Your Community Matters Podcast

About Your Community Matters Podcast

Your Community Matters looks at macro concerns through a micro lens: the Northwest Ohio region, and people who are working to make their community better. Their stories are local, but their concerns are common to people across the country. This podcast features uncut versions of the 27-minute weekly radio show that airs Tuesdays at 8 PM on Toledo’s public access radio channel, WAKT 106.1 FM. The radio station is itself a project undertaken by area citizens to make our community better, and can be accessed globally via livestream at toledoradio.com. yourcommunitymatters.substack.com (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Paula Ashley

Category

business · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Feb 2025

Latest episode

27 Jul 2025

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Jul 2025

   What does it mean to be a "strong town"?

   Maumee City Manager Patrick Burtch discusses the concept of a "strong town," infrastructure challenges, and Maumee's traffic-flow makeovers in this interview with the Your Community Matters podcast, revealing the difficulties in creating visionary public spaces.

2. 

   2 Jul 2025

   One hundred and sixty-five years

   Genacross Lutheran Services CEO Rick Marshall discusses the organization's 165-year history of providing essential services and how they manage growth while sustaining quality care despite Medicaid shortfalls in this interview.

3. 

   30 Jun 2025

   Is there anything more delicious than a fresh start?

   Saundra Irvine discusses her Inspiration Kitchen workforce development program, which provides culinary education and life transformation to individuals facing obstacles to career success in this interview.

4. 

   25 Jun 2025

   Can we live without clean water?

   Host discusses with Jesse Stock, Executive Director of Partners for Clean Streams, the critical work of citizen volunteers in cleaning waterways and testing water quality to combat threats like toxic algae and plastic pollution in the region in this interview.

5. 

   5 Jun 2025

   Come for the homes, stay for the fun

   Michael Walker and Chuck Madrigal discuss the Old West End Festival's historic home tour and the dedicated community preserving Victorian and Craftsman homes, highlighting the joy and challenges of restoring architectural treasures in an interview.

6. 

