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Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks.

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Speaker 1: And we continue with part two of our conversation with

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Speaker 1: Amy Crenshaw right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors.

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Speaker 1: All right, so day one you open, you shared a death.

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Speaker 1: How do people in the community even know? How do

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Speaker 1: the homeless know? And how do the non homeless know

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Speaker 1: what the world's going on? It's a community cafe, but

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Speaker 1: how does everybody know? I guess you have to walk

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Speaker 1: in and figure it.

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Speaker 2: Out, you do. You kind of had to walk in

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Speaker 2: and figure it out. Now, there were.

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Speaker 1: People, I mean, I guess I'm I'm imagine some lawyer

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Speaker 1: walking in and right behind them some homeless dude and

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Speaker 1: they both had to been looking at each other like

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Speaker 1: what's going on?

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, at that time we had I had the

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Speaker 2: sweetest little old lady and no kidding, she was old.

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Speaker 2: She was probably I'm thinking she was like eighty five.

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Speaker 2: She was a friend's grandmother that came and volunteered to

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Speaker 2: be our greeter. So she had this whole little thing

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Speaker 2: and it said, hey, welcome to community cafe. And she'd say,

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Speaker 2: do you know anything about us? And they'd say no,

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Speaker 2: and she'd say, well, we're a nonprofit, donation based cafe.

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Speaker 2: We believe everybody's entitled to great, healthy food. So what

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Speaker 2: that means is, if you can't afford a meal, come

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Speaker 2: on in. Volunteer for anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour,

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Speaker 2: and then you come around the counter and you order

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Speaker 2: your lunch, just like everybody else's ordering their lunch. Come in,

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Speaker 2: have a seat.

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Speaker 1: Oh, and volunteer first.

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Speaker 2: Right right, Ah, there's there's a caveat to that. You know,

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Speaker 2: a lot of times if somebody comes in and says

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Speaker 2: I'm starving or I'm freezing to death, I always feed them.

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Speaker 1: But the idea is volunteer first.

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Speaker 2: Volunteer first, because we've actually had a couple of people

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Speaker 2: walk out, you know, after they've eaten. So volunteer.

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Speaker 1: And does that make you angry?

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Speaker 2: No?

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Speaker 1: Not, Why wouldn't it You know, I don't mean angry

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Speaker 1: for you. Yeah, it may. It would make me angry

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Speaker 1: that they're taking from other people. You need it now.

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Speaker 2: It makes me, yes, it's righteous angry. It makes me

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Speaker 2: angry for the fellow person.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, on the street, that's what I mean.

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Speaker 2: The person that sleeps in the next to them makes

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Speaker 2: it's exactly.

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Speaker 1: It does unbelievable selfishness to people who are trying to

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Speaker 1: help you.

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Speaker 2: Right, And because I have no social background, it has

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Speaker 2: taken me, and I learned something every day. It has

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Speaker 2: taken me a lot of time to learn what the

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Speaker 2: right responses are to that. It has taken Would you

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Speaker 2: ban him? We? Well, I was just getting ray. We've

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Speaker 2: banned a couple people. Should Yes, we absolutely have banned

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Speaker 2: a couple people. I can only think of four in

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Speaker 2: the nine years that we banned. And I have one

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Speaker 2: little fellow that calls me mama and he'll come in

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Speaker 2: and he actually pulled a knife on somebody, So I

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Speaker 2: have banned him for life.

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Speaker 1: He pulled a knife.

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Speaker 2: I don't think he really Yeah, was.

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Speaker 1: He cutting up of salisbury steak?

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Speaker 2: No, he just went in the kitchen and yeah, got

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Speaker 2: a knife, and yeah, I be mad at one of

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Speaker 2: our other volunteers.

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Speaker 1: Part of what we have to talk about is not

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Speaker 1: only these folks homeless, A lot of them probably have

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Speaker 1: been at Oh.

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Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, And he definitely does and calls me mama,

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Speaker 2: and I'll see him out on the street and go, Mama,

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Speaker 2: can I come to work today? I promise I'll behave

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Speaker 2: and you know, I'll kill him. Come on in and

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Speaker 2: I'll get you something to drink. You know, I'll get

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Speaker 2: you a hot cup of coffee or you know whatever.

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Speaker 2: So and we usually I'll send him out with the

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Speaker 2: soup or something like that. We really try real hard,

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Speaker 2: and I can't think of I really can't think of

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Speaker 2: anybody that we have actually turned away with nothing.

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Speaker 1: But here's the thing. You've got to have enough people

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Speaker 1: coming in that are paying above to cover the people

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Speaker 1: that we're talking about right now. And you know, I

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Speaker 1: guess this is the I would say, the realist in me.

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Speaker 1: But also, unfortunately, when you're in business for thirty years

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Speaker 1: and everything else, you've seen, you've seen some of the

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Speaker 1: greatest of the humanity, but you've seen some of the worst.

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Speaker 1: And I just I'm envisioning how many people are out

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Speaker 1: there that are working every day. I mean, let's be honest,

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Speaker 1: there's a stigma around the homeless. They're stinky, they're lazy,

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Speaker 1: they're mentally sick, they want something for nothing. And again

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Speaker 1: I'm saying the stigma right what I'm repeating absolutely, and

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Speaker 1: when I'm working and paying my bills and taking care

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Speaker 1: of my kids and build my house, note, Why do

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Speaker 1: I want to take my one hour of lunch break

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Speaker 1: to go sit down and eat with people who I

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Speaker 1: feel that way about?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: So how does that work? How do you how do

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Speaker 1: you get those people to do that?

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Speaker 2: And how do they come in or why do they

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Speaker 2: come back every day we have?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's how does that work?

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Speaker 2: Well, you need to come see the cafe.

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Speaker 1: Well I can't, neither can everybody else listen, So you've

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Speaker 1: got to tell them.

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Speaker 2: So I'm going to tell you when we decide.

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Speaker 1: Oh I can, I will come see the cafe. But

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Speaker 1: you need to but all the thousands of people and sisters.

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Speaker 2: Right, So what I'm going to tell you is that

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Speaker 2: people will walk in the door. I had one guy

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Speaker 2: who is a local singer. He does a lot in Europe,

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Speaker 2: and he walked in one day. His wife brought him

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Speaker 2: in or said, you know, you need to go in.

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Speaker 2: His wife lives in Jackson. They live in Jackson, and

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Speaker 2: he walked in and he got teary eyed and he said,

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Speaker 2: did I take a wrong turn? Are we in Jackson, Tennessee?

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Speaker 1: That's what I'm talking about?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's not because I mean, I'm sixty three

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Speaker 2: years old, so I'm not the hippus of people, you know,

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Speaker 2: but it has got It's just it's a happy place.

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Speaker 2: There's glass on two sides up front. Our logo at

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Speaker 2: the bottom says to love, to feed, to dignify. It's bright,

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Speaker 2: it's white. I've got great artwork. And one of the

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Speaker 2: things that I said was I want people to feel

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Speaker 2: like they're coming and having lunch or dinner at my house.

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Speaker 2: So we will have glasses on the table, we will

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Speaker 2: have salt and pepper shakers on the table. We'll eat

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Speaker 2: on real plates, we'll have real forks, we'll have our

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Speaker 2: lat weear wrapped in a napkin, you know, and just

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Speaker 2: we'll have flowers or plants on the table, and we're

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Speaker 2: gonna treat them like they're at home or at my house.

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Speaker 1: I get it. That still doesn't answer how a guy

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Speaker 1: in a suit and tie that's attorney downtown, YEP, wants

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Speaker 1: to go to a place where he's gonna sit next

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Speaker 1: to some.

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Speaker 2: Homeless And you know what the really amazing thing is

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Speaker 2: is that we've got six tables that are almost this length.

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Speaker 2: We call them our community table.

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Speaker 1: This length is probably eighteen people.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, sorry, that's right, you mean the people listening can't

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Speaker 2: see that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we're at a large conference room table that's five

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Speaker 1: feet wide eighteen feet Yes.

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Speaker 2: So we've got five or six community tables that my

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Speaker 2: husband built. We've got gorgeous furniture in there, handmade. My

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Speaker 2: husband actually made all the tables in there, yep. And

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Speaker 2: those tables fill up. We do also have some tables

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Speaker 2: that are four tops that also fill up.

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Speaker 1: But the point is the community tables fill up with

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Speaker 1: homeless and non homeless eating right there together. That is

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Speaker 1: so amazing, people know.

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Speaker 2: I mean, the name of the cafe community came from

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Speaker 2: coming to unity, and that was one of the things

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Speaker 2: that we set out to be, was a bridge in

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Speaker 2: the community between for lack of better words, the haves

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Speaker 2: and the have nots, or you know, the Christian and

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Speaker 2: the Muslim, the you know.

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Speaker 1: Black and white, black and white, the Asian and Ethiopia Asian.

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Speaker 2: I mean whatever, you know, different groups of people you

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Speaker 2: can think of, and and it works, it really does.

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Speaker 2: I mean my our regular customers, and when I say

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Speaker 2: regular customers, I mean almost every day. We have one

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Speaker 2: elderly couple that she had to drag her husband in,

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Speaker 2: but I told her, I said, if you can drag

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Speaker 2: him in, and this has probably been seven years ago.

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Speaker 2: Said if you can drag him in, I'll feed him

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Speaker 2: and he'll like our food.

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Speaker 1: Tell me why didn't want to come, because no.

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Speaker 2: He didn't want that healthy food.

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Speaker 1: Oh, he didn't want that healthy food. He wanted fried chicken.

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Speaker 1: This is the that's right. Yeah, okay, So anyway, she

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Speaker 1: drug him in.

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Speaker 2: She drug him in. He's been there every day since

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Speaker 2: she went through a spell of cancer and was up

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Speaker 2: at Vanderbilt for probably six or eight weeks. He still

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Speaker 2: came in every day. The daughter was up there with

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Speaker 2: the mom, and he came in every day and ate

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Speaker 2: lunch with us.

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Speaker 1: How many people a day are you serving? And what

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Speaker 1: are your hours?

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Speaker 2: We're only opened Monday through Friday eleven to two. We

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Speaker 2: start taking volunteers, so you're open.

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Speaker 1: It's lunch lunch, that's it.

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Speaker 2: We used to do a brunch on Saturdays and that

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Speaker 2: kind of went by the wayside. Just we have a

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Speaker 2: real small staff, and it was wearing them.

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Speaker 1: It makes sense. Yes, is your staff also your children?

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Speaker 1: I bet your family works.

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Speaker 2: There, right, They will volunteer there, So that's what I mean.

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Speaker 1: They're all in and out.

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Speaker 2: And when they were little you know ten years ago

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Speaker 2: when we were starting to open the place. I mean

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Speaker 2: they were down there with me, you know, putting in

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Speaker 2: the Uree said yes, yes, I mean we we we

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Speaker 2: stripped the floors in there. You know, we had this

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Speaker 2: big old Sander thing, you knowing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so how many people do you serve?

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Speaker 2: So we serve between you know, it was really weird

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Speaker 2: there for a while. Seventy was a busy day when

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Speaker 2: we first opened. It was one hundred and twenty a day,

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Speaker 2: easy for year and a half, two years. Then I

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Speaker 2: kind of think we weren't the new kid on the

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Speaker 2: block any Yeah, yeah, we weren't the new kid on

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Speaker 2: the block anymore. We are back to serving. Seventy is

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Speaker 2: kind of a slow day. Yeah, it's more like eighty

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Speaker 2: five to ninety five.

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Speaker 1: Okay, well let's just say let's say eighty Okay, how

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Speaker 1: many of the eighty I'm calling them. There's three tiers.

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Speaker 1: There's the I got no money and got a volunteer tier.

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Speaker 1: That's tier one. Tier two is I got some money,

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Speaker 1: but not enough to help out anybody else. And then

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Speaker 1: you got tier three, which is I'm gonna buy my

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Speaker 1: food and pay over right, what percent is one two

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Speaker 1: and three.

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Speaker 2: Well, one percent has stayed. It's the craziest thing because

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Speaker 2: it has been across the years. Twelve to fifteen percent.

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Speaker 1: Twelve to fifteen percent of.

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Speaker 2: Our customers are customers that are working exclusively for their meal,

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Speaker 2: volunteering for their meal.

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Speaker 1: And number two is I can only afford mind barely.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's not a huge number. I mean, I

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Speaker 2: will have somebody come in and go, I've only got

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Speaker 2: four dollars and I'm like, okay, order whatever you five percent?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, So you're telling me about eighty percent of

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Speaker 1: the people that eat in this place pay.

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Speaker 2: Over their They pay at least And you know, when

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Speaker 2: we were when we first opened, people were very generous.

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Speaker 2: And I'm not saying they're not generous now.

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Speaker 3: But.

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Speaker 1: They would.

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Speaker 2: It was kind of a new thing, and it was

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Speaker 2: kind of like, Okay, here's an extra five bucks or

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Speaker 2: here's an extra ten bucks. Most of the time now

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Speaker 2: it is they will order two items, which we have

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Speaker 2: a suggested donation because we just let people prices. We

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Speaker 2: don't have prices on the menu, so people usually stand

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Speaker 2: there and kind of look, I have no clue what

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Speaker 2: to do here, and we'd go, well, we had we

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Speaker 2: do have a suggested donation if you'd like to know

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Speaker 2: what that is. It's seven dollars for one item, whether

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Speaker 2: it be soup, salad, or sandwich, even though we all

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Speaker 2: know that it doesn't cost seven dollars to make a

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Speaker 2: bowl of soup. But you know, on the other hand,

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Speaker 2: you get our sandwich, which we use Boar said, Deli meat,

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Speaker 2: which is the best of the.

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Speaker 1: Yes.

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Speaker 2: Yes, so one item seven dollars. Two items whether it

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Speaker 2: be soup, salad or same it's salad is nine dollars,

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Speaker 2: and three items is eleven dollars and that includes a beverage.

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Speaker 1: Let me tell you that's cheap.

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Speaker 2: It's cheap. And we've only raised our suggested donation one time.

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Speaker 2: That one time. Yeah, we have worked really really hard

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Speaker 2: during the last you know, two years to keep keep

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Speaker 2: our costs, you know, at our donation prices.

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Speaker 1: My expectation would be then that you'd get the underserved.

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Speaker 1: The fifteen underserved must revere this place, I mean, they

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Speaker 1: must really appreciate its existence.

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Speaker 2: I think they really do. I think they really do.

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Speaker 2: And like I said, we've had a couple that have,

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Speaker 2: you know, come in and tried to take advantage of

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Speaker 2: the situation. And we have one.

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Speaker 1: Any anything you do to help out disadvanced communities, there's

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Speaker 1: always going to be exactly an issue here and there.

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Speaker 1: It's it's it's an parent to that kind of work.

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Speaker 1: But if you let a couple of small issues interrupt

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Speaker 1: the work you're doing for a much bigger issue, well,

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Speaker 1: I mean that's expected. Yep, and move on, yep, get

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Speaker 1: over it. Yep.

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Speaker 2: And you know, at first, we really required people, even

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Speaker 2: if they could only give us ten minutes or so,

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Speaker 2: we basically required them to come in and show, you know,

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Speaker 2: some effort in volunteering. We also have gotten to know

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Speaker 2: that clientele. And like we have one elderly gentleman that

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Speaker 2: comes in and he doesn't eat much anyways, and he'll

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Speaker 2: come in and we see him coming and we'll, you know,

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Speaker 2: my the chef will automatically just wrap up a sandwich

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Speaker 2: for him and hand it to him. You know, there's

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Speaker 2: just some out there that are not capable of working.

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Speaker 1: Do you, boy, This may be a charged question, but

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Speaker 1: I you know, just my just human. Do you ever

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Speaker 1: worry that you're fostering in some people an unhealthy sense

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Speaker 1: of entitlement to free food? No?

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Speaker 2: I don't, because we don't do it that very often,

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Speaker 2: and we do. I mean, you know of the twelve

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Speaker 2: to fifteen percent, probably not even you know of the

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Speaker 2: twelve to fifteen percent that come in and volunteer for

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Speaker 2: that meal their meal, only one or two of them

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Speaker 2: a week is actually a meal that we just hand out.

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Speaker 1: That's phenomenal. And you know what, that's.

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Speaker 2: Everybody's Yes, everybody's willing to work. I have a gentleman

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Speaker 2: in a wheelchair. We've had several people in wheelchairs.

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Speaker 1: People in wheelchairs. How does that work?

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Speaker 2: It does, believe me, they have their wheelchairs. Well, they

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Speaker 2: may be they may be not truly homeless, they may

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Speaker 2: be is way sure right, and they'll come in and

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Speaker 2: they all insist that they can do something. So we

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Speaker 2: have order cards. We are real simple. We have an

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Speaker 2: order card that is laminated and we purposely have kept

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Speaker 2: those order cards because it creates a job for some

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Speaker 2: of those that want to do something but aren't able

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Speaker 2: to do any more than that.

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Speaker 1: Well, then the flip side of the entitlement thing, which

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Speaker 1: is the negative side that you could see, the positive

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Speaker 1: side that you can see is it gives somebody a

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Speaker 1: sense of dignity to be able to earn their food

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Speaker 1: rather than stand in the line with a handout, which

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Speaker 1: exactly the vast majority of people I found, they really

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Speaker 1: don't want to do that. No, you're right, And this

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Speaker 1: way they feel dignified it and what they're doing.

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Speaker 2: And again that's in our logo to love, to feed,

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Speaker 2: to dignify. And most of them will tell you that

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Speaker 2: one of the reasons they keep coming back is one.

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Speaker 2: They'll tell you it keeps me out of trouble. I'm

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Speaker 2: off the street and the food's good, and the food's great.

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Speaker 2: That's usually number one. The food's great, it keeps me

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Speaker 2: off the street. And three, almost all of them have

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Speaker 2: said at one time or another, it lets me give

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Speaker 2: back to the community that is given to me.

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Speaker 1: That is awesome. Yeah, and don't you think just a

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Speaker 1: little bit of it is is to be able to

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Speaker 1: go into a restaurant and be surrounded by people that

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Speaker 1: treat them kindly as human beings is uplifting for their soul.

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Speaker 2: Yep.

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Speaker 1: They don't feel like losers.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And I will say I have never seen anybody,

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Speaker 2: if anything, our paying customers have they They care more

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Speaker 2: about the people that are coming to volunteer. If one

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Speaker 2: of our volunteers hasn't shown up for a while. Somebody

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Speaker 2: will come up to me and say, hey, what happened

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Speaker 2: to Joe Wow? Or Hey what happened to so and so?

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Speaker 1: Fun?

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Speaker 2: They want to know what it really is?

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Speaker 1: A community?

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Speaker 2: It is a community.

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Speaker 1: It is We'll be right back. I've hit on it

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Speaker 1: a couple of times and and and I think it's

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Speaker 1: I think candidly it's it's maybe because maybe I'm jaded

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Speaker 1: about it, but you know, I continue to have this

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Speaker 1: image of a banker and a suit, uh, and a

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Speaker 1: lawyer and maybe an architect or people who we are,

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Speaker 1: a doctor or nurse or someone we would think more

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Speaker 1: from a professional setting sitting at a community table with

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Speaker 1: some local homeless and how odd that really is. And

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Speaker 1: when I when I, when I think a little more

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Speaker 1: deeply about that, for more of a thirty thousand foot view,

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Speaker 1: that is, uh, that's exactly what we really have become

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Speaker 1: socially is polarized. Is that you know, the idea of

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Speaker 1: a community where the blue collar, the white collar, and

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Speaker 1: the middle income all go to school together and do

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Speaker 1: things together politically, socially, religiously, we've just become so clannish

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Speaker 1: and so polarized and so separated that it's just hard

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Speaker 1: for me to even imagine this eclectic group of people

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Speaker 1: sitting around eating lunch at community cafe. I think it's beautiful,

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Speaker 1: but I guess, I guess I've been conditioned to think

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Speaker 1: that that's just not something that would normally happen. Yet

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Speaker 1: you're proving it is, and I just can't help but wonder.

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Speaker 1: You're obviously very smart, and you have a worldview. You

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Speaker 1: have children from three different continents. I've heard you say

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Speaker 1: you're a Christian, but I've also heard you say that

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Speaker 1: doesn't matter in the big scheme of things to who

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Speaker 1: each of the cafe, So you obviously have a large worldview.

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Speaker 1: What do you think it's us about your little cafe

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Speaker 1: in Jackson, Tennessee, and who's dining together? And how a

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Speaker 1: typical that is? What do you think what do you

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Speaker 1: think is a greater social narrative regarding that?

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Speaker 2: Gosh, I don't even know what to say about it,

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Speaker 2: except that you know when you see it, and you

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Speaker 2: know it's kind of weird, because you know, I'd like

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Speaker 2: to say that when I see it, you know, people

369
00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:09,760
Speaker 2: coming together, that it's not always obvious, but it's but

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00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:18,439
Speaker 2: it's pretty obvious. Yeah, and it's really obvious that that people,

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Speaker 2: I think are you know. What I'm seeing is that

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Speaker 2: people are really willing to sit and dine with somebody

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Speaker 2: that they would not have maybe even crossed paths with,

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Speaker 2: except in the cafe or out on the street. But

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Speaker 2: the street's not always the best place, you know, it's hey,

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Speaker 2: how are you today, you know whatever, But just to

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Speaker 2: see people one of my volunteers sitting by himself, you know,

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Speaker 2: waiting on his lunch to come, and maybe he's even

379
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Speaker 2: planned on taking it with him to go, and somebody

380
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Speaker 2: will come up and say, hey, can I join you

381
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Speaker 2: for lunch at a big table? And other table empty,

382
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Speaker 2: and then I also think of another uh, six or

383
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Speaker 2: seven guys and guys and gals, an older couple that

384
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Speaker 2: I'm not even sure they knew this man. But now

385
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Speaker 2: if if they're all in the cafe together, they're all

386
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Speaker 2: sitting together, they've all become friends. They all know that,

387
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,920
Speaker 2: you know, the first one to come in, they'll sit

388
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Speaker 2: at the table, and they'll be sure that they sit

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Speaker 2: at one of the big tables. So they are friends

390
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Speaker 2: that they've made at the cafe that aren't anywhere.

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Speaker 1: With people that are with the today's societal preconceived notion says,

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Speaker 1: don't belong at.

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Speaker 2: A table together, right, exactly exactly. An older a very

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Speaker 2: wealthy retired couple, you know, a banker, a fellow that's

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Speaker 2: living in uh subsidized housing.

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Speaker 1: You know, it's just all sitting there, eating together.

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Speaker 2: All sitting there, eating together and having deep conversation. Not

398
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Speaker 2: just sitting there.

399
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Speaker 1: They're sitting there saying hi, They're.

400
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Speaker 2: Exactly exactly, I mean, having very deep conversation.

401
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Speaker 1: Isn't it interesting that despite all the political and societal

402
00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,360
Speaker 1: rhetoric that at the end of the day, what breaks

403
00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:21,880
Speaker 1: it down there's a cup of.

404
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Speaker 2: Soup, yeah, yeah, or a cup of coffee.

405
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Speaker 1: A cup of coffee or solid yeah, it's it's it's phenomenal.

406
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Speaker 1: And and if you think about it, I mean, you

407
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Speaker 1: provide a place that's safe to.

408
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Speaker 2: Do that, yeah, And that's yeah.

409
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Speaker 1: And maybe that maybe the greater social narrative is part

410
00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,479
Speaker 1: of our division and separation is because we don't have

411
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Speaker 1: a safe place to exchange those ideas exactly and conversation.

412
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Speaker 1: So I think so, so maybe we need to turn

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Speaker 1: the Capitol Building into a big old community cafe in.

414
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Speaker 2: DC why not?

415
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Speaker 1: Why not?

416
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Speaker 2: Or our libraries, you know, or are Yeah, you know,

417
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:06,520
Speaker 2: I think about going into the library, and you know,

418
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Speaker 2: because oftentimes, you know, people that are looking for shelter

419
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Speaker 2: will go hang out in library. They're kind of over there,

420
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Speaker 2: you know, and you don't want your children to go

421
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,639
Speaker 2: over there. Come on, children, let's go to the so

422
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Speaker 2: But I think people are becoming I honestly do think that.

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Speaker 2: I don't know since when, but I have seen that

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Speaker 2: that people are more willing to actually engage and have

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Speaker 2: a conversation.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. That gives me some hope.

427
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,360
Speaker 2: And even a hard conversation. I mean, you know, I've

428
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Speaker 2: heard conversations where I think of one gentleman in particular

429
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Speaker 2: that comes in the cafe almost every day as a

430
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Speaker 2: painting customer, that will sit and ask one of our homeless,

431
00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,840
Speaker 2: truly homeless, how'd you end up? How'd you end up

432
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,359
Speaker 2: on the streets? And most of the time, you know,

433
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,160
Speaker 2: he's had a conversation or two with them, he's seen

434
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:10,399
Speaker 2: them over time, he's earned that right to actually delve

435
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:17,400
Speaker 2: into deeper conversation, and he doesn't feel afraid and therefore

436
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,760
Speaker 2: to ask those hard questions. And therefore that person doesn't feel,

437
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,320
Speaker 2: you know, afraid to tell or insulted, or afraid to say, well,

438
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,280
Speaker 2: you know, I made stupid choices.

439
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,720
Speaker 1: But the growth that comes from that, instead of looking

440
00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,280
Speaker 1: a homeless person as a drag on society and looking

441
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,639
Speaker 1: at him as a human right and understanding their story. Yes,

442
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,920
Speaker 1: you know, pretty much all of us are a couple

443
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:44,520
Speaker 1: of mistakes away from being right there too.

444
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,960
Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely, And.

445
00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:50,080
Speaker 1: To find a place that can serve them and give

446
00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:55,000
Speaker 1: them dignity is beautiful. And I think it's so interesting

447
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,680
Speaker 1: that the eclectic collection of people sitting around a couple

448
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,800
Speaker 1: of soup having those conversas stations is so telling about

449
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:16,159
Speaker 1: what's missing in our society today. Yes, so I imagine with

450
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,119
Speaker 1: all the people that pass in and out of the

451
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:24,919
Speaker 1: doors of the cafe, there's there's ample opportunity for you

452
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,760
Speaker 1: to also mentor in the in the small way. I

453
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,160
Speaker 1: know you're not running a cafe and in a social

454
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:36,440
Speaker 1: work place, but it's ample opportunity. Have you been able

455
00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,679
Speaker 1: to Have you been able to help some of the

456
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:42,679
Speaker 1: folks that are volunteers at the cafe to find steady

457
00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:44,960
Speaker 1: employment and forever homes and things like that.

458
00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:49,680
Speaker 2: Absolutely, Most of the time, when I think about ones

459
00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,600
Speaker 2: that we've helped out. It's usually been we we have

460
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,480
Speaker 2: in the past had social work interns from the colleges

461
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:01,879
Speaker 2: around and that's always a great well, that's it's incredible.

462
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,160
Speaker 2: I love having them. As a matter of fact, I'm

463
00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:06,600
Speaker 2: just sitting here thinking I'm supposed to get in touch

464
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,520
Speaker 2: with somebody about getting one for January, so that I'm

465
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,240
Speaker 2: glad I'm here thinking about it. But we have had

466
00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:18,399
Speaker 2: the good fortune to have some community service volunteers or

467
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:23,040
Speaker 2: some social work interns that have come in and set

468
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:27,880
Speaker 2: up programs just where they'll help somebody write a resume

469
00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:32,280
Speaker 2: or fill out a job application, give them job skills.

470
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:34,880
Speaker 2: And I think of one fella, and it's been more

471
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,240
Speaker 2: than one, but I think of one fella in particular

472
00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:42,240
Speaker 2: that has been volunteering probably since almost the beginning, that

473
00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:46,960
Speaker 2: has had permanent employment. Now he's been let go from

474
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,760
Speaker 2: a couple of places, but he never has trouble finding

475
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,960
Speaker 2: a job and he probably has been working seven years.

476
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:55,200
Speaker 1: That's fantastic.

477
00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:57,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, And you know, I think of a couple other

478
00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,080
Speaker 2: guys that I don't even see anymore because they don't.

479
00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:03,880
Speaker 1: They I mean in the greatest sense, they don't need

480
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,840
Speaker 1: you exactly exactly. But that's but that's great news.

481
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:09,840
Speaker 2: Occasionally they'll pop in and say hey, but don't see

482
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,440
Speaker 2: them on a regular basis because most of the time

483
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,679
Speaker 2: they work, you know, they'll end up working nights at

484
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,440
Speaker 2: a factory or something like that and sweep from where

485
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,639
Speaker 2: they were exactly exactly.

486
00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:33,040
Speaker 1: And that's another fantastic reward. Ye, amazing, they're In my

487
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:37,960
Speaker 1: experience coaching football, there have been highs, there have been lows.

488
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,400
Speaker 1: Thirty years of it, around thirty years of kids. There's

489
00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,560
Speaker 1: always highs and us there's always excitement and sadness and

490
00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,320
Speaker 1: everything else. And there are a few times that that

491
00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:52,120
Speaker 1: just emotionally, I was so touched. Do you have you

492
00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,880
Speaker 1: have a story from your time at community cafe that

493
00:28:55,040 --> 00:29:00,160
Speaker 1: is just deeply emotionally touching to you, that that that

494
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:04,880
Speaker 1: kind of speaks to the depth of the cafe. Yeah.

495
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,720
Speaker 2: One in particular, there's two stories that I think of,

496
00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:11,920
Speaker 2: and one one is very short. I'll share it. First.

497
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:15,960
Speaker 2: There was a young gentleman I'd never seen before. The

498
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,480
Speaker 2: Greyhound bus station used to be right across the street

499
00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:23,880
Speaker 2: from us. It is now Dozy place. Yeah, it's really cool.

500
00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 2: But anyways, the bus station was right there. This fellow

501
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,600
Speaker 2: walked in the cafe and it was freezing. It was

502
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:34,520
Speaker 2: just a couple years ago, probably two years ago. Came

503
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:37,000
Speaker 2: in the cafe and he had on short sleeves and

504
00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:41,040
Speaker 2: he had on blue jeans and tennis shoes and nothing.

505
00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:44,360
Speaker 2: It was literally freezing. I mean it was probably twenty

506
00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:45,040
Speaker 2: degrees at.

507
00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:46,480
Speaker 1: I guess is he just got out of jail.

508
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:48,480
Speaker 2: He had just gotten out of jail, had been dropped.

509
00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:50,520
Speaker 1: Let him out of jail without a jacket?

510
00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:50,959
Speaker 2: I don't know.

511
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,320
Speaker 1: I mean, look, I know he paid his debt to

512
00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:59,600
Speaker 1: society exactly, and I know society can't provide you a house.

513
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,120
Speaker 1: They're going to have your bus ticket and fifty bucks whatever.

514
00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:05,240
Speaker 1: But at least a jacket when it's freezing outside.

515
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:10,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, and exactly. And you know, if nothing else, I mean,

516
00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,200
Speaker 2: if if somebody can't pay for it, I mean, if

517
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,760
Speaker 2: the community can't or the government can't pay for a

518
00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,640
Speaker 2: jacket or a sweater at least for these people, all

519
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:22,600
Speaker 2: they have to do is say, hey, let's you know,

520
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,440
Speaker 2: maybe that's something that somebody could start. I just had this.

521
00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:29,280
Speaker 1: Idea exactly, jackets for felons.

522
00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:34,200
Speaker 2: Jacket fellon, but seriously, why not? I mean I have

523
00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,800
Speaker 2: people all the time that call and want to, you know,

524
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:41,040
Speaker 2: bring you know, clothing, jackets, jackets and hats and stuff

525
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 2: like that. So why not.

526
00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:43,480
Speaker 1: So this young man gets off.

527
00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:46,720
Speaker 2: The he comes in and he is what community cafe

528
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:52,640
Speaker 2: is just right? Because I don't know if I don't

529
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,920
Speaker 2: know if the bus station was open. I guess it

530
00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,840
Speaker 2: probably was, but he and I don't know if they're

531
00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,840
Speaker 2: if maybe they weren't allowed to just you know, linger

532
00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:03,760
Speaker 2: in the bus station. And he knew nothing about Jackson.

533
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:07,160
Speaker 2: He had come into Jackson for a party or something

534
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,440
Speaker 2: like that, or to visit a friend was at a party.

535
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,840
Speaker 2: I think probably got thrown in jail for public drunkenness,

536
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:16,360
Speaker 2: did his time, got out, was trying to head back

537
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:18,720
Speaker 2: to wherever he was from. I don't even remember where

538
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,200
Speaker 2: it was, and had on a red T shirt and

539
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 2: blue jeans and tennis shoes and it was freezing out

540
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,120
Speaker 2: and he was sitting there and he said, can I

541
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,680
Speaker 2: have Can I have a cup of coffee? And I

542
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,240
Speaker 2: said absolutely, you can have a cup of coffee. I said,

543
00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:33,480
Speaker 2: let me get you some coffee. And he said, what

544
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:36,080
Speaker 2: is this place? So I told him and he said,

545
00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,080
Speaker 2: can I volunteer? And I said, I tell you what

546
00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:43,000
Speaker 2: I said. You can volunteer, but not until we get

547
00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,960
Speaker 2: you warmed up. And I went downstairs. It was one

548
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:49,800
Speaker 2: of those times that somebody had dropped off blankets and

549
00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:51,680
Speaker 2: you know, stuff like that, which a lot of people

550
00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,480
Speaker 2: will do, especially in the winter. And I went downstairs

551
00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:56,080
Speaker 2: and dug through what we had and I got Hi

552
00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:58,040
Speaker 2: my hat, and I got him gloves, and I got

553
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:00,200
Speaker 2: him a scarf, and I got him a jacket. I

554
00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,640
Speaker 2: got him a blanket, and I wrapped him up. And

555
00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:06,040
Speaker 2: he looked at me and he said, I haven't been

556
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:10,720
Speaker 2: treated like this since my grandmother died. And I thought

557
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,080
Speaker 2: I was going to lose it. I thought I was

558
00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:19,040
Speaker 2: just going to open up and week right then. He

559
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,720
Speaker 2: was probably early thirties or so.

560
00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,280
Speaker 1: You know, that means he hadn't felt.

561
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,440
Speaker 2: Loved exactly his grandma exactly.

562
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,680
Speaker 1: And did you tell him I'm not old enough to

563
00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:30,719
Speaker 1: be your grandmother? Shut up?

564
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:35,040
Speaker 2: I did, Hey, Hey, are you telling me what yourandmother?

565
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,320
Speaker 1: That is the sweetest thing it did.

566
00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, it really touched he was.

567
00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:46,800
Speaker 1: He tearing up? Was he almost emotional just being yes?

568
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:51,440
Speaker 2: He was, Yes, he was very emotional. And he sat

569
00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:53,200
Speaker 2: there and he got warm and he drank up of

570
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:57,440
Speaker 2: coffee and he had another cup of hot water, just

571
00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,880
Speaker 2: holding it to keep it to get his hands warm,

572
00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:02,240
Speaker 2: and and he said, okay, what can I do? And

573
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:04,520
Speaker 2: he went to work for about thirty forty minutes and

574
00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:06,600
Speaker 2: I said, okay, it's time for you to eat. I said,

575
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,880
Speaker 2: your bus is going to be here in about forty

576
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,959
Speaker 2: five minutes. I said, you need you need to eat

577
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,200
Speaker 2: and get it get out of here. And when he

578
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,280
Speaker 2: got ready to go, he came up and he said,

579
00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:19,160
Speaker 2: I'd really like to hug you. And I said, you're

580
00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,760
Speaker 2: welcome to hug me. And I said, and I'd really

581
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:25,000
Speaker 2: like to pray for you. And you know, when people

582
00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:29,400
Speaker 2: come into the cafe, they will frequently ask if we're

583
00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:33,200
Speaker 2: a Christian ministry, or you know, if everybody in there's Christians.

584
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,320
Speaker 2: And I'm kind of like, well, why does that really matter?

585
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,840
Speaker 2: And I'll say, no, you know, not everyone in here

586
00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:42,280
Speaker 2: is that I know that I know of, but my

587
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:45,600
Speaker 2: family and I, yeah, I were Christians, and you know,

588
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,600
Speaker 2: but it says it there on the door to love,

589
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:50,920
Speaker 2: to feed, to dignify, and that's what we're trying to do.

590
00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,200
Speaker 2: And I had never felt called to pray for somebody,

591
00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:57,160
Speaker 2: but I really am, truly felt the Holy Spirit saying

592
00:33:57,800 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 2: you need to ask this man if you can pray

593
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:01,840
Speaker 2: for him. And I asked him. He said, I wish

594
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:10,040
Speaker 2: you would so Anyways, that was one and then the

595
00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,000
Speaker 2: second time was one of the gentlemen that we had

596
00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,400
Speaker 2: my family had gotten to know through Church without Walls

597
00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:19,600
Speaker 2: before the cafe opened. Was kind of like the bad

598
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:23,200
Speaker 2: dude in downtown Jackson. His street name was Cadillac, and

599
00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:26,720
Speaker 2: everybody was afraid of Cadillac. And everybody wanted to warn

600
00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:29,080
Speaker 2: me about Cadillac. You know that guy that's back there

601
00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:32,000
Speaker 2: washing your dishes. You know, you better watch out for him.

602
00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:34,960
Speaker 2: He's a he's a snake, you know. And I was like,

603
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:39,080
Speaker 2: I've known Cadillac for about four years. Cadillac. If if

604
00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:42,400
Speaker 2: I was down here, you know, one evening and left

605
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:45,160
Speaker 2: the cafe, if I was down here working, you know,

606
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:50,200
Speaker 2: and was leaving the cafe and got in trouble, Cadillac

607
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:52,880
Speaker 2: would probably come from, you know, out of nowhere like

608
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:56,680
Speaker 2: Superman to save you know me. He loved he was

609
00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:01,640
Speaker 2: so attracted to my family that I know that man

610
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:05,040
Speaker 2: would have done anything for us. Well, he was going

611
00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:08,719
Speaker 2: to get to go see his mother in Gary, Indiana,

612
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:14,240
Speaker 2: and was a person in Johnson, and yes, completely homeless.

613
00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,600
Speaker 2: And I knew where he stayed a lot of the

614
00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:20,440
Speaker 2: time because he would ask us if we could buy

615
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:23,160
Speaker 2: him some kerosene. I guess it is for a kerosene

616
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:28,080
Speaker 2: heater in the winter. And I'd say, well, you know Cadillac, like,

617
00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,120
Speaker 2: I said, Well, we only called him Cadillac outside of

618
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:32,960
Speaker 2: the cafe. I told him, I said, you can't use

619
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,920
Speaker 2: your street name in here, so you can come on outside.

620
00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:39,560
Speaker 2: No I never did that, but we didn't. We didn't.

621
00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:43,160
Speaker 2: We don't allow them to use street names inside. So anyways,

622
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:44,920
Speaker 2: I just told him, I said, Kenneth, I said, you

623
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:47,520
Speaker 2: know I can. I can loan you some money for

624
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:49,920
Speaker 2: some kerosene, but I'm going to go buy it for you.

625
00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:53,520
Speaker 2: You know, how's that sound? Because one, I don't I

626
00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,080
Speaker 2: don't like to make a habit of just handygout money.

627
00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:59,040
Speaker 2: Now bus passes will occasionally do and whatnot. But I said,

628
00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:00,960
Speaker 2: I'll loan it to you. I said, but I need

629
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:03,480
Speaker 2: you back here, you know, on Friday, and you're going

630
00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:05,480
Speaker 2: to help just close down or something like that. And

631
00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:08,040
Speaker 2: he was like, okay, okay, I'll be more. Yes, that'd

632
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,359
Speaker 2: be great. So anyways, we and I knew where he'd

633
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,360
Speaker 2: stay because my husband would usually drop it off or oor,

634
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:15,760
Speaker 2: my older son would.

635
00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:16,120
Speaker 1: Drop it off.

636
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:19,759
Speaker 2: So anyways, he was supposed to go to Gary, Indiana

637
00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:23,040
Speaker 2: to see his mom one weekend. And this was on

638
00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:27,480
Speaker 2: like a Wednesday, and he said, I really need some help,

639
00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,439
Speaker 2: he said, I promise if you can help me, he said,

640
00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:34,319
Speaker 2: And he said I need my medications refilled. And I said, well,

641
00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:36,480
Speaker 2: yeah I can. And he wasn't asking me to pay

642
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:41,160
Speaker 2: for him because he got no. He it was just no.

643
00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,319
Speaker 2: You know, I don't think that Kenneth really had any

644
00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:48,719
Speaker 2: mental health issues. I just think he had he had

645
00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:51,759
Speaker 2: just made a lot of really bad choices in his

646
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:53,799
Speaker 2: life and he would yeah, and he would tell you that,

647
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:56,920
Speaker 2: and he was probably in his fifties.

648
00:36:57,080 --> 00:37:00,160
Speaker 1: Well, I was just wondering if the medicine was like lithium, right, yeah.

649
00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,040
Speaker 2: No, no, no, it was this blood pressure medication and something else.

650
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,640
Speaker 2: And he was using drugs. I mean, we knew that.

651
00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:09,920
Speaker 2: And I had several times said Kenneth, you can't come

652
00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:14,560
Speaker 2: in today. You know I can tell you've been using something. Yeah,

653
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:17,440
Speaker 2: and he always understood, okay, okay, I'll be back tomorrow

654
00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:20,000
Speaker 2: or something like that. So anyways, he asked me if

655
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,359
Speaker 2: I would get his medications refilled. He said, I just

656
00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:23,879
Speaker 2: need a way to get him and I said sure.

657
00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:26,520
Speaker 2: I said, give me you know your prescription, and I said,

658
00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:28,799
Speaker 2: I'll get him refilled for you. I'll have him down

659
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:31,480
Speaker 2: here no later than Friday, I said, cause I know

660
00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,880
Speaker 2: you're leaving Saturday or Sunday. We didn't come in on Thursday,

661
00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,279
Speaker 2: which was really unusual, and then he didn't show up

662
00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:40,400
Speaker 2: on Friday to pick up his medications. And then I

663
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:45,840
Speaker 2: was down at the Farmer's market downtown on Saturday and

664
00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:51,200
Speaker 2: a friend of mine and I were, this sounds so mean, cruel,

665
00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:54,439
Speaker 2: but I said, I haven't seen Kenneth lately. I hope

666
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:56,879
Speaker 2: he's not laying up there in his bed and can't

667
00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:01,280
Speaker 2: get up. He's frozen to death or something. No way, Monday,

668
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:05,319
Speaker 2: he did not freeze to death. Monday, after I got

669
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,759
Speaker 2: home from the cafe, somebody called and said, have you

670
00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:13,680
Speaker 2: seen Facebook, WBBJ or something like that, And I said no,

671
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:17,000
Speaker 2: what And they said Kenneth is missing And I said what?

672
00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:20,160
Speaker 2: And I said, well, maybe he went on to his

673
00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:22,800
Speaker 2: mom's and just didn't get and they said, no, Kenneth

674
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:26,319
Speaker 2: is missing, like his mom has called and said he

675
00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,520
Speaker 2: was supposed to be at her house Sunday night and

676
00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:33,600
Speaker 2: he's missing. So I hung up and or yeah, I

677
00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:35,520
Speaker 2: hung up, and I called the police and I said,

678
00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,360
Speaker 2: my understanding is that Kenneth is missing, and I know

679
00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:43,799
Speaker 2: where he usually stayed, and he was dead. He had

680
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:48,840
Speaker 2: either odd or yeah. And you know, he was just

681
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:51,560
Speaker 2: kind of one of those guys in Jackson that you

682
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:55,879
Speaker 2: either loved him or you or you didn't necessarily loved him,

683
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,640
Speaker 2: but you liked him yeah, yeah, or you feared him,

684
00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:03,719
Speaker 2: and you know, to our family was one of those,

685
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:04,439
Speaker 2: isn't it.

686
00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,239
Speaker 1: Isn't it inevitable in this work, though, that you're going

687
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:10,640
Speaker 1: to have people, you're going to deal with some of those.

688
00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:13,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, we've had, We've had We've had a couple,

689
00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:17,080
Speaker 2: you know, of our volunteers that have passed away, and

690
00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:20,600
Speaker 2: it's always it's it's very sad, but those those two.

691
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:24,440
Speaker 1: So I think it's hilarious that the homeless are not

692
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:28,120
Speaker 1: referred to as the freebies or whatever they're you're volunteers.

693
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:31,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, there are volunteers. Yeah, we don't we don't say, oh, yeah,

694
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:32,000
Speaker 2: he's almost.

695
00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:33,200
Speaker 1: You know, he's a volunteer.

696
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:34,120
Speaker 2: Volunteers.

697
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:37,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, and they can come in with dignity and not

698
00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:40,359
Speaker 1: say I need a free mill. I'm here to volunteer. Yeah,

699
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:44,759
Speaker 1: and went on through volunteering. You can feedbee amazing.

700
00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:47,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, and they do. They come in and they say

701
00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:49,600
Speaker 2: I'm here to volunteer.

702
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:54,040
Speaker 1: Which implies I need food. I'm here to eat, but

703
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:55,480
Speaker 1: I'm going to do my work for us.

704
00:39:55,520 --> 00:39:58,879
Speaker 2: And by the way, we do also have community service volunteers,

705
00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,360
Speaker 2: so we have people. Sure, kids from the need community

706
00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:06,799
Speaker 2: service hours for school, you know, the whole that's school. Yeah,

707
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:10,920
Speaker 2: the whole community college group now has to volunteer eight

708
00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,040
Speaker 2: at but but you're an.

709
00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,600
Speaker 1: Approved place for them to get those hours, which is

710
00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:16,480
Speaker 1: also very cool.

711
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:22,520
Speaker 2: I've also we've also had what are they called the

712
00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:26,040
Speaker 2: whole seos or whatever from the schools and now you know,

713
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:29,759
Speaker 2: kids that are in a school or uh you know,

714
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:35,120
Speaker 2: or have been technically suspended from school. Yeah, they'll have

715
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:38,480
Speaker 2: their I'll have their Yeah. And it is so funny

716
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:41,279
Speaker 2: because they come in and they're almost always there for

717
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,279
Speaker 2: a week, sometimes longer, and they come in and they

718
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:48,960
Speaker 2: are mad, they did edgy be there. They hate you,

719
00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:54,319
Speaker 2: they hate your food. They hate their mama is stupid. Yes,

720
00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:58,360
Speaker 2: and I cannot tell you as a matter of fact,

721
00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:02,080
Speaker 2: I can't tell you you of one that has left

722
00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:05,360
Speaker 2: that place going this is the stupidest place I've ever seen.

723
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:08,359
Speaker 2: They come back and I'll say, now, look, I want

724
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:09,880
Speaker 2: to see you back, but I want to see you

725
00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:12,760
Speaker 2: back on different terms, and they'll say, yes, ma'am, miss Amy,

726
00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:15,120
Speaker 2: I'm going to behave. I'm going back to school and

727
00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:17,040
Speaker 2: I'm going to behave and I'm going to come visit.

728
00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,359
Speaker 2: And sometimes they do, they come back to visit. I

729
00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:22,800
Speaker 2: love those. Yeah, those kind of things.

730
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:41,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll be right back. I mean, this is beautiful.

731
00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:45,640
Speaker 1: But there is a you know, profits or necessary measure

732
00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:49,439
Speaker 1: of any organization's success. And although you're a nonprofit, right

733
00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,080
Speaker 1: you still have you have staff. Yeah, there's paid staff

734
00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:56,040
Speaker 1: in the kitchen and all. So is there enough money

735
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:58,520
Speaker 1: coming in from revenue from the food to cover staff

736
00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:00,000
Speaker 1: or do you also raise money?

737
00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:05,600
Speaker 2: Well, we we do when we need to, really, yeah,

738
00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:06,359
Speaker 2: we really do.

739
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:09,800
Speaker 1: So you run it to just cover the bills, cover staff,

740
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,240
Speaker 1: and get out of there. And if you're a little short,

741
00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:14,560
Speaker 1: you'll go out to the community and say, hey, we

742
00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:18,040
Speaker 1: need help, and how's the community to respond to that incredible.

743
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:20,600
Speaker 2: Two years after we opened, we kind of had a

744
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:25,600
Speaker 2: dry spell and I basically sent just hit it on Facebook.

745
00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:28,319
Speaker 2: I could probably pull it up right now. It was

746
00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:31,319
Speaker 2: probably two or three years into it, and I said, hey,

747
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:37,200
Speaker 2: I said, community cafe, friends and peeps. I said, you know,

748
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:40,120
Speaker 2: here's what's going on. You know, we need to keep

749
00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:43,680
Speaker 2: the lights on, we need to keep buying food. We

750
00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,640
Speaker 2: haven't seen you in a while, basically is what it said.

751
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:48,520
Speaker 2: I can't even remember.

752
00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:51,000
Speaker 1: We don't get some revenue exactly.

753
00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:52,640
Speaker 2: And I can write if I have some time to

754
00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:57,319
Speaker 2: think of it, I must say I can, I can write.

755
00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:57,960
Speaker 1: You get out there.

756
00:42:57,960 --> 00:42:59,759
Speaker 2: So I did, and I just said, we need your help.

757
00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:04,359
Speaker 2: This is not about keeping us in a job. This

758
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:06,919
Speaker 2: is not about I'm not.

759
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:07,960
Speaker 1: Making any money doing this.

760
00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:11,560
Speaker 2: It's not about me exactly. It's about I said, this

761
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 2: is your cafe. It's community cafe, the Jackson community. If

762
00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:20,200
Speaker 2: you want to see these doors remain open, we need

763
00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:22,759
Speaker 2: your help. And they came out and they helped. I

764
00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:27,000
Speaker 2: had people that sent checks. I had businesses that sent checks.

765
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:29,879
Speaker 2: I had people that said, hey, I can't give any

766
00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:33,160
Speaker 2: extra than more than a dollar or two per meal.

767
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:36,000
Speaker 2: But I'll do that, and I'll bring in friends. I

768
00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,320
Speaker 2: had people that called and said or emailed and said,

769
00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:43,560
Speaker 2: I'm a handyman, you know. So I had this whole

770
00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:46,920
Speaker 2: list of people that were willing to say, if you

771
00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:50,839
Speaker 2: need this, don't pay for it, let us let me know,

772
00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:52,480
Speaker 2: and I can come and help you do this.

773
00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:55,000
Speaker 1: And let's be reminded, as we're listening to you, this

774
00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:59,399
Speaker 1: is in Jackson, In Jackson, Tennessee. We're not talking about

775
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:02,760
Speaker 1: a big city with a lot of people that deal

776
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:07,239
Speaker 1: with urban type problems. And I guess my point is,

777
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:10,600
Speaker 1: if you can pull this off in Jackson, oh yeah, anybody,

778
00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:14,239
Speaker 1: it can be done anywhere with the right attitude, the

779
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,880
Speaker 1: right love, and the right afforc And let.

780
00:44:16,719 --> 00:44:19,239
Speaker 2: Me tell you one of the best stories. And I

781
00:44:19,239 --> 00:44:21,239
Speaker 2: think you're kind of trying to wrap this up, but

782
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:25,560
Speaker 2: one of the best stories is that twenty twenty.

783
00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:27,319
Speaker 1: Actually I was going to ask you tell me one

784
00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:28,040
Speaker 1: of your best.

785
00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:35,120
Speaker 2: Stories twenty twenty. So interestingly enough, our soup kitchen closed

786
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:36,640
Speaker 2: the doors.

787
00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:42,000
Speaker 1: Not your not not to Jackson had a soup kitchen

788
00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,799
Speaker 1: for the underserved. And they why did they were?

789
00:44:46,040 --> 00:44:50,120
Speaker 2: They were doing box meals, I think, and some you.

790
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:52,319
Speaker 1: Know, privately funded by church or something.

791
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:56,160
Speaker 2: Probably they get federal funding or.

792
00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:58,480
Speaker 1: How does something gets federal funding? Close?

793
00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:00,840
Speaker 2: Maybe maybe they don't get federal funding. I guess I

794
00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:04,160
Speaker 2: shouldn't say that, but let's just say the closed.

795
00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:08,680
Speaker 1: They didn't run out of money. What they run out

796
00:45:08,680 --> 00:45:11,200
Speaker 1: of they didn't.

797
00:45:11,719 --> 00:45:13,960
Speaker 2: They felt like they needed to be closed to the

798
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:17,920
Speaker 2: public during COVID, like, oh, yeah.

799
00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,640
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I'm missing I'm sorry during COVID. Yes, they

800
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:26,560
Speaker 1: which means there's people in your community. That's probably the meal.

801
00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:28,920
Speaker 2: They get exactly or want to.

802
00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:29,320
Speaker 1: Yeah.

803
00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:33,319
Speaker 2: So anyways, and they also said, hey, can we send

804
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:34,239
Speaker 2: them down to you.

805
00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:41,920
Speaker 1: We're closed, we can't stay open, but.

806
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:43,839
Speaker 2: Yeah, go down the street. And they were again they

807
00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:47,040
Speaker 2: were doing some boxes, box launch and bags of groceries

808
00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:49,560
Speaker 2: and stuff like that. But when you think about it,

809
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,600
Speaker 2: that doesn't help the truly homeless because they don't have

810
00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:56,879
Speaker 2: anywhere to prepare that food. So anyways, we closed for

811
00:45:56,960 --> 00:46:02,680
Speaker 2: about only about three weeks to maybe five weeks at most,

812
00:46:02,719 --> 00:46:03,600
Speaker 2: I can't even remember.

813
00:46:03,640 --> 00:46:04,359
Speaker 1: Now.

814
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:09,040
Speaker 2: We closed to dine in, but we set up in

815
00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 2: not outside in front, but just in the front of

816
00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:16,440
Speaker 2: the cafe. We set up and had box lunches and

817
00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:19,799
Speaker 2: anybody could come and get a box lunch. We were

818
00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:28,080
Speaker 2: serving probably sixty people a day for free.

819
00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:29,759
Speaker 1: We did the revenue for that.

820
00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:34,120
Speaker 2: Well, yep, so we had people still coming in, you know,

821
00:46:34,160 --> 00:46:37,160
Speaker 2: that were out and about. You know, it did everything

822
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:39,120
Speaker 2: shut down for a while, but we still had some

823
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,799
Speaker 2: that were at the courthouse in downtown and some of

824
00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:44,319
Speaker 2: our regular customers that would drive down and go, hey,

825
00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:47,360
Speaker 2: I want lunch, you know, and they'd come and they'd

826
00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:51,080
Speaker 2: get lunch, and you know, they'd pay more than there's

827
00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:54,840
Speaker 2: what their suggested donation was. But I also wrote a

828
00:46:54,920 --> 00:46:58,600
Speaker 2: letter to businesses in the community, especially in downtown, and

829
00:46:58,719 --> 00:47:03,920
Speaker 2: especially of our customers that I knew owned businesses that

830
00:47:03,960 --> 00:47:08,719
Speaker 2: frequented the cafe, and I said, look, we're serving you know,

831
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:13,239
Speaker 2: sixty people a day that aren't paying and cannot pay

832
00:47:13,480 --> 00:47:16,719
Speaker 2: a nickel for their lunch, that need to eat. We

833
00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:20,279
Speaker 2: need to feed these people. We need some help. And

834
00:47:20,320 --> 00:47:24,319
Speaker 2: again the Jackson community rose above and beyond and we

835
00:47:24,520 --> 00:47:28,080
Speaker 2: made it through Covet. That is just so yeah, it was,

836
00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:31,400
Speaker 2: It was really that was That was probably one of

837
00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:35,200
Speaker 2: the highlights of yeah, of my time.

838
00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:40,880
Speaker 1: But if you ever wondered about humanity, it restores your

839
00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:45,640
Speaker 1: faith and if you have faith in humanity, it's a

840
00:47:45,760 --> 00:47:50,440
Speaker 1: it's a reminder that you know, if you're doing things

841
00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:52,600
Speaker 1: the right way and for the right reasons, and you

842
00:47:52,640 --> 00:48:00,200
Speaker 1: simply ask help, often will come. Well, it's it's so

843
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:03,799
Speaker 1: called to think about when he opened all your kids,

844
00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,360
Speaker 1: I guess, washing windows, washing dishes, and doing whatever the

845
00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:09,160
Speaker 1: heck it is their mom told him.

846
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:13,400
Speaker 2: To do exactly. I'm not always liking it either, for sure.

847
00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:19,600
Speaker 1: But sometime during the nine year process of this, you

848
00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:20,720
Speaker 1: lost a child.

849
00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:22,600
Speaker 2: We did, we did.

850
00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:23,600
Speaker 1: And it was Cooper.

851
00:48:23,719 --> 00:48:27,040
Speaker 2: It was right, yep, yep, it was Cooper. He was

852
00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:32,680
Speaker 2: our second adopted from China, and Cooper was seventeen years old.

853
00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:37,400
Speaker 1: And he'd worked in the restaurant.

854
00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:41,239
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh yeah, people knew Cooper. Yeah, people knew Cooper. Yeah.

855
00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:47,160
Speaker 2: Cooper's teeny tiny, but Cooper had a huge personality. He

856
00:48:47,320 --> 00:48:51,560
Speaker 2: used to tell. Some of his funniest lines were he

857
00:48:51,640 --> 00:48:55,920
Speaker 2: used to tell my brother, who was single until after

858
00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:03,280
Speaker 2: well shortly before Cooper died, he would tell Craig, my brother.

859
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:06,400
Speaker 2: He'd say, Craig, you got ain't girlfriends? And he'd say, no,

860
00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:08,600
Speaker 2: he goes, you need to get on match dot com

861
00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:09,600
Speaker 2: and get you a wife.

862
00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:13,040
Speaker 1: How was he was Cooper.

863
00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:16,399
Speaker 2: Ten probably at the time when he started that, and

864
00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:19,799
Speaker 2: then he also loved country music. So you see this

865
00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:22,920
Speaker 2: little Chinese fella singing country music at the top of

866
00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:25,000
Speaker 2: his lungs. And he used to tell us that he

867
00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:30,040
Speaker 2: was going to be the first Chinese country music store.

868
00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:35,920
Speaker 1: You know. Political correctness almost says I'm not supposed to

869
00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:39,799
Speaker 1: laugh about that, but yours mom and allowed to laugh

870
00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:42,080
Speaker 1: about that is funny.

871
00:49:41,719 --> 00:49:44,640
Speaker 2: Because we laughed about it. Oh, I can't even tell

872
00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:46,880
Speaker 2: you that. The Cooper stories, I mean, there are so

873
00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:49,960
Speaker 2: many Cooper stories. And when we all get together, like

874
00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:53,000
Speaker 2: we were all together at Christmas this year, some of

875
00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:57,680
Speaker 2: the stories that came out, yeah, just and some I

876
00:49:57,760 --> 00:49:59,640
Speaker 2: was kind of like, oh, I really don't want to

877
00:49:59,680 --> 00:49:59,920
Speaker 2: hear that.

878
00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:00,560
Speaker 1: Want to hear that.

879
00:50:00,719 --> 00:50:02,880
Speaker 2: I want to hear that. One we had a catwalk

880
00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:05,759
Speaker 2: at our house and I found out just at our

881
00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:09,360
Speaker 2: house in Jackson, and underneath on either side there was

882
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:11,600
Speaker 2: a den and a couch and they used to jump

883
00:50:11,680 --> 00:50:15,959
Speaker 2: off the catwalk onto the couch when I was not there, yes,

884
00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:18,320
Speaker 2: or when I was. Yeah, it's just crazy.

885
00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:19,680
Speaker 1: Our kids did stupid stuff.

886
00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:25,040
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, And I was like, so Cooper, you know,

887
00:50:25,200 --> 00:50:29,920
Speaker 2: We don't, honestly know. We really did not feel like

888
00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:34,560
Speaker 2: Cooper took his own life. We did not know that

889
00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:41,799
Speaker 2: Cooper had any inkling that you know, he was. We

890
00:50:41,880 --> 00:50:45,600
Speaker 2: had no idea that he was unhappy. Cooper had been.

891
00:50:46,239 --> 00:50:52,560
Speaker 2: Cooper was he had some learning difficult disabilities in school.

892
00:50:52,640 --> 00:50:55,320
Speaker 2: So I do think that he kind of struggled with

893
00:50:55,760 --> 00:51:00,839
Speaker 2: not yeah yeah, and not really feeling like he was

894
00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:03,520
Speaker 2: as smart as his other brother that was only, you know,

895
00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:12,840
Speaker 2: four months older than he is, Mike. He uh, he

896
00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:17,200
Speaker 2: had homeschooled. He really kind of didn't fit in. He's

897
00:51:17,239 --> 00:51:19,799
Speaker 2: one of the one of the reasons we moved out

898
00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:24,759
Speaker 2: to uh Myland went to Gibson County School District. He

899
00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:29,280
Speaker 2: and Leah needed something more than what they were being

900
00:51:29,360 --> 00:51:36,360
Speaker 2: served in schools in Jackson, and he had homeschooled a

901
00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:38,880
Speaker 2: couple times off and on. He actually did a homeschool

902
00:51:38,880 --> 00:51:41,759
Speaker 2: class in the eighth grade that met in the upstairs

903
00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:45,759
Speaker 2: of the cafe with three kids, and it was phenomenal.

904
00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:49,279
Speaker 2: It was the most fun and it was probably the

905
00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:52,680
Speaker 2: best year of Cooper's life. And he so many people

906
00:51:52,719 --> 00:51:55,879
Speaker 2: at the cafe got to know Cooper from him being

907
00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:59,640
Speaker 2: down there literally every day and got to know the

908
00:51:59,719 --> 00:52:04,319
Speaker 2: true his personality and who he was, and just loved him.

909
00:52:04,360 --> 00:52:07,279
Speaker 2: And he loved to fish and he would talk to

910
00:52:07,280 --> 00:52:10,759
Speaker 2: you for hours on end about fishing. But he and

911
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:16,399
Speaker 2: Mike had been fighting, and I think I think Mike

912
00:52:16,480 --> 00:52:20,960
Speaker 2: has moved on beyond, you know, feeling like, you know,

913
00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:23,479
Speaker 2: maybe if I didn't fight with them, you know, maybe

914
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:24,359
Speaker 2: if it was a tough thing.

915
00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:29,680
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a tough bear. But there's so many you know,

916
00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:33,320
Speaker 1: there's so much more deep seated things than an argument

917
00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:35,040
Speaker 1: for somebody to go there, right.

918
00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:39,480
Speaker 2: And I'll also say Cooper was on ADHD medication and

919
00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:43,000
Speaker 2: I'm not blaming I'm not at all blaming any of

920
00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:46,560
Speaker 2: the meditations or what. But he was on ADHD medication

921
00:52:46,719 --> 00:52:50,560
Speaker 2: and he was also on growth hormones, and I kind

922
00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,520
Speaker 2: of wonder if all of a sudden, all of that

923
00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:55,640
Speaker 2: had kind of come together.

924
00:52:56,080 --> 00:53:00,560
Speaker 1: He was seventeen, well combined with yeah, everything clicking. It

925
00:53:00,600 --> 00:53:03,200
Speaker 1: a seventeen year old boy's mind and body, which is

926
00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:06,560
Speaker 1: exactly utter chaos anybody exactly.

927
00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:11,720
Speaker 2: But Jim and I had unfortunately just left for Italy

928
00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:16,759
Speaker 2: for a two week vacation, and Mike and Cooper had

929
00:53:16,840 --> 00:53:19,080
Speaker 2: kind of been at each other but it had calmed

930
00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:22,719
Speaker 2: down and I thought everything was good. And actually when

931
00:53:22,719 --> 00:53:24,799
Speaker 2: we left them, I gave him a big old hug

932
00:53:24,840 --> 00:53:27,000
Speaker 2: and I said, hey, I said, you know, if you

933
00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:30,080
Speaker 2: have any problems, I said, you can you can always

934
00:53:30,719 --> 00:53:34,359
Speaker 2: email me, or you know, I've got service, you can

935
00:53:34,440 --> 00:53:36,759
Speaker 2: text me. And I said, Cooper, I said, just be

936
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:39,560
Speaker 2: the bigger man. Just don't you know, just don't let

937
00:53:39,600 --> 00:53:41,560
Speaker 2: him get to you, because I think that that was

938
00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:45,160
Speaker 2: kind of you know, what happened sometimes was you know,

939
00:53:45,200 --> 00:53:47,440
Speaker 2: they'd get arguing and one of them would say something

940
00:53:47,520 --> 00:53:50,719
Speaker 2: and Cooper wore his feelings on his sleeve and he

941
00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:56,200
Speaker 2: could definitely get injured pretty quick to the heart. So

942
00:53:56,320 --> 00:54:00,279
Speaker 2: and he said, I will mind my will and we

943
00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:03,759
Speaker 2: I think my understanding is that they went shopping the

944
00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:07,480
Speaker 2: next day Sunday, they all went to Old Navy and

945
00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:10,360
Speaker 2: had a big time and no tell him what was

946
00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:13,560
Speaker 2: on my credit card. But anyways, I think it was

947
00:54:13,640 --> 00:54:17,360
Speaker 2: Monday afternoon he got a little bit of trouble at school.

948
00:54:17,400 --> 00:54:22,160
Speaker 2: He had was on he was actually emailing me on

949
00:54:22,239 --> 00:54:25,560
Speaker 2: his not as iPad, whatever his little thing was. Because

950
00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:29,600
Speaker 2: we kind of are those, you know, weird people that

951
00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:32,799
Speaker 2: don't give her kids technology. You know, for a while.

952
00:54:32,840 --> 00:54:36,239
Speaker 2: But he had some sort of I'm kidding, but he

953
00:54:36,320 --> 00:54:39,120
Speaker 2: had some sort of you know, little whatever. Those things

954
00:54:39,120 --> 00:54:43,040
Speaker 2: were called tablets, and he was emailing me during his

955
00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:47,160
Speaker 2: resource time where he was supposed to be doing some

956
00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:49,880
Speaker 2: extra studying and stuff. And he told his teacher, he said, well,

957
00:54:49,920 --> 00:54:51,920
Speaker 2: I'm already done, that's why I'm on it. I'm just

958
00:54:51,960 --> 00:54:53,920
Speaker 2: going to email my mom. And she said, Cooper, you

959
00:54:53,920 --> 00:54:56,240
Speaker 2: know you can't be on that, you know, during class.

960
00:54:56,239 --> 00:54:58,799
Speaker 2: Bring it up here. So he took it up there

961
00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:01,640
Speaker 2: and he put it on the desk. So she went

962
00:55:01,719 --> 00:55:07,120
Speaker 2: into the next room connecting room to help a student

963
00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:09,719
Speaker 2: and he got it off her desk. So he got

964
00:55:09,760 --> 00:55:13,520
Speaker 2: in trouble for that, and then he got mouthy, which

965
00:55:13,560 --> 00:55:16,960
Speaker 2: Cooper could definitely get mouthy, and he got in trouble

966
00:55:17,640 --> 00:55:20,320
Speaker 2: and he did not like that. He got in trouble

967
00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:24,399
Speaker 2: and they asked him, I can't remember, I think they

968
00:55:24,440 --> 00:55:26,600
Speaker 2: told him he was going to be suspended for a day.

969
00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:33,040
Speaker 2: And the teacher walked him out to whoever we had

970
00:55:33,040 --> 00:55:37,080
Speaker 2: a babysitter or a sitter, you know, for all the kids,

971
00:55:38,040 --> 00:55:41,840
Speaker 2: and she walked the teacher walked him out and said,

972
00:55:41,880 --> 00:55:43,920
Speaker 2: you know, Cooper, can't come to school tomorrow. You know,

973
00:55:44,000 --> 00:55:50,960
Speaker 2: he's been in trouble. He was disrespectful and that just

974
00:55:51,000 --> 00:55:54,240
Speaker 2: did it. I mean, he just I guess, we don't

975
00:55:54,280 --> 00:55:58,360
Speaker 2: know what happened, but he wandered off on the property,

976
00:55:58,960 --> 00:56:01,080
Speaker 2: said he was going for a while. We live on

977
00:56:01,120 --> 00:56:06,120
Speaker 2: about eighty acres and they couldn't find him, and they

978
00:56:06,200 --> 00:56:08,880
Speaker 2: got started getting a little worried as it started getting

979
00:56:08,880 --> 00:56:10,680
Speaker 2: a little drizzly out and it was the end of

980
00:56:10,719 --> 00:56:13,440
Speaker 2: October and was getting cool out, and you know, I

981
00:56:13,480 --> 00:56:16,520
Speaker 2: got this call that he was missing, and I had

982
00:56:16,719 --> 00:56:19,720
Speaker 2: we at the time still owned our house in Jackson,

983
00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:22,960
Speaker 2: so we had somebody drive over the house in Jackson.

984
00:56:23,440 --> 00:56:26,200
Speaker 2: Our older son had come over and you know, was

985
00:56:26,239 --> 00:56:29,280
Speaker 2: helping look for him. The police apartment had been called.

986
00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:34,480
Speaker 2: Long story short, they found that my our oldest son

987
00:56:34,560 --> 00:56:37,840
Speaker 2: found him the next day and he had taken his

988
00:56:37,920 --> 00:56:41,440
Speaker 2: own life. I'm so sorry, and well, thank you, thank you.

989
00:56:43,239 --> 00:56:50,440
Speaker 1: As it begins to our story. Yeah that we're telling

990
00:56:50,680 --> 00:56:59,040
Speaker 1: for you is we all struggle, We all deal with pain.

991
00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:04,120
Speaker 1: And you've had this amazing life with these kids and

992
00:57:04,200 --> 00:57:06,799
Speaker 1: this husband of yours and the two of you must

993
00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:12,040
Speaker 1: be partners in crime to do what you've done creating

994
00:57:12,040 --> 00:57:16,760
Speaker 1: the United Nations and Jackson and the amazing work with

995
00:57:17,240 --> 00:57:24,080
Speaker 1: Community Cafe. But nobody's life is perfect and peaches and roses,

996
00:57:24,080 --> 00:57:26,800
Speaker 1: and we all do with sadness and pain and difficulty,

997
00:57:26,880 --> 00:57:32,320
Speaker 1: and that's just what makes us normal people. And this

998
00:57:32,440 --> 00:57:35,560
Speaker 1: happened in the middle of you operating the cafe. It

999
00:57:35,720 --> 00:57:41,040
Speaker 1: had to have. Did you ever question, do I want

1000
00:57:41,040 --> 00:57:44,200
Speaker 1: to keep doing this? I mean, was it? I mean,

1001
00:57:46,080 --> 00:57:49,120
Speaker 1: how do you persevere in the face of that?

1002
00:57:49,560 --> 00:57:52,560
Speaker 2: I guess is what I'm asking you.

1003
00:57:52,600 --> 00:57:52,680
Speaker 1: No.

1004
00:57:53,760 --> 00:57:59,720
Speaker 2: I did take about a month off, and you know,

1005
00:58:00,920 --> 00:58:03,840
Speaker 2: I'll be very honest and say, there are still days that,

1006
00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:07,400
Speaker 2: you know, I get up and think I don't want

1007
00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:10,080
Speaker 2: to do anything. You know, I don't want to do anything,

1008
00:58:10,360 --> 00:58:16,120
Speaker 2: and and there were a lot of those days. But

1009
00:58:16,240 --> 00:58:22,040
Speaker 2: I also knew, and I'd always said that the cafe

1010
00:58:22,080 --> 00:58:27,840
Speaker 2: was my happy place. And even though I knew that

1011
00:58:27,960 --> 00:58:31,240
Speaker 2: first day back was gonna be really hard, my husband

1012
00:58:31,400 --> 00:58:39,400
Speaker 2: was absolutely fabulous. He had already said, when you're ready

1013
00:58:39,400 --> 00:58:43,200
Speaker 2: to go back, I'll go with you. You know, you

1014
00:58:43,240 --> 00:58:45,480
Speaker 2: don't have to go by yourself. I know that's gonna

1015
00:58:45,480 --> 00:58:49,640
Speaker 2: be hard, And and that was a really good thing

1016
00:58:49,880 --> 00:58:53,280
Speaker 2: because I think maybe he had already been down there,

1017
00:58:53,320 --> 00:58:55,560
Speaker 2: because a lot of times he would go, you know,

1018
00:58:55,600 --> 00:58:57,240
Speaker 2: he went back to work in the hospital is not

1019
00:58:57,440 --> 00:59:00,919
Speaker 2: very far from the cafe. May maybe he had been

1020
00:59:00,960 --> 00:59:04,160
Speaker 2: back for lunch. I'm pretty sure he had, because I

1021
00:59:04,200 --> 00:59:06,920
Speaker 2: think I remember him saying, so and so asked about

1022
00:59:06,920 --> 00:59:10,000
Speaker 2: you today. But the two of us went back together,

1023
00:59:11,080 --> 00:59:18,400
Speaker 2: you know, kind of as a united front, and you know, everybody,

1024
00:59:18,520 --> 00:59:23,080
Speaker 2: you know, no one. It was amazing because I just thought,

1025
00:59:23,120 --> 00:59:26,240
Speaker 2: I don't want people to feel like they can't say

1026
00:59:26,320 --> 00:59:29,720
Speaker 2: I'm so sorry to hear about Cooper, and you know.

1027
00:59:30,520 --> 00:59:33,160
Speaker 1: What do you say to a mom? Exactly that's so hard.

1028
00:59:33,320 --> 00:59:37,520
Speaker 1: Exactly everybody's dying inside for you, but they also don't

1029
00:59:37,560 --> 00:59:42,280
Speaker 1: want to say anything to hurt you, right, So the

1030
00:59:42,760 --> 00:59:45,720
Speaker 1: natural incondation is to just not say, not say anything.

1031
00:59:46,080 --> 00:59:48,840
Speaker 2: Except I think people have I think people in general,

1032
00:59:49,280 --> 00:59:54,040
Speaker 2: like across the board, have gotten much better at dealing

1033
00:59:54,280 --> 00:59:57,560
Speaker 2: with death and dying, and probably especially now after COVID,

1034
00:59:57,840 --> 01:00:03,240
Speaker 2: even though that was fre COVID. But I don't remember

1035
01:00:03,320 --> 01:00:08,360
Speaker 2: one person just you know, floating over it, not saying

1036
01:00:08,360 --> 01:00:10,040
Speaker 2: anything that that actually.

1037
01:00:09,800 --> 01:00:12,120
Speaker 1: Knew, and that was probably therapeutic.

1038
01:00:12,320 --> 01:00:14,919
Speaker 2: It was very therapeutic and it was again. I mean,

1039
01:00:14,960 --> 01:00:17,440
Speaker 2: I had for so many years said that the cafe

1040
01:00:17,600 --> 01:00:21,000
Speaker 2: was my happy place, that I needed to be back there.

1041
01:00:22,000 --> 01:00:24,040
Speaker 2: I like to tell people that I've.

1042
01:00:23,960 --> 01:00:26,760
Speaker 1: That amazing that it's called community cafe and it was

1043
01:00:26,960 --> 01:00:28,120
Speaker 1: your community too.

1044
01:00:28,400 --> 01:00:42,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll be right back, you know.

1045
01:00:42,920 --> 01:00:46,080
Speaker 2: I love to tell people that I am actually an

1046
01:00:46,320 --> 01:00:49,800
Speaker 2: extroverted introvert, and I truly am. I've got a daughter

1047
01:00:49,960 --> 01:00:54,720
Speaker 2: that is an extroverted introvert also meaning that, well you

1048
01:00:54,760 --> 01:00:57,560
Speaker 2: know what that means. I mean, I love people, and

1049
01:00:57,600 --> 01:01:00,280
Speaker 2: I love being with people, but I also love my

1050
01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:03,440
Speaker 2: own time. But I think I had had enough of

1051
01:01:03,480 --> 01:01:07,080
Speaker 2: my own time and it was time to put on

1052
01:01:07,160 --> 01:01:11,120
Speaker 2: my boots and put on my apron and head back.

1053
01:01:11,240 --> 01:01:13,760
Speaker 2: And you know, I knew that I eventually had to,

1054
01:01:14,160 --> 01:01:17,200
Speaker 2: you know, see everybody, And.

1055
01:01:17,760 --> 01:01:21,440
Speaker 1: So I mean, the reality is your life has to

1056
01:01:21,520 --> 01:01:26,200
Speaker 1: go on exactly. It's amazing. It's amazing that in the

1057
01:01:26,200 --> 01:01:29,720
Speaker 1: middle of all of this you had to endure such

1058
01:01:29,760 --> 01:01:32,760
Speaker 1: pain and heartache and persevered through it. But it is,

1059
01:01:33,520 --> 01:01:38,320
Speaker 1: unfortunately just part of a human beings narrative. We have setbacks,

1060
01:01:38,320 --> 01:01:43,560
Speaker 1: and we have painful, horrific, traumatic things, but it doesn't

1061
01:01:43,600 --> 01:01:44,600
Speaker 1: mean we stopped right.

1062
01:01:44,920 --> 01:01:49,080
Speaker 2: I was gonna say, but you can't stop living. You

1063
01:01:49,200 --> 01:01:53,040
Speaker 2: can't just quit. And you know, unfortunately, I've known a

1064
01:01:53,080 --> 01:01:57,920
Speaker 2: couple of people that have have actually lost sons taking

1065
01:01:57,960 --> 01:02:03,919
Speaker 2: their own life since Cooper, and you know that that's

1066
01:02:04,160 --> 01:02:08,200
Speaker 2: my one thing is I never give advice, but if

1067
01:02:08,200 --> 01:02:11,520
Speaker 2: somebody says, how do you do it? You know, you

1068
01:02:11,680 --> 01:02:15,120
Speaker 2: just you have to keep moving, take that time, take

1069
01:02:15,200 --> 01:02:17,800
Speaker 2: that time to take care of yourself, you know. And

1070
01:02:18,000 --> 01:02:22,560
Speaker 2: I think, you know, I just relied on It was

1071
01:02:22,600 --> 01:02:25,960
Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit for me saying Okay, Amy, you know

1072
01:02:26,200 --> 01:02:29,040
Speaker 2: you're up, you're up and moving this morning. It's time

1073
01:02:29,040 --> 01:02:30,800
Speaker 2: for you to go back to the cafe. And that's

1074
01:02:30,800 --> 01:02:33,920
Speaker 2: basically what it was. It was just, you know, I

1075
01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:37,439
Speaker 2: just felt like, Okay, I can go and I need

1076
01:02:37,480 --> 01:02:39,640
Speaker 2: to go and and love my people.

1077
01:02:40,400 --> 01:02:43,320
Speaker 1: It's phenomenal, amazing, And you know.

1078
01:02:43,280 --> 01:02:46,520
Speaker 2: The best thing is is that people also know now

1079
01:02:46,840 --> 01:02:52,840
Speaker 2: that everybody knows that that, and everybody will want every

1080
01:02:52,840 --> 01:02:55,040
Speaker 2: once in a while, somebody will come up and say,

1081
01:02:55,720 --> 01:02:59,520
Speaker 2: I just thought about something that Cooper told me one time,

1082
01:02:59,600 --> 01:03:02,479
Speaker 2: and they'll share it with me. Cooper's teacher actually gave

1083
01:03:02,520 --> 01:03:05,840
Speaker 2: me his homeschool teacher from upstairs at the cafe one

1084
01:03:05,920 --> 01:03:08,360
Speaker 2: day said I have something for you, and she had

1085
01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:11,400
Speaker 2: found some of his papers, so she gave me his

1086
01:03:11,480 --> 01:03:15,200
Speaker 2: papers from school, and she also gave me in that

1087
01:03:15,240 --> 01:03:18,040
Speaker 2: little bag there was a fun sized candy bar, because

1088
01:03:18,040 --> 01:03:20,919
Speaker 2: he used to say, I'm not I'm not little, I'm

1089
01:03:21,080 --> 01:03:24,840
Speaker 2: just fun size, and he was. And then also for

1090
01:03:25,120 --> 01:03:29,240
Speaker 2: her birthday that year, So embarrassed to say this, but

1091
01:03:29,320 --> 01:03:33,360
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say it, he dug through my supply of

1092
01:03:33,520 --> 01:03:36,840
Speaker 2: candles because he knew I loved candles and he thought

1093
01:03:36,960 --> 01:03:40,240
Speaker 2: she would love candles. Well, he didn't bother to check

1094
01:03:40,400 --> 01:03:43,160
Speaker 2: to be sure that the candle was a new candle,

1095
01:03:43,520 --> 01:03:45,920
Speaker 2: so he gave her candle.

1096
01:03:47,320 --> 01:03:48,560
Speaker 1: Hey, it's a thought the cats.

1097
01:03:50,640 --> 01:03:52,560
Speaker 2: So anyway, well, there you go.

1098
01:03:52,680 --> 01:04:02,480
Speaker 1: Cooper's legacy clearly lives on in you in the community cafe.

1099
01:04:03,440 --> 01:04:07,320
Speaker 1: It's an amazing story. So let's say somebody's listened to

1100
01:04:07,440 --> 01:04:09,439
Speaker 1: us and they think I want to do that in

1101
01:04:09,520 --> 01:04:13,520
Speaker 1: my neighborhood. How do they reach you and find out

1102
01:04:13,520 --> 01:04:14,080
Speaker 1: how to do it?

1103
01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:16,960
Speaker 2: They are more than welcome to call me at the cafe.

1104
01:04:17,640 --> 01:04:21,600
Speaker 2: That note it's seven three one, three hundred four six

1105
01:04:21,760 --> 01:04:27,400
Speaker 2: seventy four, and they are welcome to if they really

1106
01:04:27,760 --> 01:04:30,400
Speaker 2: want to touch base with me on my cell phone

1107
01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:33,000
Speaker 2: because I usually only go in on Thursday and Friday.

1108
01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:37,240
Speaker 2: Now I've got a great staff. They can talk to

1109
01:04:37,400 --> 01:04:41,280
Speaker 2: Tina or Austin and almost always they.

1110
01:04:41,120 --> 01:04:43,080
Speaker 1: Will about email you if they want to.

1111
01:04:43,200 --> 01:04:46,400
Speaker 2: They can email me. And I don't mind giving that out.

1112
01:04:46,480 --> 01:04:48,920
Speaker 2: That is because they can find it on the website.

1113
01:04:48,960 --> 01:04:52,880
Speaker 2: It's Community Cafe Jackson at gmail dot com.

1114
01:04:52,880 --> 01:04:53,280
Speaker 1: Perfect.

1115
01:04:53,760 --> 01:04:57,120
Speaker 2: But again, call come by see what we're all about

1116
01:04:57,200 --> 01:05:00,560
Speaker 2: to eighteen East Main Street in Jackson, Tennessee.

1117
01:05:00,840 --> 01:05:03,840
Speaker 1: Or if they don't want to open a cafe and

1118
01:05:03,880 --> 01:05:06,720
Speaker 1: they just feel called to serve about a thousand people,

1119
01:05:06,760 --> 01:05:08,120
Speaker 1: they can drop you a check in the mail.

1120
01:05:08,160 --> 01:05:09,920
Speaker 2: They can drop us a check in the mail, and

1121
01:05:09,960 --> 01:05:14,280
Speaker 2: we you know what. I never pretend like, oh, we're

1122
01:05:14,280 --> 01:05:16,320
Speaker 2: making it. It's going to be great, you know, because

1123
01:05:16,640 --> 01:05:19,120
Speaker 2: the guy that does my finances would be like me

1124
01:05:20,800 --> 01:05:26,320
Speaker 2: talking about I'm the one paying the bills. But yeah,

1125
01:05:26,400 --> 01:05:30,240
Speaker 2: so we've got I think on our Facebook page or

1126
01:05:30,280 --> 01:05:34,080
Speaker 2: on our website, Community Cafe Jackson, I think there's a

1127
01:05:34,160 --> 01:05:37,720
Speaker 2: donate mutton there. There's a donate mutton on our Facebook page.

1128
01:05:37,760 --> 01:05:41,320
Speaker 2: Our Facebook and our Instagram always has the menu. We

1129
01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:44,720
Speaker 2: love having out of town company come through and say hey,

1130
01:05:44,800 --> 01:05:46,840
Speaker 2: I just heard about you and wanted to come have lunch.

1131
01:05:47,080 --> 01:05:50,120
Speaker 1: It's an incredible story and you're an incredible person. And

1132
01:05:50,760 --> 01:05:53,160
Speaker 1: I want everybody to go back to the beginning of

1133
01:05:53,200 --> 01:05:59,320
Speaker 1: our conversation. If you can start a community cafe or

1134
01:05:59,400 --> 01:06:02,240
Speaker 1: some other name with a cool l acronym, but something

1135
01:06:02,360 --> 01:06:06,840
Speaker 1: like this with ten children driving around a twelve passenger

1136
01:06:06,960 --> 01:06:11,440
Speaker 1: van like a bus driver Walmart. If you can do.

1137
01:06:11,480 --> 01:06:13,040
Speaker 2: It, anybody can do it.

1138
01:06:13,120 --> 01:06:16,960
Speaker 1: Anybody really can do this and make a difference in

1139
01:06:17,040 --> 01:06:19,920
Speaker 1: so many people's lives. And it's just a perfect example

1140
01:06:20,000 --> 01:06:27,240
Speaker 1: of government proves woefully and inadequate helping the underserved and

1141
01:06:27,280 --> 01:06:31,560
Speaker 1: the homeless. But just a normal person in the middle

1142
01:06:31,600 --> 01:06:34,360
Speaker 1: of the community seeing a place of need and saying

1143
01:06:34,400 --> 01:06:38,000
Speaker 1: I can help, can make all the difference in the world, exactly.

1144
01:06:38,160 --> 01:06:41,240
Speaker 1: And the payoff is how enriched has your life out

1145
01:06:41,280 --> 01:06:42,400
Speaker 1: from itue?

1146
01:06:42,960 --> 01:06:46,080
Speaker 2: Absolutely and it has I think more than anything it

1147
01:06:46,120 --> 01:06:51,360
Speaker 2: has probably it has made our children who they are

1148
01:06:51,400 --> 01:06:55,720
Speaker 2: and who are who they are, becoming just kind, respectful,

1149
01:06:55,960 --> 01:06:57,000
Speaker 2: always wanting to.

1150
01:06:56,960 --> 01:06:59,000
Speaker 1: Help, probably really appreciative.

1151
01:06:59,240 --> 01:07:03,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, as you did. And yeah, it's just you know,

1152
01:07:04,080 --> 01:07:09,520
Speaker 2: shown them that somebody doesn't have to walk the same

1153
01:07:09,600 --> 01:07:13,840
Speaker 2: walk or look the same way, or you know, go

1154
01:07:13,920 --> 01:07:18,560
Speaker 2: to a certain school or certain church or whatever to

1155
01:07:20,480 --> 01:07:22,760
Speaker 2: be a friend. You know, and you can be a

1156
01:07:22,760 --> 01:07:27,360
Speaker 2: friend to anybody and you know, be there to help

1157
01:07:27,400 --> 01:07:28,880
Speaker 2: out when you're called to help out.

1158
01:07:29,640 --> 01:07:32,760
Speaker 1: So you and your husband Jim, right, Jim, You and

1159
01:07:32,760 --> 01:07:38,960
Speaker 1: your husband Jim have been the family you've built and

1160
01:07:39,000 --> 01:07:42,560
Speaker 1: the way you built it, and then for him to

1161
01:07:42,560 --> 01:07:46,400
Speaker 1: build the furniture and for you to do what you've

1162
01:07:46,440 --> 01:07:49,160
Speaker 1: done and involve your children and your entire family is

1163
01:07:49,560 --> 01:07:53,440
Speaker 1: a blessing for Jackson, and your story is a blessing

1164
01:07:53,560 --> 01:07:58,240
Speaker 1: for all of us listening. And maybe, just maybe somebody

1165
01:07:58,680 --> 01:08:01,080
Speaker 1: has heard this story and they thought, well, I only

1166
01:08:01,200 --> 01:08:04,000
Speaker 1: have two kids, I can do this, and Topeka absolutely

1167
01:08:04,160 --> 01:08:07,760
Speaker 1: or something else and will feel called to it, and

1168
01:08:07,960 --> 01:08:09,520
Speaker 1: they know how to get in touch with you now

1169
01:08:09,880 --> 01:08:14,120
Speaker 1: and Amy, it has been an absolute pleasure to share

1170
01:08:14,160 --> 01:08:17,400
Speaker 1: your story. And you, my friend, are absolutely a member

1171
01:08:17,439 --> 01:08:18,799
Speaker 1: of the army of normal folks.

1172
01:08:19,400 --> 01:08:21,800
Speaker 2: I'm glad to be a member of the army of

1173
01:08:21,880 --> 01:08:25,760
Speaker 2: normal folks. You, although I kind of think sometimes I'm

1174
01:08:25,760 --> 01:08:30,280
Speaker 2: not really very normal. Jim and I actually always talk

1175
01:08:30,360 --> 01:08:31,519
Speaker 2: about we're not normal.

1176
01:08:31,760 --> 01:08:34,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, the two kids and everything else is it.

1177
01:08:36,000 --> 01:08:40,639
Speaker 1: But you're also not some preordained politician or somebody else

1178
01:08:40,680 --> 01:08:44,240
Speaker 1: who's quote job it is to do this. You're just

1179
01:08:44,280 --> 01:08:46,360
Speaker 1: a normal person who saw a place to fill it

1180
01:08:46,439 --> 01:08:50,639
Speaker 1: and has done so in such a magnificent way, both

1181
01:08:50,640 --> 01:08:53,519
Speaker 1: in your family and your community. And I just can't

1182
01:08:53,560 --> 01:08:54,640
Speaker 1: thank you enough for joining me.

1183
01:08:54,680 --> 01:09:02,480
Speaker 2: It's been a fun ride. Thank you, thank you.

1184
01:09:03,120 --> 01:09:06,240
Speaker 1: And thanks to all of you for joining us this week.

1185
01:09:06,760 --> 01:09:10,000
Speaker 1: If Amy or another guest has inspired you in general,

1186
01:09:10,240 --> 01:09:14,719
Speaker 1: or better yet, to take action by visiting community cafe

1187
01:09:15,040 --> 01:09:18,840
Speaker 1: or a similar cafe elsewhere, donating to them, or even

1188
01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:23,240
Speaker 1: starting one in your community, or something else entirely, please

1189
01:09:23,320 --> 01:09:25,960
Speaker 1: let me know. I'd love to hear about it. You

1190
01:09:25,960 --> 01:09:31,599
Speaker 1: can write me anytime at Bill atnormalfolks dot us. Guys.

1191
01:09:32,120 --> 01:09:35,840
Speaker 1: Just two days ago, I got an email from a

1192
01:09:35,880 --> 01:09:39,599
Speaker 1: guy in Florida who's been helping a guy in Haiti

1193
01:09:40,160 --> 01:09:45,440
Speaker 1: with an orphanage, and he was inspired by Luke Michelson's

1194
01:09:45,439 --> 01:09:49,120
Speaker 1: story that you might remember sleep in Heavenly Peace building

1195
01:09:49,160 --> 01:09:52,599
Speaker 1: beds for kids that don't have any, And now this

1196
01:09:52,680 --> 01:09:57,120
Speaker 1: guy who runs an orphanage in Haiti is now having

1197
01:09:57,160 --> 01:10:01,920
Speaker 1: the kids in his orphanage. Bill beds for other kids

1198
01:10:01,920 --> 01:10:05,439
Speaker 1: in Haiti who don't have bets. If that is not

1199
01:10:05,560 --> 01:10:10,040
Speaker 1: an unbelievable example of the power of an army of

1200
01:10:10,080 --> 01:10:13,639
Speaker 1: normal folks, I don't know what is even better yet.

1201
01:10:14,040 --> 01:10:16,680
Speaker 1: We're gonna have this gentleman from Haiti come on as

1202
01:10:16,720 --> 01:10:18,559
Speaker 1: a guest in the future and you're gonna get to

1203
01:10:18,600 --> 01:10:23,000
Speaker 1: hear about all his story, which started from Luke Michelson's story.

1204
01:10:23,479 --> 01:10:26,920
Speaker 1: See guys. An Army of normal folks is about building

1205
01:10:26,920 --> 01:10:30,840
Speaker 1: a community of people who build off one another. And

1206
01:10:30,880 --> 01:10:32,800
Speaker 1: if you hear about it, or you see it, or

1207
01:10:32,800 --> 01:10:35,599
Speaker 1: you want to be part of it, write me at

1208
01:10:35,680 --> 01:10:40,240
Speaker 1: Bill Atnormalfolks dot us. I promise you I'll respond, And

1209
01:10:40,320 --> 01:10:43,040
Speaker 1: if you enjoyed this episode, share it with friends that

1210
01:10:43,080 --> 01:10:46,400
Speaker 1: are on social subscribe to the podcast, rate and review

1211
01:10:46,439 --> 01:10:49,160
Speaker 1: it all the things that will continue to help us

1212
01:10:49,200 --> 01:10:53,800
Speaker 1: grow an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. I'll

1213
01:10:53,840 --> 01:10:54,679
Speaker 1: see you next week.