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Topic: Families

Inside the Town Run Entirely By 10-Year-Olds | Junior Achievement

Economic mobility has dropped 45% in recent decades. The American Dream – doing better than your parents did – is getting harder to reach. But Leigh Mansberg and Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South are doing something about it. In this conversation with Bill, Leigh breaks down how Junior Achievement uses experiential learning to unlock economic mobility for kids K-12 – and why giving a child hope might be the most important thing a community can do. This episode will change how you think about education, opportunity, and what it means to invest in the next generation. This episode is for everyone who wants to see the American Dream continue on through future generations.

ARMY ACTIONS

Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us!

Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org

Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks

Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/

Take The 10 Level Challenge, “the hero’s journey for service” at 10LevelChallenge.org

 

HIGHLIGHTS: Inside the Town Run Entirely By 10-Year-Olds | Junior Achievement

Economic mobility has dropped 45% in recent decades. The American Dream – doing better than your parents did – is getting harder to reach. But Leigh Mansberg and Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South are doing something about it. In this conversation with Bill, Leigh breaks down how Junior Achievement uses experiential learning to unlock economic mobility for kids K-12 – and why giving a child hope might be the most important thing a community can do. This episode will change how you think about education, opportunity, and what it means to invest in the next generation. This episode is for everyone who wants to see the American Dream continue on through future generations.

ARMY ACTIONS

Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us!

Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org

Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks

Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/

Take The 10 Level Challenge, “the hero’s journey for service” at 10LevelChallenge.org

 

HIGHLIGHTS: This State Is Solving The Foster Care Crisis (Here’s How)

This is the shorter “highlights” version of the episode. 

Coach Bill Courtney sits down with Chris Campbell, Executive Director of Oklahoma’s 111 Project, to unpack how Oklahoma has cut the number of children in foster care nearly in half—from 11,500 to 6,000—and what communities across America can learn from their success.

Rather than pointing fingers at government, Chris shares how churches, nonprofits, everyday citizens, and public agencies began working together to build practical pathways for people to help. From recruiting foster families to preventing children from entering foster care in the first place, this conversation is full of ideas that any community can adopt.

Chris also shares the deeply personal moment that changed the course of his life: holding a two-day-old baby with nowhere to go.

In this episode:

  • Why America has a foster parent shortage—and the consequences for children.
  • How Oklahoma dramatically reduced the number of kids in foster care.
  • Why prevention is just as important as recruiting foster families.
  • The story behind CarePortal and how a simple app is helping keep families together.
  • Why supporting struggling families often matters more than removing children.
  • The surprising role churches can play in solving one of America’s biggest challenges.

If An Army of Normal Folks each did what we can, this is one problem we really can solve.

Check out the resources below!

RESOURCES

Learn more about 111 Project at 111Project.org | One Church, One Family, One Purpose

Follow 111 Project on socials @111projectok

Interested in fostering? Search for foster parent classes in your community and join them. No commitment required. Exploration is the first step. 

Want to help prevent kids from unnecessarily entering foster care? Sign up for CarePortal at https://www.careportal.org/

ARMY ACTIONS

Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us!

Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org

Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks

Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/

Take The 10 Level Challenge, “the hero’s journey for service” at 10LevelChallenge.org

This State Is Solving The Foster Care Crisis (Here’s How)

Coach Bill Courtney sits down with Chris Campbell, Executive Director of Oklahoma’s 111 Project, to unpack how Oklahoma has cut the number of children in foster care nearly in half—from 11,500 to 6,000—and what communities across America can learn from their success.

Rather than pointing fingers at government, Chris shares how churches, nonprofits, everyday citizens, and public agencies began working together to build practical pathways for people to help. From recruiting foster families to preventing children from entering foster care in the first place, this conversation is full of ideas that any community can adopt.

Chris also shares the deeply personal moment that changed the course of his life: holding a two-day-old baby with nowhere to go.

