Latest / Our Community, Our Mission / Ep #309 – Purpose-Driven Partnerships: Part 2 w/GiDeanLeigh Ogilvie​​​​

Transcript

Ep #309 – Purpose-Driven Partnerships: Part 2 w/GiDeanLeigh Ogilvie​​​​ · Our Community, Our Mission

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we are so grateful that you have called us to care and love for people.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: We are also so thankful that when doing this work uh becomes challenging that we can come to you for wisdom and we can come to you for guidance and we can come to you for ideas.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And also, Lord, that you are such a good, good father that you connect us through fellowship of um other individuals too.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it's just so incredible that there are so many people on their own individual journeys, Lord, and how you connect our stories to then um, I don't know, make a bigger story and to show us really how you are connecting everything.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so thank you for our special guest, Lord.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for her heart to serve, thank you for the knowledge that you've given her.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, thank you for her uh bubbly personality.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you that she's agreed to do this podcast not once but twice.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: And Lord, I just pray that you would speak through her in a way that Barry and I um glean from it what you want us to take from it for our area.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: And Lord, that um in whatever way that we could also be an encouragement to her as well.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, thank you for um the rescue mission.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for um everyone that we are serving and everybody doing the serving.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: And Lord, I just pray that you continue to um guide and direct and provide for everything that the Topeka Rescue Mission needs and the Phoenix Rescue Mission, City Gate Network, and everybody doing this work all over the world.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: In your name we pray.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_03: Amen.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, everybody.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for joining us for our community, our mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host today, Barry Fieker, on this last day of March of 2026, March 31st.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: This is podcast episode number 309.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm here with a special guest via the internet and Lamanda Cunningham, CEO of Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Lamanda, how are you?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm good.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm good.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um you have interviewed our guest before.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um I wasn't in on that particular interview, and uh there were some unique things that uh you guys discussed, and we want to go further with that.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: But before we do that, um I want to talk about Citigate Network.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um we've talked about that before.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: You've made it a point on uh our community, our mission to um maybe once a month, if you can, try to interview somebody who's part of this association of rescue ministries.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: So talk a little bit about Citigate and then we'll get into our guest.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Citigate Network is the association that the Topeka Rescue Mission, alongside 300 plus other rescue missions and ministries, belong to.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And uh they are really a backbone organization that says often um that they are here to serve the people serving.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so they do all sorts of things, such as an annual conference every year with a lot of teachings and instructions that completely match what we're facing and maybe things that we need to better excel in.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: They also have um forums available to us seven days a week, any time of the day or night, where we can go on there and post questions or ideas or to seek guidance for maybe challenges that we're facing that maybe we've never faced before, and there's other uh people on the forums that can respond with their expertise and their ideas.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they also have kind of these different cohort or subgroups that you can belong to, and um, sometimes there's often like for instance, I'm also in a the CEO ladies um group too, and every month um they send out the notes from the Zoom meetings that they have, they send out devotions, recordings, all of those kinds of things.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but one of the groups that I have been um just blessed to be heavily involved in is the emerging leaders group.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we always joke, people ask me, what's an emerging leader?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, well, it's emerging-ish by age, position, those kinds of things.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: There's not really a clear cut, but typically it is um people that are in leadership, going into leadership, or aspiring to be the next um level of of leaders in rescue mission work under the age of 40.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm not eligible then, huh?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Well, let me tell you, in one year, I'm not either.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: So um I need to talk to uh CEO of City Gate Network on that for him to think.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Change the rules my time's uh my time's coming.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: But anyways, but a mindset.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's right, that's right.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And we have said all along 40-ish, so maybe I'm still in the ish.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: But what's great about this group is um there are just hungry young women and men that are wanting to use the giftings that God has given them, yet they recognize we don't know everything.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that we really need to um stand on the shoulders of people that have done this because that's where there's wisdom to match what God's called us to do.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: So this particular group with City Gate Network meets every month on Zoom, and we have a different speaker from that group, except for you, because you kick us off every year.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um and we let you.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: You make that 40-ish exception.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but most of the time the presenters are from that own group, so it's peer support, it's peer teaching.