Heroes of New York

There are many homeless people who call the streets of NYC their home. During the lockdown in 2020, where few people ventured out, the homeless were still on the streets begging for food.  In this episode, I talk to two wonderful individuals, KimMarco Salvo and Imad Khachan who have made helping the homeless, a part of their lives.  I took  a walk around Penn Station and Greenwich village, along with them to talk to the homeless people and understand their situation.  I also speak to Paola Piscitelli, Director of The Community of Sant E'gidio USA New York chapter - a mission that Kim volunteers for - on the work that the community does to help homeless people.  Listen to four homeless people share their own stories, including Julio - an ex-marine, Diego DaVinci -a wheelchair bound artist, Mr Paine - a school porter and Kiki -a woman who has no family. 

I take a trip around Manhattan on a cold January night with a group of volunteers at the Coalition for the Homeless. They distribute food to the people living on streets. I learn more about what drives these volunteers to help homeless people and they share with me what every homeless person actually needs. Listen to part 1 of this episode where I talk with Giselle Routhier, Policy Director at the Coalition for the Homeless,  the nation’s oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children. Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram

Homelessness is not new in NYC. However, with the loss of jobs in 2020 a lot more people are facing an impending crisis. That of eviction. If and when the eviction ban in NYC is lifted, more people are expected to turn out into the streets and in homeless shelters that are already overwhelmed. Single adults, families and children are equally impacted. I chat with Giselle Routhier, Policy Director at the Coalition for the Homeless,  the largest such agency in NYC on the work they do and what she foresees in 2021. This is a 2 part interview. In the second part, I take a trip around town with the mobile soup kitchen team from the Coalition for the Homeless, to see the work they do for homeless people on the streets. Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram

God's Love We Deliver has been delivering medically tailored meals to people who are ill and in need of food. Started by one woman in the 80s who saw the plight of an AIDS patient and decided to take action, GLWD has grown into an organization that now caters to anyone from any background who is ill and requires food. In this episode, I talk to 2 employees, Natasha Bunzl, Communications Associate and Dorella Walters, Senior Director at GLWD about the organization's mission, the work they did in 2020 and what our listeners can do to help. 

Serving medically tailored meals to the sick

David Kass, is a New Yorker on a mission to beautify the city. Seeing the how neglected the flower beds around 6th avenue was,  he started adopting flower beds around his neighborhood a few years back . He plants flowers and picks up trash all at his own expense. David shares his story and how he thinks you can help. David's Facebook page.

In this episode, I chat with Dylan Nunn. Dylan is the Co-founder of Mettā Creative and is involved in organizing international events for environmental non-profits, to developing an ERC token, to hosting multi day retreats around regeneration. He also moved to the Morning View Food Forest in March of 2020. The land is the headquarters of The REED Center for Ecosystem Regeneration. Dylan talks about land stewardship and sustainable living. Through his organization, Metta Creative, Dylan and his team encourages people to lead regenerative lifestyles through transformational experiences. 

How can you bridge the digital divide? Ask Daisy Hampton, a 11 year old who has been addressing this question since New York Public schools went online at the height of the pandemic. When Daisy realized that not all kids in her class were able to attend online sessions because of their lack of access to technology she decided to take action. And that's how Including You was born. A non -profit peer -to - peer mentorship platform where children help other children. Through Including You, Daisy raises funds to procure devices and hotspot access to children across the country, who currently don't have access. 

Pranitha Timothy is a social worker and the  founder of Justice and Hope, an India based organization established in 2013. She was diagnosed with brain tumor while pursuing her Masters in Social work about 2 decades ago. Following brain surgery she lost her voice for two years. That didn't dissuade her from working for the helpless and the voiceless.  Over the years, Pranitha  has worked with prisoners, met those on a life sentence, worked with their families, joined a team that pioneered the fight against bonded labour and rescues victims of trafficking.  Tune in to hear Pranitha share her inspiring story and what she thinks you and I can do to help our society. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States of America and a powerful advocate for gender equality.  In this episode, I explore RBG's style of advocacy and the way she brought about change from the way she dressed to the relationships she forged in her professional and personal life. 

In a candid and fun conversation, Abhijit Bhaduri drops pearls of wisdom on handling the digital workplace.  From collaboration to creativity, we discuss a range of topics that relate to the work from anywhere culture.  Abhijit Bhaduri is an author, coach and a talent management expert. He is the author of Dreamers and Unicorns, a book about the post - COVID world of work. He is a personal branding coach and talent management advisor.  He was the Chief Learning officer of Wipro for seven years and was widely recognized for his innovative approach to learning and building a future-ready workforce. Abhijit has led HR teams at Microsoft, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in US, Asia-Pac and India. He is one of the few authors who writes fiction and non-fiction. Forbes calls him' India's most interesting globalist'.  Watch the video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-wex2upRu8

PS 226, located in the East Village in New York City, is a public school that caters to kids with special needs. During the summer of 2019, some of the students from PS 226 came over to the Peter Cooper Village(PCV) - Stuyvesant Town(ST) residential complex to help the staff with their duties of cleaning the premises, as part of their summer training. The hope was that the training would help the kids build independence and confidence in their own abilities. However the results stunned everyone involved - from the school educators to the management staff at PCV/ST. This is the second part of the interview with Richie, Nestor and Malcolm. For the first part of the interview head here.  I also talk with the educators from PS 226 - Allison Tearney and Taylor Curtin - who share their dreams and hopes for their students. 

This is a story of kids from a public school in NYC that caters to students with special needs. During the summer of 2019, some of the students from the school came over to the Peter Cooper Village(PCV) - Stuyvesant Town(ST) residential complex to help the staff with their duties of cleaning the premises, as part of their summer training. The hope was that the training would help the kids build independence and confidence in their own abilities. However the results stunned everyone involved - from the school educators to the management staff at PCV/ST. This is the second part of the interview with Richie, Nestor and Malcolm. For the first part of the interview head here.  I also talk with the educators from the school - Allison Tearney and Taylor Curtin - who share their dreams and hopes for their students. 

During the biggest lockdown New York City has seen, an army of 160 people prepared for battle everyday. But their enemy was invisible, tinier than a millionth of an inch. Their battlefield? The Stuyvesant Town - Peter Cooper Village - a residential neighborhood  in Manhattan that spanned over 110 buildings, with over 11,000 apartments. These brave souls were the janitors, cleaners and other support staff that kept the premises clean and safe everyday. At a time when little was known about the virus and how it spread, these people risked their lives to travel on subways and public transport to do their duty to a community that some of them had served for nearly 4 decades. Along the way, they lost a colleague, another lost his wife and their families pleaded with them to stay home. But they didn't relent. Duty comes first. Tune in to hear these brave men talk about their fears, why they kept going and how they remained sane during the darkest period of 2020. 

During the biggest lockdown New York City has seen, an army of 160 people prepared for battle everyday. But their enemy was invisible, tinier than a millionth of an inch. Their battlefield? The Stuyvesant Town - Peter Cooper Village - a residential neighborhood  in Manhattan that spanned over 110 buildings, with over 11,000 apartments. These brave souls were the janitors, cleaners and other support staff that kept the premises clean and safe everyday. At a time when little was known about the virus and how it spread, these people risked their lives to travel on subways and public transport to do their duty to a community that some of them had served for nearly 4 decades. Along the way, they lost a colleague, another lost his wife and their families pleaded with them to stay home. But they didn't relent. Duty comes first. Tune in to hear these brave men talk about their fears, why they kept going and how they remained sane during the darkest period of 2020. 

During the biggest lockdown New York City has seen, an army of 160 people prepared for battle everyday. But their enemy was invisible, tinier than a millionth of an inch. Their battlefield? The Stuyvesant Town - Peter Cooper Village - a residential neighborhood  in Manhattan that spanned over 110 buildings, with over 11,000 apartments. These brave souls were the janitors, cleaners and other support staff that kept the premises clean and safe everyday. At a time when little was known about the virus and how it spread, these people risked their lives to travel on subways and public transport to do their duty to a community that some of them had served for nearly 4 decades. Along the way, they lost a colleague, another lost his wife and their families pleaded with them to stay home. But they didn't relent. Duty comes first. Tune in to hear these brave men talk about their fears, why they kept going and how they remained sane during the darkest period of 2020. 

Imad Khachan runs the only remaining chess shop in New York City. Situated in Greenwich Village. A Palestinian refugee with no family of his own, Khachan has become “the father of everybody” to a community of chess enthusiasts, those curious to learn more about the game, and those whom Khachan describes as the city’s “invisible people.” Every day after he shuts shop, Imad walks around the city helping the homeless who call NY streets their home. He started a FaceBook page called "Angels of New York' where he posts pictures of homeless people in the hope that it inspires his followers to help and take action. In this episode, Imad shares some of his experiences interacting with the homeless including William Lombardi, former Amercian chess grandmaster and how our listeners can help this cause. Chess Forum Angels of New York

Imad Khachan runs the only remaining chess shop in New York City. Situated in Greenwich Village. A Palestinian refugee with no family of his own, Khachan has become “the father of everybody” to a community of chess enthusiasts, those curious to learn more about the game, and those whom Khachan describes as the city’s “invisible people.” Every day after he shuts shop, Imad walks around the city helping the homeless who call NY streets their home. He started a FaceBook page called "Angels of New York' where he posts pictures of homeless people in the hope that it inspires his followers to help and take action. In this episode, Imad shares some of his experiences interacting with the homeless including William Lombardi, former Amercian chess grandmaster and how our listeners can help this cause. Chess Forum Angels of New York

On a lazy summer evening, a man collapses in a New York playground while playing with his two little kids. The kids think its pretend play. Only its not. In less than 30 minutes, the entire scene changes as police cars, fire trucks and ambulances line the road and over 20 people are working to revive the man. By the time he's rushed to hospital, its been an hour since his heart stopped. Heroes of New York, cover this true story of some brave and nameless heroes who tried their best to help a man they will never meet again.

The Father's Heart Ministries is located in the East Village, New York City. For the past 23 years, they have been running a soup kitchen and open food pantry serving the hungry and homeless. During the pandemic they have been a respite to many in this part of the city. In this episode, I speak with Marian Hutchins, the Executive Director of the Father's Heart Ministries. She shares her experiences from moving to New York and the East Village in the 80s when drugs and violence was the norm and her experiences working with the needy and the poor. Tune in to listen to a story full of compassion and humanity. Facebook page