In this episode:

  • Why America has a foster parent shortage—and the consequences for children.
  • How Oklahoma dramatically reduced the number of kids in foster care.
  • Why prevention is just as important as recruiting foster families.
  • The story behind CarePortal and how a simple app is helping keep families together.
  • Why supporting struggling families often matters more than removing children.
  • The surprising role churches can play in solving one of America’s biggest challenges.

If An Army of Normal Folks each did what we can, this is one problem we really can solve.

Check out the resources below!

RESOURCES

Learn more about 111 Project at 111Project.org | One Church, One Family, One Purpose

Follow 111 Project on socials @111projectok

Interested in fostering? Search for foster parent classes in your community and join them. No commitment required. Exploration is the first step. 

Want to help prevent kids from unnecessarily entering foster care? Sign up for CarePortal at https://www.careportal.org/

ARMY ACTIONS

Subscribe to the podcast and rate & review us!

Signup to join the Army, visit NormalFolks.org

Follow us on social media @ArmyofNormalFolks

Join or start an ANF local service club at https://normalfolks.org/service-clubs/

Take The 10 Level Challenge, “the hero’s journey for service” at 10LevelChallenge.org

The Hidden Crisis Facing 14 Million Single Parent Families (Pt 1)

Unannounced, Robert Beeson’s ex-wife abandoned him and their 3 young daughters one morning. In this important episode, he vulnerably shares why single parents suffer in silence and how there were almost no resources available to 14 million fellow Americans in his position. 

So Robert did what every member of Army of Normal Folks does—he saw a need and he’s filling it. Today, his nonprofit “Solo Parent” has support groups in 18 states, on Army bases, worldwide virtually, a podcast, and they’ve impacted 220,000 families so far! 

You will learn about an incredible resource that either you need, or someone you know needs. Because we all know Solo Parents.

The Hidden Crisis Facing 14 Million Single Parent Families (Pt 2)

Unannounced, Robert Beeson’s ex-wife abandoned him and their 3 young daughters one morning. In this important episode, he vulnerably shares why single parents suffer in silence and how there were almost no resources available to 14 million fellow Americans in his position. 

So Robert did what every member of Army of Normal Folks does—he saw a need and he’s filling it. Today, his nonprofit “Solo Parent” has support groups in 18 states, on Army bases, worldwide virtually, a podcast, and they’ve impacted 220,000 families so far! 

You will learn about an incredible resource that either you need, or someone you know needs. Because we all know Solo Parents. 

25,000 Babies Experience Withdrawal Every Year—So This Mom Took Action (Pt 1)

Every year, 25,000 babies experience withdrawal from addictive substances after birth. Jill Kingston saw this up close as the very first 2 babies that she decided to decide to foster were withdrawing from heroin. This normal mom felt convicted to do even more and so she founded Brigid’s Path, which helps both these newborns and their parents to heal. And they’re so successful that when 70% of these babies enter foster care, 85% of their babies remain with their families! You’ll walk away from this episode believing that you don’t have to feel qualified to solve a problem—you just have to start.

25,000 Babies Experience Withdrawal Every Year—So This Mom Took Action (Pt 2)

Every year, 25,000 babies experience withdrawal from addictive substances after birth. Jill Kingston saw this up close as the very first 2 babies that she decided to decide to foster were withdrawing from heroin. This normal mom felt convicted to do even more and so she founded Brigid’s Path, which helps both these newborns and their parents to heal. And they’re so successful that when 70% of these babies enter foster care, 85% of their babies remain with their families! You’ll walk away from this episode believing that you don’t have to feel qualified to solve a problem—you just have to start.

Who Builds a Pro-Bowler? The Heroic Normal Folks Behind Demario Davis (Pt 1)

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis has spent 14 years in the NFL as one of its most respected leaders on and off the field. We could have talked with him about how he’s a two-time Pro-Bowler and his team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, but instead we celebrated his own Army of Normal Folks who’ve supported his greatness— a single mom who gave birth to him at 16, a grandmother who helped raise him, a chaplain who dared to ask him the hard questions, and a wife who has been his rock. His story will show you how your greatest impact just might be some radical love to those surrounding you!