Ingram's December 2022

F or Lisa Gioia, the time-talent-treasure formula that defines American philanthropy is a three-legged stool that can’t hold up on the strength of big donations alone. Throughout her career as a CPA, with a large national firm early, then with her own practice for most of her career, time and talent have defined much of her giving. She’s contributed both, in ample amounts, to nearly 90 non-profits, offering counsel to help them get their financial houses in order, training employees new to the field, mentoring and teaching, often with organizations focused on youth. “It’s not just about giving back; it’s about giving forwards,” Gioia says. “When you think about young people if they can’t go to college but want to, and you can help get them into school, that’s a huge positive for them, but the way I look at it, it’s a huge positive for all of us in the future. If they get knowledge and learn, who knows? Maybe someday they’ll be the ones to help cure can cer.” Her call to service started early, inspired by her parents. Each Sunday morning, she received her allowance before church, she recalls, “but they only let us keep it if we put part of it the envelope to put in the collection basket.” They would also volunteer frequently, through the church and with non-profit causes, “and that’s what motivated me to devote my time and talent,” she says. The passion for making a differ ence by teaching others also started at home—her father was a long-time teacher in the Park Hill district—and was enhanced during her college years at Avila University. “One of the math teachers asked if I would tutor other students who were adults, and I was 18,” Gioia says. “These ladies didn’t under stand math very well, so that was another inspiration to give time and talent.” The fact that she was the beneficiary of a full scholarship to Avila was formative, as well. “That inspired me to give forward in the future for other schools,” she says. That

H is name was Carl Specht, and he had the world at his fingertips as a young, well-educated professional in the prime of his life. But he harbored a darker side that his family struggled with for years before Carl took his own life in 2017. For many families, grief would take over at that point. His parents, Kelly and Bob Specht were having none of that, and today, Carl’s Cause is spreading a gospel of hope for those mired in hopelessness by promoting mental health aware

ness. “There was a defining moment shortly after losing Carl, our family wondered how we would survive this,” Kelly remembers. “Bob made the state ment ‘We have to bring mental health awareness to the Stadium Level.’ That statement motivated us to do something in Carl’s memory. If this could happen to

KELLY & BOB SPECHT

Carl, it could happen to anyone—we made a commitment to bring awareness out in the open.” Carl loved sports, so a natural opportunity seemed to be getting stadium score boards around the nation to proclaim the message: “It’s OK to not be OK—there is help!” One in five people will suffer a mental health crisis of some kind in their lifetime, she notes: “That is a lot of people in any given row at a stadium.” The Spechts agony didn’t begin with Carl’s death. “Access to care was a huge obstacle for Carl, especially after moving back to Kansas City from California,” Bob says. “Also, HIPPA laws prevented us from helping him get the help he needed, and his mind prevented him from understanding. There was not a safety net.” When The University of Kansas Health Sys tem asked them for a three-year commitment to fund the first Behavior Health Navigator, he says, “we knew this was something that would have helped Carl. We also learned, there are few ‘grateful patients’ who give back to Behavior Health” compared to other service lines such as cancer or heart cases. The hospital connected them with the Royals, and last year saw the first ‘Mental Wellness Day at the K,’ with Bob throwing out the first pitch, Kelly in the Buck O’Neil seat, and more than 500 Carl’s Cause supporters in the stands wearing ‘green t-shirts’ for mental health. The Spechts have also teamed with the KC Royals and Blue KC to promote the new 988 crisis hotline. The organization’s web site provides resources and compelling tales about the impact the Spects have already had. “It means everything to us to know we are saving lives,” Bob says. “Kelly and I have the ‘lived experience’ of trying to get help for our young adult son who needed help and we couldn’t help him. We don’t want anyone to go through that same traumatic expe rience of losing a child or loved one.”

service has included a seat on her alma mater’s board and working with its big annual Steer Dinner fund- raiser to fund scholar- ships, and through UMKC and the Center for Non- Profit Leadership. Com pared to the resources of a big company, it’s con siderably harder to make an impact as a one-wom an business entity. That challenge, though, can be as much about desire as it is about resources. “I think it’s both,” she says.

LISA GIOIA, CPA

“So you tie your business mission and values into philanthropy. If you do, you receive a lifetime of joy, whether working with not-for-profits like I do or with for-profits.” And that giving, she says, comes back to the business side. “In the long run, for me, working with not-for-profits, I would get so many referrals that I never really had to go out and get clients. It’s all about making a difference and networking, not just giving money.”

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I n g r a m ’ s

Kansas City’s Business Media

December 2022