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Speaker 1: Everybody. It's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks.

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Speaker 1: And we continue now a part two of our conversation

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Speaker 1: with Charmaine Solomon. Right after these brief messages from our

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Speaker 1: generous sponsors, it was I think I read it was

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Speaker 1: you and two other moms, correct, and what are y'all

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Speaker 1: going to do?

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Speaker 2: Well, that's what we needed to do. We needed to

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Speaker 2: raise one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. We had very

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Speaker 2: different skill sets. One woman was going to do the finances,

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Speaker 2: the other one was going to do the human resources.

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Speaker 2: Based on my therapeutic experience. I was going to do

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Speaker 2: all the intakes and all of the science that goes

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Speaker 2: behind that. So we had very clear roles about what

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Speaker 2: we were going to do, all involunteer capacities and of

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Speaker 2: course raise money. And then how do women raise money?

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Speaker 2: Bake sale, selling other people's trash out of their cars,

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Speaker 2: you know, that kind of stuff to raise two hundred

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Speaker 2: and fifty thousand dollars, but.

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Speaker 1: I still don't at this point. You're getting a building

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Speaker 1: and you're getting a space, but this continuing education and

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Speaker 1: job placement thing, how was that going to work?

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Speaker 2: Well? That was what we That was our dream. So

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Speaker 2: the one mother and I, you know, when you first

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Speaker 2: think about what you're going to do, what do mothers do?

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Speaker 2: They call other mothers like, hey, what are you doing

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Speaker 2: with your child? And she was like, I don't know,

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Speaker 2: what are you doing with yours? Our children in the

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Speaker 2: same school, approximately the same age. And we met for

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Speaker 2: Starbucks at the coffee. If it had been late, it

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Speaker 2: would have been wine, but it was coffee because it

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Speaker 2: was in the morning, because we needed alcohol by this point. Anyway,

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Speaker 2: on the back, you know, I was so prepared for

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Speaker 2: this meeting. I didn't even have paper with me. And

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Speaker 2: on the back of the Starbucks napkin, we decided that

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Speaker 2: that's exactly what we were going to do. We wanted continuing education.

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Speaker 2: We wanted no babysitting. We wanted professionals who would come

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Speaker 2: and work with our individuals, and that, of course, we

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Speaker 2: had no money, and we wanted no babysitting. And on

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Speaker 2: that thing, we had three I put three circles. One

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Speaker 2: was the day program, the second one was the work center,

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Speaker 2: and the third one was residential. And this was in

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Speaker 2: two thousand and seven. It was just a first.

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Speaker 1: Round meeting residential, and all you have is a building.

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Speaker 2: With why we're setting it up and not even at

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Speaker 2: that point we never even had that building. That was

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Speaker 2: in the very beginning. That was just the dream we had.

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Speaker 1: So did Larry tell you were crazy?

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Speaker 2: He did? He was like, you're nuts, but I understand it.

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Speaker 2: I understand it.

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Speaker 1: You were nuts, But I'm with you.

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Speaker 2: I'm with you, and you know, I must say, you know,

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Speaker 2: like I said, Carlos, not Larry's sun, But my gosh,

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Speaker 2: that man has stood in those shoes and has done

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Speaker 2: a beautiful job to raise this young man as his own,

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Speaker 2: even though he's not his own, and to accept responsibility

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Speaker 2: for the challenges.

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Speaker 1: So maybe he's nuts, I think.

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Speaker 2: So maybe he got more than any bargain forms.

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Speaker 1: So you got this thing fixed up and you started

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Speaker 1: with ten students. Correct, tell me about that. What did

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Speaker 1: that look like?

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Speaker 2: So two thousand and seven and two thousand and eight

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Speaker 2: we had to ride. We had to raise two hundred

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Speaker 2: and fifty thousand dollars, which we achieved.

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Speaker 1: And you did it through bake sales.

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Speaker 2: And car boots and popcorn sales and hard work. I

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Speaker 2: mean that's what we did. We made it a year.

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Speaker 2: It took us a year.

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Speaker 1: That's a phenomenal that you raised to h fifty thousand

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Speaker 1: dollars in a year with bake sales and stuff.

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Speaker 2: And all kinds of trash and all kinds of stuff.

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Speaker 2: We raised one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, so we owed.

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Speaker 2: So in June two thousand and seven we designed the

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Speaker 2: whole thing. We opened in June two thousand and eight,

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Speaker 2: and Karl was the first young man that actually graduated

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Speaker 2: from high school that joined was one of the ten

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Speaker 2: at my possibilities, and so we were able to start

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Speaker 2: with ten students because we didn't and we were still

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Speaker 2: all volunteers. We had no money to hire anybody. And

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Speaker 2: we started in the summer with a summer program with

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Speaker 2: this continuing education idea. And then what was the education,

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Speaker 2: just basic stuff, functional math, reading, We had a book club.

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Speaker 2: We had Health and Wellness. We wanted health and wellness

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Speaker 2: all you know, from the very beginning exercise, and we

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Speaker 2: had a lot of functional things like how to take

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Speaker 2: care of yourself. We even had a little apartment in

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Speaker 2: the back so you could learn how to make a

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Speaker 2: bed and how to vacuum, and you could do all

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Speaker 2: of those things. So we had some of the continuing

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Speaker 2: education and we had some of the sort of job

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Speaker 2: training skills and well that's also life skills, yes exactly.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so yes, when did this curriculum that I have

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Speaker 1: in my hands develop?

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Speaker 2: And when we went to the So we started working

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Speaker 2: on it right from the very beginning, but only when

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Speaker 2: we went to our second building, second location did we

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Speaker 2: actually go.

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Speaker 1: Into leave that location. We had to keep it.

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Speaker 2: No, we had to we had to leave it, outgrow

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Speaker 2: it without grow it.

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Speaker 1: About the year three, how many.

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Speaker 2: Exactly we were I mean, we just we couldn't do anymore.

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Speaker 2: We wereacity. I think we had about three hundred and

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Speaker 2: fifty people in that building, Holy Christ, within a year.

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Speaker 2: And that's why I said, we've always had a waitlist.

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Speaker 2: So within the first year we were three hundred and

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Speaker 2: fifty and I think we were only we had four

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Speaker 2: hundred was max in that building. So we had that

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Speaker 2: building for four years and then we bought another derelict building.

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Speaker 1: If nothing else speaks to the need and the beauty

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Speaker 1: of what you're doing. You went in one year from

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Speaker 1: ten to three hundred forty how many three hundred ten

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Speaker 1: to three hundred in a year in a line that

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Speaker 1: means parents and people were bagging and we couldn't.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and we couldn't. We couldn't do the need because

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Speaker 2: we couldn't surpry it. There was just too much need

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Speaker 2: and that continues. It was just talking earlier to Alex

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Speaker 2: when I said, this year is the first time that

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Speaker 2: we have not had a waitlist. We've had a waitlist

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Speaker 2: ever since we began. And the reason being is that

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Speaker 2: people wanted more for their adults. They wanted the continuing education,

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Speaker 2: they had something to compare with, they wanted something they

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Speaker 2: could see that something was different with what we were doing.

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Speaker 2: These adults were cognitively engaged, they were being trained, they

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Speaker 2: were being given an opportunity to do meaningful things as

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Speaker 2: opposed to just watching Barney or something on the television.

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Speaker 2: People came in droves to come and be.

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Speaker 1: With us, cause twenty three year olds loved sitting around.

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Speaker 2: Watching Barnie exactly, and not just Barney, I mean just

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Speaker 2: sitting around all day doing nothing. And so we were

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Speaker 2: able to do that. Dr Pepper gave us our first

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Speaker 2: bus so that we could take them out into the community.

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Speaker 2: We could go do yes, yes, Yes, and Larry Young,

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Speaker 2: who was the CEO of Doctor Pepper at the time,

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Speaker 2: was an amazing human being. We were at a Boler

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Speaker 2: conference and he was sitting opposite me on the bar

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Speaker 2: and I was talking to him about the concept of

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Speaker 2: my possibilities and you know the challenges with Carl any

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Speaker 2: new Carl, and he just said to Michamn, you get

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Speaker 2: that building, the people will come. And I was like, gosh,

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Speaker 2: And I had to remind him just recently. I was like,

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Speaker 2: we've had that problem since the very beginning. We've had

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Speaker 2: buildings and the people come all the time, but we're

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Speaker 2: not able to serve them. And so he was He

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Speaker 2: helped me with that inspiration that we could do this

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Speaker 2: right because I mean, we were parents. I was a mother,

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Speaker 2: I was working in a different field, and I was like, wow,

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Speaker 2: can we do this?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 2: We could. But it was hard. It was hard. There

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Speaker 2: were times where we didn't know where the next check

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Speaker 2: was coming from. I mean, it was hard to keep

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Speaker 2: the Opening the doors was one thing, but then keeping

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Speaker 2: the doors open was another story. Because it's a continual fundraising.

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Speaker 2: It's a continual cycle that you have to do. It's

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Speaker 2: not just the one and done. And I think that's

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Speaker 2: what people don't think about when you start a business.

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Speaker 2: It's not just the opening of the doors. And now

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Speaker 2: we've given these adults hope, right, and we've given them

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Speaker 2: something beautiful, we give them something different. We can't say

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Speaker 2: sorry and close the doors tomorrow, which is just no

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Speaker 2: option for that.

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Speaker 1: So from the meager beginnings in this building that you did, bake,

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Speaker 1: sales and race two hundred and fifty thousand and people

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Speaker 1: coming into, paint and do everything, and you're ten people

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Speaker 1: two in one year three hundred. Your campus is now fifty.

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Speaker 2: Acres twenty twenty eight acres, yes, twenty acres, and it's beautiful.

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Speaker 2: It looks like a university campus. It's not. It doesn't

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Speaker 2: have wires hanging down. It's a place of dignity, and

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Speaker 2: you know what we wanted, and it's very centrally located.

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Speaker 2: What we wanted with the campus is when you drive

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Speaker 2: up and you look at that space, immediately you have

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Speaker 2: respect because that is a place that you would imagine

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Speaker 2: that other college students are going to. And immediately the

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Speaker 2: elevation and expectation is set. We're in your neighborhood. We

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Speaker 2: want a place of dignity, and we wanted a place

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Speaker 2: of respect.

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Speaker 1: You do vocational training in retail, culinary arts, facilities, administrative,

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Speaker 1: sport and hospitality.

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Speaker 2: Correct.

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Speaker 1: Tell me, I mean, are these people who are destined

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Speaker 1: for a really ugly nineteen seventies recliner in front of

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Speaker 1: a TV at twenty three years old? Are they actually employed?

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Speaker 2: Yes, that's what we do. We train them and then

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Speaker 2: we have a job placement team and not just like

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Speaker 2: we're not talking about charity jobs anymore, we're talking about

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Speaker 2: dignified work. For example, we have a JP Chase Morgan.

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Speaker 2: Jpchase have hired twenty of our adults in their back

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Speaker 2: office banking system and these are properly paid, they have benefits.

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Speaker 2: They are amazing, and they have the day all kinds

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Speaker 2: of data entry, collation of documents just depending on what

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Speaker 2: it is, keeping Audrey tidied, and organized, organizing meetings, doing

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Speaker 2: all the prep work for a meeting. So if you're

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Speaker 2: having a meeting, you've got everything set out for you.

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Speaker 2: It's just they're amazing. Bank of America does the same thing.

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Speaker 2: JP Chase Morgan does the same thing. Toyota. We have

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Speaker 2: very big companies that employ our guys and properly employ them.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 2: The other thing is this charity job. I'll never forget

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Speaker 2: this young man. He's working at La Made Lanes and

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Speaker 2: he's rolling silverware. And he's a very high functioning adult.

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Speaker 2: And he's musical. He can play the drums, he can

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Speaker 2: play the guitar. He's got a beautiful singing voice. And

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Speaker 2: they tell me he's got a bad attitude. I think

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Speaker 2: I would have a bad attitude if I'm given rolling silverware.

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Speaker 2: But I'm capable get him a job in a music store.

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Speaker 2: Go get him something where he would be stimulated. But

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Speaker 2: that idea that these guys have cognitive abilities, they have

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Speaker 2: once needs and desires just like you and I do,

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Speaker 2: and we would match that up for a job. That

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Speaker 2: is just a unique thing.

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Speaker 1: And that's part of your intake exactly. You find out

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Speaker 1: what they what they're disabilities are, what their function level are, but.

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Speaker 2: Also what they're interesting exactly, and then that's how we

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Speaker 2: find them jobs, you know, Shaka, That's how we all

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Speaker 2: find jobs. I mean, you find a commonality of interest

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Speaker 2: and then you go work, you go and explore that. Right,

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Speaker 2: that's how we do it. Why would it be any

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Speaker 2: different for our intellectual disabilities. And this campus on the

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Speaker 2: new campus, when we move there, these adults could sign

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Speaker 2: up for their classes the first time that we have

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Speaker 2: a career portfolio of classes and probably about eighty to

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Speaker 2: eighty five every fourteen weeks different content which we write,

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Speaker 2: by the way, and they can sign up for these

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Speaker 2: classes and they can choose their subjects. I mean that's

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Speaker 2: another thing, right, that independence of choice. When you go

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Speaker 2: to college, you can choose your subjects. Not at my possibilities.

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Speaker 1: I'm holding the Master of Courses. Okay, I can't read it.

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Speaker 1: I really wish I could read it all, but I'm

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Speaker 1: just going to pick a couple. You know, you've got

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Speaker 1: leadership one oh one, which is completely the antithesis of

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Speaker 1: what you would think about teaching folks with disabilities. But

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Speaker 1: you've got basics of tech, healthy choices, cooking, community, independence, adaptive,

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Speaker 1: You've got costuming. You've got martial arts, music, yoga, performance, dance, cheerleading,

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Speaker 1: vocational foundations, individual discoveries. This thing is what is the

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Speaker 1: seventy five or eighty different classes.

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Speaker 2: Exactly per every fourteen weeks.

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Speaker 1: You've got a happy class exploring the true meaning of

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Speaker 1: being happy, Sports talk, Men's Hour, girl Power, Spanish cleaning,

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Speaker 1: clue outdoor skills, baking, one oh one, Bible study. It

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Speaker 1: goes on and on, and the very thought of people,

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Speaker 1: special needs folks going to a secondary education with a curriculum,

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Speaker 1: choosing their classes, learning them, matching their interest with their abilities,

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Speaker 1: and finding vocational training so that they get a real

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Speaker 1: job with real pay and real benefits. There are people

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Speaker 1: that would say you can't do that.

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Speaker 2: We can, we can, and we do it with Brian.

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Speaker 2: And I'll tell you when you walk out building and

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Speaker 2: you see these adults going about their business and you

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Speaker 2: see them, how they care for each other, how they

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Speaker 2: are learning, and how excited they are to come to

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Speaker 2: my possibilities, you will understand that it's a magical place

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Speaker 2: to be able to do that.

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Speaker 1: We'll be right back. Tell me what a hipster is.

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Speaker 2: So you know, not the traditional no no, no, no, no,

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Speaker 2: not that one. So you know, our industry are so

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Speaker 2: called we call our they call them clients, or they

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Speaker 2: call them patients, or they call it. And we were like, okay,

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Speaker 2: now stop that these are not patients and they're not clients.

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Speaker 2: These are human beings. Let's think of something that could

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Speaker 2: be much more warming and engaging. And so we started

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Speaker 2: with VIPN. We're like, okay, that doesn't work, and then

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Speaker 2: hipster came on hugely important person because that's what they are,

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Speaker 2: and that's why we do whatever we do at my Possibilities.

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Speaker 2: And our hipsters love it. They are They wear their

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Speaker 2: T shirts loud and proud that they are hipsters, and

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Speaker 2: they will tell you that they're hipsters. We have hipsters

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Speaker 2: on the board. Part of that leadership class is that

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Speaker 2: you can be a board member. We've got a board member.

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Speaker 2: We've got they come to the board and they report

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Speaker 2: about the programs downstairs. They come and report to the

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Speaker 2: board about things that they want changed. So we encourage

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Speaker 2: all of that at every level of our kind.

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Speaker 1: Section five pillars of education for these hipsters my place

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Speaker 1: in the world. Social skills and communication development, aspiring for independence,

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Speaker 1: community at home, transportation, money management, safety awareness, self advocate.

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Speaker 1: That's interesting. Responsibility, vocability. What's that word vocabilities?

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Speaker 2: I think it's vocabilities vocal.

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Speaker 1: But thank you vocabilities said by true properly trained South Africa.

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Speaker 1: By the way, your English is so much.

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Speaker 2: Better to mine, and it's sounds so much better.

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Speaker 1: I'd love to hear you talk employment opportunities, teamwork, sound body,

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Speaker 1: sound mind, sound body, personal care, healthy lifestyles, fitness and

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Speaker 1: inspiring something to be visual arts, pathway, culinary or its

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Speaker 1: performance based classes, communications, social. You are educating these folks

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Speaker 1: and not only job skills, but life skills or self

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Speaker 1: care correct things that people would say folks like these

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Speaker 1: can't achieve.

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Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, that is so wrong, such a wrong

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Speaker 2: philosophy or thought. Again, it's an old fashioned way of

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Speaker 2: thinking about people with an intellectual disability. These guys are

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Speaker 2: super capable of Our job is they've never been exposed

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Speaker 2: to these things, so they don't even know what they're

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Speaker 2: good at. Our job is to expose them to as

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Speaker 2: many opportunities as possible.

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Speaker 1: Now that's really interesting. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but

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Speaker 1: that what you just said to me is profound. This

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Speaker 1: is going to go up on our what's it called

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Speaker 1: alex are what's our thing? Quotes from army people or

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Speaker 1: normal folks wisdom? Normal folks wisdom. Please say what you

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Speaker 1: just said again, I've forgotten what I say. You said

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Speaker 1: that because they've never been exposed, they don't even know

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Speaker 1: what they've been going to add, which speaks to the

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Speaker 1: fact that coming up through the system, their key hold

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Speaker 1: as disabled and therefore aren't even allowed to explore on

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Speaker 1: how to yes, achieves. But you said, say it again,

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Speaker 1: you said.

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Speaker 2: I said, they don't even know what they're good at

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Speaker 2: or what they like because they have never been exposed

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Speaker 2: to it, whether that was at school or whatever that

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Speaker 2: looks like. And so they don't know what they're good at.

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Speaker 1: They haven't even been given opportunity.

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Speaker 2: They haven't. I'll give you an example. We have a

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Speaker 2: very talented artist. Her name is Abby. Abby is phenomenal artists.

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Speaker 2: In fact, her work was on display. Well, Abby is

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Speaker 2: on the spectrum. She has autism. She is verbal but

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Speaker 2: only a little bit, and she is social but very

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Speaker 2: very basic. Right, so if you meet Abby, you would

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Speaker 2: never connect Abby to artwork. So Abby's a talented artist.

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Speaker 2: She comes to visit my possibilities or comes in the summer.

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Speaker 2: While we were in the beginning before she came to

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Speaker 2: join us, and we had an art teacher that exposed

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Speaker 2: Abby to art. Abby's art is fantastic. We go back

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Speaker 2: to the school and say, this girl is talented, please

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Speaker 2: put her in art classes. She's got the potential. They

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Speaker 2: could never put her in the art class. Abby's work

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Speaker 2: was on display. Just recently in Japan, she won an

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Speaker 2: award for the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Four paintings that

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Speaker 2: she did, the most beautiful detailed paintings. She's an amazing artist,

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Speaker 2: but she was never given that exposure. She only learned

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Speaker 2: that at My Possibilities and through private coaching from our staff.

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Speaker 2: She's learned how to do this. But that goes for everything.

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Speaker 2: There's a young woman that is an incredible baker at

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Speaker 2: My Possibilities. We call her the cookie Queen. She never

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Speaker 2: baked in her life. She didn't know how to measure anything.

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Speaker 2: We talked her that they don't know because it's like

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Speaker 2: a vacuum. They've never been exposed to these things. And

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Speaker 2: the more we expose them to different things, were like,

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Speaker 2: they are talented in this, they need to go do this.

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Speaker 2: This is a career for them. Let's explore that to

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Speaker 2: be able to do that. So we do a lot

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Speaker 2: of that to say what is it that they give

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Speaker 2: to add? What are they talented ad and let's explore

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Speaker 2: that that could become a job. Let's let's give them

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Speaker 2: more of those classes. It's amazing we you know, we

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Speaker 2: have this whole therapeutic team behind them as well that

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Speaker 2: helps with communication and behaviors to get that all under control.

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Speaker 2: And then you said, we've in our boardroom we have

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Speaker 2: a hipster's version of the Mona Lisa. And that was

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Speaker 2: my first experiences version of Lisa.

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Speaker 1: What is that?

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Speaker 2: It's a painting? And she did the Mona Lisa in

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Speaker 2: her version of it. It is the most beautiful painting.

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Speaker 2: But that was my first experience to say, Wow, these

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Speaker 2: kids are talented, tiny little Asian goal very behaviorally challenged

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Speaker 2: until you put a paintressallenge Yes, why just she she's

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Speaker 2: hardly she can hardly communicate until you put a paintbrush

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Speaker 2: in her hand. Unbelievable. She created this. This is her

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Speaker 2: first time that she'd ever learned to paint, and she

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Speaker 2: created this Mona Lisa painting. It is the most beautiful thing.

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Speaker 2: And we actually have it up in our conference room

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Speaker 2: because that is a reminder of all the untapped potential

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Speaker 2: that these adults have and it's our job to find it.

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Speaker 1: And had it not been for my possibilities, ironically, she

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Speaker 1: may never have Nobody would have even known the possibilities

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Speaker 1: of her talent.

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Speaker 2: No, because what we did is we had an exhibition

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Speaker 2: where we had these artists come and we had the

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Speaker 2: parents come in and her mother came to me because

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Speaker 2: she had her name Gina had written her name at

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Speaker 2: the bottom of the painting, and her mom came to

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Speaker 2: me and said, that is that Gino. And I was like, yeah,

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Speaker 2: your Gina, and she goes, my Gina, Well, she needs

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Speaker 2: art classes. I'm like, she's thirty five. You should have

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Speaker 2: given a five art lessons when she was five, right,

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Speaker 2: But to start out the gates and be able to

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Speaker 2: paint something like a mona Lisa, I couldn't do that.

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Speaker 2: There's no way I could do that. But that's what

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Speaker 2: I'm saying. All this latent talent is there. It's our

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Speaker 2: job to find it and nurture it and grow it

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Speaker 2: and see what they can do.

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Speaker 1: That's phenomenal. So many I don't know what Ben can do, yes.

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Speaker 2: And what they would do if they were exposed to

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Speaker 2: this when they were young, like five, right. Most of

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Speaker 2: us get exposed to good things. I mean, I watched

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Speaker 2: your documentary and I was just thinking about, Gosh, when

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Speaker 2: we're young and we're exposed to things, it advances us

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Speaker 2: so much, right, because we're exposed to something and you

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Speaker 2: can see at a young age perhaps that someone's talented,

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Speaker 2: and then what do you do you steer them in

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Speaker 2: that direction, right, But when you're thirty five and you're like, wow, okay,

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Speaker 2: you haven't quite missed the boat by gee, those formative years.

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Speaker 2: What would it have been like if it was earlier?

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Speaker 1: So how many people on this campus now?

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Speaker 2: Six hundred and seventy five as yes, my gosh, six

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Speaker 2: hundred and seventy five staff over one hundred.

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Speaker 1: How do you pay for this?

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Speaker 2: We have to fundraise, and we have to fundraise, and

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Speaker 2: we have to do events, and we have wonderful relationships

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Speaker 2: with donors and foundations, and that's how we have to

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Speaker 2: do it.

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Speaker 1: That are you pinching yourself?

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Speaker 2: You know? Sometimes I walk that campus and I think

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Speaker 2: to myself, Wow, I had an idea, but not like this.

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Speaker 2: It's way beyond my thinking. I mean, we had thought

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Speaker 2: about a campus, but not like this where so many

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Speaker 2: adults come and they just love being there. It's amazing.

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Speaker 1: Larry still think you're nuts this quote. Without my possibilities,

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Speaker 1: our family would not have been able to find a

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Speaker 1: way to give each other, each of our children an

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Speaker 1: opportunity to grow. Patricia M I want to go back

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Speaker 1: to that one in a minute second. Coming to my

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Speaker 1: possible abilities is the best thing that ever happened to me.

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Speaker 1: Enjoy coming here so much because I can come and

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Speaker 1: warm something. James us. It's really important that our listeners

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Speaker 1: understand that this is life changing, not only for the

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Speaker 1: folks who are in the program, but the families. So

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Speaker 1: much loss and despair and anxiety over what to do

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Speaker 1: is replaced with.

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Speaker 2: Hope, yes, and growth and opportunities right because this is

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Speaker 2: a world where there are no growth and opportunities. And

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Speaker 2: so our parents that's why our parents love what we

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Speaker 2: do with My Possibilities and why you know, when we

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Speaker 2: were looking at when we are looking at residential options,

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Speaker 2: they're like, whatever you do, we don't want to leave

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Speaker 2: the campus. We need to be close to the campus.

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Speaker 2: We need our adults to live and come to the

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Speaker 2: campus because that hole. My Possibilities program is done. And

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Speaker 2: the trust that they know that their adults are taken

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Speaker 2: they are safe, they're well taken care of, and they chance.

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Speaker 2: That trust that those parents have with us is amazing.

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Speaker 2: But it's a blessing and a curse because it's a

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Speaker 2: big delivery. It's a big responsibility to do that all

434
00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,520
Speaker 2: the time. Is to make sure that these adults are safe.

435
00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,320
Speaker 2: They are challenged every day and our parents just love that.

436
00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:17,720
Speaker 2: And I love that. I mean the other day, Carl's

437
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:21,880
Speaker 2: caseworker came to the house and wanted to see him

438
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,880
Speaker 2: at home before he went to My Possibility. Her name

439
00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:28,240
Speaker 2: was Jennifer Goures. Hi, Jennifer, I'm late. He wanted to

440
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,160
Speaker 2: go back to My Possibilities. You're in my way, little, yeah,

441
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,320
Speaker 2: I'm late. He doesn't want to miss anything, right. He's

442
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,000
Speaker 2: home with us for a week and then he wants

443
00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,040
Speaker 2: to go back because he's had enough of us. He

444
00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:40,440
Speaker 2: wants to be with his friends. He wants to you know,

445
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,280
Speaker 2: when I pick him up, he's got a big smile

446
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,639
Speaker 2: on his face. But that's what happens in that building.

447
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,320
Speaker 2: And if you walk in that building, people say, Hi,

448
00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,680
Speaker 2: how are you. I love it here, I love my math,

449
00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,480
Speaker 2: I love this. Welcome, come and see our place. They're

450
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,080
Speaker 2: so proud of their place, right because it's their place,

451
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:56,680
Speaker 2: and they're so proud of that.

452
00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:09,360
Speaker 1: We'll be right back. If you ever start a football team,

453
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:10,119
Speaker 1: let me know welcome.

454
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,480
Speaker 2: I'll take you up on that. I think they know.

455
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,040
Speaker 2: They call it.

456
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:18,160
Speaker 1: I told a show.

457
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,600
Speaker 2: They call it Sharmain's Web. You have to be very

458
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:23,520
Speaker 2: careful what you promise.

459
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,919
Speaker 1: So you alluded to it, but I won't let you

460
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,679
Speaker 1: just kind of go with it. You don't. You don't

461
00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:35,280
Speaker 1: strike me as a person that grass grows readily under

462
00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:37,080
Speaker 1: their feet. What's next?

463
00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:41,560
Speaker 2: Residential? You know my safe on campus just off the

464
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:45,480
Speaker 2: campus so close by. Unfortunately we're not zoned where we

465
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,560
Speaker 2: off on the campus for residential. We do have plans

466
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,119
Speaker 2: for dormitories on there where you can learn how to

467
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,360
Speaker 2: live individually, because that's another thing we talked about it earlier.

468
00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,400
Speaker 2: My son doesn't have an experience of sleeping out at

469
00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,240
Speaker 2: a friend's house. He has no experience of that. He

470
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:01,919
Speaker 2: all he knows is sleeping in his own room with

471
00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:04,000
Speaker 2: his mom and dad. Right, He just has no experience

472
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,400
Speaker 2: about sleeping out or what it feels like to live independently.

473
00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,080
Speaker 2: And also, because he's lived with me so long, I

474
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,960
Speaker 2: probably have developed the most bad habits with helping him

475
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,360
Speaker 2: where he's more capable of doing that. So that training

476
00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:19,480
Speaker 2: where they'll learn how to live independently will be on

477
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:20,000
Speaker 2: the campus.

478
00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:25,040
Speaker 1: Wow, that's interesting is as they learn, parents have to

479
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:25,760
Speaker 1: be able to get.

480
00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:27,800
Speaker 2: Out of the way and let him go. Yes, Mom's

481
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,919
Speaker 2: going to need therapy. When he moves into residential, are

482
00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:31,160
Speaker 2: you going.

483
00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:32,760
Speaker 1: To do it in a mirror because you're a therapist?

484
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:33,240
Speaker 2: Exactly?

485
00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:37,240
Speaker 1: I think So okay, So residential, what's that going to

486
00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:37,560
Speaker 1: look like?

487
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,119
Speaker 2: So we originally had one hundred.

488
00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:49,160
Speaker 1: Residential is rot with opportunities for pitfalls and.

489
00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,520
Speaker 2: Issues, yes, yes, and abuse, yes, that's right.

490
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:57,920
Speaker 1: Scary If somebody is being loud and obnoxious and you've

491
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,919
Speaker 1: had it, just beat him and them back in the bird.

492
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:06,880
Speaker 1: Or if you're a predator, that is a that is

493
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,120
Speaker 1: that is easy fishing grounds exactly.

494
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 2: And that's why my son still lives at home with me.

495
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,359
Speaker 2: The current group home model, that's not going to happen.

496
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:18,960
Speaker 2: I don't trust it. It's so he said. She said, I've.

497
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,639
Speaker 1: Seen what you're about to start that.

498
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,679
Speaker 2: Yes, but differently that's what I want to do. So

499
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:25,440
Speaker 2: we're going to do it a little differently because it'll

500
00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,000
Speaker 2: be our staff. Our staff will be trained, it'll be different,

501
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,400
Speaker 2: we'll have much more eyes on and also what we're

502
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,160
Speaker 2: planning to do, we had a one hundred and eighty

503
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:35,159
Speaker 2: acres of a golf course that we were going to

504
00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,720
Speaker 2: build a residential community. What we had one hundred and

505
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,840
Speaker 2: eighty acres an old golf club, but unfortunately, due to

506
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,720
Speaker 2: the costs post COVID, there's no way we can build

507
00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:46,240
Speaker 2: that community.

508
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,120
Speaker 1: Somebody gave you a golf club.

509
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,960
Speaker 2: Yes, this gentler one of our donors, Yes, one of these,

510
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,840
Speaker 2: one of our fantastic donors, bought this property for us.

511
00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 2: But unfortunately, with the costs rising post COVID and being

512
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,639
Speaker 2: a golf course, trying to even out the property for

513
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 2: our population, it didn't work. The math didn't work. The

514
00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,120
Speaker 2: houses would be too expensive for our families to explore.

515
00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:13,439
Speaker 2: So we've moved closer. Now there's a mall that is

516
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:17,359
Speaker 2: being redeveloped in our neighborhood and it's got housing on

517
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 2: it and it's five minutes away from the My Possibilities campus.

518
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:24,960
Speaker 2: We are aiming to buy six four bedroom units in

519
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:28,840
Speaker 2: that block and start a pilot there, and then there

520
00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:31,080
Speaker 2: are some apartments that are at the back, so for

521
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,840
Speaker 2: those individuals who are able to live independently in an

522
00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,320
Speaker 2: apartment that need oversight and supervision, we can provide that

523
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,720
Speaker 2: and then this pilot program in the homes, and so

524
00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:44,000
Speaker 2: that's what we're working on currently. It's around and it'll

525
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:47,240
Speaker 2: be different. It's in the most beautiful buildings, four bedrooms.

526
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,880
Speaker 2: Each person has their own bathroom and bedroom, and they'll

527
00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 2: be able to stay there with supervision, and it'll be

528
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,760
Speaker 2: our staff, our train staff, and the beauty of being

529
00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:01,600
Speaker 2: six together. It's not one isolated with one staff member.

530
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,320
Speaker 2: It is a community of people where there will be

531
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 2: lots of eyes on these adults, So there'll be not

532
00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:09,840
Speaker 2: just one person's version. There'll be lots of people around,

533
00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 2: and so it'll be safer for us. And so how

534
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,440
Speaker 2: will eventually go there when they are ready, It's going

535
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:17,920
Speaker 2: to be It's going to take a lot for me

536
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,960
Speaker 2: to let him go, but I want him to go

537
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,880
Speaker 2: while I can still be around to help him with

538
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:28,080
Speaker 2: that transition. While I can still help him. He can

539
00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 2: come home for weekends and he can do what he

540
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:32,160
Speaker 2: needs to do while I'm alive. I don't want him

541
00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,320
Speaker 2: to go to a facility if something happens to me

542
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,200
Speaker 2: and I'm not around. I want him to be there.

543
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:38,680
Speaker 2: I want him to help. I want to help him

544
00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:39,480
Speaker 2: make that transition.

545
00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,160
Speaker 1: And the beautiful part about that is you happen to

546
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:48,120
Speaker 1: run a school that can teach him the tools.

547
00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:51,600
Speaker 2: On how to on how to live, and he's already

548
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,320
Speaker 2: got a big part of his life during the day

549
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:56,360
Speaker 2: on the campus, so they'll see him on the campus,

550
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,160
Speaker 2: he'll go home. So we've got a lot more eyes

551
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,600
Speaker 2: on these adults to make sure that they're well fed,

552
00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,120
Speaker 2: they're well treated. We'll be able to see all of

553
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,920
Speaker 2: that kind of stuff as opposed to an isolated little

554
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 2: group home somewhere.

555
00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 1: I got to ask you, what is the budget, annual

556
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: budget for this thing.

557
00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,720
Speaker 2: Well, that's the thing that we're working on right now.

558
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:19,040
Speaker 2: We have to raise four million dollars in order to

559
00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,520
Speaker 2: be able to put the down payments on these homes,

560
00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,520
Speaker 2: and that's what we're working on annually.

561
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,680
Speaker 1: No, what's the annual budget for the whole shooting match?

562
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,680
Speaker 2: Are you talking about? My possibilities are? Where are ten

563
00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:31,240
Speaker 2: million a year?

564
00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 1: Does anybody pay for any of these classes?

565
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:37,120
Speaker 2: Some of them pay, so for example, if they have

566
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:41,040
Speaker 2: a Medicaid waiver program, they use that money, but it's tiny.

567
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,960
Speaker 2: It's like anywhere between nineteen and twenty four dollars a day.

568
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,560
Speaker 2: We'll take that, and then if you have private pay options,

569
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,840
Speaker 2: we will charge you. But everybody in that building we

570
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,480
Speaker 2: raise money for. There's a big difference between the fee

571
00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:00,080
Speaker 2: that is paid and what it cost us to run that.

572
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:04,120
Speaker 2: That's where our fundraising gap comes from. Our fundraising team

573
00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:09,120
Speaker 2: this year raised four point two million dollars just for operating,

574
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:12,640
Speaker 2: just to close that gap. And the more people we have,

575
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:14,680
Speaker 2: the bigger that number gets.

576
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 1: That Is that a point of stress for you? Oh?

577
00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:23,080
Speaker 2: All the time. Yes, it is a point of stress because,

578
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,280
Speaker 2: like I said, we've created nirvana and Nirvana has to

579
00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:31,360
Speaker 2: continue and to build that making sure that that legacy

580
00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:34,280
Speaker 2: never goes away. These adults count on us every day.

581
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,760
Speaker 2: This is their life. I can go get another job, right,

582
00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:39,560
Speaker 2: I can move somewhere else, but this is their lives

583
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:41,360
Speaker 2: and that puts a lot of pressure on us to

584
00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:43,960
Speaker 2: make sure that those doors are open and functioning every

585
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:45,240
Speaker 2: day and well functioning.

586
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:49,240
Speaker 1: On the one hand, I hear that number and it's astounding.

587
00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:54,080
Speaker 1: On the other hand, in and around Dallas, there are

588
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,920
Speaker 1: people to whom four million dollars is jump change. So

589
00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,240
Speaker 1: it is there, it's there, but.

590
00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:05,320
Speaker 2: It's not necessary there for our population. It's people are

591
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:09,400
Speaker 2: very philanthropic in Dallas, right, they're very philanthropically minded, but

592
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,400
Speaker 2: typically it's for children, it's cancer, it's all of those things.

593
00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:17,960
Speaker 2: But these are adults and not as much we really

594
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,600
Speaker 2: there are lots of places that turn us down because

595
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,520
Speaker 2: it's not the population that they serve, all the population

596
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,440
Speaker 2: that they care. And so yes, we've got lots of

597
00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,640
Speaker 2: philanthropic dollars, but it doesn't all come to people with

598
00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:29,960
Speaker 2: intellectual disabilities.

599
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,120
Speaker 1: I bet if you can ever get somebody on campus

600
00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:35,200
Speaker 1: to look and see and touch and feel that they

601
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:36,200
Speaker 1: fall in love.

602
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:38,760
Speaker 2: They do. And we do that all the time. We've

603
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:40,440
Speaker 2: set up to us all the time because we know

604
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,160
Speaker 2: that somewhere someone is going to engage you on that

605
00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,080
Speaker 2: campus and they can touch your heart.

606
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:53,320
Speaker 1: Sure. Mean, you're a mom with a kid that was

607
00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,080
Speaker 1: aging out a system and had no idea what to do,

608
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:59,760
Speaker 1: and here you are some fifteen years later with seven

609
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:05,000
Speaker 1: hundred people on a two twenty acre campus with a

610
00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:07,360
Speaker 1: four or five million dollar budget.

611
00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,320
Speaker 2: You are nuts, my husband thinks.

612
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:19,240
Speaker 1: So. I mean the other two moms, these three moms

613
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:21,080
Speaker 1: that started this, or are they still with you?

614
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:25,560
Speaker 2: No? Unfortunately in the beginning the two dropped out very quickly.

615
00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:29,600
Speaker 2: But yes, and also I was very much the third

616
00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,520
Speaker 2: mother that came in to do the intakes because I

617
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,480
Speaker 2: had another you know, I was working and earning my income,

618
00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:37,920
Speaker 2: so I was very much a third mother and then

619
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,000
Speaker 2: ended up running it for years to be able to

620
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:42,840
Speaker 2: do that. But I must tell you that there is

621
00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:48,280
Speaker 2: an incredible bunch of team and at my possibilities, the staff,

622
00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,160
Speaker 2: the fundraising people are all very passionate about what do

623
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,040
Speaker 2: we do and they work so hard to be able

624
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:55,960
Speaker 2: to do that. So this is a village, right, So

625
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:59,800
Speaker 2: I mean having an idea and then executing on an idea,

626
00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:03,240
Speaker 2: it doesn't help if you don't have a village of

627
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,120
Speaker 2: people who care and want to do that.

628
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,200
Speaker 1: When you step back and take stock of all of this,

629
00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:15,080
Speaker 1: well burst through your head.

630
00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,520
Speaker 2: You know. I just look at this. I'm like, oh gosh,

631
00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:20,680
Speaker 2: how did we do this and how did it get

632
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:25,280
Speaker 2: this momentum and whatever? And I think to myself, Wow,

633
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,040
Speaker 2: these guys have a purpose and they have a passion.

634
00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:29,560
Speaker 2: And every time I go there, they just want to

635
00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:31,319
Speaker 2: hug on you and just love on you. And I'll

636
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,279
Speaker 2: tell you just think yourself, Wow, I'm so blessed by

637
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:36,440
Speaker 2: the idea that I can see that these guys are growing.

638
00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:40,000
Speaker 2: And you know, it might be for my son, but

639
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:44,000
Speaker 2: it's really for our people. I mean, they deserve that, right,

640
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,200
Speaker 2: They deserve a chance. They deserve something different, and we've

641
00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:50,479
Speaker 2: become We've set the trend. We can't go back. Now.

642
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:54,480
Speaker 2: Everybody wants to do better, and sometimes they copy what

643
00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,000
Speaker 2: we do and be like, Okay, that's fine because if

644
00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:59,799
Speaker 2: they copy what we do, they're making it better for

645
00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:02,879
Speaker 2: whatever their adults are. So we don't mind. We'll share

646
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:04,799
Speaker 2: that with you. We'll share whatever you want to come

647
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,600
Speaker 2: and see and do because we wanted better for other people.

648
00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:10,640
Speaker 2: Because if we don't do it, who's going to do it? Right,

649
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:12,319
Speaker 2: If we don't do it, who's going to do it?

650
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:17,400
Speaker 1: Tell me one more story, okay, one more uplifting story

651
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:24,600
Speaker 1: of a hipster that showed up to you in your

652
00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,600
Speaker 1: own words, not even knowing what they could do or

653
00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:30,279
Speaker 1: what their interests were, or having never been exposed to it,

654
00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:34,160
Speaker 1: that is now doing something that we would be like, wow.

655
00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:37,719
Speaker 2: I'll use Aaron as an example. We used to call

656
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,480
Speaker 2: him the Chief. He became the Chief. Yeah, he was

657
00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:44,000
Speaker 2: always bossy. He's bossing everybody around. So Erin had been

658
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,800
Speaker 2: with us for a couple of years and really, I

659
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,560
Speaker 2: think his father died and it's just his mom, and

660
00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,239
Speaker 2: he was really just full of nonsense. Behaviorally, he was

661
00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:55,680
Speaker 2: just you know, chief, bossing around, don't tell me what

662
00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:59,440
Speaker 2: to do. And eventually Aaron kind of got with the program.

663
00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,960
Speaker 2: We got him behavioral support, and Eron got a job,

664
00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:06,840
Speaker 2: and he got a job at Jbchase Morgan and he

665
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:11,319
Speaker 2: came for a day of impact with his team. He

666
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,719
Speaker 2: brought his team to come and work and do a

667
00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:18,359
Speaker 2: service project at my Possibilities and he was leading that

668
00:36:18,520 --> 00:36:22,200
Speaker 2: service project with his work team, and he was so proud.

669
00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:24,759
Speaker 2: He came in and he was introducing his work team

670
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,680
Speaker 2: to me and to his teachers and to whatever. But

671
00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,400
Speaker 2: he was now an employee of this company, and he

672
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,239
Speaker 2: was so proud of what he'd done at My Possibility

673
00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:36,800
Speaker 2: and now he was coming to share that with his team.

674
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,480
Speaker 2: That was an amazing I mean, just to see this

675
00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:44,520
Speaker 2: kid go from behaviorally challenged to settling down doing the

676
00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:46,600
Speaker 2: work that he needed to do to learn how to

677
00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:48,759
Speaker 2: do this. We placed him in this job and then

678
00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,440
Speaker 2: he brings his whole team around and they loved him.

679
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:53,480
Speaker 2: They called him the chief too, so he was still

680
00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:57,600
Speaker 2: the chief. He was still the Chief, and he was

681
00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:00,279
Speaker 2: so but he was so proud of himself. You could

682
00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:02,560
Speaker 2: if his little shirt in his heart could have, you know,

683
00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:05,040
Speaker 2: burst open it could have because he were so proud

684
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,239
Speaker 2: to come and show them where he'd come from and

685
00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:09,719
Speaker 2: how hard he'd worked, and that he look what he

686
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:11,839
Speaker 2: was doing now with his team. It was amazing and

687
00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:13,359
Speaker 2: they were fantastic with him too.

688
00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,839
Speaker 1: When I sit here and compare that story against the

689
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:22,480
Speaker 1: balance of the likelihood that without my possibilities, the chief

690
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,320
Speaker 1: would be sitting in front of a TV.

691
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,120
Speaker 2: Somewhere yes medicated, Yes, and he.

692
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 1: Would, especially if his behavioral challenge medica medicated.

693
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,360
Speaker 2: And also where would his team be. He wouldn't have

694
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:36,239
Speaker 2: a team of typically developed people that are working alongside

695
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,759
Speaker 2: him and encouraging him at work. He wouldn't have a team.

696
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,799
Speaker 1: Are you allowing yourself to understand that you probably saved

697
00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:42,360
Speaker 1: us life?

698
00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,400
Speaker 2: I don't think about it that way, I think, but

699
00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:49,439
Speaker 2: it is. I think we see those stories all the time.

700
00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:51,839
Speaker 2: We're just so blessed to be able to witness that

701
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:53,759
Speaker 2: that you see something like that. You know, most of

702
00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,839
Speaker 2: us we touch someone's life, but you don't see what

703
00:37:56,920 --> 00:37:59,319
Speaker 2: you do in that person's life. We get to see it,

704
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,560
Speaker 2: and that is such a blessing to see how we

705
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,359
Speaker 2: parents one story of many at my possibilities that we

706
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,200
Speaker 2: see we touch it, we see it, we feel the

707
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,319
Speaker 2: letters that we get from our parents about how these

708
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:12,840
Speaker 2: kids are doing at home. It's such a blessing to

709
00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:13,160
Speaker 2: see that.

710
00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:16,120
Speaker 1: I'm still having a hard time getting over one hundred

711
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,319
Speaker 1: acre undern eighty acre golf course thing. I'd certainly get

712
00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:22,760
Speaker 1: the build out would be just an extraordinary amount of money.

713
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:32,319
Speaker 1: Love that you're doing the off campus housing thing. But

714
00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:38,040
Speaker 1: I gotta ask, I mean, why can't this happen in

715
00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,160
Speaker 1: other parts of the country and be exported And is

716
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:43,440
Speaker 1: there any plans or thoughts of that or has anybody

717
00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:44,080
Speaker 1: reached out to you.

718
00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:47,080
Speaker 2: Oh, we see a lot of people from different states

719
00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:49,560
Speaker 2: that come to us and want to my possibilities in

720
00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:52,680
Speaker 2: their neighborhood. Unfortunately, we haven't addressed the need in our

721
00:38:52,719 --> 00:38:55,480
Speaker 2: own local community. But we are willing to share what

722
00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:58,160
Speaker 2: we do. What we do isn't a secret, and we

723
00:38:58,200 --> 00:39:00,360
Speaker 2: want to share that because it will improve the lives

724
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,200
Speaker 2: of everybody else. But you know, I think one of

725
00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:06,320
Speaker 2: the reasons that doesn't exist. It's a lot of hard work,

726
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:10,080
Speaker 2: and you have to have a community of people that

727
00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:11,959
Speaker 2: will support you. And you've got to have a band

728
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,520
Speaker 2: of people who are willing to work together to do

729
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:18,640
Speaker 2: it and really get that momentum to be able to

730
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:21,120
Speaker 2: do it. Because that's what we did. We rode this

731
00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,600
Speaker 2: sort of crest of the wave engaging the community. And

732
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,799
Speaker 2: not every community is as supportive as our community is,

733
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:30,320
Speaker 2: and I think that makes that's what makes it different.

734
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:35,400
Speaker 1: But it's out there. Yes, you will teach them, you

735
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,080
Speaker 1: will show them, you will lay out the groundwork, You'll

736
00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:39,759
Speaker 1: give them all of your experiences.

737
00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:41,560
Speaker 2: They can come spend a day with us, see what

738
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:43,799
Speaker 2: we do, learn what we do. We open our doors

739
00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:46,920
Speaker 2: all the time. We don't, you know, we want everybody

740
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:48,840
Speaker 2: to do what we do. We want it to be better.

741
00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:51,320
Speaker 1: The possibilities right, that's.

742
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:53,600
Speaker 2: Right, yes, And that's where the name came from. You know,

743
00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:57,279
Speaker 2: when we were looking at names, we were like, my possibilities.

744
00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,120
Speaker 2: My son needs to have possibilities, And that's how we

745
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:02,000
Speaker 2: came up with the name of My Possibilities.

746
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:06,120
Speaker 1: I love it if somebody wants to look up My

747
00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:08,839
Speaker 1: Possibilities or reach out to you because maybe they say

748
00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:13,400
Speaker 1: this needs to happen in Topeka. Where do they go?

749
00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:18,200
Speaker 2: Easy Charmain at m p t X dot org. My

750
00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:23,399
Speaker 2: Possibilities Texas dot org. M p t X c H A.

751
00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:28,920
Speaker 1: R M A I N E at M P t

752
00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:32,759
Speaker 1: X dot org. That's it, and I guess My Possibilities

753
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:33,400
Speaker 1: has a website.

754
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:36,520
Speaker 2: Oh yes, what is that? Just my Possibilities dot org.

755
00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,879
Speaker 1: I love it. You're phenomenal.

756
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:44,560
Speaker 2: Thank you. It's hey. I'm a mom first, and I

757
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:48,719
Speaker 2: will tell you that my son is brave, and he's

758
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:51,759
Speaker 2: an amazing young man and he deserves nothing but the best.

759
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,680
Speaker 1: Charmaine, thanks so much for joining us.

760
00:40:57,800 --> 00:40:59,880
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you for having me here today.

761
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:01,760
Speaker 1: It's been my distinct closure.

762
00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:10,320
Speaker 2: Thank you.

763
00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:12,960
Speaker 1: And thank you for joining us this week. If Charmaine

764
00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:16,000
Speaker 1: Solomon has inspired you in general, or better yet, to

765
00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:20,840
Speaker 1: take action by donating to My Possibilities, sharing it with

766
00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:24,319
Speaker 1: adults with disabilities who could be interested in going there,

767
00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,680
Speaker 1: starting something like it in your community, or something else entirely,

768
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:32,480
Speaker 1: please let me know. I'd love to hear about it.

769
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:36,680
Speaker 1: You can write me anytime at Bill at normal folks

770
00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:40,480
Speaker 1: dot us, and I promise you I will respond. If

771
00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:44,760
Speaker 1: you enjoyed this episode, guys, share it with friends on social,

772
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:49,360
Speaker 1: subscribe to the podcast, rate it, review it, join the

773
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:53,479
Speaker 1: army at Normalfolks dot us. Consider becoming a Premium member there,

774
00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:56,360
Speaker 1: any and all of these things that will help us

775
00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:01,000
Speaker 1: grow an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Fortney. Until

776
00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:03,080
Speaker 1: next time, do what you can