Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #265 – A Journey to Serve: Meet Shelly Buhler
As the challenge of homelessness grows more urgent, one leader’s journey offers a powerful example of how diverse experiences can prepare us to serve. Shelly Buhler, a board member at Topeka Rescue Mission, shares insights shaped by a career spanning public service, education, and nonprofit leadership. From driving forklifts at a food bank to serving as a mayor and county commissioner, each step of her journey reflects how God prepares individuals for meaningful service. Now as President of Hayden High School, Buhler uses her diverse experiences to guide the mission’s response to growing needs, emphasizing both careful resource stewardship and deep compassion.
Buhler believes the solution requires a united effort—“It’s everybody’s job.” At Hayden, she instills this mindset in students through service opportunities that foster empathy and leadership. For listeners seeking to make a difference, Buhler’s story offers both inspiration and a practical reminder: we are all called to serve, right where we are.
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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this time to be together, Lord to record this podcast, and Lord for all of the listeners who are going to hear it. Lord, we pray just your special blessing over this conversation. Thank you for our guests today. Pray a blessing over them and their dedication to the work going on here at the mission. Lord, bless this time and bless the listeners. Lord, in your holy name, we pray, Amen.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody, thank you for joining us for another episode of Our Community, our Mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission here on Tuesday, april 29th of 2025. This is podcast episode number 265. Good morning, lamanda and Miriam. Good morning, how are you doing this morning? Good Good, we've got a little cooler weather in the middle of the spring. We didn't get a tornado last night, so good to go.
Speaker 3:But we did get some rain, which we needed. We needed it, we did. We need rain, yeah.
Speaker 2:So we're going to jump right into those most important things about the podcast, and that's the research and development department. Research is about the important parts of our day, and then we're going to get to our very, very, very, very special guest today so. Lamanda, Miriam, did you get up this morning? The first thing that you did and recognize the importance of April 29th with your moves.
Speaker 3:You know, I'm sure LaManda did, I did not, you did not, I did not. No, miriam, is it age yeah?
Speaker 2:As a matter of fact, I get it. I get it. So, amanda, I'm sure you jumped out of bed and started dancing this morning. Right, I sure did. Why did you do that?
Speaker 5:The first thought I had, aside from scripture and prayer, is it's International Dance Day. I've got to get my boots on right.
Speaker 2:Everybody knows that. So put on your dancing shoes today. Let's honor the world of dance today, together Maybe not together, just dance and try to turn anybody when you're doing it, or yourself Remember.
Speaker 5:I mean, I'm still recovering. No, I don't remember.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's right. So last September I was dancing and flipping.
Speaker 5:And for some reason, I forgot that I'm older than you used to be and that I'm about 40 pounds heavier than what I used to be and my body did. My arm did not hold up my body with those dance moves and the flips, and so, yeah, I tore my trapezoid muscle.
Speaker 3:And that right there is why we should not do that.
Speaker 5:That's exactly right, which was a nice little bill and for some reason I got to watch that arm when I do my morning dance moves, oh gosh.
Speaker 2:So Research and Development Department for the CEO of Topeka Rescue Mission send her some information about alternate dance moves, yeah, all right, or just not Moving along we always try to choose three of these. It's National Shrimp Scampi Day, delicious yes. Why do you think somebody created National?
Speaker 2:Shrimp Scampi Day, my guess is they were just eating it and then were like, all right, today's the day, and so they came back over and, over and over again and had scampi, and so the research and development department did go a little further with this to look into National Coconut Shrimp Day, and what date is that on?
Speaker 1:I actually couldn't find that. So here I did find National Shrimp.
Speaker 2:Day is May 10th.
Speaker 1:General. So yeah, which we don't have a podcast that day. So if you're really interested in shrimp, put that on your calendar so you don't miss it.
Speaker 2:Stay tuned. That's on a Saturday, so we will not be in here talking about that. So, but anyway, there must have been a bunch of people from Kansas who are recognizing shrimp day. I mean people on the Gulf. No, no big deal.
Speaker 5:Do you like seafood?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I see seafood and I like it, do you not?
