The Truman Charities Podcast

If you have a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities, you’ve probably experienced, or will experience, the service cliff. That’s when a young person transitions into adulthood and loses access to the programs offered to them as a child.  ArtStream is one organization that addresses this gap of services, providing people with disabilities an opportunity to improve their communicatio...

Episode 72 focused on the mission of Strongest Hearts, and you heard from its co-founder, Tania Barbera. To support their foundation in funding research into gene editing for muscular dystrophy, we recently held an event and surpassed our goal and raised $117,000.  At the time I recorded this episode we did not have all our donations in.  This has been our largest fundraiser to date! This event wa...

Did you know that the average age of human trafficking victims in the United States is 13 years old? Or that social media is the top way victims are recruited? These are just some of the shocking realities of human trafficking.  Abby Fabiaschi of Empower Her Network is joining us to shed light on the business of human trafficking, explaining how children and young adults are trafficked from in and...

Muscular dystrophy has a projected life span of just 15 to 30 years, so receiving a diagnosis for your child can feel like the world is ending, but there IS hope with gene editing. Tania Barbera co-founded Strongest Hearts after years of misdiagnosis for her son, turning her family’s pain into a mission to improve the lives and life span of children affected. The foundation focuses on treatment th...

For children with autism, as well as their parents and families, the experience of getting the right help for each individual is often lonely and overwhelming. There’s a lack of information and resources available to parents; and this gap is why the Partnership for Extraordinary Minds, also known as XMinds, was formed.  XMinds is an organization that offers free resources and guidance to parents o...

Do you know that DIPG, a rare pediatric brain cancer, has a nearly 0% survival rate? In this episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with Jenny Mosier from episode 60. Her son, Michael Mosier, was diagnosed with a DIPG brain tumor at just 6 years old and it had an everlasting effect on their family. Inspired by her son’s determination and charitable spirit, Jenny created a foundation in his mem...

Do you remember learning about the amazing nonprofit, KIND, in episode 37 of the show? Truman Charities partnered with them for an event since the airing, and it was the most successful Truman Charities fundraiser to date! A total of $54,470 was raised, with 100% of the profits going to feed over 363 children for an entire year. In this episode, our host Jamie Truman is recapping this event and sp...

On today’s episode, our host Jamie Truman is sitting down with the founder of Nonprofit Leaders Forum, Doug Palmer, and his associate, Theo Pahigiannis, to discuss how they are helping nonprofit leaders run a successful nonprofit. Nonprofit Leaders Forum is a group of over 2000 people, and growing, focused on creating networking opportunities by holding events, happy hours, training sessions, lunc...

Did you know that one third of children in schools in Montgomery County are on the free or reduced lunch program? This number is shocking to see anywhere, but more so when referring to a county that is seemingly more affluent. This just goes to show that no one is immune to food insecurity, regardless of what a situation may appear as. This is why our guest on today’s episode founded KIND to ensur...

“Every cancer deserves a voice, and every cancer deserves a cure.” - Laughlin Foundation  What happens when your loved one is diagnosed with a rare case of cancer, where there is little to no information about it anywhere, and doctors don’t have a protocol to treat it.? Our guest on today’s episode lived this truth when her mother was diagnosed with a rare form of endometrial cancer. After searchi...

Those of us who volunteer our time to give back to communities take this job seriously, so our main objective is to reach our goals so we can make a difference.  A successful charity starts with having a solid group of board members, because they set the tone for how the rest of the charity functions. Each member brings unique experiences and expertise, however the best board is one that is cohesi...

The Truman Charities Podcast featured Rob Scheer, co-founder and CEO of Comfort Cases and author of A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time . His harrowing story of growing up in our flawed foster care system touched us so much that we’re sharing his interview again.  You don’t have to know someone to love them, and Rob’s personal journey to fatherhood and helping his community exem...

“Self-determination and desire to be part of different communities that allows you to blossom well beyond the structure of a house is so critical and central to the organization's mission.” - Chloe Sigillito Having a home encompasses more than just the structure of the house. It represents community, growth, love, and safety. Things we often overlook when we think about home. This is especial...

