Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #274 – The Caring Place: Meet Antonio & Leah
What happens when someone has nowhere else to turn? In this heartfelt conversation, we’re joined by Antonio Villasuso, President, and Leah Sigillo, Media Manager, from The Caring Place – Miami Rescue Mission, where friendship and faith lead the way in serving South Florida’s homeless community. Antonio shares his own powerful story of recovery and leadership, while Leah opens up about the personal losses that drive her passion to serve.
With programs like the Regeneration Program, Cover Girls, and Home Run Team, The Caring Place offers more than shelter—it offers transformation, rooted in grace, timing, and human connection. As Antonio says, “Some you’ll walk with. Some you’ll carry. Some you’ll push.” It’s this deep commitment that fills the void of love and hope for so many who’ve been forgotten
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Gracious Heavenly Father. We just thank you, lord, for this time and this podcast. Lord and Lord, just all the listeners that are listening to this, lord, I pray that they'd be blessed today. Lord, I thank you for our friends that we get to interview and, lord, the work that they are doing. Lord, just the unified work that we're all doing together. Lord, we thank you for it and praise you for it and pray that you'd be glorified in this conversation.
Speaker 2:In your holy name we pray Amen. Hello everyone, this is Lamanda Cunningham, the Topeka Rescue Mission CEO, on this beautiful Tuesday, july 8th morning, where we are talking to some incredible friends. Talking to some incredible friends which we'll get to in just a minute on this episode 274.
Speaker 1:Josh that's a lot of podcasts.
Speaker 2:It's a lot. Do you feel like it's aged you?
Speaker 1:I mean I have some more gray hairs, but I can't tell if that's just.
Speaker 2:You know the kids, the job in general, you know all of it. What we know it isn't is. It's not the wife, oh, absolutely not. She does not cause gray hairs, she's a saint. In case you don't know, josh's beautiful bride, kim, also works here and has done a lot of different roles and let me tell you she is definitely a pillar for TRM and we appreciate her. Josh, I appreciate you, as we were kind of even just unpacking to our guests kind of the history of this.
Speaker 2:It's just cool to be thinking how long we've done it. I think what stood out to me as I was telling them is we have been able to really be a beacon for a lot of good stuff that's happening, that's outside of us. You know, this isn't just oh, it's all about the rescue mission, like everything from government things, other nonprofits we've had business owners. What is something that you like about these podcasts?
Speaker 1:Well, I think, kind of like you said, it really just kind of shines a light through all of the different areas of what God's doing right, I think, ultimately, that's what this podcast is is telling the story of what God's doing through the work here, because I think all of us genuinely recognize it's not us, it's him, and we're just tools as part of that, which is really cool.
Speaker 1:And so this is just kind of one of those tools of shining lights on different areas, like, hey, it's not just us, god's doing some really cool stuff here, but it's the community, it's literally our community, our mission, and now doing these other podcasts, of expanding to hey, it's not just Topeka, it's, you know, different states, different cities, and so, yeah, I think that's been my favorite part of just seeing the conversation expand. You know, when you were mentioning that, I remember when, like, we first started in September 19, I think, 2019. You know it was Barry and I think Kim kind of did co-hosting a lot, and so it's just, but it's just kind of changed and evolved, but it's still held the same kind of core message, which has been really cool.
Speaker 2:So, I love that too and you know, I just what I think is incredible is, when we do these, so much of it is like uplifting and so much of it is really stories of hope, stories of redemption, stories of really neat things that are being done. And it's not that we don't steer away from heavy topics.
Speaker 2:We've had some on here as well, and so it's just to me. It's really neat how we've been able to bring a lot of truth even in controversial settings and sometimes talking about the major complexities of homelessness, like we've been able to dive into that. But there's also a lot of lightheartedness and silliness We've got to laugh through it.
Speaker 1:We've got to laugh through it, that's right.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, I had somebody I'm, I met with somebody yesterday that just blessed me and it was a last minute thing and, honestly, yesterday was just kind of tough and, um, it's kind of tough and this person said, just spoke words over me but then said the enemy is trying to take your joy and you cannot allow that to happen. And this person really doesn't know me or anything like that, but just kind of talked about how joy is really not dependent on circumstance, because we get that from the Lord. And that was such a kind of a convicting reminder of me too that, regardless if we're doing a heavy topic on podcast or if we're talking about stuff that we're facing that we're not sure what the end game is going to be budgets, those kinds of things we can still have joy and life in the middle of that. Yeah, absolutely Well, and it's like you said you can get so joy and life in the middle of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely Well, and it's like you said, you can get so caught up with the day-to-day or the and you said it was it last week or a couple weeks ago. You can't lose sight of the forest or the trees, or something similar to that Correct. Yes, we have to sometimes pull back and remember big picture what God's doing instead of getting stuck in the minutia of everything Right, Right.
