How to (Not) Kill Your Community

Delaware Community Foundation
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Delaware Community Foundation President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay gathers insights from remarkable experts across Delaware, each offering their perspective on what it takes to build and sustain thriving communities for the long haul.

  1. May 26

    Lauren Camp Gates: (Don't) Count Out People with Disabilities

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware Lauren Camp Gates about focusing resources on people with disabilities and how nonprofits can be more intentional about engaging people with disabilities and their families. Lauren Camp Gates is the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware, where she began as a volunteer in 2012. In addition to her executive leadership, Lauren serves as the youngest-ever National Board President of Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action, collaborating with more than 100 Down syndrome organizations nationwide. She also served as a policy associate with the National Down Syndrome Congress and is the founder of Down to Box, a national nonprofit with 13 locations providing inclusive fitness and boxing programs. In recognition of her impact and leadership, she was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by Delaware Business Times in 2021. She has an MPA from the University of Delaware.

    15 min

  2. May 26

    Rabbi Yair Robinson and Father Jeffrey Ross: (Don't) Write Off Religion

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Rabbi Yair Robinson of Congregation Beth Emeth and Father Jeffrey Ross of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church about what we as Americans can learn from religious communities about strengthening our democracy and the role of doubt in a life of faith. Rabbi Yair Robinson is the spiritual leader and senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Emeth, where he has served since 2009. Originally from Massachusetts, Yair graduated from Oberlin College in 1998. He earned his Masters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he focused on liturgy and creative writing. Before coming to Beth Emeth, he served as the Associate Rabbi at Congregation Shir Ami in Newtown PA and at Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati. Since 2005, Father Jeffrey Ross has served as the rector of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church in Lewes, which has been in existence for over 300 years and is an active and growing community. He is a graduate of the General Theological Seminary and holds a Master of Science degree in Pastoral Counseling from Neumann University. Prior to ordination, he worked as a family therapist as well as on Bishop's staff for Christian Formation, the church's educational program.

    22 min

  3. May 12

    Patricia Rivera: (Don't) Neglect Entrepreneurs

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with the founder of Hook PR & Marketing Patricia Rivera about communication bias, Hispanic entrepreneurs, the Arsht-Cannon Fund, and finding your "why." Patricia Rivera is the founder of Hook PR & Marketing, where she leads a team of multicultural communicators to develop campaigns that honor the depth and diversity of humankind and support organizations focused on social good. She began her career as a storyteller and print journalist, working at The New York Times, The News Journal and The Dallas Morning News. Her awards include 2018 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year Award from New Castle County Chamber of Commerce; 2019 Delaware Minority-Owned Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration; and 2020 Delaware Today Women in Business honoree.

    22 min

  4. May 11

    Kevin Gilmore: (Don't) Let Volunteerism Fade

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with CEO of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity Kevin Gilmore about declining volunteerism nationally, building houses in your own community, and becoming a better person by helping others. Kevin Gilmore serves as CEO of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. As the affiliate's first paid employee beginning in 2004, Gilmore has overseen its growth into a leading regional nonprofit, expanding home construction, repair programs, and homeownership support services. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Elon University in 1996 and later received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Delaware in 2004. Gilmore was honored by Elon University with a Distinguished Service Award, reflecting his leadership in advancing affordable housing and community development initiatives.

    18 min

  5. Apr 28

    Lisa Goodman and Drew Fennell: (Don't) Exclude the LGBTQ+ Community

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with LGBTQ+ activists Lisa Goodman and Drew Fennell about anti-discrimination laws, marriage equality, and being, at different points, "the most out person in Delaware." Lisa B. Goodman is a lawyer and founder of the Delaware lobbying firm 302 Strategies, where she has represented scores of clients in Dover over many years. She holds a J.D., magna c*m laude, from Widener University School of Law, and earlier earned degrees from the University of Delaware and West Chester University. She has been active in legal advocacy, serving as president of Equality Delaware, an organization that championed Delaware's civil-union and anti-discrimination laws. Drew Fennell is an attorney, strategic advisor, and longtime civil rights and public service leader. She holds a B.A. from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law. Her many positions include executive director of the ACLU of Delaware, executive director of the Delaware Criminal Justice Council, chief of staff to Governor Jack Markell, senior VP at Christiana Care, and most recently, executive vice president at Social Contract.

    25 min

  6. Apr 27

    Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester: (Don't) Lose Sight of Joy

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester about the pursuit of joy through service, the hard work of love, and the power of prayer. Lisa Blunt Rochester was sworn in as the junior U.S. Senator from Delaware in 2025, previously serving as Delaware's at-large U.S. Representative from 2017-2025. She is the first woman and first Black person to represent Delaware in Congress. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, she has a strong public service background, including roles in state government and as CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, and is known for her advocacy in public health, environmental justice, and economic issues.

    29 min
  7. How to (Not) Kill Your Community Season 2 Trailer

    Apr 7

    How to (Not) Kill Your Community Season 2 Trailer

    Season two of How to (Not) Kill Your Community drops this April. Join Stuart Comstock-Gay, President and CEO of the Delaware Community Foundation for eight new episodes. Hear from experts such as Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, former Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Anne Canby, and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity CEO Kevin Gilmore. We go deeper with discussions about the role of religion in democracy, the importance of entrepreneurship, and declining volunteerism. Help us tackle the essential question: How do we NOT kill our community?

    1 min

  8. 2025-06-09

    Eric Klinenberg: (Don't) Abandon Social Infrastructure

    In this episode, Stuart Comstock-Gay speaks with Eric Klinenberg, author of 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed, about what the COVID-19 pandemic revealed about our reliance on social infrastructure.  Eric Klinenberg is Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the author of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown, 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (The Penguin Press, 2012), Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2002), as well as the editor of Cultural Production in a Digital Age, co-editor of Antidemocracy in America (Columbia University Press, 2019), and co-author, with Aziz Ansari, of the New York Times #1 bestseller Modern Romance (The Penguin Press, 2015).

    19 min
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Delaware Community Foundation President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay gathers insights from remarkable experts across Delaware, each offering their perspective on what it takes to build and sustain thriving communities for the long haul.

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