Recipients

Susan Finch of Binky Patrol interviews Mara James, founder and CEO of the Extraordinary Lives Foundation (ELF). Listeners will learn about ELF's mission to improve children's mental health and emotional wellness through programs like Piggie Bear and the HUGS School Life Healing Center. Mara shares her personal journey of overcoming mental health challenges and how it inspired her to create tools for children to build emotional awareness and resilience.
The episode highlights the importance of teaching children emotional wellness skills from an early age, reframing mental health challenges in a positive light, and providing holistic healing options. Listeners will discover how Piggie Bear books and plush toys are being used in schools and hospitals to help children cope with difficult emotions. For those working with or caring for children experiencing trauma or emotional challenges, this episode offers valuable insights into innovative, compassionate approaches to supporting young people's mental health and well-being.
Links from this episode:
https://elfempowers.org
https://hugslife.org
https://binkypatrol.org
 
 

Shannon Kmetic, founder of Angels in the Outfield, joins Susan Finch to discuss her mission of supporting children impacted by crime and abuse. Kmetic shares how her experience as a prosecutor showed her the need to help children after going through trauma and the justice system. She details the year-round work Angels in the Outfield does to give kids opportunities to pursue their passions, from sports gear to college visits, and provide a sense of normalcy. Kmetic emphasizes the power of helping children heal through positive outlets and relationships. As Susan describes their upcoming collaboration providing blankets to Angels' holiday store, Kmetic thanks participants for giving children warmth, security, and care. Together, they model uplifting partnerships that allow grassroots groups to transform children's lives. Will you join them by volunteering time or donating to organizations like Angels in the Outfield?
About Shannon Kmetic
Shannon was a Deputy District Attorney for Clackamas County when she founded the Angels in the Outfield in 2009.  She had been a prosecutor since 1996, and her caseload for quite some time had involved domestic violence and child physical and sexual abuse cases.  Shannon had just prosecuted one of the worst sexual abuse in her career, and she realized that more had to be done for this young victim and others like her. She was worried that the "system" was not equipped to deal with long-term issues related to victimization and healing. Shannon was blessed with a wonderful family and supportive parents, but not all children, including vulnerable children who are abused and neglected, get to experience what she did.
Shannon's hope was, and is, that the Angels in the Outfield will provide hope to children who fall within our mission. Getting to experience or do things that they may not have otherwise, or participate in an activity or event, or have something that will assist them daily will be the impetus for healing. 
Links from this episode:
Angels in the Outfield
Binky Patrol
MrBallen Foundation

Susan's guest, Steve Squillante, co-founder of Tiny Transplant Titans, opens up about the nights he and his wife spent at the hospital with their son, who is awaiting a liver transplant. The encounters with other families and transplant patients illuminated the challenges faced by those who lived far from medical centers or lacked the support of a partner. Steve realized the privilege they had of living just a short distance away and being able to care for their son together. Witnessing the struggles of other caregivers who couldn't easily leave the hospital, they saw the significance of the little things they often forgot, like coffee gift cards, cozy blankets, or brand-name toothbrushes.
Their experiences sparked an idea: to create care packages containing these forgotten items, relieving financial stress for families unable to leave the hospital. They aimed to offer a sense of ownership and familiarity, providing comfort during their stay. Susan emphasized the importance of feeling at home and having personal belongings in the hospital. 
Amidst their son's health challenges and nonprofit work, Steve and his wife balance jobs while working from home. Their desire to positively impact motivated them to utilize their support system to help others. The journey of Tiny Transplant Titans is just beginning, but the positive feedback and smiles from families receiving their care packages inspire them to continue.
The emotional tone of this summary reflects the resilience, compassion, and determination of Steve Squillante and his wife. It underscores the significance of small acts of kindness and their impact on families navigating the difficulties of pediatric transplants. The listener is moved to support Tiny Transplant Titans and witness the transformative power of their work.
 
Impact4Good sponsors this podcast.
Impact for Good is the one source for bringing community service to your next event. Excited and engaging team-building activities are just part of what they offer. Let them identify the best cause or beneficiaries to support, manage the donation logistics, and bring the spirit of community service to your group from your initial request through the day of your event. Impact4good handles all the details. Be sure to visit them at Impact4Good.com.

In this very special episode of All-Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol, host Susan Finch sits down with Eric Berndt to talk about his experience coping with the loss of his father at a young age. Eric's story is a powerful testament to the importance of community, vulnerability, and resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship.
Eric opens up about the challenges he faced as a teenager struggling to come to terms with his father's sudden death, and the ways in which he found support and healing in unexpected places. From trauma camps to TEDx talks, Eric has made it his mission to share his story and help others who may be silently suffering.
Susan and Eric discuss the importance of checking in on loved ones, especially during quiet times when the full weight of loss can hit the hardest. They also highlight the value of being open and vulnerable, both for oneself and for others, and the ways in which this can build trust, deepen connections, and ultimately lead to greater healing. Listen to this episode to hear Eric's inspiring story, and to learn more about the power of community, resilience, and hope in the face of loss, "Breaking the Stigma: Seeking Help is a Sign of Strength."
Eric's Aunt, Carolyn Berndt was on an earlier episode.
EP5 Stories About Deliveries, Break out the hankies

In this episode welcomes Russ Cassvah, the founder of Little Brick's Charity. Susan has been trying to get Russ on the show for over a year, and finally, they get to talk about his journey and the mission of Little Bricks Charity. The conversation begins with Russ sharing his passion for LEGO and how that led him to start a charity that delivers LEGO sets to children's hospitals across the US. Russ talks about the challenges he faced as a one-man operation and how TikTok changed the game for him. He also shares his thoughts on the importance of seizing opportunities, the challenges of being a one-man operation, and how he manages to keep his nonprofit running on a tight budget. Russ and Susan discuss the importance of transparency, accounting, and branding to gain credibility and trust from donors and partners. They wrap up the episode by talking about the lessons Russ has learned as a nonprofit leader and how he plans to grow Little Bricks Charity in the future.
Learn more about Little Bricks Charity here.
Learn more about Binky Patrol here.

Have you ever known the family was coming over, but because of the weather, and varying ages, you didn't quite know what to do with everyone after the meal? What about when your office and workload are lighter due to the upcoming holidays, end-of-year vacations, and more? A great way to bring these groups of people together is to make blankets. It's a chance to lift some of the annual awkwardness, stay busy for those fidgety people, and change lives. Make blankets. We sometimes forget to talk about the overall mission of Binky Patrol. Binky Patrol makes blankets and gives them away to children and teens in need of comfort. Those invisible kids who need a reminder that they matter, they are not forgotten, and that someone cares about them. We do this through handmade blankets - they can be sewn, quilted, crocheted, knitted, or tied - just so they come from your heart and are washable, they are perfect. Please listen to this 7-minute episode.
This podcast is sponsored by Impact4Good.com Connecting companies, organizations, and communities.What difference will you make today?
Impact 4 Good is the one source for bringing community service to your next event! Exciting and engaging team-building activities are just part of what we offer. Let us identify the best cause/beneficiary to support, manage the donation logistics and bring the spirit of community service to your group. From your initial request through the day of your event, Impact 4 Good handles all the details.

Wil and Liam are back with Susan talking about what the homeless in Portland really need, and it's not tiny houses. They need to kick addictions, get teeth, get an ID, get a ride and sometimes that's all it takes to get them off the streets. Dinner and a Movie has great gift cards you can give instead of having mugs printed with your company name for client gifts. The focus is on helping one person as a time, not unlike Binky Patrol comforting one child at a time. Don't try to solve the issue with one big stroke. You can't. No one can. It takes time with individuals. Throwing money and building tiny houses won't do it. It just tucks them away and lines the pockets of those involved in "solving." Listen to this episode to hear real stories from people helping those on the streets of all ages in this episode of All Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol, "How to REALLY help the homeless in Portland."
60 percent of all of those on the street are there because of drug addiction. They don't want to be restricted by the rules of tiny home communities. They need recovery - now. Most have suffered from neglect or sexual abuse as children. These are the two connecting threads. They have varying levels of education, skills and unique interests that could have them independent if they could break the cycle of addiction. This isn't just adults, this is for teens on the streets too. Help Dinner and a Movie help them.

Will and Liam from Dinner and a Movie see it on television every day. Reporters assure the homeless their story will be told and when it ends up on television it's been changed, twisted, and doesn't tell the truth. They know because they spend most days in Southeast Portland trying to give respite from the hell of being homeless. There are many misconceptions. This is part one of a two-part episode that shares some beautiful stories, some science and aha moments. Building tiny houses isn't the solution. Being homeless isn't the same as being houseless. A house isn't the full solution. It delays what the more difficult problem is to solve. 60% or more have experienced neglect or sexual abuse. 6 out of 5 are addicted to drugs or alcohol, or as you'll hear in the story of Raven, addicted to reading. Tune in for this episode.
Learn more about Dinner and a Movie on DinnerAndAMoviePDX.com You can help them bring ice cold water, hot soup, and so much more without a huge effort and make a huge impact.

When we deliver binkies we encounter angels of hope. Our guest today, Liz Bias, is an angel of hope for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. As a survivor herself, she knows exactly what they are going through. A lot of these women when they leave, have nothing. They have no clothes, and their driver's license and their social security have been taken from them by their abuser.
Sarah's House gives them all the resources and the contacts where they can make the phone calls and set up the appointments so they can get back their license, and the paperwork that they need so they can get a job. And you always have some that go back to their abuser - that is heartbreaking for someone like Liz. Our Guest Liz Bias helps usher these women into a better life and break these habits. Listen to her story and what she's done to turn it around by creating the Wounded Heart Foundation in Texas.

This episode talks about some of the early deliveries that still impact us as they truly show the full mission of Binky Patrol from holding premature drug-addicted babies in soft, dark, quiet rooms to driving quickly to deliver a binky to a girl in an orphanage that called us to get one for her friend arriving shortly. Carolyn Berndt joined Binky Patrol when the company she was working for was in search of a local charity they could help financially. She showed up and fell in love immediately with Binky Patrol's simple mission of making and giving blankets to comfort children who are hurting, ill, abused, alone, in trauma of any kind. Her background is in marketing and PR, not blanket making so that's what she dove in to help with. She also helped with deliveries.  Join Carolyn and Susan to hear why we continue to do what we do. Bring your hankie as they tell true stories of real kids who were so happy to receive a binky.
Carolyn Berndt joins Susan to talk about how she found Binky Patrol. They also talk about the impact volunteering had on Carolyn's children, Malena and Max. Then break out the hankies as they both tell of deliveries and holding babies with no moms to hold them. It's all a reminder of how the little things and a bit of time can change lives. Consider doing SOMETHING other than "sending love and prayers" - show up, help us comfort these kids. It's easy. This episode talks about some of the early deliveries that still impact us as they truly show the full mission of Binky Patrol from holding premature drug-addicted babies in soft, dark, quiet rooms to driving quickly to deliver a binky to a girl in an orphanage that called us to get one for her friend arriving shortly.