Southwire, North America's largest manufacturer of building wire and cable, is one of those pioneering employers. In 2007, the company joined forces with the local school system in Carrollton, Georgia, to establish a program designed to address the high number of students failing to graduate from high school. The "12 for Life" program developed by Southwire gives students who are in danger of dropping out an opportunity to earn both a paycheck and a diploma, showing them that they don't need to compromise their futures in order to sustain themselves in the present. Credits: Recorded by StoryCorps Produced by Eve Claxton & Xandra Clark Photography by Sarah Shatz Music “Flitter Key Backwards Beat” and “Chipper Dan” by Podington Bear

"My daughter has something to look up to"
Produced for StoryCorps / The Rockefeller Foundation

(Read the accompanying article)

Southwire, North America's largest manufacturer of building wire and cable, established a program to address the high number of students failing to graduate from high school in Carrollton, Georgia. The "12 for Life" program gives students who are in danger of dropping out an opportunity to earn both a paycheck and a diploma.

In this recording, Ashley Jordan and her supervisor Debbie Jordan (no relation) talk about how the “12 for Life” program helped Ashley get started on her career path. But first, Southwire President and CEO Stu Thorn talks about the program.

Alyssa Giacinto and her mother Denise talk about their experiences during Hurricane Sandy while living in the East Village in 2012—and about how this inspired Alyssa to get involved with the Billion Oyster Project at her school. Credits: Recorded by StoryCorps Produced by Eve Claxton & Xandra Clark Photography by Sarah Shatz Music "By Grace" by Podington Bear

Dewetta Logan, owner of Smart Beginnings Early Learning Center found this out firsthand, after she got frustrated that she couldn’t retain talented staff members for her daycare serving families in the low-income neighborhood of West Philadelphia. In a conversation shared with the award-winning storytelling project StoryCorps, Dewetta spoke to employee Aigner Warring about the importance of staff paid leave—and how many of the families with children at her center don't always have the same advantage. Credits: Recorded by StoryCorps Produced by Eve Claxton and Xandra Clark Photography by Sarah Shatz Music "Light Touch" by Podington Bear


"A more resilient New York: one oyster at a time"
Produced for StoryCorps / The Rockefeller Foundation

(Read the accompanying article, and a blog post from StoryCorps)

Alyssa Giacinto and her mother Denise talk about their experiences during Hurricane Sandy while living in the East Village in New York City in 2012—and about how this inspired Alyssa to get involved with the Billion Oyster Project at her high school, The Harbor School.

 

 

 

 

"Your worth is like gold to me"
Produced for StoryCorps / The Rockefeller Foundation

(Read the accompanying article)

Dewetta Logan, owner of Smart Beginnings Early Learning Center, provides daycare for families in the low-income neighborhood of West Philadelphia and is committed to providing paid leave for her employees.

In this recording, Dewetta speaks to her employee Aigner Warring about the importance of staff paid leave—and how many of the families with children at her center don't always have the same advantage.

 

Joined by his girlfriend, Michelle Brown, Isaac shared his story with the award-winning national storytelling project StoryCorps—via a Rockefeller Foundation grant—about how limited access to clean water affected his life growing up, and how he’s now working to improve water quality for others in the community. Credits: Recorded by StoryCorps Produced by Eve Claxton & Xandra Clark Photography by Sarah Shatz Music "Dust in the Sunlight" by Podington Bear



"Clean water and resilience in El Paso"
Produced for StoryCorps / The Rockefeller Foundation

(Read the accompanying article)

Isaac Campos is a civil engineering PhD student at the University of Texas at El Paso. Since 2012, Isaac has been involved in a program to bring clean water to the colonias, small low-income settlements along the border with Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

In this recording, Isaac speaks with his girlfriend Michelle Brown about how limited access to clean water affected his life growing up, and how he’s now working to improve water quality for others in the community.