The Story from APM

Teamwork in the Trailer Park

Monday, May 11 2009

Teamwork in THE TRAILER PARK

Theresa Phillips

All this week, American Public Media is running a special series on a number of shows: Marketplace, Speaking of Faith, American RadioWorks. The idea is to explore The Next American Dream.

Theresa Phillips' vision of the American Dream for her children is that they are safe, regardless of the path they take in life. Her work within a trailer park women's co-op in Battle Creek, Mich., shaped that vision. Theresa says she moved to the community to escape an abusive past. To her surprise, she found many women in the same boat. So Theresa invited all the women in the trailer park to her lot to figure out how they could change their lives. Dick Gordon talks with Theresa about how helping out with childcare and food turned into a vibrant, home-grown support network, a new kind of American Dream.

• Find out more about the Woman's Co-op

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What's Working? Boot Camps

Naomi Nazario, BJ Gaddour           >> more

Here's another story in our occasional series, What's Working, Who's Working. Naomi Nazario and BJ Gaddour are newly married and running a fitness boot camp business in Milwaukee that is thriving despite the down economy.

But it hasn't been smooth sailing. The two had to reinvent their business when they got a big scare: A major corporate client cut their hours in half. Naomi and BJ talk about what they did to create a group fitness business that's working.

• Learn more about Naomi and BJ's boot camp business

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