Thrive International Gets National Spotlight with Dennis Quaid.
A film crew visited Thrive Center this Wednesday to film an upcoming corporate documentary featuring the work of Thrive International. The short five-minute feature will air on Viewpoint, a nationally syndicated program on PBS, late this Spring. Viewpoint is hosted by Dennis Quaid, who you might remember from movies like 'Frequency,' 'The Rookie' and 'The Day After Tomorrow.' His show features a variety of innovative organizations and out-of-the-box thinkers who are finding solutions to problems unique to their industry.
The producers of Viewpoint selected Thrive after hearing about their unique approach to the Ukraine refugee crisis: using spaces like vacant hotels to offer temporary housing and programming solutions - a collaboration of community members, faith groups, and state government.
Actor Dennis Quaid, current host of Viewpoint, a series documenting inovative solutions in industries and organizations.
The film crew interviewed three people to gain different perspectives of the organization: Executive Director Mark Finney, refugee advocate Boris Borisov, and a current resident at Thrive Center, Mariia. As two key operators of the development team, Finney and Borisov shared Thrive Center's mission, work, and programs. From a resident's perspective, Mariia explained the impact that Thrive Center and the Spokane community have had on her and her daughter's lives.
Mariia, a current resident at Thrive Center.
When asked why Viewpoint's documentary is important for the community to hear about, film crew member Nick Swoboda, emphasized the need to inform the Housing First Model to support needy families. "It's remarkable to see this - it works, and it works the best in the Thrive Center."
“This short documentary will be ‘an elevator pitch’ to anyone interested in helping refugees. It will talk about how Thrive International is finding local solutions to a global crisis.”
Communications Director for Thrive International Marshall McLean said, "[Thrive Center is] an innovative solution to the refugee crisis. This short documentary will be 'an elevator pitch' to anyone interested in helping refugees. It will talk about how Thrive international is finding local solutions to a global crisis." With an email list of over a million people and local and national PBS-affiliated television networks, Viewpoint is perfectly positioned to share Thrive's story with audiences likely to resonate with their message.
McLean added, "The documentary will communicate with people who know little about us and people who would be excited to hear about us for the first time. We're getting nationally recognized. It's exciting!"
Viewpoint editors will finish their edits after four to six weeks, and Thrive's episode on Viewpoint is tentatively set to air in the Spring.
Stay tuned!
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