Randy Dearth: Chemicals Industry Executive Providing Extensive Support to Non-Profit Organizations Enhancing the Lives of People with Disabilities

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host, Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guests, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show. I'm Joyce Bender on Disability Matters with Voice America. I want to thank you. I know I thank you every show, but again, I see someone the other day that wanted me to know they listened to the show. This always warms my heart, always, when someone tells me about that. Or someone says, oh, I listen to your show all the time. Oh, I'm through the roof when they tell me that. But I want to thank all of you. For being such great listeners, and not just in Americas, but around the world. For example, yes, here it comes, Singapore. You are still number 2 most listeners right behind the United States. That is amazing. So Singapore, I love all of you. Whoever's listening, I love you all. Thank you. Thank you for your continued support. I do have to mention that one country with listeners is Nepal. So I just want to extend all of my heartfelt concern and sympathy. And you know what? I don't care if there's just one person listening in Nepal. That means so much to me. So thank you. No, I'm thinking about you especially. I hope you all know. Can you imagine what people with disabilities go through when there is a disaster? Well, I'll tell you, it's terrible. It's absolutely terrible. So if you are listening and you are in Nepal, Look out for your brothers and sisters with disabilities. And that's what reminds me so much of Yoshiko Dart. Yoshiko is the widower of the great late Justin Dart. She is the widow. And she is an absolute champion. We love her. We love Justin. Justin. Why do I do this every show? You know why. I have to make sure I keep our history alive. And as I'm speaking about him, do you know that we have a Disability Pride tree right here with a replica of Justin Dart's hat? Because I am going to keep His spirit alive. So thank you, Yoshiko and David Hallberg and Karen Hanlon. You are so awesome being these long-term supporters of this radio show as the lead sponsor, and I look forward to our show in January with the kickoff of the new CEO of Highmore. Get ready, get ready for that show. And with that, I just want to tell you how excited am I to have Randy Dirth on the show today. Now, because he is, I know what he's like. He's modest. He's humble. And yet, Mr. C-suite, when I met him, he had just become the CEO of Lanxess. Then he became the CEO of Calgon Carbon. Now, as I'm sure you know, these are multi-billion-dollar companies, global. Let me tell you, if you would meet him, no airs, none. I mean, I'm just blessed to know him. I am. He is such a wonderful man, uh, and so giving. And so, Randy, I know what you're saying. You're saying, Joyce, stop. I know you. But see, you can't stop me whenever we're on the air.

Yeah, no, it's always a pleasure being with you, Joyce. And again, thank you for your very kind comments.

True comments. Very true comments. Um, so Randy, you were something I won't ever be— the CEO of 2 gigantic corporations. I'm the CEO here, but not of multibillion-dollar corporation. And I have asked different CEOs this over the years. And that question is, what is it like to be the CEO of 2 gigantic corporations that you were before you retired at your young, very young age? What is it like? I mean, and did you ever in your Ever think, oh yeah, someday I'm going to be the CEO of this major corporation? What is it like?

Yeah, well, to answer that question, no. I mean, it was never on my radar. I just wanted to have a career, you know, challenge myself and do the best I could. You know, if that advanced me, great. But I just wanted to be happy and provide for my family and, and, you know, see my career develop. Never would I have said, you know, I'm going to be CEO of Lanxess or Calgon or even the company in Boston, GCP. But I look back and I think, well, what happened? And I think having some great mentors is a good thing to have. I had some really good people at Bayer and Lanxess that provided some great leadership advice. I think also hard work. You really have to show your superiors, show your shareholders, hey, I can create value here. I can I can move the needle, I can add something. And I think that always helps, and to be recognized for that is a great feeling. But, you know, people ask me, they said, so should I read a book or should I, you know, should I do something special? It's, I think, hard work. And I think being sometimes, you know, with the right people, surrounding yourself with the right people, you know, you see good things happen. And that's why, you know, I think when, you know, being part of the Bender leadership, You know, when I see kids, I get so excited. You see the potential and you see, you know, each and every one of them has the ability like I did to, to be a CEO. Um, you know, I grew up, you know, in northeastern Ohio, small town. My mom was a nurse. My dad worked at General Motors. Um, you know, great upbringing. And, uh, you know, never would I have envisioned, uh, where things ended.