   11 Apr 2025

   Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Libbey

   I had a chance encounter at a downtown Toledo brew pub with the guests on this edition of Your Community Matters, Sue Terrill and Tonda Koszycki. Instantly, we discovered we had something in common: we were all fan girls of Edward Drummond Libbey and his wife, Florence. What’s more, I learned that Sue and Tonda were involved with multiple events honoring the two during Toledo’s 419 Week celebrations, April 13-19, which coincidentally happen to include Mr. Libbey’s birthday on April 17 — so it seemed natural to invite them to share their favorite Libbey family stories on this podcast. Here are the two of them, photographed as we wrapped up a lively discussion about why these two people still mean so much to the people of Toledo 100 years after Mr. Libbey’s death. There are so many 419 Week events to include in the show notes this week that I will refrain from my usual commentary and simply say that if Jessup Scott hadn’t persuaded Edward Libbey to move his glass manufacturing enterprise to Toledo, it is doubtful the city would ever have been known as the Glass Capitol of the World. Today, the glass industry is no longer central to the economics of the region — but the Libbey legend lives on in the many lives they still touch today through their groundbreaking contributions to the city. Your Community Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. —————————————— 419 Week Events 419 Week is Toledo Week! Full of fun and diverse events brought to you by local organizations and small businesses to celebrate Toledo and its history. Edward Drummond Libbey’s Birthday Celebration & Crystal Awards (http://libbeyhouse.org/event/mr-libbeys-birthday-celebration/) Libbey House Foundation FREE Open House Sunday, April 13 11 AM - 3 PM 2008 Scottwood Avenue Celebrate the late Edward Drummond Libbey’s birthday with a FREE open house tour of all three floors of the historic Old West End mansion, and announcement of this year’s Edward Drummond Libbey Crystal Award recipients. Birthday cake and punch will be provided by the Libbey House Foundation. Holy Toledo Polka Days (https://holytoledopolkadays.com/) April 10-13 Holiday Inn & Suites (and other locations) 27355 Carronade Drive This Polka Festival will feature the some of the top polka bands in the industry. Earnest Talk & Libbey Trivia Tuesday, April 15 5-9 PM Earnest Brew Works Downtown (https://www.earnestbrewworks.com/) 25 S. St. Clair Street This edition of the Earnest Talks features a lively presentation from Sue Terrill and Tonda Koszycki about the Libbey's legacy in Toledo and Toledo Trivia with Jo Mo on the Mic. Doors open at 5:00 PM, Talk & Trivia begins at 6:00 PM Earnest Brew Works 419 Bike Ride Wednesday, April 16 6-9 pm Earnest Brew Works South Toledo (https://www.earnestbrewworks.com/) 4342 S. Detroit Avenue Bike from the brewery’s Detroit Avenue location to Side Cut Metro Park and back. Enjoy friends, hand-crafted Earnest brews, and the scheduled Big O’s Food Truck (https://www.facebook.com/p/Big-Os-Barbecue-100092464001660/). Florence Scott Libbey 419 Day 5K Early Packet Pickup Thursday, April 17 5-8 PM Just Toledo (https://justtoledo.net/) 909 Jefferson Avenue Stop by Just Toledo to register for the race or to pick up your race bib and shirt. Enjoy an artist reception for Jeff Schofield (6-8 PM) and browse Just Toledo. The Florence Scott Libbey 419 Day 5K and Ryders Free Kids Race (https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Toledo/FlorenceScottLibbey4195K) Saturday, April 19 8-11 AM Ottawa Park 2205 Kenwood Blvd Celebrate 419 history and the woman who helped make the Glass City great with a 5K through the beautiful grounds of Ottawa Park, the City of Toledo's first and largest park. “Mrs. Libbey” will be on hand to start the events and present you with a special 2025 finisher medal designed by Ryder, inspired by Toledo. Register now! (https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Toledo/FlorenceScottLibbey4195K) Ode to the Zip Code Saturday, April 19 2-4 PM Toledo School for the Arts Portal 1401 Adams St What does your ZIP Code say about you? Ode to the Zip Code celebrates the stories that shape our neighborhoods. Poetry contest winners will be announced! Downtown Toledo Best Bites on 419 Day — SOLD OUT Saturday, April 19 12- 4 PM Ticket holders will do a self-guided tour of 12+ different restaurants to savor amazing cuisine from the 419. Must be 21+ years of age to participate. 419 Day at Culture Clash & The Switchboard Saturday, April 19 912 Monroe Street Celebrate 419 Day at Toledo’s iconic Culture Clash & The Switchboard with multiple opportunities, and entertainers, including live music from Keepitcasual, The Essentials, and Live Roots. Shop records at Culture Clash, score local 419 art/clothing vendors, and savor delicious, authentic Döner Kebap from Naam Stop Kebap. 419 Day Toledo Night Market (https://toledonightmarket.com/events) Saturday, April 19 5-9 PM Glass City Center 401 Jefferson Avenue This year's Night Market offers FREE ADMISSION and a chance to enjoy all things 419, including more than 100 local artisans & sellers, live music, and a scavenger hunt. Thanks for reading Your Community Matters! This post is public so feel free to share it. Libbey photo credit: http://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/exhibits/oi/OIExhibit/ACityBuiltofGlass.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6863909 Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

7. 

   15 Mar 2025

   Harmony has more than one meaning

   When I tagged along with a friend to a Sweet Adelines event in Cleveland, I was completely captivated by the intensity of community spirit I found there. So, even though this was a women-only group (and thus only half of any community could participate in it), I thought it was still worth exploring in an interview for Your Community Matters. As it turned out, my conversation with the director of the Pride of Toledo Sweet Adelines Chorus, Dawn Seigneur (below), revealed aspects of this type of community singing that would be relevant to anyone. One of them was the concept of “woodshedding.” Dawn explained to me how the term is used with barbershop-style singing, the musical genre of all Sweet Adelines groups. Curious about its origins, I looked it up online (where else?) and discovered the term is also used by jazz musicians, but in a somewhat different way. Nevertheless, in both cases it represents the work musicians do in private, apart from an audience, to craft their own distinctive sound. This idea of woodshedding strikes me as fundamental to the camaraderie that was so salient among members of Sweet Adelines choruses. And conversely, perhaps the reason so many of us feel alienated and disconnected from those around us is because we aren’t “woodshedding” with anyone. Dawn and I also talked about how much we loved high school band — and it wasn’t just because we loved music. It was also because band members worked together on a common project that brought us joy. Doing our own woodshedding in the band room and practice field, week after week, we forged a musical unity that in turn gave us connection, confidence and a sense of personal worth. And, best of all: it was fun! There are many ways we could be woodshedding with others. In my own neighborhood, we have almost literal woodshedding happening with neighbors who have come together to restore an architecturally significant home. And here at YCM, we’ve already heard how one area artist helped reframe her community’s sense of pride through a shared creative project, and how classes developing hands-on skills can build commonality between participants. So if you love singing, can match a pitch, and have two X chromosomes, Sweet Adalines might be the right woodshedding opportunity for you: prideoftoledo.org (https://www.prideoftoledo.org/) facebook.com/PrideOfToledoChorus/ (http://www.facebook.com/PrideOfToledoChorus/) Your Community Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Oh, and if you are an XY, no worries — there are area groups that include men, too: barbershop.org (http://www.barbershop.org) facebook.com/barbershopharmonysociety (https://www.facebook.com/barbershopharmonysociety) Thanks for reading Your Community Matters! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

