Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Quad City Forum, a weekly community service program
produced by iHeartMedia to look at the issues and opportunities
that exist in our community. Now here's your hosts for
a Quad City Forum, Hot Luke and Denny Linnhowe.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
We are talking with Kayla Keisei with Big Brothers, Big
Sisters of the Quad Cities. Kayla, you have a big
event coming up here soon that I think people have
to be There's a lot of trust involved if you're
talking about scaling any building here in the Quad City area.
But it's all for a great cause. But before we
talk about over the Edge, let's just talk about Big Brothers,
(00:38):
Big Sisters in all the great work that you've done
for some people. As much as you've been very visible
for a long time now, a lot of people really
don't understand what it's all about to be a big
and how easy it is to be a big do Yes.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
We are one of over two hundred chapters across the
country and we've been here for about thirty seven thirty
eight years serving local kids through our one to one
youth mentoring programs and services.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It's it's amazing though for people that think, okay, well,
even people my age are a little bit older, they
would think, well I can't. I'm you know, I already
have grandkids now I can't be a big That's not
the case.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
No, we try. We involve people of all ages. Kids
in our program can enter as soon as they you know,
go to school at age six, and they age out
of the program as we would when they graduate and
go on to uh bigger and brighter futures. But as
(01:44):
for the adult side, on the volunteer, we have volunteers
as soon as they become an adulter at eighteen, they
can be considered for a mentoring role. And then people
can be a mentor all the way up until their eighties.
We've had mentors, big brothers and big sisters at eighty seven,
(02:08):
eighty two, seventy nine, I mean even tests. You know,
when people enter retirement days, sometimes that's almost a great
time where connecting with a young one for lunch. It
of course gets you out of the home and bright
can brighten up everyone's day on multiple levels and just
(02:31):
a great opportunity as well for the working for the
working person as well. It's I find when I've done
different activities, getting out of the office and kind of
stepping away from that stress and that work life. It
kind of just brings some light to the day. It
releaves a little of those frustrations you might be feeling
(02:53):
at work and you can focus on Man, everyone's still
a kid at heart, and I can play a good
game of Uno.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Well.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think sometimes that does intimidate some people though, but
you're right with the perspective that it brings. But a
lot of times the perspective and like you said, playing
Uno or just listening, that is probably what our littles
need more than anything, somebody that recognizes them and make
(03:25):
sure they kind of reinforce again that they have value too.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, it's really all about being present and providing a
consistent friendship for this young person who is just needing
a little bit more support, somebody they can just count
on for whether it be to pursue an interest or
(03:50):
to seek an opportunity, or it may be just looking
for some guidance on some challenges, some obstacles in their life,
whether it be social, academically, mentally. A lot of the
kids in our program have a lot going on outside
of the school walls back at home, and they're looking
(04:12):
for somebody to spend some time with to make them
feel important and that their interests and what they would
love to go. You know, at least try is possible.
You know, they they have an opportunity and should be
able to achieve things in their life and see that
they have great potential. And for many reasons it's not
(04:36):
maybe been possible at that point because a lot of
them come from single parent households. A lot of them
some of our kids don't even live with their with
their mother or father. They might live with a grandparent
or another family member, and they just need somebody to
to really spend time with and being present and just
(05:01):
giving them a carrying shoulder and saying, hey, let's go
fishing or play basketball or ride a bike and just
you know, be yourself for a couple of hours.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Right, And even in some cases, if you're not very
good at basketball, but maybe you like watching it on TV,
maybe there's a game that you can take them to
that they would be excited about. And even though you
could maybe help them with their homework, it is not
a prerequisite to go Okay, you've got to be a
math major to be able to figure out this homework.
