The Do Gooders Podcast

Could you guess the most popular undergraduate course at the University of Notre Dame? If you guessed a philosophy class, titled "God and the Good Life," you are correct. But it's not the Philosophy 101 you may have taken in college. It's "built on the idea that philosophy is care for our souls." That our day-to-day stressors and everyday questions about what's good and what makes a good life are...

This season, we've been talking a lot about hope in The Salvation Army. Hope, by definition, is a feeling of optimism—it's based on expecting a positive outcome. That's what Commissioner Doug Riley will tell you. He's the Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in the western U.S. He was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer—or pastor—alongside his wife Colleen in 1995. He holds an MBA from...

This is a very special episode as it's our 100th episode of this show! When I sat down to plan this season and saw episode 100 would fall just before Christmas, I wanted to make sure we had a really special guest. And we do. I am so excited today for this episode on the nostalgia and traditions of family at Christmas with one of my favorite people in the world, Fehrn Hesse. Otherwise known as Mama...

It's the season of giving.  Giving love, giving thanks. Giving to a red kettle near you. And while those bells ring, it's also a season when many give of their time.  They volunteer. Each year more than 3 million people of all ages volunteer their time, talents and resources to assist The Salvation Army's work across the U.S. These volunteers are critical partners in helping The Salvation Army ful...

You've probably heard the term "pandemic poverty."  Maybe you were lucky and were able to work from home when the pandemic took hold of our communities.  Or, you may know the reality of that poverty more intimately with the loss of a job, loss of income, loss of a way to make ends meet at all.  The Salvation Army has seen the reality firsthand as we've served more than 31 million Americans this pa...

By now, you've no doubt heard of the power of gratitude. Scripture tells us it's God's will for us to be thankful in all circumstances. And science has proven the benefits of a regular practice of gratitude for the mind and body. So in this week of Thanksgiving, we're pulling from our archives and adding to it. In this episode of the Do Gooders Podcast, hear highlights from our favorite episodes o...

We're in the business of telling you stories of transformation and hope—and sometimes, we get the chance to show you. If you head to caringmagazine.org/video , we have an entire library of firsthand accounts of hope found with the help of The Salvation Army. From a teen roasting her own coffee to bring water to Ethiopia, to a couple serving people living out of their vehicles, to a father who had...

Imagine a December spent savoring the true joy and awe of Christmas. Sounds dreamy, right? Well, get this: You can. With your family this season, you can dive deeper into understanding the true wonder, mystery and excitement of God sending his only Son to the world. Make more of the reality of who Jesus is as our source of hope, peace, joy and love. Unwrap the true gift that Christmas brings to ea...

This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty. Last week, we learned about the research surrounding self-sufficiency and how essential hope is along the way.  Hope was described as the drive...

This season, we're studying up on The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty. Last week, we discovered the one question that kicked off this initiative and how Pathway of Hope came to be. In the roughly 10 years sinc...

This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty. Last week, we took a deep dive into hope itself to better understand it and what it does psychologically and physiologically, plus how we can f...

This season, we're discovering The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty. Last week, we heard from a smalltown service center director about what it takes to deliver Pathway of Hope support day-to-day along with a c...

This season, we're exploring The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope—a national initiative to provide individualized services to families with children, addressing their immediate material needs and providing long-term engagement to stop the cycle of poverty. Last week, we heard from an expert at the Urban Institute on the state of poverty in the U.S., what it means for families and the strategies th...

How do we approach the longstanding, sometimes ideologically divided issue of poverty?  How do we inform consequential choices about the well-being of people in the U.S.? Who helps to shape decisions and offer solutions for economic and social policy?  And is poverty even a solvable issue?  Dr. Elaine Waxman says yes.  She is a senior fellow in the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban In...

Studies suggest children who spend at least half of their lives in poverty are 32 times as likely to be poor as adults. Which means a continued, intergenerational cycle of life-long poverty. But it doesn't have to be this way. With access to adequate resources, support and guidance, there is a way out. That's the premise of TSA's national initiative—the Pathway of Hope—which started 10 years ago t...

The past year and a half tested us all but it also brought countless examples of hope and sacrifice. We saw brave Salvation Army officers, staff, volunteers and friends continue to serve and show care in their communities in ways big and small.  We're designating these incredible individuals—nominated by you!—our Caring Heroes. And, as a small gesture of respect and gratitude, we honored them in a...

As The Salvation Army California South Divisional Camp Director, it's been a tough year for Marty Brown. Imagine: A sprawling camp without campers.  He's on the show to talk about the long-lasting impact of a week at camp—and what is planned for this summer as we transition to a post-pandemic world. Because, while it may not look like a traditional Salvation Army summer in many ways, camp is back...

Have you been to a Salvation Army summer camp? If so, you probably remember it well.  Camp is a place where kids discover inner-strength, learn valuable life skills, make lifelong friends, appreciate the outdoors and are mentored with love and kindness.  And Mechale Mency remembers it well.  In fact, she recently emailed a thank you to the director of Camp Gilmore, The Salvation Army's Calabasas,...

Only those who've experienced grief can truly understand what it means to grieve. For Donna Shea to understand, it meant the loss of her daughter to cancer. Donna leads support groups for grief with The Salvation Army and facilitates classes in the local elementary schools for children suffering from a loss. And as she'll tell you, grief spins its web around you. A web of guilt, remorse, fear, ang...

Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." When was the last time you felt that spark? An igniting of your soul?  As Emily Ley will tell you, there's inherent magic at the intersection of God's calling for your life and what makes you feel truly alive.  Emil...

When Joseph Valadez posted a photo of himself outside of his college, he never could've seen the response coming. Joseph, in a white tank top, beige chino shorts and black Nike Cortez, held a graduation certificate in his tattooed arms. It went viral and media outlets started calling. Joseph graduated this year from Cal State University, Long Beach on the president's honor list with a bachelor's d...

Surprise—Caring Magazine has a new podcast launching today! The Commons Podcast is a show for women who want to talk about relevant and relatable topics—from mental health to marriage, and even what the Bible says about equity. Get to know your hosts, Cassandra Amezquita and Meagan Ruff, in this intro episode and get a preview of the real-life conversations to come. Listen in and enter the launch...

If you struggle with mental illness, you are not alone. In fact, 1 in 5 U.S. adults and 1 in 6 children experience mental illness each year. Which can ripple into further issues: a higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, substance abuse, higher unemployment, high schoolers are more than twice as likely to drop out of school. Alarmingly, the suicide rate in the U.S. has inc...

Have you ever heard of Arsinoe? Or Salome? or Susanna? or Joanna? or Mary of Clopas for that matter?  These are just a few of the female disciples of Jesus who were well-known for their ministry in his day, yet we barely know of today. Recognizing the inconsistency of how women were named in the gospels and how those stories were preserved helps us to understand just how ignored or suppressed the...

Men lead. Women follow. The Bible tells us so. Or does it?  Is there a divine order when it comes to men and women? What if so-called "biblical womanhood" isn't biblical at all but arose from a series of clearly definable historical moments? What if there is a better way forward for the contemporary church? Dr. Beth Allison Barr lays out clear evidence that there is in her new book, "The Making of...