The adoption process is a lifelong process, it doesn’t end the day a child is adopted by a family. This is an important point that is all too often missed. Especially in unique cases where a child is placed into split custody with their biological family and interracial and LGBTQ headed family. Our guest on today’s episode lived this reality, and found many of the struggles he went through were no...

Take a second to imagine an animal rescue center. Are you seeing the workers playing with puppies all day, smiling from ear to ear from all the doggie cuteness? This is just one misconception about rescue centers, and today’s guests will be addressing more. On this episode of The Truman Charities Podcast , you’ll hear from Nancy Maddox and Jenn Rush of Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue. These ladies are...

Tragedy strikes us in ways we never imagined, and this was certainly true for Jenny Mosier when her son Michael was diagnosed with a brain tumor called DIPG at just 6 years old. A devastating terminal diagnosis with a near 0% survival rate, it changed the future of her family.  His aggressive cancer didn’t affect his spirit of service, and this is what inspired his family to keep giving through th...

On this podcast episode Mark Bucher, whose charitable journey started by cooking Thanksgiving turkeys for families in need at his restaurant, Medium Rare. During the pandemic, he bought meals from local restaurants to feed the hungry, and this evolved into Feed the Fridge, a DC metro area non-profit that’s changing the way the world tackles food insecurity.  With a firm belief in humanity and trea...

There are many ways to give back to the community and the less fortunate. Some people donate food, clothes,  money, or anything else essential to living. All of these are very useful, but what if you gave the gift of mobility? The ability to get from point A to point B. Something we all sometimes take for granted when it is so readily available. That’s what our guest on today’s episode is doing. T...

I interviewed the founder of JUST T RYAN IT Molly Darby. Here is just a few things we talked about.... -The early days of Ryan's diagnosis and the moment Molly decided she wanted to create JUST TRYAN IT  -A family in the hospital that opened their eyes to the severe struggles some parents go through while their child is in treatment  Mollie Darby’s background is in interior Architecture. Moll...

Before she became an ISR mom and then a certified instructor, Liz was an elementary school teacher with a strong background as well as passion for business and philanthropy. After her family’s ISR self-rescue experience, Liz saw a window of opportunity to continue working with kids, while owning my own business and giving back to the community. Having personally experienced what it is like to go-i...

Here is what to expect on this week’s show:- How Brittany's personal childhood health trauma inspired her to join AeroAngel. - AeroAngel’s mission to provide free medical flights to critically-ill children and some of Brit's most memorable stories of hope.- AeroAngel’s current goal of funding for the acquisition of a dedicated businessjet, that can help children that need access to medic...

Jerry Truman has been advising high-net-worth clients for more than 20 years, working closely with them to develop comprehensive and cohesive paths to meet their financial and life goals. The one-on-one time and individual attention he dedicates to each client often leads to them calling him their trusted advisor. Jerry’s passion for helping others is evident in his work both with clients and with...

Laurie Calhoun has had a passion for providing a safe haven for all creatures her entire life. As a result of her early love of horses, Laurie Calhoun became the co-owner and co-manager of Summer Wind Farm in 1986. In this capacity, she became aware of the plight of Thoroughbreds when their racing careers were over. As it became apparent that more needed to be done to save these beautiful animals,...

John Claude Shaffer is a Junior at South County High School in Lorton, Virginia. Motivated to achieve results and spread positivity, John Claude strives to achieve excellence in academics and to serve his community. John Claude founded the Elder Outreach Club, a successful organization started at South County High School, and currently has over 120 members from two schools. 90 members from South C...

After four years at A Wider Circle, Amy Javaid became the President & CEO in July 2021. Amy offers 20 years of experience working with nonprofits in both the U.S. andinternationally. Amy has spent her career in the management, project design, development, implementation, and monitoring of programs for an array of marginalized populations. Specifically, she has led programs in the health, educa...