Network Talks is a series of conversations with the wider Hope for New York community about topics that New Yorkers care about, and how our wider network can take steps to help.
We hope that this will be an opportunity for our network to consider and commit to praying, serving, and giving to neighbors in need.
(Spring 2025) Empowering Mothers and Strengthening Families
We're shined a light on the incredible ways our affiliates are supporting mothers navigating difficulties in life. Our guests heard powerful stories, gained insight into the challenges families face, and discovered how they could be part of the village that uplifts them.
Resources
- What's Next? Honor your mom and support a mom in need
Our Speakers
Chelsea Neal, Director of Personal Client Advocacy, Avail
Avail provides a safe, confidential space for women and men facing an unintended pregnancy or a past abortion so that every woman and man can make a confident decision and foster a future of hope.
Chelsea is the Director of Personal Client Advocacy at Avail. She holds an M.A. in marriage and family therapy and previously served as the Healthy Relationships Program Director and Client Advocate at Avail. Chelsea is the creator of Flourish, a curriculum designed to foster healthy relationships, reflecting her deep commitment to equipping individuals to build strong, fulfilling connections.
Emily Cowan, Associate Director, Safe Families for Children
Safe Families for Children mobilizes local volunteers to befriend families experiencing isolation and at risk of entering foster care.
Emily has been in various roles at Safe Families for Children. She began as an Intake and Family Coach Supervisor in 2016 to manage the initial assessment of hosting requests that place children in host homes and to manage volunteer Family Coaches. In 2020, she became a Family Support Team Supervisor to ensure the Family Care Team was well-supported, to oversee the recruiting, vetting, and training process of program staff, and to facilitate training and development opportunities for volunteers and staff. In 2024, she became the Associate Director.
Adriene Perry, Regional Coordinator, YoungLives NYC and LI
YoungLives introduces teen moms and young moms to Jesus Christ and helps them grow in their faith.
In 2016, Adriene started at Young Life Manhattan and watched the impact that mentors were having on young moms, regardless of their situation. Adriene’s sister was a teen mom and the two of them raised the child together in NYC. “I realized I wanted to dedicate my life to walking alongside teen moms and being that mentor I needed,” Adriene said. “I committed to being there for these moms through the good and the bad, modeling what their future can look like and God’s unconditional love for them.” In 2019, Adriene launched YoungLives Manhattan, and she is now the Regional Coordinator for the YoungLivesNYC and LI region, which includes active ministries in the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island, with plans to resume outreach in Queens and Brooklyn in 2025.
PAST EVENTS: Fall 2024 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2023
(Fall 2024) Bridging the Gap: Disparities in the NYC Education System
We focused on the state of education in our city and the inequalities so many children face, the unique ways our affiliates are stepping in to bridge the gaps, and the practical ways our wider network can help.
Resources
- Our Program: Listen to the full audio
- What's Next? Become a mentor or tutor
Our Speakers
Aswan Morris, Regional Director, Young Life
As the Regional Director of the Young Life Bronx and Manhattan Region, Aswan has been leading a team that cares about the city's young people for over seven years. He is a gifted communicator who has been a professional speaker for 15+ years at youth conferences in Australia, summer camps in Portugal, public high school graduations, and even chapel services with NFL teams like the New York Giants. He was even a professional basketball player! Aswan also helped plant Renaissance Church, alongside Jordan Rice in Harlem, where he preaches and serves as Connections Pastor.
David Beidel, President and Founder, Urban Hope
Pastor David is married to his high school sweetheart, Rebecca. Together they raised four beautiful children and planted a church in one of the most violent and under-served regions of NYC. After 30 years of ministry, they continue to lift up Jesus and represent His burning heart for the broken-hearted and oppressed. He is also the author of two books, co-producer of three worship albums, founder of Saturate NYC, creator of the SaturateNYC.app, and co-founder of Jesus Week, His prayer is that he would live up to his namesake and be known as "a man after God's own heart."
Jeremy Del Rio, Esq., Co-Founder and Executive Director, Thrive Collective
Jeremy is the co-founder and leader of Thrive Collective (formerly 20/20 Vision for Schools, Inc.), a nonprofit that creates hope and opportunity through arts and mentoring in and around public schools. He also teaches youth and community development at Alliance and Fuller seminaries, and he connects, trains, and mentors youth workers nationally. In addition, he has consulted businesses and nonprofits on leadership and strategy since 2000, and he co-founded/directed Generation Xcel, a holistic youth center in Manhattan for 10 years. Jeremy was the founding youth pastor at Abounding Grace Ministries (1994-2004), and also worked as a corporate attorney at Dewey Ballantine in New York before resigning after 9/11 to lead relief work at Ground Zero. He has contributed to six books, including Deep Justice in a Broken World and The Justice Project.
(Spring 2024) Understanding Food Insecurity in Our City
We provided our network with a better understanding of the effects of food insecurity and how it has impacted the work of our affiliates.
Resources
- Our Program - Watch the different parts of our program
- Video: Welcome to Network Talks - Elise Chong, CEO, Hope for New York
- Video: Overview of Food Insecurity - Joel Berg, CEO, Hunger Free America
- Video: Biblical Call to Care - Karl Chan, The Bowery Mission
- Video: Conversation About Food Insecurity - featuring The Bowery Mission, The Father's Heart, 9 Million Reasons, Next Step Community Church, and City Relief.
- Video: How to Pray, Serve, and Give - Mary Beth, Senior Manager of Volunteer Mobilization, Hope for New York
- What's Next? - Find ways to pray, serve, and give
- Our pocked-sized Resource Card - Print and give out this list places to get food
Our Speakers
Joel Berg, CEO, Hunger Free America
Joel Berg is a nationally recognized leader and media spokesman in the fields of domestic hunger, food security, obesity, poverty, food-related economic development, national service, and volunteerism. He is also the author of All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? and America We Need to Talk: a Self Help Book for the Nation. Since joining Hunger Free America (formerly known as New York City Coalition Against Hunger) in 2001, Joel has grown the nonprofit into a multi-million-dollar, respected national champion for Americans struggling to obtain nutritious food. Prior to joining Hunger Free America, Joel served for eight years in the Clinton Administration in senior executive service positions at USDA. Other distinguished accolades include being the past winner of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s Honor Award for Superior Service (one of the department’s highest honors) and Congressional Hunger Center’s Mickey Leland National Hunger Fighter Award. His personal philosophy in advocating for change is, “Ending hunger lifts us all.” Read the full bio and more about Hunger Free America.
Karl Chan, Director of Partnerships, The Bowery Mission
Karl Chan joined The Bowery Mission in 2019 as the Associate Director of Partnerships and became Director of Partnerships in 2021. Prior to The Bowery Mission, Karl worked at Compassion Australia in three different roles, including Strategy and Innovation Manager. The Bowery Mission’s recognizable red doors have been a stalwart in New York City for over 150 years, once serving an area known as "skid row." Today, The Bowery Mission continues to serve the wider city community with a variety of programs, including daily meals three times a day. Read more about The Bowery Mission.
Marian Hutchins, Executive Director, The Father’s Heart Ministries
Marian Hutchins has served as Executive Director of The Father’s Heart Ministries for over four years. Prior to her current role, she served as their Director, Community Resources and Development. The Father’s Heart Ministries started as a church before developing a non-profit outreach in 1997. For over 25 years, The Father’s Heart Ministries has been providing the East Village community with a variety of services and resources, including a Hunger Prevention Program on specific Saturdays that provides food, groceries, and a hot breakfast. Read more about The Father’s Heart Ministries.
Carolyn Marko, Executive Director, 9 Million Reasons
Carolyn Marko is the co-founder of 9 Million Reasons, the outreach arm of Evangel Church, and its current Executive Director. Founded in 2016, 9 Million Reasons aims to give back to the 9 million people living in New York City. The organization has been serving the wider Long Island City community through a variety of services, including ESL and immigration support, with a stronger focus on their food distribution program since 2020. Currently, 9 Million Reasons is our city’s largest, donation-based community food pantry. Read more about 9 Million Reasons.
Zac Martin
Pastor of Justice and Mercy, Next Step Community Church
Director of Outreach, City Relief
Zac Martin currently serves dual roles: Pastor of Justice and Mercy at Next Step Community Church (formerly Recovery House of Worship) and Director of Outreach at City Relief. For over four years, Zac has overseen the social outreach programs for Next Step, which serves the wider downtown Brooklyn community with breakfast served three times a week and the food pantry open on Saturdays. Read more about Next Step Community Church. He recently started a new role, Director of Outreach, at City Relief, a mobile outreach that provides hot soup and bread, hygiene kits, social services, and more to unhoused neighbors at various locations around the city. Read more about City Relief.
(Fall 2023) Homelessness and the Migrant Crisis in NYC
We provided our network with a better understanding of the complexity of the migrant crisis and the connection to homelessness.
Resources
- Main Program - Watch our main program, featuring a conversation with City Relief
- Breakout Sessions - Watch or listen to audio clips of our sessions
- Video: Building community with unhoused neighbors (panel)
- Audio: How The Bowery Mission helps homeless neighbors
- Audio: How The Salvation Army helps homeless neighbors
- Audio: Health concerns and the Migrant Crisis (panel)
Our Speakers
Host: Rev. David Lee, Assistant Pastor, Redeemer Downtown
Keynote Speaker: Josiah Haken | Chief Executive Officer, City Relief
Breakout Sessions
Each attendee chooses (2) to attend
How The Bowery Mission helps homeless neighbors
Speaker: Karl Chan, Director of Partnerships, The Bowery Mission
How The Salvation Army helps homeless neighbors
Speaker: Zack Hodgson, Emergency Services Director, The Salvation Army
Health concerns and the Migrant Crisis (panel)
Speakers: Dr. David Kim, James Leonard, Beacon Christian Community Health Center
Building community with unhoused neighbors (panel)
Moderator: Freeman Field, Senior Director, Programs, Hope for New York
Speakers: Kareem Goubran, Graffiti | Jasmine Francis, Safe Families for Children
Past Network Talks
Audio and video from past workshops on topics tied to New York City.
Housing & Inequality in NYC - Get insights into how housing inequality affects our city's communities. Affiliates featured: Habitat for Humanity, New York City Relief, Open Hands Legal Services.
Disability: From Exclusion to Belonging - Understand the social exclusion that many people with disabilities in our city face, to cultivate communities of belonging. Affiliates featured: Do for One, Center for All Abilities, Young Life Capernaum.
Caring for the Homeless in Our City - Be more knowledgeable about the epidemic of homelessness in New York City. Affiliates featured: New York City Relief, The Bowery Mission, the Rescue Alliance.
Seeing our Immigrant Neighbors - Explore a biblical foundation and perspective for engaging immigrants facing challenges in our city. Affiliates featured: Brooklyn Arab American Friendship Center, Operation Exodus Inner City, Chinese Christian Herald Crusades, Restore NYC.
Understanding Sex Trafficking - Learn how sex trafficking affects our city and how Christians can respond to help. Affiliate featured: Restore NYC.