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On this episode of the Dudes and Dads podcast, we're talking with our friend Francis DeSore

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about creating communities of hope.

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Joel.

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Andrew.

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It is season eight.

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Oh my goodness.

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Episode one.

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Oh my goodness.

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How has it been so long?

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Where has the time passed?

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By the way, I did see, it came up in my memories on Facebook.

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I did see a photo of myself sitting in front of a laptop

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sketching out the first ever episode

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of the Dudes and Dats podcast recently.

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- That was the introduction one, right?

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Where we just interviewed each other.

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- It was, and I had more hair.

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I did, I can tell.

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- More hair?

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- Yeah, I had the hairline had not receded quite as much.

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And so that tells you the time has passed.

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And we're wiser, we're better in touch

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things in our lives. I'm more organized, more insightful.

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I have more gray in my beard.

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No, I often feel like where did the time go? But we are here. We're excited to have each

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and every one of you along for the ride. And we're grateful that this is yet another season.

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We're kicking it off, kicking the new year off right, Andy.

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Yes, yes we are.

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Do you, you and I have talked about our feelings about New Year's resolutions.

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How we don't like them.

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like them. We just want to say every year that hopefully we're getting better every

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year. Hopefully, spiritually, we're getting more in tune, we're getting where we need

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to be, we're loving our family better, loving our kids better, all those things. But I refuse

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to make a resolution about that. And I feel like, by the way, our sermon this morning

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was around that.

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And I felt affirmed by yet another another valuable voice in my life that just said don't make resolutions just

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just continue to strive at at living a good life and

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And just not being uh not settling for the average right right okay great. Hey, it's been a great show everybody

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That's uh no hey what the thing I am resolute resoluting resolute today

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Yeah, which is bad for a show day

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But is that you can now call our studio live no you can yes you can Andy five seven four five zero one

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Four four six seven will allow you to get into our our live studio

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So we'd love to have somebody call is that something eventually that we'll have our our viewers production assistant Jamie slash Marky Mark

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He'll get to screen the calls eventually he will you're gonna have some real crackpots calling we might

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We know our audience we know

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Hey everybody. We also wanted to say

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Though we are waiting on official official sponsorships

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we've been so blessed by the people that

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Support this show make it happen because we got some bills that we have to pay every year for in various technology things

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would love to have we want to invite you if you're

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Any one of our friends business owner organization runner or whatever it is

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And you want to be a sponsor of the dudes and Ed's podcast?

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Glad to have you on board be sure to send us you could send us leave us a voicemail. Yes

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Leave us a voicemail at

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574 five zero one four four six seven fantastic or you could email us at dudes and dads podcast at gmail.com

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Would love to make that connection always love to partner with area businesses organizations that want to absolutely us keep this thing on the tracks

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Anything else you have Andy because we're we're starting the year off strong with a real with just a real strong show notes

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I'm just now making sure I'm checking out everything off the list. Okay, great. Good. Wonderful. Excellent

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Okay without any further ado then our we want to welcome our friend

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Francis Tesori who?

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Who is graciously agreed to travel all the from distant lands?

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Within this county, but I've learned that some sometimes when

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I tell folks from this area like hey

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There's a place over in Elkhart which for those of you that are from our national listeners

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It's not terribly far away. They act like it's from here to the moon, so I

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Anytime someone drives over five miles to come in the CS. I feel like they've achieved great thing right

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Francis welcome to the dudes and dads podcast glad to have you here with us. Thank you

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Privilege thank you so much. He made the drive and that alone tells me that he's he's a he's a real winner so

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So, Francis, there's, you know, when this show is all about, as we've kind of mentioned

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before the show, this show is all really about, we want to connect to our community, the people

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that have kind of entrusted us to like share stories and connect resources with people

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and to help so many, so many of our folks, our parents, or they are providing care for

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people.

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And so whenever we hear about an organization that we think just needs to get more press,

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needs to get more exposure, needs to have their story told more, we want to jump at

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that opportunity.

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So you lead such an organization in our community that provides just an essential, necessary

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partnership with folks and essential services.

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So we want to talk about that and your work at Lexington House.

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But first, we just want to talk about you a little bit.

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We want to get a little information about you.

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So this is what we call the dad stats.

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So you're a father, you've got family.

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So we just want you to tell us all the nice little biographical information that you want

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to put out on the internet right now about yourself, your family, where you come from,

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where you were born.

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Because I'm picking up on a vibe that he is maybe not a lifelong Elkhart County resident,

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but maybe we're going to find out.

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We're going to be on the train together.

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So tell us all the things you want to tell us about yourself and your life.

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friend. Okay, very good. Yeah. Can't do that. First of all, I

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go to bed about 730 PM. So we're man, we're keeping, we're

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keeping. Okay. Obviously the people who know me are like, you

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really must. And I'm like, yeah, of course I would do the drive.

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I'd stay up past my bedtime because 4am comes early. I'm an

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early riser. I win the morning. Yeah. Originally from

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Northeastern Pennsylvania. I grew up Catholic American,

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Italian American, excuse me, grew up in a Catholic parish.

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And so family is six.

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My dad working class war to that, um,

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drove ambulance for four years, active duty over in the Philippines,

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New Guinea. My mom was one of 14 or 15. I can't remember the math.

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Um, but more grew up in an orphanage, um, and was a caregiver.

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So we have a family that's, um, people of service.

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my sisters, I have four older sisters and an older brother,

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brother served in the military, my siblings, nurses,

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and or a school teacher and or social worker. Yeah.

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So I'm like, um, yeah,

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this is my pathway to serve and to serve our community.

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So I have a degree from Rutgers university,

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master's degree in social work took back in the eighties,

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coming up on 40 years being a social worker, uh,

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which I'm very proud of.

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I couldn't always say that because back in the eighties being a male social worker

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You were your odd guy out. I was the odd guy out. Yes, that's true. But over time

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Very blessed. I have a godson who is a social worker

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He got his degree from Columbia University out of New York

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And my son has his degrees master's from I

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Indiana University of Social Work and he does hospice work out in the Portland area

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And neither one in I have ever said, Hey, go be a social worker.

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I said, go make money or marry rich.

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And so both of them have done well,

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but they have found fulfillment in their lives.

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And so when we get together, we get together and I enjoy their company.

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And so it wasn't too bad of a choice to go into social work.

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Originally I was looking at the seminary back through high school cause I went

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at the parochial school.

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And I was like, oh, that's a good pathway.

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It just did not feel right to me.

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I pursued some athletics and then I realized,

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well, five concussions in football,

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probably not the best way to go.

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And that was way before the knowledge we have today.

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So I'm like, no, academics is the best way to go.

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Finally, since we were talking a little bit about Francis,

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since you asked, and I really don't like talking

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about Francis. Impact for me is during my high school years in early 80s,

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definitely during my graduate years. I was a caregiver, co caregiver with mom

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for dad who back in those days Alzheimer's was a new term in early 80s.

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Hardening of the arteries was really the term, but working class row home. So dad

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stayed home and we took care of him, um,

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throughout almost 1980s, um,

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till about 1988. So that was my high school, college and graduate.

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That was my relationship as a caregiver with mom.

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My older siblings were out and they were having their families and I was at home

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made a huge impact for me, uh,

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appreciation of life and has led me to move into the field that

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I'm in now and working in mental health, brain health,

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with adults who have a history of, uh, severe persistent conditions.

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Um, but eventually led me down the road to working at a clubhouse and

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clubhouses really are about bringing life back into people and like,

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let's work on the strengths. Let's have a need to be needed.

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Rather than, uh, what's your illness? Because we're human beings and that's the,

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that's clubhouse. And I really enjoy that about the model.

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I spent a lot of my time, my profession first 38 years,

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hard to believe that's gone past. Um,

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mostly in high acuity work, working first responders,

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working at state hospitals, uh,

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work for two great nonprofits here in the Elkhart area.

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One being Oakland psychiatric center,

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which I work a good chunk of my career and also for faith mission of

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Michiana during the pandemic, which was really interesting time, which

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What a nice way to put that.

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Between those two experiences, I grew up a lot and was ready to take on this next

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pathway of stewarding Lexington House.

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One thing that a lot of people don't know about Elkhart County, we're really rich,

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rich in kindness and humanity. And it is proof. And I,

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hear me out. There's 330 to 350 clubhouses around the world.

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The model has been around since 1948. Obviously something's working.

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And in the United States is about 220.

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And in Indiana there's 11 clubhouses.

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You know how many clubhouse Elkhart County has? No. Wrong answer.

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I'd say two.

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two would be a good answer, right? Because there are.

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So why does this County have two clubhouses? Yeah.

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Right. There's 92 counties in Indiana.

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And we have two of the whatever.

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What does that say about Elkhart County and the communities of Goshen and Elkhart?

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Yeah. We were caring, caring County. Yeah.

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Yeah. And the means, right.

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And because it is back to that richness of kindness and

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our humanity. So I will share a little bit about Lexington house. Cause that's

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really what I want to talk about.

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So in just specifically, you've talked about this clubhouse model.

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And as a national model, there's, there's a certification,

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accreditation sort of things.

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And then it's expressed specifically within these clubs that are in our

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communities. So yeah, break that down.

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Yeah. Tell us a little bit about, about the clubhouse in general.

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And then you can.

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Absolutely. So clubhouse is an international.

