Perspectives

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Being a neighbor doesn’t mean you just happen to live in a place! Ivan and Karl teach us today what it means to lift the head of our neighbor and empower them to change the culture and landscape of their place. The four talk disempowerment, how the ability to choose is the ultimate privilege, and that the dream that neighborhoods would be marked by equity. We learn more about Community Land Use Academy (CLUA), run by the team here at ENP. This episode is full of long term wonder for the future of our neighborhoods, and really practical advice about how to identify the positive markers in your neighborhood.

To learn more about CLUA learn more here: https://everyneighborhood.org/nd/

To learn about the FresGO app, click here: https://www.fresno.gov/3-1-1/

Ivan grew up in Fresno and is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University (FPU). Ivan majored in pre-law and in religious studies (general religion). He also has a master’s degree in theology and teaches a master’s level course at FPU called “Forming A Community of Mercy, Justice, and Peace”, where he partners theology with community organizing frameworks to help students think deeply about community and develop plans for engagement. He has been active in community development work in Fresno for over 10 years, has launched community programs, and is a member of First Presbyterian Church Fresno. Karl lived in five different cities until 2014, when he moved to Fresno to work in urban ministry. He studied Environmental Science and Urban Planning as an undergraduate, which galvanized his love for living things and inhabited places. He later earned his Master’s Degree in theology before working in Catholic parish ministry. You can still find him leading music at his parish as a volunteer, but Karl is grateful that ENP allows him to weave together his passions for justice, learning, and intercultural engagement for the sake of the city’s long-term prosperity. He lives with his wife Alyssa and their cat Koestler, and loves creating things like artwork, playlists, travel plans, and hand-prepared cups of coffee.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

On this final episode in our series, For the Long Haul, Andrew and Grace sit down with Julie and Jaeden from Central Valley Community Foundation to discuss the issue of racism and how it has impacted our city long term. The four discuss our community’s prejudices, assumptions, and biases and what we can all do to join the conversation around changing the course of the future.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Today, Andrew and Grace picked the brains of Natalie Caples and Jennifer Rhoden, two people who tackle a very large question every day in their work – How do we get food into the hands of people who are food insecure?

Natalie has served as Nutrition Education Coordinator, Programs Supervisor, Programs Manager, Director of Programs, and Chief Operations Officer since joining Central California Food Bank in 2008, and was appointed co-Chief Executive Officer in June 2020. She graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in Dietetics and a minor in Business Administration.

Jennifer is the Program Manager for the Nutrition Education Department with Fresno Metro Ministry.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Grace and Andrew sit down with two local CEOs, AP Armour and Mark Ford. AP and Mark share learned insights around job readiness, job development, and the power of a job. The 4 chat about the different models and perspectives they implement in order to hire people who may be on their 2nd or 3rd chance in order to develop incredible employees. If you want to learn more about barriers to employment, hiring those that live on the edges of society, and the amazing benefits that it brings to businesses, you will love this conversation!

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

On this episode of WGITN, Grace and Andrew sit down and talk with Nolen Burchett and Ahmad Bahrami. Nolen and Ahmad come from two different edges of the mental health and addiction solution spectrum, and yet were able to find common ground about the drugs, addictions, and hurdles that plague our county and country, as well as the long term solutions. Grace also shares a bit of her personal experience navigating recovery options as a family member.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Richard and Tumani work with kids in urban environments in Fresno that have every odd stacked against them – the foster care system, homelessness, abuse, and trafficking to name a few. But these two have dedicated their lives to not only provide safe environments, but also to offer kids in crisis the opportunity to plan, dream, and execute the life they want. Join us today on What’s Good to talk about what it takes to engage kids who need support, how you can get involved, and what it means to be a person who provides access and hope.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

On this episode, we talk with two people operating from 2 different ends of the homelessness crisis who have chosen to partner together; McKenna Gilman of KuppaCares, who provides a hot cup of coffee and a kind conversation to the homeless of Fresno, and Zack Darrah, CEO of Poverello House, a full service homelessness center providing temporary shelter, addiction and recovery services, a church, and a “free” restaurant. The two discuss interacting with the homeless, the issues they’re seeing on the street, having faith centered conversations, and why both of their roles are a call to serve the least of these.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

In our new series, For the Long Run, we’re tackling big issues that won’t be fixed overnight. Today, we talk with Esther Carver and Dan Zack to discuss the obstacles facing affordable housing, the creativity needed to offer different options to people, and the exciting solutions that folks are working on to bring change to the space. This episode is Fresno heavy, and discusses in detail the specific issues we face here in the valley.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Is the church the asset in the neighborhood or is it one of many? Jason Spencer tackles this question head-on as local pastor who has committed to not just being a church in a neighborhood, but a church with the neighborhood, there to empower people in their God-given dignity and the work they’ve been called to do! The trio talk about the difference between outreach and place based focus, leadership development, and the power of being a real partner in the neighborhood and not just a location to attend.

Jason Spencer is the lead pastor of Image Church in Southwest Fresno. Image Church started their community development organization called Generation Changers for kids in their local schools, and also has opened up their property for job skill development.