Our Community, Our Mission
Our Community, Our Mission
Ep #318- Healing Starts With Connection
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, Isabell Cronister and Jamie Wiegert from Topeka Rescue Mission's Trauma Education and Development program explore the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences, the lasting effects of trauma on individuals experiencing homelessness, and the reality of secondary trauma among those who serve others. They discuss why ACE scores are a tool for understanding rather than a predictor of the future, share practical ways to build trauma-informed workplaces that support both clients and staff, and highlight how programs like Kids Camp use TBRI to help children develop healthy coping skills.
Prayer And Heat Check
SPEAKER_01Gracious God, thank you for this day. Um thank you for the sunshine. It's beautiful and it's a little bit warm. So please be with all of our folks out there that are our unsheltered neighbors or people that have to work out in this, Lord. Um just help them to remember that it's important for them to drink water and to stay shaded. Lord, um it can be excruciating out there. Lord, we are just so grateful for our guests on the podcast this morning and all they do for our team and our guests. Uh Lord, we are grateful as we as we talk about the different things that we do here at TRM, Lord, um touch the hearts of those who are listening. Um help them to hear what they need to hear, uh, give them new and fresh eyes on all of the things that are happening here at TRM. I pray all of this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.
SPEAKER_00Hello,
Welcome And June 30 Oddities
SPEAKER_00everybody. Thank you for joining us for our community, our mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission on June the 30th, 2026, last day of June, and Miriam's prayer. It's warm. That was kind of a hint to God. A little bit too warm for a little bit toasty.
SPEAKER_01It's a little bit toasty. And it's humid.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes, it is. But we press on because it is podcast number 318 for all of those who have been following for five plus years. So I'm Barry Fieker and I'm here with Lamanda and Miriam, our usual's here today, special guests that have been on the podcast before. Uh we want to talk about uh the TED program and a lot of things all around that. But before we do that, um we have the special importance of the day of June 30th. So I know that you guys have done your homework. I've already done a few quizzes with the with uh Lamanda and Miriam here, and this is gonna be fun. So anyway.
SPEAKER_01You know, Barry, you have kind of a warp perspective on what is for you.
SPEAKER_00I do. You'd be working in this work for as long as I did. You either warp coming in or warp coming out. So Okay, so the first thing uh that we want to observe today on the 30th of June. I don't know why, but is clean your disposal day. Clean your disposal day.
SPEAKER_06So well, it's because you're halfway through the year, so uh it makes sense. I mean you should, but it's gross.
SPEAKER_00Never heard of it. Never heard of it. Me neither. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh this day or doing it.
SPEAKER_00Um yes. I didn't know you had to. I thought you just I thought disposals clean themselves, you know, through stuff down there. But uh if you yeah, if it's a broken disposal, yeah, we've all had those issues. But anyway, if you haven't changed your battery in your smoke detector, um if you haven't uh uh uh taken care of your garage door, like uh some people need to program, right? Yes. Um great way not to have to go to work day. Um and uh and then uh but clean your disposal day because gr garbage disposals can be really something else. So anyway, or don't use them.
SPEAKER_06I was gonna say I usually put everything out for my chickens. They're kind of my real life garbage disposed. Garbage disposal.
SPEAKER_00So moving on to the next thing that's important today, it really kind of relates to disposal day. It's International Asteroid Day. If they hit the Earth, they're gonna dispose of them, right?
SPEAKER_06I was like, Barry, where are you going?
SPEAKER_00It's International Asteroid Day, June 30th. I don't know. People looking toward the skies to raise awareness about the threat of asteroids. So can you imagine cleaning your disposal and all of a sudden boom?
SPEAKER_06No.
unknownI can't.
SPEAKER_06Exactly.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_06But I do love um the Cosmosphere in Is that Hutchison? Uh-huh. Yeah, it is. Um have you been there?
SPEAKER_01I cool. Yes. Yeah. I mean, I grew up in that area. So that's the first thing. Oh, that's right. School field trip kind of thing.
SPEAKER_06That it is for my girls too. It's kind of like their little ride of passage when they're in fifth grade. But it was fascinating just to learn so many different things just about the cosmosphere and stuff.
SPEAKER_00They have asteroids there.
SPEAKER_06Um they have a lot of stuff. I'm not exactly sure there's an asteroid, but um and just even just the kind of evolution of air flight and just all of that. Yeah, it's very cool. Both times the girls have enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_00So some of us are experts in asteroids, have watched uh um Armageddon three times and uh Deep Impact a couple times. So uh we're that's what's wrong with it. But you can blow those things up, you know. You just got to get out there on them and make it happen. Just flow them up. So, okay, moving on to something that everybody knows about. It's national OOTD Day. I'll say that again. It's national OOTD Day. All right, come on. I know it has to do with shopping, but one of our guests today understands this already. Maybe both of them do. I mean, they they got it boom right off before you get together.
SPEAKER_01I don't know. They they knew the whole answer.
SPEAKER_00Yes, Isabel. Do you want to go ahead and jump in here? It just stands for OOS.
SPEAKER_05Outfit of the day. Oh, that makes sense. You get to describe your whole outfit, yeah. Where it's from, if you thrifted it, like I love thrifting. So that's not my answer of I thrifted this.
SPEAKER_01I think that's known that. Okay. I yeah.
SPEAKER_00So if you get on your Facebook today and there's a bunch of people showing off their stuff.
SPEAKER_01Now we'll know why.
SPEAKER_00Now you'll know why. They just went to a thrift store and they got their stuff over there. And it's O-O-T-D.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And it's O O T D.
SPEAKER_05Everyone's got to share their O O O T D.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah. So get with the program. It's early in the morning.
SPEAKER_06So Barry, I'm expecting that on the Compassion Strategies Facebook page. Yeah. You're just doing your O O T D. Okay.
SPEAKER_00No. I I may do that. We're looking for content.
SPEAKER_06Okay, I was gonna say that might help you boost some viewers, right?
SPEAKER_00Or people will just block that. Okay. One last thing is social media day. Well, that kind of fits with what we just talked about. Social media. What day is not social media day?
SPEAKER_06I don't think there is one of those anymore. So every day is social media. But ask my leadership team about the no tech days.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_06So I guess it's no social media on the no tech days, which they love so much.
SPEAKER_00So well, but it can't be today because this is this is social media today.
SPEAKER_01So that's absolutely anyway.
SPEAKER_00Now that
ABATE Motorcycle Ride Supports TRM
SPEAKER_00we're all ready and kind of limbered up for things, you did have a great event last Sunday uh here at Speaker Rescue Mission. It was the A B A T E Day. A Bait. Yes. Uh motorcycle ride. What's that all about?
SPEAKER_06Yes, you know, it really is a highlight uh for me um working here, and it is the A-Bait Motorcycle Club. And so anywhere between 35 to 55 bikes uh come down and register. Some have one rider, some have two. Um, and they come down and they register in the front lobby of our main shelter for a beautiful bike ride out to Lake Perry. Once they get to Lake Perry, we're talking about bicycles here. No, motorcycles. Um, and they once they get to Lake Perry, there's um a silent auction, maybe even a live auction, I can't remember. And um, these individuals just really rally, pun intended, um, around the rescue mission, and we get all proceeds from it. Um, but the uh and it's been going on for 35 years, uh, and one of the main organizers is Frank Botar, also known as The Santa. The Santa. Um, but he's just an incredible, gosh, human being and brother in Christ. And we've had him on the podcast where, you know, he's really unpacked um, where God took him from a life of tragedy to triumph. Um, and although he has continued to have a lot of challenges along the way, he has just sought the Lord and all that he's done. And um, one of the ways he says that he's been able to continue on with life and to heal and things is to give back to the rescue mission. Uh, but this incredible club, Motorcycle Club, they they don't just bless us. I mean, they do a Toys for Tot ride and three or four different things. Um, and they try to do stuff every quarter. And uh so it's just really neat. It's um an event that physically is so neat to watch. Um, I just have the honor of standing on the curb, depending on if they're avoiding the train or not, um, which what which direction they go and waving at all of them and yelling, telling them to be safe and all of that. But just seeing them come together not only for something that unifies them, um, where they are doing stuff for people in need. Sometimes that's children, sometimes it's for educational purposes, sometimes it's for the rescue mission. But seeing them come and unify around these motorcycles and seeing them enjoy it and being outdoors is incredible. And then seeing them leave and just knowing they could be doing anything right now, and they've chosen to come do something to advocate for us um and to bring awareness to what the rescue mission does. So it's just incredible. Uh, we kick it off by uh all meeting in a large group, and their regional um coordinator addresses the group, and then um I'm able to thank them on behalf of TRM. And this year, just kind of my quick, quick little spill was um when they show up, they're really showing up for people that are in between. Um, people that are coming from really hard places in brokenness, but are trying to move forward out of that. And um, that that's not always easy. Um, and it's rough and it's tough. Um, and so I just thanked them for taking time out of their day to really advocate for the people that maybe our society doesn't see as a success story yet. Uh, but we do because we see what God's doing with them. Uh so, anyways, it's I love it. Um, I have yet to ride a motorcycle. Um, each year I've had a back issue, which we won't talk about. But one of these days, I told them I'm gonna lead the thing on a motorcycle bike. Um, Frank said on a motorcycle bike. Yes. Um Frank Frank tells me each year, um, I'm not sure we should do that, you know. But pretty confident. I show up in my church dress after church and all that to do.
