Western Pennsylvania Game Changers with Chris Hoke
24 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsJoin former Pittsburgh Steeler and two-time Superbowl champ, Chris Hoke, and his co-hosts, Lisa Mitchell and Tim Campbell, as they talk about charities that are doing great things in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, and how we, as volunteers, can help them. To learn more about the volunteer opportunities discussed on the podcast and many others, go to www.justserve.org. JustServe is a free service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that connects people looking to volunteer in their communities to organizations that could really use their help. So let’s roll up our sleeves, and get to work!
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Episodes
Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center; A Volunteer-Powered Solution to the Health Care Crisis
May 23, 2021 19:00 - 35 minutes - 20.8 MBWe're thrilled to share our 24th episode with you! (Can you believe we've been at this for over two years now? Time flies, for sure!) This month, join Chris, Lisa and special co-host and former Olympic sprinter, Mark Witherspoon, as they get to know Linda Thoma, Director of Operations for the Jean B. Purvis Community Health Center, located in Butler, Pennsylvania. CHC, as it's sometimes known, strives "to provide primary healthcare services - services that are needed to keep our patients h...
Hilltop Urban Farm - Offering Education, Hope and Healthy Food
April 13, 2021 22:00 - 42 minutes - 24 MBIf you're looking for the perfect outdoor family, group or individual project, we've got just the opportunity for you! Join us as we get to know Ned Brockmeyer, Director of Farm Programs at Hilltop Urban Farm. Ned is a HUGE proponent of urban farming and its capacity to change food, neighborhoods and, ultimately, lives. Located on 107 acres of land in Pittsburgh's hilltop community - with 23 acres dedicated to farming - Hilltop Urban Farm is poised to become the largest urban farm in the Uni...
Episode 22 - The Vaccines are Here - Team up with the Fab 6 of Bethel Park!
March 13, 2021 20:00 - 40 minutes - 27.5 MBEpisode 22 is here! The vaccines have arrived, and not a moment too soon. The next task is helping make sure those who need it most can get it as quickly as possible. In this episode, you will meet six individuals -- Jodi Mitchell, of Spartan Pharmacy; Laurence Christian, municipal manager for Bethel Park; Carolyn Walton, a home health nurse; Syd Litzenburger, a volunteer all-star in her community; Marla Caplan, social worker and ethicist; and our own Dr. Tim Campbell -- who have been on the...
Butler County Alliance for Children - Making a Difference One Child at a Time
February 06, 2021 23:00 - 40 minutes - 28.1 MBWelcome to Episode 21! This month, Tim leads out by sharing some exciting news about upcoming volunteer opportunities involving COVID-19 vaccination efforts -- check www.justserve.org for more information. Chris, Lisa and Tim are then joined by our special guest, Denna Hays, Executive Director at Butler County Alliance for Children (BCAC). Day in and day out, Denna and her team help victims of child abuse and their families as they work through the investigative and intervention process. B...
WPGC Super Volunteer 2020 - Roberta Sciulli
December 20, 2020 19:00 - 33 minutes - 23.1 MBPlease join us for this special episode, in which we award our 2020 Super Volunteer of the Year Award to Roberta Sciulli! A retired nurse and hospital administrator, Roberta is a powerful force for good in her home-town community of Ambridge, Pennsylvania! Here are just a few of her service highlights: She leads a group called the “Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge,” which is “determined to clean and beautify the lovely town of Ambridge.” The group was founded by one her brothers du...
North Hills Community Outreach - People Helping People Since 1987
November 22, 2020 19:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBJoin us for Episode 19! In this month's episode, Chris, Lisa and Tim are joined by special guests, Tom Baker and Erica Cochran, of North Hills Community Outreach (affectionately known as NHCO). Tom is NHCO's Executive Director and Erica is its Development Director. Formed in the late 1980s in response to devastating flooding in Millvale, Shaler and surrounding areas, NHCO has been a powerful force for good in Pittsburgh North Hills area ever since. Tom and Erica are exceptional ambassadors a...
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh - Building Homes, Communities and Hope
October 10, 2020 14:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBWelcome to Episode 18! This month, join Chris, Lisa and Ken as they get to know Dr. Howard Slaughter, Jr., CEO and President of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh. Dr. Slaughter is a force of nature, in the best possible way! He's firm believer that home ownership can dramatically improve lives and communities. He's seen it many, many times. From home building and home repairs to financial training and interest free mortgages, Habitat for Humanity makes the dream of home ownership a ...
