Dr. Joe Pecoraro - Hearts Afire, Inc.
get in touch
Dr. Joe Pecoraro is the co-founder of Hearts Afire, a Christian 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry founded in 2006 by Dr. Joe Pecoraro, Rhonda Pecoraro, and Dr. Vilma Vega, united by a shared calling to bring hope and lasting transformation to people in underserved communities around the world. What began with short-term mission work has grown into a multifaceted ministry addressing both physical and spiritual needs through medical care, clean water, Bible distribution, poverty relief, pastor and prayer support, and sustainable agricultural and other community projects. Hearts Afire believes that true impact goes beyond meeting an immediate need—it equips individuals, families, churches, and communities to flourish for generations.
The three co-founders bring uniquely complementary gifts to that mission. Dr. Joe Pecoraro, a vascular and general surgeon, provides medical, organizational, and ministry leadership; Rhonda Pecoraro, a fine artist and photographer, has helped tell the stories of the people Hearts Afire serves while leading outreach, communications, and fundraising efforts; and Dr. Vilma Vega, a board-certified infectious disease and HIV specialist with ministry training, has provided medical and spiritual leadership both in the field and on the board. Together, they have helped build Hearts Afire around a simple conviction: demonstrate the love of Christ in tangible ways, restore hope, and create change that continues long after a mission team has gone home.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
- That extraordinary impact can begin when ordinary people decide to use what they have to serve others.
- How small acts of generosity, repeated over years, compound into tens of thousands of changed lives.
- Why sustainable projects like clean water, agriculture, and healthcare create generational change far beyond temporary relief.
- That giving teaches your children and grandchildren what you value, passing generosity to the next generation.
- How long-term relationships with local leaders create deeper change than transactional charity ever can.
- Why a hand up through education and economic opportunity can be more powerful than a handout.
- That caring for the whole person means addressing physical, spiritual, educational, and economic needs together.
- How going on mission changes the giver’s perspective on gratitude, abundance, poverty, and faith.
- Why dignity matters when serving people experiencing poverty, seeing them as equal partners not projects.
- That faith becomes powerful when it moves people to action like clean water, medicine, food, and hope.
about the show
Impact Makers is a business documentary television series featuring entrepreneurs, operators, business leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are building real solutions in the world.
Each episode takes viewers inside the story behind the impact, showing what was built, why it matters, and how it works in real life. Guests share the decisions, risks, setbacks, systems, and turning points that shaped their work and helped them create measurable change.
The series highlights leaders across business, technology, education, health, community development, social enterprise, and other industries where meaningful work is being done.
Impact Makers focuses on people who are putting ideas into action and creating results that influence customers, communities, industries, and lives.
For featured guests, the series provides a platform to share their story, build authority, and give audiences a deeper look at the mission, systems, and leadership behind their impact.