Well, you were saying about someone asking you what book to read. That always amazes me when people will say to me, all right, how did you do it? How do you do this? And I'll say, do you have 40 years? Because like, this doesn't happen overnight. It's what you said. But in addition, there are some CEOs that have been very successful like you and highly thought of like you, but there are those that have not.

Right.

What, what, what do you think are some of the keys to being a successful CEO?

You know, that's a really good question. And I look back on my career, and I said a few minutes ago I had some excellent mentors. I think growing up, you know, I grew up at Bayer, you know, for 15 years, the first 15 years of my career. Um, and you observe, right? You observe good leaders. You know, why do people follow them? What characteristics do they exhibit? What things do they do? How do they treat their people? And you want to emulate that. And conversely, I've seen some really, really bad leaders that people just didn't respect and couldn't follow. And so you look at the things that they do and say, I don't want to do that. So I think when I look back at my career and see how, you know, I've tried to emulate those leadership skills that I felt were successful, I think, you know, having empathy for your employees, understanding your employees' concerns and where they're coming from, I think is a key issue. Obviously understanding what the goals are and making sure that everybody's on the same page and rowing going in the right direction, that I've communicated this is where we need to go as a team, guys. Let's all jump in and use our skills to, to get there. So I think that's part of, you know, when I look back on my career, that's helped me a lot. But, you know, the one thing that's interesting, I've been having this discussion a lot with former CEOs and current CEOs about this whole work at home. And, um, you know, a lot of people are like, I just want to work at home, I want to work at home. And I think back to what I just said a few minutes ago, in that, you know, to be a CEO and to or to want to be a CEO and to emulate. If you're working at home, you don't see other leaders, right? You don't have that ability to do so. And on the converse side, people don't see you and see your skills and your potential and your opportunities. It's hard to do that when you're not working every day in the office. So I wonder, you know, in the world we live in, how that's going to develop, because to me, I think it was absolutely critical in my career—

Mm-hmm.

To be a part of a team and to be able to, you know, like you said, see people, you know, and emulate my behavior to good people. And also for them to see the potential that they saw in me. So.

Well, you know, there are friends of mine in C-suite level roles that have told me that after, okay, the first year when we all had to be at home, everything very good. Profits, everything. You know, it was that initial excitement also of being able to work remote.

Right.

But then the next year, they started to see a little plummet in some areas in productivity.

Right.

And they are totally convinced about what you said, that when the person goes to work, They're engaging with other people, communicating with it, but seeing, seeing, oh, this is what happens. This is what it does. And, you know, sometimes you have to wonder about that. That's why I'm glad some companies, you know, are hybrid, like X amount of days at work. Because I was telling someone the other day, I said, you do know That, you know, in my world of finding employment for people with disabilities, Friday was like a perk. We do have Friday off. Do you know what I mean? They would say to me, hey, if they do a really great job, we're going to let them off on Friday. That was like a big deal.

Huge deal. Absolutely huge deal.

You know, that, that's why it's amazing to me that, you know, here I am, we work remotely, and you know what? They all come in.

Yeah.

You know, I mean, not everyone does, obviously. You know, we're remote, but I don't even say you have to be in these days. You have to— they just want to come in. But, um, I do think that, Randy, I think that that makes a difference. I don't know how else you would really get to see leaders and how they operate and You know, there's that old thing about the being at the, um, water, water cooler. Yeah, the water cooler. But now still, it's different. Now, if you're at company, at the company, and there aren't a lot of people there present, but you are, I'm going to tell you, you're going to be the one interfacing the most with leadership.

100%. Yeah. And again, you know, you asked the question, what do I think, you know, helped my career? And I don't know if I could have done it. Right, without having that ability to be in a corporate environment, how, you know, to see how it is I'm supposed to, you know, you know, be a part of this culture and contribute to this culture. And like you said, to be able to observe— observation is such an important thing. Um, so it'll be interesting to see. I do agree with you, hybrid could work, you know, where at least you have a couple days in the office. But, you know, I just get concerned with, you know, a full 5 days at home, um, you know, how you're gonna, you know, develop into that CEO. I just don't see it.

