The Crucible of Poverty: Perspectives from the Trenches

Donn Weinberg
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Mr. Weinberg is the Executive Vice President of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, whose sole purpose is to assist financially disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals through strategic giving. He earned his B.A. degree in 1975 from The George Washington University, where he double-majored in Philosophy and Communications. He earned his law degree in 1978 from The University of Baltimore School of Law and served as Editor-in-Chief of the school’s Law Review. In law practice from 1978 through 1992, he specialized in general civil and medical malpractice litigation.

A resident of Owings Mills, Maryland, Mr. Weinberg has served on many boards in the past and currently is a board member of The Philanthropy Roundtable, the Jewish Funders Network, and RespectAbility.

Stuart Ray
Guiding Light Mission

After a career as a successful entrepreneur, Mr. Ray joined Guiding Light Mission in 2009 to serve as Executive Director. He led the Board in re-visioning of mission and methods to transition Guiding Light Mission from homeless shelter to a transformative rehabilitation program.  Under Mr. Ray’s leadership, Guiding Light has developed methods, programs, and staff to engage clients in participatory program development using empowerment models and personal accountability.   Donors have increased by 25% and revenues by 80% after stabilizing and revitalizing the funding base.   Guiding Light Mission is now positioned as a respected regional leader in homeless and rehabilitation efforts.  Over the last 2 years, Guiding Light Mission has helped over 300 men find full-time employment. Throughout 2014, they will generate over $6 million, which will go back into our local economy.

A graduate of Hope College, Ray and his wife, Anne, have three grown children. He is fond of taking neighborhood walks and reading, particularly the works of Palmer Parker. He is an elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids and active in numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness.

Anielka Münkel
PovertyCure

Ms. Anielka Münkel is a project manager at the Acton Institute and co-producer of the PovertyCure DVD Series. A native and citizen of Nicaragua, she served as advisor to the minister of tourism, promoting Nicaragua as a tourism and investment destination. She collaborated on speeches for former President Enrique Bolaños and negotiated investment opportunities with international corporations. Previously, she served as coordinator of the Government Investor Network (GIN) at PRONicaragua, the Investment Promotion Agency of the Presidency, and presented the results of this project at the United Nations High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development in 2005. She also authored “Nicaragua: A UN Pilot Country on the Road to Success” and was selected to participate in the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program. Anielka holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, where she won the grand prize in the Social Venture Plan Competition with Sustainable Health Enterprises.

Most of Anielka’s work is focused on PovertyCure, a global initiative that advances entrepreneurial solutions to poverty. Through a network of 300+ partner organizations, a media-rich website, a DVD series, and a social media following of nearly 1.5 million people, PovertyCure challenges conventional thinking and reframes the poverty debate around the creative capacity of the human person, made in the image of God.

For more information on PovertyCure, visit www.povertycure.org.

Article about PovertyCure from Catholic News Agency: "Global Network Seeks to Unite Head, Heart in Charity Work".