SPEAKER_00These most of these guys are pretty burly big guys.
SPEAKER_06Leather chaps.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the full hair, the beards, you know, that kind of stuff. Um and they can actually lift their leg over the buttons. Yeah, they they know what they're doing.
SPEAKER_06But in my defense, every year there is one or two that have the like, is it the trike? I don't even know what it is, but it just seems a little bit more stable. And sometimes they have the little thing on the side side. And I'm like, just let me ride in that. I'll be like a little baby putting in a stroller. I'll climb in. This might work. Yeah. Um but no. Please don't call it a motorcycle bike in front of them. I always call it a motorcycle bike.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, that's okay.
SPEAKER_06Um and they just laugh at me. But I was out there in my hot pink dress, so I think they're used to me saying motorcycle bike.
SPEAKER_00But I'm just so tough looking, rough looking. If you fire up those bikes, it rumbles the whole street. I mean, it's like an asteroid. And uh and so or garbage disposal.
SPEAKER_06And we always have like four or five vehicles, too, that don't ride the motorcycles, but still participate in the drive and everything. And so that's neat to see, and they're waving at us out the window. And um, you know, one thing that I I wanted to mention this time is um we I'm not sure what his title is now, but Brandon, make a long story short, his dad um was very instrumental in it the last several years. And um we RC and we lost him last year. He passed away. Um, but to see Brandon Humphreys continue with this um was really neat. Well, this time, uh, Brandon mentioned, here's some new faces. And we he literally described it as, we have some old faces and we have some new faces. And my response was that means A Bates healthy then. That's right. Um, and so as someone who is still a new leader and I don't have your 40 years of experience, Barry, I'm very thankful to still have you as my mentor. Yet I also have heard you talk about how much you enjoy seeing the rescue mission continue and the direction it's going. And it was just neat to see this chapter of this motorcycle club have the same thing where the last year was hard for them and they had a couple of significant losses. Um, another gentleman as well. But to see the heart and mission continue regardless of the person shows you their their heart and their mission is to serve the community, and that that's a really neat thing to be a part of.
SPEAKER_00It really is. It was a lot of history there. Um remember the first meeting with Frank when he came into my office in the old rescue mission building, nothing that's exists anymore, had this idea. And uh it's still happening today. And Frank's still involved. Yes, pretty awesome. Yep. Well, a lot of things have uh developed at Topeka Rescue Mission in the how many years now? 74?
What TED Is And Who It Serves
SPEAKER_00Three? That's the question. How old are we? That's right. So 73 years, and one of those is a focus on uh education and trauma. Not that it's a brand new arena. It's been going around a while, but it continues to improve and step up to the next level. And um Isabel Cronister um and uh Jamie Wiegert uh here today who have been on the podcast before with the TED program here. Um and so Isabel, as you lead this with with Jamie, talk about what TED stands for and a little bit about the TED program of what is it?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so a lot of times uh when I say TED, they're like, who is Ted? I've never heard of a TED that works for the mission. I said, Well, Ted is me and Jamie. Um, but uh Ted stands for trauma education and development. Um and so that is just us um reaching out to staff here at the mission, uh reaching out to the guests, those who stay um in our shelters, volunteers as well, uh churches and also outside agencies. Uh we just make sure that everyone is trauma aware, um, knowing that we all have things that make us tick. We have things that make us us uniquely. Um and so just understanding our whole self um fully. And so we do that in a variety of ways. We um get the wonderful opportunity to meet with uh each department here at the mission monthly. Uh we get to um connect with them, we call them connection groups, um, and then we get to teach uh guest classes, so we get to um teach them coping skills, we have outside agencies come in and just um share their resources. Um we do that with um Robert Sanders, who's in charge of our life skills class. Um and we also uh partner with Washburn a lot. We've had uh such an incredible opportunity um as a Washburn grad myself. It's so awesome just to uh reconnect uh with the student body there um at Washburn. And so we've worked a lot with um the OTA students or occupational therapy assistants, um, and we've also worked closely um hand in hand with the psychology students um in our ACE research.