Yeah. When you go to Washington, D.C., everyone has suits on. Everyone.

Why?

Because they work on the Hill. You know, the majority of people that I'm seeing, and it is still suit and tie, you know, on the Hill. But one thing I think that did happen is people had to go shopping again when it became hybrid. And I, I think when you become too lackadaisical, I mean, it's going to impact your work.

I agree 100%.

Yeah. I just feel like that. So Randy, here you are retired at this extremely young age, yet you'll never be retired. You'll always be, uh, you know, an investor of something or other. That's just how you are. But I wanted to ask you, even retired, you continued working as a community leader. A lot of people don't do that. I mean, yes, they retire to golfing or, you know, going to their other place, but not community work the way you are.

Yeah.

Such as, I'm so proud that you're on the board of the Bender Leadership Academy. I consider that an honor. But why, Randy? Why do you, why do you do this?

It's actually, it's interesting now that I have more time and I can actually, you know, do more things with the nonprofits I'm involved with. It's, it's actually a fun feeling because there were times when I felt I couldn't devote as much time as I wanted to, to some of these nonprofits that are doing such great things. But why do I do it? I grew up, especially at the Bayer world, where the executives believe that our communities are stronger if we give back to the communities and we make our schools better and we make our— the services that are providing all kinds of services for homeless and feeding folks and everything, that strong communities are great for business. And I believe that. I still believe that. And so that's something that I learned and I carry with me. But, um, you know, it's also something growing up. I mean, again, I didn't grow up in a corporate environment, a corporate family. My dad, as I said, was a factory worker, but he was very active with the Boy Scouts and devoted a lot of time. Even when I was no longer involved or my brother was involved, he still was active. My mom was active. They were active in their church. Um, so I got to see, you know, that if you have things and you've had a, you know, a good life, then you, you know, you should give back and, and make the communities better in any possible way you can. And I'm fortunate now, again, having time and the resources. I want to make sure that our community stays strong and that we're able to serve a need and make people's lives better. Just is exactly what I want, where I want to be and what I want to do right now.

Yeah. Well, that just speaks of what a great person you are.

Yeah.

But with that, we're going to take a quick break and then we're going to be back with Randy. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters at voiceamerica.com. Don't go away. We'll be right back.

At Highmark Health, we believe what makes us unique makes us better. Our differences broaden our perspectives, and foster a variety of skills to complement each other, creating a stronger and more vibrant workforce. It's this belief that earned us recognition as the Best Place to Work for the 10th year for individuals with disabilities in a survey by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN. We'll continue to celebrate and benefit from the inclusion of all people. To find out more, visit HighmarkHealth.org.

Since 1985, Bender Consulting Services has served as a national leader in advancing employment of people with disabilities including veterans with disabilities, with private sector companies and federal government agencies. Bender assists customers with achieving their diversity and workforce inclusion initiatives by tapping into a talent pool of individuals seeking professional positions, including those in the STEM fields. In addition, Bender services include disability employment consulting, training, and technology accessibility through their HiTest line of service. For more information, For more information, please visit www.benderconsult.com.

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You're listening to Disability Matters. Now please welcome back the host of Disability Matters. Here's Joyce Bender.

So Randy, you alluded to how much you love young people, seeing them. Was that the main incentive to you to join the Bender Leadership Academy, and/or was it also tied into the fact they have disabilities?

Yeah, I think it's a little bit of both. And, you know, Joyce, I, you know, going back to when I was active and as being a CEO here locally, workforce development was always something I was passionate about. And we still, even, I don't know how many years after I first got involved, maybe 10 years, you know, we still have a void here with our workforce and we need good people out there in all different types of jobs from skilled trades to IT to office work, you name it. And this is, I think, one of the disadvantages of our region here. So if you can get to these kids early, My belief is, and get them excited about careers and what they want to do and what they're passionate about doing, the earlier the better. So I think that's part of my passion as well, is to see these kids young and to let them know, as I said, you know, previously, you can be anything you want to be. I mean, again, I never set out to be a CEO. You work hard and you have good mentors and good things happen. So if I can share that message with kids, I love it.

So, well, so you, so you all know, uh, because you should follow Randy Dirth, uh, and, and if you need a speaker at a national conference that relates to anything we've talked about, but I'm going to talk about a minute about the Disability, uh, Bender Leadership Academy part. Randy hosted us at Lanxess. Then he hosted us at Calgon Carbon. And as you can see, he's still committed. Here we are. You know, he went from doing all that great work to being on the board of the Bender Leadership Academy. But, you know, high school students with disabilities, I mean, you know, Everyone's looking for work, but we all know the unemployment rate is very high for people with disabilities, period. High school students with disabilities are almost just not even seen. And so for them to have someone that believes in them like a Randy changes lives. It really does. And Randy, you know, when you were at Lanxess and Calgon Carbon, how much those students loved going there.

Yeah, it was a great day. It was a day we all look forward to because of the excitement. And, and again, to have that youth, you know, there when we would do the graduation ceremonies, I mean, it was really rejuvenating. And, and to the point that I made, you know, a few seconds ago, you know, this is our future workforce, and anything we can do to help them and guide them and, and give them a perspective as to, you know, what they, you know, might be interested in and how we can help them. That's great.

Yeah, I have to give a special shout out there to, uh, Steve Nolder and Kaylee. Oh my God, is he great. He has just been so supportive. Yeah, you know, from then until now. And I know he worked with you for a long time, didn't he?

He worked with me— well, we worked together at Bayer, and then we were at Lanxess together. He was my head of HR He was a supply chain guy and we converted him to HR because that was where his passion was. And then when I went to Calgon, he came along, but he's one of the best. He's very passionate and I'm happy to hear he's still doing it.

Yeah, he is one of the best. And, you know, going back to what you were saying before, there's another example of someone that came from Bayer. I was thinking when you were talking, people that worked at one time for DuPont, Same thing. You know, there are certain companies that have that culture. I'm talking about Bayer that have that culture. Like, I miss seeing Bayer up on our lights on Mount Washington.

Yeah.

Yeah. We're all located here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And of course, Bayer is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany. But up on Mount Washington, which if you were going across one of the 400 bridges in Pittsburgh and you looked up on the hill, they would have this sign lit up at night. And what did it say? Bear with an aspirin symbol there.

Yeah.

Bear always was community-oriented all the way back to the days of Um, Mobay, and then what was it after that? Miles or something?

It was early Miles, and then Bayer bought the name back, I think, in the mid-'90s here in the States, and so it became Bayer. But, you know, I think these large companies— and, and it's unfortunate because they don't exist in the same form today because they've been split up into many different parts and pieces— but when Bayer existed, I mean, the culture was so strong to community giving, unbelievably strong. And to me, that's— every company does that, right? And it wasn't until I left Bayer that it's like, wow, what a unique culture that they had.

Oh, yes, because it goes with the people, just like DuPont. People that left there because they were very social conscious about everything the way Bayer is. I still remember, oh my God, the United Way at Bayer. Was gigantic.

Huge.

Huge.

Yeah.

And they used to have the haunted house. Remember that? Yeah.

Don't get off the trail. I remember taking my 2 boys.

Yeah, I was that bad, but always. And then you, Heart Ball, Heart Association, uh, you headed that up and see what I'm meaning? You took that right with you. If you're listening right now, you know, and you're in leadership, I'm telling you, if you really want to make a difference, a great leader serves. And that whole culture that I just talked about is so awesome because it stays. It stays with people. So Randy, you are, as a matter of fact, hosting a fundraiser at your house September 23rd.

Sure.

And here, Here he is. You've heard his background. Now he's opening up his home to raise money for these high school and middle school level students with disabilities. I mean, how awesome you are, all the way to your home. I mean, how many people would do that? This just says so much about you. But Randy, what message do you have for our listeners? About the importance of making a donation that night or attending? What, what message do you have?

