Social impact storytelling and donor stories help organizations that are seeking to inspire donors while standing out to touch hearts and evoke empathy. Fundraising storytelling especially fosters connections and drives impactful contributions.
In this episode, we welcomed Mary Lyman, Director of Community Relations, and Julie Bloise, Communications and Marketing Director, from the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They shared how they leverage social impact storytelling to support this innovative medical center’s mission of improving the health of the population they serve by providing high-quality, comprehensive services.
Through storytelling, we also got the opportunity to illustrate the impact their donors make each year by highlighting their upcoming ‘Making a Difference’ Gala, a main fundraiser for this non-profit organization that serves 68,000 patients across the region.
To learn more about GLFHC, visit https://glfhc.org/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Starfish Storytellers, the podcast that makes a difference one story at a time by bringing storytelling to life.
(00:12):
I'm so pleased to be here today talking about Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
We've had such a great impact on the health of the Merrimack Valley community with over 68,000 patients being served in our community.
And we're particularly pleased running programs, everything from substance abuse to primary care, taking care of our patients from birth to death,
(00:35):
and providing care that goes beyond medical care.
So in our stories about our patients, you don't hear just about that they came in for a blood pressure check.
They come in and they have someone there who listens to their challenges, listens to that they're having housing problems,
and they're not going to have a place to live in a month. And a team comes in and helps them with, okay, you need housing.
(01:03):
Okay, today it's not housing, unfortunately you've been diagnosed with cancer.
Okay, how are we going to get you in for that consult into Boston? You don't have a car.
Yes, we have resources. We'll connect you with resources. We'll provide resources to help you get the care that you need.
We've had patients who are willing to share their story. We had a gentleman whose wife died suddenly at a young age and he was left to raise three children,
(01:32):
living in Haverhill, not having any resources. And he came and just said, I need help.
And there we were.
The team came in, the kids sat there, the pediatrician sat with the three kids, gave them each a physical measure, the vaccines were up to date,
(01:53):
and then worked with the dad to get him housing and to keep the family intact.
And his story meant the world to us because we changed his life. And he changed his life. He wanted the change.
He was ready to make the change. He could have easily sat there and just said, I can't do this. I can't raise three young kids.
(02:14):
I don't know how to do it. And instead, the medical assistant and the doc and the nurse practitioner stepped in and just said,
we can do this together as a team. And it took a while. It didn't happen overnight.
But we got him the housing, we got him the medical care and the families intact.
And yes, that's what Great Alarm Filly Health Center does. And the impact is great.
(02:40):
It's emotional to me, yes, you can hear from my voice.
I got to meet the family and got to meet the dad because you hear a story and you almost think that I'm making it up because how do people survive these challenges.
And they do because people help them. And I got to witness it. I wasn't part of the solution. It is done to witness their story.
(03:05):
So that's that's where Great Alarm Filly Health Center provides everything from care medically to helping you get back on your feet after a tragic loss.
And it happens every day. We just don't get to hear every story. This one, the dad was willing to share because he was so proud of himself as he should be and grateful for the help.
(03:43):
Hello, my name is Neanna Henry. Welcome to the Starfish Storytellers. I'm the CEO of the Black Dog Group, a Markham and Project Management firm headquartered on the east coast of the US in quaint colonial Bedford, Massachusetts.
I'm your host and passionate about storytelling. I'm actually on a mission to raise up the next generation of storytellers.
(04:04):
We've named ourselves the Starfish Storytellers after the Starfish Story.
The moral of the Starfish Story is based on the power of one. No matter how big the challenge, each action we take makes a difference and has an impact.
One step, one starfish or one story at a time. Every episode we welcome a new storyteller who will share their story meant to inspire and connect with you.
(04:27):
Then we'll break it down and offer tips for any listeners who are ready to tell their own stories. So thanks for tuning in. Now let's get started.
Today's episode is about fundraising stories, inspiring donors through compelling narratives.
With me today are Mary Lyman, director of community relations, and Julie Bloys, communications and marketing director from the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
(04:52):
The Greater Lawrence Family Health Center is a community health center serving several communities in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts.
Their mission is to improve and maintain the health of individuals and families in the Merrimack Valley by providing a network of high quality comprehensive health care services and by training health care professionals to respond to the needs of a culturally diverse population.
(05:16):
Mary and Julie are the event leads for an upcoming fundraiser, the Making a Difference Gala, and they've stopped by today to talk about how harnessing the power of storytelling can transform fundraising efforts for this and other events that they host.
So thank you both very much for being here today.
Thank you for having us.
(05:37):
We're honored to be here.
Thank you.
So we like to get started by having our guests introduce themselves. So would each of you like to tell our listeners a little bit more about you and what you do at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
Yes, I'm Mary Lyman as you said I'm been a part of the health center for about 11 years. And in that capacity, I do everything from fundraising to community outreach, trying to match our needs with the resources that are available in the community.
(06:09):
Some grant writing and trying to keep a pulse on what's happening in the Merrimack Valley.
And I'm Julie Lois and part of my job as the communications and marketing person for the health center is to actually wear a lot of different hats.
Part of my job is making sure our doctors and our nurses and our medical assistants and our pharmacists have the tools they need to be able to reach our patients so sometimes that's, they need to bring home a printed flyer sometimes that's they need to be able to access some information on the website for things they need.
(06:49):
It also means I'm trying to help tell the health center stories externally. So whether that's through advertising campaigns or social media, or good old fashioned, you know, print materials.
That's part of my job. And it's really to assist people and assist the community in knowing here's everything we have to offer you. And it's also from a fundraising perspective to let people know everything that we do.
(07:17):
Marketers wear many hats. We do community relations directors were many hats.
So I, I really appreciate your sharing that story from one of your patients.
You know, what a what a testament to the power of, you know, the community service and community services and getting the help that you need it. And for him to just have the courage to step up and say, you know what, I really need some help.
(07:53):
And because of the help that he got, he was able to turn things, you know, around and get, you know, get the things that he needed for his family with all the transition they were going through. So that was really, that was really powerful.
We are talking today about social impact storytelling as well as talking about donor stories, both being very, very important.
(08:16):
And organizations are always looking for innovative ways to inspire their donors and stand out. And storytelling has the power to touch a lot of hearts and evoke a lot of empathy.
Fundraising storytelling, especially ignites emotions and fosters connections, but it can also drive some really impactful contributions, I think in many ways, which I'm hoping we'll get to talk a little bit about that too.
(08:40):
Do you have any other thoughts on that is what you see storytelling is critical for us without it. People don't hear about our mission because you don't talk about going to the doctor. It's not a one thing I went to the doctor today.
It's kind of serious and so you don't really hear the success stories. People won't talk about it that kind of thing but then we hear these success stories and the ability to share them helps motivate donors.
(09:10):
And it also helps other people get health care too by the way because it's like well.
And you know my friend actually went and took care of her problem maybe it's not as scary as I thought back on the thing and so you'll hear whether it's a woman finally getting the mammogram that you didn't really want to go for, or, you know, a man going for a scan or something like that or dealing with depression.
(09:33):
That's another big area, not exciting to talk about, but so critical and particularly post COVID. These are things that everybody's been sitting inside just thinking I can't do anything about it when you can.
And you can get help. Yeah, yeah, I would imagine. Gosh, it would be like a whole other episode just to talk about everything you've gone through with your patients and your community post COVID I.
(10:05):
Yeah, that's, it's good that that this is your resource for folks.
I think Mary is completely correct when when she said storytelling is critical because many people don't realize
when our patients come in to see their doctor, our doctors biggest concern maybe the lab results or is is their health but the patients biggest concern sometimes is not that it's, I don't know how I'm going to feed my kids next week, or I don't know if I can pay the rent this month, and
(10:38):
realizing that we can help provide those resources because we can make those connections that we will have someone who will sit down with you a community health worker and ask you about your needs, and be able to, to help you get that assistance with then, which then translates to now you can maybe
take care of your health now you can afford your medications and now you can make sure your children are taking their medicines or you're taking care of yourself that that worry comes off of their shoulders, because a lot of times, it's not just their physical health that's at risk.
(11:14):
So.
I just find it interesting that you're both talking about the mental health side to and it's, it's really sort of the silent killer isn't it I think people don't want to talk about it and I'm I to assume correctly that I mean if I remember correctly, there's always been sort of referral services
(11:37):
and resources through Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
I'm guessing you've seen a spike in that over the last few years.
As a result, we've opened our own behavioral health program on the same grounds because we learned people were waiting as long as two or three months to go see a behavioral health specialist.
(12:00):
And when you need help, two to three months seems an awful long time to wait. And also if you need someone who speaks Spanish, and you're handed off to somebody who doesn't speak Spanish it's not going to help you.
We've learned when you invest in behavioral health, you save on other health care costs and for the patient so maybe your blood pressure goes down, because you're starting to, you know, be able to talk about your feelings and you know, have to pent up.
(12:29):
There's a direct relationship with improving one to help the other.
Yeah, you have healthy or coping mechanisms for your students and for your worries.
In addition to behavioral health, food insecurity has become so much more prevalent people who were doing okay before COVID, because of the spike in prices for everything, especially food, there's families who are far less secure, knowing where their next meal is coming from and that's
(13:03):
another very big behavioral health and food insecurity have been the two largest issues.
One of the things that we're proud of too is that there's a mobile food market that comes once a month, and you can get 20 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables at our 34 Haverill Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts location.
(13:24):
It's open to anyone. You have to fly for a card right on site, it takes two minutes to do that. And then you've got 20 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables that you can go home with and that makes a huge difference.
Yeah, and it's so nice that that's, that's what's available, because that's the stuff that it's just hard to buy in a store.
(13:47):
Yeah, very expensive.
Especially nowadays.
Yeah, I know that's good stuff.
You know, talking about social impact stories, you know, they do put a face and a name to an organization. It's, it's how bringing you know you said it Julie bringing your mission to life, and it gives a glimpse into the lives of the individuals, like your patients or the communities that you're serving.
(14:14):
Organizations tend to leverage these stories as a strategic tool and advanced initiatives because they are so powerful for driving action and bringing to life the work and that you do and the issues that you face.
As a community health center, we talked about that you do use storytelling.
(14:37):
Are you able to employ a lot of social impact storytelling in many of your campaigns.
I would think that that would include talking about your patients talking about some of the struggles that the community is facing. Are you able to do that and what have you found to be the response to those stories, either from the community or from donors or you know, how has that how has that worked for you.
(15:06):
It's amazing. So, I've had the benefit of being able to give a tour of one of our largest sites in tell the story as we walk through so they can see, see our facilities see what we're doing.
So, I would encourage you to contact patient confidentiality and be able to share a story and walk through and unquestionably people just when we sit down to say, you know, do you have any questions.
(15:41):
I'm just really amazed. And there was a woman in the end over Rosalind one who asked for a tour, and she had heard about us many times and I gave her a tour, and then she just stopped on the second floor and she said, we don't have to go any further.
your story. I heard your story. And her words to me were nothing's more important than your health.
(16:07):
And she said, you can't do anything if you can't get out of bed. You can't do anything if you don't
feel well enough to get out of bed, that kind of thing. And she said, I want to support this. And
she did. She stepped forward. And until the day she passed, she stood by her side and now her
daughter continues her support and checks it on us. And it was Rosalyn Wood who heard the story and
(16:38):
just said, you don't have to tell anymore. I see your challenge and I think I can help.
She got it. Yeah. That's great. You can often see people have the aha moment when you start to tell
a story because it's one thing to list everything that we offer and that we can do for you. And
(17:01):
if you're someone who's in a position where you need help, that's very beneficial to them. But
when it's people who are wondering, well, what is it you do? You're your doctor's offices, right? And
you try to explain why you're so much more. Being able to tell someone's story literally brings that
all to life from a person. For example, the story that Mary told at the beginning of the session
(17:25):
here. That's what we do. And you see people go, oh, and they have that aha moment. And that's what
you're looking for. When they have their aha moment, that's when you know, now they understand
what we do. And that's very important. And that's where they see, this is why I should donate.
This is who I'm helping. Even though people can have all different types of socioeconomic
(17:51):
backgrounds, there are many things, cancer, substance use disorder, that does not discriminate
between rich or poor or any kind of ethnic diversity. It hits all people in all different
ways. And there are a lot of people who've had family members who've struggled and then received
help and they're a success story. And so they can relate to the work you do, even though maybe
(18:15):
they personally haven't gone through it. They know someone else who has, well, they have a loved one
who has. And the aha moments are what we look for when we're telling our stories.
Yep. I mean, there's a difference between a story and an example. And the story is,
you're bringing in the human touch, you're bringing in the human factor, the sensory details. And
(18:41):
that's, we all, as humans are going to connect with that. And so that's where, like you said,
that's where the aha moment is going to come in. So that's great.
First hand testimonials are powerful tools from volunteers or staff members,
(19:01):
because they add a level of authenticity and credibility to, you know, what you do.
It allows donors and prospective sponsors to hear directly from those who contribute to the
impact of your health center's work. Do you ever have the opportunity to incorporate testimonials
(19:22):
into your fundraising efforts? And if so, is it possible to share a recent success story about
or from a volunteer or staff member that has demonstrated that impact to your donors?
We are plating our upcoming gala. And it was mentioned to us to include more patient testimonials.
(19:46):
So we have gone back through our testimonials and surveys to look at what people have to say and how
of, like one person just wrote, like, I went to my doctor and I never thought that I could walk out
feeling so much better that he really listened to me and he made me feel like I, you know,
(20:09):
I wasn't crazy that we could attack this problem. And I walked out feeling like, okay, I've got this,
I can do what they asked me to do. And they broke it down in a way I understand. And that,
when we go through the testimonials, that's what we keep hearing time and time again,
either he or she listened to me. And it's so important. We all want to be listened to when
(20:34):
we really want our health care providers to listen to us and to feel like, okay, there's going to be
a solution or sometimes it's not the solution you want, but okay, we're going to try this
and develop a trust. And that's what we see in the testimonials time and time again,
(20:54):
the trust developed between our patients and their providers is amazing. It's just simply amazing.
The clinicians work so hard to understand the patient's situation and what can they do to make
that person walk out feeling better and feeling like they were listened to and want to do what's
(21:19):
asked. And one of the biggest problems for everyone, not just our patients, is taking your medications.
I think the number is 50% of the people don't take medications the way they should, partly
because they're expensive, partly because we get sloppy about, you know, your day takes off and
you forgot to take your middle of the day medication, that kind of thing. But if you're not taking it,
(21:43):
it's hard to have improvement. And so if you're having your doctor or nurse practitioner say to
you, this is really important, you need to find time for yourself to make sure you take it or
find time for the 10 minute walk to just get your thoughts together and get grounded and get your
(22:03):
blood pressure down and, you know, that kind of thing. All those things make a difference. And
they're showing through the patient testimonials that they're saying, I heard what my doctor had to
say. And now I'm doing that I'm taking the medication or I've taken off a little weight.
And one patient came in and one testimonial came in. And the previous appointment, they had said
(22:29):
they wanted to work on becoming sober. And the patient came in and said, I went to AA, and I
think I can do this. So he walks in and sees his doctor and says, I did it. I did it. I'm sober
today. And that that doctor, he tells the story, we don't know any patient details. But the doctor
(22:52):
just said, like, and made his day. Like, he knew it was a challenge for this patient. And the patient
took it on and was doing it. And they were working together to help make that happen.
That's powerful. Yes. We do often have clinicians, whether it's doctors or nurses who've been seeing
(23:16):
patients for a while. And they'll come in and they'll be like, it was, they'll be like, it was a great
day today. And they'll talk about their patient who, as Mary just said, came in and said, I'm
six months sober. I'm a year sober. I'm, and now their other health is improving as well. So it's,
it's, it's funny when we hear the success stories from our nurses and our doctors, and not just
(23:42):
hearing it from the patients. It's, it's kind of nice because it really validates what they do and
why they come to work every day. So it's, it's, it's almost like a twofold success story. It's
success there and then it's success on the patients. And it's just, you see their faces light up.
It's so good to see you. It's been hell life. I'm sober a whole entire year. Wow. Yeah.
(24:07):
Yeah. No, that's amazing. Now, and I think you're getting to tell those stories. I'm sure your donors,
it, it just must warm their hearts. Like they must feel like, you know, this is such a great
organization to be supporting because it's an organization for change. I mean, it, you know,
(24:29):
so we did have one donor just say that just a couple of months ago. He said, I could have
a lot of money in the bank. I could do this. And he made a transformative gift.
And he just said, this says it all. It is. And it often connects a donor with their own personal
(24:54):
history or affinity when they realize that it's not just providing healthcare. For example,
maybe they grew up and they didn't always have food on the table or they struggled with, you know,
food insecurity. And they understand that being, it would have been great if they were able to
have their family was able to make a connection and help them out. And when they did, they appreciated
(25:16):
that. And so they would continue to support organizations now that they're in a more stable
place. So when you, when you can really show people what it is that you do, it absolutely makes a
difference. I know on the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center website, there's a news page. And
(25:37):
I noticed Julie that you are doing a lion's share of the writing of the news and the reporting.
As a fellow marketer, I already know the answer to this question, but would you mind telling our
listeners why the news page of your website is such an important page for people to be able to visit
(25:59):
and maybe talk a little bit about the types of news you might focus on. And, you know, I know
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center has a number of locations. Is it challenging to be able to cover
it all with that many locations? It can be challenging to cover it all. But at the same time,
(26:19):
we get a lot of help and a lot of cooperation. And we encourage all of our staff at any level.
It doesn't just have to be a doctor or a nurse. It could be someone who checks in our patients,
our patient service representatives, or someone who works in our call center who has a success story.
And we encourage them to come forward with their stories. And then I can do a little bit more
(26:40):
investigating. And then we protect our patients' privacy by not using their, either their full
name or just changing the name. That's easy because, believe it or not, many of our patients
have similar stories of struggles and success. And the reason the news stories are important
(27:00):
on the website is because that information isn't just for our patients. It's a way for us to be
able to let people, whether they're prospective donors or whether they're even people who may be
looking for a new doctor or who are looking to make a connection somewhere, let them know what's
going on. It's a way for us to show our personality because we can talk about many different types
(27:23):
of things. We can share success stories, but we can also let people know about new programs that
are happening. We can also recognize our staff is so exemplary and they really do care for patients
far beyond just the medical appointment that they come in for. And we can recognize staff that way.
Often our staff are being recognized in the community receiving community awards and that's
(27:46):
a great place to let everybody know it's happening. So the news page is very important. And on a more
serious note, oftentimes you will hear about, I think maybe in the back, oh, there's legislation
and it's for healthcare and community health centers. And the news page is a way for us to
sort of explain our stand on a lot of this legislation and, hey, why this is important to
(28:10):
community health centers and how we are important for the community. Even if you don't come to us
for your healthcare, we are important to the community and this is how we're important to the community.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I had the chance to go through the news pages and it was a real variety
of stories that were there. You know, there was legislation, there was staff running certain
(28:35):
types of classes, there was new staff that joined, new doctors that joined. I mean, it was just,
it was really interesting. And like you said, it just gives the outside world a glimpse into who
you are and what you're doing. And so, no, that's great. So thank you. So we want to talk about the
(28:59):
fundraiser. So the Making a Difference Gala is just around the corner. It's on May 1st. And you'll
talk about times and where it's located. I had the opportunity to attend when I worked for a donor
company as well as a volunteer. So it's a lot of fun to be at this event. There's a lot that happens.
(29:21):
And so I just wanted to know, like, how is the planning going? Maybe share with our listeners,
like, what's the history of this event? And are there still any sponsorship opportunities open?
Yes, thank you. So Making a Difference Gala, it's the 19th year. And it's at Andover Country Club.
(29:45):
It starts at 5.30 on May 1st. And we're very excited to have Josh Kraft from the Patriots
Foundation as our keynote speaker. I've been following Josh Kraft and what a kind individual.
He is out there doing so much for the community. He's big and boys and girls club. And he's helping
(30:06):
with breast cancer fundraiser. And then he's helping us. And we're very excited to have him.
And then we're also excited to have Dr. Mallika Marshall. She will receive the Making a Difference
Award for what she's done. She's the WBZ medical director. And she has served for other community
health centers. So she understands our mission and has done so much to try to take down barriers
(30:32):
in healthcare herself. And so we're very excited to have her and come and be given this award and
say a few words about her history. We also have the event. We do have sponsorships open.
We're excited. We've got lots of healthcare executives coming, meeting in the room. It's a
(30:54):
tough group to get them to sit down. They love talking. So it's kind of funny. We kind of have
to corral them because everybody's so excited to see each other. And also in May, it's just that
wonderful thing COVID is still out there. But we don't have the same fear factor that we had in
past years. So I think people now when they're out and have a chance to get out and do something
(31:19):
social and have a nice dinner and chat with colleagues and meet new people, it just creates
a great source of energy, which is totally fun. I mean, it's as you've said as a volunteer,
it's total fun. It's the fastest couple hours you could ever do if you're working it.
That is true. It's like we started and it's over. Oh, my. It's over. But what we find is anybody
(31:45):
who's come in past years wants to come again, that they appreciate our mission and that they have
fun. And it's nice to be able to get out and know that your money is going to a good cause. And
that's what we hear. And the money goes to support the programs that we're talking about. So it helps
everyone. It's not like, oh, I just believe in helping whatever cause this helps 68,000 patients.
(32:12):
So it's a year donation goes a great way in helping others. Yeah, it is a wonderfully social event,
as Mary mentioned, which isn't a bad thing. Just because there are so many different people, not
just from healthcare, there's private businesses, there's other nonprofits, there's just so many
(32:33):
people meeting each other. And so it's a wonderfully fun opportunity, but it does happen for a good
cause. And then we get the opportunity to tell some of our stories, not just from the patient
perspective, but even some of our doctors get to tell their stories from their perspective.
It's a nice way for the community to get to get to know us and what we do. But people do have a
(32:54):
good time, which is great, because not everyone can has a social event that they that they like to go
to. So after work. But our group really seems to enjoy themselves. And we, of course, have
fun because it's nice for us to see everybody too and know that they are there to support us.
How many people usually go to this? 400. Wow. Yeah. So people in that room.
(33:22):
Sometimes we have to close down the ticket sales and it gets a little,
you know, like we can't have the fire chief in here shut in the room.
Now, that's wonderful that you fell in the room, you know, with a lot of people who are
have a heart for this, you know, who want to be there. So you said you have a craft coming as
(33:43):
your keynote. Well, that's really exciting. You know, keynote speakers really are the ones who
set the tone for an event. You talked about his sort of philanthropic side.
When you when you're looking for keynotes, you've had other, you know, great keynotes,
but when you were looking for one, what made you decide to go with him?
(34:07):
Well, we'll be honest, we're very excited that Gerard Mayo became coach.
Yes, because Gerard came to two of our galas and he was amazed. He jumped up on stage and just
lit up the room. So we were like, okay, how do how do we get that Patriots fever in the room?
(34:31):
So Josh Kraft is going to bring that to the room. And he's got his own history and his own stories
to tell that we haven't really heard. And and it's nice to in the Merrimack Valley. I don't think
that Josh has been in this area particularly. So I don't think many people have heard his story.
(34:52):
And we're all anxious to hear it. That's wonderful. We're definitely looking forward to it.
And if he brings Gerard Mayo, we're okay with that. He's welcome.
Yes. That's great. Part of Josh's because he has been working in nonprofits himself for a long
(35:14):
time is he understands the importance of like the community. And he himself has worked hard to create
partnerships in the community. And so he's really, I think a good fit with with our gala and with the
GLFHC mission, because he understands that. And as Mary pointed out, he hasn't quite been up in
this area. So I don't think a lot of people have heard that, you know, his story about growing
(35:35):
partnerships and organizations and how that benefits entire communities when you do that. So
it'll be great. That's going to be great. A lot of people are going to be really excited to see a
craft in the room. Yes. So congratulations for getting him to come. That's awesome. Thank you.
Well, that's all the time we have for today. I want to thank you, Mary and Julie for being here
(35:57):
and for sharing the stories of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and how you're making a
difference in the community and how your donors are making a difference. And this gala, the making a
difference gala is coming and it'll give them another opportunity to do that. So I just really
thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you for having us.
(36:22):
And to our listeners, whether you hear us locally from the BTV Studios in Bedford,
Massachusetts or across the globe on such podcast channels as Spotify, Apple Podcasts
or Amazon Prime, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed this episode and we'll see you next time.
Happy storytelling.
Welcome to the Starfish Storytellers, the podcast that makes a difference one story at a time by bringing storytelling to life.
(00:12):
I'm so pleased to be here today talking about Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
We've had such a great impact on the health of the Merrimack Valley community with over 68,000 patients being served in our community.
And we're particularly pleased running programs, everything from substance abuse to primary care, taking care of our patients from birth to death,
(00:35):
and providing care that goes beyond medical care.
So in our stories about our patients, you don't hear just about that they came in for a blood pressure check.
They come in and they have someone there who listens to their challenges, listens to that they're having housing problems,
and they're not going to have a place to live in a month. And a team comes in and helps them with, okay, you need housing.
(01:03):
Okay, today it's not housing, unfortunately you've been diagnosed with cancer.
Okay, how are we going to get you in for that consult into Boston? You don't have a car.
Yes, we have resources. We'll connect you with resources. We'll provide resources to help you get the care that you need.
We've had patients who are willing to share their story. We had a gentleman whose wife died suddenly at a young age and he was left to raise three children,
(01:32):
living in Haverhill, not having any resources. And he came and just said, I need help.
And there we were.
The team came in, the kids sat there, the pediatrician sat with the three kids, gave them each a physical measure, the vaccines were up to date,
(01:53):
and then worked with the dad to get him housing and to keep the family intact.
And his story meant the world to us because we changed his life. And he changed his life. He wanted the change.
He was ready to make the change. He could have easily sat there and just said, I can't do this. I can't raise three young kids.
(02:14):
I don't know how to do it. And instead, the medical assistant and the doc and the nurse practitioner stepped in and just said,
we can do this together as a team. And it took a while. It didn't happen overnight.
But we got him the housing, we got him the medical care and the families intact.
And yes, that's what Great Alarm Filly Health Center does. And the impact is great.
(02:40):
It's emotional to me, yes, you can hear from my voice.
I got to meet the family and got to meet the dad because you hear a story and you almost think that I'm making it up because how do people survive these challenges.
And they do because people help them. And I got to witness it. I wasn't part of the solution. It is done to witness their story.
(03:05):
So that's that's where Great Alarm Filly Health Center provides everything from care medically to helping you get back on your feet after a tragic loss.
And it happens every day. We just don't get to hear every story. This one, the dad was willing to share because he was so proud of himself as he should be and grateful for the help.
(03:43):
Hello, my name is Neanna Henry. Welcome to the Starfish Storytellers. I'm the CEO of the Black Dog Group, a Markham and Project Management firm headquartered on the east coast of the US in quaint colonial Bedford, Massachusetts.
I'm your host and passionate about storytelling. I'm actually on a mission to raise up the next generation of storytellers.
(04:04):
We've named ourselves the Starfish Storytellers after the Starfish Story.
The moral of the Starfish Story is based on the power of one. No matter how big the challenge, each action we take makes a difference and has an impact.
One step, one starfish or one story at a time. Every episode we welcome a new storyteller who will share their story meant to inspire and connect with you.
(04:27):
Then we'll break it down and offer tips for any listeners who are ready to tell their own stories. So thanks for tuning in. Now let's get started.
Today's episode is about fundraising stories, inspiring donors through compelling narratives.
With me today are Mary Lyman, director of community relations, and Julie Bloys, communications and marketing director from the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
(04:52):
The Greater Lawrence Family Health Center is a community health center serving several communities in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts.
Their mission is to improve and maintain the health of individuals and families in the Merrimack Valley by providing a network of high quality comprehensive health care services and by training health care professionals to respond to the needs of a culturally diverse population.
(05:16):
Mary and Julie are the event leads for an upcoming fundraiser, the Making a Difference Gala, and they've stopped by today to talk about how harnessing the power of storytelling can transform fundraising efforts for this and other events that they host.
So thank you both very much for being here today.
Thank you for having us.
(05:37):
We're honored to be here.
Thank you.
So we like to get started by having our guests introduce themselves. So would each of you like to tell our listeners a little bit more about you and what you do at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
Yes, I'm Mary Lyman as you said I'm been a part of the health center for about 11 years. And in that capacity, I do everything from fundraising to community outreach, trying to match our needs with the resources that are available in the community.
(06:09):
Some grant writing and trying to keep a pulse on what's happening in the Merrimack Valley.
And I'm Julie Lois and part of my job as the communications and marketing person for the health center is to actually wear a lot of different hats.
Part of my job is making sure our doctors and our nurses and our medical assistants and our pharmacists have the tools they need to be able to reach our patients so sometimes that's, they need to bring home a printed flyer sometimes that's they need to be able to access some information on the website for things they need.
(06:49):
It also means I'm trying to help tell the health center stories externally. So whether that's through advertising campaigns or social media, or good old fashioned, you know, print materials.
That's part of my job. And it's really to assist people and assist the community in knowing here's everything we have to offer you. And it's also from a fundraising perspective to let people know everything that we do.
(07:17):
Marketers wear many hats. We do community relations directors were many hats.
So I, I really appreciate your sharing that story from one of your patients.
You know, what a what a testament to the power of, you know, the community service and community services and getting the help that you need it. And for him to just have the courage to step up and say, you know what, I really need some help.
(07:53):
And because of the help that he got, he was able to turn things, you know, around and get, you know, get the things that he needed for his family with all the transition they were going through. So that was really, that was really powerful.
We are talking today about social impact storytelling as well as talking about donor stories, both being very, very important.
(08:16):
And organizations are always looking for innovative ways to inspire their donors and stand out. And storytelling has the power to touch a lot of hearts and evoke a lot of empathy.
Fundraising storytelling, especially ignites emotions and fosters connections, but it can also drive some really impactful contributions, I think in many ways, which I'm hoping we'll get to talk a little bit about that too.
(08:40):
Do you have any other thoughts on that is what you see storytelling is critical for us without it. People don't hear about our mission because you don't talk about going to the doctor. It's not a one thing I went to the doctor today.
