Igniting the Fire of Creative Service
October 1, 2011
Hosted by Marianna Cacciatore
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Join your host Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews revolutionary Austin artist, Jean-Pierre Verdijo. Jean-Pierre leads the Young Artists in Service Project at the Amala Foundation in Austin, TX. His team of teen artists teaches art to vulnerable children and they create murals of hope for homeless shelters and other “under-arted” spaces. As a child, Jean-Pierre and his mother navigated a life of homelessness. He often found himself sitting in dismal human services buildings that lacked art and expression. Art became his refuge, and today he uses art to inspire creativity and hope in Austin’s underserved communities and the teen artists he mentors. Jean-Pierre says, “I am inspired by love. For 12 years, I have explored the effects of love over fear. That curiosity has taken me as far away as India and as close as observing my own breath. In art therapy, I found my personal healing and an ability to help young people.” Let his story ignite the spirit of creative service in you.
Bread for the Journey Radio
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
Today’s news is filled with stories that break our hearts. On Bread for the Journey Radio, you’ll hear stories that help mend it back together. Join Marianna Cacciatore as she interviews ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things, often small and always meaningful, to make our world a better place. Some, like Marianna, have suffered a tragedy, and, as a result, have created something beautiful to bring others healing. Others are helping women in crisis, making life better for children living in poverty, greening their neighborhood, or any number of creative things that make their community more beautiful, healthy, and connected. These women, men and young people inspire us to think about our own lives, and what we can do to make a difference in the world. Their stories become Bread for our Journey, inspiration and nourishment for a life well lived.
Marianna Cacciatore
Most would agree Marianna Cacciatore’s life has been one well-lived. Through her work over 25 years with people who are working to bring about a better world, she has a unique vantage point from which to tell the stories we don’t generally hear in the media today. Marianna possesses the rare gift of presence, a deep listening which evokes in people the desire to tell their story.
Having suffered a childhood tragedy that spiraled downward into her teens and young adult years, she eventually turned things around and created a grief center that has brought healing to thousands of people. She recounts the full story in her book, Being There for Someone in Grief. Today, she serves as a Lifetime Emeritus Board Member of Tu Nidito in Tucson, Arizona, the parent agency for the organization she founded in 1988 called Children to Children, a Center for Children and Families in Grief.
Everyday Marianna meets ordinary people doing extraordinary things through her work as Executive Director of Bread for the Journey, a philanthropic organization with 20 locations nationally. Each volunteer-run chapter practices neighborhood philanthropy in their respective communities, helping everyday people bring their community-minded ideas to life. The Bread for the Journey vision is to nurture the seed of generosity in every human heart and Marianna’s life is a living expression of just that. Join her as she ignites the heart of generosity in you.