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we also have a Facebook page where once or twice a month someone will put on there a devotion or a teaching, or depending on what kind of month it is, sometimes it's just a funny meme so that we're all encouraged.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: But it really is this networking time of um fun and fellowship and learning.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: But what it's also created is we now have people, like for me, for instance, I have someone in almost every state that I could contact.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's amazing.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think uh for our listeners, it's uh good to know that the things that Topeka Rescue Mission um is about and what is happening in Topeka um are not just ideas that came out of Topeka.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: They came out of a corporate understanding of sharing information back and forth.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: And before the internet, um we used to have to travel uh or pick up the phone to talk to different people.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I gleaned uh so much from uh just other rescue missions, made some really good friends, which you have as well.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, you get to go to conferences a day, you can pick up the phone, you can have uh texting, you can actually do the internet like we're doing today.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: So many different ways to then glean and learn from what others are doing so that uh not only uh glean and learn from what others are doing, but also share what's happening in Topeka that somebody else may benefit from.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's a great network.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh not just uh it's you're not on an island.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um you're you're part of a big network.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: So um we have somebody from Phoenix Rescue Mission here today for the second time on the podcast.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: We want to kind of d dive in.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: So talk about your uh under 40 good friend who's part of the emergency leaders out in Phoenix.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I am honored to uh reintroduce to you um Jadeen Lay with the Phoenix Rescue Mission.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um and Barry, you know, one of the things that I just thought of that I don't think that I put in um the introduction of her last time, we often talk about the importance of someone's name and how uh the people that we serve um that it matters, that sometimes you just see them light up when you remember their name or you recognize them or you remember a part of their story.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um thing that stands out to me about Jadeen Lay, you know, I mentioned that in the prayer, is just kind of this bubbly positive spirit that she has.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: But one of the incredible blessings of Citigate Network, too, is the fact that we don't just go to an annual conference where it's kind of like sometimes the church camp experience, you know, and then you come back and you you lose friendships and stuff.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because they allow Jordan and I to lead this online Zoom, because we can exchange emails and so we have an email group and all of that, we recognize each other.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: So um last year at the conference, um, we had a break and um they had really said, Hey, try to go do networking by the this pool thing that was at the hotel.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And as I'm walking, here is Jadine Lee, and she's like, Mamanda, and I turn around and I'm like, Oh my gosh, it's really you.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: You have a body and you're human, right?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: Did you remember her name?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, because there's just interactions and all of that, and and you hug each other, and then it's like, okay, well, what are you thinking about this?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're hosting it, right?
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought about that that sometimes we often talk about the power of relationships when we're talking about those we're serving, but those doing the serving, it is just as important that we have authentic relationships.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: And what Jadeen Lay doesn't know, and not to get too mushy, was that was a rough trip for me.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I had just come out of the um barely two months later, the brutal staff assault.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that was discussed at City Gate where they asked for uh, you know, corporate prayer for us and stuff.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a trip that I struggled to even make because I didn't want to leave him.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: And everybody said, You've got to go.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: Lamanda, you've you've been there, you've done that.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I am not exaggerating when I say I still remember where we were sitting, Jordan and I were together, and how she remembered my name, was excited to see us.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we're going for with when we serve people like that, and that that's her heart.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: Jardine Leigh, thank you uh for your heart.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for joining us again today.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Lamanda uh means what she says.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm just watching you here on the on the screen.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it's touching you with what she said, is is you're here for each other, even though you're out in the middle of the desert in Phoenix.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um we're here right in the heart of America.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: Uh there's a connection here and uh of commonality.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so um thank you again for joining us um here on our Community Our mission.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so, Judine, you've kind of unpacked uh before um your why and and uh your part there in rescue ministry work.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Just summarize that if you would, and then we want to kind of dive into something that you have discovered in Phoenix um that we think that would be something to consider here in Topeka, Kansas.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I have to say as well, Barry, as a frequent listener of your guys' podcast, I know that you weren't able to join us the first time I was on.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_03: So hearing you do the full intro is so exciting.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Well, no, you blessed me.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna have to go ahead and break into the under 40 crowd.
