Blog
Preschool: A Smart Investment
“Look! A squishy worm!” A small child lifts her mud-covered hand to show her teacher the worm she found on the preschool playground. Soon a group of children are gathered around the muddy patch, searching for more worms with spoons and shovels. Later, after washing up...
The Importance of Public Radio in our Everyday Civic and Personal Lives
The Ruth and Hal Launders Charitable Trust has truly helped meet the needs of radio listeners in Central Virginia through its support of the Community Idea Stations. The Ruth and Hal Launders Charitable Trust has provided funds for operating support of the stations...
Hope is in All of Us
Never before had I embarked on a trip like this. I left Rhode Island seeking to better understand the lives and experiences of people living in the most difficult conditions on our planet. I hoped to return with stories and observations that would inform my work and...
Empowering Women Who Have No Voice in Sub-Saharan Africa
In the United States, women are finally being encouraged to speak out and bear witness to their experiences of sexual harassment and assault. Many with access to a media platform have seized the opportunity to tell their stories. But what about those in remote,...
How Legal Help Can Support a Sustainable, Resilient Food System
Food is one of the few things that unites us all - no matter where we live, what we do, whom we know, at least one thing is true and the same for everyone: we all have to eat. While food plays a vital role in our lives and cultures, we often don’t think...
Focusing on Deep and Sustainable Impact
Be Strong, Have Courage. This is the meaning of the word “Komera”, the name of a non-profit grant recipient of the Ruth and Hal Launders charitable trust. The founder of Komera, Margaret Butler, embodies these words through her tireless work with young women in...
Acting as a Catalyst to Break the Cycle of Poverty
Every day at 10:30, a line forms up outside the Food Center at Boca Helping Hands. They wait for 11:00 A.M. when “lunch is served”. And day after day, 175 to 200 people stand in that line, waiting their turn to receive a delicious, hot lunch, lovingly served by the...