Nonprofit organizations do so much to enhance the quality of life in our communities, but they often lack the time, talent and budget to properly promote their missions and attract more donors, volunteers and clients to their cause. Here on Buzz4Good! we feature the great work that nonprofits do. And we provide them with marketing tips and tools so they can achieve more buzz! Buzz4Good! is hosted by Michael Hemphill, creator of the award-winning public television show "BUZZ," which features nonprofit organizations receiving pro bono "marketing makeovers" from teams of creative advertising professionals.
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October 19, 2026Episode 535 min
Buzz4Good's "The Angel Effect": How to best care for your pets
On today’s show BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill is buzzing again with the Roanoke, Virginia animal welfare nonprofit Angels of Assisi for the next installment of “The Angel Effect.” Michael chats with Angels of Assisi veterinarian Dr. Cam Warter, who shares her experiences caring for dogs and cats – and how we humans can better care for our four-legged friends, both those that are strays out in the world, and the beloved pets living in our homes.
September 2, 2026Episode 459 min
Buzzing about "The Angel Effect" & R.A.M. House
On today’s show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill introduces a new segment, The Angel Effect , which is being produced in partnership with Angels of Assisi . Based in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, Angels of Assisi is a nonprofit Community Pet Clinic & Adoption Center whose mission is to create a world where every pet in our community gets the care they need and a home they deserve. So we kick off this new segment with a conversation with executive director Lisa O'Neill and development director Carol Jessee. And just a few hundred feet down the road from Angels of Assisi is the new home of R.A.M. House (Roanoke Area Ministries), a day shelter for Roanoke’s unhoused population. Michael shares a tour he got of RAM House’s Jain Care Center from executive director Melissa Woodson as she and her staff prepare for an open house and ribbon cutting on Sept. 25. Mark your calendars for this amazing community celebration.
August 21, 2026Episode 359 min
Buzzing about House of Bread
On today’s Buzz4Good, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill is buzzing about … bread! Specifically the nonprofit House of Bread , based in Roanoke, Virginia, that helps women who are struggling to overcome a past of addiction, abuse, incarceration and other challenges by teaching them to bake bread alongside a caring community of volunteers. House of Bread is holding its first annual Bake Off fundraiser on Sept. 19. Listen as Michael talks with House of Bread program coordinator Lisa Goad. We also share some of our newest BUZZ television show that stars Calfee Community and Cultural Center, a revitalization of an historic African American school in Pulaski, Virginia. That episode airs Wednesday, August 26, at 7 pm on Blue Ridge PBS.
August 10, 2026Episode 259 min
Buzzing about Harvest Time & Historical Preservation
Today’s show is yet another reminder of the breadth and depth of the powerful work that nonprofits do to build better community for us all. If you have a garden you know it’s almost harvest time, so BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill shares a conversation with Mo McGonagle, director of the Roanoke Foodshed Network, about its work strengthening our region’s agricultural ecosystem that now includes a Food and Farmers Trail. We also share a nonprofit engaged in the historical preservation of an iconic Roanoke, Virginia landmark, Fishburn Mansion, aka Mountain View, and a new concert series this fall called The Fishburn Sessions. And lastly, a personal project inspired by a nonprofit we featured on BUZZ back in 2021 — Christiansburg Institute. One hundred and sixty years ago, Black Americans in this Appalachian corner of Virginia rose up from slavery and segregation to create a school whose reputation stood alongside Tuskegee, Hampton and other sentinels of Black education. But now external threats from the Trump Administration and in-fighting among its descendants – assault allegations, mental health breakdowns, strokes, and in May 2026 a headline-grabbing lawsuit – threaten to destroy its inspirational legacy. Michael has written a book about CI’s history that he’ll start releasing on Substack on Thursday, August 13, We share a bit of that book in hopes you’ll be inspired to subscribe (for free and all you need is an email address).
July 10, 2026Episode 159 min
Buzzing about the power of POWHR: Environmental Justice nonprofit's win over Mountain Valley Pipeline
On today’s show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill is buzzing about the power of POWHR (Protect Our Water Heritage and Rights). Whenever nonprofits have to go up against big for-profit companies it’s often like David vs. Goliath … but with David lacking any stones for his sling. But recently a Southwest Virginia environmental nonprofit used its power to successfully stymy – for now at least – construction of a massive 25-acre, 136,900 hp compressor station that Mountain Valley Pipeline wanted to build in a rural section of Montgomery County. Michael chats with POWHR community organizer Crystal Mello – who prefers to describe herself as the local cleaning lady and a nanna — and double Hokie Seferina Olivo, who is POWHR’s community science manager, about POWHR’s fight against Mountain Valley Pipeline … and its work to establish environmental justice for Southwest Virginia.
June 13, 2026Episode 2859 min
Buzzing about GiveLocalNRV nonprofit giving day
On today's show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill is buzzing about one of his favorite days of the year, a day that celebrates more than 130 nonprofit organizations in the New River Valley of Virginia: GiveLocalNRV kicking off at noon on June 24 and ends noon on June 25. It’s a 24-hour fundraising marathon coordinated by our good friends at the Community Foundation of the New River Valley, which seeks to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the nonprofits that serve the NRV. To talk about the day and its impact, Michael chats with Community Foundation assistant director Lindsey Gleason-Reed. We also talk with a new nonprofit that helps children who struggle in a traditional academic environment: Why Not Workshop.
June 5, 2026Episode 2759 min
Buzzing about Law Enforcement's SHIELD Chaplaincy
On today's show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill talks with the founder of SHIELD Chaplaincy amidst this week's tragic killing of Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Logan Utt. Just before Utt's May 29 shooting death, the nonprofit SHIELD Chaplaincy reached out seeking some buzz for its work helping law enforcement officers throughout the Roanoke area handle the trauma and stresses of their work so that they can better serve our communities and their families. Listen to our conversation with Darren Potter, founding chaplain of SHIELD Chaplaincy.
May 15, 2026Episode 2659 min
Buzzing about Refugees, Immigrants and Commonwealth Catholic Charities
On today’s show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill is buzzing about Commonwealth Catholic Charities ... specifically its vital role welcoming to our communities some of the most incredible and inspiring people you’ll ever meet, though they're increasingly under attack by our very government: immigrants and refugees. Michael chats with the nonprofit’s Khalefia Dungee, volunteer extraordinaire Beth Ruffing, and Samim Noorzad, whose amazing journey from his native Afghanistan to Roanoke, Virginia, is sure to uplift you. Learn more about an upcoming CCC event for which Michael is providing some ... buzz!
May 8, 2026Episode 2559 min
Buzzing about College Access Nonprofits
On today’s show BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill buzzes about about college … and the unaffordability of it for too many high school graduates who are getting ready to walk the stage this month and receive their diplomas. Thankfully some nonprofits have stepped up to work on this issue, and we speak with two that are headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia: Project Discovery and Friends of the Blue Ridge!
April 24, 2026Episode 241 hr 0 min
Buzzing about The Bridge Institute: Nonprofit Community Mediation and Restorative Justice
Conflict is natural, but can be painful, so on today show's show, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill chats with Chelsea Cleary, program manager of The Bridge Institute, a nonprofit resource center that provides mediation and restorative justice for individuals, families, neighborhoods, and businesses in Roanoke Virginia. In increasingly unsettling times, The Bridge Institute helps people resolve conflict and create healing. Listen to Chelsea's personal journey of family trauma, and her tips on how to bridge challenging relationships in a world that increasingly seeks to divide us.
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