Your Community Matters Podcast

Due to a series of difficult personal circumstances earlier this year, I was unable to post a podcast version of my conversation with Maumee City Manager Patrick Burtch at the time the two-part radio show originally aired on WAKT 106.1 FM in late spring. It was thus with some sadness that I saw the news of Mr. Burtch’s resignation this past week, so I’m changing the podcast posting schedule to sha...

Since its humble start in 1860, when a Lutheran pastor began caring for orphans in his east Toledo home, Genacross Lutheran Services has developed into a provider of essential services to thousands of people in every phase of life throughout northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Adaptability, resourcefulness, and responsiveness to community needs have made this faith-based organization one of the...

Teacher. Coach. Advocate. Organizer. Connector. Inspirational leader. And (did I almost forget?) Professionally Trained Chef. Saundra Irvine, creator and director of the Inspiration Kitchen workforce development program, is all this and more. She’s also my guest on this edition of Your Community Matters and she’ll probably be quite vexed with me for “talking her up” here, because she shuns the spo...

Dead fish. That was my first experience with a beach. I was seven years old, and my parents had decided to take my sister and me to Crane Creek State Park for a picnic and swim. The smell of fish wasting away on the shore greeted us on that hot, summer day — scarcely a happy memory and, quite possibly, why I never developed a compelling desire to live on the water. I loved swimming too much to avo...

Toledo’s Old West End Festival, now in its 5th decade, is one of the Toledo area’s most well-attended neighborhood festivals. A major reason for its enduring popularity is the historic homes tour, an exceptional opportunity for people to view remarkable examples of late Victorian and Craftsman-style homes built at the turn of the last century. But none of this would have been possible without the...

I had a chance encounter at a downtown Toledo brew pub with the guests on this edition of Your Community Matters, Sue Terrill and Tonda Koszycki. Instantly, we discovered we had something in common: we were all fan girls of Edward Drummond Libbey and his wife, Florence. What’s more, I learned that Sue and Tonda were involved with multiple events honoring the two during Toledo’s 419 Week celebratio...

When I tagged along with a friend to a Sweet Adelines event in Cleveland, I was completely captivated by the intensity of community spirit I found there. So, even though this was a women-only group (and thus only half of any community could participate in it), I thought it was still worth exploring in an interview for Your Community Matters. As it turned out, my conversation with the director of t...

“I want to go peacefully in my sleep” is the response most people will give when asked how they want to die. What makes this choice so popular (or so it appears to me) is that few among us want to deal with our mortality. And so, it may seem that if we go to bed one day and simply don’t wake up the next, we can sidestep the issue entirely. But according to Sara Chambers, a Hospice of Northwest Ohi...

When I sat down for my conversation with Heather Gallant, Executive Director of the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg, Ohio, I knew it was going to be a lively one. Heather is a dynamic person with a great sense of humor. She leads a remarkable institution, and as you can see, we had a very good time speaking with each other: But one of the most interesting things about the conversation for me was how...

Several years ago, I was standing in a long line at a crowded grocery store when the thought occurred to me: What if someone in this line is famous for something? By “famous,” I was thinking of what you might call “niche famous.” In other words, a person unlikely to appear on the cover of any magazines sold in that grocery but, nevertheless, distinguished as a leading light in some American subcul...

Your Community Matters began as a low-power FM radio show last June. The intention then was to also release it as a parallel podcast, so the audience could enjoy uncut conversations at a time convenient for them. However, as I had no experience in audio production before I started the radio show, it took some time to learn it well enough so that I could move on to podcasting. Now that the podcast...

For 65 years, The Arts Commission has facilitated the acquisition and maintenance of public works of art in the City of Toledo, and funded both individual artists and arts organizations throughout northwest Ohio. Learn more at theartscommission.org . Royalty-free theme music featured on this podcast is entitled "Proud Legacy" by Acoustic Cafe (not to be confused with numerous playlists with that n...