How do we inspire resiliency and hope in the kids who need them the most? First Lady of Massachusetts Lauren Baker and Boston restaurateur Chris Himmel (Grill 23, Post 390, Harvest, Bistro du Midi) join host Billy Shore for a heartfelt conversation about how creating positive experiences can have a profound impact on underprivileged kids. Baker discusses her work for the Wonderfund, which partners with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to provide comfort and dignity to children. These comforts can be as simple as buying a young boy in foster care a baseball glove. “He was able to play little league, engage with his friends, and be part of his community. That’s a moment that really matters for a child,” she explains. Himmel is very intentional about finding causes that he and his restaurants can support that have a direct impact on kids. “If you really care, you can find a way to make a difference. What we get is so much more because our team sees first-hand the difference they can make,” he says of the hands-on programs his restaurants support, including exposing hundreds of kids to farms with Green Growers and the Boys & Girls Club.
First Lady Baker feels that all children deserve support. “No child is responsible for trauma that happens. Kids are dependent on the adults in their lives for survival and when the adults aren’t able for whatever reason to provide for them, the child is the one who suffers,” she says. Himmel feels that immigrants are another vulnerable group who deserve support. “From my standpoint, we couldn’t operate without people who were able to immigrate into our country. If there is additional red tape that prevents additional people from being able to come to our country and make a life for themselves, it’s not just hurting them, it’s hurting our industry and subsequently a lot of other industries,” he believes.
Listen to these two committed children’s advocates discuss their motivations and the impact that simple acts can have on a child’s life.
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