Foster Love Project - Providing Love in Action
September 12, 2020 21:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MBWelcome to Episode 17! In this episode, Chris, Lisa and Tim are joined by special quest Kelly Hughes, Founder and Executive Director of Foster Love Project. Located in Dormont, Foster Love Project's mission is to "provide love in action to kids in foster care as well as support to the families who are providing care for them" -- and they do a tremendous job! Sometimes foster families only have a few moments to welcome the arrival of a new foster child into their home. Kelly and her husban...
Beverly's Birthdays - Spreading Birthday Cheer 365 Days a Year
July 12, 2020 17:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBThis month, Chris, Lisa and Ken (filling in for Tim) are joined by special guest, Megs Yunn, Executive Director and founder of Beverly's Birthdays. Due to a variety of circumstances, many children grow up without ever knowing what it is like to experience their own birthday party. Megs Yunn and her team at Beverly’s Birthdays are dedicated to bringing birthday cheer to children experiencing homelessness and other difficult challenges in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. Join u...
Foundation of Hope - Helping to Rebuild Lives
May 30, 2020 17:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MBThis month, Lisa and Tim kick things off by providing updates on a couple of JustServe projects they have recently been involved in while Western Pennsylvania is still in the COVID-19 "yellow" zone. Chris then introduces us to this month's special guest, Reverend Anais Hussian, the Aftercare Mentor Coordinator for Foundation of Hope. Each year, approximately 30,000 people are arrested and incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh. Foundation of Hope's mission is to "empower" th...
COVID-19 Special Edition - "Lifting Where We Stand"
April 18, 2020 01:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBThis month's episode is a little different, as we are currently at home while the world is grappling with COVID-19. Join Chris, Lisa, Tim, Ken and our special guest, Sherry Gunn, as we discuss ways each of us can help out by "lifting where we stand" during these unique and challenging times. A few weeks ago, Sherry, whose husband is a physician, identified some ways to show love and support for some of the workers battling to keep COVID-19 in check, and quickly moved into action. She shares ...
Lincoln Park Community Center
March 14, 2020 20:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBIn this month's episode, Tim leads off by sharing his recent deployment to California to help stave off the Corona virus - he also shares his thoughts on, and a few suggestions for ways to prepare for, COVID 19. Next, we are honored to be joined by Joyce Davis, Executive Director of Lincoln Park Community Center (LPCC). Don't let Joyce's infectious laughter and bubbly outgoing personality fool you -- she means business when it comes to helping those in need! LPCC serves over 600 families in ...
AgeWell Pittsburgh
February 15, 2020 20:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBAgeWell Pittsburgh is awesome! In this episode, Chris and Tim are joined by special guests Amy Gold, from the Jewish Community Center, and Ellen Leger, from Jewish Family and Community Services, who serve as volunteer coordinators for AgeWell Pittsburgh. AgeWell Pittsburgh provides a host of services to Pittsburgh's aging population, with an eye to helping them live dignified, independent and meaningful lives. Listen in as we learn all about AgeWell Rides, AgeWell Reads, AgeWell CheckMates, ...
American Red Cross - Southwestern PA Chapter
January 18, 2020 16:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MBThe team is back from the holidays and ready to go! This month, Chris, Lisa and Tim are joined by special guests, Jessica Smith, Disaster Program Manager, and David Herzog, Volunteer Disaster Program Manager, with the American Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The American Red Cross' mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Emergencies in our area include floods, landslides and, mo...
Holiday Special - 2019
December 14, 2019 20:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBIn this special holiday episode, Chris, Lisa, Tim and Ken begin by discussing the Light the World Campaign. We explain what it is and share some of our experiences with it so far. Anyone can sign up to get daily texts throughout the holiday season, with prompts to perform simple acts of kindness. We then share some of our favorite personal volunteer experiences. As the temperature goes down, the need for volunteers goes up. To learn about some incredible volunteer organizations that could r...
