With Arms Wide Open St. Vincent de Paul Louisville

Scarlet Hope founder Rachelle Starr used to drive past "Theatre X" everyday on her way to work without thinking twice about the sex entertainment industry. Today, she goes into strip clubs with home-cooked meals and brings hope to the women inside.

In 2007, Rachelle founded Scarlet Hope, a nonprofit that shares the hope and love of Jesus with women in the adult entertainment industry. Scarlet Hope has since expanded across 10 cities in the United States from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Atlanta and Orlando. Rachelle is a national speaker who has trained thousands of people to launch similar nonprofits worldwide. She is also the author of “Outrageous Obedience.” You can download to listen, or watch now!

Watch: https://youtu.be/WnzD9wFdLpw

Our CEO Dave Calzi sits down with Rachelle to talk about the local and global sex entertainment industry: 


Rachelle shares her story and how Scarlet Hope launched. In the early years of Scarlet Hope, Rachelle talks about her many personal doubts and others calling her "crazy." She shares about overcoming her initial fears and her organization's frontline work to combat sex trafficking. How Hollywood films like "Taken" or "Sound of Freedom"  may not give us an accurate picture of the adult entertainment industry. Louisville is the 13th largest sex industry per capita in America. Rachelle says sex trafficking is happening "right next door" and gives us a look behind the curtain into the adult entertainment industry—whether in strip clubs, online, or on the streets. Rachelle and her team went to this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas. She shares about sex trafficking at the Super Bowl and their organization's outreach experience. 

To learn more, visit https://scarlethope.org/. Thanks to everyone who listened! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn!

What's it like to win a Grammy? Teddy Abrams tells us in his own words ... and his answer might surprise you.

This podcast episode is powerful, especially for anyone who has a passion or dream! For the last decade, Teddy has been a conductor, pianist, clarinetist, and composer and presently serves as the Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra and the Britt Festival Orchestra. Under his leadership, the Louisville Orchestra has experienced unprecedented success and its attendance has increased 30%. As Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year, Teddy has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, the New Yorker, and NPR, among other media outlets. You can download to listen, or watch now!

Watch: https://youtu.be/2EJ519TZ7UM 

Our CEO Dave Calzi sits down with Teddy to talk all things music: 
Teddy shares how his upbringing influenced him at an early age. He began improvising on piano at age 3 and has fallen in love with music ever since! Teddy took over the Louisville Orchestra at a time when it was not in a great spot and had filed for bankruptcy in 2013. He shares how a tight budget actually inspired a culture of artistic creativity. Teddy is known for riding his bike everywhere. He just got his driver's license. He tells us why! This February, Teddy received his first ever Grammy Award after winning the Best Classical Instrumental Solo for the orchestra's performance in “The American Project” with world-renowned pianist Yuja Wang. The Louisville Orchestra is playing their third “Music Without Borders” performance at the Family Success Center on Friday, April 12. Teddy shares why it's important to make music available to everyone in our community. You can get your free tickets today!

To learn more, visit https://louisvilleorchestra.org/. Thanks to everyone who listened! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn!

How do Legos help explain housing segregation? Louisville Metro Government Planning Supervisor Joel Dock shares what they have to do with one another. 

This is an eye-opening podcast conversation! On the topic of housing segregation, author Leah Rothstein and Joel are global and local leaders, respectively. They are passionate about what we can do in our own communities to begin to challenge and redress segregation. You can also watch now!

Watch: Video

Leah is a nationally known housing policy expert and coauthored “Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law,” which released last year. Joel has worked at Louisville Metro Government for 11 years, and oversees zoning changes and land development code in the Louisville area in the Office of Planning. 

