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Echoes Of Hope · The iHeart SoCal Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hi is Lisa Fox and this is the iHeart So
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Cal Show, our show that puts the spotlight on charitable organizations,
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  Speaker 1: nonprofits and people giving back, And boyd does Echoes of
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  Speaker 1: Hope give back to foster youth who need it? Founded
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  Speaker 1: back in a two thousand and seven by Stasia and
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  Speaker 1: Luke Roebatie, their organization has helped thousands of at risk
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  Speaker 1: foster youth by providing the resources, love, and support they
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  Speaker 1: so richly deserve to better help them succeed in life.
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  Speaker 1: There are so many ways that they're helping these young
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  Speaker 1: people thrive right here in southern California, and so many.
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  Speaker 2: Ways that we can be a part of it.
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  Speaker 1: Echoes of Hope dot org is their website for all
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  Speaker 1: the information Echoes of Hope dot org.
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  Speaker 2: So let's dive into it with the robotize.
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  Speaker 1: Hi Stasia and Luke hiy Hey, Hi guys. Okay, I've
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  Speaker 1: known you personally for a long time and I know
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  Speaker 1: you have such a busy life family for tons of
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  Speaker 1: rescue dogs.
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  Speaker 2: You've got a lot going on.
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  Speaker 1: Stasia, you are the co founder, chairwoman of the Board,
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  Speaker 1: Youth Guidance Director and visionary leader and strategic Partnerships director
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  Speaker 1: of of Hope.
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  Speaker 2: And so much more.
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  Speaker 1: Luke, co founder and CFO of Echoes of Hope and
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  Speaker 1: oh yeah, just the president of the La Kings Go
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  Speaker 1: Kings Go. But you guys have a lot went on
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  Speaker 1: your own life, but you've made it such a priority
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  Speaker 1: of helping kids for over twenty years. Why is this
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  Speaker 1: so important to you to help these kids? And stacea
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  Speaker 1: will start with you. Why is it so important to
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  Speaker 1: you guys to help others?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah? For me personally, I would say because I've learned
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  Speaker 3: that one person believing in you can change everything. If
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  Speaker 3: we can be that person or that community for a
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  Speaker 3: young person, the impact truly lasts a lifetime. You know.
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  Speaker 3: I always say this work isn't about fixing kids, it's
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  Speaker 3: about reminding them who they already are.
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  Speaker 2: I love that, Luke.
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  Speaker 1: How does it make you feel helping these kids? You
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  Speaker 1: guys have been doing this for so long. It's like
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  Speaker 1: your family is so huge because you help so many.
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  Speaker 2: How does it feel?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah? She sounded so smart when she said so. I'd
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  Speaker 4: like to say that I'm saying the same as her.
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  Speaker 4: But I know, I think we're very fortunate in our lives,
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  Speaker 4: Like you know, like we're doing a lot of stuff
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  Speaker 4: that sometimes okay, like I got to live my dream
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  Speaker 4: player hockey and we have a really good life. So
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  Speaker 4: having the opportunity to give back, it's something that we've
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  Speaker 4: always done. But I clearly remember Stasia talking about starting
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  Speaker 4: our foundation twenty years ago so we could really make
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  Speaker 4: an impact. And it's amazing what has happened over the
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  Speaker 4: last twenty years. And she deserves the credit because it
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  Speaker 4: was her idea at the time.
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  Speaker 2: Ah, but hey, I mean, what a team you to make.
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  Speaker 1: I will say this at all the events I've done
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  Speaker 1: with you over the years and seeing these kids in person,
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  Speaker 1: these kids are very grateful of this love and support.
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  Speaker 1: How do you find them and how does a child
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  Speaker 1: become party the Echoes of Hope family and support system.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, it's all pretty much on referrals through our partners.
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  Speaker 3: We work with over one hundred nonprofits, schools, and agencies.
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  Speaker 3: But we're also a foundation built on inclusion. So anyone
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  Speaker 3: who wants to be part of our programs and who
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  Speaker 3: meets the guidelines can be a part of Echos of
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  Speaker 3: Hope And is.
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  Speaker 1: It as easy as just going to the website Echoes
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  Speaker 1: of Hope dot org and they can start there. Absolutely, absolutely,
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  Speaker 1: So let's dive into these programs.
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  Speaker 2: Then what types of programs.
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  Speaker 1: I know, helping with school and getting kids to college
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  Speaker 1: is one of your big parties, but let's talk about
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  Speaker 1: some of the Echoes of Hope programs that these kids
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  Speaker 1: are able to be a part of and programs that
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  Speaker 1: are created to enrich their lives.
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  Speaker 3: Sure well, at the yeah, Luke, go ahead, honey. At
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  Speaker 3: the heart of Echoes of Hope is our Leaders of
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  Speaker 3: Tomorrow program, which Lisa, you know of these kids where
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  Speaker 3: we walk alongside a hand selected group of young adults
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  Speaker 3: through and we see them through college and into adulthood
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  Speaker 3: like they're in our life always. I mean to the
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  Speaker 3: day I die, I know they'll be in my life.
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  Speaker 3: And mooves and it's even more than financial support. Our
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  Speaker 3: home becomes their second home and wee.
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  Speaker 1: I saw the bunk beds, I know, I saw the
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  Speaker 1: bunk beds, the bedroom I saw.
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  Speaker 2: I know, I've seen it.
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  Speaker 3: And from there, you know, we support kids at every
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  Speaker 3: at every stage. We have our Feed Kids LA and
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  Speaker 3: that helps families with food, housing and based basic stability.
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  Speaker 3: We have our EOHUTH and where we support all foster
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  Speaker 3: and at risk youth with essential needs like rent, transportation,
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  Speaker 3: school needs. We have Kids for Hope and that serves
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  Speaker 3: younger children with school supplies, meals, and we also create
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  Speaker 3: a lot of different joyful experiences for them. We go
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  Speaker 3: into schools and work with them. Luke does hockey events
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  Speaker 3: with them where he actually goes and plays with them,
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  Speaker 3: so great. We also have our Chapters for Success Book Fun,
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  Speaker 3: which is so important. It makes sure that you know,
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  Speaker 3: students have the textbooks they need to stay in school
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  Speaker 3: because I actually dropped out of college because I couldn't
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  Speaker 3: afford my textbooks. So that's a real, you know, important
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  Speaker 3: one in my heart deeply. And then we have our
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  Speaker 3: b a Light, which empowers our youth to get back
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  Speaker 3: and echo Hope into their own communities. So across all
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  Speaker 3: of it, our work is about removing barriers so kids
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  Speaker 3: can really focus on their own futures.
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  Speaker 1: Luke, I want to ask about the bond, the bonds
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  Speaker 1: you have with some of these kids. I mean, I
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  Speaker 1: don't know, I think I've known Javon. How long have
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  Speaker 1: I known Javon for? I mean Javon has been a
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  Speaker 1: part of your family now feel like well over but
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  Speaker 1: fifteen plus years and he's now married nineteen years.
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  Speaker 2: Does he have does he married and has kids?
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  Speaker 4: Now?
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  Speaker 2: I know he's married, right, Yeah, three.
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  Speaker 3: Little girls with grandparents with their grandparents.
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  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, and Luke talk about I mean again,
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  Speaker 1: you guys have two boys of your own, but then
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  Speaker 1: you have all these other special, amazing opportunities to share love.
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  Speaker 1: And Jevon, I know, he's like a family member and
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  Speaker 1: it comes to all the events and it's such a sweetheart.
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  Speaker 1: Talk about your relationship with Javon and how that kind
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  Speaker 1: of evolved.
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  Speaker 2: What a great guy. Just adore him.
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  Speaker 4: It's beautiful to have those relationship with those kids, Like
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  Speaker 4: I see Javonne like he you know, he talks to
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  Speaker 4: stay Shirt. It's her mom, you know. So they talk
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  Speaker 4: about different and then then you'll call me and he'll
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  Speaker 4: call me Pops, and you'll need advice on how he's
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  Speaker 4: handling different ways because he leads his own nonprofit now,
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  Speaker 4: so he's doing really well. So he'll be he'll be
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  Speaker 4: calling about questioning that and it's it's amazing. We feel
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  Speaker 4: very fortunate that you know, where the grandparents of his
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  Speaker 4: kids and he's our son, and that's the way it's been.
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  Speaker 4: So we have different relationships like that, that's been with kids.
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  Speaker 4: I would say, you know, most of them have never
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  Speaker 4: left off, if not all of them, because they constantly communicate,
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  Speaker 4: mostly with Stacia, but they'll communicate with me about different things.
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  Speaker 4: Or we have this other kid, Brandon that became an
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  Speaker 4: attorney that you know, we constantly talk. He's on our
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  Speaker 4: board now and he's working with us. So it's just
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  Speaker 4: been amazing to see like the relationship we form with
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  Speaker 4: them and we've become friends with them, and at the
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  Speaker 4: same time we try to help them and guide them
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  Speaker 4: through their life because sometimes they don't have someone they
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  Speaker 4: can reach out to, an older person or a parent
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  Speaker 4: like to that they can talk.
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  Speaker 1: To someone reliable. And like you said, this big big
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  Speaker 1: big echoes of HEP family that you guys have created
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  Speaker 1: over the past twenty plus years is that supports some
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  Speaker 1: Like Statia said at the beginning, that love and support
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  Speaker 1: that a person could really thrive with. Knowing that they
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  Speaker 1: have someone that can rely on or just a phone
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  Speaker 1: call away and just to talk to and know that
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  Speaker 1: you care about them is huge. So thank you again
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  Speaker 1: for doing all that you do and I love that
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  Speaker 1: your boys. I mean, look, a lot of families might
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  Speaker 1: be hard for your own kids to be like, who
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  Speaker 1: are all these people who are over.
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  Speaker 2: The house all the time.
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  Speaker 1: Your boys are so great and have embraced this whole process.
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  Speaker 1: And you know Jezirae and Stephen they're always attend events
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  Speaker 1: and are part of it too. Kind of touch on
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  Speaker 1: what the boys experience has been through all this.
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  Speaker 3: Right, Oh my goodness, their lives are so rich because
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  Speaker 3: of these kids, they really truly see them.
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  Speaker 1: Probably so many based on what we've been talking about,
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  Speaker 1: But any success stories you want to kind of like
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  Speaker 1: even highlight again for some of these kids who may
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  Speaker 1: have come through some pretty bad situations, you know, being.
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  Speaker 2: Foster youth or at risk youth.
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  Speaker 1: They could be coming from some pretty bad situations and
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  Speaker 1: their home life or or lack thereof, and then they
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  Speaker 1: connect with you guys, and then they're off to college
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  Speaker 1: to become you know, doctors and lawyers and do all
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  Speaker 1: these great things. Maybe mention a success story or twenty.
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  Speaker 1: I know there's a bunch I could.
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  Speaker 4: Tell a story in Stacia. If I missed something, you
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  Speaker 4: can help me. But this one kid, Brandon, I was
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  Speaker 4: studying at U C l A. And I clearly remember
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  Speaker 4: Station and Nicole talking to him and he kind of
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  Speaker 4: had everything figure it out except when Station asked him
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  Speaker 4: while he was sleeping and eating, and that wasn't part
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  Speaker 4: of his life. So we helped him. We put him
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  Speaker 4: through school at U C. L A. And and he
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  Speaker 4: became part of our family. And I remember all the
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  Speaker 4: discussion with Stacia whether she was taking him to get
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  Speaker 4: his driver's license and talking. And then he ended up
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  Speaker 4: going to Pittsburgh and became a lawyer. And I clearly
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  Speaker 4: remember at one point when Station says to me, maybe
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  Speaker 4: you need to have the dad talk with Brandon, like
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  Speaker 4: he's having a hard time, and I think had a
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  Speaker 4: year left, and and so we sat down and kind
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  Speaker 4: of figure out his life where he was going to be,
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  Speaker 4: and it was at the finish line. Meanwhile he had
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  Speaker 4: death and it's hard and and Echoes was seeing him through.
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  Speaker 4: We had a really good discussion about him finishing, yeah,
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  Speaker 4: because he wanted.
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  Speaker 3: To quit after the first year.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, and because it was so difficult on him because
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  Speaker 4: money there was there was a lot of stuff. So
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  Speaker 4: we ended up supporting him. He finished, and today he's
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  Speaker 4: an attorney, he's got his own house, he's married. It's
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  Speaker 4: an incredible story that and he's on our board, like
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  Speaker 4: I said a little bit earlier when I mentioned his name.
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  Speaker 4: So it's amazing like when you see and and he's
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  Speaker 4: helping a bunch of other kids now with.
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  Speaker 1: Us painted forward. Yeah, and don't think that we missed
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  Speaker 1: a part Luke where he said, you know, we put
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  Speaker 1: him through u c l A. I'm sorry. I put
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  Speaker 1: him through U c l A. A top school is
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  Speaker 1: not cheap. So obviously you know with your resources, right,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: you guys have help sponsors as well, right, people pitch
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  Speaker 1: in for this and help support the financials of these
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  Speaker 1: kids as well.
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  Speaker 3: Right, Well, yes, Luke said, we put him through ucale.
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  Speaker 4: Through.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we supported him step of the way.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, Yeah, it's the.
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  Speaker 4: French thing in me. Lisa sometimes might screw up a word.
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  Speaker 3: That's okay.
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  Speaker 4: She used to be up.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, Lisa, something really beautiful that Brandon said. It's it's
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  Speaker 3: very surreal to him because he had such a tough
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  Speaker 3: childhood and him and his wife live on a mountain
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  Speaker 3: side overlooking long Beach like in the ocean in their
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  Speaker 3: house where they both grew up and they both had
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  Speaker 3: you know, tough childhoods. But to be you know, at
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  Speaker 3: night just looking out the sunset and being grateful, being grateful.
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  Speaker 3: He's still it's very surreal. He's like, I can't believe it.
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  Speaker 3: I can't believe that he's been an attorney for twelve
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  Speaker 3: years now. Wow, and he still can't believe he's a
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  Speaker 3: partner at his law firm. They made him partner. I
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  Speaker 3: think it was last year.
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  Speaker 2: Look at that. Yeah, got to make you guys feel
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  Speaker 2: really really proud.
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  Speaker 1: And just what a wonderful job again with you, You
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  Speaker 1: and Luke and Nicole. Of course you're amazing CEO. We
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  Speaker 1: love Nicole, She's a sweetheart, wonderful helping that be another
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  Speaker 1: driving force behind all of that, all of what you're doing.
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  Speaker 1: And then I know you have fundraisers throughout the year.
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  Speaker 2: Of course you have.
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  Speaker 1: We have a Biggie coming up on the thirty first,
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  Speaker 1: always the All In for Hope Poker tournament, which is
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: always a great time.
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  Speaker 2: And we're bringing.
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  Speaker 1: Backpacks this year, so you always do a toy drive
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  Speaker 1: or a backpack drive at your events for additional ways
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  Speaker 1: that people can help. I think it's pretty much sold
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: out though for the poker tournament right, pretty much sold out.
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  Speaker 3: The poorer tournament where we are honoring the one and
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  Speaker 3: only Lisa Fox La Heron.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: You guys are silly like honoring I mean, I don't like, You're.
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  Speaker 1: Such an easy family to love and what you do
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  Speaker 1: is an easy thing to support, So honoring me like
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  Speaker 1: if it gets me you know, a little stage time, no, uh,
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  Speaker 1: free drink tickets.
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  Speaker 2: No, I'm kidding. It's just like I love you guys.
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  Speaker 2: It's easy.
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  Speaker 1: I could do it in my sleep. You were so
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: easy to love and support and and you know, throw
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: a little love my way is very sweet and I'll
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: probably be super red in the face and crying because
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  Speaker 1: you know, that's what girls do.
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  Speaker 3: But Lisa, you have the biggest heart we know, and
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  Speaker 3: you've been there for us every step of the way,
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  Speaker 3: and we are so grateful for you.
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  Speaker 2: Well.
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  Speaker 1: And what I love is at the tournament and most
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: of your events. You know, you have a lot of
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  Speaker 1: repeat offenders, so you have a lot of the same
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  Speaker 1: people who have loved you and been a part of
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  Speaker 1: this for a long time.
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  Speaker 2: So I love Michael.
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  Speaker 1: Rosenbaum a lot of like you know, Isaiah, a lot
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  Speaker 1: of the same friends and supporters and folks who are
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  Speaker 1: just fans of what you've been doing since day one.
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  Speaker 1: Fans and friends and just really appreciate what you do
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  Speaker 1: for these kids, like next Level. So that's why we
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: come every year to everything you do to support you
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  Speaker 1: and the kids. And always ways for people to get involved, right,
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  Speaker 1: always taking monetary donations, you know, seeing what you need.
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  Speaker 1: I think around the holidays, right, you do a wish
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  Speaker 1: list that a lot of the kids have on Amazon.
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  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, oh yeah. If anybody out there is wondering
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  Speaker 3: like how they can help, how they can get involved,
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: there's three simple ways you can donate, and on our
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  Speaker 3: website you can actually sponsor a specific youth and choose
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  Speaker 3: what you'd like to support. So that's a lot of
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  Speaker 3: people truly love that we have. You know, during Christmas
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: time you can choose a toy for a kid or
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  Speaker 3: a youth. You see their pictures, so that's very special.
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  Speaker 3: You can volunteer. We always need help, especially around our
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: poker tournament, so that's a good way. And lastly, if
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: your company offers matching gifts, grants or sponsorships, recommending us
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: Echoes of Hope makes a huge difference.
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  Speaker 1: Fantastic, see so many ways to help out and get involved.
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  Speaker 1: You guys are wonderful and again you make it so
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  Speaker 1: easy to want to be a part of this and
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: urging folks to help even if you know, if you're
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: a Ducks fan, will take you, you know, it's.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, Yeah, come on join us.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, so many ways to get involved and help, much
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  Speaker 1: like a Stasia said, so all the information.
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  Speaker 2: Echoes of Hope dot org. It's Echoes of Hope dot org.
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  Speaker 1: I'll see you guys in thirty first and then of
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: course just continued support throughout the year. If anyone listening
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: right now, wan's get involved, to go to the website,
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: find out what they're all about, and then come join
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  Speaker 1: us and do an event and do something together and
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  Speaker 1: help these kids because like they mentioned that, just the
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  Speaker 1: investment in these people so fulfilling and feels so right
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  Speaker 1: and feels so good and just thank you, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for doing what you do.
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  Speaker 2: All right, Luke and.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: Stasha Robatai of Echoes of Hope love you guys in
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  Speaker 3: Your new that we all love it.