Mike McOrmond, Executive Director of Flower City Outreach, shares the remarkable four decade story of a mission rooted in faith, neighbor love and the belief that serving your community is serving God. Flower City Outreach is a Christ centered nonprofit that exists to mobilize the Church into service that the city might see Jesus. Learn more at flowercityoutreach.org.

Discover how Flower City Work Camp at flowercityworkcamp.org has been the flagship ministry for 40 years, sending hundreds of youth and adults into Rochester every spring break. Worksites put volunteers to work repairing the homes of neighbors in need. Sidewalk clubs bring crafts, games and Bible stories to kids in city neighborhoods Tuesday through Thursday each week. Agency sites send teams to support other Rochester nonprofits doing vital work across the city. And three sports camps, including basketball, soccer and a newer action sports and skate camp, bring energy and mentorship to young people who need it most.

Hear about Weekend Edition at fcwcweekendedition.org, a year round program born out of COVID that offers one day worksite experiences for small groups, men's groups, youth groups and families. With 60 homeowners currently on the waiting list and only two being served per month, more volunteer crews are urgently needed to grow that number.

Learn about Link Youth Mentorship at linkmentorship.org, a one on one program matching godly male mentors with boys ages 8 to 18 who are growing up without fathers. In a city where nearly three out of four kids are being raised without a dad, Link pairs mentors and mentees for a one year committed relationship that more often than not grows into something lasting. The program currently serves 16 young men with a goal of reaching 50 within the next year. Beyond being a mentor, volunteers can contribute through an intercessory prayer team, administrative support, match specialist roles and monthly group activities like rock climbing, Red Wings games and more.

Mike also unpacks what scripture says about serving neighbors as serving Christ himself, and why he believes godly mentorship is one of the most powerful solutions to the cycles holding Rochester back.

Visit flowercityoutreach.org to explore Flower City Work Camp, Weekend Edition and Link Youth Mentorship and find the right place for you to plug in.

Michael Solis, Executive Director of Writers and Books, makes the case that reading and writing are not school assignments to survive but lifelong creative practices that build confidence, community and civic connection in a city that badly needs all three.

Discover how Writers and Books has served Rochester since 1981 through programming that spans every age group, from eight year olds writing their first stories at Summer Write camps to seniors capturing a lifetime of memories through the Legacy Writing program. Learn how summer camps built around topics like magic, Percy Jackson, Dungeons and Dragons and graphic novels are turning kids who tune out in school into passionate storytellers who share their work in front of live audiences.

Hear Michael's honest take on artificial intelligence and what it means for human creativity, why he believes the shrinking of our attention spans is one of the most urgent challenges facing readers and writers today, and how Rochester Reads is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with two remarkable authors whose work speaks directly to the tensions defining our current moment.

Learn about the many ways to engage for free, including the Community Writing Group every Saturday at 1pm, a Friday poetry group at noon and free summer programming at six partner libraries. Scholarships are available for any paid programming, and a gift economy model means no one is ever turned away.

If you want to support 45 more years of human creativity in Rochester, visit wab.org to explore programs, donate or simply stop by the building with the giant pencil on University Ave during open hours Wednesday through Saturday.

Learn more at: https://wab.org/

Sueann Lipman, Second Vice President and Board Member at Embrace Your Sisters, shares the story of a fully volunteer nonprofit that has spent 20 years quietly paying the bills of women in our community who are fighting breast cancer.

Discover how Embrace Your Sisters provides emergency short term financial assistance covering mortgage and rent payments, utilities, car insurance and car loans for individuals actively in diagnosis and treatment, so they can focus on healing instead of financial survival. Learn how Sueann works personally with every applicant, hearing their stories one by one, and what it means to call someone and tell them their request has been approved.

Hear about the Tea at Two Fashion Show on Sunday May 3rd at Casa Larga Winery and Vineyards in Fairport, doors open at 12:30 with the show beginning at 2pm. Models are real women impacted by breast cancer, outfits are donated by local boutiques and hair and makeup are provided by area salons. The event has sold out five consecutive years so tickets, sponsorships, advertising opportunities and silent auction donations should not wait.

Sueann also shares how the organization serves a 13 county region, how anyone can donate year round and how community events from pink out games to ladies nights help spread the mission far beyond Monroe County.

To buy tickets, become a sponsor, donate to the silent auction or apply for assistance visit embraceyoursisters.org.

Claire Corwin, Program Director of the Alzheimer's Association Rochester and Finger Lakes chapter, cuts through the confusion around one of the most misunderstood and far reaching diseases in the world, and explains exactly what families in our community can do right now.

Discover the critical difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease, why an accurate diagnosis leads to a better care plan, and what the 10 warning signs actually look like in real life versus the normal forgetfulness we all experience. Learn why a shift from a loved one's baseline, in mood, memory or daily functioning, is the most important signal to watch for, and why behavioral changes are often the earliest and most overlooked red flag.

Hear how the Alzheimer's Association supports Rochester families through free care consultations, education programs, caregiver resources and a 24 hour helpline staffed by master level clinicians who can help you prepare for one of the hardest conversations you will ever have. Claire also shares the one thing friends and neighbors of caregivers can do differently today, stop asking if there is anything you can do and start offering something specific.

Learn about the 15th Annual African American Health Symposium on April 9th, a free event with both in person and virtual options focused on a community that is twice as likely to develop dementia, and find out how donations to the Alzheimer's Association fund research that is closing in on a cure one study at a time.

Call 1.800.272.3900 anytime, day or night, or visit alz.org to learn more, register for upcoming events or make a contribution.

Chris Fox and Taurean Uthman, directors at Hope City Rocks Basketball, make a compelling case that Rochester is one of the most overlooked basketball cities in America and that the pipeline producing NBA players, Division One stars and college athletes runs straight through their program.

Discover how Hope, which stands for Having Only Positive Expectations, is developing student athletes from fourth grade through high school by pairing elite basketball training with STEM enrichment, financial literacy, social emotional learning and mentorship. Learn why getting out of Rochester and losing badly on the road is one of the most important things a young player can experience, and how that philosophy applies just as powerfully in the classroom as it does on the court.

Hear how Chris and Taurean, both former high level college players themselves, volunteer every hour they give to this program because they believe in the mission that deeply. With over 120 kids enrolled and an average cost of more than $1,500 per player before travel, the program runs almost entirely on grants, donations and sponsorships, and financial aid is available so that no kid is turned away because of what their family can or cannot afford.

Chris and Taurean also share what basketball uniquely offers a divided city, a sanctuary where race, religion and background disappear and what remains is family, competition and hope.

Businesses can sponsor the program and receive recognition on uniforms, the website and social media. To get involved or learn more visit bballhope.com and follow on Instagram at @rochestercityrocks and @bballhope.

Katlyn Newberry, Community Outreach Coordinator at the Cancer Services Program of the Finger Lakes, joins the show during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with an urgent and potentially life saving message for anyone living in Monroe, Livingston, Seneca, Yates, Ontario or Wayne County.

Discover how the Cancer Services Program provides completely free breast, cervical and colon cancer screenings for any New York State resident without health insurance, covering everything from at home fit kits to full colonoscopies and all follow up care, with enrollment taking as little as five to ten minutes. Learn what a polyp actually is, why colon cancer can take eight to ten years to develop from a single abnormal cell, and why catching it early does not just improve survival odds but can prevent cancer from developing at all.

Hear why a new American Cancer Society study found that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in Americans under 50, why people in their forties are the least likely to get screened, and what symptoms and family history factors should push you to talk to your doctor before you hit 45.

Katlyn also explains the at home screening options available including fit kits and Cologuard, why the best test is simply the one that gets done, and how anyone who completes a fit kit through the program right now can receive a $25 grocery gift card thanks to a generous donation from Strolling for the Colon.

Stop by the Central Library on March 12th to walk through a giant inflatable colon, see polyps up close and talk to Katlyn in person. To enroll or learn more call 585.224.3070.