It's kind of serious and so you don't really hear the success stories. People won't talk about it that kind of thing but then we hear these success stories and the ability to share them helps motivate donors.
(09:10):
And it also helps other people get health care too by the way because it's like well.
And you know my friend actually went and took care of her problem maybe it's not as scary as I thought back on the thing and so you'll hear whether it's a woman finally getting the mammogram that you didn't really want to go for, or, you know, a man going for a scan or something like that or dealing with depression.
(09:33):
That's another big area, not exciting to talk about, but so critical and particularly post COVID. These are things that everybody's been sitting inside just thinking I can't do anything about it when you can.
And you can get help. Yeah, yeah, I would imagine. Gosh, it would be like a whole other episode just to talk about everything you've gone through with your patients and your community post COVID I.
(10:05):
Yeah, that's, it's good that that this is your resource for folks.
I think Mary is completely correct when when she said storytelling is critical because many people don't realize
when our patients come in to see their doctor, our doctors biggest concern maybe the lab results or is is their health but the patients biggest concern sometimes is not that it's, I don't know how I'm going to feed my kids next week, or I don't know if I can pay the rent this month, and
(10:38):
realizing that we can help provide those resources because we can make those connections that we will have someone who will sit down with you a community health worker and ask you about your needs, and be able to, to help you get that assistance with then, which then translates to now you can maybe
take care of your health now you can afford your medications and now you can make sure your children are taking their medicines or you're taking care of yourself that that worry comes off of their shoulders, because a lot of times, it's not just their physical health that's at risk.
(11:14):
So.
I just find it interesting that you're both talking about the mental health side to and it's, it's really sort of the silent killer isn't it I think people don't want to talk about it and I'm I to assume correctly that I mean if I remember correctly, there's always been sort of referral services
(11:37):
and resources through Greater Lawrence Family Health Center.
I'm guessing you've seen a spike in that over the last few years.
As a result, we've opened our own behavioral health program on the same grounds because we learned people were waiting as long as two or three months to go see a behavioral health specialist.
(12:00):
And when you need help, two to three months seems an awful long time to wait. And also if you need someone who speaks Spanish, and you're handed off to somebody who doesn't speak Spanish it's not going to help you.
We've learned when you invest in behavioral health, you save on other health care costs and for the patient so maybe your blood pressure goes down, because you're starting to, you know, be able to talk about your feelings and you know, have to pent up.
(12:29):
There's a direct relationship with improving one to help the other.
Yeah, you have healthy or coping mechanisms for your students and for your worries.
In addition to behavioral health, food insecurity has become so much more prevalent people who were doing okay before COVID, because of the spike in prices for everything, especially food, there's families who are far less secure, knowing where their next meal is coming from and that's
(13:03):
another very big behavioral health and food insecurity have been the two largest issues.
One of the things that we're proud of too is that there's a mobile food market that comes once a month, and you can get 20 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables at our 34 Haverill Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts location.
(13:24):
It's open to anyone. You have to fly for a card right on site, it takes two minutes to do that. And then you've got 20 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables that you can go home with and that makes a huge difference.
Yeah, and it's so nice that that's, that's what's available, because that's the stuff that it's just hard to buy in a store.
(13:47):
Yeah, very expensive.
Especially nowadays.
Yeah, I know that's good stuff.
You know, talking about social impact stories, you know, they do put a face and a name to an organization. It's, it's how bringing you know you said it Julie bringing your mission to life, and it gives a glimpse into the lives of the individuals, like your patients or the communities that you're serving.
(14:14):
Organizations tend to leverage these stories as a strategic tool and advanced initiatives because they are so powerful for driving action and bringing to life the work and that you do and the issues that you face.
As a community health center, we talked about that you do use storytelling.
(14:37):
Are you able to employ a lot of social impact storytelling in many of your campaigns.
I would think that that would include talking about your patients talking about some of the struggles that the community is facing. Are you able to do that and what have you found to be the response to those stories, either from the community or from donors or you know, how has that how has that worked for you.
(15:06):
It's amazing. So, I've had the benefit of being able to give a tour of one of our largest sites in tell the story as we walk through so they can see, see our facilities see what we're doing.
So, I would encourage you to contact patient confidentiality and be able to share a story and walk through and unquestionably people just when we sit down to say, you know, do you have any questions.
(15:41):
I'm just really amazed. And there was a woman in the end over Rosalind one who asked for a tour, and she had heard about us many times and I gave her a tour, and then she just stopped on the second floor and she said, we don't have to go any further.
your story. I heard your story. And her words to me were nothing's more important than your health.
(16:07):
And she said, you can't do anything if you can't get out of bed. You can't do anything if you don't
feel well enough to get out of bed, that kind of thing. And she said, I want to support this. And
she did. She stepped forward. And until the day she passed, she stood by her side and now her
daughter continues her support and checks it on us. And it was Rosalyn Wood who heard the story and
(16:38):
just said, you don't have to tell anymore. I see your challenge and I think I can help.
She got it. Yeah. That's great. You can often see people have the aha moment when you start to tell
a story because it's one thing to list everything that we offer and that we can do for you. And
(17:01):
if you're someone who's in a position where you need help, that's very beneficial to them. But
when it's people who are wondering, well, what is it you do? You're your doctor's offices, right? And
you try to explain why you're so much more. Being able to tell someone's story literally brings that
all to life from a person. For example, the story that Mary told at the beginning of the session
(17:25):
here. That's what we do. And you see people go, oh, and they have that aha moment. And that's what
you're looking for. When they have their aha moment, that's when you know, now they understand
what we do. And that's very important. And that's where they see, this is why I should donate.
This is who I'm helping. Even though people can have all different types of socioeconomic
(17:51):
backgrounds, there are many things, cancer, substance use disorder, that does not discriminate
between rich or poor or any kind of ethnic diversity. It hits all people in all different
ways. And there are a lot of people who've had family members who've struggled and then received
help and they're a success story. And so they can relate to the work you do, even though maybe
(18:15):
they personally haven't gone through it. They know someone else who has, well, they have a loved one
who has. And the aha moments are what we look for when we're telling our stories.
Yep. I mean, there's a difference between a story and an example. And the story is,
you're bringing in the human touch, you're bringing in the human factor, the sensory details. And
(18:41):
that's, we all, as humans are going to connect with that. And so that's where, like you said,
that's where the aha moment is going to come in. So that's great.
First hand testimonials are powerful tools from volunteers or staff members,
(19:01):
because they add a level of authenticity and credibility to, you know, what you do.
It allows donors and prospective sponsors to hear directly from those who contribute to the
impact of your health center's work. Do you ever have the opportunity to incorporate testimonials
(19:22):
into your fundraising efforts? And if so, is it possible to share a recent success story about
or from a volunteer or staff member that has demonstrated that impact to your donors?
We are plating our upcoming gala. And it was mentioned to us to include more patient testimonials.
(19:46):
So we have gone back through our testimonials and surveys to look at what people have to say and how
of, like one person just wrote, like, I went to my doctor and I never thought that I could walk out
feeling so much better that he really listened to me and he made me feel like I, you know,
(20:09):
I wasn't crazy that we could attack this problem. And I walked out feeling like, okay, I've got this,
I can do what they asked me to do. And they broke it down in a way I understand. And that,
when we go through the testimonials, that's what we keep hearing time and time again,
either he or she listened to me. And it's so important. We all want to be listened to when
(20:34):
we really want our health care providers to listen to us and to feel like, okay, there's going to be
a solution or sometimes it's not the solution you want, but okay, we're going to try this
and develop a trust. And that's what we see in the testimonials time and time again,
(20:54):
the trust developed between our patients and their providers is amazing. It's just simply amazing.
The clinicians work so hard to understand the patient's situation and what can they do to make
that person walk out feeling better and feeling like they were listened to and want to do what's
(21:19):
asked. And one of the biggest problems for everyone, not just our patients, is taking your medications.
I think the number is 50% of the people don't take medications the way they should, partly
because they're expensive, partly because we get sloppy about, you know, your day takes off and
you forgot to take your middle of the day medication, that kind of thing. But if you're not taking it,
(21:43):
it's hard to have improvement. And so if you're having your doctor or nurse practitioner say to
you, this is really important, you need to find time for yourself to make sure you take it or
find time for the 10 minute walk to just get your thoughts together and get grounded and get your
(22:03):
blood pressure down and, you know, that kind of thing. All those things make a difference. And
they're showing through the patient testimonials that they're saying, I heard what my doctor had to
say. And now I'm doing that I'm taking the medication or I've taken off a little weight.
And one patient came in and one testimonial came in. And the previous appointment, they had said
(22:29):
they wanted to work on becoming sober. And the patient came in and said, I went to AA, and I
think I can do this. So he walks in and sees his doctor and says, I did it. I did it. I'm sober
today. And that that doctor, he tells the story, we don't know any patient details. But the doctor
(22:52):
just said, like, and made his day. Like, he knew it was a challenge for this patient. And the patient
took it on and was doing it. And they were working together to help make that happen.
That's powerful. Yes. We do often have clinicians, whether it's doctors or nurses who've been seeing
(23:16):
patients for a while. And they'll come in and they'll be like, it was, they'll be like, it was a great
day today. And they'll talk about their patient who, as Mary just said, came in and said, I'm
six months sober. I'm a year sober. I'm, and now their other health is improving as well. So it's,
it's, it's funny when we hear the success stories from our nurses and our doctors, and not just
(23:42):
hearing it from the patients. It's, it's kind of nice because it really validates what they do and
why they come to work every day. So it's, it's, it's almost like a twofold success story. It's
success there and then it's success on the patients. And it's just, you see their faces light up.
It's so good to see you. It's been hell life. I'm sober a whole entire year. Wow. Yeah.
(24:07):
Yeah. No, that's amazing. Now, and I think you're getting to tell those stories. I'm sure your donors,
it, it just must warm their hearts. Like they must feel like, you know, this is such a great
organization to be supporting because it's an organization for change. I mean, it, you know,
(24:29):
so we did have one donor just say that just a couple of months ago. He said, I could have
a lot of money in the bank. I could do this. And he made a transformative gift.
And he just said, this says it all. It is. And it often connects a donor with their own personal
(24:54):
history or affinity when they realize that it's not just providing healthcare. For example,
maybe they grew up and they didn't always have food on the table or they struggled with, you know,
food insecurity. And they understand that being, it would have been great if they were able to
have their family was able to make a connection and help them out. And when they did, they appreciated
(25:16):
that. And so they would continue to support organizations now that they're in a more stable
place. So when you, when you can really show people what it is that you do, it absolutely makes a
difference. I know on the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center website, there's a news page. And
(25:37):
I noticed Julie that you are doing a lion's share of the writing of the news and the reporting.
As a fellow marketer, I already know the answer to this question, but would you mind telling our
listeners why the news page of your website is such an important page for people to be able to visit
(25:59):
and maybe talk a little bit about the types of news you might focus on. And, you know, I know
Greater Lawrence Family Health Center has a number of locations. Is it challenging to be able to cover
it all with that many locations? It can be challenging to cover it all. But at the same time,
(26:19):
we get a lot of help and a lot of cooperation. And we encourage all of our staff at any level.
It doesn't just have to be a doctor or a nurse. It could be someone who checks in our patients,
our patient service representatives, or someone who works in our call center who has a success story.
And we encourage them to come forward with their stories. And then I can do a little bit more
(26:40):
investigating. And then we protect our patients' privacy by not using their, either their full
name or just changing the name. That's easy because, believe it or not, many of our patients
have similar stories of struggles and success. And the reason the news stories are important
(27:00):
on the website is because that information isn't just for our patients. It's a way for us to be
able to let people, whether they're prospective donors or whether they're even people who may be
looking for a new doctor or who are looking to make a connection somewhere, let them know what's
going on. It's a way for us to show our personality because we can talk about many different types
(27:23):
of things. We can share success stories, but we can also let people know about new programs that
are happening. We can also recognize our staff is so exemplary and they really do care for patients
far beyond just the medical appointment that they come in for. And we can recognize staff that way.
Often our staff are being recognized in the community receiving community awards and that's
(27:46):
a great place to let everybody know it's happening. So the news page is very important. And on a more
serious note, oftentimes you will hear about, I think maybe in the back, oh, there's legislation
and it's for healthcare and community health centers. And the news page is a way for us to
sort of explain our stand on a lot of this legislation and, hey, why this is important to
(28:10):
community health centers and how we are important for the community. Even if you don't come to us
for your healthcare, we are important to the community and this is how we're important to the community.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I had the chance to go through the news pages and it was a real variety
of stories that were there. You know, there was legislation, there was staff running certain
(28:35):
types of classes, there was new staff that joined, new doctors that joined. I mean, it was just,
it was really interesting. And like you said, it just gives the outside world a glimpse into who
you are and what you're doing. And so, no, that's great. So thank you. So we want to talk about the
(28:59):
fundraiser. So the Making a Difference Gala is just around the corner. It's on May 1st. And you'll
talk about times and where it's located. I had the opportunity to attend when I worked for a donor
company as well as a volunteer. So it's a lot of fun to be at this event. There's a lot that happens.
(29:21):
And so I just wanted to know, like, how is the planning going? Maybe share with our listeners,
like, what's the history of this event? And are there still any sponsorship opportunities open?
Yes, thank you. So Making a Difference Gala, it's the 19th year. And it's at Andover Country Club.
(29:45):
It starts at 5.30 on May 1st. And we're very excited to have Josh Kraft from the Patriots
Foundation as our keynote speaker. I've been following Josh Kraft and what a kind individual.
He is out there doing so much for the community. He's big and boys and girls club. And he's helping
(30:06):
with breast cancer fundraiser. And then he's helping us. And we're very excited to have him.
And then we're also excited to have Dr. Mallika Marshall. She will receive the Making a Difference
Award for what she's done. She's the WBZ medical director. And she has served for other community
health centers. So she understands our mission and has done so much to try to take down barriers
(30:32):
in healthcare herself. And so we're very excited to have her and come and be given this award and
say a few words about her history. We also have the event. We do have sponsorships open.
We're excited. We've got lots of healthcare executives coming, meeting in the room. It's a
(30:54):
tough group to get them to sit down. They love talking. So it's kind of funny. We kind of have
to corral them because everybody's so excited to see each other. And also in May, it's just that
wonderful thing COVID is still out there. But we don't have the same fear factor that we had in
past years. So I think people now when they're out and have a chance to get out and do something
(31:19):
social and have a nice dinner and chat with colleagues and meet new people, it just creates
a great source of energy, which is totally fun. I mean, it's as you've said as a volunteer,
it's total fun. It's the fastest couple hours you could ever do if you're working it.
That is true. It's like we started and it's over. Oh, my. It's over. But what we find is anybody
(31:45):
who's come in past years wants to come again, that they appreciate our mission and that they have
fun. And it's nice to be able to get out and know that your money is going to a good cause. And
that's what we hear. And the money goes to support the programs that we're talking about. So it helps
everyone. It's not like, oh, I just believe in helping whatever cause this helps 68,000 patients.
(32:12):
So it's a year donation goes a great way in helping others. Yeah, it is a wonderfully social event,
as Mary mentioned, which isn't a bad thing. Just because there are so many different people, not
just from healthcare, there's private businesses, there's other nonprofits, there's just so many
(32:33):
people meeting each other. And so it's a wonderfully fun opportunity, but it does happen for a good
cause. And then we get the opportunity to tell some of our stories, not just from the patient
perspective, but even some of our doctors get to tell their stories from their perspective.
It's a nice way for the community to get to get to know us and what we do. But people do have a
(32:54):
good time, which is great, because not everyone can has a social event that they that they like to go
to. So after work. But our group really seems to enjoy themselves. And we, of course, have
fun because it's nice for us to see everybody too and know that they are there to support us.
How many people usually go to this? 400. Wow. Yeah. So people in that room.
(33:22):
Sometimes we have to close down the ticket sales and it gets a little,
you know, like we can't have the fire chief in here shut in the room.
Now, that's wonderful that you fell in the room, you know, with a lot of people who are
have a heart for this, you know, who want to be there. So you said you have a craft coming as
(33:43):
your keynote. Well, that's really exciting. You know, keynote speakers really are the ones who
set the tone for an event. You talked about his sort of philanthropic side.
When you when you're looking for keynotes, you've had other, you know, great keynotes,
but when you were looking for one, what made you decide to go with him?
(34:07):
Well, we'll be honest, we're very excited that Gerard Mayo became coach.
Yes, because Gerard came to two of our galas and he was amazed. He jumped up on stage and just
lit up the room. So we were like, okay, how do how do we get that Patriots fever in the room?
(34:31):
So Josh Kraft is going to bring that to the room. And he's got his own history and his own stories
to tell that we haven't really heard. And and it's nice to in the Merrimack Valley. I don't think
that Josh has been in this area particularly. So I don't think many people have heard his story.
(34:52):
And we're all anxious to hear it. That's wonderful. We're definitely looking forward to it.
And if he brings Gerard Mayo, we're okay with that. He's welcome.
Yes. That's great. Part of Josh's because he has been working in nonprofits himself for a long
(35:14):
time is he understands the importance of like the community. And he himself has worked hard to create
partnerships in the community. And so he's really, I think a good fit with with our gala and with the
GLFHC mission, because he understands that. And as Mary pointed out, he hasn't quite been up in
this area. So I don't think a lot of people have heard that, you know, his story about growing
(35:35):
partnerships and organizations and how that benefits entire communities when you do that. So
it'll be great. That's going to be great. A lot of people are going to be really excited to see a
craft in the room. Yes. So congratulations for getting him to come. That's awesome. Thank you.
Well, that's all the time we have for today. I want to thank you, Mary and Julie for being here
(35:57):
and for sharing the stories of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and how you're making a
difference in the community and how your donors are making a difference. And this gala, the making a
difference gala is coming and it'll give them another opportunity to do that. So I just really
thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you for having us.
(36:22):
And to our listeners, whether you hear us locally from the BTV Studios in Bedford,
Massachusetts or across the globe on such podcast channels as Spotify, Apple Podcasts
or Amazon Prime, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed this episode and we'll see you next time.
Happy storytelling.
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