ACE Scores And Research Findings
SPEAKER_05Uh we did it um not me personally, uh, but we've done it in 2022, um which that as we know was published. Um so if you haven't read it, go read it.
SPEAKER_00It's on unpack that ACE research.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so ACE stands for adverse childhood experiences. Um so it uh it's a 10-part questionnaire that looks at um adverse uh things that have happened in childhood. So ages from newborn to 18. Um it covers a broad um things, whether it be um abuse uh or witnessing um different things like uh substance abuse with parents, caregivers, whoever that was in that child's life. And it um helps us understand what someone's adult life can be like. I always explain it that it's not um the end all be all list. If someone gets a um score of four or more, uh so four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, um, that means they are more likely to have mental health or physical health struggles. Um, but again, it's not an end-all be all of if I get a nine out of ten that I'm going to, you know, have all of these physical health issues in my adult life or um all these mental health struggles that I have in my adult life. That might help me understand better why I have these things and to um allow me to get the resources that I need. Um and that's ultimately our goal as we're partnering with Washburn to kind of get this um ball rolling because there's been um studies done previously, and but it was more focused um of a non-at-risk population. And so that's kind of what started this. We wanted to look at a very at-risk population um and to try and get that ball rolling to get more resources available for everyone.
SPEAKER_00So understand that the um adverse childhood experience scoring had been around for many years and uh had been uh researched by different universities. Um and uh and medical as well. Yeah. Psych psychology, uh psych psychiatric uh issues and medical issues and whatnot. Um as far as we know, um specifically one that was going to um interview and uh test um homeless, sheltered and unsheltered homeless, uh to speak a rescue mission may be one of the first ones to step out there and do that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Which then uh was very revealing compared to the national.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um do you remember what those differences were in percentages of people who had higher higher ACE scores?
SPEAKER_05Yeah. So the original ACE uh survey that was done in the uh late 90s, um, it was about 13 percent of their population that they surveyed had an ACE score of four or more. And the one done around 2022 uh found that about 62 percent um of those within TRM, whether it be sheltered, unsheltered, um, experienced an ACE score of four or more.
SPEAKER_00Aaron Ross Powell And these were people, maybe fifty that were living on the streets and fifty that were in the shelter, and that's been repeated, I understand.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Which then caught the attention of Washburn University um statistical department. Eventually the American Psychology Psychiatric Association for a paper presented in Seattle by the team here. So um Jamie, we're gonna get to you in a second, but uh uh Lamanda, Miriam, um both of you have been involved. Uh Lamanda, you in education, working with kids um and and from difficult places, uh being a principal in two different schools, Miriam, you being in social services for many years. There's been a growth in awareness of trauma um over the years. I mean, it's been a lot of years now, but we used to not hear that word. And so now it's trauma-informed education. Um school districts are doing it, the nation is doing it. Uh we see, I'm sure we see that in rescue mission with the City Gate Network talking about uh compound trauma being added to it, um, even though HUD doesn't recognize this in their federal definition contributing to chronic homelessness. We've decided to include it here, compound trauma in addition to substance abuse and and and uh mental health and so forth. So all that said is something started a number of years ago here at Topeka Rescue Mission of a focus on trauma, started with the Children's Palace, but it's branched into something much larger now with uh what uh Isabel and Jamie are doing and and the whole thing. Talk
Trauma-Informed Culture For Staff Care
SPEAKER_00about the importance of that. Um of why it's not just a thing, but it's a really important thing. Because you've got a whole department on this now.
SPEAKER_06You know, the first thing that stands out to me when I think about um just this research that we've done and the need to continue the research is the the main focus here is to really understand people that we serve, um, what they're coming to us with, what they've endured, um, how that currently impacts them. But then also if intervention doesn't happen, um, you see unfortunately um greater declines and stuff that can come from that. And so I don't discount that at all. Like we we see that, we see why research is used, and that that is the focus for a lot of places. What I think is a little bit different here at the rescue mission, and Miriam, feel free to chime in too. Back in 21, when I first came, uh Miriam and I attended the City Gate conference. And one of the things that we've mentioned this on the podcast, she and I were in separate buildings, we're not even attending the same seminars, and it wasn't even on caring for your staff, was really weird. Um, mine was on um mobile, kind of mobile access partnership type stuff. Um, and Miriam's was on HUD stuff, I think.
SPEAKER_01I think it was HUD stuff.
SPEAKER_06We came back and both of us said, the Lord's really revealed to us we have to take care of our first flock, and the first flock is staff. And so then she and I were eating lunch, we were like, Well, what does that look like? I'm not sure. Because, you know, as an organization, we felt like we loved our staff, we took care of them, we were a team. It wasn't that anything was unhealthy. What did this look like? And so from a strategy standpoint, and then me learning how to become a CEO, I think everything that we do, this forefront is yes, those we serve, but then also understanding how do we support our staff because serving is really difficult. So one of the things that I feel like has been instrumental at TRM specifically through this research is we not only gain an understanding of what people that we serve deal with and are coming to us with, but we already kind of have this empathetic nature to that because we're all called here. We know the Lord has us here. So that's not normally a challenge for us. We we do see people and have this empathy to them. What I think this research has helped us do is to then better equip our staff to understand their own ACE scores, to better understand their own triggers, because we are such doers and servers and we love big, yet I think we have seen for years at the rescue mission burnout, compassion fatigue. I mean, it's like we just get so in and so involved that if we don't have appropriate um interventions to know how to implement, if we don't have appropriate boundaries, if we don't understand that even if we grow up and grew up in a middle class family, blah, blah, blah, yet my A score is still a six, if we don't be, if we're not talking about those things, then we end up not caring for our staff, which is what I think has kind of been on mine and Miriam's and everyone else's heart for years. So I that's what I think specifically I appreciate about this, is it is reminders of how hard people struggle and and what they've endured. But the key for me as a CEO is we then use it to organize trainings, connect groups, um, flyers that we give out, all these things that we do for staff to recognize their own score, to recognize their own struggle, and to recognize you're human. And so if this job is hard, it is because the job is hard. And here are some ways that you can help take care of yourself and navigate while we're serving and doing what God's called us to do.
SPEAKER_01And Barry, I would say what I hear Lamanda describing and what I believe is this is not about things that we do. This is really about a core of it's not just another program, I guess. It really is cultural for us. Excuse me, not just something that we train or we that we do. It's something that we've internalized significantly.
SPEAKER_00How do you respond to the trauma? Correct. And so, yes, to your point, it becomes cultural. It um uh that awareness piece starts, and then okay, what do you do about it? Because we were hearing a lot of things, uh especially in education, of we need to be aware that kids have been through trauma or they're in trauma or whatever. Um, but there wasn't really any direction for it. Thus, trust-based relational intervention, T B R I, being introduced as a response to that, um, amongst some other things, but Topeka Rescue Mission adopting that.
SPEAKER_01And I I think that what's important for everyone to remember too, so folks may have gone through all of this as children. The folks we serve are still experiencing trauma. They're still living outside in unstable situations, they're still experiencing violence, they're still experiencing mental health issues. All of these things, they're still actively being I hate to use the word, attacked by trauma kind of experiences on a daily basis. So it's not like they left it behind at eight at the age of 18. It continues for them. And and then what does that mean for us?
SPEAKER_00So we call compound. It just keeps building and building and building. And so if somebody walks through the front doors of the rescue mission or they're in a homeless camp or whatever, um, we can say, okay, they're homeless and they live in a tent or they're staying in a bed at the rescue mission, but the story is way deeper than that about things that they need help with to be able to move forward in life. So we've talked about ACE scores, adverse childhood experiences, but that's not the only cause of trauma. There can be a trauma that occurs later in life. Um, and so those are addressed through this as well. Um events, you know, loss of a job, uh, loss of housing, loss of a spouse, loss of a child, loss, a loss, a loss, can create trauma that has maybe altered a person's whole existence and maybe they didn't have high ACE scores as a kid, but still it's trauma. That happens also. So we don't want to say it's all just childhood experiences, but that is a big contributing factor according to the research that was done. Yeah. Um that uh such a higher percentage than the average or the the the rest of the country.
Secondary Trauma And Daily Regulators
SPEAKER_00Um one other thing before we jump into some more specifics here, there's something called uh secondary trauma. Talk about that.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, you know, that's I think what um Miriam and I are constantly trying to keep at the forefront. Um where you you have as individuals traumatic events or reoccurrences that happen that involve you and that is part of your story that might be intercessing with the attachments that you have, or maybe the traumatic events are because of lack thereof of attachments. And so that is, you know, your primary um traumatic events. And then you have these secondary events, which can sometimes still pertain to you, but also can be happening around you. Um and that is what we experience often here at the rescue mission. Um, you know, we might have an individual um become upset within the shelter. Um, and then you've got screaming or they're cussing at our staff. Um and that is a secondary trauma because yes, it's happening to our staff, but then it involves the staff, but it doesn't involve them. And then when you have those occurrences, sometimes every day, sometimes we don't, um, then that can become an issue. We also have things, um, unfortunately, every year um we have at least um one death of a guest, um natural causes, and um that is still traumatic for our staff. Um, if even if they don't know the person well or if they've built rapport and that person was days away from housing, um, it's traumatic because um death is hard. And then when we experience them, we we find their body, we have to identify their body. Um, there's just a lot there that can be very traumatic because it is um causing a response to your body that you need to fight, you need to fright, you need to flight, whatever the case may be. And so in in this work, it is something that is um very occurrent and it is um unfortunately part of all of our jobs every day. I can't take that away. We're on the front lines of brokenness of of people who are experiencing so many um tragic things internally and externally. Um so what we try to do then is if we know we can't have a work environment without secondary trauma, then we do everything proactively we can to minim minimize that. But then we also say we know it's going to happen. How do we help staff through it when it does? And um, I'm not saying we always get it right, uh, but I do think that culturally, some of even just the small things that we can do to help with secondary trauma is just embedded. Right now, Barry, we are sitting around a table and there's multiple water bottles. That's not just because our mouth might get dry. Everywhere you go at the rescue mission where there's meeting spaces and all that, you're gonna have water, you're gonna have snacks, you're gonna have fidgets. Isabel's playing with one right now, right? Um, Barry does two with his pen.
SPEAKER_05Anything's a fidget.
SPEAKER_06And we're able to talk about that. No one is embarrassed. Regulators. It is. And nobody is embarrassed to use a fidget, nor is nobody saying anything to people that use them. It is just a part of who we are. And so from um water nourishment, snack times, breaks, check-ins, connect groups, fidgets, it is just who we are. And it doesn't matter if you're at the DC, if you're at the Hope Center, the main shelter, this is embodied because we know that if we can do a lot of little things uh throughout the day that other people may not even notice when the big um traumatic events happen, whether it's primary or secondary, um, we're hoping that we've filled their buckets enough to help them um through those events.
SPEAKER_00So the response in this department of TED is not just for the person that walks through the front door, but it's also the response to people who are helping people walking through that front door or wherever they are. All first responders, whether it's a police officer or somebody that's on a medical rescue, hospitals, whatever, firefighters, they all see things that hopefully nobody else has to see. And when you have that repetitively happen over and over and over again, first responders are folks at work with uh chronic homeless uh because of the tragedies. There's a residual outcome that happens with folks in that.
Jamie’s Return And Power Of Connection
SPEAKER_00I want to talk about Connect groups and how that what how that works. But Jamie, I want to come back to you. Uh Jamie, uh you had a uh a position here at Topeka Rescue Mission, which was more administrative, and you left for a while and came back into this position. Last time, I one of the last times you and I talked on the podcast, we spent a lot of time talking about the best uh university in the world to go to besides Warsburn University, that's Kansas State. And so we did a lot of wildcot talk. Isabel and I, both the graduates of Warshburn, and you and I both had K-State in our blood. So um but you came back to walk into this whole arena of working with Isabel in the trauma department. What has this meant to you to come back and do something that wasn't it's not administrative, it's more working with people, helping them navigate through this trauma response?
SPEAKER_07It's actually ended up being very life-changing for me. Um having direct contact with the guests because I I had virtually none before. And uh now getting to see them and get to know them and as people, um, I realize how much I'm just like them and they're just like me. Um and so that's been very eye-opening. Um, also kind of uh to feel uh ways that I can help them uh get through things day-to-day. Um now that my office is actually over in the main shelter, uh I see a lot of our guests more often. They come to my door and wave to me through the window and all that good stuff. And so I've built some relationships. Yes. And um and they confide in me. Um they're very personal relationships that we've developed, some of them. And so that's really cool. And uh, I'm just really glad that I came back and became part of the department.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Well, we're glad you're back and doing this. So there's something called connect groups, but uh let's talk about connection first. Yeah. Is a big um awareness piece in regards to uh individuals experiencing whatever they're experiencing is relationship.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um the Bible's pretty exhaustive on important rel of relationships, relationship with God, relationship with our neighbors, um, how we're to treat each other. I mean, it's it's uh from the beginning to the end. It's uh a lot about that. Um and so what is the value of healthy relationships and helping people heal from trauma? And then talk about what is the Connect group.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah. Um so real quick, I want to share a quote uh from Darren Jones. Uh he is a pioneer uh through uh trust-based relational intervention, and he says that we are born to connect, but not born connected. So all of us have this innate desire to connect. Um and it starts with our caregivers, whoever that is in our lives. Um and it's so important. Um, and I always interchange the words uh trauma and hurt and harm. Because I feel like trauma is this big umbrella word that can be explained by so much. And when we talk about connection, um, we're really focusing on relationships, kind of like Jamie said, that we've been able to do. Um and there can be really healthy relationships for people, and there can be a lot of hurt and harm.
SPEAKER_00So be can connections that are unhealthy as well, because as is the quote that you just said, is that there is something built into us for connection. Yeah. And it's important to have good ones.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. And we're always going to find ways to connect. Um, and so our goal um is just to help um build those healthy connections because there has been hurt and harm, regardless if it's an unsheltered neighbor, if it's a guest, a volunteer, or a staff member. Um we um yeah, always just look at um the person and how we're able to simply uh connect with them, whether it be the really cool shoes that they're wearing or uh as simple as the hat on their head. Um there was one guest who always wore uh a K-State hat, go cat's um and so uh we would always connect with him that way. And um, and so it's so important because there's just a lot of yucky stuff that goes on in the world, and um there's a lot of relational yuckiness as well. And when we talk about relationships and connection, it's not just um romantic relationships, it's family, it's friendships, it's the random animal lady that you meet or guy uh that you meet at the store or the quick shop. Um and so all of us in some way are connecting um with one another, even if it's just a simple hi, good morning, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_00According to the people that know stuff, um even though we're so connected today through technology, we are so isolated today because the technology and so there's this this hunger, this desire for real connection, and it's really kind of pseudo-connection, it's really not working. Okay, connection groups, uh want to get to kids' camp before we close today. So what's uh so talk about connect groups.
Connect Groups And Healthy Boundaries
SPEAKER_00You talked about relationships, you talk about connection. What is connect groups?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, um, and so those connection groups um are where Jamie and I and the wonderful Mike Shottle uh get to just meet with departments monthly. And so we get to go into their spaces and meet them where they're at. Jamie and I bring uh a TBRI fun fact of the month, I guess, uh or a TBRI tool. Uh I think those last month we did Healthy Boundaries. Right. Yep. Yep. I remembered. Um uh June was a crazy month, guys. Anyways. Um almost over. Almost over. They say about July, too. Yeah, yeah. Um, and so we talked about how staff can have healthy boundaries at work, how they can have healthy boundaries in their own life, their different connections and relationships. And then Mike comes along and just brings this spiritual aspect of it. He does a weekly uh devotion for all of us, and so we just go through that as a team.
SPEAKER_00And have you heard of uh tried the magic mustache? Yes, yes, yes. Of course.
SPEAKER_06Barry's favorite.
SPEAKER_00Quick story uh Jessica Haussman, who brought TBRI awareness to us, and then the children's palace became a practitioner. We're on live television, uh, what they call the red couch one time, and as they're getting ready to come on, she's doing the magic mustache, which is a stress reducer deal that they taught children how to do. And I'm looking at her, she's got her fingers up against under her nose doing a real hard press there. And I started busting up clapping. And uh then the interviewer Ralph Hith put the time going, I'm doing what we're doing on it.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, but don't knock it till you tried it.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, no, I got I I got the uh the the magic pin over here for the little clicker thing. So well, there's a lot more that is to this. We've scratched the service on this today, but one of the things we wanted to bring you guys in for is talk about something that happened here a couple weeks ago called Kids Camp. Yeah
Kids Camp Tools For Self-Regulation
SPEAKER_00talk about kids camp and why that's your favorite thing.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Uh well, first I think it's because I love kids. Well, that's helpful. You can you can ask Jamie anytime I hear little footsteps or little squeals of joy, I think.
SPEAKER_07Oh, she goes running. Yeah. Yeah. Away or towards towards towards specified.
SPEAKER_05Um and so that is one way that we can just help um bring so much joy and so much life. These are children staying at Topeka Rescue, and to these children who are uh staying at the Hope Center just to help them be kids. Uh when you think of kids camp, you think of outdoors activities, you think of crafts, you think of a lot of mess. Um, and those things don't stop here. We still do those things. Uh we always start um with just introducing um some of our volunteers and especially Jamie and I um to the kiddos, to uh their parents as well, um, just so that way they know one, that we're not just two weird strangers taking their uh kiddos for the evening, um, but it's to help build connection with those children, um, but also building connections with those parents and helping them.
SPEAKER_00So you just don't come in and say, hey, we're here to save your kids. And uh love our parents are going, you're not taking my kid anywhere. So where how many kids, where does it happen? How long does it happen?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah. Um so it is a week-long um camp. It's uh it's about two hours out of the evening. Um and it's we actually did it, what are we calling this now? Uh the children's palace, the compassion impact center. Uh the many names that it has. That's right, that's right. Uh so we actually use don't read the sign on top of it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Pretend that it says Compassion Impact Center. That's right. But but it's a children's palace um which was designed for kids, and you've got indoor and outdoor areas to play.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, we used uh the indoor space. Um, that's where we did um our meeting time. We uh do what we call engine checks. Um, and so that's just to help uh the children understand where their bodies are at. So you have three different colors: blue, green, red. Blue means you're a bit tired, you're a bit slow, you might need something to help you get your pep in your step. Green means you're just right. You your belly's full, you've had good nutrition, you've had a good amount of water, and you've got restful sleep and different other things. Um and red means I call them wiggles. Lots of kids have lots of wiggles. Um, and so you just need to get your wiggles out so that way then um if you are blue or green or blue or red, you can get to green so that way you can.
SPEAKER_00So you reflect this back to the kids so they can kind of understand better where they are. Do that with adults as well, right? Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I you can ask Jamie. All volunteers got a little engine plate, and we all did check engines. I still got mine. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh where's the yellow color going here?
SPEAKER_05Uh the yellow is like in between the red and green.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, okay. It's caution. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03It could go either way.
SPEAKER_00So what what kind of outcomes, before we close today, what kind of outcomes do you see happens after this investment in the kids called kids camp? Like what what um what's different?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah. Uh and Jamie, feel free to jump into, but one thing for me is just to see how the children become more aware of themselves. Um, they learn when they feel a bit overwhelmed or underwhelmed. Um, and we get to share those tools like magic mustache or uh my favorite is baby raccoon. I will give no context, but if you need to know, I'll let you know. Um and um and just to see how those tools that we've been able to show them. Um and we also share um a little memory verse with them as well that um the kids get to learn. And do some of them memorize it by the end of the week? Yes. And some of them don't, but it's just a reminder of how uh wonderful that they've made and just to see not only how the children grow, but then we also take it to the parents of hey, this is what your child learned, this is how you can help them in moments of when they seem to be overwhelmed, or maybe them as the parents or the caregiver when they seem overwhelmed to um take those tools and use them as well because it kind of helps the parents as well to maybe have some tools that maybe their kids brought to them because of the kids' camp.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh many or if not most of the children here are single parent uh kids with moms and not dads, Jamie being a guy being involved uh in this arena. What have you noticed uh being the guy?
SPEAKER_07Well, um it's really it's really cool because I kinda I get to know the little the boys, it seems like a little more because they kind of gravitate to me, it seems like. Um and then the other thing that I noticed too is uh we had uh couple of boys that were not in the youngest category, but a little bit older, maybe closer to 12 years old, and they were always looking for each other. And so one thing I noticed, um, and this might pertain to the gals too, uh girls, is that uh I don't know how much the kids get to play together over at the Hope Center. Yeah, and so they built relationships among themselves, yeah. Like they didn't really know each other that well, and then by the second day, they were like, I want to sit next to her, I want to sit next to him. And so I thought that was pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. But feeling a little bit like a father figure there just really touched my heart. You know, I'm I'm not a dad, but I am an uncle to several little ones. And so it was cool. By the end of the camp, I was like, Can we keep doing this? I gotta wait another year.
SPEAKER_00Good stuff, good stuff.
Thanks And How To Get Involved
SPEAKER_00Well, stuff goes on all the time with our guests of the Topeka Rescue Mission, uh, some special uh activities like the kids' camp or when you take special time out. Well, thank you both for what you do. And uh with Ted and uh Lamanda, Miriam, thank you for investing in this um uh from some time back and continuing to invest in and not just in the guests, but also caring for the people who are helping the people who care for people. Uh that is huge. And as you as a contributor to the Pika Rescue mission, whether your contribution is financial or material or prayer or somewhere of all the above, it makes a big difference for um, as we've heard today, about people who really go on through some rough times and have an opportunity not just to have a place to sleep, not just something to eat, but something to heal with and also the love of Christ woven to all of that. Thank you for being a part of this, uh, our community, our mission. If you'd like more information about Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to the website at trmonline.org. That's trmonline.org. And you might want to volunteer too. Thank you for listening.