NurturePA
November 16, 2019 16:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBThis month, Chris, Lisa and Tim are joined by special guest, Kate Brennan, Director of Operations at NurturePA. Birth to age three is a critical time in a child’s life. Their experiences as a young child often dictate the type of adults they become. NurturePA helps parents navigate this critical time by providing reliable information and non-judgmental mentoring support through volunteers with whom parents can communicate online. (It really is an ingenious program!) Kate, who has a Master's ...
Greater Washington County Food Bank
October 19, 2019 16:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBCo-hosts Chris, Lisa and Tim are joined by this month's special guest, Peggy Grimes, the Assistant Director at Greater Washington County Food Bank. After Chris shares a personal (perhaps too personal) tidbit, Tim discusses the ongoing need for blood donations through organizations like the American Red Cross. (Did you know 12,000 lives are saved every day in America through transfusions?) Peggy then tells us about all the great work being done at GWCFB, and shares the heartwarming story of h...
Days for Girls
September 28, 2019 19:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBThis month, co-hosts Chris and Lisa are joined by special guests, Reverend Karie Ann Charlton of the Third Presbyterian Church in Shadyside, and her friend, Carrie Powell. Pastor Karie leads the Pittsburgh Chapter of Days for Girls International, a charitable organization that provides feminine hygiene kits and health education to women and girls who desperately need them. Pastor Karie explains the difficult situations faced by women and girls around the world and how education and hygiene k...
Gallagher Hospice
August 25, 2019 17:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MBJoin co-hosts Chris, Lisa and Tim as they are joined by this month's special guest, Meghan Anderson, Executive Director of Gallagher Hospice. First, Tim shares recent volunteer experiences with the American Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and discusses its great need for volunteers in disaster-relief situations (they happen much more often that you might think). Then Meghan discusses the profoundly uplifting and important work Gallagher Hospice does for people with life-limiting illn...
Butler County Family YMCA - Reach and Rise
July 21, 2019 18:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBJoin co-hosts Chris, Chelsea, Lisa, Tim as they share recent volunteer experiences - Chelsea, with NurturePA; Lisa, with Days for Girls; and Tim, while on deployment to Louisiana as part of a Disaster Medical Assistance Team. This month, they are joined by Kate Eberle Cotter, Reach and Rise Youth Mentoring Coordinator with the Butler County Family YMCA. Reach and Rise is a group mentoring program that helps empower youth ages 8-15 in overcoming challenges that are prevalent in today’s societ...
South Hills Interfaith Movement
June 29, 2019 17:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBJoin co-hosts Chris Hoke, Chelsea Hermond, Lisa Mitchell and Tim Campbell as they share recent service experiences and get to know this month's special guest, Jim Guffey, Executive Director of South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM). As Jim explains, when we think of people in need, we often think of urban areas and overlook the many families and individuals who live in the suburbs who are struggling to get by. SHIM focuses on serving the needy of Pittsburgh's southern suburban neighborhoods ...
Treasure House Fashions
May 28, 2019 11:00 - 43 minutes - 19.9 MBThis month, regular co-hosts Chris Hoke, Chelsea Hermond and Lisa Mitchell share personal service experiences from the past month, and are joined by special quest Sally Power, Founder of Treasure House Fashions. Sally is a true powerhouse! Treasure House Fashions is located in Pittsburgh's North Hills. Its mission is "promoting the dignity and self-esteem of women, particularly women in transition or crisis[,]" which it does by providing clothing (and much more) for women in transition or cr...
Welcome and JustServe Tutorial
May 11, 2019 23:00 - 26 minutes - 12.3 MBChris Hoke and his co-hosts, Lisa Mitchell, Chelsea Hermond and Tim Campell, get to know each other a bit (many of them have never met before) and share some of their favorite volunteer experiences. Later, they are joined by JustServe "guru" Molly Peterson, who explains what JustServe is and how it can be used by volunteers and organizations with volunteer needs.
Northside Common Ministries
April 28, 2019 21:00 - 29 minutes - 13.6 MBChris Hoke, Lisa Mitchell and Ken Witzel share some personal service experiences from the past month, and are joined by special guest Jay Poliziani, of Northside Common Ministries. Northside Common Ministries was established in 1982 by a collaboration of 30 churches to meet the increasing needs of Pittsburgh's homeless population. It runs a men's shelter, a community food pantry, a health care clinic, an employment assistance center, and more. Other organizations discussed are NurturePA and ...