On this month’s Community Wise Podcast, Holly Long from LISC KC welcomes Theresa Garza Alderman of City of Raytown, MO and the Regional Manager, Government of Affairs of Spire and Thalia Cherry Founder and CEO of Cherry Co. a brand that celebrates the unbelievable achievements of legendary athlete’s, game changers and cultural icons.

This month’s Community Wise Podcast focuses on Black History Month and LISC's HBCU intership program. LISC KC's Holly Long sits down with President Dr. Larry Robinson and Alexia Kitchen of FAMU to discuss the significance of HBCU's in shaping an inclusive workforce and including insights on LISC's HBCU internship program, supported by Citi Foundation. 

This month’s Community Wise Podcast focuses on Capacity Building.  Capacity Building addresses complex problems that require community and economic development strategies to help community-based organizations grow to the next level.  LISC KC’s Holly Long sits down with Madeline Fraser Cook, Senior Vice President-National Programs at LISC and Tatia Ash, Senior Program Officer at LISC to discuss the importance of relationship building and technical support that capacity building offers community-based organizations. 

This month’s Community Wise Podcast focuses on Teachers Like Me, an organization working to increase the number of Black teachers by removing barriers to entry. The organization is dedicated to recruiting, developing, and retaining Black teachers in public education in the Kansas City area. LISC KC’s Holly Long sits down with Dr. Trinity Davis, President & Founder, to discuss the significance of the organization, why it is needed and how it provides the support needed to be effective to the academic and social needs of all students, specifically students of color.

What does Affordable Housing mean to you? This month’s Community Wise Podcast features Regional Housing Partnership’s Katie Killen, Housing Program Manager at Mid-America Regional Council, Andrea Generaux, Program Officer at LISC Greater Kansas City and the Co-chairs of the RHP Strategy Committee Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Pro-Tem Rayana Parks-Shaw and Johnson County Commissioner Janeé Hanslick.

 In this month’s Community Wise Podcast, we are discussing Disability Pride Month, which initially started as a day of celebration in 1990—the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity for the world to honor the history, achievements, experiences and struggles of the disabled community.

In June’s Community Wise Podcast, we discussed the different generational approaches to home ownership.  We highlight the plight of a potential millennial homebuyer.  We discussed the importance of homeownership and other alternatives to purchasing a home.  Our guest include: Lusette Walker Broker Associate for Murrell Homes Real Estate Group, Gynon Brown Community Mortgage Loan Advisor for First Federal Bank of Kansas City, Aaron Potter of Alexander Potter Homes and Adrianne Long, potential millennial home buyer. 

For the next four months, LISC Greater Kansas City will proudly present our Financial Stability Blog Series! January will cover small steps that can create a path to financial stability. With the 2022 holiday season in our rearview, most people are looking to create or regain some sort of financial stability from the time of year when we are buying gifts for everyone or splurging on holiday meals, holiday décor and holiday entertainment. 

February is the time we recognize the invaluable contributions that Black Americans have made within our country, the economy, and across the world. It is also a wonderful reminder that Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America. Our Black History Month podcast will discuss Black history told by artistic expression. LISC KC’s Holly Long talks to Sonie Joi Thompson-Ruffin, fabric artist and co-founder of the African American Artists Collective-Kansas City. Our discussion is candid, humorous, and shines light on the wonders of Black achievement.

In this month’s Community Wise podcast, Holly Long sits down with Kelli Hearn, LISC KC’s Program Officer. Kelli is responsible for the financial stability programing for LISC KC. She will discuss what financial stability is and the little steps we can take to regain our financial freedom.      

October was National Women's Small Business Month. This observance is to recognize the myriad of achievements of our country's female entrepreneurs and the positive impact they are making on jobs and the economy. While the month may have ended, the achievements of women can and should be recognized year-round.  This month’s Community Wise Podcast features an interview with Nia Richardson, the Managing Director of KC Biz Care. Learn what insights this remarkable female entrepreneur has for those interested in launching their own respective businesses.

Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, LISC KC is using Women’s Equality Day to raise awareness of the issues women of color face today, from gender pay gap to health care. Our guest this month is Michele Watley, founder of Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet. Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet is an advocacy group for women of color in the areas of economic prosperity, health and vitality, education, and eradication of violence.

LISC KC has been working remotely since March 17, 2020 and is scheduled to return to the office by the end of July. This month’s Community Wise Podcast speaks with the team regarding their thoughts on returning to the office, what they learned from working remotely, raising awareness regarding accommodations for all employees, and their hopes for the future of the business world.

In this Community Wise podcast, LISC KC’s Holly Long sits down with Dr. Carmaletta Williams, CEO of the Black Archives of Mid-America to discuss the importance of Juneteenth and how it has become widely celebrated within the last few years.

This month LISC KC’s Holly Long sits down with Gabe Munoz, Director of The Toolbox, the go to resource for everything small business in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Gabe will introduce us to Liliane Lemani, a success story from The Toolbox. LISC KC’s Daniel Serda, KC-CUR Project Manager will also join us to share how LISC helps small businesses and small business coaches.

Financial Literacy Month is a national campaign to raise awareness about financial literacy and to promote financial education. Financial literacy is key to understanding how to save, earn, borrow, invest, and protect your money wisely.

To close out Women’s History Month, we were honored to host a panel discussion centered around women as the backbone of our communities and local economies, the importance of systems change, solidarity and self-care. As LISC's Nicole Barcliff put it, “you can't think about a community thriving in a holistic manner without thinking about the role of women, and investing in women.”

Our featured panelists shared insights on leading through lived experience, representing their communities in the workplace, and building foundations for women’s wellbeing.

During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits. But what happens to communities that do not have access to healthy foods or safe physical activities?

February is the time we recognize the invaluable contributions Black Americans have made within our country, the economy and across the world. Black business owners still face numerous challenges, but the lack of access to capital is the reoccurring theme that has plagued many Black business owners during the course of this global pandemic.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is known as Small Business Saturday. When you’re shopping on Small Business Saturday, you’re not just supporting your neighborhood stores-you're investing in your community. This year for Small Business Saturday, we want to highlight a non-traditional retailer.

LISC KC’s Holly Long sits down with Hispanic/Latinx KC metro community leaders, Diosselyn Tot-Velasquez and Pat Contreras, regarding Hispanic Heritage Month and being your authentic self in this world. 

The ROAD Forward initiative aims to increase the supply of needed family rental housing near jobs.

This month’s Community Wise podcast is a conversation with Brian Roberts, owner of the Black Pantry located in the heart of Kansas City at 325 E. 31st Street. Have you heard of the Shop Local Movement? How does shopping local related to community development? It will all be discussed here in this episode.

Suzanne Wheeler Executive Director and Jeff Harris Board President of Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce sit down to discuss issues facing small business owners in the LGBTQ Community.

In this podcast we discuss tips to overcome the hurdles of small business and the difference between banking vs. creating a banking relationship with your funder. We hear the important perspective from our community partner, Simone Curls Executive Director of Prospect Business Association.

In this podcast we discuss the importance of financial literary and how to maintain healthy financial habits that could result in homeownership, as well as create generational wealth. We shared two important perspectives that work closely with LISC Greater Kansas City in the fight for securing financial health and wealth for our communities.

In our inaugural podcast, LISC Greater Kansas City’s Holly Long sits down with Dr. Melissa Patterson-Hazley to discuss Black History Month, Women’s History and why she gives credit to enslaved African women for the creation of our modern day educational system.