Bill Myers Inspires 

Imagine being a white person born with a life threatening illness and the only people who did not given up on you were black people. Then later finding yourself homeless and black people once again providing guidance, shelter and a pathway forward in your life. Richard Propes shares his powerful story of how black people encouraged, influenced and inspired his life.

Since 1989, Indianapolis activist/writer Richard Propes has traveled over 6,000 miles by wheelchair on a one-man mission he calls “The Tenderness Tour,” an effort to end violence in the lives of children he began in 1989 with a 41-day, 1000+ mile wheelchair ride around the state of Indiana. While Richard’s childhood story is dramatic, from his birth and unexpected survival with spina bifida to his early experiences with childhood sexual abuse, even more dramatic is the story of Richard’s survival and creation of a life far beyond anyone’s expectations including his own. Now in his early 50’s and still far surpassing medical expectations, Richard continues to be an award-winning activist and writer who has been nominated two years in a row for Indy’s “Best Human” in the Indy Star’s annual community choice awards. In addition to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for children’s organizations worldwide, Propes is the founder of the Race Away From Domestic Violence, an annual 5k event benefiting the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence that is now in its 17th year. A lifelong Indianapolis resident, Richard is the founder/publisher of TheIndependentCritic.com, a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association, and his reviews are carried on Rotten Tomatoes. He’s the author of “The Hallelujah Life” and has produced two short films, an IndyFringe show, a comedy DVD, and a number of poetry readings, concerts, and special events. He’s been the recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, Order of Kentucky Colonels, Prevent Child Abuse America’s highest honor the Donna J. Stone Award, Indiana Minority Business Magazine’s Champions of Diversity Award, and just this year received the Jefferson Award. Heartland International Film Festival presents the Richard D. Propes Social Impact Award annually in his honor. A 1994 graduate of Martin University and a graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary, he’s long worked to empower diverse voices and currently serves as the Project Director for the Money Follows the Person Program with the State of Indiana working to create opportunities for other individuals with disabilities to live in the community and chase their dreams.

https://tendernesstour.com/.  tendernesstour@ameritech.net

~ More About Bill Myers Inspires ~ 

Emmy Award-winning actor Bill Myers is an accomplished actor, jazz musician, filmmaker, writer, educator, and speaker. As a bi-racial man who is both black and white, Bill leverages his background, talents, and voice through creativity, compassion, and connection as activism for social justice to focus on uniting the divide and compelling change.

In a civic leadership capacity, he has served as President of the African American Jazz Caucus in NYC, member of the Indianapolis Cultural Development Committee, and served as President of the Indianapolis Downtown Optimist Club. In addition to his Emmy Award, Bill has received many awards and notable commissions for his work including being commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to create an original work for Dr. Martin Luther King Day entitled “The Music, Martin & Me.”

Bill Myers seeks to encourage, enlighten, and empower others through the power of entertainment to affect social justice.

You can find him at his website Billmyersinspires.com, Bill Myers Inspires on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/billmyersinspires/, Twitter https://twitter.com/bmyersinspires1, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/billmyersinspires/  , or via email billmyersinspires@gmail.com.

To get more of Bill Myers Inspires, be sure to visit the podcast page for replays of all her shows here: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/bill-myers-inspires/