th from 11am to 6pm at Rushwood Barn at 72 West Henrietta Road in Rush. Nanette shares what the Filipino American Association of Rochester has been doing for 55 years, what makes Filipino culture so warm and welcoming, and what attende...