April 9, 2026 • 29 mins
April is National Donate Life Month, and on this episode of Insight, we highlight the life-saving impact of organ and tissue donation. We’re joined by Gift of Life Donor Program President and CEO Richard Hasz, Jr., along with transplant recipient and ambassador Keath Gerald, who shares his powerful journey and how donation gave him a second chance at life. We also spotlight the 29th Annual Gift of Life Donor Dash, one of the nation’s largest organ donation awareness events, bringing together thousands of donor families, recipients, and supporters for a 5K, 10K, and walk. It’s more than a race—it’s a moving tribute to donor heroes and a celebration of lives saved.
📅 Sunday, April 26, 2026
📍 Philadelphia Navy Yard
⏰ Morning start
🔗 Register: https://give.donors1.org/event/29th-annual-gift-of-life-donor-dash/e725048
🌐 Learn more or become a donor: www.donors1.org
📸 Instagram: @donors1
📘 Facebook: Gift of Life Donor Program
🔗 LinkedIn: Gift of Life Donor Program
Then, we turn to community empowerment and education. Ronsha Dickerson, Parent Executive Director of the Camden Parent and Student Union, joins us to talk about mobilizing families to advocate for stronger public schools and healthier communities. She shares details about an upcoming Power Building Boot Camp, a free training designed to equip parents and community members with the tools to organize, lead, and create change.
📅 Session #2: Thursday, April 16 at 4 PM
📍 Camden High School Campus, 1700 Park Blvd., Camden, NJ
🌐 Register: www.camdenpsu.com
📧 Email: Ronsha@camdenpsu.com 📸 Instagram: @camdenpsu
📘 Facebook: Camden Parent and Student Union
Two powerful conversations—one about saving lives through organ donation, and another about empowering communities to shape the future of education.
📅 Sunday, April 26, 2026
📍 Philadelphia Navy Yard
⏰ Morning start
🔗 Register: https://give.donors1.org/event/29th-annual-gift-of-life-donor-dash/e725048
🌐 Learn more or become a donor: www.donors1.org
📸 Instagram: @donors1
📘 Facebook: Gift of Life Donor Program
🔗 LinkedIn: Gift of Life Donor Program
Then, we turn to community empowerment and education. Ronsha Dickerson, Parent Executive Director of the Camden Parent and Student Union, joins us to talk about mobilizing families to advocate for stronger public schools and healthier communities. She shares details about an upcoming Power Building Boot Camp, a free training designed to equip parents and community members with the tools to organize, lead, and create change.
📅 Session #2: Thursday, April 16 at 4 PM
📍 Camden High School Campus, 1700 Park Blvd., Camden, NJ
🌐 Register: www.camdenpsu.com
📧 Email: Ronsha@camdenpsu.com 📸 Instagram: @camdenpsu
📘 Facebook: Camden Parent and Student Union
Two powerful conversations—one about saving lives through organ donation, and another about empowering communities to shape the future of education.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering our community.
I'm Lorraine ballad Marrel. April is National Donate Life Month,
and today we're talking about the upcoming Donor Dash. We'll
also hear from a young man whose life was transformed
by a heart and liver transplant. Plus, we're joined by
Ronchah Dickerson at the Camden Parent and Student Union to
discuss how families can take the lead in shaping stronger
(00:22):
schools through an upcoming power building boot camp. Stay with Us.
April is National Donate Life Month, a time to highlight
the life saving impact of organ and tissue donation. Joining
us this Gift of Life Donor Program President and CEO
Richard Hawes Junior, along with transplant recipient and ambassador Keith Gerald,
to talk about the urgent need for donors. And also
(00:45):
we're going to talk about a powerful upcoming event, the
Donor Dash. Well, Rick, let's start with you. April is
National Donate Life Month. Why is this such an important
time to raise awareness about organ donation?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
To remind everybody about the importance signing up and registering
to be an organ donor. One person who says yes
the organ donation can save the lives of the eight
people and can enhance the lives of over one hundred
others through tissue donation, and so we think the spring
is a great opportunity to get that message out and
really to say thank you to our community. Our community
(01:21):
is very giving. It's just a wonderful opportunity for us
to be able to get off to a.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Good part of the year.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It seems as though people are starting to become more
aware of the importance of organ donation and in fact
of life achieved record breaking transplant numbers last year. What
does that progress mean and where is the need still the.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Greatest Despite our record breaking year last year, we transplanted
almost two thousand organs from seven hundred and twenty five
really donor heroes and families who said yes to donation.
But unfortunately the rain, there are still now over six
thousand patients in our local area and one hundred thousand
patients waiting nationally, and the majority of those patients are
(02:05):
waiting for a kidney transplant, and they're really tethered three
days a week to a dialysis machine. So we really
need to continue to get the word out and be
able to hopefully save their life. Transplantation is a very
unique area of medicine. We have the immunosuppress of drugs,
we have the great surgical techniques, but it really relies
(02:29):
on the kindness of strangers.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
The more we.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Can talk about it and register to be a donor,
than when that time comes, people will be knowing what
you wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It's so helpful. It's very important to talk about your
wishes to your family so that they understand if you
are in fact going to be an organ donor, that
they are aware of that, and that you register at
donorswe dot org. But let's talk to Keith. You are
a transplant recipient. Tell us your story.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well, it started off when I was in college, regular student.
I did everything a college student does, and one day
I wasn't feeling well. I told my parents about it,
and you know if, they said, if you stop partying
as much, maybe you'll feel better. And I laid off
the party and I just went to school sleep, school, sleep,
and I couldn't get to class without getting dizzy or lightheaded,
(03:23):
you know. I had to take breaks walk into class,
and then we made a doctor's visit, and then a
doctor visit, did an EKG a bunch of tests on me,
and they invited me back into the hospital, I think
on like a Friday. He said, you have to go
see a cardiologist right now, and we rushed a cardiologists
and they did more tests and they found out that
(03:44):
my left heart, left side of my heart was paralyzed
and the rights I was pumping at thirty two percent,
and I had to stop attending college. One semester turned
into two semesters to turn into a whole year of
not going to school. And throughout those two years, I
was in and out of hospital almost forty times, and
(04:06):
I had a defibrillator. I was on a bunch of
different drugs to keep my organs going. It was a
really dark time in my life. You know. I was
planning my death at the age of twenty five. Wow. Yeah.
