Caring with Cultural Dignity

Tommy DiMisa (“Tommy D,” the Nonprofit Sector Connector) kicks off episode #240 of Philanthropy in Phocus from his office (not the attic!) with a message he lives by: if you’ve got an idea—try it. What started as a campaign he launched on January 8, 2021 has become a weekly platform spotlighting nonprofits and the people behind the mission.This episode takes an unexpected but perfect turn when Tommy’s original guest can’t make it—so he calls in the cavalry: Britt Carroll and Izzy Ades-Lawlor from Best Buddies New York. Together, they unpack what Best Buddies is all about: inclusion, belonging, and opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)—starting with real, one-to-one friendships.Britt shares Best Buddies’ origin story (founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver at Georgetown) and walks through the organization’s major program “pillars,” including Friendship, Jobs, Living, Family Support, and Leadership Development / Transitions—all designed to expand access, independence, and community. Izzy adds what she’s focusing on now: growing school involvement and helping lead promotion for upcoming events—especially the Friendship Walks.You’ll also hear one of the most powerful “mission moments” of the episode: Britt tells the story of Charlotte, a Best Buddies Jobs participant working at Asphalt Green in NYC—where members know her by name, greet her warmly, and credit her with making their days better. It’s a real reminder that when employers lead with inclusion, the ripple effects are massive.Key Dates + Call to ActionBest Buddies NYC Friendship Walk: May 2Best Buddies Long Island Friendship Walk: May 9 (10AM–1PM), Marjorie Post Park (Massapequa)Ways to help: start a team, donate, volunteer, sponsor, or open doors to employment partnershipsTommy’s closing message says it all: it’s not about ability—it’s about access.

Tommy “Tommy D” DiMisa is back “in the attic” for Episode 239 (recorded January 16th), and he’s joined by Marit Molin of Hamptons Community Outreach (HCO)—an organization proving that the Hamptons are far more than the “white parties and yachts” stereotype. In between the mansions are pockets of families living with food insecurity, kids without coats, and homes in dangerous disrepair—and Marit saw it up close.Marit shares how a single moment sparked the mission: a child at her dining table didn’t want to stop doing arts and crafts because she didn’t have paper or markers at home. That heartbreak became action—a free, six-week Hamptons Art Camp (launched in summer 2018), running 9–3 and designed to give underserved kids safety, creativity, and real summer memories, while also easing the burden on working parents. But the needs didn’t stop when camp ended—families needed shoes, backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and ongoing support.Then COVID changed everything. Unable to fundraise for a camp no one knew could happen, Marit pivoted to what communities asked for most: food. HCO raised $320,000 in 2020, delivered 7,000 hot meals, 20,000 pounds of fresh produce, and provided groceries to 250 families twice a month, while also supporting struggling local restaurants by purchasing meals from them. As volunteers helped distribute door-to-door, HCO uncovered another crisis hiding in plain sight: families raising children in homes with black toxic mold, broken windows, collapsing ceilings, splintered floors, and no heat.Today, HCO has grown from grassroots to high-impact—supporting hundreds of families and children, repairing dozens of homes, and building a serious pipeline of help. Marit’s current, crystal-clear goal: raise $4.5 million to help the 64 families on HCO’s home repair waiting list—including some who need an entirely new home. And if you want to show up with love in action, HCO’s annual fundraiser Love Fest is February 7th, 5–7 PM, at 230 Elm in Southampton. Learn more (and donate/volunteer) at HamptonsCommunityOutreach.org.

Tommy DiMisa is back for the first Philanthropy in Phocus episode of 2026 with his trademark “day-in-the-life” energy—ringing in the new year, celebrating his 48th birthday, and broadcasting not from the attic this time, but from the worldwide headquarters of Vanguard Benefits. Along the way, he shares highlights from a packed week: supporting a Queens Chamber of Commerce nonprofit needs assessment with local leaders, jumping on calls about mission-driven work (including efforts supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people), and continuing to show up as “The Nonprofit Sector Connector” who helps organizations amplify their stories.This week’s featured guest is Tracy Mitchell, Executive Director of Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor (BayStreet.org). Tommy brings Tracy on because he’s intentionally challenging himself to learn more about the arts and culture space—especially as Bay Street Theater becomes a semi-finalist in the Long Island Imagine Awards. What follows is a lively, heartfelt conversation about the power of the arts to change moods, open minds, and build community. Tracy shares her remarkable path from being a child performer to producing work in television and film—including large-format projects like Back to the Future: The Ride, and an ABC primetime documentary special hosted by Oprah. Together, they reflect on how technology transformed storytelling, lowered the barrier to entry for creators, and expanded who gets to make and share meaningful work.Tracy then pulls back the curtain on what makes Bay Street Theater special: it’s an intimate 299-seat professional regional theater that operates year-round, bringing in Broadway-level talent while producing new work and reimagining classics. She explains the scale of their summer season—multiple mainstage productions running eight shows a week—plus comedy, concerts, and special performances that keep the venue buzzing beyond the traditional theater calendar. One of the biggest missions Bay Street embraces is developing what’s next: supporting writers and artists through opportunities like their New Works Festival, where scripts are selected, performed by professional casts, and refined through audience Q&As. Tracy makes the case plainly: you don’t find “the next Hamilton” without taking chances on original work.A centerpiece of the episode is Bay Street’s Literature Live program—created to ensure more students experience professional theater while they’re still in school. Tracy describes how the program adapts curriculum-connected books into 90-minute productions (with full sets, lighting, costumes, and professional actors), and brings middle and high school students in for free—schools just cover transportation. The real magic, she says, is what happens when students from different backgrounds watch the same story and take away different insights, sparking conversation, empathy, and connection. Tommy ties it back to the heart of the show: when art creates understanding, it strengthens community—and that’s nonprofit work in action.To close, Tracy shares how listeners can help: volunteer support (they need about 10 volunteers per night), donations, and community investment keep the theater thriving, since ticket revenue covers only part of what it takes to operate. Tommy leaves the door wide open for future collaboration—hinting at an upcoming visit, tour, and promotional content to help Bay Street reach even more people. It’s a high-energy, feel-good episode that spotlights how arts organizations don’t just entertain—they educate, inspire, and create the shared experiences that hold communities together.

In this powerful episode of Philanthropy in Phocus, Tommy D, the Nonprofit Sector Connector, sits down with Kavita Mehra, Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Survivors of Gender-Based Violence, for an honest, vulnerable, and inspiring conversation about what it means to build a life of service and stand with survivors. From her working-class Jersey roots and 100-hour weeks in her mother’s Hallmark store, to frontline overnight shelter work, to being fired from a fundraising role and coming back stronger, Kavita shares how every step of her journey shaped the leader she is today.Kavita opens up about being a survivor herself, the loneliness of navigating class and identity as an Indian American woman, and how those lived experiences inform her leadership at Sakhi. She and Tommy dig into the realities of direct service vs. development, the importance of professionalizing the nonprofit sector, and why fundraising is really about storytelling, connection, and aligning passion with resources. Along the way, they talk about the Imagine Awards, sector stress, and why small groups of committed people truly can change the world.You’ll also hear how Sakhi has grown from a small organization with a modest budget into a $7M+ movement hub with a 50-person team, offering holistic, in-house support for survivors across the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean diaspora: a helpline and text line, safety planning, immigration and family law support, trauma-informed counseling, housing assistance, culturally specific food access, economic empowerment, job coaching, and more. Kavita and Tommy emphasize that survivors are the agents of change in their own lives – Sakhi’s role is to clear barriers so they can safely make their own choices. They close with a call to action to support Sakhi or your local gender-based violence organization, because this work is truly life-and-death and impacts every community.Resources & How to Get HelpIf you or someone you know may be experiencing gender-based violence and needs support:Sakhi for South Asian Survivors 🌐 Website: SAKHI.org 📞 Helpline: 212-868-6741 📲 Text: 305-204-1808A trained team member will respond as quickly as possible to support with safety planning, crisis response, and next steps.⚠️ If you are in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number first.Connect & Support🎙️ Show: Philanthropy in Phocus (with a PH!) 👤 Host: Tommy DiMisa, The Nonprofit Sector Connector 🌐 TalkRadio.NYC – Uplift. Educate. Empower.👉 Learn more, donate, or get involved: SAKHI.org 👉 Support your local gender-based violence / anti-violence organization – this is one of the most important issues of our time, and everyone is impacted.#PhilanthropyInPhocus #Sakhi #EndGenderBasedViolence #NonprofitLeadership #SurvivorCentered #SouthAsianCommunity #DomesticViolenceAwareness

In this inspiring episode of Philanthropy in Phocus, Tommy D – the Nonprofit Sector Connector – sits down with his longtime friend Dr. Joy DeDonato, Executive Director for the Metro New York region of Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Joy shares how a lifetime of service began with a simple feeling of wanting to help others, and evolved into more than two decades in the nonprofit sector focused on cancer support, education access, women’s issues, and amplifying the voices of those who are too often unseen or unheard. She reflects on the powerful example set by her parents, who modeled service “before it had a title,” and how that foundation of love, grit, and doing the right thing has shaped her entire journey.Joy walks listeners through her professional path from Nassau Community College—first as a student, then staff member and later Executive Director of the college’s foundation—to a decade at the American Cancer Society, and on to SUNY Stony Brook working on women’s health and women’s leadership. Throughout, she emphasizes the power of long-term relationships, showing how mentors, colleagues, and friends have stayed connected across roles, institutions, and life milestones. Joy also shares deeply personal stories of losing loved ones to cancer early in her career, and then, 20 years later, watching close family members with blood cancers move from “despair to hope to strength” thanks to advances in treatment—an evolution that called her back into the cancer space and ultimately to Blood Cancer United.Together, Tommy and Joy highlight the recent rebrand from Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to Blood Cancer United, designed to be more inclusive of all blood cancer patients and families. Joy outlines key initiatives including the Dare to Dream project for safer pediatric treatments, the Student Visionaries of the Year campaign, the emotional Light the Night walks, the Big Climb at Citi Field, and the Visionary of the Year competition that rallies leaders to raise critical funds. She also touches on her wider civic leadership as Vice Chair of Dress for Success Long Island and as a commissioner for both Human Rights and Women’s Leadership in Suffolk County. Through humor, Golden Girls and Fraggle Rock references, and real talk about grit and service, this episode celebrates how one person’s commitment to community, equity, and compassion can ripple out to transform countless lives.

In this episode, Tommy D sits down with Marie Davis and Matthew Epperson from the Georgia Center for Employee Ownership (GACEO) to unpack how business owners can use succession planning to keep companies, jobs, and legacies in their communities. They outline the three major models of broad-based employee ownership—ESOPs (a regulated retirement trust invested in the company), worker cooperatives (direct ownership with patronage profit sharing), and employee ownership trusts (EOTs) (mission-driven trusts that share value broadly)—and explain when each fits. Key clarifications: employees don’t pay to join an ESOP, governance typically remains with a board, and sellers may access tax advantages such as a §1042 capital-gains rollover (for ESOPs and co-ops). The conversation anchors these ideas in the “silver tsunami” of boomer-owned businesses and why proactive planning preserves local economies.Marie and Matthew share real-world examples: Clegg Auto’s EOT-backed expansion that kept Augusta’s Regency Auto open with the same team and a new profit-sharing purpose trust; the growth of Love Is Love Cooperative Farm from five founders to 20 employees; and Athens-based JOMA Construction, which went 100% ESOP early, aligning a young workforce around long-term wealth building and retention. Beyond the why and how, they highlight practical on-ramps for owners and advisors—GACEO’s Employee Ownership Ambassador Program and Exit Pro 101—and point to a national ecosystem of state centers (via EOX) that can match companies with experienced legal, accounting, valuation, and financing partners.If you’re a founder, CFO/CPA, exit planner, or community leader exploring alternatives to traditional M&A, this episode shows how to transition ownership to employees, protect culture, and keep profits local. Learn more at GACEO.org and connect with Tommy D to continue the conversation.

• Discover how Smile Farms connects agriculture with advocacy• Learn how meaningful employment creates lifelong impact• Be inspired by Steve’s personal and professional journey—from global brands to grassroots change🍽️ This Friday on Philanthropy in Phocus with Tommy DiMisa #InTheAtticWe’re planting seeds of purpose and possibility with Steve McDermott, Managing Director of Smile Farms, an organization redefining inclusion through meaningful work opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. 🌱✨This week, we explore “Harvesting Dignity, Growing Futures.” From his early days at Unilever and PepsiCo to leading strategic impact at Smile Farms, Steve’s journey is rooted in passion, innovation, and purpose. Join us for a conversation about employment, empowerment, and how farms are cultivating more than just crops—they’re cultivating community.🕙 Tune in Friday, October 24th at 10 AM EST to hear how Smile Farms is transforming lives—one job, one person, one harvest at a time. 🎧

✨ Why listen?• Learn how QCP supports individuals across all stages of life• Hear what’s changing—and what must change—in the field of disability services• Be inspired by a legacy of advocacy, inclusion, and hands-on leadership🍫 This Friday on Philanthropy in Phocus with Tommy DiMisa #InTheAtticWe’re joined by Terri Ross, Executive Director of Queens Centers for Progress (QCP), a pioneering organization empowering people with developmental disabilities for over 75 years. From preschoolers to older adults, QCP’s programs support more than 1,500 individuals in living full, independent lives. 💼💙This week’s episode, “Progress with Purpose,” explores the evolving landscape of disability services and what it truly means to foster inclusion, dignity, and joy in our communities.🕙 Tune in Friday, July 26th at 10 AM EST to hear how QCP continues to lead with compassion, adaptability, and person-centered care.Organization: Queens Centers for ProgressWebsite: www.queenscp.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com\QueenscpInstagram: @QueensCPLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/queenscp#QueensCentersForProgress #DevelopmentalDisabilities #InclusionMatters #InTheAttic #CommunityEmpowerment #DisabilityRightsTune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc

• Learn how grassroots action became a full-service hub serving 2,500+ people a month• Hear the real talk on leadership, burnout, and building from nothing• Be inspired by a survivor-led movement that puts compassion into action🍫 This Friday on Philanthropy in Phocus with Tommy DiMisa #InTheAtticWe’re joined by Jennifer Hernandez, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ECLI-VIBES, an organization born from lived experience and built on the belief that healing starts with showing up. What began from the trunk of a car has become a $5 million agency with 40+ staff, 24/7 crisis response, and a survivor-led mission. 💼💙This week’s episode, “The Power of Showing Up,” dives into what it really takes to break cycles of trauma—and how community-powered change can rewrite the future for survivors of violence, trafficking, and poverty.🕙 Tune in Friday, August 1st at 10 AM EST to hear how Jennifer and her team at ECLI-VIBES are building a legacy of safety, dignity, and radical care across Long Island. 🎧Name of your organization: ECLI-VIBESWebsite: eclivibes.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088752150697Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecli_vibes/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLjfiRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETE5RlVBbkhYVHhPTU1QRHRLAR52GycLMqedVVYzIIdBqBdxdyh7qLZeVY5dYNg3ly4mrSeyzFXDofkOCnitg_aem_rYhpdxEfH_869hm47uMQSgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eclivibes/#PhilanthropyInPhocus #ECLIVIBES #SurvivorLed #HealingJustice #TommyDiMisa #InTheAttic #CommunityCare #RadicalEmpathyTune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc

- Learn how culturally appropriate services are transforming senior care- Hear about the unique needs of South Asian elders in NYC- Be inspired by Dr. K’s journey from medicine to movement-making🌸 This Friday on Philanthropy in Phocus with Tommy DiMisa #InTheAttic 🌸 Join us for a powerful and heartfelt conversation with Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, affectionately known as Dr. K, the Executive Director and founder of India Home. As a geriatric psychiatrist and visionary nonprofit leader, Dr. K has been at the forefront of creating culturally responsive services for South Asian seniors in New York City. 🧓🏽💜This week, we explore “Care with Culture: Uplifting South Asian Seniors.” Born from her own search for care for her aging parents, India Home has grown under Dr. K’s leadership into a trailblazing organization offering senior centers, advocacy, and social engagement rooted in cultural connection.🕙 Tune in Friday, June 27th at 10 AM EST to hear how Dr. K is building community, dignity, and care for a population often overlooked—and how culture can be a powerful tool in aging with grace. 🎧Website: https://indiahome.org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indiahomeusaIG: https://www.instagram.com/indiahomeusa/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/india-home/#IndiaHome #DrK #SeniorCare #CulturalInclusion #AgingWithDignityTune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc