The Grit City Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Non Profit”

The Coffee Oasis - Helping Tacoma's At-Risk Youth

GCP Media — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 04:00:00 -0700

This time Julie Judy, the Community Development Lead from The Coffee Oasis, joins Scott and Justin. The Coffee Oasis is a non-profit organization that exists to create pathways of opportunity for youth to be restored in heart, soul, mind, and body. They believe youth are the future of our community, but many are hurting, homeless, and hindered from living their full potential. They support youth from 13 – 23 through shelter and housing, crisis services, youth engagement, and youth development.

00:5 - Julie shares her plan to go out with a Viking sendoff funeral, Justin plays his Robo Brogan song, and Julie talks about what The Coffee Oasis does. She talks about where The Coffee Oasis is located, her role with the company, and the companies recent increase in their beds from 6 to 20. She talks about the group of women who reached out to the company's founder to branch out to the Tacoma area, Pierce Counting always wanting them to increase their capacity from 6 to 12, and the benefits of being where they're located.

25:30 – Julie talks about going through the process of trying to locate one or both parents of the youth, identifying where the person they're helping is at education-wise, and how they became the education resource during Covid. She explains how the company has a 150-day maximum stay, the importance of keeping the youth connected with their community, and the two things that are unique about The Coffee Oasis. She talks about the recreational activities they offer the youth, their continuum of care model, and her fascination with toilets.

50:17 – Justin shares what drink he's enjoying, the Hops For Housing events that are happening the month of August, and Scott talks about his love of the brew community. Justin introduces the new game "Inside the Union Club", Julie expresses her love for James Lipton, and talks about her favorite and least favorite words. She talks about what it truly means to own a boat, the sounds she loves and hates, and how stoked she is for The Kraken.

75:00 – Julie talks about what profession, other than hers, she'd like to attempt, and what she'd like to hear God say when arriving at the pearly gates. She talks about what drew her to working at The Coffee Oasis, one of the first residents at The Coffee Oasis, and the two youth they supported that were accepted to The Washington Youth Academy. She gives props to the amazing staff that she gets to work with, the other amazing organizations the company works with, and Justin announces the upcoming GCP coloring contest.

Thanks, Julie, for the great conversation and the treats!

Special Guest: Julie Judy.

Urban Business Support

GCP Media — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 05:30:00 -0700

Oliver Scott from Urban Business Support joins the guys for this episode. He is the executive director of the organization, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit that gives businesses in gentrifying communities the resources to adapt, survive, and grow in the changing marketplace emerging around them to retain diversity of business ownership. The company services the Tacoma and Seattle/King County areas and offer training, personal credit counseling, and leadership skills in three flexible formats. Those that would like to get more information can do so by going to: https://www.urbanbizsps.org.

00:03 – The show kicks off with conversation on Hipster Dice, Justin shares how listeners can support the podcast through Patreon, and how Taco Bell is getting rid of their Double Decker Taco. Brogan offers to wear a Taco Bell jump suit if the company sponsors the podcast, Justin introduces Oliver, and Oliver talks about what the Urban Business Support does. He explains what gentrification means, what sparked him to start the non-profit, and the three pronged approach the organization takes with small businesses.

12:05 – Oliver talks on how Hilltop was one of the inspirations for him to start the organization, how the expansion of transportation is used as a metric for his organization to determine what businesses would be impacted by public transit improvement, and how their vision is ‘Development Without Displacement’. Justin talks on the balance that is possible when gentrification happens to communities, Oliver talks on doing this type of work in Oakland, and Justin shares where listeners can find Urban Business Support online.

26:25 – Oliver talks on how they want business owners to be able to work collaboratively to negotiate rent with developers, how the curriculum changed his life, and Brogan talks on the tough lessons he has learned since opening his business. Oliver talks on what sets their business apart from other businesses like his, how he finds locations to hold classes, and the program he started in Guatemala Mexico.

38:08 – He brings up the City of Tacoma’s Economic Development’s Facade Loan Program, the success he has seen with lending to businesses that weren’t able to get traditional bank loans, and his goal to start a micro loan program. He talks about their lifelong commitment to business owners, how this is a labor of love for him, and Justin brings up how easily the things that are happening to businesses in Seattle can happen to those in Tacoma.

Thanks Oliver for the great work you’re doing in the community to help small businesses survive gentrification.

Special Guest: Oliver Scott.

Alchemy Skateboarding

GCP Media — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 06:30:00 -0800

On this episode, the guys talk to Taylor and Terrance from the non-profit Alchemy Skateboarding, Tacoma’s best kept secret. From their website, Alchemy Skateboarding “believes that skateboarding naturally promotes and teaches: confidence, creativity, determination, grit, and the importance of fun. Despite all the good that skateboarding has to offer, it still exists on the fringes of our community, and has not been positively approached, embraced, or encouraged. We are constantly inspired and humbled by the passion that skateboarders share world wide and have made it our goal to support them on their journey and provide a framework and structure for them to improve the quality of their own lives, and the lives of everyone in our communities.” They are currently running a GoFundMe project, looking raise 35,000, listeners can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/alchemy-is-real.

2:05 – Taylor tells the guys about who Alchemy Skateboarding is, how long the company has been in business, and what they offer the community. Justin talks about skateboarding in University Place when he was a kid, Taylor discusses the age ranges they’ve taught so far at Alchemy, the partnership with the Big Brothers Little Brothers program, and the how the cost of health care impacts skaters as people age. Taylor talks about opening a skate club at University of Puget Sound and being involved with Space Works.

11:57 – Terrance converses about moving to Tacoma from Southern California, how the team came to the decision of doing an indoor skate park. Then they go into Alchemy’s ladies night, the stigma around skateboarding, and the importance of parents knowing their kids are in good hands at their center. Taylor expresses how skate boarding is really for anyone, their GoFundMe that’s currently going on, and the partnership the company has with Pierce County Juvenile Court.

22:41 – Taylor discusses their partnerships with other businesses in Tacoma, the variety of people that are in Tacoma with a drive to do something for the community, part time jobs he held while building the company, and the process they followed with building the non-profit. Taylor shares the great yet simple advice he gives from a fortune cookie proverb, Terrance discusses what it’s like to drive around South Carolina, Taylor chats about the event’s they’ve held in the past, and how skate boarding was illegal in Tacoma from 1992 - 2011.

36:07 – Taylor explains the 15 rebuilds of the skate part that has happened since they’ve been open, the event series they’re offering to their customers, and the community around skate boarding. He explains how skateboarding has a language of its own, the volunteering opportunities they offer, and where people can find them online. They encourage listeners to like and share the podcast, they wish Terrance a happy birthday, and Terrance discusses teaching preschoolers.

Thanks Taylor and Terrance for taking the time to sit down with GCP and talk about the great things Alchemy Skateboarding does for the community!

Special Guests: Taylor Woodruff and Terrance Lambright.