#44 - Brenna Synnestvedt - Cure Chiroptophobia

About this episode

Brenna Synnestvedt discusses her work at the Bryn Athyn Thrift Shop and her experiences supporting refugees and building community.

My friends and I love to thrift, and Brenna Synnestvedt has been part of The Bryn Athyn Thrift Shop (better known as BATS) , my personal favorite, for the past 25 years, recently taking on management. She thrives on supporting the 90 volunteers and 7 staff to find their niche, transforming a simple thrift store into so much more than a place to donate unwanted items. On the surface, BATS might seem like just a spot for "spring-cleaning donations," with proceeds benefiting the Bryn Athyn Church. But as Brenna explains, it’s a vibrant community where people born in 72 different countries come together to belong. Brenna has traveled to 42 countries, and in her early 20s, she lived in Bangkok, supporting refugees fleeing the Vietnam War. After marrying Chris Nunez, they returned to Thailand to continue refugee work, served together as Peace Corps volunteers on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, and later lived in Romania, where Chris worked with the Peace Corps. These experiences fit with her lifelong fascination with people and cultures, a perspective she has shared with her kids, Reece and Raika. Today, she channels that curiosity into helping to make a space where everyone feels…

People in this episode

Host: Ethan C. Lewin

Guest: Brenna Synnestvedt

Topics covered

• thrifting
• community
• cultural exchange
• volunteering
• refugee support

Keywords

• thrift shop
• community building
• refugees
• volunteering
• cultural diversity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bryn Athyn Thrift Shop, BATS, Bryn Athyn Church

Places: Bangkok, Vietnam, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, Romania

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