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I was giving you the globe look rather than Indiana.

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And with it,

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it starts with a need to be needed and supportive community

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started in 48 out of New York city. Um,

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some individuals, so the folklore goes, but I'm pretty sure it's pretty accurate.

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Some individuals got discharged from a state hospital, just North Manhattan,

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started meeting at the, um, steps of the library.

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And they said, Hey, people don't really get us.

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And I'm paraphrasing because I wasn't there, but I would,

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I read enough and have heard enough in clubhouse world saying they don't get us.

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We need to support each other for employment, housing.

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And you know, they don't get us. We're human beings. We're not our diagnosis,

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not the illness. So eventually something came out of it called Fountainhouse.

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And Fountainhouse is the flagship of the clubhouses.

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It's in Hill's Kitchen.

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I think it's on 47th street on West side.

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And it was a donation of a property that had a fat one in the back.

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And so it began and Clem House has really picked up traction.

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Um, in the fifties where they got some structure,

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they added some staff rather than just people coming together and saying, Hey,

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we've got to support each other by how we do that.

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And then in the eighties, they really took off. Took off means people say,

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there's value here. And what is the value?

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The real win is for, um,

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people to come to clubhouse and not be alone.

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And I've been in the game a long time and I've worked on the full gamut of

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mental health for adults.

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Being alone is probably, it is not okay.

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especially if you have a condition that's starting to become ill.

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So the episode for our mental health situation could arise quickly by coming to

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club. You're not alone. Guarantee there's going to be somebody there.

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Now that doesn't mean that we do treat, we don't do treatment at club.

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We link you to the systems. I mean,

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the nice thing about Lexington house is that we're five blocks from the Oakland

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2600, the Goshen clubhouse is right near here. Lake, uh, Lakeview area,

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which is the main hub for Oakland,

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we will help if we can to get people there.

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If not, we will call for the necessary need

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to get people there.

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And Oakland has this great system, they will come out.

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What a great community we live in, right?

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And so Clubhouse, the win is if you come here,

234
00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:14,300
you won the day.

235
00:15:15,290 --> 00:15:19,740
Rather than staying at home or what you call home,

236
00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,840
sleeping like a good chunk of the day in isolation.

237
00:15:25,220 --> 00:15:29,120
Right? You know, again, that takes a lot of courage to come.

238
00:15:29,220 --> 00:15:33,660
So I'm inspired every day I go to work because I don't see it as it is work.

239
00:15:33,820 --> 00:15:38,540
Right. But at the end of the day, I get inspired every day.

240
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:43,020
People come in. I'm like, we're going to, we're going to have fun here.

241
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,100
And then they said, what do you do at a club? Do you play games?

242
00:15:46,460 --> 00:15:48,960
Do you do arts and craft? That's a day program.

243
00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:54,539
The one element about mental health is that

244
00:15:54,940 --> 00:15:55,940
It doesn't discriminate.

245
00:15:56,770 --> 00:15:58,320
And what I mean it doesn't discriminate

246
00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:01,780
is that we have an amazing group of people

247
00:16:01,790 --> 00:16:04,880
who come to club 'cause they come from all aspects

248
00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,040
of our community and they bring such talents

249
00:16:08,180 --> 00:16:09,280
and gifts and energy.

250
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:12,280
Wow, right? - Yeah.

251
00:16:12,620 --> 00:16:14,320
- So what do they do at a club?

252
00:16:14,380 --> 00:16:18,160
They run the business of Clubhouse in the work order day.

253
00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:19,440
You come to club, people say,

254
00:16:19,860 --> 00:16:22,000
"What can I learn about club?"

255
00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:23,780
Best way, come for a tour.

256
00:16:23,780 --> 00:16:29,220
We're open eight to four most clubs are because we simulate a work order day. Okay, you show up

257
00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:36,880
We'll show you you'll see a lot of whiteboards because we only have two meetings a day and the meetings are who's gonna do what?

258
00:16:36,900 --> 00:16:43,560
Everything's voluntary at a clubhouse. Nobody tells you what to do. So you don't have to do anything showing up is the win

259
00:16:44,620 --> 00:16:50,700
Right now all things are possible post but if I can start doing some things like I used to do oh my

260
00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:58,360
Confidence build resiliency comes back color comes back into you and saying I can do this I can do that right

261
00:16:58,670 --> 00:17:04,660
I'm sorry. I'm speaking. I'm very passionate about we love it. Yeah, so use the term use the term color comes back into life

262
00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:06,020
I love that. I love that image

263
00:17:06,939 --> 00:17:11,760
Because for some for so many they're kind of living in this gray black and white

264
00:17:12,699 --> 00:17:15,600
World where the kind of color has been been drained out of their life

265
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:21,280
they're not they're not feeling the excitement and vibrancy of

266
00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,199
of to affect their own lives positively.

267
00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,400
They feel like they're kind of, cause I, I've, I mean,

268
00:17:26,579 --> 00:17:29,720
from hearing from stories from folks, it's kind of like,

269
00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:34,740
uh, I didn't know, uh, you know,

270
00:17:34,740 --> 00:17:38,440
I didn't know the way back to kind of live, living my own life,

271
00:17:38,540 --> 00:17:40,740
living my own life and experiencing, you know, I,

272
00:17:40,940 --> 00:17:45,040
I knew what happiness or joy in life was maybe at some point.

273
00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,220
I remember that, but it just seemed like that was like out of, out of reach.

274
00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:50,100
And then I came to club.

275
00:17:50,980 --> 00:17:53,660
And then I'm with these other people.

276
00:17:53,660 --> 00:17:55,020
I have a community now.

277
00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:57,300
I have purpose.

278
00:17:58,159 --> 00:17:59,780
I'm needed there.

279
00:18:00,420 --> 00:18:03,860
And then I'm building skills back.

280
00:18:03,900 --> 00:18:05,280
I'm gaining confidences back.

281
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,140
And then this kind of--

282
00:18:07,140 --> 00:18:08,300
It's like that snowball, right?

283
00:18:08,799 --> 00:18:10,540
As you do something, you get more confident,

284
00:18:10,700 --> 00:18:12,060
then you can do more.

285
00:18:12,740 --> 00:18:15,320
And I just have to imagine that getting to see that sort of

286
00:18:15,260 --> 00:18:20,480
thing on a regular basis to see that that process of color coming back to

287
00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:24,620
people's lives I mean that's pretty that's pretty inspiring I think.

288
00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:31,080
Yes you can think that and I'll confirm it. Yeah. Two really quick just examples

289
00:18:32,460 --> 00:18:38,180
clubs are open on major holidays and so Christmas this year, New Year's, clubs

290
00:18:38,260 --> 00:18:44,460
open 10 to 2. We are a work family so for those who don't have family or don't

291
00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:48,900
have access to their biological family or what they consider, they come in the club.

292
00:18:51,340 --> 00:18:57,360
And I really took note this year, we have moved to our new location, because we're a

293
00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:58,960
business that has grown in five years.

294
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,400
I will talk maybe at the end a little bit about that, because it's a business and you

295
00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:03,600
have to grow a business, right?

296
00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:04,480
Or you're out of business.

297
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:13,440
And the other part of that is like to sit back and watch individuals come in and to

298
00:19:14,380 --> 00:19:19,220
have fun, enjoy other people's company, laugh.

299
00:19:20,510 --> 00:19:24,120
I was looking around and I was like, we played bingo.

300
00:19:24,570 --> 00:19:29,640
We had, we created our, we had pizza bingo for new year's and we created our own subs

301
00:19:29,700 --> 00:19:31,700
and we did some coloring and some other work.

302
00:19:31,850 --> 00:19:33,040
And you said, well, that sounds like club.

303
00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,060
I said, we're not in work order day.

304
00:19:35,180 --> 00:19:35,760
It's a holiday.

305
00:19:35,970 --> 00:19:38,720
Just like all families, you don't do work on holidays.

306
00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:41,480
You have fun and enjoy each other's company.

307
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:43,300
And we had so much fun.

308
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:44,940
People were laughing and I'm like,

309
00:19:46,820 --> 00:19:49,220
I've enjoyed when some of Oakland staff

310
00:19:49,260 --> 00:19:50,460
have dropped by the club

311
00:19:50,790 --> 00:19:52,380
because they see people in different outfits.

312
00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:53,040
- Okay.

313
00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:55,600
- You know, we are so blessed to have

314
00:19:55,730 --> 00:19:57,140
in Oakland Psychiatric Center,

315
00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:58,240
Community Mental Health Center,

316
00:19:58,340 --> 00:19:59,320
they're working on the,

317
00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:05,220
Imagine if you're not in one of those 92 counties that don't have one of those. What do you do that?

