Latest / Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries / Episode 72. Our Legacy of Impact

Transcript

Episode 72. Our Legacy of Impact · Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries

• 0:00
  Hi again, everyone.
• 0:00
  Welcome back.
• 0:01
  It's another episode of Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries.
• 0:05
  Today's guest, we have been working on getting in studio for quite some time.
• 0:09
  Aaron Elliot and Sean Keenan, welcome.
• 0:13
  Thank you.
• 0:13
  Thank you so much for having us.
• 0:14
  Lemme give a little background on both of you.
• 0:16
  So Aaron, you are a very proud Minnesotan.
• 0:19
  Born and raised in South Minneapolis, later moved to the suburbs for high school.
• 0:23
  Where did you go to high school?
• 0:25
  Edina.
• 0:27
  I know.
• 0:27
  That's why I don't put it in there.
• 0:30
  we love Edina.
• 0:30
  We love all schools in the state.
• 0:33
  So you pursued your curiosity of people by earning an undergrad degree in sociology from the U of M academic journey continued at Hamlin University, you obtained a Master's in public administration.
• 0:45
  Currently, you live in St.
• 0:46
  Anthony Village, you and your husband's life a whirlwind of activity, balancing the demands of being a mom.
• 0:52
  You have 8-year-old twins.
• 0:54
  Mm-hmm.
• 0:54
  We have to hear about that in a little bit.
• 0:56
  Can I get you a coffee before we continue various sports activities, keeping you busy year round.
• 1:02
  You are known for your ambitious home improvement plans, and I understand a prowess in the bread making department.
• 1:08
  Are you known as a bread maven at home?
• 1:11
  I mean, if you'd like to hear about below average sourdough, I can talk about that.
• 1:15
  It's not below average, really.
• 1:16
  You can attest to that.
• 1:17
  Okay, we'll get to that in a little bit.
• 1:19
  Professionally, you have dedicated 12 years to the University of Minnesota where you now serve as the developmental program manager in Medicine and Health at the University of Minnesota Foundation.
• 1:31
  Sean Keenan, thank you for being here.
• 1:33
  Grew up in the western mountains of Maine, in the small town of, is it Emden?
• 1:37
  Yes.
• 1:37
  That's it.
• 1:38
  How small is that?
• 1:39
  800 people.
• 1:40
  Is that a high school class where you knew everybody and then some Yeah.
• 1:43
  Graduated with 35.
• 1:44
  Wow.
• 1:45
  And those five, five or four other towns that I went to high school with that combined, they made up that 35.
• 1:51
  We'll have to talk about that'cause that is a, a small, know everybody.
• 1:55
  That must have been quite a challenge.
• 1:57
  You attended Vi Turbo University.
• 1:59
  Lacrosse and you earned an undergrad and master's degree in business administration on a golf scholarship.
• 2:06
  Remind me to never go golfing with you.
• 2:09
  You're currently serving as a lead development officer for Cancer and Children's Health at the U of M Foundation, where you help advance critical research and care through philanthropic support outside of work.
• 2:20
  Obviously you are a golfer, hunting, traveling with your wife.
• 2:24
  And a loving dad to an energetic 15 month old daughter, Margot.
• 2:30
  So there's a 15 month old and 8-year-old twins.
• 2:34
  How do you do it?
• 2:36
  It's every day.
• 2:37
  Just do it every day.
• 2:38
  I, I'm serious.
• 2:39
  How in the world do you manage a work schedule?
• 2:42
  Hopefully having hobbies and fun things?
• 2:45
  On your radar and then the activities involved in that.
• 2:49
  Twins too.
• 2:50
  I mean, I think I have a, a wonderful, supportive husband.
• 2:54
  I mean, I feel like that is the key.
• 2:56
  Just the high fives like we made it today, good job.
• 2:59
  I don't know.
• 3:00
  It's, it was actually when we had the twins.
• 3:03
  We were looking at childcare'cause we were both working and we realized that like childcare for two infants was kind of the same price as one of us working.
• 3:12
  And so Ryan actually stayed home, um, with the kids, Mr.
• 3:15
  Mom.
• 3:15
  Mm-hmm.
• 3:16
  And he, I mean, we never thought that this would be an option, but he stayed home until the kids went to kindergarten.
• 3:20
  And it was honestly the best thing for our family.
• 3:23
  And just to see their relationship, you know, being with Dad and the kids, it was, it was really awesome.
• 3:28
  I'm gonna ask a personal question.
• 3:30
  Yeah.
• 3:30
  What, what is it like.
• 3:32
  On that first visit to the doctor, when they say, oh, by the way, there's two.
• 3:36
  Yeah.
• 3:36
  I just kept saying two.
• 3:38
  Like, I was just like 2, 2, 2, 2.
• 3:43
  You know, like I, I feel like Ryan was like, I saw you go through the emotions of just by saying two, and I was like, come back to us, Aaron.
• 3:49
  Come back and it mean it.
• 3:51
  Yeah.
• 3:51
  And it's like, everyone's like, what's, what do you do with twins?
• 3:53
  I'm like, well, we didn't, we don't know any different.
• 3:54
  That's all we had.
• 3:55
  That's like two and done.
• 3:56
  So.
• 3:57
  It just is our crazy, crazy life.
• 4:00
  I, I know of so many friends with kids in activities, sports, dance, and it's different than when we were young.
• 4:06
  Yeah.
• 4:06
  It it's a year round thing.
• 4:08
  It's hardcore even at a young age.
• 4:12
  Yes.
• 4:12
  Hockey is wild.
• 4:14
  Yes.
• 4:14
  Gray plays hockey and the season starts at the beginning of October and runs through the end of March.
• 4:20
  And he's eight and he's on the ice three days a week.
• 4:24
  and that, and like it just gets more intense from there.
• 4:26
  And so like, you kind of have to decide like, do you wanna play hockey?
• 4:29
  I mean, at age eight, did, does anyone know what they wanna do?
• 4:32
  No.
• 4:32
  For sports at age eight, no.
• 4:33
  Right.
• 4:34
  So pivoting to 15 month old, we had our first swimming lesson the other day.
• 4:38
  Really?
• 4:39
  Yeah.
• 4:39
  How was that?
• 4:40
  Super competitive Parents in the pool.
• 4:43
  Not kidding.
• 4:44
  Is that the vibe?
• 4:45
  Yeah.
• 4:45
  Yeah.
• 4:45
  It's like, you know, you see like the dads and the moms and like.
• 4:48
  They're like pushing their newborn children, like it's like swim and it's like float damnit.
• 4:55
  This is not, this is not how this is gonna work.
• 4:58
  You know, I never thought about that dynamic of that competitive parent factor of why aren't you swimming yet?
• 5:07
  I'm calling Michael Phelps tomorrow and gets you ready for the upcoming olympiad personal coaching.
• 5:14
  So both of you work for the University Foundation and for a novice like me to look that up, the University of Minnesota Foundation is a key partner with the university in Building and Sustaining Excellence.
• 5:27
  How does that fit into the Masonic Cancer Center, the Masonic Children's Hospital, the new Institute for Biology and Metabolism?
• 5:36
  It, it's a pretty broad spectrum of.
• 5:39
  Activities and fundraising and endeavors.
• 5:44
  So, as the University of Minnesota Foundation, we're responsible for fundraising for the entire University of Minnesota system.
• 5:49
  So that's Twin Cities Campus, Crookston, Duluth, Rochester.
• 5:53
  All of our campuses across the state, and Erin and I have the really fortunate opportunity to be able to, you know, work as part of our Twin Cities campus, but really truly also serving in the whole system, uh, to be able to raise money for the cancer center, the, you know, children's hospital, the MIDB, and the new, um, the new Institute on Healthy Aging in which that just got started.
• 6:13
  Thanks to the Mason support.
• 6:15
  and it's been really fortunate.
• 6:16
  I've had the opportunity of being at the foundation for almost 10 years now.
• 6:20
  Uh, nine of that's been spent specifically within medicine and health and Minnesota Masonic Charities has been one of our most steadfast dedicated partners in this space.
• 6:29
  And I think one of the most incredible things about the Mason support, it's not just focused in one area.
• 6:34
  It's really truly focused on all aspects of.
• 6:37
  Truly human life.
• 6:38
  You know, whether it's, you know, child, you know, newborn children to older adults as they're, you know, potentially being diagnosed with cancer.
• 6:45
  And then, you know, also just a few years ago, the start of the Masonic Institute for the Developing brain, you know, being able to look at the neurodevelopment of really young children, um, and to be able to support them in their most, you know, developmental early stages of their life has just been absolutely incredible.
• 6:59
  And I truly think speaking for, you know, Aaron here as well is that, you know, working with one, the Masons has been truly one of the most.
• 7:07
  Opportunities in which that we have in your, on our jobs.
• 7:11
  Just in terms of how engaged your community is in terms of like wanting to be able to learn about the research and the impact of your support and truly is to be able to understand how we're not only just changing people's lives in Minnesota, but truly throughout the region and the world.
• 7:25
  Thanks to the Mason support.
• 7:28
  I'm really grateful to have you both here today as there's still a bit of a disconnect when somebody drives by the Masonic Children's Hospital, the Masonic Cancer Center, the Institute for the Developing Brain, they may not always correlate that.
• 7:42
  That is directly connected to the Masonic Lodge that's down the street from where they live in their community, and this has been a partnership of many, many years.
• 7:51
  It is very special to now have such a broad range of, from the developing brain, the children's hospital cancer, and now to have the Institute for Biology Metabolism, the healthy aging endeavor.
• 8:04
  The really, the, the full life cycle is, is covered.
• 8:07
  I.
• 8:08
  I think the one thing about that's unique about my role too is I get to really see the depth and breadth of the Minnesota Masonic Charities gift because you span across so many entities in medicine and health, and I think it's been really fun to hear kind of your vision of showcasing how this connection.
• 8:25
  Is impacting, you know, the Minnesota Masons and beyond.
• 8:28
  It's like to have this Masonic name on all of these entities and to be able to be in partnership with you to work towards like, how do we tell that story better?
• 8:36
  You know, how do we share this unique partnership?
• 8:39
  And I know when we have something coming up where, um, the bus tours, you know, to be able to showcase all of these spaces on campus, bringing them, showing them, having the faculty and researchers say.
• 8:50
  Your gift makes an impact and here's how glad you brought that up at the time of recording Today, we are just a few days ahead of a bus tour that is going to depart from Duluth and head down to the Minneapolis St.
• 9:04
  Paul area and going to stop at the Cancer Center Children's Hospital, the Heritage Center, the Masonic home in Bloomington, and give the attendees an opportunity to see firsthand some of the tremendous things happening within all of these facilities.
• 9:19
  That will be on May 14th.
• 9:22
  Yep.
• 9:22
  And we're also looking at, in August, there'll be another bus tour leaving from Rochester.
• 9:27
  Yep.
• 9:27
  It'll be in South.
• 9:28
  And then on October 1st, we'll get those dates, uh, reiterated between I.
• 9:33
  Now and then, but October 1st will be starting in the Minneapolis St.
• 9:37
  Paul area heading to these same locations.
• 9:40
  but a great opportunity to join that bus tour.
• 9:43
  It's gonna be a luxury bus.
• 9:44
  By the way, that was one of the first questions.
• 9:47
  We are not taking a rickety school bus that distance.
• 9:50
  This will be a luxury bus meals provided along the way.
• 9:53
  Some great conversation.
• 9:55
  We're very excited to partner with you on that.
• 9:58
  there's a video capabilities, thanks to the Masons video, will be on the bus if anyone hasn't seen that.
• 10:03
  It is so well done with those testimonials of families and of kids that have had their lives so positively impacted by the care that they have received at a number of these facilities.
• 10:15
  Part of your roles obviously entails fundraising, institutional development, awareness.
• 10:22
  How do you go about doing that on each day?
• 10:25
  I, you're the network that you cover with the entire University of Minnesota network and all of these different endeavors with the foundation.
• 10:33
  overwhelming?
• 10:36
  I would actually call it really gratifying.
• 10:37
  you know, in terms of the opportunity which that we have, I think certainly there's days in which that certainly feel overwhelming and could be really difficult.
• 10:45
  Um, especially like working in the space of medicine and health, where oftentimes, you know, working with families and loved ones that are, they've gone through a really challenging time, you know, and some of them are experiencing gratitude and some are potentially have experienced great loss as part of that.
• 11:01
  And I think, you know, for us, as you know, development, you know, one of the things that I was amazed by when I first came into fundraising within Medicine Health, that I didn't anticipate,'cause I'd always, you know, fundraised in like the scholarships and education side and.
• 11:15
  within medicine and health, people truly see us in development as a, as an extension of their care team.
• 11:22
  And I always felt like when raising money on the scholarship academic side is that people would often, you know, you'd spend a lot of time like building and developing rapport, but like, you know, when talking with somebody that's, you know, interested in being philanthropically involved from, I'm just gonna say a cancer perspective.
• 11:40
  There seems to be oftentimes much less of that.
• 11:42
  They kind of go to some of those, you know, deepest and dark, darkest moments in which that they experienced.
• 11:47
  And, you know, you know, for anybody facing a cancer diagnosis is not just physically difficult, but it's also tremendously emotionally challenging.
• 11:55
  Um, so it's, you know, I think, you know, I would really call, you know, I.
• 11:59
  That this is a really gratifying opportunity to be able to serve and to be able to help people, um, be able to, you know, find this fulfillment, you know, through philanthropy and support causes in which that are really meaningful to them and their families and their, and their community.
• 12:14
  And I think it's a piece of, for me, overwhelming but also.
• 12:18
  Really privileged to, I mean, we're storytellers, you know, we're, we're there talking to people and they're telling their stories and like Sean said, being a part of their care team, I mean, this is a piece of their journey.
• 12:30
  And I feel like even on the hardest days where, I mean, you're at, I.
• 12:34
  The, you know, Masonic Children's Hospital and you're seeing parents have the worst days of their lives, you know, and it's just like, it can it, you just take it.
• 12:42
  You just take it with you and you realize what an impact, you know, your job and the people that you work with and the providers that are at the university and the institutions that support all that is really, it's really powerful.
• 12:58
  this is something in which that's really stuck with me, you know, since the entire, you know, for the entire time that I've been, you know, on our team for the last nine years is I.
• 13:06
  One of the very first visits I had was over at the Masonic Cancer Clinic at the Clinic and Surgery Center over off from Fulton on campus, and met a patient family that was over there that was undergoing care.
• 13:17
  Somebody I'd reached out to that had been, you know, supporting the cancer center with, a hundred dollars a year.
• 13:23
  Um, I think, you know, in terms of annual support and, you know, just reached out to them to be able to thank them.
• 13:28
  And, you know, I met with them in the clinic.
• 13:30
  This is.
• 13:31
  I was just incredibly moved as, this wasn't something I was anticipating, but.
• 13:36
  This person at this point was, I wanna say a 16 year lymphoma survivor.
• 13:41
  And when they were first diagnosed with cancer, they were just given potentially a few months.
• 13:47
  They told them they originally went to Mayo Clinic.
• 13:50
  You know, at that time, Mayo Clinic didn't have, you know, an opportunity, which, that they would be able to provide them for treatment.
• 13:55
  And they suggested that they either go to two places.
• 13:58
  It was either Fred Hutch or the University of Minnesota.
• 14:01
  And, um, so they chose to go to the University of Minnesota living in Bloomington.
• 14:06
  And for them, you know, what they did is, what they brought to this visit was these books that they had put together.
• 14:14
  It was all of these photos of memories that have been able to be made possible.
• 14:19
  Wow.
• 14:19
  Through, through the care in which that, you know, he, that he had had.
• 14:23
  And you know, sadly, you know, he passed away just a, just a few years ago.
• 14:28
  but his wife actually just came to the Masonic Cancer Center annual dinner that we had here a few, few weeks ago with her grandson.
• 14:34
  Um, and just a really, you know, just a really special family in which they've had the opportunity to get to know, but it's.
• 14:40
  It's really support, you know, advancements and research that have contributed to, you know, the, the memories in which that their family was able to make.
• 14:47
  And I'll never forget, like, you know, when he was first diagnosed, uh, with cancer, his goal was to at least get to the age of like where all of his grandchildren got to be five years old, because that's when they get to develop memories in which that will last them a lifetime.
• 15:01
  and tha and fortunately for him, he got to have many more years with his grandchildren before, um, he's sadly passed away.
• 15:08
  But that was, that was a really special aspect to me when I was just getting started, uh, working with the cancer center.
• 15:16
  We had Dr.
• 15:17
  Douglas Yee on this podcast, and I recall asking him how does it work with the collaboration between entities, between Mayo Clinic or another cancer specialty research area?
• 15:31
  And he shared in depth how that collaboration occurs, that nobody's making any sort of revelation or research breakthrough in a silo and not sharing it elsewhere.
• 15:42
  But then he went on to say, we talked about the donations and the giving, and it's not always about who can give the most, or in my travels and working for Masonic Charities, there seems to be a bit of reluctance sometimes.
• 15:57
  Well, I can't make a significant gift right now, but that's okay.
• 16:01
  He put it in a, maybe you can word that for me better, but something to the effect that we just don't know whose dollar or$5 pushes that research into the next realm.
• 16:13
  Yeah, so when I first started, uh, working with the cancer center, Dr.
• 16:17
  He was part of my onboarding experience and I had a very similar question, um, to him.
• 16:22
  And he, you know, what you said, and I think his is about a phrase in which that he's used his whole career is, you know, we don't know which dollar it is'cause gonna push something over to an e, you know, the edge in terms of.
• 16:33
  Helping a researcher get that big NIH grant or push something into a clinical trial or push something into developing a new, new drug, um, that's gonna be available for patients.
• 16:45
  So I think, you know, when you, you really think about philanthropy, whether it's a dollar,$5, or$500,000.
• 16:52
  Is it's truly that$1 when you combine it with all of those other resources, like that's where it really creates this ma magical opportunity.
• 17:00
  And you know, I think that's, you know, been one of the really fortunate aspects of, you know, Minnesota Masonic Charities is, this is truly a.
• 17:07
  A, a really large community of supporters that are coming together and doing fundraisers and, you know, when all those resources get combined is, you know, been able to, you know, allow for, you know, Minnesota's Masonic charities investments to be able to.
• 17:23
  Get allocated into a research project that, you know, provides them 50,000 or a hundred thousand dollars in pilot study funding to be able to get that project going, that leads to potentially a$3 million grant.
• 17:36
  and specifically, you know, I know one example, um, in which that we recently highlighted at part of one of our events is that, you know, the Mason support for our clinical translational research program.
• 17:48
  Has had a 14 fold return on investment for every dollar.
• 17:52
  Yeah.
• 17:52
  We keep, go into that a little more detail.
• 17:54
  So for every dollar that is multiplied by 14, 14 times, wow.
• 17:59
  So specifically too, in that, you know, you know, over API think it was a five year period of time on the Mason said, invested$2 million into our clinical translational, uh, research program.
• 18:12
  Translated into$28 million in funding for cancer research through additional grants in which our faculty were able to go out there and be competitive for at a national level.
• 18:23
  Um, that's like one of the really important aspects that really philanthropy allows us to do is to be able to get that really early stage preliminary data that allows us to be able to go out there and compete for these large grants, uh, with other peer institutions.
• 18:38
  That's something we talk about frequently in our travels for charities that for those who want to give masons or non masons, I've been having a lot of great conversations with companies and just people that want to support something.
• 18:52
  These great endeavors happening right here in our state that are impacting the world and not to just.
• 19:00
  Send that check or click that QR code, but to go call me, call one of us so we can discuss the most effective way to ensure that that donation reaches that opportunity for the 14 fold or the 14 times addition to how we can leverage some of these grants and the the ability to make that donation even larger.
• 19:25
  Erin, what are some of the greatest needs right now in terms of fundraising or research that you're seeing on the day-to-day?
• 19:32
  Well, right now we are closely following the NIH grant, so our researchers right now are coming to us because they are worried that, um, research projects are going to be delayed.
• 19:44
  Canceled.
• 19:45
  And so I think right now there's a lot of worry in our research community about just kind of what's going on.
• 19:51
  Um, what kind of projects are gonna be, you know, either stalled or coming through, especially some that are like close to maybe going into clinical trials or some that are close that were maybe, you know, on the deck to be funded by the NIH.
• 20:03
  So I feel like right now research is, really big.
• 20:06
  I don't know Sean, The one thing that I, I'd like to add to that, Aaron, is specifically the, um, Technology and equipment.
• 20:14
  Um, and that is, you know, specifically ones that allow us to be able to advance our margin of excellence, both on the research and the care care perspectives.
• 20:23
  And, you know, thanks.
• 20:24
  You know, I think everybody's aware that, you know, technology is rapidly evolving and to be able to, you know, need be able to remain on that cutting edge, it's, you know, being able to have those investments to be able to, you know, acquire that, you know, some of these pieces of technology that can cost.
• 20:39
  If not in the millions to tens of millions of dollars potentially.
• 20:42
  And that's really important.
• 20:43
  And you know, especially for the care in which that we want to be able to offer to our, you know, in our patient community.
• 20:49
  Um, it's really, it's a really critical, uh, need in which that we have right now.
• 20:55
  I think it's easy for someone on the outside to forget about the cost of technology and the pace at which things are moving in this world right now is likely hard to fathom.
• 21:06
  Are you aware of any other endeavor quite like this where this collaboration occurs?
• 21:12
  What I think is really unique about the partnership in which that exists between the University of Minnesota and the Masons is that this is truly a relationship within in which that's extended, more than seven decades.
• 21:25
  And I think, you know, if you look nationally in which that, that is something that can be really difficult to find, is that this is.
• 21:31
  Not been something in which that's been a transactional relationship.
• 21:34
  This has truly been an extraordinary partnership in which that's existed between the University of Minnesota and Masonic Charities.
• 21:41
  And you look back all the way to 1955 when the Masons named the first hospital on campus.
• 21:47
  And incredible like when you have the opportunity just to look through all of the milestones in which that come after that, and.
• 21:53
  I think, you know, it's one of the things that excites Aaron and I just so much about, you know, our day-to-day working with the Masons is that this is truly a, this is a partnership in which that we have together and, you know, it's really committed in the essence of wanting to be able to, you know, make the lives of fellow Minnesotans better for tomorrow, um, and health and education in every facet of their lives.
• 22:19
  I just think too, what's so unique about this is I think about just getting introduced to the Masons when I started at the foundation and the fact that we celebrate, you know, Masonic traditions together, like Table Lodge.
• 22:33
  I mean, I just feel like that is so.
• 22:37
  Amazing.
• 22:37
  Just to be able to be, have each other, you know, learning from each other, understanding our true foundations, our purpose, and then coming together in partnership.
• 22:48
  That is a great memory of November's Table Lodge with then Grand Master Foster Solem and President Cunningham That was a really, really special night.
• 22:58
  I had to do the math for a moment.
• 23:00
  It's 70 years strong now.
• 23:01
  Mm-hmm.
• 23:03
  I talk to a lot of younger masons that have schedules like yours with kids, family, young careers, working on their personal and professional lives, who have really taken by storm the opportunity to support Masonic Charities.
• 23:23
  With that donation going towards the Masonic Cancer Center, the children's, all the things we've listed today.
• 23:29
  being part of this greater mission.
• 23:31
  It's such a gift for Minnesota Freemasons.
• 23:34
  Well, and Reid, you're just reminding me of our wonderful time spent at the Masonic Children's Hospital.
• 23:39
  You know, you took a group of masons from different lodges that maybe may or may not know each other, but coming together, you know, to be a part of volunteering for, um, around the holidays to sorting toys for, um, kids that got to shop that weren't able to leave the hospital.
• 23:54
  We'd like to do that again.
• 23:55
  I know we're working on some other endeavors to engage our members and their significant others and spouses to volunteer.
• 24:03
  It was an easy day, but it was so impactful.
• 24:05
  Mm-hmm.
• 24:05
  To meet the staff.
• 24:06
  Mm-hmm.
• 24:07
  Of the Masonic Children's Hospital and some of the patients even walked by and we're thanking the Masons for, it was just amazing.
• 24:14
  I'm so excited for what the future holds.
• 24:17
  So needless to say, you two both have a very interesting, gratifying, and fulfilling role with the University of Minnesota Foundation.
• 24:27
  Every day is.
• 24:29
  Different in such a good way.
• 24:31
  And I also feel like, I feel so lucky, and I really will say this, I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such talented colleagues.
• 24:39
  I mean, we're there together on the hardest days.
• 24:41
  We're there together to celebrate together.
• 24:44
  And I feel so thankful because the work is hard.
• 24:47
  The, the work is hard, but the, the work that we do together is so rewarding.
• 24:52
  And you know, like Sean said, working with partners like you.
• 24:56
  Is the reason that we find joy at work.
• 24:58
  You know, like it is just, it is such a gift.
• 25:01
  So thank you.
• 25:02
  Well, thank you guys for the work that you do and the collaboration that we keep seeing that is growing all the time between Masonic Charities University, our lodges coalescing around this mission has just been.
• 25:19
  incredible.
• 25:22
  On this podcast, we'd like to ask a few random questions in order to get to know you as guests a little better, more on the personal side of things.
• 25:31
  what common grammatical errors annoy you the most?
• 25:36
  I.
• 25:40
  Is your boss listening?
• 25:41
  Are you worried that, can I, can I say it?
• 25:46
  Yeah, you can say it.
• 25:46
  I can say it.
• 25:47
  So Sean and I are.
• 25:50
  We have really great skills in other things, but neither of us are great at writing I don't know that I, like, I don't, I don't know that I have anything that's like, oh my gosh, I can't believe people do that because I probably do every grammatical error there is your, your writing's pretty is pretty good.
• 26:05
  I think sometimes for Aaron and I, we can be own our own worst critics.
• 26:09
  Yeah.
• 26:09
  In term, in terms of our writing, but.
• 26:12
  yeah, we occasionally like just get some like really broken things.
• 26:15
  Yeah.
• 26:16
  Especially like working with our docs.
• 26:17
  Mm-hmm.
• 26:18
  Oh yeah.
• 26:18
  I can't even imagine.
• 26:19
  They're, they're, they're super busy, you know, sometimes they'll only put their content in the subject line of the email and they don't write anything in the body.
• 26:27
  Really.
• 26:28
  Yeah.
• 26:28
  So I think, I mean, if you had to give me a pet peeve.
• 26:31
  again, really grateful for our doctors and researchers and care teams.
• 26:35
  They're incredibly busy of course, and they're very talented in their, but, but however, go on.
• 26:40
  Yeah.
• 26:40
  They, they just sometimes could.
• 26:43
  give a little bit more context would be sometimes helpful.
• 26:46
  I, I don't like the, the email written out in the subject line.
• 26:50
  So sometimes Sean and I just have to make a little magic happen to be like, I think this is what they would want us to say in this case.
• 26:57
  Yeah.
• 26:58
  And well add one time too, when I first started, I was trying to get a hold of a doc and he said to asked for me to page him.
• 27:06
  I had never paged anybody in my life on his pager.
• 27:09
  Well, on his pager, on his page.
• 27:11
  This wasn't like a use the, the, uh, the phone system to No say doctor.
• 27:15
  Okay.
• 27:15
  Yeah.
• 27:17
  See, that makes me feel old.
• 27:18
  I know, because back in the day, in the nineties, we had pagers before, there's pagers before phones, and there was little codes in the pager.
• 27:24
  Not only would you get the phone number to call, but there was a little insider.
• 27:27
  If there was a, a certain character that meant call fast.
• 27:32
  Mm-hmm.
• 27:32
  Call right away.
• 27:32
  Call immediately.
• 27:33
  Yeah.
• 27:36
  What popular movie have you never seen?
• 27:42
  Probably all of them.
• 27:44
  I feel like.
• 27:44
  let's go with a little bit of forgiveness in the window that you've had children, but like, let's talk like what The Godfather A one.
• 27:51
  A Wonderful Life.
• 27:52
  I've never seen that.
• 27:53
  Never seen it.
• 27:53
  Really?
• 27:54
  No.
• 27:54
  Why not?
• 27:56
  Did you avoid it or it just never happened?
• 27:58
  Just never happened.
• 27:59
  You don't, you don't have a disdain for Jimmy Stewart or something?
• 28:01
  No.
• 28:01
  Okay.
• 28:01
  No, not at all.
• 28:02
  I've also never seen The Wizard of Oz.
• 28:05
  Whoa.
• 28:06
  Well, I guess we're gonna end this podcast right now.
• 28:07
  Whoa.
• 28:08
  Goodbye.
• 28:09
  Never seen it, Sean.
• 28:12
  Really?
• 28:14
  Yeah.
• 28:15
  Kind of embarrassed, I guess.
• 28:16
  A little bit about it.
• 28:17
  Aaron.
• 28:17
  You gonna make him drive?
• 28:18
  Walk home today?
• 28:19
  Yeah.
• 28:19
  You're gonna drive alone.
• 28:20
  I can't believe I'm even, I'm still here.
• 28:22
  Wow.
• 28:22
  So you've learned something about your colleague?
• 28:24
  I have.
• 28:25
  How about you?
• 28:25
  Movie You've never seen, um, big time Movie.
• 28:28
  I have a, I've never seen Goonies.
• 28:30
  I don't know why I just thought of that.
• 28:31
  That's so random.
• 28:32
  Not that I, I don't even know.
• 28:34
  Great movie.
• 28:35
  Okay, great movie.
• 28:36
  Um, I also have not seen This is newer.
• 28:39
  Any Harry Potter ones?
• 28:41
  I'll give you a pass on that.
• 28:42
  Neither am I.
• 28:43
  Okay.
• 28:44
  Not interested.
• 28:45
  I feel like people talk about it a lot, but, but people that are into it are way into it, really into it.
• 28:49
  That's my wife.
• 28:50
  She loves, she loves Harry Potter, Harry Potter movies, and I can't, I can never sit through a whole one.
• 28:54
  I just can't do it.
• 28:57
  what overused word.
• 28:59
  Are you tired of hearing?
• 29:02
  Let's even go with phrase.
• 29:06
  Aaron's wheels are turning.
• 29:10
  Overuse word or phrase you're tired of hearing.
• 29:13
  Are you reluctant because this might call out a colleague that you don't want them to know or friend or spouse?
• 29:21
  No, I'm like really thinking about like, what have I heard?
• 29:25
  Agency's a big word right now, agency.
• 29:28
  Um, I would say for me, like one that.
• 29:31
  Keep on hearing right now is that we're like living in unprecedented times is, I don't know.
• 29:38
  I was having a conversation with somebody the other day and it's like, I think right now, I think actually what's precedence is living in unprecedented times.
• 29:49
  Wouldn't every generation say that though?
• 29:52
  It could.
• 29:52
  Case could be made that what the here and now feels different than as we navigate life.
• 30:00
  I would imagine living on the frontier in the prairie days, those felt like unprecedented times too.
• 30:06
  Absolutely.
• 30:06
  I, I know that was hard.
• 30:08
  Yeah, that was tough.
• 30:09
  That was tough.
• 30:09
  That was tough.
• 30:11
  Alright, this is an easy one.
• 30:12
  Okay, last, last, uh, last random question for you.
• 30:14
  What's the worst thing you've stepped on in the dark?
• 30:19
  You have kids, I have to imagine there was something left.
• 30:21
  There was a mystery.
• 30:24
  Yeah, it was my dog.
• 30:26
  Oh, I mean, not my dog, but my dog poop.
• 30:30
  I stepped on it in the dark and I was not okay with it.
• 30:33
  It send me, it just, that was the worst thing.
• 30:35
  I just was not ready for it.
• 30:37
  I was so tired.
• 30:39
  What time of day was this?
• 30:40
  This was at like three in the morning.
• 30:41
  Of course.
• 30:42
  And I just, I, I just, I didn't handle it well.
• 30:47
  Hmm.
• 30:48
  It was a whole house awoken as a result of this.
• 30:50
  The whole house was up.
• 30:51
  You were up for the day.
• 30:52
  'cause of my own problems that Yep.
• 30:53
  We're up for the day.
• 30:54
  Yep.
• 30:54
  We're up for the day.
• 30:55
  Yeah.
• 30:56
  Related to that, and this was maybe just three weeks ago, as I stepped in our dog's vomit, going, walking to the bathroom at night.
• 31:02
  I'm not getting, it's, he likes to eat grass outside and nobody heard him get up during the night and mm-hmm.
• 31:10
  That was.
• 31:10
  A lovely joy.
• 31:12
  We love our dogs.
• 31:13
  However, Uhhuh, there's a, so as a result of that, are you using the phone flashlight?
• 31:18
  Are you turning the, when you get up and I should move around in the night?
• 31:21
  I, you would think I would learn to like just have a little more light before I walk.
• 31:24
  I have not done that.
• 31:25
  So because that's one step closer to be becoming our parents using a flashlight or.
• 31:31
  Even the, the light on the phone would be mm-hmm.
• 31:34
  Smart.
• 31:34
  That would've been, I, I'm gonna start you.
• 31:36
  No, I probably won't.
• 31:37
  I probably won't.
• 31:37
  I'll probably just do what I do.
• 31:39
  There's gonna be a, a Masonic charity flashlight in your next, uh, it's actually a great swig idea.
• 31:46
  Lemme write that.
• 31:47
  Everyone will use it.
• 31:48
  Let write that down.
• 31:48
  That in a tape measure.
• 31:50
  Right.
• 31:50
  Tape measure.
• 31:51
  You always need one.
• 31:52
  You do?
• 31:53
  Yeah.
• 31:53
  Really.
• 31:54
  Especially shopping, home improvement projects.
• 31:56
  Yeah.
• 31:56
  Improvements.
• 31:57
  I'm always looking and like little ones.
• 31:59
  Great.
• 31:59
  Bring'em along.
• 32:00
  All right, so let's add that to the list of the wishlist for the marketing departments flashlights, tape measurers.
• 32:07
  Mm-hmm.
• 32:08
  What's next on the to-do list for the University of Minnesota Foundation, whether it's with Masonic Charities or otherwise?
• 32:16
  This weekend, uh, we have wine fest.
• 32:20
  So benefiting the Masonic Children's Hospital and Mason's will be there with us on Saturday night in support.
• 32:26
  So really excited, uh, toast to Children's Health.
• 32:29
  This is our 28th, uh, annual wine fest.
• 32:31
  So, you know, really hopeful that, you know, as part of this event that we'll be able to raise more than$2 million that we've benefiting the Masonic Children's Hospital and, you know, the Masons in which have been a, you know, really big aspect of, uh, partnership with this event through the years.
• 32:44
  So really looking forward to being able to spend Saturday evening with you all.
• 32:48
  We also have Couture for Kids.
• 32:50
  Um, great Minds Couture for Kids is benefiting the Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain coming up on July 18th.
• 32:57
  Um, it is a kids' fashion show, um, where we get to highlight, um, kids helping kids.
• 33:02
  So kids are out there raising money for the MIDB and we'll be showcasing their fundraising events at.
• 33:08
  The event with a large presentation.
• 33:10
  So we have double the models this year.
• 33:12
  There's a lot of excitement around the event.
• 33:15
  and hopefully, um, we'll be just, just wonderful I'm gonna put my email address in the bio of today's podcast to contact me for information on that.
• 33:26
  ultimately talk about how to give, how to contribute to Minnesota Masonic charities and all of these tremendous things we've been talking about today.
• 33:35
  There is a number.
• 33:36
  It is innumerable opportunities to contribute time, talents, financially.
• 33:43
  Future looks very bright and exciting.
• 33:45
  we really look forward to seeing Marcus and, uh, his fellow Masons next week, uh, for the, for the tour on campus.
• 33:52
  Another thing to email me about if there, there's still room on the bus, correct?
• 33:56
  We have a, it's filling up quickly, but the bus leaving Duluth heading down to the Minneapolis St.
• 34:01
  Paul area for the day that will return to Duluth.
• 34:04
  That it'll be a long day, but it'll be a very fun day.
• 34:07
  Yes.
• 34:07
  We are so excited to have everyone on campus.
• 34:09
  I know all the, all the stops will be, be ready and for some fun.
• 34:15
  Sean Keenan.
• 34:16
  Erin Elliot, thank you so much for being in studio with us today.
• 34:19
  Thank you.
• 34:20
  Thank you.
• 34:21
  Thank you so much for having us.
• 34:23
  And this has been another episode of Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries.