Latest / Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals / Midnight Golf: The Non-Profit That Grew Against All Odds - Ep. 178 w/ Renee Fluker

Transcript

Midnight Golf: The Non-Profit That Grew Against All Odds - Ep. 178 w/ Renee Fluker · Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals

0:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes I cry when I think about it because I remember when I started, I didn't have any money.
0:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to beg my friends to provide food for our students and I just had to hustle.
0:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I had to work three jobs to run this program.
0:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But to see when I started with the first 17 students and what I'm doing now is like a dream come true.
0:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So dream come true that I got an opportunity to help inner city young kids learn a game of golf, but not only that get them in college, keep them in college and then go to their weddings and baby showers and all their success stories that I'm a part of that, that is something.
1:01
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1:05
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1:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Now let's go ahead and get back into the episode.
1:46
[SPEAKER_00]: With update Black Friday's family, welcome back to another installment of the Black Friday's podcast.
1:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Before we get into today's episode, I need you to like button, subscribe, drop a comment, send some videos to family friends and loved ones, and we keep this thing going.
1:58
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, not that I got that business out of way.
2:00
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a very, very, very, very, very special episode of podcast because I literally got family in the building.
2:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Somebody who is the president and CEO, or you the founder and CEO, right?
2:12
[SPEAKER_01]: On the CEO.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Somebody who is the founder and CEO of a program that is near and dear to my heart, college career and beyond, affectionately known as to men at golf program, none other than Ms. Renee Flucer.
2:25
[SPEAKER_00]: How are you doing today?
2:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, dozee.
2:28
[SPEAKER_00]: How's it going?
2:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Great, great, great.
2:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Good, good to see you.
2:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Where you been hiding it?
2:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Doing work.
2:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Getting ready for the next class, I started a September.
2:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
2:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, always working, always on the grind.
2:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So for the people who haven't been exposed to college career behind midnight golf program, could you just give us a little bit of knowledge about what the program is about.
2:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I'm going to give my perspective of the program.
2:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
2:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, men and I got started 25 years this year and we celebrated 25 years February 12.
3:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And when I started this program, I really didn't want to start.
3:08
[SPEAKER_01]: It would be honest with you.
3:09
[SPEAKER_01]: My son, Jason, wanted to for me to come back and teach kids golf.
3:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I was not a golfer in 25 years ago.
3:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I just started playing golf in 2005.
3:22
[SPEAKER_01]: So 20 years now, but I didn't know how to play golf and he said it was so important that young black kids need to learn to play the game golf because it was very few besides Tiger Woods.
3:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So I started that way, but I was getting ready to retire from the state of Michigan, do my thing, hang out, that me a husband, and a theme turned all the way around
3:44
[SPEAKER_00]: So you mentioned 25 years of men at golf starting back in 2001.
3:49
[SPEAKER_00]: What does it?
3:50
[SPEAKER_00]: How does it feel just even thinking about like, man, that journey started 25 years ago?
3:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes I cry when I think about it.
4:01
[SPEAKER_01]: As I remember when I started, I didn't have any money.
4:04
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to beg my friends to provide food for our students.
4:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just had to hustle.
4:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I had to work three jobs to run this program.
4:14
[SPEAKER_01]: But to see when I started with the first 17 students and what I'm doing now is like a dream come true.
4:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So dream come true that I got an opportunity to help inner city young kids learn to game a golf but not only that get them in college, keep them in college and then go to their weddings and baby showers and all their success stories that I'm a part of that, that is something.
4:41
[SPEAKER_01]: It's amazing that one person and, you know, a team of people can get out here and work with what our young people want to see what they can do and how they accomplish what they want to do.
4:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
4:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And now you're going to chance to be able to celebrate those 25 years having to start studying event.
4:59
[SPEAKER_00]: David Allen Greer, going host the event.
5:02
[SPEAKER_00]: The Gallaudet that's coming up on April 30.
5:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Could you tell us more about that 25 years celebration and what people should expect if they get a chance to come out.
5:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, right now we sold out of tickets here at 450 tickets.
5:15
[SPEAKER_01]: We're trying to get to 500 to see if the department downtown Hudson, that's the old Hudson building out of the new facility.
5:23
[SPEAKER_01]: If they were expand the room so we can get more people.
5:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a wait list of folks trying to get to this event.
5:31
[SPEAKER_01]: the vet's going to start off with Carolyn Clipper from Channel 7 is going to introduce David Allen Greer and then the program was started.
5:40
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to have an auction, a live auction, some wonderful trips, wonderful food.
5:47
[SPEAKER_01]: We got an opportunity to see some about
5:49
[SPEAKER_01]: older alarms are coming, they're married and they got careers, they're coming back, they want to get back, we got students coming from out of town, we got folks coming in from out of town, we got a man that's the senior vice president from the golf channel was coming.
6:05
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're excited about the people that are coming.
6:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, if you're interested, if we do have a wait list, we still have some more sponsorships available that we would love to
6:17
[SPEAKER_01]: All those proceeds and that money is going to the class of 2026 and 2027.
6:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Every penny of that money is going for that class.
6:27
[SPEAKER_01]: It costs a lot of money to run this program.
6:29
[SPEAKER_01]: It's about $300,000 just the run programming.
6:34
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just programming.
6:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So we, you know, we're trying to do a college tour as a part of it.
6:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So all that money we raised is to do 2026, but that class which we were probably have about 270 by students, 300 at the most.
6:50
[SPEAKER_01]: 300 now when I was in the program it was like how many students load what one fifty maybe how many buses did we have on a college tour three okay yeah I remember when we started a college tour in 2005 we had one bus now we up to six buses
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, you were in the program for two years.
7:09
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people didn't have that opportunity like you had.
7:12
[SPEAKER_01]: You special, you special, you always say, I'm Mr. Naze Pable.
7:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And the everybody gets mad when Denzel said, I'm Mr. Naze Pable.
7:20
[SPEAKER_01]: He get everybody at the party all of said, I'm Mr. Naze Pable.
7:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the true hurt sometimes.
7:26
[SPEAKER_00]: And they just said about it.
7:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, but it is what it is.
7:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So in terms of the goal for the money is going to be raised for the class of 27 and the class of 26, the goal is 1.2 million to raise for this particular event.
7:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So two part question.
7:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Number one, why are kids so expensive?
7:45
[SPEAKER_00]: But the more serious question is, why is it important to make that investment into our young people?
7:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, one, as you know, we have dinner every night.
7:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I have two cohorts, a Monday, Wednesday, and a Tuesday, Thursday.
7:59
[SPEAKER_01]: We have dinner every night, not like pizza or hot dogs or snacks.
8:04
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a full course dinner.
8:06
[SPEAKER_01]: My dinner on an average night can run $11 a person, which is cheap compared to what it could cause.
8:13
[SPEAKER_01]: So we pay like $30,000 a month for food, and we got a discount because I'm getting off the line
8:21
[SPEAKER_01]: we also include the college tour.
8:24
[SPEAKER_01]: The each young person get a brand new set of golf clubs.
8:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Those golf clubs runs around around about $280 and set the buses on this tour is $95,000.
8:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So all that money,
8:38
[SPEAKER_01]: food, all that is expensive.
8:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Plus we got this new building.
8:43
[SPEAKER_01]: If we didn't have this building, it wouldn't be as high as it is.
8:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But we don't have a mortgage, but we still have the upkeep of this building.
8:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And we also in a process of trying to complete our endowment.
8:55
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a grant with the Children's Foundation.
8:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're just short of $136,000 that we need to complete on
9:07
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know in an endowment, you don't see all that money.
9:10
[SPEAKER_01]: You need to get the interest per year from that endowment So we got a lot of stuff going.
9:14
[SPEAKER_01]: No, we got to pay staff.
9:16
[SPEAKER_01]: We have staff So our money is going towards the building, the students, the food and the college tour Yeah, you got to keep this thing going like this time.
9:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, especially in economy society that we live in
9:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And a lot of our grants, grants are being cut.
9:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
9:36
[SPEAKER_01]: It's hard to get grants as hard to get family foundations.
9:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, one minute, we was getting grants like crazy.
9:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Then it stops.
9:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what's going on, but not only in midnight golf, having issues with grants, a lot of the non-profits in Detroit, they're having problems with raising money and getting grants.
9:55
[SPEAKER_00]: during that given that how do you all pivot how do you make the transition to say like you said at one point in time you couldn't get enough grants like they were just showing up to your doorstep but now when it slows down how do you how do you all make that pivot?
10:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Well it's all about relationships and who you're in relationship with you know like I know somebody maybe at Bank of America okay and they see if you're doing great work they will
10:25
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we're not interested in what you guys are doing right now, but we may come back.
10:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So we have people that put you on hold, said they may come back.
10:34
[SPEAKER_01]: They might tell you, give me a couple of months, we may get back with you.
10:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Those are some of the things that we're running into with grants.
10:41
[SPEAKER_01]: But again, we're begging our alums.
10:44
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of our alums got great jobs, excellent jobs, and they have been making donations.
10:51
[SPEAKER_01]: We have one meeting I got for them who just gave $5,000.
10:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So we got some alarms that make money that can help.
10:59
[SPEAKER_01]: We get ready to start talking to the alarms, the professional alarms.
11:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we want to start something and we want you to get back.
11:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe the lumps can come and put their names somewhere on this building.
11:12
[SPEAKER_01]: They get back.
11:13
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're looking at all those different things.
11:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And I, before I retire and leave, that's my goal is to get that professional midnight golf alone.
11:23
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not calling that college career beyond.
11:25
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to call it midnight golf, professional alumni.
11:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Mr. Nate, I'm going to take a pause in the questions for a moment to introduce my favorite part of Black Friday's with just freestyle Fridays.
11:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I hope you know how to rap.
11:46
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know do zeal.
11:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, hey, you got around young people all day long.
11:55
[SPEAKER_00]: You should.
11:55
[SPEAKER_00]: You like hip hop?
11:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I like hip hop.
11:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so we go ahead.
11:59
[SPEAKER_00]: You could think you could dance.
12:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it was my favorite is Bruno Mars.
12:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Really?
12:03
[SPEAKER_00]: You like Bruno Mars?
12:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh-huh.
12:04
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope I can go to that concert.
12:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Somebody listen to me.
12:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope you can give me tickets.
12:08
[SPEAKER_01]: They go, so see Bruno Mars.
12:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm at a fact.
12:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I am donating my two tickets in a sweet tour.
12:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
12:16
[SPEAKER_01]: At the arc.
12:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, at the event.
12:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
12:18
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so yeah, make sure to tap first of all, we got to get misinformation more tickets to Bruno Mars, but also make sure to tap into the event so that you can get those tickets to that sweet, because I know that's going to be a dope setup, but freestyle fries and you want to wrap freestyle Fridays, I'm going to just do a random assortment of questions and I just need you to answer each one, all right, so I know you love getting a plane to travel and you don't really stay still, so what's your favorite place to go?
12:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Cabo, really.
12:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Cabo, Mexico, you always end down in Latin America, Mexico, somewhere around there.
12:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Mexico, I love that.
12:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I love going to Italy, Paris, London.
12:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember I went on a sabbatical, and I started with, I started with Brazil, and from Brazil I went to Cuba, and from Cuba, Paris, London, Italy, Pompeii, all over.
13:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, what's your most memorable golf experience, or golf out there?
13:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh... Hmm, that's a good question.
13:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I like all my golf outdies.
13:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
13:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I like, I'll do.
13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really like all my favorites when I first started playing mint night, play a golf, and we played that Mary Grove had a golf outing with the nons.
13:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember that time they had a nons?
13:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
13:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they played a joke where they took an egg carton and put golf balls in it.
13:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And whoever they found out was cheap and they gave you the egg carton.
13:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So the guy I was playing with was cheating, and I said, why are you getting the card in the lady, the nun said, because he cheated.
13:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So that was so much fun to hear that.
13:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So that was a great time playing at the Mary Grove golf alley.
13:52
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
13:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you work with young people all day long, high school seniors primarily and then when I was in the program, I did the junior and the senior.
14:00
[SPEAKER_00]: But what kind of student were you in high school?
14:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Were you popular?
14:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Were you nerdy?
14:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Were you shy?
14:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Were you outspoken?
14:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Who was Mr. Nane High School?
14:08
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was not Mr. Nane High School.
14:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I was so shy.
14:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I was so surprised that I was on the court as a kind of comic queen.
14:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And at that time, we'd be in a car as a convertible, and I was part of this car, being part of the court.
14:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was so quiet.
14:23
[SPEAKER_01]: All I wanted to do was just be quiet and so.
14:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I love to so in the day, and I had my own sewing machine.
14:30
[SPEAKER_01]: But what got me out of that is when I started working for the state of Michigan, and I had to do presentations and go places.
14:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I was begging people for money then because we were doing programs at the state of Michigan one time didn't have no money They didn't pay us pay days So that's took me out of my comfort zone working for the state of Michigan.
14:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, and we gonna get we don't die more than that too Also, and I would love to know what something that a young person has taught you from Midnight Golf what some a memorable lesson that you learn from the young people
15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, hairstyles, hairstyles, braiding here, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
15:26
[SPEAKER_01]: where they want to go.
15:27
[SPEAKER_01]: That's amazing that I can be with somebody for eight hours and you break my hair and you put in all these extensions and then they come over and they want to do to make up just to see what they want.
15:39
[SPEAKER_01]: They got in mind that they think I should be doing.
15:41
[SPEAKER_01]: How they change a lot of light.
15:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Like my hairstyle now, I'm been like off first and did it.
15:47
[SPEAKER_01]: How really?
15:48
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what you're going to, that's what you go to regularly, right?
15:51
[SPEAKER_01]: No.
15:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Or here in there.
15:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
15:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
15:54
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, do you remember your first job or your most random job that you ever had?
15:58
[SPEAKER_01]: My first job.
15:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I had several jobs.
16:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Before I started working for the state, I worked at MBD.
16:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And everybody who was somebody in the city Detroit at that time, that was a job to have to work at banks.
16:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Banks was the thing.
16:12
[SPEAKER_01]: You could rise up to the president, like Mr. Curry.
16:15
[SPEAKER_01]: He was the president of his bank.
16:17
[SPEAKER_01]: But my thing was working for the state of Michigan.
16:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I worked 35 years, and I started off as a clerk.
16:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And I remember the state of Michigan paid my tuition, I go to school and get my degree.
16:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And I started off low and when I retired I was at the top.
16:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I was working with the governor's office.
16:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Wow.
16:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
16:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, and then bonus question, who was your favorite mint tea from an agagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagag
16:57
[SPEAKER_01]: It didn't say I was like my son, you know, like how Jason and Meach, Denzel fits in that category, Longa Kirk.
17:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Kirk was another one that I just kind of adopted and they so special especially when I went to your wedding.
17:13
[SPEAKER_01]: That right there was special.
17:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I felt like
17:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I was your mom, and I was there, and just being there, being surrounded about you going to see how excited you was, you and Amanda, and how excited and how beautiful, and I never forget that you played out the Golden Girl song.
17:34
[SPEAKER_00]: What's one?
17:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for being my friend.
17:37
[SPEAKER_01]: That's something.
17:38
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh yeah, yeah, DJ had played that.
17:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh my god, now that right there, it was wonderful.
17:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And again, I just really amide everything.
17:47
[SPEAKER_01]: You listen, you listen, you took my advice, you know, you might have did what you wanted to do, but in back of your mind, I think you kept thinking.
17:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Mr. Diego, get me a mystery day, don't do something.
17:59
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, now that was special, that was special to me, like Jason, like I talked to Jason, I talked to Mitch, I do Mitch the same way.
18:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And then when I, I get with Kirk, I fussed at him.
18:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Why you ain't doing this?
18:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Why you ain't doing that?
18:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Other people probably would have said, maybe don't be telling me this, but you guys listen, go ahead of heart, and you want it to, you want it that structure.
18:19
[SPEAKER_01]: You want it somebody to, you can look up to.
18:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I appreciate it.
18:25
[SPEAKER_00]: I definitely appreciate it.
18:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember my 60th birthday party.
18:28
[SPEAKER_01]: They gave me a surprise party.
18:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember And everybody came there with white You came in with blue the Michigan sweatshirt You had to be special.
18:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody got on white.
18:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody got on white.
18:42
[SPEAKER_00]: I ain't right.
18:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I ain't get that far down in the invitation I just knew I need to be there for you
18:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And you was there every time actually to be somewhere like next saddest next Thursday I need you to be at the gala yes always at you.
18:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't need you.
18:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I ain't gonna reach out to you But I need you that goes for all the midnight golf.
18:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I need you by reach out I need you guys to be there because I was there for y'all and I want you to be here for me
19:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I may not be alone.
19:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You know how old people used to say, I may not be here long.
19:10
[SPEAKER_01]: But I really want to be around my midnight golf family because you guys are so important in my life.
19:16
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
19:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for partaking in freestyle Friday.
19:20
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're sorry.
19:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I got it.
19:22
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no freestyle.
19:23
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
19:23
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Mr. Nate, now I want to be able to, we talked about the future a little bit about the past and midnight golf, but I now want to be able to talk about the journey overall.
19:33
[SPEAKER_00]: And so me talking to you over the years and learning about your pathway to midnight golf.
19:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And like you said, you didn't, at first you didn't necessarily want to do it, but because you
19:43
[SPEAKER_00]: Jason, who was already playing golf and he like, mom, we got to do something about this.
19:48
[SPEAKER_00]: For you, you have it back around in social work.
19:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So you have an MSW, you went to Wayne State.
19:53
[SPEAKER_00]: And Wendy and you mentioned, even in high school, working for the city had got you out of your comfort zone, out of your shell.
20:02
[SPEAKER_00]: But what led you down that path to social work?
20:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Had you always wanted to...
20:06
[SPEAKER_00]: do something like that to be able to help families or work with families and young people or what they're just kind of like something that you found yourself in and not something you always want to.
20:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so let's clarify, I just got a bachelor's from Wayne State University.
20:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I started on my master's and started midnight golf.
20:23
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what I was going to finish with.
20:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Never got a chance to go back to that.
20:27
[SPEAKER_01]: But I believe in I was working as a social worker
20:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Always I did child family services with child abuse, I did protect services, foster care, adoptions, payments, I did everything you can in social services because I wanted to know all programs, but I noticed it was a need that being a real social worker finding out what is the need in that family.
20:57
[SPEAKER_01]: What was going on?
20:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Why didn't have any money?
20:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Why didn't have education?
21:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Why didn't?
21:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Why didn't have family?
21:04
[SPEAKER_01]: What was going on with the people?
21:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So I never forget Miss Blackwell.
21:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Her husband was a mayor of Highland Park.
21:12
[SPEAKER_01]: She worked with me.
21:13
[SPEAKER_01]: She was a social worker.
21:14
[SPEAKER_01]: She took me on her.
21:16
[SPEAKER_01]: She was like my mentor and she took me out in the field.
21:19
[SPEAKER_01]: She said these are these are the things that
21:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't think they teach people this anymore and social work.
21:28
[SPEAKER_01]: But you got to look at what they live, how do they live it, how do they get money, how do they buy food, you know, it's not being nosy.
21:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Some people would say that was being nosy, but you try and I hope the family to stay strong stayed together.
21:46
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that's how I learned that wrote by being with Ms. Blackwell.
21:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember we had a situation where a man lived in a training cart down by the Michigan Training Station.
21:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And so she took me down there and she said, you got to get up in the cart.
22:02
[SPEAKER_01]: See how he's living.
22:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like, he's a hobo, I can't go up in his car.
22:07
[SPEAKER_01]: She said, you got a jump up in the car.
22:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I had a jump inside this trade car.
22:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And this man got all this stuff in this trade car.
22:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And I can't say, no, I can't do this.
22:17
[SPEAKER_01]: This is so hard.
22:18
[SPEAKER_01]: She said, this is part of living.
22:20
[SPEAKER_01]: He says, I'm homeless.
22:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Then we, then I had the homeless unit.
22:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I never forget that I had to go under the buy docs.
22:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to count people for home so we can get money for the state of Michigan to help with the homelessness.
22:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, and then another situation where it really got me turned on was this little girl living by herself.
22:39
[SPEAKER_01]: She was living.
22:40
[SPEAKER_01]: She was a massive paid a living by herself.
22:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, she came there by herself.
22:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And this black will say, she don't have a choice.
22:47
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to go to court.
22:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to get the petition, get her papers so that, you know, we want, I want her to go to school.
22:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So I learned a whole
22:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, when I started, we didn't even have computers.
23:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Everything had to be done by paper.
23:04
[SPEAKER_01]: We had to make home calls.
23:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I made home calls at three o'clock in the morning.
23:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Two o'clock in the morning and taking people's kids.
23:11
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm moving from one foster care to another.
23:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember this one young lady.
23:15
[SPEAKER_01]: She was in midnight golf.
23:16
[SPEAKER_01]: She said, Miss Renee, I want to start a campaign.
23:18
[SPEAKER_01]: I've given luggage.
23:20
[SPEAKER_01]: We foster care kids at that time had plastic bags.
23:24
[SPEAKER_01]: They did not have luggage.
23:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So we started to campaign, even in midnight golf, raising, having people donate luggage.
23:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know why some people gave a trash.
23:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And these peakeys already have in a hard way to go.
23:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't give them nothing that's used.
23:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Give them something that they can hold and appreciate.
23:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
23:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's how learned how to be what I do for the
23:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And so also I'm wondering because I'm curious I know that the house that the household adjacent had grew up in it with multi generational households so it was yourself your mom and then did your brand your grandpa was your grandma there and your aunt my aunt was there and that house I think you've been to that house that house we lived in we would have Sunday dinners.
24:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Every Sunday around Bible's clock, we have so many people at that house eating, and I would see how she cared about people.
24:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody took a package on them, and I do the same thing now.
24:22
[SPEAKER_01]: When you cut in my house and we're making your package, everybody took food home.
24:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We got together every Sunday.
24:30
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the truth when somebody died that's over everything.
24:34
[SPEAKER_01]: It never be the same.
24:36
[SPEAKER_01]: We never stop.
24:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I tried to continue those dinners.
24:39
[SPEAKER_01]: But I couldn't.
24:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I just couldn't.
24:41
[SPEAKER_01]: But being in our house, how she was always a giving, giving my mom was giving my mother, would give you her last.
24:49
[SPEAKER_01]: But learn to know skills by my family and from the state, kind of put it all together.
24:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember my friend's work for the state of Michigan told me, Girl, when do we tell you crazy?
25:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Why do you want to go set up something?
25:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, because I got to help people.
25:07
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to help each other.
25:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I was you.
25:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't do it.
25:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Now when I see them, it's like, I'm so excited.
25:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I had one lady called me and said, I am so excited what you're doing.
25:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Can you send me a jacket?
25:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, but you wouldn't excited when I was trying to start.
25:22
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you want me to send you a jacket?
25:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
25:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, people come and they go and people come for your in your life or reason and for a season.
25:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's that is so true that my goal is, and I want
25:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a giving person and I'll give you my last and you know it whatever I got I'll give it to you.
25:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I got it and I know you that you need it.
25:47
[SPEAKER_00]: I will give it to you Mm-hmm even quick quick story even when I was grown and I had got my first apartment by myself All I did was tell you like Amon's dad just got my new apartment.
25:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I stopped by men I got them to live in so I what you doing
26:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you're like, what you're doing tomorrow, and I'm like, I don't know, work at whatever you're like, when you don't work, come with me to coals.
26:03
[SPEAKER_00]: We buy, you know, you love coals.
26:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you like coals?
26:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I like coals.
26:05
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to get to
26:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Mm-hmm.
26:16
[SPEAKER_00]: When you watch your first house, the first thing I had in there was the TV that you gave me, I was the first day.
26:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that should be.
26:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I had a phone and chair in the TV for the first time, but I always, you know, like I said, you do like Jason's brother and me and Kirk, you know, y'all like
26:34
[SPEAKER_01]: And there's so many more and he clung Winston, you know, I look at Winston the same way because, you know, he looked at Mr. And I think we should do, and I think about, and Winston is learning like me, Winston is another caring, Winston to get out there, and he do whatever he can.
26:50
[SPEAKER_00]: And tell people what Winston do for him, and I got for real quick.
26:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Winston is our college engagement director.
26:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So he's involved in trying to help kids and establish relationships with the colleges with the presidents and the vice president and which is one to best in the business.
27:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, he is and Winston.
27:04
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't he's just like y'all.
27:06
[SPEAKER_01]: They're called.
27:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you think I should do this?
27:08
[SPEAKER_01]: One thing about it, I think you guys listen, y'all listen, and you know what's happening.
27:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I wish in my day I had a mystery name.
27:17
[SPEAKER_01]: If I had a mystery name, oh, you can tell me.
27:21
[SPEAKER_01]: It's my be the limits like today we're doing our scholarship, the mystery name scholarships, and all I had to do is make phone calls.
27:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And they hear the alums are here reading a scholarship they fuss and they complain They the kids ain't like we were mystery nay now they're not going to be like y'all The next generation is not going to be like y'all But we got to show them and teach them We want you to have some kind of caring you got to care all they care about is they cell phones That's all they care about cell phones and being on the computer
27:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And we got to care about people.
27:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, speaking about caring about people, you had mentioned when you had started men that got off in.
28:01
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't necessarily, once you've realized this was something that you was gonna do, you had mentioned like you worked three jobs to be able to get this thing off of the ground.
28:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I know you really tapped into your network because someone else saying people that started with you back then are still involved with the program in some way, shape or form now.
28:16
[SPEAKER_00]: So, take me back to that time, like it's around 2002-2001, and like you hustling to do this thing, like what was the other job that you was working in then?
28:25
[SPEAKER_00]: What was that grind like?
28:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So, I had a work for the state full-time, but I was a consultant for Kenneth Kinnofko-Nekwa.
28:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Kenneth Koha had at that time ties and shirts, and I was a consultant where I had to travel
28:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And I made good money doing that and they always gave me free ties.
28:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember Jason had a trunk full of ties because she had a way of tied to U.D.
28:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So I got ties and I've developed relationships and then they started giving me ties for midnight golf folks.
28:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Then I also did income taxes, so I worked for H&R blocks, so from December of into April I did taxes.
29:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So I did all of that, started midnight golf.
29:07
[SPEAKER_01]: I was at Franklin Wright's settlement, and at that time the first time we had 17 students.
29:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And we had to have food.
29:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So the people that will come and speak, I would say, can you bring food?
29:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Can you stop at the Chinese store?
29:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Can you place them?
29:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Restaurant?
29:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Can you go to Kentucky Fried Chicken?
29:28
[SPEAKER_01]: So can you bring pizza?
29:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So I never forget, they're a great set.
29:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm coming to speak, but you're going to have me to bring the food.
29:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I don't have no money because I had a big embargo and I borrow money off of my 401k.
29:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And then my dear friend, barps, family gave me the money to start the 50,000 dollars to do the mystery-nase scholarship.
29:58
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how all that got started with the scholarship.
30:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And then when I retire, to tell people, don't give me no retirement, give, take all that money and give it to the mystery and a scholarship.
30:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's how that guy started.
30:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, still big and that's, and people, can you help me?
30:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I need money and that's how all that guy started with the mystery and a scholarship and going big and people for money.
30:20
[SPEAKER_00]: Mm-hmm.
30:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember the uh, when you around the time that you were about to you ready retired from the state because I remember you came in a midnight golf when I was in the program and I would think I was in your tea time group and you said down you was so mad.
30:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Some lady at work had pissed you off because she was like
30:36
[SPEAKER_00]: a mean girl or something or you she you knew she ain't like you but she was trying to play like she did and she like offered you some birthday cake or something you're not on one of the okay like like you was just going off but I knew I could tell you haven't talking about retirement but I knew like at that point you probably already knew this this part of my chapter is done this part of my life is done and I got to I got to move forward with this program
30:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it was so many jealous women, not the men, and I never forget my boss at that time.
31:01
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a man and he always told me they didn't like.
31:04
[SPEAKER_01]: They didn't like what I was doing.
31:05
[SPEAKER_01]: They went to him and complained about it, saying they didn't like what I was doing.
31:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And he was explaining what she doing, saving families, the same families we were working with, she just don't go around doing more with these families.
31:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Because a lot of the families at that time were on age.
31:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And they would just, I would come to work in the morning, eight o'clock in the morning, because I'd be a worker eight, they'd be in a corner talking about me and I can hear it and I'd be thinking, okay, and then I put on my computer, I never forget I put 59 days at that time, but tell me we didn't have to sit down in my desk, I got 58 more days because he's seven.
31:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And then the day I left, I never forget a child person was Marveille, and she came to me, and it was the end.
31:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I left at noon.
31:49
[SPEAKER_01]: She walked me to the elevator, took my badge, and she said, the state is losing one great person.
31:56
[SPEAKER_01]: That they are never replaced.
31:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Till today they never replaced my child.
32:01
[SPEAKER_01]: but I'm not with the mean girls no more.
32:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And I always say it, I'm not going to work in a place where people are always in a corner talking and they being mean, I'm not doing that.
32:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm never doing that.
32:13
[SPEAKER_01]: That ever happened to Midnight Golf, I'll shut it down.
32:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Because we now hear talk about people.
32:17
[SPEAKER_01]: We are here to do the work.
32:19
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
32:20
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, so talk to us about what those early years, and then I go off with like, so you got that first cohort, you figuring it all out, what was the program like then?
32:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, remember, I was the, when I first started and then I got the very, very first one, I was, uh,
32:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I was a one-man team.
32:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I did not have Mr. Gamlin and none of these people, John Ambrose.
32:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I was by myself and I went to Ron Lockett and applied for a grant with a city Detroit and Ron knew my back, Ron, from the state.
32:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And he said, you know what?
32:54
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna trust you.
32:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna give you this grant for $5,000.
32:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And so started to be able to have been those relationships getting out here, I think that's what really helped me.
33:06
[SPEAKER_01]: talking to people.
33:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, we didn't have anything.
33:09
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't have nothing.
33:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't have an office.
33:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to work out of my home.
33:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I worked upstairs out of my house.
33:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't have nothing.
33:15
[SPEAKER_01]: It was just me and then I got off.
33:20
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm all my kids and how did you start getting people to help along the way because like people it's some people that like I said saw the vision from beginning but then obviously along the way you got to get people to buy in so how did you get people to buy them to come see what we did.
33:35
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just come see it.
33:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Just come see it.
33:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Kind of Franklin Wright, nobody want to go on the east side.
33:41
[SPEAKER_01]: They thought that was a bad part of the town.
33:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I said, just kind of like a security, just come see Monique, Monique, staff was with the mentors.
33:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I didn't have nobody to volunteer.
33:51
[SPEAKER_01]: This is way before, like I said, Dave or John got on board.
33:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So Monique, staff came and they helped us when we went, we didn't go on the college tour.
34:00
[SPEAKER_01]: We went of North as our trip.
34:04
[SPEAKER_01]: But the best part was when the PGA of America blew 17 kids to West Palm Beach.
34:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Mm-hmm.
34:12
[SPEAKER_01]: They paid for everything.
34:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Then I think people started looking at, oh, PGA is involved.
34:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was hard.
34:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to go to the Michigan PGA section.
34:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And I went in and I got thought I was crazy.
34:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I said, I need some help.
34:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to start a golf program.
34:29
[SPEAKER_01]: There's no black keys there and I had to play golf and he saw come back to me the next few months I said no, I'm not coming back to you the next few months.
34:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I need your help now.
34:37
[SPEAKER_01]: He's okay.
34:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm back in on week or so.
34:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm gonna see what I can do
34:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So the guy I'm that who works out of the PGA of America was the African American guy.
34:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And he said, I'm going to help you.
34:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So when back to Ken Divine and said, can you help me?
34:53
[SPEAKER_01]: I need some money.
34:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And he said, I said, plus you ain't got no blood people on your wall.
35:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And he kind of liked that feistyness in me when I was walking the talking.
35:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I came back and gave me a check for $5,000.
35:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's how that really that relationship started with PGA along with the right of cup cup because they wanted to do something different in Detroit and when the right of cup came, it was supposed to be here doing 9-11 and they had to postpone it.
35:22
[SPEAKER_01]: But this year after that, they did the right of cup and that's how midnight golf started getting exposure was through the right of cup.
35:29
[SPEAKER_00]: yeah and over the years you've gotten so many accolades been a part of the boards and uh very important discussions in terms of you and the city and and and so many different accolades but knowing you personally I know I don't feel like you can correct me if I'm wrong I don't feel like those things move and like motivate you so I want to know
35:48
[SPEAKER_00]: from your words, what is the thing that's still driving you today, 25 years later, because you could have just did it just to appease Jason back in a day, do a one-and-done or do a couple of times, and then move on with your life, because like you said, you already had your life planned out before you dove into this, but what's keeping you going with your motivation?
36:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Then I got family, the students, the loans, the new, the current students, that gives me that dry, it gives me happiness, excitement, it just makes me more want to get that grit, like I got to be here, something I got to do and I want to do it and I want to help them.
36:28
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like the college show we had 35 kids can not afford paid $500.
36:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I went and got all my friends.
36:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, I need you to help support these young people.
36:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they had a mystery name, 35 kids wouldn't win.
36:45
[SPEAKER_01]: But is that grit, that excitement, that I want to do it?
36:50
[SPEAKER_01]: It makes me feel like I've accomplished something.
36:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And when I looked at the preview of the video, they go have at that gala.
36:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I was on the golf course playing golf last night when I saw that I just broke out and you know how to be I'm always going But to see what they said they coming back.
37:08
[SPEAKER_01]: They came back.
37:09
[SPEAKER_01]: They said I remember They said a kid some Detroit ain't gonna be nobody and look at them now when you see The young people what they have done and they always give it back Seeing the mentors at midnight golf.
37:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't for the mistress in midnight golf.
37:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't be wrong back
37:27
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what makes me excited and continue to do this work.
37:31
[SPEAKER_00]: And you talked about the college, I'm about to butcher the name, the college road trip for success or road trip for success.
37:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Road trip for success.
37:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So could you talk about why that is so monumental and important to the program because me being in the program and then also being a mentor for a year in the program, that's where you start to see the turning point in the student.
37:52
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like you go along with the program and
37:54
[SPEAKER_00]: throughout the year, the school year, but then once you go on that road trip and you come back, it's a completely different experience.
37:59
[SPEAKER_01]: When you get on that road trip, like the first day we leave on that Sunday, everybody's excited, family's coming, everybody's excited.
38:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Kind of calm on the bus that first night, you know, real calm.
38:12
[SPEAKER_01]: In the middle of that trip, like that Wednesday, oh, everybody started coming out.
38:16
[SPEAKER_01]: They sang in, they laughing, but that last night, that Thursday night after that dinner, each bus had a theme.
38:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And so when the kids come back from the dinner that night, they get and take the mic, and they talk about what this trip did for them.
38:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Why is this so exciting about being in the midnight golf?
38:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I have no mom or I live by myself.
38:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
38:38
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, all this heart, I mean, everybody's crying on the bus, like, it's so hard, you know, you just get so excited and you care and you're thinking, they really get it now.
38:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It takes that trip to make them get what midnight golf is about.
38:57
[SPEAKER_01]: is sometimes I'm thinking maybe that trip should be early here because I know that's hard, but that trip should be not in March.
39:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it should be when we come back from Christmas break.
39:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, there still will be on break, yeah.
39:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, we still don't break and it's just that trip just put it all together.
39:20
[SPEAKER_01]: That makes the family, is that trip.
39:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And I feel for the young people who didn't go on that trip because they didn't experience.
39:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
39:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I have opportunity to do it twice.
39:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Some people now just want to get a chance to do it once, but the caring and the clothing, you know, we had a young man who didn't have a suit.
39:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Our mentors went out on the college tour this year, went and bought the young man a suit so he could go to the dinner.
39:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, how is that?
39:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Where are you going to find that kind of relationship and people that care?
39:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
39:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But they got to see the lead is caring.
39:57
[SPEAKER_01]: You're going to care.
39:58
[SPEAKER_01]: This one we're going to take care.
39:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And they came back.
39:59
[SPEAKER_01]: He had shoes, he had a tie, he had a shirt, he had a brand new suit, and they brought him a lot of peace of luggage, because he was too proud, not to say I need a piece of luggage before we went.
40:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
40:12
[SPEAKER_01]: But just to see the mentors get now, he the male mentors, wrapped their arms around this young man.
40:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And he stood up there that night and he walked and he said, how do I look, Miss Renee?
40:23
[SPEAKER_01]: How do I look?
40:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I said, you look fabulous, you look handsome.
40:27
[SPEAKER_01]: He just wants somebody to keep saying how he looked.
40:29
[SPEAKER_01]: But just to see our mentors, those males, just in clover and Kayla, how they all just jumped in and took him.
40:39
[SPEAKER_01]: What are you going to see that at it?
40:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So if anybody else would have said, well, too bad, he ain't got no suit, but they know how I feel.
40:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I kept saying, gotta get a suit, Joe.
40:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I gotta get this boy a suit.
40:49
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the beauty of midnight golf, how people other people can come in and believe in what you believe in and follow your footsteps and want to help people.
40:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and you get a chance to know the students so much better during that time because you spend an entire week with them y'all playing golf like 18 rounds of golf like to say no just like this I know put put like you actually know.
41:13
[SPEAKER_01]: But the thing, the other thing, this year, out of 20 some years we've been doing this college tour, I've never had mentees, which was last year I had male mentees.
41:25
[SPEAKER_01]: This year I didn't have because the baron kept saying, the baron is another one of my sons too, the baron is so special to me.
41:33
[SPEAKER_01]: But he said, Mr. Never giving you a break.
41:35
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not going to let you handle kids.
41:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So I had all of them.
41:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody on my bus was my mentee.
41:41
[SPEAKER_01]: So usually in that last one night you go to dinner with your mentor.
41:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And I kept saying, oh, I ain't got no kids to go to dinner with.
41:48
[SPEAKER_01]: All the mentors had, it was like five or six I'm got together and took their kids.
41:51
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a come with us, Mr. Renee, so I'm with to dinner with them.
41:54
[SPEAKER_01]: But just to sit back and see, I didn't have no mentees.
41:59
[SPEAKER_01]: They always, you always buy your mentees, give.
42:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I couldn't buy, I didn't know gifts about it.
42:04
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like, what am I going to sell?
42:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I went and helped Brenda to help buy her key stuff.
42:09
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you know what I'm saying?
42:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I was trying to help other mentors that didn't know what to do.
42:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I knew what to do.
42:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
42:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And another person who's been with me since day one is Mr. Denise.
42:23
[SPEAKER_01]: before anybody.
42:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I never forget I will go to church on Sundays and pastor do it.
42:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Revenue and was say Renee, I need you because he was our chairman.
42:33
[SPEAKER_01]: He said, you want to do this?
42:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe in what you're doing.
42:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm right behind you.
42:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So he will get up the second and the fifth Sunday of each month and get up and raise money for us.
42:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And I will get up and tell stories and Denise said, all you do is get up there and cry about
42:50
[SPEAKER_01]: But Denise been there since the beginning and I came up with that idea.
42:57
[SPEAKER_00]: And when the road trip is done, pretty much the students they're getting ready to prepare for graduation.
43:04
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they are off to the races pretty much, but part of what college career and beyond is about.
43:11
[SPEAKER_00]: That piece of it is making sure, and I know that over the years you all became way more intentional about that in supporting the students post graduation, because when I was in the program it was more informal.
43:22
[SPEAKER_00]: So like you would come up to, it was a group of us
43:27
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we hang out and you're checking in on us and then other mentors do stuff here and there you go up to state You'll go out to out of state But now it's more of an intentional piece to it where you have someone like a Winston who is make insurance like There's a process to make it search you keep up with these students from the alumni perspective and then being able to support them Pass the program so could you talk about that a little bit more?
43:49
[SPEAKER_01]: So Kayla Valentine is over the coaches.
43:52
[SPEAKER_01]: We call it college coaches with success.
43:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And what they do, three of the coaches work for the high schools.
44:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Making sure they got the essays, making sure what college you're going to doing one on one's.
44:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you got Regine and Dia who's over the colleges and universities.
44:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And making sure the students is doing everything they supposed to do.
44:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, they are the traveling going to the schools, um, you know, they give these little collegiate parties, you know, we have collegiate midnight golf and the college is now.
44:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So they're doing that.
44:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they go on there to make sure everything is, you know, turning out okay.
44:29
[SPEAKER_01]: But that's so important because remember, college career beyond.
44:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Now they get ready to come out of college.
44:35
[SPEAKER_01]: They're careers, we're working with them trying to make sure they're gonna get a job somewhere.
44:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And beyond, when they get married, like for you, when you got married and came to your wedding, it goes way beyond the midnight golf.
44:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Now like a laundry and the leash and all of it, I'm the triplets.
44:52
[SPEAKER_01]: They marry, they got kids, but I'm still a part of daylight.
44:57
[SPEAKER_01]: A laundry just opened up her new business, her for mental health.
45:01
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm still a part of her light, helping her create and what she need for her building.
45:06
[SPEAKER_01]: How long had you ever been out of a program like 20, some years, right?
45:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't,
45:24
[SPEAKER_01]: All of these are graduations.
45:26
[SPEAKER_01]: The presidents are excellent to sit down with them.
45:29
[SPEAKER_01]: That's how important that midnight walk is to somebody's universities.
45:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's way more than what you guys when you started being in a program.
45:39
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's going to get even bigger.
45:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe it's going to get bigger.
45:42
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe we're going to have, we had to talk with general motors.
45:45
[SPEAKER_01]: They want to bring in some people.
45:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Social workers, I said, what do they need that a GM?
45:56
[SPEAKER_01]: No.
45:57
[SPEAKER_01]: When they explain it to me and they say, oh, yeah, we need doctors to work here, GM.
46:01
[SPEAKER_01]: We need social workers.
46:04
[SPEAKER_01]: But how they want to work with, our young people and how they can figure out engineers, where they can place them and give these jobs?
46:12
[SPEAKER_01]: That's amazing.
46:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
46:14
[SPEAKER_01]: They reached out to us and want to do it.
46:16
[SPEAKER_01]: So we just had that big conversation all Friday.
46:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm going to pull Western in and we're going to get all that done.
46:21
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
46:21
[SPEAKER_00]: So, what's in your crystal ball for Mr. Nay moving forward for college career beyond midnight golf?
46:28
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you, what's on the horizon as you can tell us about?
46:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Um...
46:33
[SPEAKER_01]: After the gala, I'm going to really start thinking about what Mr. Nake on do.
46:39
[SPEAKER_01]: If I'm going to stay here, if I'm going to retire, if I'm going to stick around, if I'm going to move out of Michigan, I really love Charleston.
46:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been looking at a lot of stuff in Charleston.
46:53
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know if I'm going there, I don't know.
46:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I know I'm going to play it more golf, but I don't know.
47:02
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what's in store for me right now, but I'm still trying to, I'm still figuring it out.
47:08
[SPEAKER_01]: In the minute, it'd be all clear that all come to me exactly what Mr. Nate wanted to do.
47:14
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a journey, it was a journey, believe me.
47:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Because once I said, I retired from the state of Michigan, that was going to be it to continue on for another next 25 years when I did this.
47:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
47:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't have a video.
47:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I would be here 25 years.
47:28
[SPEAKER_01]: That's 25 years came by so fast.
47:31
[SPEAKER_00]: I bet.
47:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
47:31
[SPEAKER_01]: It came by really fast.
47:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Because that's one of the other programs for 20.
47:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I know.
47:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
47:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So 25 years.
47:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And they keep saying we want to get this program so can be less for the next 25 years.
47:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
47:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure it's going to be totally different.
47:45
[SPEAKER_01]: But and we got to change things.
47:47
[SPEAKER_01]: We have to change things with our programming.
47:51
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to do some changing.
47:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And if we don't change, we're going to be so behind.
47:56
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to change and make night
48:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because just and so I got chances to speak with the students this week to both cohorts and you just know just like that The I was talking about AI and so like from I understand just the first time they had like an in-depth Session with AI they all use it, but they don't necessarily know the power behind it or what it can really do and so you have no other things You got it like prepare for moving forward
48:22
[SPEAKER_00]: and things are going to change the way they're going to learn this change and then like college applications colleges they're going to have to change and then of course that directly impact the program so yeah what you're saying makes total sense.
48:33
[SPEAKER_01]: It's got to change and if we don't change it's just going to go right by us we have to change and if I said we got to change and this my program that I found it if I said we got to change we got to change we got to change a lot of stuff
48:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We got technology, you know, we got PR, a list of can't work by herself.
48:54
[SPEAKER_01]: She got to have a team where we're going to get the money, we got to come up with some ideas.
48:59
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to come up with Jason getting out here.
49:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Jason has bought so many people to that gala business people and don't eat money.
49:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So now he got to stop focusing on the gala soon and start focusing on how we don't get this money to come to men and I go.
49:14
[SPEAKER_01]: where it ain't going to come from grants.
49:16
[SPEAKER_01]: It's got to come from foundations and families.
49:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And from our alums, it's got to come from within also.
49:23
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's got things, it's got to change.
49:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I look at, we did a scholarship today.
49:28
[SPEAKER_01]: We was reading the three-day scholarships.
49:30
[SPEAKER_01]: The writing is so bad.
49:34
[SPEAKER_01]: My committee is so upset.
49:36
[SPEAKER_01]: They are very upset about these scholarships.
49:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't understand how parents don't sit there, one-on-one, or get somebody to sit with that student to see what they do.
49:49
[SPEAKER_01]: It says in the application to write a one page, why would you submit a half a page?
49:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Why you don't just fail checking?
49:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Why are you calling midnight gold?
49:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, those things, and then AI, the AI took a lot, I mean, everything was overall.
50:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You know when they do an AI, everybody's paper at the end says,
50:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Overall, come on now, it's got to we got to change.
50:14
[SPEAKER_01]: We got to start doing writing essays early and we can't wait to March and start writing.
50:20
[SPEAKER_01]: This has got to change.
50:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We do need to solve skills.
50:23
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to like skills.
50:24
[SPEAKER_01]: We do need all those, but we also got to change them.
50:27
[SPEAKER_00]: It's in my hard skills.
50:28
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to incorporate all of them.
50:29
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to do it.
50:30
[SPEAKER_00]: You got to do it.
50:30
[SPEAKER_01]: You got to do it.
50:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because I think I was talking to somebody I can't remember who, but it was a young person and they were telling me that they weren't eighth grade I did a career day for a joint preparatory academy and he was telling me he learned how to write a curse I'm like y'all still writing in cursive and he was like yeah, it was the option like when I was younger So I decided to take a very smart young man, but they don't they don't know that Yeah, I'm not told somebody when they was getting the being sponsored to go to college So here's the thank you car right the car and sign your name
50:59
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know how to set you in the 12th grade, you're not a- No, we're not a sign that names a print their names.
51:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And I fell bad because I sent out 35, thank you cards.
51:09
[SPEAKER_01]: But I don't think people think about me.
51:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't think they can admit me, too.
51:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you can leader and you letting this crap go out.
51:16
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we're leaders and they look at us and looking at them essays, that reflects on me, every flex on you because there's no way those essays should look like the end of, you scribble square on the application part and you write out, that's unacceptable.
51:34
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't do that in the real world.
51:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't even know why the schools let young people do stuff like this.
51:40
[SPEAKER_01]: If we let in a week, we shouldn't let them do it either.
51:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
51:43
[SPEAKER_01]: It's terrible.
51:44
[SPEAKER_01]: If you go upstairs and you shake your head like those applications and I got 160 applications.
51:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I should have got 200.
51:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I got 162.
51:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And like it's tough education like the landscape that these young people got to deal with like it's it's getting tougher and for me it was tough because of environmental circumstances family dynamic stuff like that so you add
52:07
[SPEAKER_00]: You include that and that doesn't necessarily go away, but then you add the change in of society and technology and Governmental and not in all these things that these kids I do these are I believe yeah These kids were in school at a pivotal time during the pandemic like there's like all these things come up I came up into plays and you know like my committee was saying all they got to do is tell something about themselves
52:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Tell the story.
52:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
52:35
[SPEAKER_01]: They write in the story.
52:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I learn how to do.
52:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you because I don't know how to do bmd bmi.
52:40
[SPEAKER_01]: I learn how to Okay, you learn ever how did you learn it or tell me it's just like I had Thanksgiving dinner and I use those skills that I got in midnight golf
52:50
[SPEAKER_01]: they didn't say it like that.
52:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
52:52
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't you didn't tell the story and that's all what that essay is about.
52:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like I'm telling you my story.
52:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
52:58
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I grew up in a single-paying household and me and my sister.
53:04
[SPEAKER_01]: but we made it, we made it, we went to college and look what happened to us.
53:10
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's not, that's not clicking in their heads.
53:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Something is missing.
53:16
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what it is.
53:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Something is missing.
53:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And I hope I could be able to find out before I leave when they go off.
53:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
53:24
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just, I don't know, we give, and we give out so much money for scholarships.
53:29
[SPEAKER_01]: We had some people who say they're not doing scholarships
53:34
[SPEAKER_01]: We can't lose those people because they need to money to go to Howard and Spellmen in all these schools.
53:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially if you're going to stay right.
53:44
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know.
53:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to do the best I can.
53:47
[SPEAKER_01]: What I got and how I can do it, I'm going to do it.
53:51
[SPEAKER_00]: For sure.
53:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
53:52
[SPEAKER_00]: And so what would what?
53:55
[SPEAKER_00]: Encouraging words would you give to somebody who is thinking of doing something similar in terms of starting a nonprofit starting the business, whatever the case may be.
54:04
[SPEAKER_00]: What encouraging words would you give to them to actually make it happen?
54:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, grit.
54:12
[SPEAKER_01]: motivated, um, sacrifice, have money.
54:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't defend all you're going to get grants and you're going to live big and you're going to buy these big fancy cars because it ain't going to happen.
54:26
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not going to happen.
54:27
[SPEAKER_01]: It won't happen the first year, second year.
54:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we started getting money in 2008.
54:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Midnight Golf's budget.
54:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember we started.
54:39
[SPEAKER_01]: I was looking at some old taxes of 800, 80,000 dollars.
54:44
[SPEAKER_01]: We thought that was a lot of money back then.
54:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But you got to be motivated.
54:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And I could have gave up.
54:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I could have gave up and said, Oh, no, I ain't doing this.
54:53
[SPEAKER_01]: But I fought so hard.
54:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I worked till three o'clock in the morning and had to get up and go to work at eight o'clock.
54:59
[SPEAKER_01]: You got to have that motivation.
55:01
[SPEAKER_01]: You got to have, like, I want it.
55:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I really want it.
55:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You got to have the passion.
55:06
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't have it, it'll be there for a second, but then it's gone.
55:12
[SPEAKER_01]: you got to have that that motive that you got to be motivated and you got to be caring you got to be a caring person you don't want to care for people if you don't care it ain't going work and you've had at this point so two careers two full careers because you've been at go for 25 years how long were you with the state 35 so 35 25 so that's what a 60 year career right because I started mid night golf well my last few years with the
55:39
[SPEAKER_01]: And I never figured I went to my boss.
55:41
[SPEAKER_01]: He was a director at that time before he retired from the State of Michigan.
55:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And I said, Joon, I want to do this.
55:48
[SPEAKER_01]: He was just like past to do it, let's do it.
55:51
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this would really help.
55:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And he was the one that came up with the word road trip for success.
55:57
[SPEAKER_01]: He said, you don't want to call it a college tour.
55:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody got a college tour.
56:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, but you want to show the key is this is what happens when they go on on the job.
56:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you work in and you can play golf.
56:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You happen dinner.
56:08
[SPEAKER_01]: You may go into historical places to see stuff.
56:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But you want to show them more than just college tour.
56:14
[SPEAKER_01]: You want to do more.
56:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what a world road trip versus says came from Jerome.
56:19
[SPEAKER_00]: you've been able to do more all this all this time so yeah amazing career so far and then before I get into my spiel and talk about my perspective and I got reminded people working they want to donate they want to come to the gala working they find tickets working they get in contact with you all how can they find you
56:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So the 25th anniversary Gaila is going to be at the downtown Hudson where the old Hudson building used to be and it's beautiful.
56:46
[SPEAKER_01]: We have that whole entire floor, you go up to escalators, that downtown Hudson donated the space for us, they believe in what we were doing.
56:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Rocket Classic is our title sponsor.
57:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Gentlemen, motors just came on board.
57:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And they are donating the money for our students, if cost $4,000 for the student to be in the Midnight Golf program.
57:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So they help for those helping us with that.
57:17
[SPEAKER_01]: But they can donate gone live WWE under Mitt and I got a me college career beyond that org and it's a space that's at purchase tickets as of last night We sold out a ticket as we have 450 people coming but I think they're gonna open up the single tickets By Monday because they try to create some more spaces.
57:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
57:40
[SPEAKER_01]: This event is gonna be fantastic We're gonna have ballet parking
57:44
[SPEAKER_01]: We, like you say, a David Alley Greer is going to be there.
57:48
[SPEAKER_01]: David Alley Greer is from Michigan.
57:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So excited about coming doing this.
57:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Carolyn Clifford is going to introduce him.
57:55
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, Carolyn's been on TV for a long time.
57:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And she believes in our program.
57:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And she wants to help.
58:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But they can donate.
58:02
[SPEAKER_01]: And we still have sponsorship packages.
58:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Still available.
58:05
[SPEAKER_01]: That they can.
58:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, bye.
58:07
[SPEAKER_00]: perfect perfect and make sure it's all tapping into that and so now I'm gonna give my perspective of a Midnight Golf student and being in the program and coming back being the mentor and being involved with the program and first I'm gonna just say thank you I'm gonna start with a simple thank you because the you know Midnight Golf had been very pivotal to my life and my career and being able to change the trajectory and as where I was a very
58:32
[SPEAKER_00]: Young and determined man, obviously growing up in a single parent household with the support of my grandmother and my older sister.
58:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Being a young black boy, you know, that obviously comes with this, it's on challenges and so I don't think I wouldn't necessarily have the proper guidance.
58:49
[SPEAKER_00]: and focused that I would need it necessary if I didn't get a chance to see a lot of things.
58:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Once I got into the minute golf program, so like I knew I wanted to go to the University of Michigan, since I was like six years old, but being able to have a mentor in the program at that time, Mr. Chris Stripeshire, who worked at the University of Michigan, who was a alumni from there.
59:07
[SPEAKER_00]: And with a black man and like him being able to take me under his wing as a mentor being able to have people like you and Mr. Gamla to be able to rely on having Jason is like a big brother to always be able to go and have advice somebody who is, you know, older than me, but it also kind of like more so closest to my age and being able to understand the life lessons that I learned.
59:29
[SPEAKER_00]: things today that I know and able to do about business like sending a thank you email or writing a thank you note that that stuff never went away from the etiquette like I'm able to go to dinners with people who you know don't necessarily look like me and you would think they will have more etiquette but they they don't and so that's something they're always having my back pocket and I get a chance to always talk to a different alumni about that and how the
59:55
[SPEAKER_00]: change for me and then even outside of that just being able to build a relationship with you and you always being there for me at those pivotal moments of me going throughout the different stages of life me getting married me getting my first place me graduating college being in college all those things it's been a huge impact on my life and so I just wanted to thank you and of course give your flowers and then of course you know I love you so always appreciate you being a second
1:00:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I'm going to be going to do that.
1:00:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I never forget you and Kirk, when y'all went to school.
1:00:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Kirk was driving at bus.
1:00:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Remember the bus?
1:00:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
1:00:35
[SPEAKER_01]: He drove to bus, and he got $500, because I, you see, helped Kirk to.
1:00:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And he got $500 in this Renee.
1:00:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to donate $500 to men they go.
1:00:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
1:00:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I have to say, I want to donate $500.
1:00:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like,
1:00:49
[SPEAKER_01]: See, it goes, it pays off, what I give to you guys, I'll come back and get back to me.
1:00:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And the same, like I said, divine, you, um, Dimitris, I mean, uh, where can you find a group of young men, black young men, that's out here doing it?
1:01:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, it's just amazing.
1:01:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
1:01:19
[SPEAKER_01]: a mother to you and a be a leader in the community.
1:01:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
1:01:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, of course you know I feel about you always and whenever you need something you know where to find me and likewise I know where to find you also so we are going to we don't lend the plane here and everybody makes sure that's all tapping with Midnight Golf 25 year celebration go ahead about those tickets and then the links will be in my show description So you can go ahead and donate to the program and being able to follow the journey of Mr. Nay and the program moving for it So
1:01:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody watching and listening, we appreciate y'all gonna tap in with y'all soon.
1:01:56
[SPEAKER_00]: Peace!