Empathy and Inclusion: Celebrating 30 Years of A Touch of Understanding (Update)

In this episode, I welcome back an organization that continues to shape the way our children—and our communities—understand disability, respect, and inclusion. A Touch of Understanding (ATOU) is celebrating 30 years of hands-on empathy-building, reaching more than 157,000 students across 10 counties with wheelchairs, white canes, prosthetics, lived experience, and powerful conversations that students remember for life.

I sit down with Executive Director Meghan Adamski and longtime volunteer and speaker Karen Parsegian, whose personal journey and unforgettable humor bring the mission of ATOU to life. Together, we explore:

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• The origin story — how a five-year-old’s moment of clarity became a decades-long movement for understanding and respect.
• The speakers — volunteers with and without disabilities who help kids ask brave questions, break down assumptions, and discover what they have in common.
• The hands-on experience — wheelchairs, canes, prosthetic limbs, braille, learning-difference simulations, and the “dark meal” that helps students feel, not just hear, someone else’s experience.
• Impact across generations — students who experienced ATOU as children now bringing the program to their own classrooms.
• Community partnerships — from Boys Team Charity and National Charity League to speakers referred through Society for the Blind and Progressive Employment Concepts.
• What it takes to grow the movement — and how ATOU is preparing for the next 30 years of expansion both locally and nationwide.

Karen’s stories alone remind you why this organization works: joyful curiosity, unexpected connection, and the brave honesty only children can deliver. And Meghan shares the vision of an ever-expanding “family” where people with disabilities are not just welcome—they are wanted as teachers, leaders, and role models.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like when understanding becomes action, this conversation paints the picture.

Learn More

➡️ A Touch of Understanding: https://touchofunderstanding.org
➡️ Volunteer opportunities, virtual programs, and their upcoming 30th Anniversary “Evening of Insight” celebration.

CHAPTER SUMMARY:

(00:00) '30 Years of Nonprofit Service
(11:00) Engaging Educational Program for Students
(21:22) Impact of Touch of Understanding Program
(27:46) Community Engagement and Funding Strategies
(32:24) Impactful Program Enhancing Empathy and Inclusion
(46:53) Building Strong ATOU Family Bonds

Thank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.

Transcript

Meghan Adamski: [00:00:00] That's the level of connection and the engagement is, it's not just that they are meeting and listening to the speakers, it's, they're really getting to know them. They're really seeing the people and connecting with them and finding things they have in common. It's not every day that it's. A prosthetic eye that they have in common, but they find that, you know, we like the same sports teams and we both like to, you know, ride our bike or whatever.

It's, it's finding those, those areas of interest, those common threads that help the students realize like, oh, that person's not too different from me.

Jeff Holden: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network Here, our purpose and passion are simple to highlight the incredible nonprofits that make our communities stronger. Each episode is a chance for these organizations to tell their story to their [00:01:00] words. Sharing not just what they do, but why it matters to the people they serve, to their supporters, and to all of us who believe in the power of community.

Through podcasting, we hope to amplify their voices, inspire connection, and give them one more tool to reach the hearts of donors, partners, and neighbors alike. This work is made possible through the generous support of our founding partners. CAPTRUST offering fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations serving Sacramento, Roseville, and Folsom and online@captrust.com and Western Health Advantage, a local not-for-profit health plan that believes healthcare is more than coverage.

It's about caring From supporting the American Heart Association to making arts and wellness accessible for all. Western Health Advantage truly delivers healthcare with heart. Learn more@westernhealth.com. I'm proud to welcome our newest partner, core executive [00:02:00] leadership and comprehensive support services working in it, so you can work on it.

Visit cx OR e.com. This episode we bring back one of our earlier guests to update and refresh our original conversation as they're now celebrating nearly three decades of empathy and action with a touch of understanding. I'm joined by executive director Megan Adamski and longtime volunteer Karen Sian to share how this hands-on program wheelchairs, white canes, prosthetics, and candid conversations, has reached more than 157,000 students across 10 counties and reshape how classrooms talk about disability and inclusion.

You'll hear the origin story that began with a five-year-old's lesson in respect. Karen now completely blind shares the three taps on the shoulder that led her to a touch of [00:03:00] understanding, to share and demonstrate to children that blindness isn't limiting and challenges assumptions with what she calls the art of prospectivity.

This is why students remember these sessions years now, generations later, sometimes with specific names and details. We'll talk about the dark meal experience that builds compassion, the ripple effects at dinner tables and playgrounds, and what it takes to grow this work into a true movement. If you've ever wondered how to turn understanding into action, this conversation demonstrates what it looks like.

Megan Adamski, Karen Sian, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Meghan Adamski: Thank you for having us. Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: So let's jump right into it. Megan, congratulations. We're having this conversation as the organization is celebrating 30 years of serving our region. 30 years. That's a long time. What an amazing year it's gonna be for you and the team.

And Karen, while Megan has seen the growth over [00:04:00] her 10 years or a third of the life of the organization. You've eclipsed that by almost double with 20 years of service as a volunteer, 

Karen Parsegian: I'm not that old. 

Jeff Holden: None of us are. Right. You've been involved for two thirds of the organization's life. What a, an amazing contribution that is.

Let's do something a bit differently since you are the tenured guest in the room. So Karen, what was it that brought you to a touch of understanding in the first place? 

Karen Parsegian: A 2002 Prius 

Jeff Holden: and And please tell me it wasn't you driving it. 

Karen Parsegian: Oh no, I think it was the right seat. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Good, good. 

Karen Parsegian: A lot of people that find A-T-O-U-I needed three taps on the shoulder with the last tap being a principal at my niece's elementary school.

Brett Lauren told me about, oh yeah, you should see this. A touch [00:05:00] up understanding. Can I ask them to come and watch me? Sure. So they came into the kids, my niece's classroom watched and say, oh, you're ours. So that, that sealed the deal. Before that, I was on a bus going to a doctor's office, and the woman behind me was going to an A TOU workshop and says, oh, here, you need to talk to Leslie Diora, and handed me the phone, and I'm like, hello.

So that was the second one. And the very first one was two weeks after I gave up my car keys. I'm sitting with a gal named Darlene O'Brien, who was then the. Return to work specialist at Society for the Blind. And I remember I could barely see, and I noticed her 49 ERs manicure, and she goes, do you like kids?

And I'm like, I love kids. She's like, well, I'm with a touch of understanding. So that was from 2002 to 2008, [00:06:00] and it's like, right, all right, right. I'm here. 

Jeff Holden: What a serendipitous sequence of events to get you engaged. 

Mm-hmm. 

If that's not enough, and we've actually had Society for the Blind in the studio as well with Sherry Reiser.

Karen Parsegian: Oh, 

Jeff Holden: wonderful organization. 

Karen Parsegian: Yep. They were really helpful. 

Jeff Holden: Megan, if you would, for the benefit of the listener, give us the formal story. How did a touch of understanding actually come to be some 30 years ago? 

Meghan Adamski: Yes. Well, a Touch of Understanding was founded by Leslie Dora Leslie Dera, with a lot of support and help and co-founding by her father, ed Ennis.

And there were kind of a few different things that led to the ultimate founding of a touch of understanding. But it started when Leslie was about five years old. She had an aunt who had intellectual disabilities and. Not understanding her aunt's challenges. She inadvertently mistreated her aunt just because she didn't know.

Once her mom explained [00:07:00] Aunt Betty's challenges, she had some, some. Intellectual disabilities. And so there were various things that were challenging for Aunt Betty, but Leslie's mom explained it in such a way that she also mentioned, but Aunt Betty deserves the same respect that you show anybody else.

And that changed everything for Leslie having that bit of education. So she carried that and she and Aunt Betty through their life became just dear friends, very, very close with one another. Well, then through grade school, Leslie was consistently injured. She was a very active child. And, and at that time, if you had an injury.

Broken bone, whatever you sat in the principal's office during recess and that also was where the students with disabilities were. So she spent so much time in the principal's office for always being injured and befriended. Started to befriend some of these students just 'cause they were all there at recess together.

Then fast forward from there as an adult, she was taking her son who was three at the time, this is probably close to 50 years ago, they were living in Denver and she took 'em to a children's museum and they had a portion a, a display about disabilities. There was a one wheelchair. Wooden [00:08:00] crutches, and of all things a coffin.

She let him explore the wheelchair, touch the crutches, didn't let him get in the coffin. But for months afterwards, at three years old, he was talking about that. He was saying, why would somebody need wheels on their chair? Am I gonna need that someday? And that hands-on nature really stuck with him. Then the kind of next big thing was Leslie was working as a, as an instructional aide in second grade classroom, and it was right around when mainstreaming was becoming very popular and wonderful concept, but Leslie saw when the students who did not have the, the general education, mainstream students.

They didn't understand their peers who are now in their classroom and there's a lot of mistreatment and bullying. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Meghan Adamski: Because they didn't understand. In fact, Leslie was working with a group of students and they were working on telling, telling time on an analog clock. And so she was, you know, showing the analog clock to, to the kids sitting around her little table and got to one boy and.

The others at the table said in unison, don't ask him. He's stupid. And so they [00:09:00] said it in unison, not the first time they had said it, and certainly not the first time he had heard it. Mm-hmm. So she had this idea, knowing what the impact with her son of the hands-on nature. She knew that she wouldn't do something, it had to be hands-on.

And the teacher that she was working with said, why not start that right here? That was in the very early nineties and it kind of grew from there and it fully incorporated as a nonprofit in 1996. So, and it has just continued to grow from that one little classroom, which by the way, we still work with that school 30 plus years later.

Jeff Holden: Wow. And if I understand, we'll get to this a little bit later in the conversation, most of the schools you start a relationship with. It doesn't end. Correct. They want you to keep coming back, 

Meghan Adamski: correct? Mm-hmm. When we are at a school, we work with a single grade level at a time, and the idea is then that.

That school has us back year after year to work with that grade level. So we have worked with schools for 10, 15, 20, 30 years, and we are just consistently back working with, say, fourth grade or at the [00:10:00] school that it was started in second grade. And the, the school that KP that your niece went to, that Brett Lauren was at, mm-hmm.

We are still at that school however many years later. So we do, we develop very close personal relationships with the schools. Was something you wanted to add about Oh, the fourth graders 

Karen Parsegian: in Marin. Yeah, too. Yeah. Yeah. They're just amazing. 

Jeff Holden: Let me ask you both a question, because you've been there long enough now to see change.

A lot has changed over the course of not only 30 years, but mm-hmm. 20, Karen or 

mm-hmm. 

10. Megan, what is some of the most dramatic change you've seen over time? 

Meghan Adamski: For me, I think it's, I think how we interact with schools, how we present our program. Of course, making it through COVID, we, everyone, of course, had to use the ubiquitous word pivot.

Mm-hmm. During that time, and we did too. Created some [00:11:00] virtual programs. But since kind of in this post COVID era, if you will. Students are, and the way schools are set up, the way students learn, the way they interact is different than it was even five, certainly 10 years ago. And I think that we have been able to adjust our program to meet those needs.

One example is historically our program was set up where we had kind of the two ports going on simultaneously. We had our hands-on activities and our speakers, and our speakers. We'd have three to four speakers at a time covering a night, 90 minute session. Mm-hmm. Now we do. Two speakers, but we pair it with two activities.

So it's more engaging for the students than just listening for 90 minutes. They're engaged in an activity, they're learning about, they're, they're participating in a hands-on way. And then that also gives us more time. 'cause now with the 90 minutes for the activities, we only have four activities. So it really allows us to get more in depth and the students to gain more from those activities because they're not rushed through trying to get through six in 90 minutes.

So that's been [00:12:00] one, one big change. I think that we have. Have adapted to, was there something else that you, as far as change, 

Karen Parsegian: um, the format and the technology, just being able to have the Zoom workshops mm-hmm. Especially through COVID. None of us ever thought of that at all. And it, it lasts because we were on campus last year.

A gal came up to me and she says, I remember you from the Zoom workshop. And I'm like, you're kidding. So it did have impact. Absolutely. It did have lasting memory even though we weren't there live. So, and also nod to you for doing a great job at this succession, Leslie had big shoes to fill. You know, you've come through it swimmingly, as has staff especially.

What was it, three months after you took over the helm? 

Meghan Adamski: It was six-ish. 

Karen Parsegian: Six, eight. Yeah. And then hello COVID. And finding out a whole new way of keeping the [00:13:00] lights on. Mm-hmm. I don't know how you did it. Well. Oh, was all your fabulous volunteers? Yes. That's it. There you go. Made a big difference. 

Jeff Holden: Have you seen the impact of.

Phones and digital in the way, and we hear bullying for kids and students in class. Mm-hmm. Are you below that? Are they not quite there yet? To where it's, it is like it would be in high school or maybe seventh and eighth grade. 

Meghan Adamski: Right. The vast majority of the students who go through our program. Between third and sixth grade, but we do work with, you know, seventh, eighth up through high school.

We have several high schools we work with, so it's not nothing. I mean, the, the phones are, are, are present and part of their everyday lives. As far as what we have seen, I can't say that we have seen that impact. What I will say is that I think our. Our program translates so well to the online space to in-person [00:14:00] interactions.

I don't think there needs to be a separate program just to focus on, you know, how we treat one another online. It's still human beings on the other side of that screen. Mm-hmm. Might not know what somebody is going through to lead with respect and kindness for a person. Regardless of how you're interacting with them.

So it's not something that we necessarily talk about specifically, or that we see specifically. We are not, you know, we don't see phones in the classroom on a regular basis, but they're part of, of students' lives. Mm-hmm. And so I just think that it's translated to that space just as easily as it is to in-person interactions.

Jeff Holden: I had the privilege of attending a school that you were doing the program at. I was blown away at everything I saw, and rather than me describe it, it it's, it's a curriculum. It is a very formal program that you go through with the step by step by step. Tell us what happens on that campus when you show up.

Meghan Adamski: So we [00:15:00] show up on campus, and especially with some of the campuses we've worked with, we'll have, let's say if we're working with fourth grade, we'll have the fifth, or even some campuses, sixth graders come. I remember that from last year. You know, we were just at a school in El Dorado Hills a couple weeks ago, and one, a couple students ran by me as I'm unloading wheelchairs going, hi, Megan.

And so we're unloading wheelchairs in all of our materials and we're setting up in a few different spaces on campus. We have long conversations with. Schools before our arrival so we know exactly where we're going, what we're doing. They, they have it all set out for us. And then when the students come through the program, they're split up into two groups.

Half are with our speakers and a couple activities there. And then the other half are doing our hands-on activities, including they're using a wheelchair walk with our eyes closed, using white cane. They write their name in Braille and they learn about learning differences. We talk about dyslexia and A DHD, and then over with the speakers, they get to hear from the speakers and not just.

Listen to, but really interact with and, and KPL. I'll let you kind of talk about some of the [00:16:00] interactions with students that we've had. 

Karen Parsegian: Talk about offloading the trailer. Again, we're in Marin and it's been a whole year and all of a sudden these two fifth grade boys gel. I'm wearing my helmet. This is one of our speakers who was struck by a drunk driver.

She's in a wheelchair, she's paralyzed, and she has a TBI and TBI for 

Jeff Holden: the benefit of those traumatic brain injury. 

Karen Parsegian: Yes. It was just astonishing. It's like 7 45 in the morning, and not only did they repeat her message, but they addressed her by name after a year. So that's impact. That kind of connection is something.

Jeff Holden: How do they respond to you, Karen, when you do your presentation in class? 

Karen Parsegian: Oh, we have fun. I still can't believe that y'all let me play with the kids. No, it's great. I love kids. I think that they can [00:17:00] feel that and we, it's not even so much going out of our way, it's just how a TOU is. We create a safe, fun place to explore.

And to engage their curiosity so they can ask us anything from how do you cook your breakfast to, how do you go to the bathroom, to how do you pick out your clothes or put on your lipstick? The makeup, I don't care how old they are, they're always like amazed. It's like you are about to see a 67-year-old babe put her lipstick on in the dark without a mirror.

Well, humming tune gets 'em every time. It's my best one, so it's good. Will you tell the story of the student who blew your joke? Oh, we were up in Arnold and I passed around. A prosthetic eye, not out of my head. I have one in [00:18:00] a container, and so I want each child to feel the eye so that they can see it and they can say polymer instead of plastic, and see it's not glass.

And so as I'm putting my hand in my pocket and I'm like, all right, we're gonna show you. Doesn't everybody carry their artificial eye in their pocket? Yeah, Matt's got one and I was like, he does not, 'cause I'm thinking that holding the eye is gonna be the big event of the day. Nah, kid blew my bit and we had the same ocularist down here in Sacramento.

So, 

Jeff Holden: wow. I know whoever would've thought, right. You cannot 

Meghan Adamski: make this stuff up. 

Jeff Holden: Nope. 

Meghan Adamski: No. But that's the level of connection and the engagement is, it's, it's not just that they are meeting and listening to the speakers, it's, they're really getting to know them. They're really seeing the people and connecting with them and finding things they have in common.

It's [00:19:00] not every day that it's a prosthetic eye that they have in common, but they find the, you know. We like the same sports teams, and we both like to, you know, ride our bike or whatever. It's, it's finding those, those areas of interest, those common threads that help the students realize like, oh. That person's not too different 

Karen Parsegian: from me.

Well, and we have two resident Disney experts, one who has been to Disney over 500 times, Byron. Mm-hmm. And can carve the characters into staff since all sorts of wooden projects. And then Amanda. Mm-hmm. And I guess Hannah too. Yeah. They can whip out every script from every Disney movie. That you can possibly imagine.

And if you don't think that connects with 99.9% of the kids all over the Sacramento region, they're very excited. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: In terms of the elements, you mentioned the wheelchairs. Mm-hmm. [00:20:00] The white canes, you bring prosthetics. Mm-hmm. As well. We do. And Karen, you have the prosthetic eye. 

Meghan Adamski: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: But you have limbs there?

Meghan Adamski: We do. Yep. 

Jeff Holden: Even, I was amazed at the variety of different limbs and how you approach that in the classroom. 

Yeah. 

Because that's not often that you see somebody with a prosthetic limb and sometimes it's, it's masked. You can't see it because they're wearing long sleeves or you know, long pants or whatever.

But the way that that was addressed was just amazing to me. 

Meghan Adamski: Yeah. That's one of, I, I'm glad that you brought that up. That's one of my favorite, I mean, they're all my favorite stations, so that when we. With the speakers I mentioned, we do two stations and one of 'em is our orthotics and prosthetics. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm.

Meghan Adamski: And then the other station that we do, and with the speakers is our station about autism. But with the orthotics and prosthetics, what I think is really cool about that is. Most students have not seen one of these tools before. Maybe some of the orthotics, maybe the braces, ankle braces and back braces and things like that.[00:21:00] 

Maybe they've seen those even rarer that they've seen a prosthetic arm. We have a little baby's hand from a volunteer who volunteered with us many years ago. That's awesome. And it was his hand when he was a baby and learning to crawl and clap and do things with two hands as as a small child. So we have his and other prosthetic arms and prosthetic legs, and.

And it's not uncommon for students to walk up to that table and their first reaction is EW or weird. That's an okay reaction. Mm-hmm. When we're done explaining these tools and showing how they're used and the value, they're going from weird to, wow, those are really cool, and they're, it's breaking down the, the mystery around them, the uncertainty, and just providing that education not to, unlike Leslie's experience at five years old, once her mom provided the education and taught her, her whole world changed.

Once students are taught about these tools. [00:22:00] They're not so weird or different anymore. They're really cool. 

Jeff Holden: And in some cases, those children or adults, wherever they happen to see that prosthetic in use, they now recognize that, oh, that person's doing everything I'm doing. 

Meghan Adamski: Right, exactly. 

Jeff Holden: But they're missing a leg.

I don't understand. But just using different tools. And you do understand now. 

Meghan Adamski: Yep. Yep. Exactly. 

Jeff Holden: Collaboration's a big part of the conversation, and especially in today's environment, organizations, nonprofits really do need to collaborate with others for a variety of different reasons. N not to mention just the ease of expense in some cases where you can, certainly, the schools are a big part of your collaborative partnership.

Mm-hmm. 

How about. Other organizations who might you come in contact with? 

Meghan Adamski: We are so fortunate to have many community supporters and, and other organizations that we work with. Two of which are BTC Boys Team Charity. So it's a group of [00:23:00] young men, seventh to 12th grade, and they do work with the volunteer work and and philanthropic work with various nonprofits.

And they're always doing that work alongside a parent. So they work with us, they pack follow up materials that we hand out to every student who go through our program. And then NCL, national Charity League, very similar organization, but it's mothers and daughters. Partnering together to work with organizations.

So those are have been wonderful partnerships for us. And then organizations like PEC, progressive Employment Concepts, many of their clients are some of our speakers and our volunteers. So PEC provides. You know, connects their clients with opportunities like ours. They provide transportation, things like that to allow them to get to our programs, really a, about BTC because they've, we've partnered with them for so long and they, and, and they've done so much work with us, they started incorporating every year their.

Junior class. So they're group of 11th grade boys. Yes. [00:24:00] Go through what's called Our Dark Meal and kp. I'd love to kind of have you chat a little bit about our last Dark meal experience. That's so fun with btc. So fun. 

Karen Parsegian: Well, I facilitate. Meal for them. They come into the room with somebody else with a cane.

They shake hands, say, how do you do? And then they go and sit down and they're blindfolded. So they don't really know who they have to discover who they're sitting next to. They dunno what the room looks like or anything else like that. Then we actually walk through. Finding your water glass, and if it spills, it's absolutely okay how you figure out what the salt is from the pepper, using the knife and all that.

Then they eat and carry on. Then we talk about it at the end. They take off the blindfolds, figure out who's where, and they ask amazing questions. It's fun with these young men. You get to poke at 'em a little [00:25:00] bit. You get to play with them and they got their cool on. I think it's harder for men and boys.

They always have to be cool. They don't wanna do anything to look silly in front of their other. Colleagues in the room, but these guys were something. And as future leaders and philanthropists, I think it's really important to get that muscle memory. If you feel foolish, go ahead. You've survived. If you're in a room with somebody else who's blind, especially a blind man.

I had a friend that they were advertising at the Super Bowl. Everybody got up to go to lunch. He had to use the men's room and then he couldn't find the rest of the group. So you wouldn't have that in a woman's group. So it's like, it's okay. It's not a, a weakness to be kind. It's a strength. 

Meghan Adamski: So, and I will say that that group of, of young men, a little apprehensive at first, but they got into it [00:26:00] and by the end, after they took off their, their blindfolds and we were done with the meal.

They, they, they wanted to stick her down and talk with kp. There was another probably 15, 20 minutes and they're just gathered around her asking questions and then almost all of them wanted to give her a hug afterwards. Can I give you a hug? Just one after the other. And it really, I was 50 

Karen Parsegian: pounds younger and 40 pounds lighter.

Meghan Adamski: And they, um, but you are 

Jeff Holden: very huggable, lemme tell you. 

Meghan Adamski: Thank you. They, but just that, that level of engagement and that, that, again, breaking down the walls and the barriers and this kind of cool jacket thing they walk in with was gone by the end of this experience. And the dark mail's a really cool program that we provide to not just BTC, again, we partner with BTC and for all the work that they do with us, we love being able to give that experience to their junior.

Young men, I guess, but we also do it with businesses and, and various adult groups. So it's, it's a really cool experience for people [00:27:00] to get to experience what it's like to eat a meal without sight. 

Jeff Holden: Absolutely. Absolutely. And with all those organizations supporting, that's what's allowed you to get through that, what, 157,000 students over the course of the 30 years?

Yes. Just think of the penetration into our community mm-hmm. Of how many people have that understanding and can share it. 

Meghan Adamski: Right. 

Jeff Holden: That's such a big deal. 

Meghan Adamski: Yeah, it's, and, and we get that feedback all the time. I mean, 157,000 students, but those, several of those 157,000 they're adults now. Yes. And it's not unusual for me to receive an email from a teacher saying, I remember doing this when I was in fourth grade, and now I want my fourth graders to experience this program.

Or have, you know, a superintendent. I was at a school not too long ago, and the superintendent of the school of the district happened to be on campus study for other purposes. But went out of their way to come find me and say, my kids are in college now, and they still talk about this as one of their favorite days.

All of their schooling career. And I was, uh, doing another speaking engagement with Placer County Office of Education a [00:28:00] couple weeks, couple months ago, and they, and a woman came out in the hallway. I was done, I was wrapping up, carrying my stuff out, and two women were chatting about the experience they just had, learning about a touch understanding.

And another woman said, I remember doing that in elementary school. And so it is, I mean, she was a mom herself now. And, and so it's something that. They truly carry with them for the rest of their life. It's not just a motivational speaker and okay, you might remember it for a few hours or a week. They remember the message into adulthood.

So it's really a unique experience in that way. And when we think of the 157,000, we think of that drop in the bucket. You know, the what is the ripple effect. The, the students go home and have a different relationship with a sibling. Um, 

Jeff Holden: and, you know, that gets told at home, right. As soon as they come, I held an eye in my hand today.

Meghan Adamski: Right. Or a 

Jeff Holden: leg. Or an arm. Mm-hmm. Or a hand in my hand. 

Meghan Adamski: Right. As, as a parent myself, I know that, you know, when you ask your kids how their day was, it was, it was good. [00:29:00] More often than not, parents are telling us they couldn't wait to tell me all about their day. It changes dinner table conversations and then, you know it, these, these kids are out in the community and they're playing at parks and they're befriending one another.

Um, we had a woman call her office and say that, I mean, she was fighting back tears. You could hear her fighting back tears. Her son's on the autism spectrum and you know, she was just at a park. As parents, as parents do. He's usually by himself just kind of playing by himself. Well, another little boy this particular day came up and they started playing together and she said to this other little boy, she said, thank you so much for playing with him.

That doesn't happen a lot. And he looked at her and he said, well, I had a touch of understanding at my school. 

Jeff Holden: Oh goodness. It's this little boy. It doesn't get any better than that does it. 

Meghan Adamski: Right? The little boy who's on the spectrum, his, his world has now changed, you know? And so it's out in the community and then it is, they grow up and their teachers and administrators and philanthropists and business people and you know, first responders.

And so it's changing the future too. So the [00:30:00] 157,000 is, you know, how, how do you really put a number to the impact? It's very hard to, but 157,000 is, is a pretty big reach. 

Jeff Holden: It's, it's a big number. Yeah. All the more reason we need to expand the program in some way, shape, or form. Yes. Which we'll get to in a second

as we turn the page on the first quarter century of service to our schools, with Megan Adamski and Karen Parse of a Touch of Understanding. Let's take a moment to recognize those who make this program possible.

Darrell Teat: We are really excited to be part of the family and contribute to the work that you all are doing. Core provides fractional and interim executive services along with comprehensive back office solutions. That go into our client sites and do the work to give them the capacity they need in order to move through transitions, whether that's planned or unplanned, or companies also work with our accounting and finance, back office solutions, human resources, technology and administration.

The reason [00:31:00] why our back office solutions add value is because we save them time and money anywhere from 20 to 30% of what they would spend on that back office solution. We work in it so they can actually work on it. CXOR e.com and contact me directly at DTE a t@cxoe.com. 

Jeff Holden: If you're interested in learning more about how CORE may help your organization, visit CXO r.com.

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CAPTRUST in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations annually. We survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment. In our more recent survey, we hear concerns about proper board governance, mission aligned investment, and how to implement alternative investments.

If you would like a copy of the survey or to discuss your [00:32:00] organization, look me up, scottThomas@captrust.com. At Western Health Advantage, 

Jeff Holden: healthcare isn't just a service, it's a shared value. As a nonprofit leader, you need a health plan that understands the importa of mission-driven work. Western Health Advantage is a local not-for-profit health plan that supports organizations like yours with affordable, flexible coverage options for your team.

What truly sets them apart is their commitment to community supporting nonprofits like the American Heart Association, Sacramento Ballet, and the Crocker Art Museums Pay what you wish Sundays with access to top tier providers and dedicated local support. Western Health advantages more than a health plan.

It's a partner in your purpose. Explore your options today@westernhealth.com. Western Health Advantage Healthcare with Heart designed for those who give back. How do schools learn about the program? How do they [00:33:00] find out to get engaged? 

Meghan Adamski: Yeah. A variety of ways. More often than not, it is word of mouth or a teacher is at one school and then they move to a different school.

In fact, KP was sharing about Brett Loring at at, and he was at. A school, his principal of the school that her nieces were at, well then he moved from that school to a school that's now closed. But it was the Warren e Thornton Youth Center, and it was a school for incarcerated youth. He brought our program there and then he moved up to Arnold.

Mm-hmm. And called our office, said, have I gone too far? No. No, Brett, you haven't. And so we now serve schools in Calvers County in in Arnold and Murphy's because of him, because he just moved schools and everywhere he went, he made sure that we. That he took us with him. So that happens. It's, it's parents talking to one another.

It's at, it's at one school and then a parent is talking to another parent from that school's. Like, why wouldn't my school or a teacher is talking to another teacher? Why wouldn't that at my school? And that's, that's really, it's been word of mouth has been a big way that our, our program has grown over 30 years.

Word of mouth and, and [00:34:00] then teachers and principals moving around. 

Jeff Holden: How do your volunteers. Get involved, if, is it the same thing? It's, it's like, Karen, yours was just a, a drip effect. Somebody saying, you should, you should, you should. And all of a sudden they do. 

Karen Parsegian: It's kind of a drip, drip, drip effect. But also you have people like Susie Glover.

Shanna Lauder, 

Jeff Holden: our 

Karen Parsegian: outreach people, Susie has since retired, but oh my gosh, you wanna find somebody who could, you know, she could spot somebody 25 yards away and she's like. Right here. And Shanna, you can find Shanna at just about every community event. Mm-hmm. Anywhere in the Sacramento region. She's doing it just about every week, isn't she?

Yeah, she is. She's out. Mm-hmm. 

Meghan Adamski: That, that is a lot of it. And that's 

Jeff Holden: recruitment for mm-hmm. Volunteers. For volunteers. 

Meghan Adamski: Exactly. Mm-hmm. And she is out at, you know, places. Throughout the week, weekends, any place that there is [00:35:00] opportunity for a vendor table, she is there. And a lot of times it's not, you know, somebody may not come up to our booth and wanna volunteer immediately, but they're interested in what we do.

So they might sign up for our newsletter, they might follow us on social media. There's, there's one woman who is one of our newest volunteers. Shanna met her a year ago. And so it's not always the right time in that moment, but they get engaged. They're engaged with what we do and our mission. And there's something that attracts.

Them to us for whatever reason that that connection with the mission, the heart, the passion, and it may be a year down the road that that, you know, their life opens up, their time opens up, and now they're able to give their time. So, but it is out word of mouth, it's people bringing friends, introducing.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Meghan Adamski: Friends to a touch of understanding. It's being out in the community, it's talking about it, it really kind of becomes for, for me, kind of a way of life. It's not just, okay, it's where I go and I work from this time to this time. It's, it's a way of life. 

Karen Parsegian: Well, and businesses that are firmly entrenched in the community too, like Bogles.

Yeah. [00:36:00] Vineyard, what? What's it? Friday, Al Fresco. Mm-hmm. Yep. You know, we typically pick up. A person or two and some really good lobster rolls. Mm-hmm. Once a year. Well, and 

Jeff Holden: Jody Bogle, when you have a family owned business Mm. Mm-hmm. The brothers, everybody's involved. 

Mm-hmm. 

They tend to get back so much more to the community.

Yes. Because they can relate to it. They've grown up here. 

Meghan Adamski: Yeah. They 

Jeff Holden: understand it. 

Meghan Adamski: Yeah. Well, and, and Jody's daughter went through our program at her school. Oh, you just gave me goosebumps. Yeah. Yeah. Just a really, you know, and, and the, the impact for her daughter, I mean, Jodi. Called our office and just shared how much it meant for her daughter to go through our program.

Mm-hmm. So it is, it's, it's that, that close-knit kind of community feel. 

Jeff Holden: So we're looking at 30 years now. 

Meghan Adamski: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Clearly, however you're funding the organization is working. I'm sure it's changed over the course of time and it's changed again, as we all know, with changes in the dynamic nature of funding.

Meghan Adamski: Yep. 

Jeff Holden: [00:37:00] Whether it's federal or state or county. How are you funded? 

Meghan Adamski: It's a variety of ways. One about just under half of our overall income does come from school fees, so we have a very unique setup in the nonprofit space that we do have a fee for service. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Meghan Adamski: Schools pay a fee for our program to come on their campus, but their fee is, what they pay is just, just little less than half of what it truly costs us.

So we have to make up those other costs and we do that through writing grants. We have an incredible grant team. Our annual fundraiser, evening of Insight, and then just individual donations. So it's business partnerships and those kind of relationships. It's this kind of multi-pronged approach to fundraising 

Jeff Holden: in today's environment.

That's much better Yes. Than if you're a single source. 

Meghan Adamski: Right. We're thankful and, and for the funding that we have and that we've been able to acquire and, and the, the way that it's set up, we do have kind of these different streams of income. 

Jeff Holden: Is there anything special planned for [00:38:00] the 30th anniversary?

Meghan Adamski: Our 30th anniversary, our, our. Big fundraiser even Insight is really going to honor 30 years and the accomplishment that that is. And at that time we will be probably over a, have reached over 160,000 students by that point. It'll be April 23rd, 2026 at Timber Creek Lodge and Ballroom in Roseville. And it's really going to be bringing in some of our current and past speakers, having them share the impact, honoring our founder, Leslie Deora.

And. The work that she did to create this incredible organization. It's gonna be celebrating a huge milestone. That's really the, it'll be a fundraiser and a huge celebration. 

Jeff Holden: How many people do you employ, Megan? 

Meghan Adamski: We have a team of, we just hired number eight. We have a very small team and we have probably close to about 50 workshop volunteers.

Our volunteers are a mix of, uh, volunteers with and without disabilities. It's about a 50 50 [00:39:00] mix. Um, but yeah, we're small but mighty. We have a, a team of eight and I, I gotta share a quick story about the most recent person we hired. She was another kind of that small world connection that. Three taps to finally, her son is on the autism spectrum and he went through our program when he was in third grade and shortly after going through our program, he was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum.

But he had heard one of our speakers name's Kira, and she is 14 and has a wonderful way of relating to the students because she's much closer to their age. Um, and she shares about being, you know, having autism and sensory processing and anxiety and a couple other things and dyslexia. And so when. Our employee's son was diagnosed.

It was no big deal. He had already heard from Kira and he's like, this is great. This is no problem. Then Kira was speaking, she does some speaking with Kaiser, and Kaiser puts on a class for parents whose children have been recently diagnosed with autism. Mm-hmm. So this employee, her name's Courtney. She's on this online class and oh my gosh, Kira's speaking.

So she's in the chat going, you [00:40:00] spoke at my son's school and it's because of you and what you said that he had no problem with his autism diagnosis and then she saw a job posting for us. It's kind of seeing the, the job posting mm-hmm. For us was that third time and she's like, this is. Too much fate. I mean, they were in the classroom and then I gotta interact with Kira and then now this.

So it's, it's those connections, those connections are all out in the community. Whether we always hear about them or not, they're going on in the kind of ripple effect. She drives a Prius, she does drive a Prius. Bring it all back 

Jeff Holden: to the very beginning of the conversation. Right. Let's have a little fun for a second.

Your budget is roughly $600,000. If somebody came to you. And said, you know, Megan, I love what you're doing and if you can give me a good enough reason in the explanation, I'm gonna give you a blank check to do whatever you need to do. What would it look like? 

Meghan Adamski: Kb, I think you had a really good idea for that based on what Leslie said to you.

Oh, 

Karen Parsegian: I talked to her the [00:41:00] other day and she said, you know, if you saw anybody. A disability in the community. The thought going through your head is like, I wonder if they're part of the A TLU family knowing that it's open to all, and that people 

Meghan Adamski: are just people and that it's far more than just a program.

It's a movement. It's a movement. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I think. What I would love to see to get to that space that's a movement is, you know, expanding locally right here in the greater, you know, Sacramento and Placer County regions. We serve 10 counties, but to be able to saturate those counties, there's still a huge unmet need right here in our own communities.

So. Hiring the individuals and, and acquiring the volunteers and acquiring a vehicle and trailer and materials to have multiple teams out. Right now, we're out at schools. Our team, again, small [00:42:00] staff, team of volunteers, are out at schools three to four days a week. And we reach on average nine to 10,000 students a school year.

So we're traveling all over as far as the Bay Area in Calaveras County and Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado, Yolo Counties and beyond. So to hire another team. So it's. Two teams out reaching twice as many students a day, I think would be excellent. And then we COVID, the silver lining of COVID was, it gave us the space and the time and forced us to create virtual programs.

Something that we had, you know, talked about. Pre COVID of like, how do we expand nationwide? This, you know, I don't know how many people tell us this needs to be statewide, this needs to be nationwide. And so, okay, virtual offerings, well now we've created those, but again, with a small team and a small staff, it's packaging them, it's marketing them.

So being able to take the, what we've created in these virtual programs and market them. Schools across the country would be, especially to 

Karen Parsegian: the little communities with all the little nooks and crannies that wouldn't have access to any of this at [00:43:00] any time. Right. Exactly. 

Meghan Adamski: Mm-hmm. And, and creating the movement that way by expanding locally and using materials that we've created to 

Karen Parsegian: expand nationally.

And you can't forget transportation. Yes. 'cause I would volunteer a lot more, but I'm limited basically to Sacramento County unless somebody can come and fetch me. You don't want me driving the car? 

Jeff Holden: No, we don't. No. 

Karen Parsegian: Uh. So I, I would be volunteering even more if somebody didn't have to come fetch me. That was so far out of the way.

I am a little off the path from a lot of the volunteers or staff. So to have a transportation grant, if I had an Uber cart, I'd be at a mall. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Karen Parsegian: Yeah. It doesn't have to be Uber, but it'd be nice. Why not? 

Jeff Holden: A transportation of sorts. Yes. Thank you. Yes, right. 

Karen Parsegian: Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: That's just perfect segue. I don't know where you're gonna go with this.

When I ask you the question of, we come off of that vision, you know, the imagine the [00:44:00] what if scenario to, well, what is scenario? Mm-hmm. What is the greatest need? 

Meghan Adamski: The greatest need is, is people and, and of course, you know, funding for said people. I think not too dissimilar from many other nonprofits that the two needs are money and people, you're kind of real, the people, your most valuable resource.

And so if we had the volunteers and we're you. All the time building to, to, or working to build up our, our volunteer base. But if we had the people to be out at these schools to really expand that, that would be huge. That would be game changing for 

Karen Parsegian: us. Oh my gosh. If we could get more speakers with all the stories.

'cause everybody's stories different, no matter how much the same they are. They're so different. They're, it's like pizza, all different flavors, but it's still pizza. 

Jeff Holden: We told a lot of stories and. You shared a lot of successes about the [00:45:00] organization. Is there anything, both of you, in some case that's just a really cute story that comes from a kid, a child?

'cause they say the craziest things. Is there something that, oh my gosh, I can't believe they said that or they did this, or what, whatever it might be. I'm, I'm sure both of you have experienced things of that nature and it could e it could also be, it doesn't have to be. You know, humor is haha. Laugh out loud, although those are cute too, but something that's so poignant that a child said after one of the sessions or it came back through a parent or something like that.

Meghan Adamski: Gosh, we have stories galore. Don't imagine of any of those. I 

Jeff Holden: saw some of them taking place in the classroom where the kids were saying, whisper next to each other. I'm like, but it was different than would've expected what kids would be saying. 

Right. 

In a kind way, it wasn't in an antagonistic right way.

Meghan Adamski: Right. 

Jeff Holden: And the things that they were [00:46:00] talking about. 

Meghan Adamski: Well, I, I would love to share a kind of one of impact and one of, of cuteness and sweetness, and then I know that you've got some to share too, kp, but I'll, I'll just read a, a letter that we, that we got from a student that just touched me and she said, and we get thousands of letters, again, reaching nine to 10,000 students a school year.

We get. Thousands of letters from students and the, the, but this one in particular stuck with me and she said, for a touch, for me, a touch of understanding helps me understand it's okay to be different. I have dyslexia and this helped me learn that I can be me and I shouldn't be hiding it. This also helped me realize that some people have disabilities and maybe they look different, but I shouldn't be scared.

A TOU also helped me see and hear what people have disabilities go through, and it really helped me feel more aware of things that they live with. Next. I think that people have changed by doing nicer things like after you came, I noticed people not making fun of people who have disabilities. I'm so grateful for that.

Thank you for coming A [00:47:00] TOU. I love your program. Thank you. You made a big indent on Del Dayo in a good way. And so this student just. Feeling, the self-acceptance feeling that she is just fine the way that she is, and she shouldn't have to hide or, you know, hide her dyslexia or some of the challenges that she may face.

So that's just one example of the, the hundreds and, and thousands of letters that we received that are so sweet and so touching. And then we did receive a letter from, from a student. Who said, I'm gonna remember this forever 'cause I'm gonna save it in my Google Drive.

So we get those two. And back to technology. We touched on that too. There we go. Yep. He's gonna save it in his Google drive where she's gonna save it in her Google drive and, and remember it. So outta the mouth of babes. Kids say the darnedest things. Yes. Kp. 

Karen Parsegian: Well, I was thinking that impact cuts both ways because we.

Experienced something out in Dry Creek. This fourth grade girl was helping me pack up my bag and she goes, can [00:48:00] I hug you kp? And I'm like, yes, of course. And when we hugged, my hand came away and I felt her brace. And I go, oh, that feels so pretty. And. I didn't have a bracelet yet at all. And she goes, oh, it's your birthday tomorrow.

I want you to have it. And it said, lucky on it. And I was like, oh, I can't take this. And she goes, no, you have to. And you know how they do that bouncing up and down thing. So I, I wore the bracelet out. Well, it stayed with me and gave me a new hobby because now I am making bracelets and I do make them and give them out at school.

And Megan and I went back. To show to surprise her in class and her whole classroom with treats. And a thank you to let them know that their kindness lasted with us all year long and affected us outside of the whole A TOU universe. And thank you. And of course, she was not there that day, so we [00:49:00] left her the lucky bracelet again, and a new bracelet and a thank you note.

And all those. How sweet is that? Yeah, but the best one, my favorite one we're in class, I think is second grade. Right. And I like speaking around my birthday because birthdays to fourth grade is a very big deal. And once you get into What's your favorite ice cream? What's your favorite cake? Oh, the energy goes way up for me too.

So anyway, I go, yeah, and I'm 60 years old and this little voice in the back of the room goes, you are really old. 

Jeff Holden: It's like, 

Karen Parsegian: yes, yes I am. Thank you very much. Don't forget to tip your servers. I'm out. So 

Jeff Holden: having no idea that that in itself is a touch of understanding. 

Yes. 

Karen, you have an incredible attitude and perspective, and I want you to share [00:50:00] what you just told us.

Karen Parsegian: Well, having been cited for 43 years and having never met a blind person before in my life, I was the first blind person I ever spoke with. I was kind of put off to realize that there's perceptions of blindness, blind women, especially like there's a, a black and white photograph from the 1920s that was shot by, I think his name is Paul Strand.

It's Strands blind woman. She's a beggar on the street. It's a casual photo and you know, it just looks like, oh, you poor pittable. Pitiable person and my problem, just like I think at u's main problem is how do you get from this perception, this widely held perception to Splash Mountain, where you're going downhill, arms are up in the air with the [00:51:00] cane going, woo-hoo, let's live life, you know?

It's robust, it's bold, it's big, it's fun. It's just life. The bridge to get from one to the other is so huge. I, I don't know. That's why A TOU and getting understanding that way, 

Meghan Adamski: and I think it's the education we educate young people, students, adults. About what people can do. Mm-hmm. And change perception in, 

Karen Parsegian: in that, providing that education, because really attitude and approach is everything.

You get access and opportunity, but ultimately it's the person who has to decide. Yep. Do they wanna be the best person or the worst person? That they wanna be. 

Jeff Holden: Megan, anything as we close that you'd like to leave the audience with 30 years of support? 

Meghan Adamski: Yes, just to [00:52:00] thank that. The community at large for the support over 30 years.

I mean, we're here because of community support, because of donations, because of volunteers, because of schools engagement and. We're very excited to celebrate that accomplishment. April 23rd, 2026 for evening of Insight and celebrating 30 years of a touch of understanding and really envisioning what do the next 30 look like.

Mm-hmm. What is, what is the growth? What's that next 160,000 students. Where, where can we grow from here? So, yeah, so, so a thank you. And for those interested, check out our website, touch of understanding.org, maybe interested in volunteering. We have opportunities for that, information about our fundraiser, all kinds of things.

So different ways to, to follow us on social media, our newsletter. Different ways to stay engaged, 

Jeff Holden: and this is one of those few organizations, few situations, few businesses where your disability is wanted. 

Mm-hmm. 

We want you to volunteer. [00:53:00] Yeah. It's not, oh, I have this disability, I can't, this is, I have this disability, I'm needed.

Karen Parsegian: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: So if that opportunity presents itself, we definitely want people to participate. 

Karen Parsegian: Yes. Well, and the A TOU marinade. It's fun, it's meaningful. There is a strong can-do work ethic. It, it's, I've never seen anything like it before. I've never been around people like this. We all leave our crabby at home. We only bring our A games to our A TLU family and that's, that really to me is an extraordinary thing.

Jeff Holden: Well, and seeing 10 counties in the service area mm-hmm. Very, very broad geographically with a vehicle and a trailer and a crew of people. 

Karen Parsegian: Yep. 

Jeff Holden: And those are some long days. 

Karen Parsegian: Yes. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: No doubt about it. 'cause I know where Murphy's is. 

Karen Parsegian: Yep. 

Jeff Holden: You know, that's, that's a long ways away. It is. And Marin's no. Easy jaunt either.

Karen Parsegian: Nope. Mm. 

Jeff Holden: [00:54:00] So those are just an amazing, amazing group of people that are so willing to commit and do what they do. 

Meghan Adamski: Yeah. And it's fun at the end of the day. It is so fun. Yes, there are long days and early morning and driving here, there, and everywhere, but it's fun. The bond that we have as, as a family, and that's truly what we all look at is, is as a family and always excited to grow our family and to meet new people and welcome people into this fold because we have a lot of fun.

We laugh. Kids say the darnest, oh my gosh, things our, you know, our volunteers. It's never boring and never, and so it's, it's fun. 

Jeff Holden: Megan, Karen, between the two of you, you have 30 years of experience with the organization. You combined have as much tenure as the organization itself does. So for what you've done, what you do, your commitment to your team, to everybody here's to another 30 years of a touch of understanding [00:55:00] and helping people understand what it's like to walk in somebody else's shoes.

So thank you. 

Meghan Adamski: Thank you so much for having us.

Jeff Holden: Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. We hope today's episode inspired you and gave you a deeper look into the work of our local nonprofits. If you believe in our mission to amplify their voices, please take a moment to leave us a positive review and share this episode with a friend.

It helps more people discover the incredible work happening in our community. Don't miss future episodes. Subscribe to our weekly updates and monthly newsletter@nonprofitpod.com. And if you're part of a nonprofit that would like to be featured, we'd love to hear from you. Just visit the guest tab on our website.

The nonprofit Podcast Network is recorded and produced at Hear Meow Studio with generous support from our founding partners, captrust, fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations serving Sacramento, Roseville, and [00:56:00] Folsom. And online@captrust.com and Western Health Advantage local care Community impact.

Find the plan that fits@westernhealth.com and to our newest partner, core Interim and fractional Executive Leadership, comprehensive Back Office support Services. We work in it so you can work on it. Visit CX OR e.com.