8. 

   6 Mar 2025

   What is a “good death”?

   “I want to go peacefully in my sleep” is the response most people will give when asked how they want to die. What makes this choice so popular (or so it appears to me) is that few among us want to deal with our mortality. And so, it may seem that if we go to bed one day and simply don’t wake up the next, we can sidestep the issue entirely. But according to Sara Chambers, a Hospice of Northwest Ohio nurse and end-of-life educator, it’s precisely the ability to consider our mortality — and plan for it — that allows us to have a truly good death. “Death is not a dirty word,” Sara likes to say — and she should know. In this conversation, Sara shares with us the pivotal experiences with death and dying that taught her this lesson early in life. She talks about the history of the hospice movement and how it came to be an established standard of care. She also explains when to involve hospice after a terminal diagnosis (spoiler alert: most people do so far too late), and what to look for when choosing a hospice provider. But Sara’s role as a Hospice nurse educator — indeed, the heart of her mission — is to teach others how to have a “good death.” In our conversation, she describes important legal and interpersonal steps that will pave the way for an end-of-life experience that is not just peaceful, but meaningful as well. Sara also emphasizes how this planning should start in everyone’s early adult years. However, if you or someone close to you has yet to do this, Sara’s insights could be a game changer. Her advice could make the difference between experiencing life’s ultimate transition in uncertainty and stress and an experience that will give both you and your loved ones the peace and comfort we all desire. Your Community Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Connect with Sara (https://www.hospicenwo.org/education/speaker-s-bureau/) to ask questions or schedule a presentation sponsored by Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Access a calendar of scheduled programs (https://www.hospicenwo.org/index.php?submenu=CalendarView&src=events&srctype=glance) presented by Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Thank you for reading or listening to Your Community Matters! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

9. 

   2 Mar 2025

   The Blessing of Noblesse Oblige

   When I sat down for my conversation with Heather Gallant, Executive Director of the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg, Ohio, I knew it was going to be a lively one. Heather is a dynamic person with a great sense of humor. She leads a remarkable institution, and as you can see, we had a very good time speaking with each other: But one of the most interesting things about the conversation for me was how it felt at times as though there was another person in the room with us. That’s how strongly the presence of Virginia Secor Stranahan is felt at the 577 Foundation, an institution she created by transforming her family home into a gift for the people of Northwest Ohio. Virginia was an exceptionally well-born young woman who was raised with a sense of duty to those who did not share her unusual good fortune. She married into the entrepreneurial Stranahan family, legendary in Toledo as founders and leaders in the Champion Spark Plug Company. For decades, the Stranahans have funded cultural and humanitarian programs in the area, and their family estates have become public places enjoyed by thousands of people each year. But there is something unique and rare about the 577 Foundation — and that something is the vision Virginia had for it. Unlike the vast grounds of the Stranahan estate at Toledo’s western edge, 577 (the family’s name for their home, derived from its street address) was a comparatively modest former farm along the Maumee River. The larger Stranahan estate was unoccupied for years and narrowly escaped being turned into a luxury subdivision, becoming one of the area’s most popular Metroparks thanks to a citizen-led campaign. In contrast, the 577 Foundation was entirely the brainchild of its former resident and her intentional, collaborative engagement with her neighboring community. Virginia, a passionate environmentalist who was dedicated to education, firmly resolved to keep these concerns central to the mission of 577 — but she was equally committed to soliciting community input on the features and services they offer, an approach that continues today. The result is a place that is neither park nor sanctuary, neither school nor garden, nor artists’ colony nor meeting space. Rather, it’s a little bit of each and — thanks to Virginia and the people who continue her mission — a whole lot more: it’s a place dedicated to restoring the humanity of each visitor. I hope this conversation with Heather will inspire you to make a visit and find out for yourself what a treasure “the 419” has in the 577. YIf you enjoy what you read or hear on my Substack, please consider supporting this effort by liking, sharing, or commenting and becoming a free or paid subscriber. It all helps! Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    19 Feb 2025

    There Might Be Someone Famous Right in Front of You

    Several years ago, I was standing in a long line at a crowded grocery store when the thought occurred to me: What if someone in this line is famous for something? By “famous,” I was thinking of what you might call “niche famous.” In other words, a person unlikely to appear on the cover of any magazines sold in that grocery but, nevertheless, distinguished as a leading light in some American subculture. Could a champion amateur bowler, or a gamer with a massive following on Twitch, or Ohio’s Teacher of the Year be in line right next to me? If Del Ray Grace had been standing in that line, he would have been exactly the sort of person I was thinking of. It would not be an overstatement to describe Del Ray Grace as the Alan Lomax of gospel steel guitar music. Known among its devotees as “Sacred Steel,” it is a distinct art form within the African-American gospel tradition — and Grace believed it needed to be preserved as such. Beginning as a young man, he amassed over the next 40 years the world’s largest archive of recorded performances of and historical documents about Sacred Steel music. He recently established a brick-and-mortar museum for the collection in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio (and is already outgrowing his space!) — but that’s not all. He and his family members have staged annual events here that have made the city a major destination for the nation’s top Sacred Steel performers. And, in true evangelical spirit, Grace has a website and broadcasts on local cable to share the story of Sacred Steel and its music with all who want to experience this distinctive form of religious expression. You don’t have to be an ethnomusicologist to be fascinated by the story of Sacred Steel — or Grace’s personal story of testing and triumph as he worked to make his vision a reality. And, the music itself simply must be experienced. You’ll get a taste of both in this week’s podcast. If you like what you hear, you’ll want to visit sacredstrings.com (http://www.sacredstrings.com) for an encounter with Sacred Steel Hall of Fame members and to explore the deep variety within this uniquely American style of music. I should also note that the Sacred Steel Museum was supported in part by The Arts Commission (https://www.theartscommission.org), which was the first organization featured on Your Community Matters. Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    15 Feb 2025

    Many Hands Make an Artist's Success

    Your Community Matters began as a low-power FM radio show last June. The intention then was to also release it as a parallel podcast, so the audience could enjoy uncut conversations at a time convenient for them. However, as I had no experience in audio production before I started the radio show, it took some time to learn it well enough so that I could move on to podcasting. Now that the podcast has launched, I have several interviews that aired last year that I’ll be posting in between newer show content. I’m starting with today’s conversation with mosaic glass artist, Gail Christofferson, because Gail’s story is one that beautifully illustrates comments shared by our previous week’s guest, Mark Folk, about how funding for art is competitive, and that artists should not become discouraged when they don’t win hoped-for grants or awards. In fact, if Gail had lost hope because of obstacles like that, she’d never have gone from teaching craft classes in local retail outlets to creating major public art installations in locations across the United States. Her remarkable path included an inventive community engagement approach that helped her establish a reputation and win projects. But also importantly, it instilled participants in those projects with a sense of accomplishment and connection to their community’s public spaces. Gail’s success came after many years spent in other directions — but once she discovered the art form she loved, those experiences helped her leverage every aspect of her personality to achieve the success she has today. In large part, Gail’s patient pursuit of her vision inspired me to start my own project here and has sustained me when the effort was sometimes overwhelming. I hope it may offer you the same inspiration. Your Community Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

12. 

    9 Feb 2025

    A Creative Community is a Connected Community

    For 65 years, The Arts Commission has facilitated the acquisition and maintenance of public works of art in the City of Toledo, and funded both individual artists and arts organizations throughout northwest Ohio. Learn more at theartscommission.org (http://theartscommission.org). Royalty-free theme music featured on this podcast is entitled "Proud Legacy" by Acoustic Cafe (not to be confused with numerous playlists with that name on the web). You can hear their complete album, "Worldwide Harmonics" on Apple Music. Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe (https://yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Who has been a guest on Your Community Matters Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Patrick Burtch
• Rick Marshall
• Saundra Irvine
• Jesse Stock

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

18

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Your Community Matters Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.