• 10:58
  unknown: That's right.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: We'll let you.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I am so blessed and honored to be here for a second time.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_03: It's really, really exciting.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_03: I have so much joy over being able to talk about truly what the Lord has done in my life and what I get to see the Lord doing in the lives of those that come together for a bigger purpose.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: So, our first podcast, I kind of got sidetracked and talked a lot more about um my own personal journey to Phoenix Rescue Mission, who Phoenix Rescue Mission is as an organization.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_03: And to kind of reiterate, like many, many rescue missions around the US, um, we aim to rehabilitate the homeless population.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: And the cool thing about all of these different rescue missions is because we are given the freedom to function within our own city, the way we accomplish that goal is very um niche to what is needed in your city.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_03: So for Phoenix Rescue Mission, we go about um homelessness in three different ways.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_03: We have a wonderful street outreach team, over 50 case managers whose whole role it is to go out into the streets and meet people where they're at every day and provide um immediate resources and necessity to those that are in need of them.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_03: We also have do some food distribution.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_03: So we are blessed to have a food bank in Glendale, Arizona, as well as some mobile pantries.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: So that's where we're able to actually bring food to food deserts, neighborhoods that wouldn't otherwise be able to get fresh groceries easily.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_03: And then we have a residential recovery program.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: So we have one for men and then one for women and children.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and that is a year-long recovery focused program for those who are facing any kind of homelessness, addiction, trauma, um, life-controlling issues or substances that interfere with the wholeness that we believe that the Lord is calling them to.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_03: So we currently have around 230 men on campus.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_03: Our men's campus can hold, I believe, 370, 375.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so we're at 230 for at capacity for men.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_03: We have around 90 women and just under 50 children or kiddos at the women's campus as well.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_03: So it's an exciting time.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um I cannot believe that we are in, I mean, May is or April's right around the corner, but in Phoenix last week, we already hit 100 degrees.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: So Well, we're not complaining in Topeka, Kansas, then when we hit almost 90 yesterday.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_03: So again, going back to the beauty of being able to minister as needed to your community.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: We are already starting to kick into Gear Code Red, which is one of our biggest campaigns we run through the summer.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_03: It is all focused on heat relief.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_03: And we have a really big goal this year to collect and distribute 2 million water bottles.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_04: 2 million.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_03: Last year we had a big goal of 1 million water bottles, and we surpassed that raising 1.4 million water towards heat relief.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: So Jadeen Le, you mentioned 50 case managers that go out into the streets.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's a lot of folks.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Talk a little bit about the homeless picture in Phoenix.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's a much larger community, obviously, in Topeka, Kansas, but talk about your homeless picture, the the magnitude of it, and um just give paint a picture for us.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I came prepared this time because Lamanda asked me last time, and I froze.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I did um just take a look at the pit count, which is the point in time count that uh Maricopa County runs annually.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_03: And um, the most updated numbers we have was that there's nearly 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in Phoenix on any given night.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: And more than half of those individuals are unsheltered.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_03: So that means that they're living on the streets in cars, encampments.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and what I found concerning, but also um, I don't want to say encouraging, but there's something that like ignites the passion for the purpose of what we do, is that there has been a 3% increase year over year.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: So there was a brief dip in homelessness in 2024, but we're starting to see a little bit of a rise again.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: And something that's really near and dear to my heart, as I shared in the previous um podcast, I myself had had some experience with poverty growing up.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_03: So when I see that 12% of the individuals that are homeless in Phoenix are children, there it does something in me that says, okay, how do we get more people energized and excited?
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_03: And how do we, we're going to be talking about corporate partnerships and church partnerships.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_03: How do we um connect and leverage the mouthpiece of larger organizations to be able to spread the word and make a change for the individuals that are on the streets?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: Those are some uh startling numbers in the point-in-time count for those that aren't familiar is an annual count uh that's done across the country.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Some communities like Topeka do it more than one time, um, two times a year here.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: But uh this is where teams go out and try to locate people who are in shelter, who are identified as homeless, and those who are unsheltered, as you mentioned.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: 5,000 were able to be counted on one day or over a period of a week, whatever you do there.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: And that doesn't capture everybody.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: So that's just a snapshot of the magnitude.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's got to feel just a little overwhelming uh to many people.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh before we jump into the corporate partnerships, talk a little bit about um uh why uh the community of Phoenix thinks there is such large numbers of homeless in that community um that we um would be quite startled if we saw something like that here.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but uh uh what what are some of the causes that uh you can identify at this point and and what is attributing to that um uptick in homelessness there?
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: That's a really great question.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um I imagine that part of it is you know the otherwise moderate weather in Arizona that draws individuals here.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: I would love to think that because there are resources, this is the positive view on all of this, right?
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_03: Because there are resources and such incredible organizations that are able to support that more individuals are flocking to this area.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um I will say that um even as homelessness has has begun to rise, I I have also seen that Phoenix Rescue Mission, in its capacity to serve, has increased and been able to meet some of that need.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: Not all of it, because many hands make light work and praise God that there are other organizations that are committed to the same passion as we are.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um but I shared with Lamanda prior to getting into the development space at Phoenix Rescue Mission, I was in human resources.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_03: And when I started at Phoenix Rescue Mission just under five years ago, we had a street outreach team that had two hope coaches.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: So those are the vehicles in which our street outreach case managers are able to drive around um the valley.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_03: We have two hope coaches and eight, only eight case managers.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_03: Now we have close to 40, somewhere around 35 to 40 hope coaches.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_03: And like I said, we have over 50 case managers.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_03: So that's something that is encouraging, um encouraging me and that that I can't find the right word, that passion and motivation and energy to keep going.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's the feeling that I get when I see that increase.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it says uh too, I think us as we've explored this um extensively here, is we need to go where people are.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um don't always expect them to come to us, and that's what street outreach can do.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um Yeah, but speaker rescue mission, Phoenix Rescue Mission, who are these facilities doing wonderful work, but oftentimes you have to engage with people where they are, or they'll never find you, or they won't feel comfortable coming to you.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's a that's a f fantastic growth to address this unsheltered population.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um is the are the numbers, even though you've increased outreach, are the numbers still so high because of um there needs to be more resources, more shelter space, more affordable housing?
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: What um what uh you know of course the goal is not just to uh always hand out socks and sandwiches outdoors and million water bottles plus, um, but to be able to help people to move forward.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: So what what is maybe the hope to be able to take a look at that 5,000 population and see how we can get them off the streets?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, it is a difficult financial climate for for almost anyone right now when you consider the housing market and um when you're looking at the job market and so many of the uh resources that I can even take for granted that I have access to day to day, right?
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_03: So something that I I am so impressed with from Phoenix Rescue Mission and other organizations, I've seen it on the rise as well.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_03: My hope would be that when we are bringing people into the program, because everything that we do at Phoenix Rescue Mission is so, so intentional.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_03: Our um our leadership over our programs are so intentional to be able to sustainably bring people from street outreach through a food distribution program to a recovery campus, so that when they reach graduation from a recovery campus or our recovery programs, right?
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: Our measure of success is not necessarily how many people we can get out the doors.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: It's how many people um are equipped confidently so that they don't end up back in a program similar, right?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like we um take time to really intentionally equip people and teach them life skills, get them set up with um smart financial advising or teachings.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: They are um learning how to rekindle relationships and how to navigate um what relationships are healthy and beneficial and will keep them in a place of.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: That we really believe the Lord has called us to do.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that uh people in general are beginning to understand that housing doesn't solve homelessness, but uh healthy relationships and opportunity uh do.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and housing, of course, is an essential component, but it's not the end of the road.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, pouring into individuals, not just the masses, but trying to help people who uh to be able to get the kind of tools to um flourish.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: So, pivoting here, Lamanda had told me uh about some unique things that you have done there in Phoenix with some of your corporate partners to be able to participate with you.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm really excited uh to hear more about this because we've got a little bit of conversation going on in Topeka around this area.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: So teach me, teach us uh what this looks like there.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so I had the privilege of being able to chat with the Citigate network of emerging leaders a little bit about corporate social responsibility and organizational partnerships as a whole.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: So I kind of want to start there just so that we can get an idea of how this world of partnerships have grown to be what I know it to be today.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, the conversation really started in the 80s, where the term corporate social responsibility was coined.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_03: And this was a way that companies were intentionally using their resources, influence, business practices, and the like to create positive social and environmental impact beyond just generating profit.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: So this really sparked a lot of conversation and debate around what is the responsibility of some of these bigger corporate entities, whether it is just making profit for shareholders or caring about um the world around them and the communities that they impact.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_03: And it could be because I'm a believer, it could be because I am on oftentimes the receiving end of corporations that care deeply that I believe this.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_03: But I really do think that smart business um comes with the understanding that the external factors and forces outside of your balance book is what's going to allow your organization to succeed.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_03: So this conversation around profit and morality and corporations responding to matters concerning the communities in which they live in, at first showed up more as um like standalone or one-off philanthropy.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: So maybe just giving a lump sum of cash to an organization.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_03: But today, as we know it, CSR, that term still sometimes used today, has taken on many different phases or looks to it, many different names, but it's evolved significantly.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: And I've seen that when it's done well, it is closely tied to a company's mission and their performance, and um it creates a shared value within their organization and even greater.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: So partnerships, it's built on a shared understanding of these social issues and a commitment to create positive change.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: So you mentioned some positive results for the corporate folks as well.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: And if we think about business, um, obviously people are in business to make money, um, to grow the company, so to speak, um, to make more money.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of the the surface thing that we look at.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you talk about being a responsibility for them, uh, that could be out of a moral conviction, or if they don't have that, um, it's just about making money.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: So how is it benefited if I'm if I'm a business owner and um I'm trying to do my business and I'm trying to be successful, take care of my family, take care of my employees, take care of my community of customers to sell my product?
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: How is it that you can say to be responsible corporately for other things outside of my business is going to benefit my bottom line?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, if you're familiar with Benevity, and for anyone that's listening that isn't familiar with Benevity and um is interested in generating more revenue for your nonprofit, get to know the company Benevity.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: It's essentially an organization that allows nonprofits to register um and verify their eligibility for different grants and um dollar amounts from corporations.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_03: And the reason why I bring them up is because they did a study a few years ago.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I I keep this in my back pocket for these exact conversations, right?
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: Because I recognize that every conversation, not every conversation I go into with an organization will have the same reason for why, right?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so if I come into this conversation, Benevity ran a study a couple of years ago that showed that companies that invest in purpose-driven work generate about 20% more revenues than companies that don't.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_03: And also something that I find interesting, especially because of my HR background, I I love to support companies and see companies that I care about doing well.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_03: And part of that is through caring for the employees doing the work on the ground.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Benevity found that employees that give andor volunteer are 57% less likely to leave their organization.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: So organizations that create some kind of opportunity for community to be had within their workplace, when they start to recognize what their employees care about, but also what their target audience cares about, it is a way to effectively market and effectively um engage with individuals.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: Because, you know, we don't I don't want to get into the whole conversation about virtue signaling in the corporate work workspace, but I will say that for companies that do care deeply about their bottom line and want to make sure that the efforts that they're putting forward are not inhibiting any of that, um, it pays to care.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_03: And the CEO of um Benevity said it, I think, perfectly in an interview recently where she said it's not profit versus purpose, they feed into each other.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_03: So, in the long term, the way that you can best take care of your stakeholders and take care of your business is to recognize, again, how I said earlier, that there are forces outside of your balance book that are going to affect the way that you go about business.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry, go ahead.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, go ahead.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: And and just to care deeply about those will will benefit you in the long run.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: I can see uh uh how employees um would gain a whole lot more with where they work if there was a purpose to their work.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um not just to make the boss rich or to sell the product, but to have something that I think many, many people, if not all, um want value uh with their time out on this planet.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so to be able to go to a place where they're doing something, uh whether it's save the whales or help the homeless or whatever, it's got value that maybe I'm you know I'm at the computer all day long, but there's also something here that's bigger and to be a part of the bigger.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I see that 50%, uh 57% are less likely to leave there because there's more value in the in the place they're working.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: But explain the 20% um of uh bottom line increase in those companies that are um um involved with corporate responsibility.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: How are they making more money or growing their company on uh what Benevity has researched to say there's a 20% increase in those that are corporately responsible for community?
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: I really no easy questions on this podcast, by the way.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: No easy questions.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_02: I know, I know.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: I I should have studied that one happened.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think you're the expert, so help us understand a little bit more.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, what I am seeing generationally up and coming right now is that younger people care deeply about the impact that is being made on the world around them.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's because we are being affected by the decades of impact that our parents and individuals that are older than us had on the world around us, right?
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_03: So I think that bottom line increases because organizations that are thriving, there are a few companies that I can think of right now that have popped up in the last couple of years that almost have a cult-like following, because it's not just about the product that those organizations are putting out, it's about what they stand for.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_03: And going back to that, what you had said, how people are looking for identity or community, when you think about how much time we spend at work or how much time um we spend, how much time we spend money, either one of those things.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like that takes up a lot of room in my day-to-day life, right?
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: Like if we want to find identity, community, and make an impact in those spaces that take up so much of our day, we I have found that consumers are are looking to purchase um and get involved in ways that are environmentally friendly, that um somehow benefit the world around them and the communities that they care about.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I believe that's why we're seeing that increase in revenue.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, happier employees are gonna do a better job at work.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: And um there's been research uh here a number of years ago that uh the majority of Americans hate their job, um, which is very unfortunate.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've never been in a job I hated.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: There were some that I like better than others.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I stayed at the rescue mission a long time because I really like working at the Pika Rescue Mission.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: But um It'd be sad to have to go to work and not feel like that there's anything there other than you're just putting your time in.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so this corporate responsibility, this social corporate responsibility, creating purpose um kind of speaks to a lot of us in regards to value of what I do with my time.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um maybe working for the good of the company, but also if I have something even bigger than that, I'll work harder for the good of the company because the good of the company is doing some good that helps me back.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh maybe not financially, maybe not uh um in many different ways that if you did this kind of work full-time, but it still is something that creates value.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so I can see how that 50% in 57% of people are less likely to leave their jobs uh when there's corporate responsibility also then helps lift up the 20% of the bottom line.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um that makes makes a lot of sense.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: So that's good stuff.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and I'll say it's people be using that stuff around here, by the way.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, by all means.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um and yeah, and I think going back to that 20% increase, I will say just like a quick bite is people care deeply about the reputation, trust, and brand alignment of organizations, especially because of social media and the ways that um doing good while doing well, that idea of doing good while doing well, can completely start a campaign for an organization to build its revenue.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_03: So I wonder if that that too has something to do.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: Probably so.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you for that kind of foundational uh component of what you um have learned there in Phoenix.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of pivot over into some of the unique things about the um corporate experience there, what you're doing, and uh and my understanding is some of that has then also benefited the outreach programs that you have in Phoenix.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_03: So I um recently was invited to speak at a dinner event in Phoenix that was put on at a local church.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: And the people who were invited in that room were CEOs and leaders and decision makers for organizations, and these individuals specifically, you know, believed in Jesus and wanted to see what the Lord could do in the valley.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_03: And it was such an honor to be able to speak at this event.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_03: And the theme of the night was the four keys of partnership.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_03: So I did not come up with this, but I am totally going to steal it and use it to help tell you guys about it.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, by all means, you know, we all come together.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um but yeah, I want to use this as kind of a framework to talk about the ways that we partner with organizations.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_03: We have church partners under my umbrella as well, and grant funders, foundations, all the like.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_03: So the four Ts of partnership, as many people will probably already know if they're in fundraising, is time, talents, treasures, ties.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I I want to say as well, when I went to this speaking event, the Lord had really put on my heart a classic passage of scripture, um which is First Corinthians 12.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_03: And that's where where the body of Christ is being talked about, and all of the different parts of the body and their specific ways that the Lord has created them to further the kingdom.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_03: So a verse that I want to keep in mind as we talk about time, talents, treasures, ties is 1 Corinthians 12, 14, which says, for the body does not consist of one member, but many.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_03: And having this mentality in mind when you are approaching partnership opens up a world of possibilities.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_03: Cause like I said, when corporate social responsibility had first had its rise, I think so many nonprofits and organizations and and the like were thinking, oh, we just want to want money, fundraising, give me the funds.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um but there are so many other beautiful and incredible and impactful ways that people and organizations and groups can make a change.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: So we're gonna talk a little bit about that today.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um I we can start a little bit with time.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_03: So the first T of partnership.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I would say that time, what encompasses this the best is our volunteer engagement.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, can you guys hear me?
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, I want to make sure.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're good.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, volunteer engagement.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_03: So when we are talking about the employment base and building camaraderie within an organization or even for churches, um providing a physical experience and way for those individuals to get involved and see the work that is being done because of their time contribution is so empowering.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_03: And I know that not all organizations have the capacity to do this because it can be quite time consuming or quite um consuming for an employee to put on an a volunteer engagement event.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_03: But those hours and consistency and leadership really build the exact type of partnership that you want to have.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_03: Someone that is in your corner that believes in the work and is willing to get their hands dirty in what it is that you guys stand for.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um kind of moving into talents.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_03: So with talents, you can really think of it as a few different ways.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_03: So there is um strategic value and alignment and growth and potential advocacy.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: So um with these talents, you know, individuals that are interested in serving on your board or being a mouthpiece on your um in different ways that you're able to promote your mission is incredibly important.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_03: We actually have one of our board members is the president of an organization.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_03: And I will say this too oftentimes, the individuals that you find in these pools, it's not usually a one and done.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_03: Usually people can give or are interested.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_03: They might come in in one way, but they end up sharing their time, talents, treasures, and ties across the board in many different ways.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_03: So, an example of this is we have a board member who is the president of an organization.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_03: And while he sits on our board, gives us um so much insight and clarity from his time and his experience in the business world, he's also able to um advocate for Phoenix Rescue Mission by way of encouraging their interns to do a peer-to-peer campaign for Code Red.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_03: So the ways that individuals are able to use their talents, I'm kind of dipping into ties here as well, of um advising and using their network to be able to better the structures that you have in place.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_03: In terms of treasures, which I think is probably the easiest in our mind, it's financial support, but also gift in kind.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: So talking about financial support, obviously there's cash gifts, but what I had talked about at the Emerging Leaders that I would highly encourage organizations that are interested in breaking into this field is creating some kind of um monthly giving plan or sponsorship packages to take a little bit of the guesswork out of organizations or churches or funding groups that want to get involved.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_03: When it comes to specifically corporate organizations, another really great way to leverage what these organizations already have available to them is through employee giving.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_03: Oftentimes, organizations have a pool of funds that they are either required or uh delightfully excited to impart to those in the community that are doing well.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_03: So, from an employee giving standpoint, many organizations as a benefit will say if you give X amount of money to this organization, we will match you.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and just trying to get in on those lists and having the right conversations with individuals so that your name shows up as an option for employees to be able to give to.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_03: But with treasures as well comes gifting kind.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you never want your gift and kind folks to feel like second-class partners.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_03: They what they're able to provide is monumental and such a game changer for so many of our programs.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_03: So this could come in the form of goods and drives, like I mentioned, going back to Code Red, water bottles.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_03: We were able to raise 1.4 million water bottles because of partners that were advocating for um change.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_03: And an easy way to do that is through through drives.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um there's also services and you know professional support.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_03: So we have a handful of partnerships with organizations around the valley um who lend their expertise.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_03: So this is kind of talent, kind of ties.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, lend their expertise for our clients to benefit from, whether that be um dentists and dental units, traveling dental units that will come to our campuses and help with dental hygiene.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_03: We also have partnerships with um Phoenix Children's Hospital for our women's campus, where they're able to come and care for the kiddos on campus and the mamas and just resources like that, where it's like, you know, Lord, we have a big vision and you are a big God.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_03: And if everyone was an I, then there would be something missing.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_03: Going back to going back to that verse where it's like, Lord, how can we partner and um how can we dream big without having to carry it all?
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_03: So there's that.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_03: And then lastly, with ties, what I'll say is you know, cause marketing, brand exposures, and different campaigns, just being able to get in a room with other individuals that have even more time, talent, treasures, and ties um that can become passionate about what you're doing.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_03: When I was chatting with the emerging leaders um group, I will say if you're interested in learning more about specifically cause marketing, a really great company and campaign to kind of research or look into was Coca Cola and their red campaign.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_03: I feel Like they did an incredible job of um being able to advocate for a nonprofit and you know just utilize their reach, the people that you may not otherwise encounter to be able to share about your mission.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_01: So what I'm hearing is uh again, we go back to the corporate aspect of this in regards to um um corporate leaders are trying to be successful in their business, uh, to acquire more resources to be able to grow the business.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um I mean it could be a small business, or it could be very large or somewhere in between, but also um the value of involvement in community, and it sounds like through those four keys and other things like this, you have created a platform for them to not only understand their value, but what to do about it.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_01: To be able to tap in and to be able to say, okay, what can I do with what we're trying to make happen here that's gonna benefit the bottom line, of course, but also benefit community because it circles back around to benefit the corporation as well.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so the research on it that that is is is gonna be something that I think a lot of people will want to look in more.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's not just, oh, there's those social services or those those churches or those people that are doing a good thing and over there and we're over here doing our thing and never to come together.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, we've seen some of that in Topeka of the coming together, and there are some companies that are doing, I think, all of those things in the community of Topeka, but uh can there be more?
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_01: Lamanda, I've been kind of capitalizing all this uh with our guests today, and and you've been over here.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: So they're waving it around so I don't choke.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, Lamanda, thoughts that you have um or questions.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um a couple of things.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: One, I just appreciate uh Jadeen Lay's um willingness to share.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I think one thing that I would like to highlight, just as she has sat here and kind of unpacked all of this, is this is not a competition.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so whether it is rescue mission to rescue mission or rescue mission to business or business to business, I understand that we are all called to be some part of our community.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I am so grateful for businesses in our community.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_00: I love shopping at the businesses, I love using their services and supporting them.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I want that to be a part of my livelihood, my family's livelihood.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_00: It makes our community great.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_00: But there is this component sometimes where um nonprofits or businesses, whatever the case may be, it's almost like we are scared to partner because we're scared of loss.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_00: And um I just want us to have a mindset sometimes that it might not be that we're gonna risk a loss, but that our successes actually multiply.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not sure how we get us to pivot to that because I feel like the pivot we need is not a little um fishing boat that we can just turn real quickly.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the princess carnival cruise ship that takes a long time to get a turn.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I just one hearing from her, I appreciate how she's like, and here's this.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: And she did that on the merging leaders car call.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the resources.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: And if you need this template, let me know.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was just this openness, not at what Phoenix rescue mission should hide and keep to themselves, but yet this love, the success, the joy, the inspiration, all of this, she wants that for others.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I so appreciate about her, but I so desperately want with us.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: And Barry, you know, we're kind of facing that right now as we're looking at, you know, we um in the last six weeks have communicated to our community that we are starting this um Compassion Impact Center and this one-stop shop.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_00: And you and I, probably more than we want to admit, um, have spent a lot of time being as strategic as possible, looking at donor confusion, looking at how do we keep the entity separate yet not, and that we're together, all of these things.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: And there's some stuff that you and I haven't even been able to land on yet that we're still trying to problem solve through it.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: However, one thing that has been so cool is whether it's you, me, our teams, or whatever, everybody is so focused on the greater good.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: And right now we are having responsible conversations of how do we limit donor confusion?
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: How do we communicate one message but still be um different organizations with different focuses?
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: And what we keep going back to is we're bringing all of our yeses and our no's together because we think it's gonna be something better for our community.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: So when I think through what Jadeen Le's talking about, and we haven't even been able to touch on it very much, but even church partnerships, church support, those things it it just matters.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think it matters to rescue missions, but also what's happening in Phoenix should be happening in Topeka.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: Jadeen Lee, I appreciate uh you unpacking uh just a tiny bit of what you uh have learned and what you're doing in Phoenix and have helped out with other rescue ministries.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um it reminds me of a conversation I've been having recently with some folks at the federal level and at the local level on foster care.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_01: And how we help our um kids coming out of foster care to be successful, and we know that that doesn't work real well across the board.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh it applies to whether children, young people coming out of foster care, or it applies to people on the streets or in our rehab programs or whatever rescue ministries.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's a difference between doing something with someone and doing it for someone.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh actually uh um former assistant director of uh health and human services uh under the first Trump administration was talking with her yesterday, um Lynn Johnson, and she's working very diligently to try to figure out how to encourage us to look at doing things with people instead of for them.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um oftentimes in rescue missions, uh it can be it's fine that you do that for us, but now what you're talking about is how we can do it together as a community.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: How we can instead of the businesses do their thing and the churches do their thing and the nonprofits do their thing and the government does its thing, how can we do it better together with each other and then to provide opportunities to say, okay, this is why it benefits all of us when we are with same thing with our guests, our clients.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_01: We see a lot greater progress when instead of doing something for someone, we do something with someone, which is really the true definition of compassion of walking alongside those who suffer.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I love that.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_03: I, you know, as a follower of Christ as well, what what you're saying just reminds me of having the can the humility to come before the Lord and look at my brother or sister or look at the person across from me and say, oh gosh, if I was doing this out of my own strength, what would I have to offer you?
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_03: But because the Lord provides such incredible peace and clarity and brilliance, let's walk together on this and I want to do this with you.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_03: And even for those that aren't believers, I feel like if they sat down and they were really honest with themselves, they would say, I have no idea what I'm doing.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_03: This is my first time on earth, too.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_03: And while I have a limited amount of spirit or saying, maybe I'm a little bit ahead of some folks that were are younger than me or earlier in their career with me.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's the recognition of like growth and impact does not happen in isolation and on an island.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_03: You have to have community members who partner together.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_03: And what an exciting and I don't know, it just uplifts this burden.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_03: And like when you're talking about, oh, how overwhelming it is that there's so much need, it's like, yes, but thank God I'm not alone in trying to handle this myself.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_03: Because if it was all on my shoulders, it would fail absolutely miserably.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_03: To have other individuals that are more talented than I am that are in a similar corner of wanting to see change and wanting to see impact and wanting to see lives transformed is the ultimate goal.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_03: Like at Phoenix Rescue Mission, we talk a lot about kingdom mindset.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_03: And when you are saying, like, I'm not gonna gatekeep any of these resources, Barry.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna share this whole presentation so you can have all my notes and all of whatever I pulled from you can take it all because it's not just about Phoenix Rescue Mission doing well.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_04: That's right.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_03: It's about the kingdom doing well.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_04: That's right.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's about being able to see restoration on this side of heaven, and that will excite me whether I'm a janitor or on a podcast, you know?
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it kind of tells us that we have to put some uh some of our um things aside, like political differences, um even our theology differences um aside, to be able to say, how do we love the ones in front of us?
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_01: How do we love the ones that we don't disagree with or that we don't agree with, and sometimes just uh sometimes even agree with, how do we love them?
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_01: But how do we actually then honor God um in regards to his love for all of his creation and to be able to invite people to be a part of what we're doing and we be a part of what they're doing?
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just a rescue ministry's got the handle on this, it's that rescue ministries are a part of this, just like your first Corinthians 12, 14, is there are many parts of this body.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes we just regulate that to the church.
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, bigger than that.
• 54:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's about all community.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_01: Jadeen Lay, um, thank you so much for spending some more time with us today.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh love to see you drop by Topeka, Kansas someday, so we could spend some more time uh when uh we can just spend more time because um you are full of uh knowledge, wisdom, and experience.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so thank you today for sharing uh what you've shared with us that you've learned and what's going on in Phoenix, and I'm sure going elsewhere now.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_01: So uh is anything you would like to say before we close off today's podcast?
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um well, other than I have the gift of Gab.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_03: So if anyone listening wants to connect and either share some insight that they have or reach out for more information, I could talk about this for so long.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_03: I could talk about anything for so long.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_03: But um you guys are welcome to reach out on LinkedIn, Jadeen Lay.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure my the spelling of my name will be somewhere.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um and or I will also offer this that if you have a prayer request to whoever is listening, um, don't hesitate to reach out.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'd be happy to pray with you as well.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_01: So for those who have no clue how to spell your name, it's G-I-D-E-A-N-L-E-I-G-H.
• 55:22
  SPEAKER_01: Is that correct?
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't even know if you need my last name.
• 55:25
  SPEAKER_02: If you find another Jadebo play out there, let me know.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_01: You're the first one I've ever met on this earth.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_01: So uh anyway, thank you for joining us again on our Community Our Mission.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you've been uh enlightening to us.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think some things that uh we've gleaned from you today, just like Citigate Network does, is sharing back and forth so that we can be better together.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_01: So again, thank you for joining us today.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, thank you guys.
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to our Community Our Mission.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_01: If you'd like more information about the Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to TRMonline.org.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's TRMonline.org.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_01: And uh just think about what you've heard today about how we can um together um lift up our whole community and lift up each other, one individual at a time.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because every one of you who are listening today have a gift that you can share because you are a gift.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening.