Oct 23, 2019
Kids can change us just by being
themselves. When we give them opportunities to find solutions to
problems, their innovative imaginations are amazing. The results
create a world-changing ripple effect. My guest this week is
Alison Storm. Alison saw an opportunity to provide
clean water to communities in India by partnering with the savviest
business owners, kids. Alison founded Crowd Sourcing
Kids to bring kids together to fully fund a
well-drilling project in India, changing lives forever! When
children join forces to help with Crowd Sourcing Kids, babies will
live, girls will be educated, and people will stay healthy. I’m so
excited to hear more from Allison, and I know you’re going to love
it too!
4:08 - The Alison 101
- After graduating from a Journalism
program in college, Alison learned of a very unique contest in her
hometown. She lived in a car with five other people for a chance to
win the car. Shortly after the contest she became a local celebrity
and started putting her Journalism training to work at a local news
station.
- Her career led her to a CBS
affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina but after having to cover
too many heart-breaking stories she decided she had to find a way
out.
- Alison soon began freelance
writing for major magazines. After her son was born she received an
offer to work in morning radio for a Christian radio station and
decided to take a chance and try it out.
- The show was the first of its kind
in Christian radio: A television show for radio, streamed live and
made available to watch later as well.
- Joy was thrilled at the
opportunity to work on more uplifting stories with a TV/Radio
format, and recently celebrated her five-year anniversary of
working at His Radio!
9:24 - World Water
Crisis
- While working for His Radio, Joy
started learning about the global water crisis (people world-wide
lacking access to clean water, and water scarcity for certain
communities in the world).
- She became involved in water
missions and one of her first fundraisers involved riding Vesper
scooters around North and South Carolina.
- Progress is made when people stand
up and say, “we can do something.” Everyone has the power to make a
small change that inspires a collective wave of change. God has
equipped us to do good work, take action, and make
change.
- During worship on Sunday, an idea
popped into Alison’s head to involve children in helping ease the
world water crisis.
14:06 – The Origin of Crowd
Sourcing Kids
- Alison first worked with an
organization called “Set
Free” that drills wells in Liberia, Sierra Leon, and
India. Alison made the tough choice to go to India when her son was
very young, and it changed her life.
- Set Free also rescues children
from slavery. Alison spent time with a pastor who risks his life to
save children from slavery. Witnessing young children working in
mines changed Alison’s life forever and showed her a new purpose
for her work.
- Crowd Sourcing Kids helps rescued
kids learn new skills in safe working conditions. Children in
America sell elephants handmade by children in India to raise funds
to build wells in local villages in India.
- The crowd sourcing idea means 50
kids come together to fund a well in India. It’s also a learning
opportunity to show kids they can make a difference.
22:09 - Train Up A
Child
- Crowd Sourcing Kids started on
World Water Day in 2018 and are on the 5th well of the program. Now
thousands of people have clean water, and it’s all because of
kids.
- Kids of all ages participate, and
traditions continue as the children grow up. Kids learn valuable
lessons about generosity and kindness at a young age.
- Compassion, responsibility, and a
sense of significance kills entitlement. Kids need to feel like
they have the power to make meaningful contributions and knowledge
that helps them learn to appreciate their blessings.
43:43 - Getting To Know Our
Guest
Find out what Alison’s “Walk Up
Song” would be, who she’d pick to play her in a movie, her biggest
pet peeve, and what TV show she recently made an appearance on! And
of course, stay tuned to hear what it means to her to run a
business with purpose.
Memorable quotes:
- ~49:17 - “Running a business with
purpose means realizing just how blessed you are and being able to
then turn around and take those blessings and use them in a way to
help others.
- ~49:32 – “That’s really the heart
of Crowd Sourcing Kids. I just want kids to realize how blessed
they are growing up where they’re growing up.”
- ~49:41 - “No matter what you’re
facing, you’ve been given so much and there’s a purpose for that,
there’s a reason. You’re that bridge to those who don’t have as
much.”
His Radio airs across the
Carolinas and coastal Georgia. You can hear Alison on Hisradio.com or
download the His Radio app. It’s also streamed on Roku, Apple TV,
and Alexa (request His Morning Crew)! You can find Alison on
Instagram at @alistorm
Learn more about Crowd Sourcing
Kids HERE. What if Business with Purpose Podcast kids
could pitch in and build a well from this episode?! That would be
AMAZING! Boxes also come with tools to help teach your kids about
the world water crisis.
- LINKS: https://setfreealliance.org/
- http://www.CrowdsourcingKids.com
ABOUT ALISON STORM:
Alison Storm was born, raised and
educated in the land of corn and pigs (Iowa) but now happily calls
the south home. An Iowa State University journalism graduate,
Alison began her career as a television reporter working in
newsrooms around the country. These days, on top of being a part of
HIS Morning Crew with Rob and Jim, Alison serves as the features
editor of Belle magazine and facilitates Financial Peace University
at her church. In 2018 she founded Crowdsourcing Kids, an
organization that taps into the entrepreneurial spirits of young
people to fund wells in India and support children rescued from
slavery.
Alison loves to explore and her most
powerful journeys have been to Liberia, West Africa and Andhra
Pradesh, India to drill wells and share the Gospel in remote
villages with Set Free. Alison and her husband Tim have two
beautiful children, Sammy and Fanny.