WEBVTT 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:12.560 Hey, folks, welcome to Good News York. I'm Matt 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.019 Major from Growth Mode Tech, joined as always 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:19.440 by my handsome, spiky -haired co -host. I'm handsome? 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:24.539 Thank you. Here's a good spiky. No, thank you, 00:00:24.539 --> 00:00:26.960 Matthew. I don't know about handsome, but I'll 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:29.699 take it. I'm excited because we have a special 00:00:29.699 --> 00:00:32.939 guest. And, you know, to be honest, she is kind 00:00:32.939 --> 00:00:34.420 of bringing your points up just because you're 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:37.700 close together. Well, obviously. I mean, I'm 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:42.659 a thorn. Between two roses. Hey, welcome. Oh, 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.219 I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me. 00:00:46.179 --> 00:00:49.539 How are you? I'm very content and happy today, 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:51.799 honestly. That's how I'm feeling. Yeah, you guys 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:53.359 feel in the same way? That's the best answer 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:55.640 ever. I mean, I'm kind of cranky this morning 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:57.179 and then you showed up and it was like you brought 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:00.479 a wave of coconut water and sunshine. Coconut 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:02.759 water? She does that. Kate knows a lot about 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:05.859 coconut water, we found. Asked her a question. 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:08.280 I was expecting just like yeah this she got down 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:10.359 to the nutrition chart She knows telling you 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.780 we're looking for our natural electrolytes. This 00:01:13.780 --> 00:01:16.079 is what we're looking for replenishing our body 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.000 because I'm sure you guys feel this too I've 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.760 got a lot to do every day. And you want to show 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:23.840 up, and you want to be like all these things. 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:27.340 So I do a lot of research into easy, quick things 00:01:27.340 --> 00:01:30.420 I can do so that this energy that I want to show 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:33.519 up in the world as just is there, right? So if 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:35.719 it's easy, I'm going to try it. So that's an 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:38.840 easy one. Coconut water. I like it. It's got 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:40.599 electrolytes. We just did an advertisement. It 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:42.599 is actually very good. It's what the plants crave. 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:45.579 It's actually, it's like supercharged water. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:47.760 Right. That's what I'm hearing. Especially if 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.620 you're a heavy drinker and you're hungover. Coconut 00:01:50.620 --> 00:01:52.579 water. You don't drink that regular water like 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:55.439 from the toilet. Oh, my. Well, don't do that. 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:57.319 There's no electrolytes in there. That has some 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:01.799 different nutrients. Yes, it does. Yes, it does. 00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:06.540 Welcome to Good News York. Here we are. Oh, man. 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:09.580 This show is off the rails. How many podcast 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:12.300 listeners you get? Well, you know. Yeah, we had 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:15.389 some. About three and then. So, Kate. We offended 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:18.430 them with our electrolyte talks. Tell us about 00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:21.990 you and your business. I want to make sure I 00:02:21.990 --> 00:02:24.389 say it right. David's Refuge, correct? You did 00:02:24.389 --> 00:02:26.909 it. Yes, that is correct. Let's talk about that. 00:02:27.349 --> 00:02:30.289 Well, I love to talk about David's Refuge. I 00:02:30.289 --> 00:02:33.710 started working with this organization 10 years 00:02:33.710 --> 00:02:37.669 ago, so it has been really part of my life story 00:02:37.669 --> 00:02:40.550 now and something that I'm really honored and 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:43.740 proud to be a part of every single day. Before 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:47.379 I was with this organization, I was running the 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:50.099 Muscular Dystrophy Association, and I did that 00:02:50.099 --> 00:02:53.479 for 10 years. So it's crazy that I'm only 25 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:57.659 and was able to do both of these careers. But 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:01.139 in all seriousness, 10 years at MDA opened my 00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:04.680 eyes to what families go through. We were working 00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:08.240 here locally. We were seeing families going into 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:10.840 our clinics at the local hospitals. They would 00:03:10.840 --> 00:03:14.689 receive this diagnosis, usually for their child, 00:03:14.770 --> 00:03:17.349 but we also served adults that would be diagnosed 00:03:17.349 --> 00:03:19.669 with different forms, mostly with Lou Gehrig's 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:24.090 disease. And you would watch this ripple effect 00:03:24.090 --> 00:03:27.250 happen. You would see this initial shock, and 00:03:27.250 --> 00:03:29.990 then you would watch the family try to pick up 00:03:29.990 --> 00:03:32.949 the pieces of literally an explosion going off. 00:03:33.090 --> 00:03:37.150 And then you would slowly see, in many cases, 00:03:37.789 --> 00:03:43.870 the parents start to like frazzle out, you know, 00:03:43.990 --> 00:03:47.789 and they would start to lose the connection to 00:03:47.789 --> 00:03:50.610 each other. They would start to have this guilt. 00:03:50.669 --> 00:03:53.370 They would start to question every decision. 00:03:53.449 --> 00:03:56.129 And then ultimately many of the families, many 00:03:56.129 --> 00:03:59.310 of the moms and dads would have to go through 00:03:59.310 --> 00:04:02.849 a divorce because the challenges are just so 00:04:02.849 --> 00:04:05.129 heavy when you're trying to deal with these diagnosis. 00:04:05.210 --> 00:04:08.780 So. Ten years into MDA, never really thought 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:11.539 about the mom and dad, other than caring deeply 00:04:11.539 --> 00:04:14.039 about them, but our focus was always on the child 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:18.920 or the person. David's refuge came to be through 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:21.620 a local couple, Warren and Brenda Full, and they 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:23.759 started this organization in their house after 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.480 they had lost their son David to a rare genetic 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:30.410 disease. And they had started this because they 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:33.529 wanted to give back to moms and dads just like 00:04:33.529 --> 00:04:35.730 them. And they said, this is the hardest thing 00:04:35.730 --> 00:04:38.410 we have ever done in our life. We cared for our 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:41.550 son David for 13 years. On top of being mommy 00:04:41.550 --> 00:04:44.230 and daddy, we were also full -time, unpaid family 00:04:44.230 --> 00:04:46.850 caregiver to him. And so they started this in 00:04:46.850 --> 00:04:48.930 their house. And I started hearing about it from 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:51.189 my desk at MDA. And I was like, this is so cool. 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:54.389 This is so needed. Oh my gosh. No one's doing 00:04:54.389 --> 00:04:58.199 this. And then I saw that they had a job opening 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.399 and I applied and it was one of the best decisions 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:05.540 I've ever made in my life because this organization 00:05:05.540 --> 00:05:09.339 needs to be here. It needs to thrive and it needs 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:11.399 to continue to grow because there are moms and 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:14.639 dads all across our communities, New York, and 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:18.620 then our country that are not feeling seen. And 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:20.959 that's what David's Refuge gets to do and that's 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:23.259 what I get to do in my role there every day. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:28.319 That's incredible. It really is. It's hard for 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:30.579 me to find the words because we talked before 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:34.019 the show and how this hit home with me. I don't 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:37.120 know who knows, but I lost my brother to leukemia 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.480 when he was three years old. I was five or six. 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.560 And it's something that stays with me every day. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.500 But the positive part is it's made me... who 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:49.920 I am. It made me grow up a lot faster. It made 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:52.339 me look at things a lot different. But I saw 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:55.199 firsthand what it did to my family. And now that 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:58.920 I'm a dad, I almost have even more respect for 00:05:58.920 --> 00:06:02.379 my parents now because knowing I don't even want 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:04.420 to entertain the thought of what that would be 00:06:04.420 --> 00:06:06.240 like to lose a child. And the fact that they 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:08.720 did and the fact that they're still here, I don't 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:10.279 want to say that they're still sane because they're 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:13.360 a little wacky. Or any of us. But I mean, you 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:14.860 know, you talked about the divorce thing. You 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:16.839 know, they're not divorced. They're still together. 00:06:17.599 --> 00:06:21.120 And for those of you that might question, like, 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:23.339 why would a divorce... There are so many elements 00:06:23.339 --> 00:06:27.079 of, like, why are you acting okay? I'm still 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:29.680 not okay. You know what I mean? There's all these 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.279 thoughts and things that happen when a child 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:35.519 or any family member passes away. So what I think 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:37.339 you're doing is, you know, I don't know if there's 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:39.660 a God, but if there is, you're doing God's work. 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:41.680 Because it's just, it's absolutely incredible 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:46.060 to do. It's so special. So, Kate... It's really 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:47.920 incredible to hear about the why. Let's talk 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:49.879 a little bit about some of the specific things 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:51.920 you do for some of these folks. I know you got 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:55.540 a ton of incredible programs for these caregivers. 00:06:55.740 --> 00:06:57.699 Can you tell us a little bit about those? Absolutely. 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.220 So what started as our very first service, what 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:04.019 Warren and Brenda Full started this organization 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:06.779 doing, is they converted a wing of their house 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:10.250 on their own dime after losing their son. It 00:07:10.250 --> 00:07:13.629 was David's wing of their home, and they converted 00:07:13.629 --> 00:07:16.069 it to a five -star bed and breakfast, as any 00:07:16.069 --> 00:07:18.850 of us would, obviously, and started welcoming 00:07:18.850 --> 00:07:22.149 people in. So that model still exists today, 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:25.410 but we actually serve families in existing bed 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.029 and breakfast locations, existing hotel partners. 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:32.189 So our two -night getaway is an all -expense 00:07:32.189 --> 00:07:35.810 paid retreat for parents. And the mom and dad 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:38.509 are still responsible to find childcare because 00:07:38.509 --> 00:07:41.649 I always say I would bet a million dollars even 00:07:41.649 --> 00:07:44.189 if we had a lineup of people who could watch 00:07:44.189 --> 00:07:47.740 children. many of our parents would not trust 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:50.259 that. How many of us would trust our kids to 00:07:50.259 --> 00:07:52.620 someone we don't know, let alone our child with 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:55.620 special needs or that's medically fragile? So 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:58.420 these two -night getaways are really what we 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:02.240 have been known for. We this year will serve 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:06.259 nearly 500 couples or single parents in these 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:09.519 two -night getaways. And one of the best parts 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:13.540 of that is we will book a beautiful hotel. We 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:16.079 will book eight rooms. And so moms and dads will 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:20.620 book on our website and they will randomly go 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:23.240 with six to eight other couples that are from 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:26.720 across New York state. And many times it's these 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:30.360 God stories of. I met my person. So a mom from 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:33.639 Syracuse might meet a mom from Buffalo. Chance 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:36.820 happening, and they have exactly the same story 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:40.220 happening. They understand each other. And humans, 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:43.639 we need other humans. We need connection. Very 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:45.899 much so. And these caregivers, many times, feel 00:08:45.899 --> 00:08:49.500 so alone, the social isolation. So they'll meet 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:51.240 this other. So they're getting this great weekend 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:54.139 with their hubby. They're pouring into themselves, 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:56.720 but then they also get this extra layer of meeting 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:59.220 another parent who gets it. And then they get 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:00.659 their person that they can call in the middle 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:03.960 of the night. In addition to that, we have added 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:07.039 beautiful services. We have a wellness program 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:10.340 now, and that is a holistic approach to wellness. 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:13.639 Think about it, guys. What do you need to be 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:19.039 well as a human? Well, I like bobbleheads. They 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:23.120 keep me entertained. No, I'm kidding. No, I know 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:27.279 what you mean. Guessing like sleep. Sleep? Yeah. 00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:30.620 Opportunity to take a break from things. Your 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:37.700 basic needs, just alone time. Food. Food, sleep. 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:41.379 Yeah, those are the basic needs that many times 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:44.529 are met through... all of the different experiences 00:09:44.529 --> 00:09:47.350 that David's Refuge offers. But then we really 00:09:47.350 --> 00:09:49.850 dig one level deeper, and we think about your 00:09:49.850 --> 00:09:52.269 mental health. And we'll talk about that because 00:09:52.269 --> 00:09:54.909 our buddy, Dr. Melissa Karman, is going to be 00:09:54.909 --> 00:09:58.190 part of our upcoming event in June. And she has 00:09:58.190 --> 00:10:01.990 pioneered a program that allows David's Refuge 00:10:01.990 --> 00:10:04.389 to outsource mental health counseling services 00:10:04.389 --> 00:10:08.350 to her practice. Because I'm no mental health 00:10:08.350 --> 00:10:10.750 therapist. I don't have all the letters after 00:10:10.750 --> 00:10:13.919 my name like she does. But we outsourced that 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:17.620 program to her, and now we're able to cut through 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:19.840 all the red tape for caregivers. A caregiver 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:22.879 applies to David's Refuge. They automatically 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:25.179 are offered mental health counseling services. 00:10:25.220 --> 00:10:27.779 That's incredible. That's amazing. So we do mental, 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:32.379 physical, nutritional support. We offer financial 00:10:32.379 --> 00:10:35.639 support because financial counseling and wellness, 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:38.220 because all of those pieces go into making us 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:41.850 well and being able to thrive. And then the third 00:10:41.850 --> 00:10:44.450 program we offer is called Community, and this 00:10:44.450 --> 00:10:47.970 is large -scale events that are for just the 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:50.049 moms we serve. We have a big Nourishing You Moms 00:10:50.049 --> 00:10:52.889 event coming up. And that will be at Woodcliff 00:10:52.889 --> 00:10:55.250 in Rochester. It's a beautiful location for 100 00:10:55.250 --> 00:10:57.470 moms we serve. They get there in the morning. 00:10:57.549 --> 00:11:00.289 They learn about wellness all day together. And 00:11:00.289 --> 00:11:03.110 then we give them a big overnight together. So 00:11:03.110 --> 00:11:05.429 we do events like that. We've done really fun 00:11:05.429 --> 00:11:07.669 things. We've sent a bunch of dads we serve out 00:11:07.669 --> 00:11:10.669 to the Buffalo Bill Stadium for a private tour. 00:11:11.129 --> 00:11:14.610 They got to go on the field. So that community 00:11:14.610 --> 00:11:18.769 program. Mike's dream. Oh, you'll have to host 00:11:18.769 --> 00:11:23.509 next time. I'm a humongous Bills fan. OK, noted. 00:11:24.049 --> 00:11:26.870 So we do really cool events like that, too. So 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:29.350 it's meant to get people together, the whole 00:11:29.350 --> 00:11:31.769 family, or just different people that can come 00:11:31.769 --> 00:11:34.549 together. So those are really the services we 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:37.570 offer. And in total this year, we'll touch over 00:11:37.570 --> 00:11:41.830 2 ,000 lives. So it's really grown and the first 00:11:41.830 --> 00:11:43.889 year to give context Warren and Brenda in their 00:11:43.889 --> 00:11:47.509 house are 43 couples Wow, so in just since just 00:11:47.509 --> 00:11:51.190 since 2012 we have had exponential growth and 00:11:51.190 --> 00:11:53.210 it's all because this community believes in this 00:11:53.210 --> 00:11:56.009 mission and We're able to continue to show up 00:11:56.009 --> 00:11:58.289 unbelievable. It's it's so incredible to hear 00:11:58.289 --> 00:12:01.629 also. I just want to say To start out with 43 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:04.389 couples in their first year is incredible. That's 00:12:04.389 --> 00:12:06.710 yeah, and that just kind of shows you how they 00:12:06.909 --> 00:12:10.129 really set you up for success, and you can see 00:12:10.129 --> 00:12:12.929 that your leadership is clear. Just hearing you 00:12:12.929 --> 00:12:16.429 talk, it's obvious to the world that there couldn't 00:12:16.429 --> 00:12:18.649 be somebody better for this. But again, it's 00:12:18.649 --> 00:12:21.350 obvious that they also, the folks that started 00:12:21.350 --> 00:12:23.230 this, really set you up for success to allow 00:12:23.230 --> 00:12:25.330 you to do that. So that's, what a great pairing. 00:12:25.809 --> 00:12:29.610 Yeah, and what you're also doing is you're creating 00:12:29.610 --> 00:12:32.429 a support group without calling it a support 00:12:32.429 --> 00:12:36.250 group, you know? I quit drinking years ago and 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:37.490 everyone told me to go, you know, you should 00:12:37.490 --> 00:12:39.730 go to AA. And I'm like, I don't need AA. I quit. 00:12:39.730 --> 00:12:41.690 I'm good. They're like, no, it's not about that. 00:12:41.710 --> 00:12:44.529 It's about just being around other people that 00:12:44.529 --> 00:12:46.850 have the same shared experiences. You have no 00:12:46.850 --> 00:12:49.289 idea of the value in that until you're there 00:12:49.289 --> 00:12:52.250 and you're creating that without calling it a 00:12:52.250 --> 00:12:54.210 support group where we sit down and we, hi, my 00:12:54.210 --> 00:12:56.809 name is, you know, just being together in that 00:12:56.809 --> 00:12:59.169 house and pairing them up, pairing them up. And 00:12:59.169 --> 00:13:02.929 the other part of that, that I find amazing is. 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:07.000 what that family is doing is in turn helping 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:10.580 them. By having those people in their home, that's 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:12.360 therapy for them whether they know it or not. 00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:15.799 Absolutely. Like 100%, I can tell you firsthand 00:13:15.799 --> 00:13:18.399 that that's what they're doing. When those couples 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:20.600 come through the door, I don't want to say it's 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:23.820 filling the void of David's absence, but in a 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:26.970 way it is. And it's like he's still alive. without 00:13:26.970 --> 00:13:28.830 getting too dramatic, but it is. It's like he's 00:13:28.830 --> 00:13:31.529 still alive and well in that house because of 00:13:31.529 --> 00:13:33.409 what they're doing and providing for those people. 00:13:33.610 --> 00:13:35.929 Well, when you think about our soul's purpose, 00:13:36.230 --> 00:13:39.850 you know, David had a very beautiful, beautiful 00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:42.809 life and purpose. And Warren and Brenda will 00:13:42.809 --> 00:13:46.190 often say that they can't believe what this has 00:13:46.190 --> 00:13:48.549 turned into. We call David the man behind our 00:13:48.549 --> 00:13:51.970 mission. You know, in 21 short years, look at 00:13:51.970 --> 00:13:55.580 the legacy. that his life created. Look at what 00:13:55.580 --> 00:13:59.620 was born from this brokenness of his death and 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:03.340 his diagnosis. And so you said before, it's God's 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:06.279 work. We very much believe that. You know, we 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:08.700 want every mom and dad that comes through David's 00:14:08.700 --> 00:14:11.559 Refuge to feel that they are not alone, that 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:14.480 what they do in caring for their child matters, 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.700 and that God and our community, all of us, no 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:20.899 matter what you believe, that we love you and 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:23.750 you are loved. So these are many times things 00:14:23.750 --> 00:14:25.909 we say to caregivers when they come through David's 00:14:25.909 --> 00:14:29.129 Refuge, and nine times out of 10, it's just an 00:14:29.129 --> 00:14:31.049 immediate. We're not trying to make people cry, 00:14:31.490 --> 00:14:33.789 but we as humans just don't hear this enough. 00:14:33.909 --> 00:14:37.049 Sure, especially nowadays. Especially nowadays, 00:14:37.549 --> 00:14:40.090 yes. Bring the human back. Let's go back to human 00:14:40.090 --> 00:14:43.519 scale. So, Kate, let's also talk about... You 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.559 do some really fun things as fundraisers, which 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.080 allow all of us who are hearing these incredible 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:50.620 stories and want to be a part to actually come 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:53.179 out and have some fun and support them. In June, 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.019 you got a crazy month of these things. So can 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:57.139 you tell us a little bit about what we can expect 00:14:57.139 --> 00:15:00.279 here? Absolutely. So I was just sharing that 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:03.980 we actually were selected to be one of the charities 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:06.820 for Taste of Syracuse this year. So this was 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:10.259 a phone call I got just two weeks ago from one 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:13.230 of our beautiful partners, Tops. and Summit Federal 00:15:13.230 --> 00:15:14.889 Credit Union. And they called and they said, 00:15:15.029 --> 00:15:17.350 Kate, we selected David's Refuge. So we're going 00:15:17.350 --> 00:15:20.629 to be part of that event June 6 and 7. More news 00:15:20.629 --> 00:15:23.529 to come because I'm learning as I go too. But 00:15:23.529 --> 00:15:27.070 huge for David's Refuge, huge for people knowing 00:15:27.070 --> 00:15:30.730 about our mission, awareness, advocacy, that 00:15:30.730 --> 00:15:32.990 thought that maybe a caregiver will hear about 00:15:32.990 --> 00:15:36.110 it through this type of exposure. So we'll start 00:15:36.110 --> 00:15:39.519 with that. And then the following Friday, You're 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:41.379 going to be part of it. You and your company, 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:44.379 thank you so much, are going to be part of our 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:46.899 Taste of David's Refuge, which is our largest 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:50.299 fundraising event we do. We don't do a ton. But 00:15:50.299 --> 00:15:52.940 we want all the people who love our mission to 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:55.940 come together in celebration. So June 13th, we'll 00:15:55.940 --> 00:15:59.539 be out at Heritage Hill. And this will be our 00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:02.820 12th year for this event. We are honoring our 00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:05.679 good friend Dr. Melissa Karman and her husband, 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:09.600 Dr. Jeff Steele. And we are honoring them because 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:12.179 of the program they have built to support so 00:16:12.179 --> 00:16:14.159 many caregivers through mental health counseling 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.580 services. And we're going to be expecting another 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:20.879 great year there. 400, 500 people come out to 00:16:20.879 --> 00:16:23.620 this thing. We keep it just like Kate, pretty 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:27.570 casual. And so you come as you are. Come have 00:16:27.570 --> 00:16:30.090 some great drinks, listen to some live music. 00:16:30.509 --> 00:16:33.169 We only speak for about 20 minutes, and then 00:16:33.169 --> 00:16:36.330 we stop, and we soak in that beautiful sunset 00:16:36.330 --> 00:16:38.190 from Heritage Hill. So if you haven't been there, 00:16:38.490 --> 00:16:41.649 it's the best sunset around. So we hope everyone 00:16:41.649 --> 00:16:43.690 will come out and just be part of that celebration 00:16:43.690 --> 00:16:46.070 with us. Absolutely. I'm really looking forward 00:16:46.070 --> 00:16:49.610 to that. For sure. Just to jump back for half 00:16:49.610 --> 00:16:52.389 a second, this program that you've got with Dr. 00:16:52.529 --> 00:16:55.399 Melissa is incredible. She's one of the... top 00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:59.580 folks in town to talk to and access to mental 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.159 health professionals is very hard. So the fact 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:06.200 that you can deliver people a streamlined way 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:08.019 to some of the best help they could possibly 00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:12.039 get is pretty awesome. And a hat tip to her as 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:14.880 well for coming together and offering those services. 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:18.619 Yeah, it's pretty fun. Her and I met at a fundraiser 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:21.759 probably about eight years ago. Wow. And she 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:24.809 had bid on an auction item. looked at her email 00:17:24.809 --> 00:17:26.509 address that she had left on the sheet and it 00:17:26.509 --> 00:17:29.089 was it was her practice so when I called her 00:17:29.089 --> 00:17:31.990 I said by the way this is what we do at David's 00:17:31.990 --> 00:17:34.609 Refuge and her and I kind of did this you know 00:17:34.609 --> 00:17:39.549 bubble coming out I wonder if we could ever offer 00:17:39.549 --> 00:17:42.210 direct services to caregivers through mental 00:17:42.210 --> 00:17:44.269 health counseling and that's where the program 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:48.650 was born so we initially got a grant we said 00:17:48.650 --> 00:17:53.200 let's just try And now this program has grown, 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:57.019 I think, 100%. It just grows year after year. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.019 We serve more and more families. And I think 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:01.779 the sky's the limit for it, to be honest with 00:18:01.779 --> 00:18:03.980 you. So as long as Melissa will have us, we'll 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:07.339 keep. That's just so incredible. I'm really looking 00:18:07.339 --> 00:18:11.099 forward to that event. And there's just so many 00:18:11.099 --> 00:18:12.880 great things. I have not made it to one of these 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:16.619 in the past. regretted it because all I hear 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:18.599 is nothing but, man, this was an awesome time. 00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:20.619 Why weren't you there? We have a lot of fun. 00:18:20.819 --> 00:18:22.339 We have a lot of fun. Looking forward to it. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:24.980 Yeah. And you also mentioned to me previously 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:27.920 that a little later in November is a special 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:30.380 month for you as well, right? It is. So November 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:32.960 in our community is National Caregiver Awareness 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:36.769 Month. So what we like to do is really amp up 00:18:36.769 --> 00:18:39.990 the amount of activity that's happening through 00:18:39.990 --> 00:18:42.349 our David's Refuge platforms, through our partner 00:18:42.349 --> 00:18:45.150 platforms, so that more and more people in our 00:18:45.150 --> 00:18:48.630 community, like I see this as not just a billboard 00:18:48.630 --> 00:18:52.009 here in Syracuse, I see it as let's be on national 00:18:52.009 --> 00:18:54.910 television talking about the signs and symptoms 00:18:54.910 --> 00:18:57.630 of caregiver burnout, what families are going 00:18:57.630 --> 00:19:00.789 through, how all of us who are maybe not in this 00:19:00.789 --> 00:19:05.039 moment today, can reach out to a caregiver. And 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:07.079 this isn't just the caregivers we serve. This 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:10.960 is spouses who are caring for spouses. This is 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:14.539 us who care for our elderly parents. It really 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:17.240 is a month where we just blow the roof off and 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:20.539 we say, hey, people are struggling in our community. 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:23.700 Caregiver burnout is a real thing. We are seeing 00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:26.200 depression. 70 % of caregivers will struggle 00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:29.240 with depression. 80 % of caregivers will see 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:32.359 a divorce. will not be able to sustain those 00:19:32.359 --> 00:19:35.319 relationships. Pretty much 100 % of caregivers 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:38.759 feel socially isolated. So what can we as a community 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:42.519 do to do better in pushing into these lives of 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:45.140 these amazing families and people? The other 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:47.799 thing I love to remind people of is we will all 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:49.579 be a caregiver at some point in our journey. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:53.000 It's not an if, it is a when. No, you are 100 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:56.059 % correct. So let's teach us all how to care 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:59.849 for ourselves now. So that when you are put in 00:19:59.849 --> 00:20:01.809 that position, when you're loved one, you get 00:20:01.809 --> 00:20:04.250 the call. That you have to put everything in 00:20:04.250 --> 00:20:06.470 your life aside and you are going to enter into 00:20:06.470 --> 00:20:10.750 a stressful, hard journey, chapter in your life. 00:20:11.250 --> 00:20:13.309 You also know how to care for yourself because 00:20:13.309 --> 00:20:16.470 it is truly the only way that you can care for 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:19.009 others and keep everything going. You're nailing 00:20:19.009 --> 00:20:21.509 it because my last semester of college I took 00:20:21.509 --> 00:20:24.190 a sociology class called work and family and 00:20:24.190 --> 00:20:27.380 a big part of that curriculum something I'd never 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:31.019 even thought of, was a focus on caregivers and 00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:36.279 how people have to balance not only, you know, 00:20:36.339 --> 00:20:39.539 being a caregiver for a sick child or a elderly 00:20:39.539 --> 00:20:43.079 parent or family member. On top of that, having 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:46.140 to balance work and how, you know, the workforce 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:49.259 in the United States doesn't really, a lot of 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:53.140 times, accommodate for that. And so what you're 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:55.720 doing... outside of just what David's Refuge 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:59.039 is, is you're also putting a spotlight on caregivers 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.759 and, hey, you know, we've got to do something 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:04.019 about this. So that's so good. Kate, we're almost 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:06.900 out of time and we're definitely going to have 00:21:06.900 --> 00:21:08.920 you back because we can talk to you about this 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:13.380 forever. It's great. And you're so just well 00:21:13.380 --> 00:21:15.299 versed on these things and spreading awareness 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:20.490 is incredible to see. Real quickly. Who do you 00:21:20.490 --> 00:21:21.789 serve? I know you mentioned a couple of times 00:21:21.789 --> 00:21:25.809 New York State. Is that sort of your area coverage? 00:21:26.049 --> 00:21:28.509 How does that work? Yeah, great question. So 00:21:28.509 --> 00:21:31.250 we serve families right now just in New York 00:21:31.250 --> 00:21:33.150 State. We had to sort of put some parameters 00:21:33.150 --> 00:21:35.450 on that. We were starting to get so many applications 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:38.490 from outside of the state. And my goal right 00:21:38.490 --> 00:21:41.690 now is to figure out how we can learn how to 00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:44.680 grow. but do it where I can still get in my car 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:47.200 and drive down the throughway if I need to. So 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:49.740 our next goal is to expand into the Rochester 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:53.440 community. We're already serving 300 to 400 families 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:56.799 in Western New York. But my goal this year is 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.200 to have a staff member out there and really learn, 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.099 learn all the things they don't know about geographic 00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:04.400 expansion and what that means for our organization. 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:07.519 So right now, if you are a caregiver in our community, 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.480 Really kind of the things we look at are, does 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:13.160 your child have an individualized educational 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:16.119 plan, an IEP at school? Are they registered through 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:19.519 the OPWDD? Those are sometimes those direct line 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:21.759 in the sand where we know you will be eligible 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:24.900 for our services. We have an online application 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:28.000 at davidsrefuge .org. So I would encourage anyone 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:31.789 to go on and apply for services. We are full 00:22:31.789 --> 00:22:33.750 right now for our respite program, our overnight 00:22:33.750 --> 00:22:36.390 program. We were full within two weeks this year. 00:22:36.589 --> 00:22:39.410 So we have a waiting list of close to 300 families 00:22:39.410 --> 00:22:42.210 right now who are waiting for that specific service. 00:22:42.750 --> 00:22:47.230 So that weighs on you. But it's a good problem 00:22:47.230 --> 00:22:48.930 in that we're trying to figure out ways to grow 00:22:48.930 --> 00:22:51.990 that. But there are still openings for our mental 00:22:51.990 --> 00:22:54.430 health programs, all of our wellness programings, 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:56.589 and our community events. So I encourage people 00:22:56.589 --> 00:22:59.990 to still apply for services. Awesome. Yeah. davidsrefuge 00:22:59.990 --> 00:23:02.829 .org is the website. I'm guessing that's also 00:23:02.829 --> 00:23:04.730 a good place to go to find out about these events 00:23:04.730 --> 00:23:07.609 if you want a contributor come hang out. Yes. 00:23:07.630 --> 00:23:10.710 That's where you go. Come hang with us. Awesome. 00:23:10.970 --> 00:23:13.390 You're an amazing human being. Kate, the last 00:23:13.390 --> 00:23:15.269 thing I want to ask, and we are almost out of 00:23:15.269 --> 00:23:18.009 time, but I'm really curious, how many other 00:23:18.009 --> 00:23:20.670 organizations like you are there in other parts 00:23:20.670 --> 00:23:22.970 of the country? Good question. So we haven't 00:23:22.970 --> 00:23:26.690 found an organization just like us. There's organizations 00:23:26.690 --> 00:23:29.289 who do provide different types of services for 00:23:29.289 --> 00:23:33.230 caregivers, of course. But we haven't uncovered 00:23:33.230 --> 00:23:36.539 one that's just like what we do. That's where 00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:39.799 I look at this as a beautiful opportunity to 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:42.660 bring a David's Refuge into multiple communities 00:23:42.660 --> 00:23:47.059 and serve. So if we grow, it's for the sole purpose 00:23:47.059 --> 00:23:49.819 of making sure this mission can be felt in other 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:53.380 areas of our communities. It's needed and we're 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:57.200 getting the calls. So, yeah. Love to have you 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.579 back with David's parents if they would be willing 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:02.599 to come on. I think that'd be awesome. Yeah. 00:24:02.900 --> 00:24:04.759 That would be really amazing. Honestly, any of 00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:09.180 your staff, we'd love to just, like I said, we 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:10.380 could talk about this forever, because it's such 00:24:10.380 --> 00:24:13.940 a good cause, and it's something that clearly 00:24:13.940 --> 00:24:17.819 needs to be talked about, because I'm a little 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:19.180 shocked that there aren't, you know... Well, 00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:21.519 you know, it's one of those things that you don't... 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:23.400 Ten of you, at least, across the country or something. 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:25.799 You know what I mean? Again, from experience, 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:27.700 it's one of those things that you just don't 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:31.099 think about until it happened. Right. So people... 00:24:31.150 --> 00:24:33.250 you know, outside. And everybody's focus is on 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:36.049 the sick person. Right, but even outside of that, 00:24:36.109 --> 00:24:40.250 in the local community, you know, people in local 00:24:40.250 --> 00:24:42.750 government aren't thinking about, you know, these 00:24:42.750 --> 00:24:44.990 kinds of things. It's just not, it's not something 00:24:44.990 --> 00:24:46.730 that's on your radar until, unfortunately, it 00:24:46.730 --> 00:24:48.589 happens. Exactly. So it's great that you're out 00:24:48.589 --> 00:24:50.730 there doing it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, where to come, 00:24:50.730 --> 00:24:53.849 right? I mean, let's get it out there. So I appreciate 00:24:53.849 --> 00:24:55.849 you guys allowing me to come on and talk about 00:24:55.849 --> 00:24:58.250 it. Kate, David's Refuge, that's what you want 00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:00.190 to check out. And come to the event. It's going 00:25:00.190 --> 00:25:03.099 to be awesome. I didn't tell you this. My birthday 00:25:03.099 --> 00:25:06.039 is June 14th. So your event is going to be, you 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:07.839 know, like a pseudo birthday party or something. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:10.059 I love that. Come out in the Port David's Refuge 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:12.559 and watch the beautiful sunset. Forget all the 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:14.500 sick people. Let's celebrate Matt's birthday. 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:16.500 Hey, listen. We're going to sing. If it can generate 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:20.299 another $50 in donations to her, I will do anything, 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:23.599 all right? Listen, the bar is low to support 00:25:23.599 --> 00:25:25.420 this awesome organization. We have no pride. 00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:27.799 We will make this happen. I'll buy you a drink. 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:29.680 I promise. I love it. All right. Thanks, Matt.