Yeah, well, again, it's, it's a great opportunity to, to hear the message, hear from some board members, hear from some of the students that have benefited from the Leadership— or Bender Leadership Academy. Um, you know, every little bit helps, right? When we look at, you know, the number of students that we want to even reach that we haven't been able And the schools we haven't reached. There's still so much work to do. And, you know, $5, $10, $50 makes such a huge difference. So, so we're looking at this not only to get our message out there, but, but also to get some funding to help us reach more kids and do more of our mission.

And actually, Scott Hammerstrom, who's leading the way at the Bender Leadership Academy, is with us. Scott, with your Bender Leadership Academy shirt.

I do have it on.

Representing. I see that. Um, I have a— well, Scott, welcome. Thank you. I know you equally are so appreciative of what, uh, Randy is doing for us. Let's see. Uh, DDHP, Dynamic Dirt House Party. That's what we're gonna have to have.

Oh, I like that.

We're gonna have our shirts.

There you go. Yeah, we'll get shirts made.

That's it. Okay, so here's what my question is. What if someone's listening right now and they're saying, wow, that would be great, but can't go, I don't live in Pittsburgh. Can they still make a donation and somehow signify, you know, that it is for the DDHP? Dynamic therapy.

Absolutely, Joyce. So anybody who's not able to, not able to make it but still want to donate, they can go to our website, which is benderleadership.org. And if you go on that, on the website, on the right-hand side, there's a donate button right there. And tomorrow we'll have a thing set up for Choose Joy Give Back fundraiser, or you could just do a general designation. And if I know it's coming from today, we know it's from this and And all that money is going to go back to the students. And we're getting ready for a brand new school year.

Yes, it's so exciting. And you know why it's called Choose Joy, Give Back? Mary Rocker, who I talk about frequently, who we lost— can't believe it was 5 years ago, but it was. Seems like yesterday. Really had a passion for the Bender Leadership Academy. As a matter of fact, it's Mary that told me we've got to, we've got to go separate. We need a 501. This is getting too big. So here we are. That's what we did. But Mary lived with depression for 40 years. So her big thing was helping high school students with mental health disabilities. And her big saying was choose joy. That was her big thing. Choose joy no matter what you do. That's why it has that name. There it goes. Yes, we have that band that says choose joy. But Scott, how do they do that? Tell them again how they make a contribution.

So they can go to our website, which is benderleadership.org. Go to the donate page and you can make a donation there. And Randy said it doesn't matter the contribution. It could be $5, $10, $25, does not matter. But like I said, this is all about the students. So if you donate $50, that helps provide a Dress to Impress gift card. So a lot of our students come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They may not have the resources to go out and buy nice clothes for an interview. So we're giving them that opportunity with a $50 gift card. And some of the teachers, they'll take the students directly themselves over to like a Marshalls or Target or wherever to buy clothes for the students, which is absolutely awesome. Awesome. And then $100 gets everybody a lead-on bag, and it's basically supplies, pens, pencils, tablets. We give them a a book called What Color Is Your Parachute? And every student will get one of those as well for a $100 contribution that provides a bag for one of our students. $500 will help with pay for certification so students can get a certification in customer service or computer basics. And $1,000 provides a Linda Dickerson scholarship. So, like I said, it doesn't matter if it's $5, $10, $25. Or you could do a gift card or scholarship, whatever you can contribute. You know, it goes back to the students.

Thank you, Scott. Well, it's time for news on the half hour with Mathis on the mic. And there is our own wonderful Jennifer Mathis. How are you, Jennifer?

I'm, I'm good.

That's good. Do you have news?

I do. So yesterday, in the latest twist in the Texas versus Kennedy litigation, that is the case where Texas and originally 16 other states had brought a lawsuit that challenged Section 504, the HHS Section 504 regulation, That was a regulation that HHS updated after more than 40 years. It updated it in 2024, and it included many different provisions on many different types of disability discrimination, including the community integration provisions that implemented Olmstead. And so Last year, actually 2 years ago now, at the end of 2024, these states had filed a lawsuit challenging that regulation. And over time, they had focused that lawsuit very specifically on the Olmstead provisions in that rule that gave people— well, reflected— it wasn't that they gave it— it was a right that was already in the law, but the regulations reflected that people with disabilities had the right under ADA and under 504 to be served in what's called the most integrated setting appropriate, so in their own homes and communities. And so they brought this challenge. And because of the advocacy of the disability community, instead of 17 states In that lawsuit, we now have three because 14 states withdrew themselves from that lawsuit after the disability community asked them to. And so now you have Texas, Florida, and Alaska. Those are the three cases that are still in this litigation. So yesterday was the Justice Department's deadline for filing. It's brief in the latest round of this litigation where the 3 states that were left were saying that essentially this regulation, all of the regulations should be invalidated, and particularly the Olmstead provisions. And so, as you know, and as the listeners may know from listening to prior episodes, The Justice Department now has a new interpretation of Olmstead after many, many, many years of being the lead enforcer of Olmstead. The Justice Department has reversed itself and despite 50 years of law has now turned around and said there is no integration mandate. States and local governments don't have to provide services in the most integrated setting appropriate. They don't have to provide services to people with disabilities in their own homes and communities. So now in this lawsuit, you have basically the parties all on the same side. So what the Justice Department filed yesterday was something saying, we are resolving this case. And so we are asking the court jointly with the states to enter an order that vacates the Olmstead provisions in HHS's regulation. So the Olmstead section and a few other references to the most integrated setting requirement. So this is not good. This is shameful that the federal government is doing this, that it has abandoned its commitment to community integration, that it has abandoned its role of enforcing the integration mandate But presuming the court enters this order and it vacates those regulations, it doesn't change the law. The law under the ADA and 504 is still what it is. And so even if the regulations are gone, that doesn't change the underlying law. The underlying law is the same. There's many, many cases over the last 30 years since the Supreme Court decided Olmstead, not quite 30 years, 27 years, but since the Supreme Court decided Olmstead, there's many, many cases, and that is what creates the law. Regulations do not have the same kind of deference that they used to have. The Supreme Court has made that clear, that they no longer rely on and defer to administrative agencies to interpret what the law means. It's Congress that makes the laws. Courts interpret the laws. And so even if these regulations are not on the books at this point, if the court does this, the law, the case law remains the same. And so, you know, it's important to understand that Olmstead applied the statute itself, the ADA. And it said, this is what discrimination means. Discrimination includes unnecessarily institutionalizing people with disabilities. So this is a reflection of where the federal government is. It is not good. It is shameful. It is alarming to the disability community. Does not change the law.

It is shameful. And see, what you all have to realize is that when something like that happens, what it says to people, people with disabilities are not important.

Yes.

Or people with disabilities should not be seen. So that is also why it's terrible. But Jennifer, keep on this. We will look forward to hearing The next part, which, however bizarre that is, next week.

Indeed. And the disability community just needs to keep fighting.

Well, oh wait, what should they be doing?

Well, on this, I think on this they should be doing what they have been doing, which is going to their states, going to the governors, going to the attorney general, asking them to sign that commitment It is on the Bazelon Center's website. It's on DREDF's website. It's on AAPD's website, that commitment by states and attorneys general that they will not join in these attacks, that they will not go to court and raise these arguments that the federal government is raising. That is important because—

All right. Now, you know, Jennifer's had a lot of power here on this show making things happen. So you've got to do that. You've got to go out to your senators, congressmen, states, the states, everything, and express your anger about this. This is a time for good trouble. So make sure you get out on this. We'll look forward to seeing the impact you can have. All right. Thanks, Jennifer.

Thank you.

All right. Bye-bye.

Bye.

We are so lucky to have her. She's the Deputy Director at Bazelon, but was with the Department of Justice under President Obama, and is the person you see in the New York Times and Washington Post when they have to talk to someone about something of this nature, especially if it has these type of ramifications or involves the mental health community. So Just love her. Love having her on here. Um, Scott, you said that every donation counts. So even if it is like, we'll say $20, they should still go to that same website, right?

Yeah, it does not matter if it's $5, $10, $20. They can just go to the same website, uh, benderleadership.org.

You can put any amount in there under the Okay, and I have to tell you, we do not see your handsome face, Scott. The viewers around the world on YouTube do not see your handsome face.

Give me one second. I'm having some computer issues, but I should be able to fix that.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah. We're not gonna let you hide from us. Randy, in your life, obviously. people have impacted you to give back, or you wouldn't be this way. You mentioned a little bit above it, or about it earlier, but who are the people that have influenced you the most?

You know, I think my parents. Um, as I said to you before the break, um, you know, they were giving people, um, you know, to, like you said, various organizations, the church, and, and that started You know, if you have it, like you said, you should give back to the community. But I really think that my whole view of, hey, you can really make a difference. You can, you know, use again, you know, your resources and your talents and get out there. You know, when I was a Bear and I saw these, you know, really great Bear leaders, you know, giving up their time and their monies and everything, trying to make the communities better. That to me, you know, all of them, there were many, too many to name. I think they were collectively the group of individuals to say, this is what's making a difference and I want to be like them. And I want to— when I can get to that point, when I can give back, be part of boards, that's what I want to do. And that's what I've done. And I've been on multiple boards here in the Pittsburgh area. I've been on national boards, both industrial. I was on the American Chemistry Council board where I can help make a difference there. But on the nonprofits here in Pittsburgh, I've been involved with the United Way. I was on their board for many years. I've been involved with the Carnegie Museums, which is also great for kids and has a very family focus to it. I'm currently on the Warhol board, which I was many years ago, but I'm back. So, and then Bender Leadership and Tally. I can't forget Tally, the advanced leadership that our good friend Evan Fraser leads. Actually one of the charter members when Evan came up with that idea and how we go into the community and help, you know, the African American community, you know, how, you know, get them elevated into the C-suite positions that didn't seem like it was happening. And Evan has just done an outstanding job with that program.

Oh, first of all, I have been friends with Evan for an extremely long time. As a matter of fact, I was on the board at the Hill House.

Yeah, that's where I first met Evan. So yes.

Yeah. I love that. I love that board. I did. But anyway, then he—

I wanna say Joyce, Evan is also on the Bender Leadership Academy board with Randy.

So.

Yes. And now we have him on our board. Evan Frazier. Yeah. Oh, and I just love him and he's like a great board member. He really is. He's a great board member. But yeah. I've had him on the show several times, and I just think so highly of him. How about you, Scott? Who impacted you that caused you to be so giving? I mean, your background as far as not-for-profits, did you start with the Arthritis Foundation?

I started with Best Buddies Pennsylvania, started there, and then I moved over to The Arthritis Foundation. So, and just always loved giving back and helping the community. And I think that same thing came from my dad. He was just, loved everybody, treated everybody the same. If you were a janitor or CEO, he treated everybody the same. And I sort of have that, got that from him as well.

Yeah, I know. Isn't it amazing? Amazing. How much of an impact our family has on us. So everyone listening, did you hear that? You know, Marlo Thomas came and she spoke at Carlow University. I was there several years ago when she spoke. And, and of course, this was— she was speaking at that time. It was all women. Now they do have some men also. going there. They always say all women and a few good men. But what happened is Marlo said, remember, there's always a little girl watching you. And what she meant is you don't realize it, but whether you're, you know, parent or teacher, whatever it is, or a church, whatever it is, Mm-hmm. Children watch you. They do. They, and they, that it's sort of a socialization and learning process no one thinks of. But when they hear you saying terrible things, they hear you. If they hear you saying racist things, they embrace that. But if they hear you saying positive things and giving back, uh, and you know, we're all 3 an example of that. Look at the impact that it has. There's always a child watching. And so that is why, um, even in our academies, we all take that so seriously because we know they learn from us. And Scott, what are the students like from the first class to the last class?

Yeah, first class, they're always a little shy, a little timid, not knowing what to expect and not like really participating in volunteering, and their speeches are a little bit short. But by the graduation class, they're all raising their hands. They all want to speak. Their speeches get so much longer and better. You could just tell from class 1 to graduation, their confidence is just growing and growing and growing. And they just love the class and they love Joyce. And, and at the end, it's like getting pictures taken with the students and, and hugs. It's just, it's a great, great experience and watching those students grow.

And, you know, if you— every class, I require them to give a speech even before they meet me. The teachers have their homework. They have to give a 2-minute speech on what it means to be a good employee. And remember, we haven't even taught them yet. And when they take the class, everyone has to give a speech. No matter what, you have to get up there and give a speech if you want to be part of this class. And so sometimes the person goes up, oh my God, I just wrote about this. This one young woman in Delaware, Ruth. When she first went up to speak, her face was red, her neck was red, and she was playing with her hair. I mean, she was a nervous, as nervous as I've ever seen anyone. Well, then the next time we met, she went up to speak, and this time, I mean, she was still very nervous, but she was a little bit more. more relaxed. And I said, well, what happened to you? I see you've changed. What were you pretending before? Because now you did a good job. And by the third class, I'm saying, Ruth, you're gonna take my job. You're gonna be the teacher. And if I remember the first time I told her that, I looked out the window. We were in Delaware Computer Sciences Corporation. I looked out the window. There she is waiting for the bus with this big, huge smile on her face. And at the graduation, she said, Mrs. Bender, may I say something? I said, yes. She said, if anyone needs help or tutoring about speaking, you can come and see me. And that's what Scott means from the first class to the last class, giving a speech What does it take to show initiative? You know, how can you deal with being bullied? You know, all these type of topics. And it all relates to job preparation and dealing with bullying and just realizing how awesome that you are. That is why you need to donate for the DDHP. That's the Randy from House Party. You have to donate. Go to, um, it's called Choose Joy Give Back at our website. Choose Joy Give Back.

BenderLeadership.org.

BenderLeadership.org. Make a contribution today. You don't have to wait. Can be $5. It would be great if it was $10,000, but can be $5, $10, $1. Just think, if 1 million people in the United States donated $1, look where we'd be. So everyone remember, there is no donation too small. So Randy, what message would you like to leave with our listeners today?

Well, I think what's really important is that everybody matters, right? And look for people that can help mentor you, and you can be anything you want to be. And, and that's where I think the Bender Leadership Academy— and I'm looking, as I've just joined the board, it's only been a year now— but getting back, um, working with Joyce, with Scott, you know, to see these kids just advance, um, is just going to be so rewarding. I'm so excited. And, uh, I think the message is, you know, just challenge yourself and be the best you can be because you can get there.

That is so true. That is so true. Scott, before we go, Hero, can you tell that story?

Hero is, back in 2020, was one of our students who started in our work readiness program. This was when COVID happened, so it was virtual. And the first time that he was in our class, he was in a Superman cape And he was just laying on the couch and sleeping. And then class by class, he slowly progressed, went through the whole work readiness program, did graduate. And then the next year, like, something came to hit him. And then he was in our student leaders class. He was dressing up. He was in shirts and ties, speaking, participating. And then I think he did our Advanced Student Leaders, and we actually invited him to speak at our Disability Mentor Day. Yeah, he spoke, but he also performed on the piano, and he performed one of Ms. Bender's favorite— is it Beethoven? I forget who it was. Beethoven. And just was absolutely amazing on the piano, blew everybody away. And just the progression that he had and the growth that he had in those 2 short years in Bender Leadership Academy was just absolutely amazing.

Yes. Well, benderleadership.org, make that contribution today. We end every show, end of every show, with a quote. Boy, does this one fit. And it is, if I cannot do great things. I can do small things in a great way, said Martin Luther King Jr., one of my favorites. And in the words of Mary Brocker, remember, tomorrow morning when you get up, choose joy. You won't be disappointed. Talk to everyone next week. Bye.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific Time and 2 PM Eastern Time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. voiceamerica.com.