I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...

Homelessness is often misunderstood. For many women and families, it begins with a single crisis—domestic violence, a medical emergency, or simply the inability to afford housing while raising children.

In this episode, I speak with Lisa Culp, founder of Women’s Empowerment, and Robin Kelly-Dunton, a graduate of the program who now serves as chair of its board. Together they share the story of an organization that has spent the last 25 years helping women and children build a pathway out of poverty and homelessness.

Robin’s story sits at the heart of our conversation. She arrived at Women’s Empowerment after losing everything—caring for an incapacitated husband, raising a newborn, and struggling with homelessness. What she found when she walked through the doors was something she hadn’t felt in months: hope.

Through the organization’s nine-week program, Robin gained job training, mentorship, and the confidence to rebuild her life. That opportunity eventually led to a full-time role in public service, and today she serves as chair of the board for the very organization that helped change her future.

Lisa and Robin also talk about the realities facing women experiencing homelessness—especially single mothers—and how Women’s Empowerment combines employment training, childcare, housing support, and mentorship to help families stabilize and move forward.

It’s a powerful reminder that when people are given the tools, support, and belief that change is possible, transformation can happen.

To learn more about Women's Empowerment, visit https://womens-empowerment.org/

Chapters

00:00 — Introduction to Women’s Empowerment
01:10 — How the Organization Began
04:20 — Understanding the Real Causes of Homelessness
10:50 — Robin’s Journey to Women’s Empowerment
17:00 — Inside the Nine-Week Program
24:00 — Employment Partnerships and Career Pathways
31:40 — Robin’s Internship and Career Breakthrough
37:30 — Community Partnerships That Support the Mission
43:30 — Graduates Supporting the Next Generation
49:40 — Funding the Work and Sustaining Impact
56:10 — The Vision for the Future
01:00:30 — How to Support Women’s Empowerment
01:02:30 — Closing Reflections

Thank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...

What happens when a community decides the arts aren’t a luxury — they’re essential?

In this episode, I sit down with Allison Cagley, Executive Director and the driving force behind Friends of Sacramento Arts, an organization leading the charge to restore arts and music education in public schools across our region.

We talk about what was lost after Prop 13, what’s possible through Prop 28, and why this moment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Sacramento’s students.

This conversation goes far beyond paintbrushes and pianos.

We explore:

• Why arts education impacts graduation rates, attendance, and student engagement
• How creativity fuels workforce readiness and economic development
• The long game of advocacy — and why patience and persistence matter
• The real challenges of implementing Prop 28 funding
• What it looks like when students finally have access to choir, band, theater, and visual arts

Allison shares how this small but mighty nonprofit has navigated pandemic pivots, state-level partnerships, and school district bureaucracy to keep one bold vision alive:

Arts every day. For Every child. In Every school.

We also talk about the deeper human impact — the moment when a child beams on stage, when parents from 15 different cultures gather in a school cafeteria to watch their kids shine, and when students say, “The only reason I come to school is my drama class.”

That’s not enrichment.
That’s belonging.

If you care about Sacramento’s future — its culture, workforce, and community vibrancy — this episode matters.

About Friends of Sacramento Arts

Friends of Sacramento Arts advocates for equitable, comprehensive arts and music education in public schools. Through policy engagement, statewide partnerships, and community leadership, they are working to ensure every student has access to meaningful arts learning opportunities.

🔗 Learn more: https://friendsofsacramentoarts.org
🎉 Arts Education Month Celebration: Every March

Thank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...

Impact 100 Greater Sacramento is now accepting nonprofit grant applications —and this is not just another funding opportunity.

In this Newspod, I sit down with Sarina Paulsen, President of Impact 100 Greater Sacramento, to talk about how their collective giving model turns 100 women donating $1,000 into transformational $100,000 grants. Last year alone, more than $450,000 was awarded across Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, and El Dorado counties.

We break down eligibility, deadlines, categories, and why even applying brings visibility and connection beyond the grant itself.

Applications close March 21, 2026.

If your nonprofit has a bold, high-impact project ready to scale, this is your moment.

To learn more, visit https://impact100greatersacramento.org/

Thank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.