Speaker 5:I love, I love shrimp scampi. I just guess I've never had a conversation with Barry about it. I've had seafood with you. Yes, you have Um. Well, if you want to show me some shrimp.
Speaker 2:I'll try it. Um yeah, I'll see if I like it, I see food and like almost every food I see.
Speaker 4:All right.
Speaker 2:Our guest is probably. Why did I say yes?
Speaker 3:Why did I say yes? Why did I say yes?
Speaker 2:She's such a serious person. So one more, one more. Now, this is really important. It's National. What day?
Speaker 3:Zipper Day, it's National.
Speaker 2:Zipper Day. Zipper Day Can you say that, with a little more Of a zip to it? Zipper day, okay. So how long Do you think Zippers have been around? There was a time Before you remember, back in Jesus'. Day, when they were Zipping up the. You know they didn't have Zippers back then.
Speaker 5:I don't know, did they have buttons?
Speaker 3:Even.
Speaker 5:Ask the Lord when you make it Barry, Ask him.
Speaker 3:Exactly, I don't even think they did have buttons.
Speaker 2:So we kind of take zippers for granted. Matter of fact, there's a few zippers in here right now, and sometimes you want to make sure your zipper's working, but anyway, it's National Zipper Day. That was created in the 1800s. The guy who created it never got any recognition for it. He could be a millionaire billionaire, if you still like got any recognition for it. He could be a millionaire billionaire if he's still alive.
Speaker 3:But he's not. But anyway, back. They called it the hookless, fastener the hookless, so apparently they hook stuff. Oh, that's funny, that is really funny, yeah, the hookless fastener.
Speaker 2:April 29th on this date in 1913. So, zippers haven't been around that long. Interesting. What would we do without a zipper, Anyway?
Speaker 5:so I'm going to have to tell my oldest that she came in last night and was extremely serious and she said, which she's going to be 13. And so she's just a hoot anyways. But she said, mom, I need you to call your seamstress friends. I know you have a couple, because her mama is not. I mean, I've tried and it's not good, but she has this backpack that I've had since she was a baby and thankfully we can wash it and things like that. But she still carries it with different things in it as a teenager and it's got her either her name on have tons of bags. And she looked at me, dead serious. She says, not this one, and we are going to do this and we need to get it fixed. And so I said okay. And she goes and look and literally in her hand is the entire zipper that came off the cotton part of the bag and she goes. It happened last week but I forgot to tell you, but I've been saving it.
Speaker 5:So not only does she want it fixed, she does not want another zipper, she wants the same zipper that's been on it and somehow for the seamstress, whoever that is to put it on there, Bless her heart.
Speaker 2:So tonight, when you go home, you're going to talk about this Correct? Yeah, I'm like we've got to do that, I know a good seamstress.
Speaker 4:My mom is a she can fix anything.
Speaker 5:There you go, she can fix anything, there you go.
Speaker 4:I love that.
Speaker 2:You heard a third voice or a fourth voice that came out here and we're going to introduce her now. She's a former director not director, but at least worked in a food bank in Colorado.
Speaker 4:I did. Driving forklifts I did.
Speaker 2:Had some history here. Originally from Kansas, went out to Colorado, then went to a town called Rossville. Became the mayor of Rossville and then decided to invest more into the whole county of Shawnee County, be a county commissioner and then for about eight years now, roughly has been the president of Hayden High School, has been the chairman of the Board of Regents of Worsham University and is also a longtime board member of the Topeka Community Foundation and a whole lot of other things. One of our favorite people. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this.
Speaker 2:A board member of Top to our podcast. Thank you all for inviting me.
Speaker 4:Seriously, I was, I was. I told Josh I'm a little intimidated. I am, I've never done a podcast, so just full transparency. So amazing.
Speaker 2:Podcasts are so trendy and, shelly, we know from seeing you on TV a billion times being a county commissioner for two terms.
Speaker 4:Three terms, three terms Okay.
Speaker 2:And you've been interviewed a lot.
Speaker 4:I know and we said.
Speaker 2:Today you're interviewed amongst friends.
Speaker 4:Yes, and I said be kind, please.
Speaker 2:Well, Shelly, you had quite experience. You had a degree from Benedictine in what In community services.
Speaker 4:So it was an interdisciplinary degree back in the day and it was sociology and home economics and I did not. Oddly enough, I started in education and then figured out my sophomore year. I could probably not do that.
Speaker 2:And now I'm at a school.
Speaker 4:I know, I know, but I started. I finished at Benedictine and started at NECAP in Atchison County and had my office in the basement of the courthouse in Atchison County. Oh, my goodness office in the basement of the courthouse in Atchison County and so yeah. But a lot of those things that I learned in college really helped me in that. I worked there that semester in personal finance, nutrition, working with the total family program, that sort of thing. So that was my first real job out of college.
Speaker 2:So, and driving forklifts on a, on a, on a, yeah, so that came.
Speaker 4:That came a little bit later got married. Did you hear that?
Speaker 2:Miriam Iifts on a food distribution. Yeah, so that came.
Speaker 4:a little bit later Got married.
Speaker 2:Did you hear that, Miriam? I know I've already written it down Exactly.
Speaker 4:I got married, we moved to Colorado Springs and worked at the Colorado Springs Food Bank and again still in my field of, you know, study, I guess, and uh, yeah. So we, uh, we managed a lot of different food banks, uh, smaller food banks in and around uh Southern Colorado, pueblo, la Junta, those areas, and um, yeah, and they, uh, I learned how to drive a food, uh, a forklift. Not very well, I was supervised most of the time, but you know, it was just a really good time. I just learned a lot about service, you know, and it was a good time.
Speaker 2:Did you ever dream in those days that you'd be in politics someday?
Speaker 4:No, never. A president of a high school.
Speaker 2:No, okay, didn't dream that. Okay, never, did you ever dream in those days, you Okay didn't dream of that, never. Did you ever dream in those days you'd be on the board of directors of a homeless service? No, I figured, maybe. So what were?
Speaker 4:you doing? I don't know. Maybe I don't know why this came so late. Why'd you wait? No, I did not, you know, I don't think God knows your path right, yeah, and God knows your path right, and so I just kind of kept going with whatever was being called to do, so you moved into Rossville.
Speaker 2:You and Steve did. He's the coach of the Rossville Bulldogs.
Speaker 2:He was yeah, they're a very famous team in this part of the world and good rivalry with the Silver Lake Eagles, of course, yeah and so forth, and so I'm going to talk about what he's doing in a minute and talk about the conflict you must have in your home. But anyway, so You're in the town of Rossville and they have a mayor there. Some people probably don't know that a town like Rossville has a mayor, but you became a mayor. What led you to that?
Speaker 4:Well, I mean I think growing up one I've just been thinking about this. I mean, I've always been involved in service. I was a Girl Scout.
Speaker 4:I mean I was involved in church and my family my mom and dad were really involved, and so my sisters and my family. My mom and dad were really involved, and so my sisters and my brother. So we were always involved in service, always doing things. So then when I went to college that just kind of solidified everything. And then, you know, growing up I mean having a family then I was looking for something that was flexible. So I volunteered for my church and was doing things there and so had somebody approach me and just I had chaired a church picnic and said hey, have you thought about running for mayor? And I'm like no, never done.
Speaker 4:Church picnic Mayor yeah so, but it was absolutely so much fun. How long were you the mayor? I was the mayor for two terms, but in the middle of my second term then I ran for county commissioner. But you know, being mayor of a small town, roswell's a great community but we were right on Main Street with my office and, you know, had office hours and my daughter would go to the senior center with me and she was the butter girl, she would give the butter. She was really little then. So you know it was just a really, really good experience.
Speaker 2:Do you miss being the mayor of the world capital of the cornhole? Festival the tall corn, tall corn festival. That's what it is.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes and if you haven't been second weekend in August always.
Speaker 3:Always a good time so real good times.
Speaker 4:And great people that I worked with there. And then just we experienced a flood Rossville does have floods sometimes, yeah, and that's when I think I first got my experience and exposure to county politics in a different way and then was encouraged to run for a county commissioner. I ran as an independent, I did not know what I was getting myself into, but uh, yeah. So just that service and and um yeah, that's just always been a part of my life.
Speaker 2:I think, uh, as I recall you and I officially met during your time as county commissioner when we were doing the safest capital city initiative and yes.
Speaker 1:And you were working with Dick Klein.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:Who was the head of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, and we worked together on trying to bring safety to the community.
Speaker 4:Those were some fun days.
Speaker 2:Oh they were, they were. We had some great, great, great experiences and also some results Absolutely On that whole effort, absolutely. So back in the day, ron Miller was a police chief.
Speaker 4:Dick.
Speaker 2:Barta was a sheriff, and those were some really good relationships that built to help us to think about other things that we could do in the same manner. So three terms county commissioner and now president of Hayden High School and talk about that. What is a president of Hayden High School? It's private, it is a private school.
Speaker 4:We're an archdiocesan high school, so we're about 334 students. So we have a president-principal model. That's what the archdiocese of Kansas City, that's how we have our high schools. So my principal, james Sandstrom, vice principal John Tetuan, they really manage the academic portion, and then I, along with my team, which they're a great team, we do most of the administration. So advancement facilities, the business office, you know all those types of things. So we are part of the archdiocese, so there is a superintendent for the whole, for the 42 schools that are in the archdiocese.
Speaker 2:Is that Northeast Kansas? Okay so, yeah, okay. So that's a pretty big system there.
Speaker 4:It is, it is, but I really running as county commissioner really helped me with some of those skills too. It's like everything kind of kept building upon itself Right and I did not plan. I had decided not to run for a fourth term, but I did not anticipate this coming into my life at all. And I was approached again by someone who said, have you ever thought about this? Slid a piece of paper across the table and I flipped it up and I was like, oh my goodness, no. And my husband at the time, working at Washburn Rural High School, and Hayden and Washburn Rural have a healthy, healthy rivalry.
Speaker 2:That's the conflict we wanted to bring up here today.
Speaker 4:But he, my husband, was born and raised in Denver Catholic schools all the way through. So he was like, absolutely, why don't?
Speaker 2:you, why don't?
Speaker 4:you try, and so I prayed about it and applied, and, and then yeah, and then here we are.
Speaker 2:So Steve is the head football coach of the Worshman Rule.
Speaker 4:High School.
Speaker 2:And you have a football team at Hayden.
Speaker 4:Yes, we do. Do you guys ever play each other? We did the first couple of years that I was there, and I'm glad we don't now.
Speaker 5:It was a lot.
Speaker 2:Imagine what Friday nights and Saturday mornings must have been like.
Speaker 4:Yeah, as some of his assistant coaches. It was a lot stressful, but I think during that time I think Hayden won once, Washburn Rural won once, and then we're a 4A, 3A, 4A and Washburn World's 6A. So yeah, but we do play each other in basketball and baseball and everything else, so still in basketball and baseball.
Speaker 2:Okay, so there's still some issues here.
Speaker 4:Still Centennial League, still somewhat.
Speaker 2:Some issues here, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:No, no, I've met Steve a few times. Great guy, obviously very successful in the Bulldogs and now in the Blues, that's right. So, Shelley, also going into your continue on and serving. You've served as chair of the Washburn University Board of Regents. What's that mean? What does it mean to be on the Board of Regents? We have the Kansas Board of Regents, which Washburn's not under, if I understand that correctly, and Washburn's separated from that. So what is that like? What?
Speaker 4:does a regent do in regards to a Washburn University? Well, I'm incredibly grateful to Governor Kelly, her appointee on there, and so you know that huge responsibility that I just am so grateful for. But, of course, education, and education in all forms, from, you know, technical school to your bachelor's, to your master's, to your law degree, you know, I mean, I mean you can, you can enter any one area of those. So, and I think, looking back at when I first got out of college and worked with those families, education does make a huge difference in, you know, that person's life and their family's life. So, yeah, I mean, and Washburn is just a gem in almost the middle of Kansas, but just so many amazing opportunities there. So I just feel completely blessed to serve there and help guide the direction. I mean, dr Farley has done a wonderful job and I was there on that transition and then, of course, hiring Dr Mazachek has been simply amazing.
Speaker 4:And you were chairing the search committee and everything. Big decisions there. That was huge.
Speaker 2:So, shelly, about three years ago maybe four now, I don't recall you were looking for volunteering at the Speaker's.
Speaker 4:Commission. I was, yeah, I said Barry, I want to come volunteer and he goes. Well, let's come and have a conversation.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I was like famous last words.
Speaker 2:So we had this unique opportunity as a board member at Topeka Rescue Mission. Why did you say yes to a board position here and what have you seen, learned during your time since you came on the board? I mean?
Speaker 4:just the impactful work that Topeka Rescue Mission has had in so many years to so many people and to those who most often don't have a voice. You know, when we were working on Momentum 2022, we talked about you know we need to make sure that we are listening and paying attention to those who are less fortunate than us, and so, yeah, and you know, I look at volunteering on the board is one thing, but the real work is not done at the board level. The real work is done with all the leadership and all the staff at TRM.
Speaker 2:Honestly, From coming in, and this is like almost all volunteers and new staff members is. They come in, they had a certain idea what Topeka Rescue Mission was, and then they get a really much larger idea. Oh my goodness, How's that kind of changed from what you knew on the outside and now you're on the inside.
Speaker 4:I don't know Just the depth of compassion you know, and that I hear some examples of just how staff and leadership step up to help individuals, and just that if it's not here, then where else are they getting that care? And they're not right. And so just that compassion is so important and, honestly, you know, more of it is needed in the world. You know, and not just, not just in compassion for their situation, but their human, their, you know, their future.
Speaker 2:Amanda, merriam don't mean to exclude you from the conversation here, but Shelly and our long term friends, so that's why so. So, amanda, as a CEO, three years last week that you've been here, and you were here for what? Eight months when I was here.
Speaker 5:I started in June of 21, so I'm about to have four years.
Speaker 2:Shelly was a pretty new board member at that time when you started as well. What's it mean to you I mean, you've said this before to really have this board of directors. That is your supervision, but also your partnership.
Speaker 5:One of the first things that I remember about Shelly was one of the first few board meetings. She said something to the extent of that she and I would be learning together. And that has stuck with me because when I look at Shelly and other board members too, they have such a plethora of experience widespread right, both locally, both sometimes in other areas of the world, those kinds of things. But then everybody, whether it's staff, board members, volunteers, we all go through like the same learning curve when we're embedded in TRM and it's kind of like that phrase that we've joked before. Everybody says I had no idea, right, we've talked before. We've joked before. Everybody says I had no idea, right, we've talked before. We need the T-shirts that say I have no idea. That that's our theme theme phrase.
Speaker 5:And so I love kind of Shelly's heart on that, that here she is.
Speaker 5:She's such a humble woman, coming with all of this experience and all of these titles right that the Lord has allowed her to have, yet she still embraces one being a servant and two being a learner.
Speaker 5:And so when you have that kind of heart, to me Shelly represents such a beautiful and strong board member because she's so eager to learn and humble to say there is so much there that I don't know right within the rescue mission.
Speaker 5:But yet there's also this silent strength in her because you realize what all she's done and that God continues, like she said, guiding her steps. And so to me I love it's almost like this part of the friendship, but then also I still recognize them as my governing body and because they have the wisdom and they have the dedication. And Shelly is such a perfect mixture of that sponge and wants to learn, and when she comes to the board meetings you can tell she wants to hear, unless I'm asking for money, probably, but she's just so she wants to learn that and she's just so invested in all the stories that Miriam and I are sharing. Yet she's so dependable and we know that God's going to give her wisdom, the right questions to ask, the right time to pause and also the right time to take action, even if it means we're walking solely by faith, and I love that about her.
Speaker 2:I think that's well said about you, shelly. You know very, very humble, very quiet but, very powerful your experiences here. Obviously that you've done. You may want to listen to this again. If you're ever looking for a different job, use this on your resume.
Speaker 5:I'll type it up. I'll type it up?
Speaker 2:No, that's you, miriam. I want to get to you in a second. But, shelly, what would you say? From when you first came on, topeka Reshmus got the inside view. What's one or two of the biggest things that you learned? That I think for our listeners would be would be important that maybe they haven't been on the inside of Topeka rescue. What have you learned?
Speaker 4:Oh, my goodness, I think most importantly is that the level of the level of expertise, of support, of guiding and being a good steward of the dollars that people give, guiding and being a good steward of the dollars that people give, but also managing, um, just everything that comes from day to day, and so, um, that solid um, that, that solid um, you know, approach um, and and yet a huge amount of faith that, that that we trust, and yet a huge amount of faith that we trust and that's carried forward to me in my work at Hayden too, honestly. So, because we don't know, right, yeah, so that has been eye-opening to me and I think that would be a great comfort to those who are not only guests at the mission but also contributing to the mission.
Speaker 2:That's been a marker that has to be met here, that donor confidence to take care of the funds. We all, and probably many of our listeners, realize that it's not just about what we do here in front of people, it's about what we do in front of the Lord and how we honor him and he's going to entrust us like he entrusts you to lead Hayden and entrust LaManda to lead Topeka Rescue Mission, and trust those people.
Speaker 2:And in trusting that, you've got to take care of all the resources. Well, and those resources are volunteers and those resources are not used, but they're a resource that God brings to us and those are the people who need help and those are resources because they help us to know how to help them better. And so, yeah, Miriam, you've been involved in a lot of things in community in regards to United Way, Topeka Rescue Mission, Greater Topeka Partnership, on and on and on and on downtown DTI and so forth. You get the chance to sit right next to the men in board meetings and you've known Shelly for some time.
Speaker 3:Well, and you know, Shelly and I have a very special bond because we share a birthday. Oh, is that right? December 12th December 12th. All right, okay, josh, make a note of that We'll have a special day.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 3:Well, I'm sure it's going to show up on one of these sheets.
Speaker 2:It's a Tuesday.
Speaker 3:So I might have a couple of years on. Shelly, we do share a birthday.
Speaker 2:Not same place, same time. Yeah, so to you. You've been United Way board, You've had that over your side, Topeka Rescue Mission board. They're all a little bit different, but something with Shelly's experiences that brings to board. What do you see from the importance of that? Not everybody has to have the pedigree that Shelly has, but what's the value of this pedigree that you know about Shelly?
Speaker 3:The importance of that and why it makes Shelly such an ideal candidate for any board. Right, but definitely for us is the diversity in her experience, shelley, because when we're talking about different things whether we're talking about different government things, that we're looking at funding ordinances, whatever the case might be Shelley can bring a very personal experience to how we might try to navigate that. Then you look at her nonprofit background and that's just a perfect fit and then you think about what she's doing. Now we know how important education is. If we didn't know it from LaManda, who comes from an education background, we could know it here too in terms. So when we're talking about that kind of programming for the people who we get to serve, that then is an influence there too.
Speaker 3:So I think when you look at what Shelly brings to the table, it's perfect for us because it intersects with her experience, intersects with so many of the different things that we have to intersect with and that makes it wonderful, because there's no way that any CEO, no matter how wonderful they are, whether it was you before, whether it's LaManda now there is just such a need for this multidisciplined input into what we do, because we just can't know it all, and so having board members that can bring, we can can't know it all and we also can't afford it all. Right, so we can't have that. So when you get that with your volunteer board, all of a sudden, now you have these expertise, principles and focuses that you get access to all the time- and some people may be listening and saying well, all you really need for people to work at the rescue mission, volunteer or be a board members to care.
Speaker 2:And that's true, that's a very first, one of the first elements to care about people who are in need. But Topeka Rescue Mission touches many different parts of the community community safety and health and education and workforce and housing. I mean all of those things. And so to have this multidisciplinary, as you call it, board of directors coming along and you know, I remember, shelley, when we first met I don't know if you remember we were in my office here and we were working on Safest Capital City and you were county commissioner at the time. And you know I'm thinking OK, here's a former mayor, here's a county commissioner.
Speaker 2:And then you said, you used to drive a forklift in a food bank in Colorado and I go, wow, she's awesome to have that and so a well-rounded experience in there, Shell. I'm going to kind of put you on the spot here. As a board member, you know Topeka Rescue Mission is attempting to steward everything that it has been granted to steward. But it's also forward thinking and as a board member individual board members have, you know, what could we become, what could Topeka Rescue Mission become and as corporately that's going to happen. And then you have the CEO over here. That's always got vision. You know, Dr Miss Vision over here, Dr Miss Vision over here.
Speaker 2:And so what do you think? What do you think with we've seen in your time with Topeka Rescue Mission, there's been a significant increase of people that don't have a place to be Right. There's been a significant increase in people who are hungry. There's been a significant loss of what we would call safety net. What's forward thinking in your opinion, as a board member and as board of regents and president of the school, what's Topeka Rescue Mission should be looking towards in the future?
Speaker 4:Oh, my goodness Well, and I know that's putting you on the spot, it is huge. But I mean, I know that it's not just here in Topeka, I know it's in several different communities across the nation. And gosh for the future. That is a big question. It is. I think, honestly, we have to go back to how we integrate again, being kind and being human in no matter what we are doing. And so, if that means from the corporate boardrooms to education, to commercial business, to, you know, commercial business, I mean it's not just the Topeka Rescue Mission's job, it's everybody's job.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 4:And so how do you consciously keep that in the forefront of people?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And you know I mean you never know, you know when that you know family member may experience homelessness or crime or whatever I mean. So you can't go into, you can't go through this world and think nothing is going to touch me like that, because you're just fooling yourself. Right, correct, right. But to somehow you know that we rely on everyone in our community to help with this.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think it isn't separate, right. And you know, barry, I think back to when I first came to Topeka, back to Topeka, right, that was 2008. And when they took me around to show me the city, one of my questions that I asked because I had been working in Bakersfield with the homeless population, with United Way there. But I asked so I'm not seeing people who are homeless, where are your homeless? Where do they stay? What do they do? Where do they stay, what do they do? And the person that was touring me around the city said well, you know, I'm not really sure that there are a lot of homeless people, but well, we do have a rescue mission, right, I mean? So that was the environment then, in terms of the knowledge of somebody who should have known that did not see it. That is not the case anymore, should?
Speaker 3:have known that did not see it. That is not the case anymore. So when our CEO or our board members are now out in the committee and our community and people know that we are involved with people experiencing homelessness, it's a whole different perspective there I don't believe there is anyone anymore that would say I'm not sure we really have a problem with the homeless at all anymore.
Speaker 3:And what that means, then, in terms of the importance of our board and our CEO knowing what's going on, to be able to speak about it, to speak about the need for compassion, to speak also about the need for solutions that are inclusive of everyone has maybe never been as important because it is so in the forefront. So being on the board now for the Topeka Rescue Mission is maybe different than it was in 2008.
Speaker 2:Oh, I think so. I think that you know, and there's an asset and a liability. Yes, thank God, for 70 plus years, Topeka Rescue Mission has been able to help people to go.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure we have a homeless problem here, because they were here. It's not like Topeka Rescue Mission quit doing it. It's not like Topeka Rescue Mission reduced its population. It did for a little bit during COVID, but now it's busting into seams again. Plus, we have these other folks. Shelly, as a president of a high school, how are we equipping the next generation to care and to get in the game, so to speak, to be able to do this? Great question.
Speaker 4:That's part of that deal, that we can place an emphasis on our students to make sure that they are nurturing relationship with Christ, that they are doing that first and foremost. That is in our mission statement. So, again, looking at virtues and looking at how we treat one another, so we're trying to do that. We have about 35% of our students who are on tuition assistance, and so there might be some perception with private schools, but we feel that it's very important in our mission that we could provide a Catholic education to those students who desire one, and so that helps with our diversity of our classes our student population, so students and families who have needs as well.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, and so you know, at least for me, I can answer that having that strong faith is very important, backed up with excellent academics, a great experience for them in high school. High school is tough, it is tough, and so we want to try to have that great experience. We call it the Hayden experience, so that they do leave high school, that they are equipped for what comes next, and so we don't shelter them but we do provide opportunities. Our motto is enter to learn, leave to serve, and so we have a service component in our graduation requirements so they do a certain part of their community service hours, parish service hours and Corporal Works of Mercy. So visiting the know, developing that whole person, we know academics is important absolutely, but we believe most importantly it's developing your relationship with Christ and how you live that out through the rest of your life.
Speaker 2:The issue of homelessness has become a very polarizing issue in our country. It has yeah, and so there are people that are very sympathetic and compassionate and believe that everybody's entitled to housing, and then there's other people that say it's their fault, it's their problem, they created it, deal with it or go to jail or whatever. Just get them out of our way. That's generally my guesstimate. That's not the kids at high school level, that's not junior, high or grade school kids, for sure.
Speaker 2:This is the adults who haven't learned or whatever. What are you seeing in the kids with the level of desire to serve community and the desire to be engaged in the community? Do we have hope there?
Speaker 4:We do Absolutely. It's the jubilee year of hope if. I'm right, francis.
Speaker 4:We absolutely do, and I think, even though it's a requirement, such fruit comes out of that because, they do get to see, they do get to experience those who are less fortunate than them, but they get to walk right beside them and help them. So there is a huge amount of hope and I in particular, I see this too. We have a couple different opportunities during the summer Catholic Heart Work Camp or Prayer in Action and so take a week of summer and we go. We've done that here in Topeka, we've done it in Lawrence, we've done it in Atchison. We go and we pray and we work, and that's the whole week. And so they're going into situations that are not good and they're safe but they're not good. But learning from that and then taking that back to the other students at Hayden so I go on those trips just because I love it, learning from that and then taking that back to the other students at Hayden so I go on those trips just because I love it. I love to see the students experiencing that. That's amazing.
Speaker 2:So, yes, there's a huge amount of hope. That's encouraging. Yeah Well, we're going to need the next generation to step up into this, from my generation to Lamanda. Seeing that next generation, I think some of us are wondering is anybody out there that's going to take up the baton and carry it on? And, as LaManda has already talked about, she can't breakdance anymore without injury. It's going to be those ones that come along to step up into this, because things are very uncertain for our nation, very uncertain for people who are in need.
Speaker 2:We look in statistics in regards to the increasing homeless and the older homeless and what they call the graying homeless and where that's going. We really don't have the luxury of waiting for somebody else to take care of it but we also need the next ones coming up, Right right.
Speaker 4:I am a firm believer, though, that God puts you in this place and this time to do that work and as much as you can, and he will give you that, and so you try to do the very best you can for the time you're given here and no matter what situation.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So being good stewards of that Well thank you for saying yes and doing what you can on your watch.
Speaker 4:I don't do enough. No, I don't, not for TRM, but with all the other thing you're doing.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure you've got any time for anything, so yeah, but, shelly, it's been just such a blessing to know you you were my county commissioner and you know just to have you come on something that's very dear to my heart Topeka Rescue Mission. I can't think of too many people better than you to do this job, and I know that everybody feels that way around here, you all do the hard work, you do the heavy lifting, and I so appreciate you.
Speaker 4:Thank you for being a part of that.
Speaker 2:Thank you for being a part of that. Anything else you'd like to say? I'm good, okay, all right, a part of that. Anything else you'd like to say? I'm good, okay. Well, thank you for listening to our community, our mission. We've heard from Shelly Bueller, a board member at Topeka Rescue Mission, and also many other things, including the president of Hayden High School in our community, one person who has said yes to the Lord in their life to say I'm here, show me where to go and I will go. And we have many people that join us in this effort. For that person who, today, is wondering if anybody cares. Maybe they're wondering if they're going to get something to eat today, or they have to go another day without something to eat, or maybe wondering if they're going to be safe when they're sleeping in the streets. And yes, there is a place and there is people like Shelly Buehler, like you, who come along to help us to be our community, our mission.