SHARING STORIES: What to do with a Magic Wand?
THE INTERSECTION
Over the course of this season of SHARING STORIES, you to got meet a few folks who’ve recently received one-time support from — and a couple who help make it happen. In this final episdoe, we end on a hopeful note. I asked many of the people who were profiled: what would you do if you had a magic wand — with three wishes? Here's what they said... ---- SHARING STORIES is a new a series of portraits of people in the Bay Area who have received one-time emergency rental assistance that I working on with the . Rental assistance programs like Season of Sharing Fund are...
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SHARING STORIES: Meet Michael Sharpe
THE INTERSECTION
gave some peace of mind — and dignity — to widower Michael Sharpe as he coped with the death of his wife. A couple of years after his wife Kimberly died, Michael Sharpe still keeps her clothes in the drawers and closets of his small Novato apartment. When Kimberly was first got diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2020, she was still able to manage her small business. Her cancer went into remission, but over the next year, the business suffered, losing a significant client. By the time Kimberly died, in October 2022, Sharpe was behind on rent. That’s where social service agency Community...
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SHARING STORIES: Meet Jose Guevara
THE INTERSECTION
gave some peace of mind to Jose Guevara while he focused on his daughter's health. Jose is the proud papa of five, including Patti, 14, Richard, 13, and Emiliee, 5. Patti Guevara’s pain started two years ago — in her back and her knees. Doctors brushed off her father’s concerns, blamed her symptoms on her weight and sent her home with aspirin. Guevara took her to “basically every hospital” in the area. Finally, in July 2022, physicians at Stanford Children’s Health found a 4-inch tumor on Patti’s spine — and rushed her into surgery. She had Ewing sarcoma, a...
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SHARING STORIES: Meet Kevin, Laurel and Susan
THE INTERSECTION
Did you know it costs upwards of $50,000 to help one person find stable housing after they lose their home? Meanwhile, it takes just a couple thousand to help someone deal with an unexpected financial emergency and stay in their home. That is where the comes in. Started in 1986, is a unique, compassionate homelessness prevention model that's powered by donations from Bay Area neighbors helping neighbors. On this episode, we'll look at how the Fund works. We'll introduce you to Season of Sharing Fund's Executive Director Kevin Swanson, as well as Laurel Hill, a longtime partner from...
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SHARING STORIES: Meet Marlus Stewart
THE INTERSECTION
gave some peace of mind to retired nonprofit leader Marlus Stewart. Asking for help wasn’t supposed to be part of Stewart’s story. She was the helper. But in 2019, the unimaginable happened. Stewart’s son, her only child, died of suicide at age 50. The grief was unbearable and struggling with health issues, she "lost everything." She had been living in her car off and on for about six months when she connected with Season of Sharing through Catholic Charities. Season of Sharing Fund helped paid her deposit after she won a housing lottery in Sonoma. Now, she and her dog...
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SHARING STORIES: Meet Keoni Washington
THE INTERSECTION
gave some peace of mind to aspiring boxing champ Keoni Washington, who became parent and breadwinner to his brothers after their mother passed away early in the pandemic. We meet him at the East Bay apartment he shares with three of his brothers. Keoni received rental assistance from Season of Sharing Fund in 2023, which has allowed him and his brothers to stay in their home. SHARING STORIES is a new a series of portraits of people in the Bay Area who have received one-time emergency rental assistance that I working on with the . Rental assistance programs like Season of Sharing Fund...
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Introducing SHARING STORIES: Profiles of Help + Hope
THE INTERSECTION
It's been awhile since I've dropped an episode, but I hope to revisit THE INTERSECTION in the New Year. In the meantime, I wanted to share a project I've been working on called SHARING STORIES. It's a series of portraits of people in the Bay Area who have received one-time emergency rental assistance from . Rental assistance programs like Season of Sharing Fund are there for people when a month or two of rent can make the difference between staying in their home or becoming unhoused. Ultimately, rental assistance programs help prevent homelessness. If you or someone you know has...
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Update: BURNING MAN confronts GLOBAL ISSUES
THE INTERSECTION
As the media portrays 2023's Burning Man as a hellscape, revists the work of a group of Burners at the 2019 event. They felt that the overwhelmingly white community wasn't living up to its self-proclaimed principle of Radical Inclusion. Find out what has changed and what hasn't. And, as you are bombarded with online click bait about 70,000 people being stranded in the desert, I encourage you to listen to the nine-episode season of . You’ll hear the stories of an insanely creative, giving, conscious, and unconventional community. ----- Go to to learn more about the series. To...
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S03 E09 - BLACK LIVES MATTER meets BLACK ROCK CITY
THE INTERSECTION
A guiding principle of Burning Man is "Radical Inclusion." Basically, all are welcome. But, the temporary city that Burners build in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert has never been racially diverse. Just 1% of Black Rock City self-identifies as Black. In this episode, we explore why there's been a disconnect between racial and radical inclusion, and what some Burners like Favianna Rodriguez are doing to change that.
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S03 E08 - PRESENT meets PAST at Burning Man
THE INTERSECTION
Burning Man is known for a lot of things: The art. The parties. The wooden man that’s set on ablaze every year. But most Burners don’t know much about the history of the land or its original inhabitants: the Pyramid Lake Paiutes. In this episode, reporter Lucy Kang explores the tribe's relationship to Burning Man.
info_outlineIt's been awhile since I've dropped an episode, but I hope to revisit THE INTERSECTION in the New Year. In the meantime, I wanted to share a project I've been working on called SHARING STORIES. It's a series of portraits of people in the Bay Area who have received one-time emergency rental assistance from SF Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund.
Rental assistance programs like Season of Sharing Fund are there for people when a month or two of rent can make the difference between staying in their home or becoming unhoused. Ultimately, rental assistance programs help prevent homelessness.
If you or someone you know has experienced an unforeseen crisis and could benefit from one-time financial assistance from the Season of Sharing Fund, learn how to apply.
If you want to hear stories from people who benefited from this safety net, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thanks for listening. And have a safe and happy holiday.