Our CEO Dave Calzi talks with Leah and Joel helps put housing segregation into layman's terms: 
Leah shares how she and her father, Richard, became a strong dad-daughter duo in the housing arena. Richard wrote “The Color of the Law,” which has sold almost one million copies and focuses on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation. "Just Action" is the sequel. As a nation, are we past segregation from a housing perspective? Why or why not?Specific examples from “Confronting Racism in City Planning and Zoning" help us look at decisions made over the last century and what led to zoning segregation. Joel shows us how Legos can teach us about more "middle housing" options for local citizens.Over the last few decades, Louisville has become more diverse, and in particular, has many refugees and a growing Hispanic population. How does this affect housing?  To purchase "Just Action," go to https://www.justactionbook.org/  or visit justaction.substack.com.
Joel and his team's interactive exhibit/story map of  “Confronting Racism in City Planning and Zoning": https://arcg.is/1Snbj4.
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Tony Cash was an outlaw whose story is truly one of amazing transformation! From the age of 11 to 49 years old, he spent an accumulative 36 years incarcerated and two of those decades in and out of solitary confinement. Now, Tony is on a mission to help men like him. You can also watch now!

Watch: https://youtu.be/C9T2F19Br_Q

Alongside his wife, Kim, their nonprofit organization, Freedom Lake, has a nearby property with a 20-bed dorm inside the facility to provide a place for recently released men to reintegrate into society and find purpose in their lives. Joining this episode to share their journey are Kevin and Travis, former addicts who have been helped through Freedom Lake. 
Our CEO Dave Calzi covers these topics with our guests: 
Tony's story and the launch of Freedom LakeHow does the home we grew up in shape our story? How can we help those with traumatic backgrounds reenter society? Where do we start? Are we all "incarcerated" in different ways? Why or why not? As the New Year rolls on, they give advice on removing bad habits and replacing them with lasting changeTony and Kim have served inside the prison system since 2018 helping men affected by substance and alcohol abuse find their identity in Christ, reach their God-given potential, and discover God’s purpose for their lives. To watch Tony's story and learn more about Freedom lake, visit https://freedomlake.org/. 
Thanks to everyone who listened! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn!

If you've ever lost a loved one and need help finding purpose again, this podcast is for you. St. Matthews Mayor Rick Tonini shares how the unexpected and tragic loss of his daughter, Lauren, led to serving at our Open Hand Kitchen in Christmas 2003. You can also watch now!

Watch: https://youtu.be/R3vhyT7wRAk

Our CEO Dave Calzi spoke with Mayor Rick about a variety of topics: 
Tonini Church Supply has been around for 143 years, since Mayor Rick's great-grandfather founded it in the mid-1880s. He shares how to successfully run a family-owned business. Why he's been serving at the Open Hand Kitchen every Sunday for 20 years now and has no plans to stop? As a boy, Mayor Rick drove the garbage truck and cleaned out the sewer in St. Matthews. He tells us how this was his start in politics, and also touches on the role he believes government should play in helping those in need. He offers advice after the loss of a loved one and what you can do next. To learn more about finding support through Compassionate Friends, visit www.compassionatefriends.org/chapter/tcf-of-louisville/.
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If you've always wondered how we grew from the small beginnings of gathering inside a church basement in 1853 to housing 450 nightly and feeding 330 people daily, then lean into this podcast. We condensed 170 years of history into one episode!

This podcast is truly special because we’d love to take you on a history tour as we celebrate our 170 year anniversary, especially because you are the ones who have invested so much of your time, talents, and treasures towards this mission over the years.  You can also watch  now!

Watch: https://youtu.be/qmQ8jDbzSXI

To help us, our CEO Dave Calzi spoke with longtime Board Member and former Executive Director Jim Williams, Director of Conference Affairs & Volunteer Services Donna Young, and Board Member and history guru David Neill. 
Here's our guided tour through SVDP Louisville's history: 
How did the roots of SVDP Louisville begin in the basement of a local Catholic church? The "conferences" are the heart and soul of SVDP. What are they exactly? How did the Shelby Park campus come together in the early 1980s to now being the #1 recipient of 2-1-1 calls for those in need? SVDP's national mission beyond Louisville, which has been responding to natural disasters longer than the Red CrossFind out how you can get involved in the 27th annual Santa Shop!To learn more, visit https://www.svdplou.org/.


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