Speaker 2:So today we're going to practice that.
Speaker 4:Josh.
Speaker 2:We're going to practice our humor and the lightheartedness by recognizing that this day is known for three very important, I'm sure, life-changing things I did a ton of research on this I can tell. I'm impressed with your work ethic. So today is known as Be A Kid Again Day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like that one.
Speaker 2:Do people really have to be reminded of that?
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I kind of feel like that's just part of our norm here. Maybe too much, maybe too much Um, but yeah, you know it talks about just don't forget your inner child um, trying to worry less um, and being able to balance, yes, those responsibility and work pressures but really to not stress about the future. And then this said let out that joyful, innocent kid that's still deep down there in all of us.
Speaker 1:And what a like biblical thing even you know, let the children come to me and not worrying about tomorrow, for tomorrow has its own fears.
Speaker 2:Like, just let it go Well and I think, think, oh, you know, I want to sing that. But I won't? I'm dealing with some drainage this morning. Um, I'm not sure if I should say this, but my voice this morning sounded a little bit like fran dresser off the nanny.
Speaker 2:It was like these high pitch break, yes yeah but then there was like this raspy part and I thought, great, what a great podcast day. But I got up earlier, drank two cups of coffee and tried to wet it, but anyways, okay, so we're going to be joyful, we're going to act like a kid, but I don't know about you. When I was a kid, I did not eat my blueberries. So today is National Blueberry Day. Do you like blueberries?
Speaker 1:So I don't mind them. My kids love them, like we'll get a thing of blueberries and they'll be gone in like at most two days. Typically it's the next day but, they'll just like eat handfuls of them and I'm like, great, like my kids love fruit. That's huge, but it's expensive.
Speaker 2:I was going to say, when I buy them, I literally am like I know it's nourishing their bodies and I would rather them do that than a bag of chips. But the other side of me is like I'm about to watch $5 evaporate in about 45 seconds when all five of them put their hands in them and start eating them.
Speaker 1:The chips are cheaper.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right. Let's not talk about what it does to your innards, but you know, yeah, so lots of benefits about uh blueberries um nutritious fiber, rich antioxidants, um lots of benefits for it.
Speaker 1:And they do sound good on a nice hot summer day like today.
Speaker 2:They do, and you know I made several desserts over the weekend for the fourth and all of them, of course, I had to use blueberries for red, white and blue. Yeah, red, white and blue.
Speaker 3:So it worked.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure I ever just I'm like woohoo, can't wait to eat my blueberries. That's probably not me. Dill pickles maybe.
Speaker 1:Well, so you might like the next day then.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, so the next day take it away. Josh, what is it? National ice cream Sunday day, as if you didn't need an excuse. Yes, today is your day. Today is the day and I'm telling I love sundays.
Speaker 1:Do you like sundays? I do. I can't eat a lot of ice cream just because I got a weird stomach. I know me too, which is dumb. Yeah, I pay for it like it's not fun.
Speaker 2:It's not fun, but it's definitely good. While I'm eating it, oh yeah so do you like nuts on your sundae or not?
Speaker 1:um, it depends, it really does some days I sometimes I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't know, Some days you feel like it depends on the work day. Yeah, it's kind of nutty, oh that's right man, that's probably more often than not. Um, yeah, so there's so many different types of um ice cream. Sundays, we celebrate it.
Speaker 1:Um throw some blueberries on there, throw some blueberries, it evens it out.
Speaker 2:That's what we hope for. So, okay, well, enough of that. That helps us. You know, just get ready for, honestly, a fun, fun personality this morning, and so I wanted to say this earlier, but I hadn't introduced her. Yes, but I'm going to introduce our sweet friend Leah. I'm going to let her talk a little bit about her position at the Caring Place, which is actually located in Miami, florida. I'm pretty sure she needs me to come visit for something soon. Yeah, just, I mean, that's a given, I'll come too.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm happy to go to Miami Field trip Field trip to Miami, but it is so fitting that Be A Kid Again Day is on the day that we are talking to Leah. Leah is man. There's so much that I could say about her, but her vibrancy, her contagious smile and spirit fills whatever space she's in. And so I'm going to look at you. So I don't look at her on the little zoom and cry Um, but met her a couple of years ago and it's one of those things that we could, I think, go an entire year, which we don't, but we could an entire year. And not talking, as soon as we see each other we pick right back up, and it is because she just has this level of love that radiates out of her, a love for her family, which I'm sure you're going to hear about in a minute, her love for the work that she does at the rescue mission, but also the love of the Lord, and that's incredible.
Speaker 2:Leah is a very active member in the Emerging Leaders, which we've talked about several times on here. But if you're a new listener, many rescue missions belong to the CityGate Network Association, and that CityGate Network is just that. I mean it is a place to network, one on a spiritual level so that we stay encouraged as believers in the work we're doing, but also networking to learn, one of those things of like you know better, you do better, and that's what CityGate provides. And so Leah is a very important member of our emerging leaders, definitely someone who makes friends with everyone that comes her way, and it is a blessing, leah, to have you on here with us this morning, and I think you have a special guy sitting next to you so you can introduce him in a minute. But go ahead, introduce yourself, leah, your position, kind of give a little bit about what you do, and then let's talk about that sweet guy next to you too.
Speaker 3:Oh, I will Trust me. Thank you guys so much again for having me on here. As y'all are saying, my name's Leah. I work for the Caring Place at Miami Rescue Mission Broward Outreach Centers. I have been at this organization now for eight years and counting. In fact, I did some government jobs beforehand in secular business. I even worked up on the Hill with a senator and I don't know. Philanthropy has always been a part of my life and it came to a point that I'm like I need to shift to my career. I need to give back. Coming from a family on my father's side, unfortunately, that struggled a lot with addiction, and I lost my brother to addiction as well. When I found out that my parents were volunteering at the caring place and then they got a job here, it just felt like the right home for me. So now I serve as the media manager is my capacity here, and a big backstory, though, as to how I ended up as the care face is actually with the guy sitting next to me.
Speaker 3:So, I've known our president, antonio Villasuso, also known as Tony, for many of years. We met him at a church back in Miami Springs. I think I was in like middle school and he and my family just kind of clicked, talked to my dad about the rescue mission and then my stepdad came, started volunteering, eventually got hired. My mom followed too and I followed right after we our family basically is part of the same church, now Metro Life. So be a kid again. I just got to say one thing before I have my stepfather. He loves to give back to our church group Right. So for Fourth of July he was like I'm going to bless our little connect group that we have. You know, they can bring their kids, their family, whatever. And let me tell you I had flashbacks to Arizona. We ended up going to volcano Bay. He took us to volcano Bay in Orlando. We were in that lazy river, enjoying ourselves, going down the rise, and it was the time of our lives, so very fitting that today is that day.
Speaker 2:Yes, that is. I love that, you know. I just kind of wish we were able to incorporate things like that in our everyday rhythm of life.
Speaker 1:If only if only we should get some bubble machines around here, that's right.
Speaker 2:Something if we don't have any kind of lazy river or any kind of relaxation that we can do in the midst of this.
Speaker 3:I just go singing around the office. You know you got to bring some joy every so often.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely so. Talk a little bit, Leah, about some of the family members that you have that are so embedded around there in the work that you do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of course. So I am the third member of my family that's actually working for the organization. My stepfather, paul, serves as our director of social enterprise. My mother, ida, she, actually works within our operations department assisting the director, so we're pretty well connected here. We try not to take work home. There needs to be a line.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 3:The mission. The caring place is the caring place and home must be a family.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:You only get so many hours, josh can tell you may not be the easiest.
Speaker 2:some days it is.
Speaker 3:And Antonio over here. He has a little bit of a bromance going on. You know he and Paul they're best friends. I'm telling you I love it.
Speaker 4:It's a family affair here at the Caring Place and it's, you know, the Sigalow family Leah, ida, paul. But there's so much to our family, it's so big and I've intentionally the president before told out so many. You know, when you're so many years embedded into rescue missions, like I am and being rescued from where I used to be to where I am today, it's the hand of God, the miracles. So I try to live every day, intentionally, so my volcano bays are not only what paul takes me.
Speaker 4:I try to make volcano bays uh, blizzard beach days that's right, I try to make be a kid day every day, because I think I missed a lot of that. From 17 to to about 27. I was very embedded in addiction and and and crack cocaine was big in Miami and I was lost in that world. And I went to good schools even though I had great parents that were lifting me up. I just didn't want to listen.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And here I am today, sitting as the president of the caring place, not knowing only that it's by God's grace that I stand here because, that's not the journey that I thought I would go.
Speaker 4:You know, I got a brother who's a police officer, two chiefs in my family, a captain, people that are in social services, but not the way that I'm in social services. I like to see fully transformed people, the team at the caring place. When they ask me this question over and over what is it that you like about your job? And I, it's what's in the book. It's seeing lives transformed and seeing families united. That's the the best highlight for me. Don't take me into a room where I gotta do numbers and look at no just. I always tell people god is in the miracle business and we will get this one way or another. Obviously, you need the money to fix the chillers. You need the money to fix broken things in your organization, like today we're talking here now I got an inspector going through, an inspector that's never been through our center, just popped up today and he's an environmental I don't know what. He's already for hot water for this.
Speaker 4:for that I told everybody it'll get taken care of. Take the list and we'll just add it onto the things we do. But stopping my dinner last night to yes, because I'm that crazy guy that my phone number has been the same for 20 years.
Speaker 4:I talk to all the people when they graduate the program. I share my phone number with them. If you need me, call me. People tell me you're nuts and I go. I'm not nuts. I serve somebody that saved me and our lord is busy. He's taking care of people here in miami at the same time he's taking care of people in topeka.
Speaker 4:so at the same time I'm not god but I could try to be the best of help that I can for him. So last night got a call from a guy that graduated two years ago, decided to leave a couple days before july 4th. I called last night and said I can't make it, I need to get back in there. I stopped my dinner, stopped the show I was going to watch with my son called. Maybe that's not the best thing in the world that I did to stop something with my family, but they understand I'm going to stop that to make sure I get that soul in.
Speaker 3:So we got him in he's back in the center and we're going in the right direction with him.
Speaker 4:I know maybe that's not our direction of our today being fun and joyous, but that's to me, that's what completes rescue missions. We rescue people even when we don't think it's time to rescue we may have. Well, they come in on Mondays. You know what I'm telling my team? They come in on Mondays. They come in on Tuesdays. They come in on Wednesdays. They come when they're ready. Because I went to seven rehabs and I wasn't ready. None of those seven times I was ready when the Lord wanted me to be ready.
Speaker 2:And here.
Speaker 4:I am 30 plus years later. Praise God, thanking God for another day, another moment and another chance to be able to share the good news with somebody that needs to hear something today on this podcast.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know there's so much there that I want to dive in First, though I want to dive into Antonio, can you just kind of talk about? I love how you just mentioned they're not ready. They're not ready, but it is important that we're ready. At the rescue missions, right, because everybody's on their own journey and they might not be ready yet, but our doors have got to be open. We've got to be ready because we never know when somebody is going to say yes. So talk to me a little bit about what all you offer at the caring place and how do y'all stand ready all the time for people when they say they're yes. What are things that y'all offer and what does that look like?
Speaker 4:My ready came from experience. Right, it comes being from experience because you want people to follow the guidelines.
Speaker 4:You want your team to follow the guidelines but then to be ready. So we offer a regeneration program, which is a 12-month program that helps men and women battle with life-controlling issues drug addiction. Now we're diving more into connecting them with the mental you know co-occurring disorders, dealing with mental illness with our partnerships with different agencies in the community. We have a behavioral team that we've built into our regeneration program that we're working with as well. We've added that component. We had it in Broward, now we've added it into our Miami campus. We try to offer that program no questions asked, no cost. That usually is a Monday intake but I try to put into my team that a person may want to come in Tuesday and we may need to hold to the next Monday. So we try to. I try to build that. How do I say? Build that atmosphere, build that moment, so that people just be ready.
Speaker 4:You know you don't need me. This is a tool that God has given us to be able to not rescue people, but rescue them, yes, and then point them in a direction towards christ, so that it could be a life long, lasting change and that is one of the things that I take our pride in, that we haven't changed the gospel of jesus christ that we offer it from the moment that they walk in through the door to the moment they live.
Speaker 4:So regeneration is is one. Then, you know, a lot of people say, don't take that contract with the government, don't do this. Well, I'm the opposite. I'm like how can we build a relationship with the government so that you know, it's been embedded me through the three R's relationship relationship, relationship, you know, relationship with one another, relationship with the community and relationship with God and with Christ. So the relationship with the community is there's people out there that need the bed, so if they could come in and you can get paid for that bed, then why not?
Speaker 4:Because that could take care of the bills that could take care of the regeneration program as long as we don't cross over. You know, I've. As as recently as two months ago, I was talking to one of our leaders from the homeless trust here in miami. They said well, we don't want to change what you're doing and that you don't hear from government much right usually they want to change everything.
Speaker 4:Now there are things that we have to submit to, there is things, guidelines and things that we have to look at. So, saying that, to say that we also offer 110 beds with our government and when I say government, our city of Miami, city of Hollywood. We work alongside with them, they have some beds with us and they partner with us and they come in and we have those beds ready for those, and then we try to get those, and is that in your?
Speaker 2:is that your overnight shelters?
Speaker 4:And is that your overnight shelters?
Speaker 2:It's not overnight anymore.
Speaker 4:They're placed by outreach teams that are in the city. Got it and they're placed there and usually they want you to turn them over quickly and get them into housing. But you know well I don't know about in Topeka, but here in Miami housing is through the roof. It's crashing a little bit, it's coming down. So that crisis is coming down, but not enough for somebody that's making maybe $776 out of an SSI check.
Speaker 2:Accurate.
Speaker 4:That's not going to take you far. The idea of government coming alongside and paying your bills. That's good for a little while, but that's not going to last forever. Correct, so it's working, all those things. There's moments where you're placing people left and right in apartments and there's moments that you're not. And I think I get to see all of it because I've got people that move through quickly and I've got people that stay for a while, and then I've got people that I've had to put in a different category and sometimes even remove them from our, our data, so that I could take care of them as long as it takes, because some people that are not.
Speaker 4:You know, I heard a message very long time ago that some people are going to get it right away. Some people are not going to get it right away. Some people are going to have to walk side by side with them. Some you're going to have to hold on to, some you're going to have to walk side by side with them. Some you're going to have to hold on to, some you're going to have to carry, and some you're going to have to push, and some it's going to be to your deathbed. You're going to have them with you.
Speaker 2:And you know that's history. I'm glad that you say that because that has been an area, I think if I can even be as bold of saying an area of contention here in Topeka. And sometimes it's because of lack of education, sometimes it's because of people's personal biases that sometimes are rooted in a not very nice heart, and then sometimes it is just plain unrealistic expectations. But there is this expectation, sometimes from decision makers, sometimes even community members. Well, why can't they just get a job? Or why can't they just get clean, or why can't they just stay at your shelter? And my, what I tried to communicate is it's the same thing as if I just automatically told you whatever habit you have, whether that habit is good or bad, and told you to no longer do it and just change Like it. It's a process and trust building and all of that I think it's spelled T-I-M-E. It takes time to do that. So you know, I want the listeners to really hear.
Speaker 2:What Antonio is talking about is sometimes you've got people that are coming through your doors or coming to those teams that are eager, they are truly ready to shed whatever struggles they have and they're ready to take the next steps. You've got some who are hesitant. You've got some who maybe even be rebellious. They, they um ended up here but they're not ready to change, and all of that. And the bottom line is rescue missions are the primary organizations that are standing navigating through that, trying whichever one it is be into housing in 30 days and healed. It just doesn't work like that. So I love that you mentioned that and I can celebrate.
Speaker 4:Listen, I have different. I was just sharing with another staff member, before this call, before this podcast here, that we were gonna jump on. You know you have to yeah, as you grow older in life, you have to understand People. People are not all like you're saying, they're not. I celebrate with a Catholic outreach team that's out there that's placing people on a daily basis into housing. How long the person in a place is going to stay there, I don't know. I used to be the one that said, oh, you can't do that. Well, they did it. So now I celebrate that with them and if it works for the person, praise the Lord. And if it doesn't work, then we're here to catch the person and try to work with that person so that they can get used to living in four walls.
Speaker 4:Some people think that living in four walls is easy, and it's not when you've lived free and under a bridge and begging for money because a divorce took you there or because a life-changing moment in your life. And I wasn't like this always I've learned over the years of watching the people and watching my own life.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, as you get older you get wiser. That's a true saying. But also watching people's as they're coming in, you know again, not everybody comes with a weight. Of course rules have to. I tell the guys, the rules are there for a reason. You have to be.
Speaker 4:They have to be done, but we made the rules. We could also change the rule, make the rule a little bit more lenient to work that person, but then it leads you to other things. Because I like things like this. I'm learning sometimes. Like this is not going to work.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it's not going to work.
Speaker 4:And Leo was saying there's piles all over your desk. These piles made me forget about the person that needs a hug or the person that needs to be said yes to. Then I need to take a walk back to the center, because I'm not in the center anymore. I'm in the administrative office. But you know, today's one of those days when I feel like walking through the center.
Speaker 2:Me too.
Speaker 4:Because I feel like I need to be there, but I also want to let my new director do what he needs to do and not overshadow him, Because walk in, they dump him and they go to you and you're like no stay over here.
Speaker 2:We've navigated that too. We really have in transitioning and I'm the same way. I can tell I say all the time well, I usually say it about policy, but I'm like when I start doing policies over people, that's when I need to get a new gig, because it just you can have parameters, you can do all of that, but it has to remain people centered, and sometimes the Lord works in ways that makes no sense to man, but we have to cling to that. Leah, talk to me a little bit about what you do, but also then talk to me about why is this important? Like you've heard Antonio kind of talk about this bigger picture, right, and um, some of the options and the whys for basically what it looks like for the caring place as a whole. But why, why are you so faithful to it after eight years? And why is it something that your family is so involved in? Because it's hard, it's challenging, it requires a great amount of flexibility. Lots of heartaches comes with this job as well. So tell me what you do and just why.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I would be lying to you if I said I've had the same position since I started. I have gone through four different titles, four different areas and now I'm newly into just being solely media manager. No more database, nothing to do with donor services. It has been a transition. When I go into the why, we have a saying that we said that we started many, many years ago on one of our buildings that was taken away by eminence domain and it was put on the outside and it states when you don't have a friend in the world, you'll find one here, and that saying is kind of the core and essence of who the caring place is here, in Miami and Hollywood Florida.
Speaker 3:Here in Miami and Hollywood Florida, we truly care about the individual, the soul, the person, and not just getting them off the street and getting them to an apartment.
Speaker 3:We care about their transformation, their rehabilitation, making sure their case manager works for them, making sure they get education, and all of that bells and whistles. Now me on the back end, being on the media side, what I'm trying to do now, my newest initiative is I'm trying to form relationships with our community partners in media radio, tv print to let them know who we are. And I'm going to tell you something. I've got some people respond to me like we had no idea you existed. I'm like we must be a treasure, because we've been here for over 100 years and y'all don't know who we are. Well, let me introduce ourselves.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 3:We're at a caring place at Miami Rescue Mission Broward Outreach Centers and we serve the Austin Forgotten.
Speaker 4:She will keep you busy, though she will keep you on podcast.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 3:She'll keep you going. So I mean, ultimately, let's be honest, we're here because we love our Lord, we're servicing the Lord and we care about transformation. And I know I touched on it a little bit on the beginning, but when I was younger I truly didn't really understand, like I always heard the jokes of addiction and people ODing and this that the other.
Speaker 3:Unfortunately it did run on my father's side and once you mature and you go through college, you go through different avenues of life and then you kind of go more into the church scene and you get develop who you are as an individual. It really is home and the more I found out about what my parents did, you know it all actually kind of the way I got into this. Believe it or not, it's the silliest story. My stepfather he used to have we call them Christian service assignments, csas so he had this kid that he was helping out.
Speaker 3:He had a watch that was given to him by his grandfather or something and the watch it died and he needed a battery. And then he knew that I was always at the mall because I love going to the mall to find deals. I'm one of those like I shop for Christmas in June. Yes, Christmas gifts delivered.
Speaker 2:Same.
Speaker 3:So I went to the mall and I got, you know, the battery put in and then I had gone over to the mission to give it to my stepfather so he can give it to his CSA done. And the look on this gentleman's face for something so simple as a five dollar battery watch replacement, it's like wow, that little thing really impacted your life and I I'm like, all right, this place is a lot more than what I think it is, because even when I was in high school down in Miami, we would do volunteer service days. Right, we'd go to different like soup kitchens. Basically. That's what I'm going to say. That's all you did. You know we have volunteer opportunities as well, but I feel like when you volunteer with us you get to see a larger picture because, I was volunteering as a high schooler and I was just in a kitchen serving a plate.
Speaker 3:I didn't really see a transformation. I didn't see a change.
Speaker 3:You know we have women and children. We have focus groups, cover girls, girlfriends for girlfriends, home run team, and all of this is part to help you reintegrate to society. So you're able to go and leave those vices, work on transforming your life and you have a mentor to help you reintegrate to society. So you're able to go and leave those vices, work on transforming your life and you have a mentor to help you through that. And that ties into being a kid day, just for fun. I'm going to say this one those focus groups I mentioned Cover Girls, girlfriends for Girlfriends, home Run Team those mentorship opportunities and the way that they help these individuals is by far, incredible. Home Run Team they go out to baseball games together.
Speaker 3:They go to top golf together and they really integrate and they go bowling too, and this is just a way to bring the fun out of an everyday situation that shows, hey, you can have fun in society again without picking up a drink, without picking up whatever it is that your vice may have been, and you can do it. You can be there and you'll always have a friend me All tying back into the. When you don't have a friend in the world, you'll find one here. Ultimately, our kindness, our caring, is what we give to those that come to our doors, even our outside guests, because we have outside guests and residential people. We service over a thousand people daily between our two centers and we treat them all the same inside and out.
Speaker 4:And to her point you had asked. Yes, we have the feeding program that we do daily. We have the women and children in our Broward campus. We have our duplicate regeneration program that we didn't have up there before. We have a regeneration program for the women up there, the behavioral. We have a free clinic. We have a school across the street. Even though it's not run by us, it's our building but we try to make sure that the kids are educated there before they hit homelessness. They're from the area but sometimes she said there that it goes with everything that I try to do with the word time that we were just talking about a little bit before you know you have so many bad memories.
Speaker 4:You have to help people create new memories. And long ago, when I was in rehabilitation, an 80-something-year-old man sat in my chapel with me and I was learning scripture memorization in the program and he told me young man, why do you look so sad and I go? Because I'm doing the same thing again and again, and again. And he said well, you know what? I'm 87 and that's how life is. You do things in like a routinely manner until your savior or your life finishes, but you make different memories and you make different experiences through life. You make good ones and bad ones. So when they come to us, they made so many bad ones that you have to reteach on that. There's still life to live.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:Hope that there's still a chance for you. So there was a chance for me, there's a chance for you, so I just want it on that memory thing, with all these focus groups that we work with together to get there.
Speaker 3:In between, you know, everything else that has to go on goes on at the rescue mission and I think we kind of do service as a great tool in the community because Tony was switching on the school that we have that runs from us Care Elementary, but we also have a clinic that runs from us to Miami, rescue Mission Clinic and both of these that are now their own 501c3s were kind of started by us back in the day.
Speaker 3:So they used to be ours and they branched off and became their own 501c3. So I like to say that we birthed two 501c3s, two nonprofits.
Speaker 2:I think so too.
Speaker 3:And they still work with us, we still partner together. Our clinic is in Miami and in Hollywood. They even have a center in Doral and they work with our residents. And then, obviously, we have partnerships as well with the hospitals. And it's just seeing that other people care about the soul and the person and not just about the toddler, and they're willing to get this person.
Speaker 3:Aid makes everything we do, all the trials, all the tribulations, everything it justifies it it justifies sometimes the long hours, the headaches that follow you, the situations that keep you up at night, because you're like, oh my gosh, could we have handled that better? What could we have done?
Speaker 4:and and ultimately, it just boils down to caring for an individual and the visionaries, the visionaries that have come before us, that have opened the road. You know because I don't know it things that we don't understand sometimes sure daily that you may make a decision as a ceo and I may make a decision and the rest of the team doesn't understand and the politics of it and the problems of it and the relations and the things that go through it.
Speaker 4:Hey, listen, there's nothing new under the sun. It's in the book of ecclesiastes. There's nothing new under the sun. It's in the book of ecclesiastes. There's nothing new. And there's nothing that you should hide from anybody. If you know a good way of doing it, how can you not share that with other people so they could do it the same, especially our rescue mission? Brothers and sisters, we need more of that in our world. We need more. Let's work together so that we can accomplish the goal of seeing a person made whole through the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's a battle and those, as you said, that have been birthed into five-year-old nonprofits and things that we've done. Thank God for the visionary that came behind me and saw something when I didn't see it when I was.
Speaker 4:I was just an assistant director or a case manager or or a guest service person or whatever it was, because I've been through all of it yes you need to know all of it to be able to do some of it sure.
Speaker 2:So you know, y'all have just dove in. I mean, I feel like we need like three different podcasts just on diving into services and the whys, because I know both of y'all have very connected reasons why this is so important. But I'm going to kind of throw a zinger in here and ask it could be one or both of you as we wrap up, and I have a reason why I want to connect this. So you, the listeners, have heard a lot about what you all have to offer, why it's so important, a little bit about your personal connections. The zinger I want to throw is what would Miami be like without you all?
Speaker 2:So as you talk about the people that came before you I mean you guys have existed over 100 years, right? So there has been a lot of kingdom work done on earth through people and through your doors and through change and transition. Have so many people that say, oh, I had no idea or I didn't know. We faced that here too, and so we're trying to work on that. Yes, that's what we've said to the. I don't know, I had no idea. But really, what have you guys thought about what your community would be like without y'all?
Speaker 3:I think it would be so different. I'm just going to jump right in and you know, tony feel free to correct me along the way what I have noticed over time because I've only been here eight years. I'm a newbie compared to the 100 years and 30, 20 year experience beforehand. We have graduates from our program in high ranking positions, graduates that have always told me when I've asked them because we used to do a where are they now segment. So I got to interview a lot of our prior graduates.
Speaker 3:Sometimes it's not that you just need to go to a rehab and get clean. Sometimes it's that you need the word and you need to Lord to help you and bring you up and bring you to that final change. As Tony mentioned earlier, and looking around in South Florida, there's not many people like us. There's not many faith-based missions that care about an individual to bring them in for the amount of time we bring them in for while we lead them to the Lord and show them that there is a better tomorrow for these individuals. So I think that if our little treasure in South Florida were to be gone, we'd see a decrease, maybe in even people that have transformed their lives. There wouldn't be as many quote unquote productive members of society, because that's what we try to teach that you can reintegrate and be productive members of society. Just believe so. That's one of the aspects I have a takeaway from.
Speaker 4:Well, for me. Again, I want to thank the team, you know, because it's not about the Tony show or the Siglo show and I want to make sure, if they listen from beginning to the end when we share it, that they know that I appreciate each and every one of them. But for me, I think that there would be a void of love hope missing from our community, void of of love hope missing because, um, yes, you can find a friend here, but, yes, you can find a plate of food, yes, you can find a hug, you can find a pair of jeans if you need it. So it would be that component missing that you know, people can just walk in and either get what you need or not get what you want or you get what you want, or I don't know how to put it, but I think that the love thing would be missing.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:I think our I want to say that we do give that here and a family atmosphere. At least your family doesn't want you, we want you. If society doesn't want you, we want you. So I don't want, I wouldn't want that component to be gone from the community and we need it to stay here.
Speaker 2:I love that, you know, man, there's just so much. But, yes, I completely agree that, even as I'm looking at TRM, you know we've existed for over 70 years and sometimes there's just whether it's again a misconception or blame because of uneducation. You know, I don't, I don't know what it is, but there is this myth of well, sometimes the rescue mission makes homelessness worse, or our community would improve if the rescue mission wasn't here doing this work. And when you look at scripture and you look at truth and not just the scripture that we all kind of go to, if the poor will always be among you, there's a lot of other things that elude the importance of when people are hurting, that there's restoration, that is all through the Bible, that was Jesus's three-year ministry, those kinds of things.
Speaker 2:And so I appreciate you guys not only unpacking what all you do, but that you also are able to stand boldly and say and if we weren't here, there is going to be a void. We have people that aren't going to find friends, we have people who are not going to rehabilitate. We're going to have people who are not going to experience not only healthy love from human and flesh, but also the love of Christ. And so thank you both for being my special guest today. Man, you guys are godsends. I'm thankful for that, leah. I'm thankful for your sweet family that's so embedded there as well, and we definitely appreciate both of you being on here.
Speaker 4:Now you have another friend in Miami besides Leah.
Speaker 3:You're going to have to come and just help us set up our media room and everything I mean. I really think that I need you here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, because I'm so good with the wires and technology.
Speaker 1:That means me.
Speaker 2:That's exactly right. Getting the company credit card? No company credit card, that's for sure. No Amazing, josh, as we wrap up, you know, I just want to encourage listeners.
Speaker 2:You've heard a lot of good stuff. You've heard a lot of good stuff today about what is happening in Miami, what is happening in the city of Hollywood, florida. You have heard a little bit of personal connections of both of these people that are talking today. A main reason they serve is one their love for the Lord. But two they've had personal connections to people that have been either themselves or their loved ones, have been the one without a friend. They either themselves have been the one who felt the void of love and they are determined that that does not happen anymore and they're going to serve that. That is what you have here at the rescue mission Our staff every day, whether they are walking in lived experience or they are just determined to truly share the gospel of the love of Jesus Christ and what he's done for themselves and others. We see that every day in our staff.
Speaker 2:So if you are listening to this and you want to be a friend for someone, please get involved. You can look at our website at trmonlineorg trmonlineorg to help become a friend. Just like the friendships that are happening in Miami, we need the friendships in Topeka. If you are someone right now that's filling the void you are feeling absent in love. I can assure you you are loved by the heavenly father who created you, and you are also loved by people in Miami and you are loved by people in Topeka. Don't forget it. God bless.