318
00:20:05,300 --> 00:20:09,120
Right, we have or a faith mission of Michiano

319
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:17,420
We have we have we have a lot of very good resources. So both Christmas and New Year's this year

320
00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:21,560
I was like we're in a home which has been converted into a clubhouse

321
00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:27,740
Person out of Fort Wayne Fort Wayne has a clubhouse carriage house. It's really the flagship

322
00:20:27,740 --> 00:20:33,080
It's the largest one they average about 37 38 people a day. We do about 17

323
00:20:33,570 --> 00:20:37,920
But we're down a kitchen unit which we've had to renovate and create a kitchen unit

324
00:20:38,220 --> 00:20:44,060
Which involves a capital campaign and health department and all that piece. We're almost there

325
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,820
We're gonna be there by February 1st

326
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:52,920
So our attendance will jump for that but people are saying you're an anomaly clubhouses usually start with kitchens

327
00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:59,020
We're like we really start with people coming together because they want to be connected with people and we're proving that because we saw it

328
00:20:59,040 --> 00:20:59,340
doing the

329
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,020
our clubhouse the Lexington and clubhouse

330
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:05,660
Started September 3rd

331
00:21:05,900 --> 00:21:06,280
2020

332
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,080
Right, so get a call from Clubhouse International

333
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,000
From the person who's been with them a long time since I have one question for me surge

334
00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,800
really nice guy came and did an accreditation for us later.

335
00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:26,460
And he goes, "So why are you opening a nonprofit

336
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:28,500
"in the middle of why everybody's shutting down

337
00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:29,260
"a nonprofit?"

338
00:21:29,260 --> 00:21:30,280
And here's what I said to him,

339
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,240
and I'm gonna say it tomorrow at the Rotary,

340
00:21:33,580 --> 00:21:34,840
Elkhart Rotary, I'll be talking about

341
00:21:34,900 --> 00:21:36,160
our five-year anniversary.

342
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:38,320
This is Elkhart County.

343
00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:42,500
"What better time to add light to the hope?"

344
00:21:42,580 --> 00:21:43,480
- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

345
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:45,360
- We have not forgotten.

346
00:21:45,860 --> 00:21:46,000
- Yeah.

347
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:49,340
we opened with $4,000,

348
00:21:50,180 --> 00:21:53,600
probably about three or four pending members, right.

349
00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,180
And River of Life Church outstanding again,

350
00:21:57,180 --> 00:22:00,320
a resource in the community at that time, they said, Hey, nobody,

351
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,160
we can't have funeral dah, dah, dah. We can't have wedding. We have all this space.

352
00:22:04,860 --> 00:22:06,080
We're like, we can use that.

353
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,820
And we became really good at virtual clubhouse because nobody else could.

354
00:22:10,900 --> 00:22:15,020
So we playing field was even among all the other clubhouse.

355
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,140
Nobody else knew how to do it.

356
00:22:16,140 --> 00:22:18,100
And we're like, we do, and we don't have any bad habits

357
00:22:18,300 --> 00:22:18,980
because you guys have them

358
00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:20,100
because you've been running a clubhouse.

359
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:25,200
So we grew and we have grown significantly.

360
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:29,460
Our budget is about, not about FY 26 is going to be 300

361
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:32,480
and roughly 58,000, right?

362
00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,460
We have four staff, full-time, which is awesome.

363
00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:38,720
We have an incredible board.

364
00:22:39,639 --> 00:22:41,780
I cannot say more.

365
00:22:41,900 --> 00:22:43,520
We just do, they get it.

366
00:22:43,540 --> 00:22:44,520
They're a working board.

367
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:46,880
I rate them A plus people, A plus board.

368
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:48,900
I'm saying I would go higher.

369
00:22:49,380 --> 00:22:51,480
They just get in it and they do it.

370
00:22:52,580 --> 00:22:56,320
Our partnerships, we have a good solid 12 base.

371
00:22:57,260 --> 00:23:00,420
Some go, some come, but some stay very consistent

372
00:23:00,660 --> 00:23:04,180
like an Oak Lawn, like Faith Mission.

373
00:23:05,260 --> 00:23:07,340
The Excel Center, which I don't know if you guys know

374
00:23:07,420 --> 00:23:08,240
about the Excel Center.

375
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:10,500
It is a gem of Elkhart.

376
00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:12,640
It is an adult high school

377
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:15,940
that if you only need a few credits,

378
00:23:16,140 --> 00:23:19,120
or if you need a lot of credits, come be part of it.

379
00:23:19,140 --> 00:23:21,140
And it's free, it's underwritten by goodwill.

380
00:23:21,540 --> 00:23:21,780
- Okay.

381
00:23:22,430 --> 00:23:25,400
- And they have done incredibly good work.

382
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,520
And they are, we both had wings at the church.

383
00:23:29,820 --> 00:23:31,060
They had one wing, we had the other,

384
00:23:31,660 --> 00:23:34,220
and eventually we both left almost at the same time,

385
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,780
yet we are only about two blocks apart.

386
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:39,420
'Cause we stayed in our community,

387
00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:42,280
and it's really been great.

388
00:23:43,060 --> 00:23:45,260
So that gives you an idea of our community.

389
00:23:45,610 --> 00:23:46,420
Talk to me about,

390
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,820
because I've heard you very clearly on it's, it's not about diagnoses.

391
00:23:52,060 --> 00:23:55,280
It's about the purse. It's about the person. Tell me,

392
00:23:56,660 --> 00:23:57,880
tell me the sort of person,

393
00:23:57,910 --> 00:24:02,260
kind of maybe a typical story or something of the type of person that is,

394
00:24:02,500 --> 00:24:04,480
that is coming and being a member at your clubhouse.

395
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:08,780
Cause I know there's a variety of folks, but kind of in general,

396
00:24:08,940 --> 00:24:12,340
in generalities, what, what is that person's experience been up,

397
00:24:12,380 --> 00:24:16,800
maybe up to the point that they've come to clubhouse and like, what are they kind of,

398
00:24:16,860 --> 00:24:20,000
how are they getting their feet wet and kind of jumping in and getting involved?

399
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,140
What tends to be kind of the general experience of someone?

400
00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:23,600
Okay.

401
00:24:24,020 --> 00:24:29,280
Before I get to that answer, I would just want to throw out for the audience to be a

402
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:33,500
clubhouse member, 18 or over in a history of mental illness.

403
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:33,860
Yeah.

404
00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:34,400
Okay.

405
00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,600
We don't ask you to bring in the verify.

406
00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:42,360
However, if there does come into question, we'll ask, Hey, have you been medically diagnosed

407
00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:47,040
But we get we start right out of the box with we take you for your word. Yeah, right

408
00:24:47,100 --> 00:24:49,380
Are you 18 and do you have a history?

409
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:55,220
Because that's only for the integrity of the people who are in that clubhouse saying, okay, we all get it

410
00:24:55,300 --> 00:25:00,560
We've all known the indignities and what range we've all gone through but you're in the club because we all get so

411
00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:06,700
Who's gonna make the coffee who's gonna take care of doing the social media? He's gonna check Facebook. Who's gonna write that?

412
00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:10,140
That's club because we get busy with the work

413
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:12,760
Everybody puts the other stuff aside.

414
00:25:13,460 --> 00:25:14,200
Give you a good story.

415
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,560
I just talked to him recently.

416
00:25:17,780 --> 00:25:19,660
One of our first, actually the first,

417
00:25:20,180 --> 00:25:21,360
Clubhouse, once you start coming,

418
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:23,100
we have platforms within the system.

419
00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:25,500
One of the platforms is employment.

420
00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:27,860
We're not like a lot of employment,

421
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:28,900
but we help people.

422
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:31,720
We, with our transitional employment,

423
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,060
we have partnerships that we said,

424
00:25:34,060 --> 00:25:36,480
"Hey, we will have a job there.

425
00:25:36,940 --> 00:25:39,800
Our staff will go out, train this person for that.

426
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,720
The employer doesn't lose any money because my,

427
00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,140
or the staff of the clubhouse knows how to do the job.

428
00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,280
So if they call in, the staff goes in and covers the shift. Oh, wow. Right.

429
00:25:49,700 --> 00:25:50,680
Good deal. Right. Yeah.

430
00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:57,200
So one of our first persons who went through T E a transitional employment and

431
00:25:57,220 --> 00:26:01,380
six to nine month part where you have someone and I happen to be a person on

432
00:26:01,580 --> 00:26:03,600
site with him, working with him and Kroger.

433
00:26:06,279 --> 00:26:08,280
And it was about 25,

434
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,980
between 25 and 30 and it was his first job

435
00:26:12,860 --> 00:26:15,260
where he would draw down a paycheck, right?

436
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:15,960
- Mm-hmm.

437
00:26:17,159 --> 00:26:18,600
- And didn't know how to get there

438
00:26:18,660 --> 00:26:20,220
'cause he didn't know how to, he couldn't drive,

439
00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:21,040
didn't have a car.

440
00:26:22,420 --> 00:26:25,020
So I didn't do it for, it's with.

441
00:26:25,980 --> 00:26:28,920
So there were some challenges in the going through,

442
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:30,680
and I have the challenges today.

443
00:26:30,700 --> 00:26:33,700
If you ever go looking for a job, everything's online.

444
00:26:33,780 --> 00:26:35,040
It's not like Pat and Pet anymore.

445
00:26:35,580 --> 00:26:35,740
- Right, right.

446
00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:37,080
- So there were some challenges.

447
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:39,580
We were able to work through some of the challenges.

448
00:26:39,690 --> 00:26:41,580
He worked for about two and a half, three years.

449
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,640
He's now working for, and I will say it, he's working.

450
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:47,460
We're the city.

451
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:47,880
Yeah.

452
00:26:48,420 --> 00:26:49,740
I've Elk are doing really well.

453
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:50,000
Yeah.

454
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:50,960
Loves his job.

455
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:51,280
Yeah.

456
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,880
In the meantime, he now has his driver's license and he has his own vehicle.

457
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:56,540
That's awesome.

458
00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:57,000
Amazing.

459
00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:57,600
Yeah.

460
00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:01,960
You'll see if you choose to our new marketing video that's coming out, he even

461
00:27:02,060 --> 00:27:03,800
comments and they helped them get a job.

462
00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:07,080
by not just get, but you have maintained work

463
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:08,080
for almost four years.

464
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:09,620
You have your own vehicle.

465
00:27:10,140 --> 00:27:11,640
And one of the things that he shared with me,

466
00:27:11,700 --> 00:27:14,160
he goes, "I don't have to be so dependent

467
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,520
"on my benefits now because I can do for me."

468
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:19,440
So that's a story.

469
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:20,820
And I think that's where you were hunting.

470
00:27:21,460 --> 00:27:22,320
Give you another story.

471
00:27:22,380 --> 00:27:25,260
If you went to our website and you see the videos there,

472
00:27:27,039 --> 00:27:29,500
one of the stories is about an individual who,

473
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,480
When you're ill, you lose a lot of confidence, right?

474
00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:36,520
And you don't want to go out and be among people.

475
00:27:37,460 --> 00:27:40,380
It's a lot easier to just stay in bed for 12, 15,

476
00:27:40,500 --> 00:27:42,200
or 18 hours, and then you get up and say,

477
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,160
I'm kind of tired, I've been sleeping all the time.

478
00:27:45,020 --> 00:27:48,680
This individual had some of that kind of behavior.

479
00:27:51,540 --> 00:27:53,800
Took a lot of courage to come to Clubhouse.

480
00:27:54,800 --> 00:28:00,240
Will share with her family saying they get her at Club.

481
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:05,100
we don't get her, this individual now probably sleeps

482
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,400
only eight hours a day and is interacting

483
00:28:07,460 --> 00:28:11,100
with other human beings and does great things

484
00:28:11,140 --> 00:28:14,040
within our system, runs our ledger, which is our newsletter,

485
00:28:14,540 --> 00:28:16,340
and her talents are incredible.

486
00:28:16,740 --> 00:28:21,140
- Yeah, and not to put too fine a point on it,

487
00:28:21,260 --> 00:28:26,520
but in that same video, if I'm thinking of the right story,

488
00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,360
I think I am, has overtly said, "Without Clubhouse,

489
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:30,960
I'm not, I'm not here anymore.

490
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:33,980
Okay. Joel, you get a point. I've been

491
00:28:35,740 --> 00:28:40,320
not going to go over here now, but I've been, you, I'm impressed.

492
00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:44,660
You did in your homework, both the community foundation, the podcast there,

493
00:28:44,980 --> 00:28:48,500
but you've also gone and done some homework on us. Yeah. To me,

494
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:49,360
that's fulfillment.

495
00:28:49,860 --> 00:28:54,000
Golly. I mean, like this

496
00:28:55,500 --> 00:28:58,700
for people listening. And number one, if, if any of our,

497
00:28:58,700 --> 00:29:02,600
Because when we know this, that we have a listening community that has that has friends

498
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:06,240
and family members that have these kind of these these kind of needs that have these

499
00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:07,680
stories, we absolutely know that.

500
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:15,620
And I think for any family, there is there is a there's a fear.

501
00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:19,260
My when my years and years ago, my brother was was younger.

502
00:29:19,530 --> 00:29:21,160
I mean, some would be similar story.

503
00:29:21,300 --> 00:29:26,220
Sleeping multiple, multiple hours a day was, you know, diagnosed the acute agoraphobia

504
00:29:26,220 --> 00:29:32,200
And had like some significant challenges, and I remember we as a family feeling number one powerless to like

505
00:29:33,420 --> 00:29:35,160
It felt like we weren't sure

506
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:41,420
In that season of his life, I mean things are so great things are so great now so different

507
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,580
But like these would been his adolescent years

508
00:29:44,580 --> 00:29:50,240
You just you're like grasping at straws. You're just like what can we possibly do to help this person?

509
00:29:51,180 --> 00:29:53,540
Also fully acknowledging we didn't fully get him

510
00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:58,760
We we didn't have a way of like because we we didn't know other people that were going through the same thing that he was

511
00:29:58,940 --> 00:30:00,300
Necessarily right so yeah

512
00:30:00,380 --> 00:30:06,620
He's maybe seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist or you know doing these sort of things and we're trying to address those you know you're trying

513
00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:08,440
to dress that kind of thing, but

514
00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,480
You know when I hear stories of people say I found I found purpose

515
00:30:13,660 --> 00:30:19,320
And that's why I'm here today like I was surrounded with these with these people and that is why I'm here

516
00:30:19,740 --> 00:30:25,760
That is that is nothing short of I mean it's a miracle that that's that that

517
00:30:26,100 --> 00:30:32,000
Lexington house or any club like that would come into play in a person's life and that they've gone from such a place of darkness

518
00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:33,760
and hopelessness to

519
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,480
Like turning a corner like that like that's that's that's amazing

520
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:42,800
But for a family a support system to see that happen like so you're you're like, you know

521
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:44,420
I would say you're ministering to to be you know

522
00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:48,960
You're missing to the family and to the end of the person as well because man,

523
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:53,760
oh man, like watching someone you love and care about struggle that way.

524
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,360
And just being like, I don't like, I don't get it. You know, like I don't,

525
00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,260
I don't know what else I can do. Um,

526
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,600
when you find a community that does get it, it's huge.

527
00:31:04,100 --> 00:31:05,200
What are the, um,

528
00:31:06,700 --> 00:31:10,280
greatest compliments Lexington house has received, um,

529
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:13,220
came from the Community Foundation of Elkhart County.

530
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:16,880
And they're great partners with us,

531
00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:18,300
and they came over and checked us out.

532
00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,320
And the feedback that we got is that

533
00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:23,920
you have a culture of kindness.

534
00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:29,560
You just don't talk it, but when you walk in, it is there.

535
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:32,280
Well, who wouldn't want to be there?

536
00:31:33,340 --> 00:31:35,780
I mean, the world's hard enough out there, right?

537
00:31:37,100 --> 00:31:40,140
And coming to a place where people get you

538
00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:41,880
doesn't mean we're providing

539
00:31:42,020 --> 00:31:44,280
or we replace traditional mental health treatment.

540
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:45,460
I'm all in on that.

541
00:31:45,660 --> 00:31:46,800
Please do not misunderstand.

542
00:31:46,940 --> 00:31:48,320
CLEP does not replace that.

543
00:31:49,580 --> 00:31:50,880
We enhance that.

544
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,000
And with that, it gets a place to grow,

545
00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:56,900
get that confidence back in the game.

546
00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:59,920
It also gets the resiliency up, which is hope.

547
00:32:00,460 --> 00:32:02,080
Like if I can do this, I can do that.

548
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:03,580
Like the gentleman who's now working

549
00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:05,540
or the individual who's not sleeping,

550
00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,560
You saw the video. It's so touching. And I know I'm not here.

551
00:32:09,260 --> 00:32:12,680
One of my roles, which I'm very,

552
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:17,820
I stay in my lane because I do. It's their stories.

553
00:32:17,940 --> 00:32:20,560
It's not mine. And I don't tell their stories without permission.

554
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,140
And they do. And I love when they tell them,

555
00:32:25,140 --> 00:32:28,700
but I know their stories because they've shared them and I've seen people come

556
00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:32,040
in our door and I know them and I get to be,

557
00:32:32,180 --> 00:32:34,980
know them as human beings and I know their backstory.

558
00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:36,120
and get to meet their families.

559
00:32:36,150 --> 00:32:39,200
I had a situation just recently where one of our members

560
00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:42,540
was not having a good day and came to club

561
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,580
and said, "I need some assistance."

562
00:32:46,580 --> 00:32:49,860
And we're like, "We help that individual

563
00:32:49,990 --> 00:32:51,480
"get to that assistance."

564
00:32:52,340 --> 00:32:54,100
'Cause we were his working family.

565
00:32:54,820 --> 00:32:57,780
Well, later on, the family circled back and said,

566
00:32:57,880 --> 00:32:58,180
"Thank you."

567
00:32:58,860 --> 00:33:00,560
And it wasn't just, "Oh, thank you."

568
00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,520
It was so moving that the club was there.

569
00:33:03,580 --> 00:33:08,180
And I'm like, yes, Clubhouse works,

570
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:10,140
doesn't work for everybody, right?

571
00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:14,300
But for those who do use it, people grow.

572
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:16,980
And I go back to Elkhart County,

573
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,540
take a hard look of the people who make up Elkhart County

574
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:23,920
and particularly in, I don't want everyone

575
00:33:23,980 --> 00:33:27,120
to put down Napanee or some of the other small,

576
00:33:27,220 --> 00:33:29,880
'cause we are all in this together, right?

577
00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:32,380
But Goshen has a clubhouse.

578
00:33:33,060 --> 00:33:34,820
It was the first clubhouse in the county.

579
00:33:35,460 --> 00:33:37,720
They were known as the Elkhart County Clubhouse.

580
00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,460
And they said, "Eventually Elkhart will get one."

581
00:33:40,740 --> 00:33:42,980
Well, it took a pandemic to help bring us out,

582
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:44,620
but we arrived.

583
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,680
Now, Port Dale is a clubhouse in-

584
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:48,420
- Downtown Goshen.

585
00:33:48,420 --> 00:33:51,120
- Oh yeah, and they're top shelf.

586
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,940
I think they're in their 12th year.

587
00:33:53,940 --> 00:33:55,380
And we are just blessed,

588
00:33:55,380 --> 00:34:01,580
but it goes back to Elkhart County and the soil being rich.

589
00:34:01,980 --> 00:34:02,220
Okay, keep going.

590
00:34:02,380 --> 00:34:06,980
Yeah, well, I think that that goes to speak like just being the way that the Alkotney

591
00:34:07,460 --> 00:34:12,899
Foundation comes in and says, you guys have a spirit and a feeling of hope and community

592
00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:14,560
and like all of that stuff.

593
00:34:14,919 --> 00:34:19,000
Like that just kind of goes to say, like, yeah, you are legit, right?

594
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:23,659
You're not just manufacturing this to to manufacture it like like that's something that you can't

595
00:34:23,700 --> 00:34:29,339
manufacture and yeah, to see that come through it, it rubs off and it gives that sense of

596
00:34:29,179 --> 00:34:31,620
community for those who are involved with the club also.

597
00:34:32,879 --> 00:34:34,540
Like you said, you know, that's that's what you exist for.

598
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,320
So and I would say so, Francis, the other

599
00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:41,800
I mean, the question, the question I have is because we're talking about all these

600
00:34:42,940 --> 00:34:44,820
great positive things that happen.

601
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,399
There's challenges at Lexington House as well.

602
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,980
I'm just as a leader myself of an organization,

603
00:34:53,679 --> 00:34:56,580
a nonprofit work, I can just generally say that to be true.

604
00:34:56,940 --> 00:35:04,700
But but you know what what are the what are the challenges I mean from your seat specifically leading the organization

605
00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:07,440
and

606
00:35:07,660 --> 00:35:14,220
Thinking man if I had a magic wand, you know to you know, and you and you could address those challenges

607
00:35:14,940 --> 00:35:18,180
Overnight and fix them. I'm sure I'm sure you would but what like what?

608
00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:25,020
What are the sticking points for you in the in the job in the work? Like what concerns you? What do you what do you see?

609
00:35:25,860 --> 00:35:28,520
organizationally that you're like I would I would you would hope

610
00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:34,860
And from a perspective of like calling other people in our community to action to a point

611
00:35:36,740 --> 00:35:40,960
To sort of make the club to tell and take the club to its next chapter to its next level to

612
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:44,140
Improve it in some sort of way. What what are the challenges?

613
00:35:44,820 --> 00:35:48,340
Sustainability. Yeah, number one. Yeah, I mean I

614
00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:54,180
Come from the school that the challenges are really the journey

615
00:35:54,580 --> 00:36:00,560
And so we started in a pandemic.

616
00:36:01,820 --> 00:36:05,460
Our resiliency is how a resolve was built.

617
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,060
So the challenge only makes us stronger,

618
00:36:08,570 --> 00:36:10,860
but without the support of our partnerships,

619
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,600
and we have great partnership and we have great donors.

620
00:36:15,150 --> 00:36:16,560
I mean, just when, you know, finance,

621
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,680
without financing, it is challenging, right?

622
00:36:19,820 --> 00:36:21,100
I mean, without financing,

623
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:22,560
you're not gonna keep the doors open.

624
00:36:22,620 --> 00:36:24,000
you can't have full staff.

625
00:36:24,780 --> 00:36:27,500
So Clubhouse Lexington, I'll speak for Lexington House

626
00:36:27,550 --> 00:36:28,600
'cause it's a business.

627
00:36:29,490 --> 00:36:31,160
Our budget I just talked about.

628
00:36:31,300 --> 00:36:33,660
So one third of the budget is about grant.

629
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:35,980
So we have good grant writing, right?

630
00:36:36,020 --> 00:36:39,100
Better than good is about 100,000 plus in grant writing,

631
00:36:39,180 --> 00:36:40,660
but you have no guarantees.

632
00:36:41,620 --> 00:36:44,580
And there's change in currents in grant writing, right?

633
00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:46,040
Then there's fundraising.

634
00:36:46,190 --> 00:36:47,680
We have the Monarch Gala,

635
00:36:47,830 --> 00:36:50,860
which we started growing the garden here in Goshen,

636
00:36:52,140 --> 00:36:55,220
but now it's at the Crystal Ballroom downtown in Elkhart.

637
00:36:55,620 --> 00:36:56,620
- Date and time for next gala?

638
00:36:57,060 --> 00:36:59,620
- It is February 7th,

639
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:01,860
and I brought you a handout for that.

640
00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:02,140
- Beautiful.

641
00:37:03,380 --> 00:37:05,160
- You know, side note,

642
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,280
to run a non-profit and do a fundraiser,

643
00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:09,740
you know how many fundraisers there are?

644
00:37:10,100 --> 00:37:12,220
- A lot, a lot, a lot.

645
00:37:12,380 --> 00:37:17,160
- So we hit a kind of a blind spot in fundraising.

646
00:37:17,180 --> 00:37:18,220
We didn't know it at first,

647
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:19,240
but then eventually we're like,

648
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:20,420
hey, this is gonna work,

649
00:37:20,420 --> 00:37:21,200
and we're sticking with it.

650
00:37:21,340 --> 00:37:26,840
day before the Super Bowl, there's only one other game in town, it's the spa.

651
00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:33,720
They do a huge fundraiser, eight, 900 people go and it's out at the RV Hall of Fame.

652
00:37:33,720 --> 00:37:35,600
And we like spa, we coordinate.

653
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:41,100
We're the other game because we're at the downtown at the Crystal Ballroom.

654
00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:46,100
So between the two of us, we're the two biggies on that particular day, day before the Super

655
00:37:46,220 --> 00:37:48,860
Bowl, where people are kind of saying, we're ready to go.

656
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:49,780
We got some energy.

657
00:37:50,660 --> 00:37:53,960
So it's been nice. We've also created a second

658
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:56,840
Fundraiser and

659
00:37:57,340 --> 00:38:03,420
Because we can we've maturing as a business and we said so what can rival the crystal ballroom down

660
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:08,880
There and being part of the hundred-year anniversary and all that piece down town Elkhart

661
00:38:09,820 --> 00:38:16,259
Well feel purdana gardens. Mm-hmm. Well, which if you haven't been to Wellfield, I've done two events there here recently

662
00:38:16,260 --> 00:38:20,080
I'm like, this is a gem. This place is, it's absolutely fantastic. And,

663
00:38:20,290 --> 00:38:21,300
and I haven't even quite honestly,

664
00:38:21,330 --> 00:38:22,740
I haven't even been there in the best part,

665
00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:27,420
like in the summer when everything is like a wow, like that alone. So absolutely.

666
00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:31,280
It really is. And we have a partnership with them.

667
00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:36,260
We've developed it and our second fundraiser is in late

668
00:38:36,500 --> 00:38:39,020
summer, early fall. It's called Flutter Fest. Wow.

669
00:38:39,420 --> 00:38:43,140
And we had this awesome band that came up,

670
00:38:43,140 --> 00:38:47,820
They just happened to be in Indiana and they were in just below Indianapolis

671
00:38:48,020 --> 00:38:50,800
doing a tour and our one person on our board says,

672
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,520
cause he's in the music industry and said, Hey, we made a connection.

673
00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:55,620
They were willing to drive up and do the gig.

674
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:57,000
We're like, yes.

675
00:38:57,700 --> 00:38:59,460
And they just rocked it.

676
00:38:59,460 --> 00:39:01,960
They were music from the 1980s.

677
00:39:02,060 --> 00:39:04,760
So you guys were probably not born in the 80s.

678
00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:06,480
We were both alive in the 80s.

679
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:07,980
Andy was more alive in the 80s.

680
00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:11,120
I was born in 79, the very last half of 79.

681
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:12,040
But I was born in 70.

682
00:39:12,340 --> 00:39:15,120
So your family may have played some music in the 80s, right?

683
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:17,600
For us who grew up in the 80s, it was like,

684
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,020
these people get it and they rocked it. And that's the beautiful,

685
00:39:22,580 --> 00:39:26,600
um, stage system they have now at the Pretend Accordance.

686
00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:31,900
It is rivals anything you see in Chicago or any very large cities.

687
00:39:32,020 --> 00:39:34,900
So kudos to them. So we're planning to have another one. Beautiful.

688
00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:39,540
So fundraising, grant writing, and then we have, um,

689
00:39:39,540 --> 00:39:43,260
straight up donations, our donation window starts with a

690
00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:47,780
massive car, Christmas card that we send out, not the card of being massive,

691
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:52,160
but mailing for about 400 of our community. Just give them update where we're at.

692
00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:56,440
We have an insert, which you'll see later for those out there saying it's,

693
00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:58,240
go to our website. You can see it.

694
00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:02,060
And it gives you information about the clubhouse as a QR code.

695
00:40:02,060 --> 00:40:05,580
I love these little QR squares, like just put your card, bang, you're there,

696
00:40:06,060 --> 00:40:09,220
as well as for the gala. And we just remind people, thank you.

697
00:40:09,380 --> 00:40:12,080
We don't ask, we just say we're out here,

698
00:40:12,420 --> 00:40:15,540
and if you want to know more about us, please visit us.

699
00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,760
So we start in November and we finish it out in February.

700
00:40:18,780 --> 00:40:19,460
- Real quick, let me interrupt you.

701
00:40:19,660 --> 00:40:21,380
Can you give the website so the people listening

702
00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:22,580
can go right to it?

703
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:23,180
- I can.

704
00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:23,660
- Okay.

705
00:40:23,780 --> 00:40:24,660
- Would you like me to do it now?

706
00:40:24,660 --> 00:40:25,200
- I would love you to do it.

707
00:40:25,240 --> 00:40:25,900
- God, you're fun.

708
00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:28,360
Lexingtonhouse.org.

709
00:40:28,620 --> 00:40:29,320
- Yeah, that's easy.

710
00:40:29,780 --> 00:40:30,500
- I thought so.

711
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:32,680
I didn't come up with it, one of the members did,

712
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:34,760
and they did all the back work to get all that.

713
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:36,700
I'm like, you guys are really smart.

714
00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:38,100
And they are.

715
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:39,500
- They're a club.

716
00:40:39,660 --> 00:40:39,840
- Yep.

717
00:40:40,380 --> 00:40:43,360
- Right, so financials, you get a big challenge, right?

718
00:40:44,220 --> 00:40:45,600
Small day-to-day challenges.

719
00:40:47,300 --> 00:40:50,520
There are challenges that periodically come on at club.

720
00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:54,220
The nice thing is, just like normal families

721
00:40:54,260 --> 00:40:56,460
or work environments, we sort it out.

722
00:40:56,590 --> 00:40:59,160
If someone's not having a good day, we sort it out.

723
00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:02,420
Dignity is part of our mission statement

724
00:41:03,500 --> 00:41:05,760
and people know that and we work it.

725
00:41:05,900 --> 00:41:11,120
And so, overall, I would say Lexington House,

726
00:41:11,660 --> 00:41:14,420
as a culture of kindness, I'll validate what I heard

727
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:18,260
from our guests, Kevin Deary from the Community Foundation

728
00:41:18,340 --> 00:41:20,960
of Elkhart County would say, "Francis, culture of kindness,

729
00:41:20,990 --> 00:41:21,580
you guys do it."

730
00:41:21,580 --> 00:41:23,040
I'm like, "We do."

731
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:24,460
That doesn't mean there's not challenges.

732
00:41:24,820 --> 00:41:26,320
And then there's the day-to-day challenges.

733
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:28,020
Give an example.

734
00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:32,300
We're in a major renovation at the Clubhouse, right?

735
00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:34,420
We have two bathrooms.

736
00:41:34,540 --> 00:41:35,880
That was the first thing I said

737
00:41:36,380 --> 00:41:38,280
I said, we need two bathrooms.

738
00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:40,320
And one of them really has to be ADA.

739
00:41:40,900 --> 00:41:43,500
So I get in there and we only had two weeks,

740
00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:45,460
three weeks before we had to leave our lease

741
00:41:45,470 --> 00:41:47,600
at River Life and things are getting really tight.

742
00:41:48,380 --> 00:41:50,820
And I'm like, how do we, we're going in the mini.

743
00:41:52,490 --> 00:41:52,580
(laughing)

744
00:41:52,580 --> 00:41:54,800
So I'm doing, and we'll talk about transport.

745
00:41:54,990 --> 00:41:55,820
How are we doing on time?

746
00:41:55,820 --> 00:41:56,320
I know we're good.

747
00:41:56,510 --> 00:41:57,100
All right.

748
00:41:59,199 --> 00:42:03,160
So I'm driving down Hively to go pick up people in our room.

749
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,860
We do like an eight block run of our van

750
00:42:05,860 --> 00:42:08,300
and only in the morning and then in the evening.

751
00:42:08,420 --> 00:42:10,440
And if they want to go home, they can walk or they can Uber

752
00:42:10,570 --> 00:42:12,340
or they can take the trolley 'cause there's trolley spots.

753
00:42:12,580 --> 00:42:16,100
Anyway, I see this Bradley sign right outside

754
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,340
of Holmes Insurance, right next to Wendy's.

755
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:20,920
I'm like, I've never seen that building before.

756
00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:22,180
It just disappears.

757
00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:25,120
But there was this huge Bradley sign.

758
00:42:25,180 --> 00:42:26,020
I'm like, I'm going to call.

759
00:42:27,799 --> 00:42:29,720
So person, Bradley wasn't available.

760
00:42:29,970 --> 00:42:31,000
I went right to the owner.

761
00:42:32,159 --> 00:42:33,540
Never happens in real estate.

762
00:42:33,970 --> 00:42:35,260
We closed in 30 days.

763
00:42:35,380 --> 00:42:36,160
- Amazing. - Right?

764
00:42:37,060 --> 00:42:38,400
That's how grace moves through.

765
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,440
And this is the story of Lexington House.

766
00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:43,040
People ask, "You're not on Lexington House.

767
00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:45,140
"You're not on Lexington Boulevard.

768
00:42:45,180 --> 00:42:45,800
"How'd that happen?

769
00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:47,100
"What's that all about?"

770
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:48,480
I'll tell you that in a minute if you like,

771
00:42:48,900 --> 00:42:50,380
but back to the first piece,

772
00:42:50,980 --> 00:42:53,380
Lexington House is the grace that goes through

773
00:42:54,240 --> 00:42:55,980
the people who make up Lexington House.

774
00:42:55,980 --> 00:42:58,560
It is not me or the board.

775
00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:00,920
It is all of us, and it starts with the members,

776
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:03,340
and it really starts with the soil of Elkhart County.

777
00:43:04,580 --> 00:43:05,660
- That's amazing, yeah.

778
00:43:08,220 --> 00:43:14,840
So, when talking about Lexington House

779
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,520
with our community members, I think,

780
00:43:18,990 --> 00:43:20,500
I mean, the things that I'm hearing are,

781
00:43:21,010 --> 00:43:24,420
number one, people should come and take a tour.

782
00:43:24,540 --> 00:43:25,140
- At least take a tour.

783
00:43:25,300 --> 00:43:26,220
- Take a tour and see.

784
00:43:26,340 --> 00:43:29,580
I've been through one clubhouse over in South Bend.

785
00:43:29,620 --> 00:43:31,200
I've gotten a tour there,

786
00:43:31,460 --> 00:43:34,420
And I need to make more Lexington House.

787
00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,360
I should say, 'cause I will be at the Monarch Gala

788
00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:42,960
on February 7th, and I'm really excited to see the event.

789
00:43:44,100 --> 00:43:48,340
And I might, I'm also donning some special attire.

790
00:43:48,540 --> 00:43:49,420
I'm zeroing in.

791
00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:51,240
- Now you're picking my interests.

792
00:43:51,660 --> 00:43:53,560
- Yeah, because, well, the Monarch Gala,

793
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:55,960
it's a butterfly theme, and I--

794
00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:56,960
- So you're coming as a butterfly?

795
00:43:57,180 --> 00:43:58,900
- You nailed it, Andy, way to go.

796
00:43:59,180 --> 00:43:59,400
(Andy laughs)

797
00:44:00,140 --> 00:44:00,620
Way to go.

798
00:44:01,220 --> 00:44:03,920
I mean, sorry, I spoiled it.

799
00:44:05,100 --> 00:44:05,740
- Cats out of the bag.

800
00:44:07,060 --> 00:44:08,880
But I'm gonna be there, I'm really, really excited.

801
00:44:10,619 --> 00:44:12,760
But there's, 'cause the thing we wanna do

802
00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:14,000
is we just wanna invite people,

803
00:44:14,340 --> 00:44:16,260
any interaction they can have,

804
00:44:16,260 --> 00:44:17,380
any exposure to Lexington House,

805
00:44:17,480 --> 00:44:19,960
just to get a flavor for it, to see it, to feel it.

806
00:44:20,260 --> 00:44:22,280
'Cause I think once you do experience it,

807
00:44:22,300 --> 00:44:23,860
it's not something that leaves you easily.

808
00:44:24,100 --> 00:44:26,740
I think it makes a pretty consistent impact.

809
00:44:27,900 --> 00:44:29,260
Culture-wise, kind of what you formed.

810
00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:36,060
But yeah, that's what we want to encourage people toward is just take a look.

811
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,740
Maybe you know somebody that could really benefit from entering into that community

812
00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:41,100
and entering that experience.

813
00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:46,820
Maybe you are somebody who are like, "Hey, I've been looking for a nonprofit to support

814
00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:50,800
and I've got money burning a hole in my pocket."

815
00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:54,820
I know all of you are there, especially right after the holidays, you're just flush with

816
00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:55,380
extra cash.

817
00:44:57,359 --> 00:45:04,680
You know, any number of ways, kind of providing sustaining support financially or, you know,

818
00:45:04,740 --> 00:45:09,920
with other resources is, and I should ask, apart from the financial piece, are there

819
00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:16,640
other like on like donation wise or other like tasks or things that can be done that

820
00:45:16,820 --> 00:45:18,720
that can be volunteered at the Lexington house?

821
00:45:19,180 --> 00:45:25,380
So Clubhouses, Lexington falls into that umbrella, is a unique nonprofit.

822
00:45:25,630 --> 00:45:26,560
We don't do volunteers.

823
00:45:27,460 --> 00:45:29,900
Because if the work can be done, it can be done by the members of the college.

824
00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:32,540
However, there is one carve out.

825
00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:41,360
So for the people out there in the audience listening, our board members are all volunteer.

826
00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:48,540
And we are currently looking for at least one position, possibly two.

827
00:45:49,070 --> 00:45:51,280
Our board is 13, we are at 10.

828
00:45:52,240 --> 00:45:56,940
And on our board, which is very common in clubhouses, two members sit on the board.

829
00:45:57,390 --> 00:46:00,700
We have one vacancy, we'll be filling from that piece.

830
00:46:00,820 --> 00:46:02,760
But also think about that.

831
00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:07,540
It's their club, they have a right to be on the board and they're voting member.

832
00:46:08,580 --> 00:46:09,020
Isn't that cool?

833
00:46:09,220 --> 00:46:10,200
- That's awesome.

834
00:46:10,740 --> 00:46:11,280
Love that.

835
00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:16,960
So if Elkhart's too far, I'm always going to push off with Cordell.

836
00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:22,920
For us to take the routes that we have, we had to lean to SJC St.

837
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,440
Joe County Clubhouse, which I worked there a whole year prior to coming over

838
00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:28,720
here because I wanted to learn the clubhouse model.

839
00:46:28,890 --> 00:46:31,080
And I did, and I had really good mentors there.

840
00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:38,780
But Rich and Erich, Rich Meyer, who was the founding director and just recently

841
00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:42,960
retired, but Richard will always be part of their fabric and Erich who's now the director.

842
00:46:44,599 --> 00:46:49,140
Cordell House, just go for a visit. It's not for everybody. But people say, what do you do here?

843
00:46:49,420 --> 00:46:52,620
Come on in, you'll figure it out. It may be for you, may not be for you.

844
00:46:53,440 --> 00:47:02,400
Yeah, that's awesome. So I guess, you know, when we're, when we're talking about

845
00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:04,980
Lexington House, we're talking about your experience.

846
00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:14,820
What has your engagement with Lexington House, how has it changed you personally as a leader?

847
00:47:14,940 --> 00:47:19,640
What would you say is the presiding impact for you personally?

848
00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:26,600
So I'm coming up on 38 years as a social worker, professional social worker.

849
00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:33,040
And where I am in my career, people say, well, you're in the back half.

850
00:47:33,100 --> 00:47:37,360
I've had some great people who have mentored me, who are now have moved on to

851
00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:40,500
reinventing themselves. So they're teaching me reinvent yourself.

852
00:47:42,160 --> 00:47:45,380
I work primarily on high acuity.

853
00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:50,140
That means when people get really ill and how it impacts it all.

854
00:47:50,940 --> 00:47:54,560
I've had the privilege of working as the gatekeeper to the state hospital system

855
00:47:54,620 --> 00:47:57,340
from Oakland. I worked with CIT, a crisis intervention team,

856
00:47:57,360 --> 00:48:01,560
help develop that system with people who now have taken it to a whole different

857
00:48:01,700 --> 00:48:02,760
level with first response.

858
00:48:05,820 --> 00:48:08,560
A lot of that takes out out of you a little bit, right?

859
00:48:09,500 --> 00:48:12,680
But to be at a clubhouse, it re-energizes my spirit.

860
00:48:12,800 --> 00:48:17,600
Like when I took note and I've learned to smell the roses and take a moment to

861
00:48:17,740 --> 00:48:21,100
be in the moment and at Christmas and New Year's,

862
00:48:22,340 --> 00:48:24,460
I took that and I just sucked it in. I said,

863
00:48:24,500 --> 00:48:27,280
we have built something really good here.

864
00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:32,140
And it's been echoed by a few people who have said that back to me and saying,

865
00:48:32,340 --> 00:48:36,220
this is why it was, I'm like, it goes through us. It is not us.

866
00:48:36,320 --> 00:48:39,120
It goes through us. And I'm like,

867
00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:41,880
as long as I can continue doing this,

868
00:48:41,940 --> 00:48:47,520
we just finished up doing our strategic plan and succession planning because,

869
00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:50,520
you know, shelf life of a director, you put a lot out there,

870
00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:53,080
but eventually you got to say, uh, shelf life's over.

871
00:48:53,580 --> 00:48:58,880
But we are working on developing some for the next generation.

872
00:48:59,380 --> 00:49:00,680
The big challenge, sustainability,

873
00:49:00,900 --> 00:49:02,460
which I said earlier in this conversation,

874
00:49:03,160 --> 00:49:08,000
is that the real proof of our leadership is not now,

875
00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:09,680
it will be after us.

876
00:49:10,020 --> 00:49:12,060
Trees being planted, not for our shade.

877
00:49:12,280 --> 00:49:13,960
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

878
00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:15,300
Well said.

879
00:49:16,140 --> 00:49:16,980
Well, you know, Andy,

880
00:49:17,340 --> 00:49:20,940
we can't let any guest finish up an interview

881
00:49:20,940 --> 00:49:23,680
without a really special segment we like to call.

882
00:49:24,240 --> 00:49:26,960
And now it's time for the dudes and dads pop quiz.

883
00:49:27,100 --> 00:49:27,840
Thank you so much.

884
00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:31,540
So, Francis, as I tried to warn you about earlier,

885
00:49:32,060 --> 00:49:35,580
this is a section of our show where we ask random questions.

886
00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:38,040
Perfect. So random. I have a whole deck.

887
00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:39,440
You actually have a deck.

888
00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:40,900
Yeah, bringing a real deck.

889
00:49:41,420 --> 00:49:42,060
Got an actual deck.

890
00:49:42,540 --> 00:49:43,260
And you know what?

891
00:49:43,580 --> 00:49:47,860
To start this one off, I'm going to ask Mark, our production assistant here.

892
00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:49,180
He actually has a mic this time.

893
00:49:49,180 --> 00:49:50,680
So welcome Mark ask your question.

894
00:49:51,230 --> 00:49:52,200
Hi Mark, go for it.

895
00:49:53,110 --> 00:49:57,660
So I pulled a card from the deck and it was not good enough.

896
00:49:58,000 --> 00:49:59,020
Oh, okay.

897
00:49:59,380 --> 00:50:01,460
So the random question is.

898
00:50:01,950 --> 00:50:02,720
I love it.

899
00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:06,440
He's gone in typical dudes and dads podcast form.

900
00:50:06,720 --> 00:50:07,920
He's gone off the rails already.

901
00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:09,460
He's making his own trail.

902
00:50:09,820 --> 00:50:10,240
I'm excited.

903
00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:10,780
Here we go.

904
00:50:11,410 --> 00:50:11,600
Okay.

905
00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:17,120
If Abraham Lincoln was your brother, what would you guys do for fun?

906
00:50:17,480 --> 00:50:17,780
Okay.

907
00:50:18,580 --> 00:50:19,460
Okay

908
00:50:20,780 --> 00:50:27,560
Probably go fishing. Yeah boy. All right. I bet it was into some fishing. He's an Indiana could guarantee, Illinois boy

909
00:50:27,620 --> 00:50:29,620
He knows some fishing guarantee sure fantastic

910
00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:38,460
Yes, Francis my question to you if you were to have a sandwich named after you what is on that sandwich? Oh

911
00:50:38,580 --> 00:50:38,820
Boy

912
00:50:40,100 --> 00:50:46,220
It's really interesting. You brought that up because at club I have hummus on a pita bread

913
00:50:46,940 --> 00:50:48,920
That's that's that's what I get okay

914
00:50:49,700 --> 00:50:56,040
Because my goal for me is that I want to make the hundred set be a hundred years old, okay?

915
00:50:56,140 --> 00:50:59,020
I'm watching what I'm loading in now, so what would be named?

916
00:51:00,580 --> 00:51:04,760
Probably a hundred century okay, so okay, it's the hundred century sub

917
00:51:05,180 --> 00:51:07,360
I want to say by the way I believe he

918
00:51:08,080 --> 00:51:12,200
In all of our guests and we've asked this question many a times the sandwich question comes up frequently

919
00:51:12,710 --> 00:51:15,700
I want to say that Francis is the first time to ever mention hummus

920
00:51:15,700 --> 00:51:17,380
I believe so.

921
00:51:18,540 --> 00:51:24,340
So congratulations. I did it first. Yeah, you've introduced Thomas into the conversation.

922
00:51:25,940 --> 00:51:27,160
What is your favorite gadget?

923
00:51:28,860 --> 00:51:30,100
My favorite gadget?

924
00:51:34,020 --> 00:51:41,460
That's a really good question. I'm really into tools, so I gotta say a crowbar. Okay, it's amazing what one can do with a crowbar.

925
00:51:42,000 --> 00:51:42,860
I'm with you.

926
00:51:44,340 --> 00:51:47,300
The number of times I've been like if I just had a crowbar

927
00:51:48,720 --> 00:51:49,560
For sure that's happened

928
00:51:50,500 --> 00:51:55,040
Hey, we want to let's you know what mark asked a fantastic question time around we're gonna have another shot

929
00:51:55,420 --> 00:51:59,600
We're gonna see if we can up the weirdness on this one mark. What's your next question?

930
00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:04,580
We threw him off the deep breath

931
00:52:06,560 --> 00:52:09,060
You gotta figure that can you have to give me a minute

932
00:52:12,980 --> 00:52:15,360
What are you most excited about right now? Ooh?

933
00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:17,400
Most excited about right now

934
00:52:18,180 --> 00:52:23,980
Being here with you all past my bedtime. I think a lot of fun nicely done at 5 a.m.

935
00:52:24,060 --> 00:52:28,280
The morrow morning when I'm in the pool. I'll be thinking about you guys. I may even give you a call all right

936
00:52:28,340 --> 00:52:29,340
Hey, okay. Here's mine

937
00:52:30,900 --> 00:52:35,860
Francis because I almost did some research on you and not in a creepy way you are a runner. I know this

938
00:52:36,660 --> 00:52:40,060
Favorite running shoe. What do you go to Oh Brooks? I've been in a plus 25

939
00:52:41,980 --> 00:52:43,820
Do you know Marcus is?

940
00:52:45,100 --> 00:52:52,740
Mark first of all mark. No, thanks mark. Are you a runner? I am not a runner not even I'm barely a walker I

941
00:52:54,620 --> 00:52:59,420
Did in fact work at a sporting goods store, okay, okay, then the shoe section, okay?

942
00:52:59,660 --> 00:53:03,440
I have I've done some research Brooks your that's I

943
00:53:04,600 --> 00:53:06,060
Was shelf I was recommended

944
00:53:06,060 --> 00:53:11,360
And it was recommended to me a while ago as a larger individual, the Brooks Beast does

945
00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:14,100
pretty well for the bigger runners if I understand correctly.

946
00:53:14,520 --> 00:53:15,360
You wouldn't be wrong.

947
00:53:15,560 --> 00:53:16,880
Okay, well confirmed.

948
00:53:17,280 --> 00:53:18,480
Okay, Brooks it is.

949
00:53:18,760 --> 00:53:18,920
Okay.

950
00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:20,020
Mark, are you ready yet?

951
00:53:20,040 --> 00:53:20,400
I'm ready.

952
00:53:20,560 --> 00:53:21,320
All right, go for it, Mark.

953
00:53:21,920 --> 00:53:24,460
What is in the backseat of your vehicle?

954
00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:26,600
Cleanliness.

955
00:53:27,200 --> 00:53:27,360
Oh.

956
00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:28,440
Oh.

957
00:53:28,860 --> 00:53:34,240
It's one of the upsides of being OCD, one of my characteristics, not knowing who I am

958
00:53:34,300 --> 00:53:34,980
but what I do.

959
00:53:35,620 --> 00:53:37,080
My kids just drive me crazy.

960
00:53:37,200 --> 00:53:38,000
Can they get in dad?

961
00:53:38,220 --> 00:53:41,860
You have this car, it's a 2008 Rondo and it's clean.

962
00:53:42,160 --> 00:53:42,340
Yeah.

963
00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:43,060
Yeah.

964
00:53:43,240 --> 00:53:43,760
Cleanliness.

965
00:53:43,870 --> 00:53:45,820
He said that's what's in the back of his seat.

966
00:53:45,900 --> 00:53:47,020
I love me.

967
00:53:47,240 --> 00:53:47,900
Yeah, me too.

968
00:53:48,520 --> 00:53:48,960
Sure.

969
00:53:49,540 --> 00:53:49,620
Sure.

970
00:53:49,660 --> 00:53:50,200
As well.

971
00:53:50,220 --> 00:53:50,520
Yeah.

972
00:53:50,640 --> 00:53:51,200
Five kids.

973
00:53:51,330 --> 00:53:53,040
I probably was a whistle.

974
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:56,400
I could put a whole, a whole bag of fries together.

975
00:53:56,640 --> 00:54:00,840
I may have a person living in the backseat of my, I don't know.

976
00:54:03,020 --> 00:54:03,760
We wouldn't know.

977
00:54:04,010 --> 00:54:05,080
We wouldn't know for days.

978
00:54:05,180 --> 00:54:06,980
OCD not one of my strong suits.

979
00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:08,260
Yeah, fantastic.

980
00:54:08,980 --> 00:54:12,360
All right, Francis, what's the best piece of advice that you've ever been given?

981
00:54:12,680 --> 00:54:14,900
Ooh, there's one.

982
00:54:15,340 --> 00:54:16,600
That's a really good one, right?

983
00:54:24,360 --> 00:54:27,020
Be in the moment, obviously, is one.

984
00:54:27,700 --> 00:54:31,280
The other one is respect your elders.

985
00:54:32,100 --> 00:54:33,500
That's the only way you become one.

986
00:54:33,860 --> 00:54:34,440
Oh, nice.

987
00:54:34,980 --> 00:54:36,320
Nice. It sounds like a threat.

988
00:54:36,500 --> 00:54:38,820
Like, it's the only way that you're going to become one is if you respect them.

989
00:54:38,960 --> 00:54:43,140
Well, they they know things that you want to learn and they're forgetting things.

990
00:54:43,140 --> 00:54:44,360
And I want to learn from them.

991
00:54:44,400 --> 00:54:48,080
And I have learned some great teachers have shown me how to reinvent,

992
00:54:48,700 --> 00:54:49,680
how to move it forward.

993
00:54:50,580 --> 00:54:53,540
You talked about running really quick piece. I mean.

994
00:54:54,780 --> 00:54:57,500
You really get humbled when you get passed by

995
00:54:57,620 --> 00:54:59,560
because like in triathlon, I do tries.

996
00:54:59,980 --> 00:55:03,260
People have their numbers on how old you are in the back.

997
00:55:03,620 --> 00:55:07,020
And, you know, I was in my forties and I'm like, well, look at me.

998
00:55:07,180 --> 00:55:09,300
I'm up in Madison doing a piece.

999
00:55:09,760 --> 00:55:14,060
And this individual came by and I'm like, hey, we only have,

1000
00:55:14,580 --> 00:55:18,740
you know, two more laps, two more, you know, six point whatever mile

1001
00:55:18,980 --> 00:55:19,980
to go around. We're done.

1002
00:55:20,380 --> 00:55:21,440
She goes, Sonny, I'm done.

1003
00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:23,540
And then she went by. She was like sixty five in the back.

1004
00:55:23,660 --> 00:55:26,540
Oh, man. I'm like, well, I just got humbled.

1005
00:55:27,500 --> 00:55:31,700
And that's what I love about the sport, because it's all right.

1006
00:55:31,740 --> 00:55:35,620
And anyway, yeah, that was, she has a lot to teach me.

1007
00:55:35,940 --> 00:55:36,460
That's awesome.

1008
00:55:36,980 --> 00:55:38,080
Joel, you got one? Are you good?

1009
00:55:38,540 --> 00:55:42,400
Um, I'm well, gosh, let's, let's end with a really pro let's end with really a

1010
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:45,480
really profound one. Uh, Francis,

1011
00:55:46,880 --> 00:55:49,820
what do you want said about you at your funeral?

1012
00:55:53,660 --> 00:55:57,960
Give the cliche that I ended up ended on E but, um,

1013
00:56:02,140 --> 00:56:06,940
Made a contribution that the world is a better place, but when I contribute it.

1014
00:56:07,440 --> 00:56:07,620
Beautiful.

1015
00:56:08,160 --> 00:56:08,320
Love it.

1016
00:56:08,540 --> 00:56:08,720
Wonderful.

1017
00:56:09,480 --> 00:56:11,020
You've successfully passed the quiz.

1018
00:56:11,100 --> 00:56:12,060
Way to go, Frances.

1019
00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:12,980
Nailed it.

1020
00:56:13,600 --> 00:56:16,820
And I will say, Mark, I like this dynamic, man.

1021
00:56:18,500 --> 00:56:22,140
Because it's like, Annie and I kind of know the sort of questions we ask, but we added

1022
00:56:22,820 --> 00:56:26,020
an element here that we didn't even know what was going to happen.

1023
00:56:26,620 --> 00:56:32,500
Total dudes and dads fashion it all it all came together, so thanks everybody hey everybody we want to say a big

1024
00:56:32,580 --> 00:56:35,960
Thank you again for tuning in you can head over to dudes and dads

1025
00:56:36,320 --> 00:56:37,580
calm for

1026
00:56:38,020 --> 00:56:44,400
Previous episodes this episodes show notes will have all of the Lexington house details over there at dudes and dads calm

1027
00:56:44,940 --> 00:56:48,540
Upcoming events ways you can connect would love love love love for you check that out

1028
00:56:49,500 --> 00:56:52,140
What else Andy you can call our voicemail number?

1029
00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:57,180
7 4 5 0 1 4 4 6 7 and leave us a voicemail

1030
00:56:57,220 --> 00:57:00,320
You won't wake us up at 5 when you call us. Let's call that number tomorrow. Yeah

1031
00:57:03,600 --> 00:57:11,840
Dudes and dads podcast at gmail.com is the email address where you can contact us with further show notes ideas pithy comments harsh rebukes

1032
00:57:12,000 --> 00:57:18,060
Whatever you're in the mood for whatever whatever yeah, okay? Well hey friends. Thanks for tuning in for yet another episode

1033
00:57:18,140 --> 00:57:23,020
It's gonna be a great 2026. I'm excited about this coming year me too good things are

1034
00:57:23,020 --> 00:57:27,200
ahead. So, until we see you next time, friends, we wish you grace and peace.