There was times that I had a nurse you know,
asked me how long have I been using like referring
(04:30):
to drugs. I never did hard drugs this day in
my life, but they sold all the ivs in my
arm in different blood tests that they thought I was
a user. Even talks with my barber, you know, saying,
you know, do you do funeral arrangements, you know, jokingly. Yeah,
But in the inside, in my head, I was planning
my own death. That's how bad I felt. I was
(04:53):
in a deep state of depression. And then, you know,
I told myself that one thing I was going to
do is go back to school. I was going to
accomplish that one thing. And I was feeling okay. And
I wasn't in the hospital for almost a whole month,
which is beautiful, so I was able to go back
to school. And the doctor gave me a call and said,
(05:14):
you know, keep you haven't seen you in a while.
And I said, I know, all right, this is great. You know,
maybe I'm getting better. And he said, why don't you
come back in and do some more blood work, and
they found out that my crackn the level was elevated.
Being young and naive, I said, okay, well just switch
our medicine and you know, fix it. Unfortunately, they it
wasn't an easy fix. They said that I would need
(05:34):
a heart transplant.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Wow, and when you heard that, what was your reaction?
That must have been really crazy to hear.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I was really shocked. My first reaction, like you're telling
me the heart I was born with what had to
be replaced with a complete stranger, and I was really scary.
I didn't know all about all the people that are waiting.
At the time, I thought it was just me, you know,
it was just I think God. I didn't know about
the numbers. And it was a bunch of different tests
(06:05):
they had to do to see if I was a
candidate for a transplant. And I remember this day like
it was yesterday. They invited me into like a conference
room and I was waiting for them to say, you know,
you're on the list. And they found out that because
of the medication I was taken out throughout the years,
it damaged my liver and I couldn't get for a
(06:26):
heart transplant. But I needed a heart and liver transplant,
and I had to go all the way to Upen
and they had to do a bunch more tests. And
again I'm like twenty five, twenty four years old, so
I'm like, okay, let's just get this old with and
you know, it's almost comical, like this is terrible news,
but let me just see if I can give them
(06:47):
a list. I was very religious at the time. Everyone
was praying for me, and they said that my gift
was coming, My blessing was coming, and I'm like, you
guys really don't know this works. They kind of like
say you're on the list and they send you home.
You need to wait for a phone call. And they
were absolutely right because when I got there, they did
(07:09):
the test like I thought it would, and I'm getting
dressed and the doctor said, Okay, you know, we can
put you on the list, but chances are you might
not get it. And I'm like, that's very negative, right,
it's I think that's that's not good news. Because of
your height and your blood type, it's gonna be harder
(07:30):
for you to get your transplant. We're going to try
to move you up as a Status one A so
you'd be a little higher on the list. I'm like,
that's great. Well, they said the only way to get
a Status one A is that you have to be
on a mechanical heart or you have to wait in
the hospital for your transplant. I'm a millennial, like, I'm like,
I'm I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook, Google, I'm looking
(07:52):
at all these other stories. I met this guy in
Florida that waited one whole year for a phone call,
and it's not like, Okay, you're waiting in the hospital.
You can go to the cafeteria. You're on one floor
waiting with other people that are waiting for transplant, and
most of them look like me, young, black and brown.
(08:17):
Like it's far from like you know what you think
an older, older white gentleman waiting for a transplant, Like,
it's young people like that are dying that are waiting
for this. One phone call and I was telling myself like,
I'm gonna give myself three months maybe like I'll get lucky.
(08:39):
And I am doing everything. I am walking back and forth.
After the first week, it's like, okay, what can I do? Like,
how can I keep myself busy? I got into art,
I painted, mashed the pieces. While I'm in there, I'm
listening to music. I'm watching every show. I'm like, okay,
when is it coming every day? And it's not like
(09:01):
a hotel states. You're at a hospital. Right. They have
iving your arm. They are constantly checking in are you
doing your your juice intake, You're doing your water intake?
Are eating healthy? And twenty nine days later, I received
my first phone call. Wow, and they say, you know,
we have this perfect heart, perfect liver, for you. Do
(09:22):
you want it? Yeah? So, I mean but a no brainer.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
You know, Wow, that's incredible. That seems like such a
short amount of time. You really you really got the
gift of life for sure?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Absolutely? Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Can I ask you? So?
Speaker 3 (09:39):
So?
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Okay, you've got your heart, you got your liver. What
has life been like for you since then?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
How much time you out here? It's it's been wonderful,
Like I mean, like it's been ten years, ten years wow,
ten years since my transplant, and.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
So a lot of things have happened, a lot of things,
lot been accomplished. You've lived ten years and you've had
ten years worth of experiences that you might not have
had had it not been for that transfer.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I went to school, got my bachelor's, got my master's,
bought my first phone car, but moved out my house.
Like I lived life to the fullest and everything I
wanted to accomplish. And my bar was very kind of love.
I mean when I was saying like I didn't know life,
(10:29):
I would get my whole life back, right. I didn't
know I would be running five k's. I didn't know
I'll be doing half marogized. I didn't know I'll be
speaking in multiple high schools on different platforms. I mean,
it's just now it's just really icing on the cake.
You know, I'm starting my own family, like I have
a newborn. You know, it's just.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
All these things, all these life things have happened because
you are still on this planet and you got that gift.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Absolutely, Rick, this is.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Such an incredible story to hear and so and of
course this is radio, but you know, if you were
watching this video, you would see Keith and he looks awesome.
You look healthy, you look your spirit is high. And
that is just such a great lesson for us all
about the incredible life saving impact that becoming an organ
(11:18):
donor can have. Now there is and I know Keith
is going to be involved in the Donor Dash. So Rick,
tell us about the specifics of this event that's coming
up on the twenty sixth of April.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Well, first of all, Keith, you know you're such an
inspiration for our team, and I know you've spoken here
to and just you really epitomizes, you know, what it
means to need a transplant and then to live life
to its fullest after receiving that transplant. And you've really
done such a terrific job honoring you know, your donor
(11:50):
family just by doing that, you know, That's what donor
families tell us. They just want to make sure that
their gift is not taken for granted and you do
everything that you can to honor the legacy of their
loved one.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
So thanks for doing that.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
That's really what our Donor Dash Lorraine is all about,
is really highlighting the fantastic stories of transplantation. We have
a five k, a ten k, and a three K
walk as well as a kid's fun run, and it's
really to bring together donor families, transplant recipients, and patients
who are still waiting to give them hope that there
(12:26):
are people out there working twenty four to seven three
sixty five to make sure that their second chance that
life comes as well. So it's down at the Navy Yard.
It's our twenty ninth anniversary. We hope to get twenty
thousand people. We had about sixteen thousand last year and
it's just going to be a way for us to
commemorate a National Donate Life Month and bring more awareness
(12:49):
really to the need for those many patients who still
are waiting.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, and Keith, I'm going to give you the last
word for those out there who are hesitating, because we've
covered this previous interviews many times. But just listeners know
that there are a lot of misconceptions about organ donation.
But for sure, it is a gift that is just extraordinary.
I am a potential organ donor. It's on my license,
(13:15):
it's on my living will. You know, I've told my family.
Everybody knows. So what would be your message to people
who are hesitating who say, oh, well, you know, if
I get on that list, then they're gonna not do
everything to save my life if I'm in hospital. You
know that's absolutely wrong. Every religion supports it. It is
(13:37):
if you needed an organ, I bet you you out
there listening would accept an organ. So, Keith, what's your
final word to the listeners out there?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
There is no greater gift than get to life. What
it has done from my family, it has given their
son back, their brother back because of someone saying yes,
someone giving just checking the box. And you're not just
(14:08):
saying yes to one person. You're saying yes to those
one hundred and twenty thousand people out there that were
in the same predicament as me and as wonderful as
my story is, I'm just a fraction of what my
donor did for me in my life. I think to
have that legacy we always talk about. As a thirty
(14:30):
year old, I'm always thinking about my legacy no matter
what my donor did or who he was, because he
was very similar to me but also very different. He's
always a hero and he will always be a hero
to all my friends, my family, And anytime I see
a donor, I say thank you because they could have
saved my life. What a legacy that would be, right,
(14:54):
You know, there are no organs needed in heaven. They
needed here on earth, and they needed here for us, black, brown, yellow.
We all need those organs, and why not give it
to someone who's in need. It's a lot to say,
but yeah, I think that's really a wrap it up.
I can't even wrap it up in words. I said
(15:16):
thank you to my donor multiple times, and I'm still
not like I still owe them another thank you just
because I'm here and I'm here because of them. I'm
here because of the gift of life. But truly, those
organ donors just saying yes makes all the magic that
we do at the Gift of life. Work, so that
(15:38):
that's the message.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Well, that's a great message. If you'd like to know
more about how you can become a donor, go to
donorswe dot org. Also find out more about the Gift
of Life Donor Dash happening on the twenty sixth over
at the Navy Yard. Sign up for the Donor Dash,
honor donor Heroes, and register as an organ donor today.
Because one decision can save multiple lives. Saved the life
(16:01):
of Keith Gerald and Keith just very moving and very inspiring.
Your story is and we appreciate you and your work
as an ambassador for Gift of Life. Rick, thank you
for shepherding the Gift of Life program. Rick Hawes Junior,
who is president of Gift of Life Donor Program President
(16:22):
and CEO. And of course we also have Keith Gerald,
who is a recipient and who's going to be running
in the Donor Dash again on the twenty sixth of April.
I'll be out there so see you there. Thank you
so much for joining us today. A medical crisis can
(16:46):
quickly become a financial crisis. Help Hope Live is working
to change that. Since nineteen eighty three, the nonprofit has
helped thousands of families raise millions of dollars from medical
and related expenses that insurance simply doesn't cover. Help Hope
Live is the nation's only nonprofit medical fundraising platform, providing
trusted tools and personal support to help communities rally around
(17:06):
patients in need. Before starting a go fund me, learn
about a safer way to fundraise, visit help Hopelive dot org.
Today we're talking about the power of parents, students, and
community members coming together to advocate for stronger public schools
(17:27):
and healthier communities. Joining us is Ranja Dickerson, parent executive
director of the Camden Parent and Student Union, who's leading
an upcoming power Bridge boot camp designed to equip families
with tools to organize, lead, and create change. Ranja, thank
you so much for joining us today and for those
who may not be familiar with your work, tell us
(17:48):
about the Camden Parent and Student Union and its mission.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
We are a grassroot organization cam New Jersey. We're kind
of birth out of rapid responding. We were birthed in
my twenty seven when about two hundred teachers got laid
off right in your round Mother's Day and students came
knocking on my door and mister Rain was like, Mamarausha,
Mama Rasha, they're laying off our favorite teachers. What do
we do? And I was like, what do you all
want to do? They said, we want to do a walkout?
(18:15):
And I was like, okay. Now, remember I was born
in the seventies, but I didn't grow up in the
revolutionary time of all those things, right, So I had
to go to my elders and ask them how do
we do a walkout? And then from there we realized
that there was such a vacancy, a gap and parents
and students knowing a lot of information about how to
know your rights, protect your children, and also inspire your
(18:36):
children to use that organizing an advocacy arm So that's
how we kind of organized the Parent Union and then
from there we found our voice in number one being
truth tellers, Number two holding the narrative about what's truly
going on in our community, and then third uplifting traditional
public schools. We found that there was a big gap
of how traditional public schools are viewed by way of
(19:00):
the camb And City administration and then compared to what
is actually going on in those schools. We have some
amazing schools in Camden. Not knocking any other schools, but
the traditional schools have been our day one schools that's
been here one hundred years, building still standing, you know
what I mean. And these are the schools that are
like the cornerstones of the community. When you come back
to camp in a visit where people come back and visit,
(19:21):
they'll say, I went to that school. I went to
that school, And we can't afford to lose thought that
cherished moment in our community. So we the Parent Union,
we do advocacy, we organize, we train, but more importantly,
we really surround and really wrap around our traditional public
schools and make sure they're getting the proper funding, the
support that it needs, and also our students get the
proper education inside those schools.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Well, you're hosting a power building boot camp. Why is
this kind of training so important right now for parents
and communities? And give us an idea of what people
can look forward to at this boot camp.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
This is such a good moment for parents in Camden
and then really all through the Delaware Valley and tri
state area. We decided to call our good brother doctor
Umar Johnson over. We said, doctor Lumar, We need your
support in kind of building some power under our parents' let.
The backstory is that this is the part that people
don't really want to talk about, Miss Rain, is that
Camden has been under state controlled by the State of
(20:16):
New Jersey for over thirteen years. And those thirteen years,
the idea was to get Camden back on track to
be a school district that was flowing with you know,
education and great buildings and great educators. But over those
thirteen years, we've only seen more school closures. We've seen
more school takeovers, We've seen more teachers fired, We've seen
more of a consolidation of the foot printed traditional public schools.
(20:37):
We've seen new ideas being added into our school district
like Renaissance schools and an enrollment system called Camden and
Rollment that has just vacuumed the students out of artisal schools.
We've seen a ninety one million dollar deficit currently today
and we're seeing students without support. So parents have been
kind of like, you know, I guess out of the
(20:58):
loop of all the things school because it it seems
so political, like the people who are in power are
making these decisions. But our job as parents, me being
a parent, a mother of six actually seven with my
bonus baby and a grandmother Mss Lorraine.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I have to be in front.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Of this with the Candon Parent Union and it stum
means saying, how do we continue to educate our community?
How do we build that power? How do we get
parents from moving from being God's sound saying oh it'll
be fine, oh just let me know, or getting irate
and going up to a school and being full of
fuel and fire because it was said about something. How
we educate them to be fueled with information to know
(21:35):
if they are the people with rights and have power.
So we called doctor Umar Johnson over and saying, doctor Umar,
can you build this power camp, this boot camp with
us to say this is your rights, whether we have
a child that is in general education, special education, whatever
it is, We're here to teach you about that. Can
you also teach about how we can build power by
(21:56):
using our collective struggle and our collective responsibility to be
to support each other. Everyone's not on the same level
of parents, and some people are new parents, some people
are experienced parents. Some people are like I don't want
to be a parent, but I support children. We get that,
but can we bring everybody into one space and say,
but what do we need to do to support our
students and support our schools? And that's why this boot
camp is so important. And the last thing I'll add
(22:18):
is that we also get tricked by way of people
who are in powerful positions telling us to sign off
from paperwork and this is what you should do, is
what you should do? What about parents asking better questions?
What about when you know the right question to ask,
you can get better results for your child and for
your children's outcomes. It's so fast that our children are
placed into special need moments and also put into these
(22:40):
categories of needing special need support versus someone just dissecting
does that child need extra supports versus being put into
a classification right, So doctor Umar, his expertise in that
area is what's needed for Camden residents, Camden parents and
also parents all across the Delaware value to come and
hear this message of this is our knowledge, let's make
(23:00):
it power. And that's what we're doing over Campton.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
So tell us a little more about what people can
expect it if they participate in this workshop.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
It's going to be a dynamic workshop. Prepared to come in,
get some culture. We're gonna have some African drumming, some
music playing, just to get everybody kind of in the
mood of like we're together.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
I'm talking to Black parents, talking to Latino parents, talking
about let's get into how we feel like the spirit
of it all right, and then you're going to get
a chance to sit down and kind of be briefed on,
like a quick update on how we got to where
we are right now with school closures, the school take over,
all those things. People can be primed to understand where
we are, and then we get into the heaviness of it.
Doctor Umar will been trained. He's talking about using, you know,
(23:37):
the information, give it to the community and give them
and ask them to write in their notebooks, take a
note it's two series two serious is going to happen.
And we start at four o'clock, four to eight pm.
I know that sounds intensive, folks. That's been used to
kind of like an hour or in and off. And
because social media is so quick now, everybody wants to
do everything so quick. But we got to get back
(23:58):
to taking time to hear, write it down, ask a question,
ask a neighbor, ask somebody else. So we're going to
be doing that, and then doctor wil will break it
down in two parts. He'll do the first section that's
already happening on the ninth of April, and then we'll
do upcoming April sixteenth, we'll do the second session. We
were asking folks to register to be a part of
(24:18):
that because these two sessions collectively will be able to
if you miss the first one, you can get to
the second one and say I miss some information I
want to catch up. It'll be there for the second time.
So so parents and community can expect power building, collective work, organizing,
talking about strategy, and then also knowing your parental rights
when it comes down to how you look at your
(24:40):
children and how you want them to be educated, that's
the most important part.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
You talk about harnessing a champion spirit, what does that
mean and how can it inspire the next generation of leaders?
Speaker 4 (24:51):
That champion spirit is so real. You harvest that, mister Rain,
you do you have the champion spirit. You're the voice
that we all trust. Right, but that champion spirit and
let sus we can't stop right. We got to be
around people who we got to be around and get
around and get used to winning a lot of times
we see things, many things that happen in our lives
that are just like so heavy, like oh they have
(25:12):
more power in us. Oh they have this. Oh they
have that we don't compare. We talk about what we're
building right, So, harvesting that champion spirit is we can win.
When we say we can win and we actually own
the spirit of winning, we can win not only for ourselves,
but for our community, for our children. Our children need
to see adults winning in a positive way. I'm talking
about this champion spirit of like a sports team. When
(25:32):
a sports team is the underdog team, you're like, oh,
they have no chance of winning. You see that sports
team take take advantage of that situation, the one thing
that makes them go make some win all ways to
the end. That's the kind of champion we need in
our parents.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Right now.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
We know it's been rough. We know there's a lot
of stuff going on in this country. We know there's
many things, there's misconceptions and a lot of things going
on right in our own neighborhoods and our communities. But
one thing that we can change is the heart of
the heart of people is real and it beats with
such significance and such. And when you fuel that champion
spirit like we can win or we're going to win,
and I believe that we can win, that's when we
(26:06):
start to change the dynamics.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
You got me all fired up there, Rauncha.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
I love this champion spirit. You certainly have it, and
I know that you'll inspire it and they will be
inspired by participating in this boot camp. Now one session
has already happened, but there's a session two Thursday, April
sixteenth at four pm at Camden High School, seventeen hundred
Park Boulevard in Camden. Where do people go to register?
(26:35):
And of course it is free, right.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
It is free.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
That's a wonderful thing about it. Yes, everything you said
is correct. It's free. April sixteenth, we asked, we're as
supposed to register at Camden PSU p like Paul SS
and sam U. That's our website CANDOENPSU dot com. You
can register there or our website. You can also email
me directly at Raunscha at CAMDENPSU dot com and I'll
help you get through that process as well. People free,
(27:00):
and we say free, mister ring, I like to say
at no cost, because nothing life is free. It's at
no cost, right because doctor Umar's time, our organizing time
is all being put into this moment. But at no
cost means that you can still donate to contributing to
helping these kind of trends go on. You can do
other things like spread the word, bring somebody with you.
That's all work, right, and you can also share it.
(27:22):
You can also come and post about and blog about
I do something that you can say I was here,
I was part of his historical moment, and that's what matters.
We need parents to understand and communities members to understand.
Don't count yourself out sometimes be kind myself are like no, no,
that's not for me. Or I get a little nervous
being around people. I don't know how to ask the
right question. I'm not like Rasha, I'm not like mister rain. No,
you're you wonderfully and uniquely made right, So we need
(27:45):
you to bring that wonderful and unique voice out. Ask
the question, stumble, struggle, get hot, under arms, do all
the things, but go for it. Go for it, because
that's what this trading is about, about building that power
so our children can get used to seeing mom, dad, grandma, uncle,
everyone working towards a collective wing versus seeing the drama
(28:05):
that's already in our lives anyway, we might as well
just do our hearts right. So that's what we're saying.
Come on over April sixteenth, we'll be there.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
I love it. Roncha Dickerson, parent executive director of the
Camden Parent and Student Union, leading an upcoming power building
boot camp designed to help equip families with the tools
to organize, lead, and create change. It sounds like such
a powerful event and an opportunity for parents, students and
community leaders to really step up and learn the tools
(28:34):
of organizing. Because the people do have the power, we
just need to exercise it. Roncha, thank you so much
for joining us. And I love your spirit. I love
your passion, and I'm sure that that passion will be
igniting a lot of folks out there to make some change.
So thank you, Ronchia Dickinson.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Thank you for you time. I want to shout out
missus Stanley White. Thank you, missus Stanley White for everything
you've done from the city of Camden. We love you,
we appreciate you. And you my favorite uncle Bulk.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Oh yeah, he's my heart. Stan You're the best and
you are planting seeds like people like Runcha wherever you go,
new leaders moving in and making a difference. So thank
you so much Runcha, and shout out to UH to
Stan White, thank you. You can listen to all of
today's interviews by going to our station website and typing
(29:22):
in keyword community. You can also listen on the iHeartRadio
app yey Words Philadelphia Community podcast. Follow me on Twitter
and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballard MOREL and
I stand for service to our community and media that empowers.
What will you stand for? You've been listening to Insight
and thank you
You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering our community.
I'm Lorraine ballad Marrel. April is National Donate Life Month,
and today we're talking about the upcoming Donor Dash. We'll
also hear from a young man whose life was transformed
by a heart and liver transplant. Plus, we're joined by
Ronchah Dickerson at the Camden Parent and Student Union to
discuss how families can take the lead in shaping stronger
(00:22):
schools through an upcoming power building boot camp. Stay with Us.
April is National Donate Life Month, a time to highlight
the life saving impact of organ and tissue donation. Joining
us this Gift of Life Donor Program President and CEO
Richard Hawes Junior, along with transplant recipient and ambassador Keith Gerald,
to talk about the urgent need for donors. And also
(00:45):
we're going to talk about a powerful upcoming event, the
Donor Dash. Well, Rick, let's start with you. April is
National Donate Life Month. Why is this such an important
time to raise awareness about organ donation?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
To remind everybody about the importance signing up and registering
to be an organ donor. One person who says yes
the organ donation can save the lives of the eight
people and can enhance the lives of over one hundred
others through tissue donation, and so we think the spring
is a great opportunity to get that message out and
really to say thank you to our community. Our community
(01:21):
is very giving. It's just a wonderful opportunity for us
to be able to get off to a.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Good part of the year.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It seems as though people are starting to become more
aware of the importance of organ donation and in fact
of life achieved record breaking transplant numbers last year. What
does that progress mean and where is the need still the.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Greatest Despite our record breaking year last year, we transplanted
almost two thousand organs from seven hundred and twenty five
really donor heroes and families who said yes to donation.
But unfortunately the rain, there are still now over six
thousand patients in our local area and one hundred thousand
patients waiting nationally, and the majority of those patients are
(02:05):
waiting for a kidney transplant, and they're really tethered three
days a week to a dialysis machine. So we really
need to continue to get the word out and be
able to hopefully save their life. Transplantation is a very
unique area of medicine. We have the immunosuppress of drugs,
we have the great surgical techniques, but it really relies
(02:29):
on the kindness of strangers.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
The more we.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Can talk about it and register to be a donor,
than when that time comes, people will be knowing what
you wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It's so helpful. It's very important to talk about your
wishes to your family so that they understand if you
are in fact going to be an organ donor, that
they are aware of that, and that you register at
donorswe dot org. But let's talk to Keith. You are
a transplant recipient. Tell us your story.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well, it started off when I was in college, regular student.
I did everything a college student does, and one day
I wasn't feeling well. I told my parents about it,
and you know if, they said, if you stop partying
as much, maybe you'll feel better. And I laid off
the party and I just went to school sleep, school, sleep,
and I couldn't get to class without getting dizzy or lightheaded,
(03:23):
you know. I had to take breaks walk into class,
and then we made a doctor's visit, and then a
doctor visit, did an EKG a bunch of tests on me,
and they invited me back into the hospital, I think
on like a Friday. He said, you have to go
see a cardiologist right now, and we rushed a cardiologists
and they did more tests and they found out that
(03:44):
my left heart, left side of my heart was paralyzed
and the rights I was pumping at thirty two percent,
and I had to stop attending college. One semester turned
into two semesters to turn into a whole year of
not going to school. And throughout those two years, I
was in and out of hospital almost forty times, and
(04:06):
I had a defibrillator. I was on a bunch of
different drugs to keep my organs going. It was a
really dark time in my life. You know. I was
planning my death at the age of twenty five. Wow. Yeah.
There was times that I had a nurse you know,
asked me how long have I been using like referring
(04:30):
to drugs. I never did hard drugs this day in
my life, but they sold all the ivs in my
arm in different blood tests that they thought I was
a user. Even talks with my barber, you know, saying,
you know, do you do funeral arrangements, you know, jokingly. Yeah,
But in the inside, in my head, I was planning
my own death. That's how bad I felt. I was
(04:53):
in a deep state of depression. And then, you know,
I told myself that one thing I was going to
do is go back to school. I was going to
accomplish that one thing. And I was feeling okay. And
I wasn't in the hospital for almost a whole month,
which is beautiful, so I was able to go back
to school. And the doctor gave me a call and said,
(05:14):
you know, keep you haven't seen you in a while.
And I said, I know, all right, this is great. You know,
maybe I'm getting better. And he said, why don't you
come back in and do some more blood work, and
they found out that my crackn the level was elevated.
Being young and naive, I said, okay, well just switch
our medicine and you know, fix it. Unfortunately, they it
wasn't an easy fix. They said that I would need
(05:34):
a heart transplant.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Wow, and when you heard that, what was your reaction?
That must have been really crazy to hear.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I was really shocked. My first reaction, like you're telling
me the heart I was born with what had to
be replaced with a complete stranger, and I was really scary.
I didn't know all about all the people that are waiting.
At the time, I thought it was just me, you know,
it was just I think God. I didn't know about
the numbers. And it was a bunch of different tests
(06:05):
they had to do to see if I was a
candidate for a transplant. And I remember this day like
it was yesterday. They invited me into like a conference
room and I was waiting for them to say, you know,
you're on the list. And they found out that because
of the medication I was taken out throughout the years,
it damaged my liver and I couldn't get for a
(06:26):
heart transplant. But I needed a heart and liver transplant,
and I had to go all the way to Upen
and they had to do a bunch more tests. And
again I'm like twenty five, twenty four years old, so
I'm like, okay, let's just get this old with and
you know, it's almost comical, like this is terrible news,
but let me just see if I can give them
(06:47):
a list. I was very religious at the time. Everyone
was praying for me, and they said that my gift
was coming, My blessing was coming, and I'm like, you
guys really don't know this works. They kind of like
say you're on the list and they send you home.
You need to wait for a phone call. And they
were absolutely right because when I got there, they did
(07:09):
the test like I thought it would, and I'm getting
dressed and the doctor said, Okay, you know, we can
put you on the list, but chances are you might
not get it. And I'm like, that's very negative, right,
it's I think that's that's not good news. Because of
your height and your blood type, it's gonna be harder
(07:30):
for you to get your transplant. We're going to try
to move you up as a Status one A so
you'd be a little higher on the list. I'm like,
that's great. Well, they said the only way to get
a Status one A is that you have to be
on a mechanical heart or you have to wait in
the hospital for your transplant. I'm a millennial, like, I'm like,
I'm I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook, Google, I'm looking
(07:52):
at all these other stories. I met this guy in
Florida that waited one whole year for a phone call,
and it's not like, Okay, you're waiting in the hospital.
You can go to the cafeteria. You're on one floor
waiting with other people that are waiting for transplant, and
most of them look like me, young, black and brown.
(08:17):
Like it's far from like you know what you think
an older, older white gentleman waiting for a transplant, Like,
it's young people like that are dying that are waiting
for this. One phone call and I was telling myself like,
I'm gonna give myself three months maybe like I'll get lucky.
(08:39):
And I am doing everything. I am walking back and forth.
After the first week, it's like, okay, what can I do? Like,
how can I keep myself busy? I got into art,
I painted, mashed the pieces. While I'm in there, I'm
listening to music. I'm watching every show. I'm like, okay,
when is it coming every day? And it's not like
(09:01):
a hotel states. You're at a hospital. Right. They have
iving your arm. They are constantly checking in are you
doing your your juice intake, You're doing your water intake?
Are eating healthy? And twenty nine days later, I received
my first phone call. Wow, and they say, you know,
we have this perfect heart, perfect liver, for you. Do
(09:22):
you want it? Yeah? So, I mean but a no brainer.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
You know, Wow, that's incredible. That seems like such a
short amount of time. You really you really got the
gift of life for sure?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Absolutely? Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Can I ask you? So?
Speaker 3 (09:39):
So?
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Okay, you've got your heart, you got your liver. What
has life been like for you since then?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
How much time you out here? It's it's been wonderful,
Like I mean, like it's been ten years, ten years wow,
ten years since my transplant, and.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
So a lot of things have happened, a lot of things,
lot been accomplished. You've lived ten years and you've had
ten years worth of experiences that you might not have
had had it not been for that transfer.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I went to school, got my bachelor's, got my master's,
bought my first phone car, but moved out my house.
Like I lived life to the fullest and everything I
wanted to accomplish. And my bar was very kind of love.
I mean when I was saying like I didn't know life,
(10:29):
I would get my whole life back, right. I didn't
know I would be running five k's. I didn't know
I'll be doing half marogized. I didn't know I'll be
speaking in multiple high schools on different platforms. I mean,
it's just now it's just really icing on the cake.
You know, I'm starting my own family, like I have
a newborn. You know, it's just.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
All these things, all these life things have happened because
you are still on this planet and you got that gift.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Absolutely, Rick, this is.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Such an incredible story to hear and so and of
course this is radio, but you know, if you were
watching this video, you would see Keith and he looks awesome.
You look healthy, you look your spirit is high. And
that is just such a great lesson for us all
about the incredible life saving impact that becoming an organ
(11:18):
donor can have. Now there is and I know Keith
is going to be involved in the Donor Dash. So Rick,
tell us about the specifics of this event that's coming
up on the twenty sixth of April.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Well, first of all, Keith, you know you're such an
inspiration for our team, and I know you've spoken here
to and just you really epitomizes, you know, what it
means to need a transplant and then to live life
to its fullest after receiving that transplant. And you've really
done such a terrific job honoring you know, your donor
(11:50):
family just by doing that, you know, That's what donor
families tell us. They just want to make sure that
their gift is not taken for granted and you do
everything that you can to honor the legacy of their
loved one.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
So thanks for doing that.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
That's really what our Donor Dash Lorraine is all about,
is really highlighting the fantastic stories of transplantation. We have
a five k, a ten k, and a three K
walk as well as a kid's fun run, and it's
really to bring together donor families, transplant recipients, and patients
who are still waiting to give them hope that there
(12:26):
are people out there working twenty four to seven three
sixty five to make sure that their second chance that
life comes as well. So it's down at the Navy Yard.
It's our twenty ninth anniversary. We hope to get twenty
thousand people. We had about sixteen thousand last year and
it's just going to be a way for us to
commemorate a National Donate Life Month and bring more awareness
(12:49):
really to the need for those many patients who still
are waiting.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, and Keith, I'm going to give you the last
word for those out there who are hesitating, because we've
covered this previous interviews many times. But just listeners know
that there are a lot of misconceptions about organ donation.
But for sure, it is a gift that is just extraordinary.
I am a potential organ donor. It's on my license,
(13:15):
it's on my living will. You know, I've told my family.
Everybody knows. So what would be your message to people
who are hesitating who say, oh, well, you know, if
I get on that list, then they're gonna not do
everything to save my life if I'm in hospital. You
know that's absolutely wrong. Every religion supports it. It is
(13:37):
if you needed an organ, I bet you you out
there listening would accept an organ. So, Keith, what's your
final word to the listeners out there?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
There is no greater gift than get to life. What
it has done from my family, it has given their
son back, their brother back because of someone saying yes,
someone giving just checking the box. And you're not just
(14:08):
saying yes to one person. You're saying yes to those
one hundred and twenty thousand people out there that were
in the same predicament as me and as wonderful as
my story is, I'm just a fraction of what my
donor did for me in my life. I think to
have that legacy we always talk about. As a thirty
(14:30):
year old, I'm always thinking about my legacy no matter
what my donor did or who he was, because he
was very similar to me but also very different. He's
always a hero and he will always be a hero
to all my friends, my family, And anytime I see
a donor, I say thank you because they could have
saved my life. What a legacy that would be, right,
(14:54):
You know, there are no organs needed in heaven. They
needed here on earth, and they needed here for us, black, brown, yellow.
We all need those organs, and why not give it
to someone who's in need. It's a lot to say,
but yeah, I think that's really a wrap it up.
I can't even wrap it up in words. I said
(15:16):
thank you to my donor multiple times, and I'm still
not like I still owe them another thank you just
because I'm here and I'm here because of them. I'm
here because of the gift of life. But truly, those
organ donors just saying yes makes all the magic that
we do at the Gift of life. Work, so that
(15:38):
that's the message.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Well, that's a great message. If you'd like to know
more about how you can become a donor, go to
donorswe dot org. Also find out more about the Gift
of Life Donor Dash happening on the twenty sixth over
at the Navy Yard. Sign up for the Donor Dash,
honor donor Heroes, and register as an organ donor today.
Because one decision can save multiple lives. Saved the life
(16:01):
of Keith Gerald and Keith just very moving and very inspiring.
Your story is and we appreciate you and your work
as an ambassador for Gift of Life. Rick, thank you
for shepherding the Gift of Life program. Rick Hawes Junior,
who is president of Gift of Life Donor Program President
(16:22):
and CEO. And of course we also have Keith Gerald,
who is a recipient and who's going to be running
in the Donor Dash again on the twenty sixth of April.
I'll be out there so see you there. Thank you
so much for joining us today. A medical crisis can
(16:46):
quickly become a financial crisis. Help Hope Live is working
to change that. Since nineteen eighty three, the nonprofit has
helped thousands of families raise millions of dollars from medical
and related expenses that insurance simply doesn't cover. Help Hope
Live is the nation's only nonprofit medical fundraising platform, providing
trusted tools and personal support to help communities rally around
(17:06):
patients in need. Before starting a go fund me, learn
about a safer way to fundraise, visit help Hopelive dot org.
Today we're talking about the power of parents, students, and
community members coming together to advocate for stronger public schools
(17:27):
and healthier communities. Joining us is Ranja Dickerson, parent executive
director of the Camden Parent and Student Union, who's leading
an upcoming power Bridge boot camp designed to equip families
with tools to organize, lead, and create change. Ranja, thank
you so much for joining us today and for those
who may not be familiar with your work, tell us
(17:48):
about the Camden Parent and Student Union and its mission.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
We are a grassroot organization cam New Jersey. We're kind
of birth out of rapid responding. We were birthed in
my twenty seven when about two hundred teachers got laid
off right in your round Mother's Day and students came
knocking on my door and mister Rain was like, Mamarausha,
Mama Rasha, they're laying off our favorite teachers. What do
we do? And I was like, what do you all
want to do? They said, we want to do a walkout?
(18:15):
And I was like, okay. Now, remember I was born
in the seventies, but I didn't grow up in the
revolutionary time of all those things, right, So I had
to go to my elders and ask them how do
we do a walkout? And then from there we realized
that there was such a vacancy, a gap and parents
and students knowing a lot of information about how to
know your rights, protect your children, and also inspire your
(18:36):
children to use that organizing an advocacy arm So that's
how we kind of organized the Parent Union and then
from there we found our voice in number one being
truth tellers, Number two holding the narrative about what's truly
going on in our community, and then third uplifting traditional
public schools. We found that there was a big gap
of how traditional public schools are viewed by way of
(19:00):
the camb And City administration and then compared to what
is actually going on in those schools. We have some
amazing schools in Camden. Not knocking any other schools, but
the traditional schools have been our day one schools that's
been here one hundred years, building still standing, you know
what I mean. And these are the schools that are
like the cornerstones of the community. When you come back
to camp in a visit where people come back and visit,
(19:21):
they'll say, I went to that school. I went to
that school, And we can't afford to lose thought that
cherished moment in our community. So we the Parent Union,
we do advocacy, we organize, we train, but more importantly,
we really surround and really wrap around our traditional public
schools and make sure they're getting the proper funding, the
support that it needs, and also our students get the
proper education inside those schools.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Well, you're hosting a power building boot camp. Why is
this kind of training so important right now for parents
and communities? And give us an idea of what people
can look forward to at this boot camp.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
This is such a good moment for parents in Camden
and then really all through the Delaware Valley and tri
state area. We decided to call our good brother doctor
Umar Johnson over. We said, doctor Lumar, We need your
support in kind of building some power under our parents' let.
The backstory is that this is the part that people
don't really want to talk about, Miss Rain, is that
Camden has been under state controlled by the State of
(20:16):
New Jersey for over thirteen years. And those thirteen years,
the idea was to get Camden back on track to
be a school district that was flowing with you know,
education and great buildings and great educators. But over those
thirteen years, we've only seen more school closures. We've seen
more school takeovers, We've seen more teachers fired, We've seen
more of a consolidation of the foot printed traditional public schools.
(20:37):
We've seen new ideas being added into our school district
like Renaissance schools and an enrollment system called Camden and
Rollment that has just vacuumed the students out of artisal schools.
We've seen a ninety one million dollar deficit currently today
and we're seeing students without support. So parents have been
kind of like, you know, I guess out of the
(20:58):
loop of all the things school because it it seems
so political, like the people who are in power are
making these decisions. But our job as parents, me being
a parent, a mother of six actually seven with my
bonus baby and a grandmother Mss Lorraine.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I have to be in front.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Of this with the Candon Parent Union and it stum
means saying, how do we continue to educate our community?
How do we build that power? How do we get
parents from moving from being God's sound saying oh it'll
be fine, oh just let me know, or getting irate
and going up to a school and being full of
fuel and fire because it was said about something. How
we educate them to be fueled with information to know
(21:35):
if they are the people with rights and have power.
So we called doctor Umar Johnson over and saying, doctor Umar,
can you build this power camp, this boot camp with
us to say this is your rights, whether we have
a child that is in general education, special education, whatever
it is, We're here to teach you about that. Can
you also teach about how we can build power by
(21:56):
using our collective struggle and our collective responsibility to be
to support each other. Everyone's not on the same level
of parents, and some people are new parents, some people
are experienced parents. Some people are like I don't want
to be a parent, but I support children. We get that,
but can we bring everybody into one space and say,
but what do we need to do to support our
students and support our schools? And that's why this boot
camp is so important. And the last thing I'll add
(22:18):
is that we also get tricked by way of people
who are in powerful positions telling us to sign off
from paperwork and this is what you should do, is
what you should do? What about parents asking better questions?
What about when you know the right question to ask,
you can get better results for your child and for
your children's outcomes. It's so fast that our children are
placed into special need moments and also put into these
(22:40):
categories of needing special need support versus someone just dissecting
does that child need extra supports versus being put into
a classification right, So doctor Umar, his expertise in that
area is what's needed for Camden residents, Camden parents and
also parents all across the Delaware value to come and
hear this message of this is our knowledge, let's make
(23:00):
it power. And that's what we're doing over Campton.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
So tell us a little more about what people can
expect it if they participate in this workshop.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
It's going to be a dynamic workshop. Prepared to come in,
get some culture. We're gonna have some African drumming, some
music playing, just to get everybody kind of in the
mood of like we're together.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Right.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
I'm talking to Black parents, talking to Latino parents, talking
about let's get into how we feel like the spirit
of it all right, and then you're going to get
a chance to sit down and kind of be briefed on,
like a quick update on how we got to where
we are right now with school closures, the school take over,
all those things. People can be primed to understand where
we are, and then we get into the heaviness of it.
Doctor Umar will been trained. He's talking about using, you know,
(23:37):
the information, give it to the community and give them
and ask them to write in their notebooks, take a
note it's two series two serious is going to happen.
And we start at four o'clock, four to eight pm.
I know that sounds intensive, folks. That's been used to
kind of like an hour or in and off. And
because social media is so quick now, everybody wants to
do everything so quick. But we got to get back
(23:58):
to taking time to hear, write it down, ask a question,
ask a neighbor, ask somebody else. So we're going to
be doing that, and then doctor wil will break it
down in two parts. He'll do the first section that's
already happening on the ninth of April, and then we'll
do upcoming April sixteenth, we'll do the second session. We
were asking folks to register to be a part of
(24:18):
that because these two sessions collectively will be able to
if you miss the first one, you can get to
the second one and say I miss some information I
want to catch up. It'll be there for the second time.
So so parents and community can expect power building, collective work, organizing,
talking about strategy, and then also knowing your parental rights
when it comes down to how you look at your
(24:40):
children and how you want them to be educated, that's
the most important part.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
You talk about harnessing a champion spirit, what does that
mean and how can it inspire the next generation of leaders?
Speaker 4 (24:51):
That champion spirit is so real. You harvest that, mister Rain,
you do you have the champion spirit. You're the voice
that we all trust. Right, but that champion spirit and
let sus we can't stop right. We got to be
around people who we got to be around and get
around and get used to winning a lot of times
we see things, many things that happen in our lives
that are just like so heavy, like oh they have
(25:12):
more power in us. Oh they have this. Oh they
have that we don't compare. We talk about what we're
building right, So, harvesting that champion spirit is we can win.
When we say we can win and we actually own
the spirit of winning, we can win not only for ourselves,
but for our community, for our children. Our children need
to see adults winning in a positive way. I'm talking
about this champion spirit of like a sports team. When
(25:32):
a sports team is the underdog team, you're like, oh,
they have no chance of winning. You see that sports
team take take advantage of that situation, the one thing
that makes them go make some win all ways to
the end. That's the kind of champion we need in
our parents.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Right now.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
We know it's been rough. We know there's a lot
of stuff going on in this country. We know there's
many things, there's misconceptions and a lot of things going
on right in our own neighborhoods and our communities. But
one thing that we can change is the heart of
the heart of people is real and it beats with
such significance and such. And when you fuel that champion
spirit like we can win or we're going to win,
and I believe that we can win, that's when we
(26:06):
start to change the dynamics.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
You got me all fired up there, Rauncha.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
I love this champion spirit. You certainly have it, and
I know that you'll inspire it and they will be
inspired by participating in this boot camp. Now one session
has already happened, but there's a session two Thursday, April
sixteenth at four pm at Camden High School, seventeen hundred
Park Boulevard in Camden. Where do people go to register?
(26:35):
And of course it is free, right.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
It is free.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
That's a wonderful thing about it. Yes, everything you said
is correct. It's free. April sixteenth, we asked, we're as
supposed to register at Camden PSU p like Paul SS
and sam U. That's our website CANDOENPSU dot com. You
can register there or our website. You can also email
me directly at Raunscha at CAMDENPSU dot com and I'll
help you get through that process as well. People free,
(27:00):
and we say free, mister ring, I like to say
at no cost, because nothing life is free. It's at
no cost, right because doctor Umar's time, our organizing time
is all being put into this moment. But at no
cost means that you can still donate to contributing to
helping these kind of trends go on. You can do
other things like spread the word, bring somebody with you.
That's all work, right, and you can also share it.
(27:22):
You can also come and post about and blog about
I do something that you can say I was here,
I was part of his historical moment, and that's what matters.
We need parents to understand and communities members to understand.
Don't count yourself out sometimes be kind myself are like no, no,
that's not for me. Or I get a little nervous
being around people. I don't know how to ask the
right question. I'm not like Rasha, I'm not like mister rain. No,
you're you wonderfully and uniquely made right, So we need
(27:45):
you to bring that wonderful and unique voice out. Ask
the question, stumble, struggle, get hot, under arms, do all
the things, but go for it. Go for it, because
that's what this trading is about, about building that power
so our children can get used to seeing mom, dad, grandma, uncle,
everyone working towards a collective wing versus seeing the drama
(28:05):
that's already in our lives anyway, we might as well
just do our hearts right. So that's what we're saying.
Come on over April sixteenth, we'll be there.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
I love it. Roncha Dickerson, parent executive director of the
Camden Parent and Student Union, leading an upcoming power building
boot camp designed to help equip families with the tools
to organize, lead, and create change. It sounds like such
a powerful event and an opportunity for parents, students and
community leaders to really step up and learn the tools
(28:34):
of organizing. Because the people do have the power, we
just need to exercise it. Roncha, thank you so much
for joining us. And I love your spirit. I love
your passion, and I'm sure that that passion will be
igniting a lot of folks out there to make some change.
So thank you, Ronchia Dickinson.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Thank you for you time. I want to shout out
missus Stanley White. Thank you, missus Stanley White for everything
you've done from the city of Camden. We love you,
we appreciate you. And you my favorite uncle Bulk.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
Oh yeah, he's my heart. Stan You're the best and
you are planting seeds like people like Runcha wherever you go,
new leaders moving in and making a difference. So thank
you so much Runcha, and shout out to UH to
Stan White, thank you. You can listen to all of
today's interviews by going to our station website and typing
(29:22):
in keyword community. You can also listen on the iHeartRadio
app yey Words Philadelphia Community podcast. Follow me on Twitter
and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm Lorraine Ballard MOREL and
I stand for service to our community and media that empowers.
What will you stand for? You've been listening to Insight
and thank you
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Betrayal Season 5
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.