(05:36):
It's just about being able to bond with somebody, and
like you said, from the social aspect, so so many
of us do need to get out of the house
a little bit more, want to go out and learn
a different perspective with a little.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, we offer so many different activities to expose the
youth to different opportunities. For example, we just had an
activity not too long ago and the boys that attended
it was surprising, but a couple of them really didn't
even know how to hold a basketball, and so the
adults that was there with them was like, okay, you know,
(06:14):
showing them what to do and you know what what
the past and a dribble looked like. And it was
amazing now that that little boy can go out at
recess on, you know, and go play basketball potentially with
some of the other kids, because now they don't feel
like they don't know or you know, are not skilled
enough to play. So those type of things are really
cool to see that it's just that little bit of
(06:36):
time can help them just feel more confident in themselves
and what they might be able to do. There's just
all kinds of examples like that.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Well, I loved it, and I you know what I
also love about this Kayla is by the way, we're
talking to Kayla Keasey, chief Engagement officer with Big Brothers
Big Sisters. But I love just the model that I see.
It takes a little to be a big.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah. Really, we don't ask a lot of people are questioned, Okay,
how much am I committing to? What is my time
that you're asking because everyone has busy life. We all
have a lot going on, and we we realize that
we all do I do, and we only you know,
four to six hours a month is really the little
(07:27):
that could be given to a child that can make
such a huge impact. You know, it's the time in
the car that's just as important when you're having conversations.
I find that with my own family, you have their
attention and general things can come up in conversation that
can mean a lot and can go a long ways.
And it's those conversations. It's going and sitting down and
(07:47):
over you know, a ice cream cone or slice the pizza,
going to TVK and playing an arcade game, and you know,
bringing out that little competitive side in all of this
that you might learn somebody has a pretty it's skill
at right.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And it opens the door. It opens the door. And
I would think too, even when you have a family
of your own and you become a big it probably
sometimes will open the door going wait a minute, you
can not only help your little the boy or the girl,
but then it also maybe can open the door to hey,
(08:23):
I can get better over here too. I was kind
of ignoring that with my family, while I'm going to
work on that with my little and I'm also going
to be more aware that I was maybe developing some
bad habits with my family too. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
No, I mean even if somebody does have children of
their own, we have a lot of those, a lot
of big brothers and big sisters who have kids of
their own on top of their little And I just
know that although we focus on one to one, so
it's all about that one to one relationship and that
time that that kid is neeeding because they are needing
(09:01):
that away from groups or what may be going on
elsewhere where. It's all about them. But there are times
when our bigs will bring their other children in on
an activity, or if they're at their home doing gardening
or yard work. I mean a lot of these littles
just need to know how to do general stuff around
the home that's not being taught like how you know,
how do you change the tire? How do you change it?
(09:23):
You know, if I ever.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Had something, but Kayley, if I had a if I
had a little, I would make sure that I would
have to YouTube that to just figure out how I
change the tire. But it can be it can be
similar to that. It can be a great bonding experience
when you learn that together changing the oil on a car,
it's it can it can benefit both sides, it sure can.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
And just being around other children, you know, and other
families that are so positive and encouraging and maybe can
teach them something that they do can be a really
valuable thing. And it's amazing that boarding for the big
and the little pre alcohol relationship. It's amazing how many
bigs say I got so much out of this, more
than I would have ever thought.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
I think I'm getting that too. I'm really getting excited
just hearing you talk about this. But as we move
forward here, as we're talking about big brothers, big sisters,
big brothers big sisters certainly not immune to funding being
cut in a lot of different ways. So even though
we're going to talk about a way to donate your
(10:29):
time here in a few minutes. If people want to donate,
maybe they still don't have the time or they just
don't feel like they have the time to physically donate
their time and talents. Is there a way to donate
financially right now?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah? Absolutely, you know, just if somebody is not ready
for that commitment to be a big because when we
do as a commitment, we do ask for one year
commitment because it does take time to build that relationship,
to build that true us. You know, it takes at
least six months for them to start, you know, get
comfortable with both of you and to see where what
(11:06):
interest you have in common and the type of things
you want to do together. And so you know, initially
there's that your commitment. But there are other ways, like
if you know, people say, I'm just this is just
not something I can commit to right now. How else
can you get involved? There are so many things that
they could volunteer for outside of it, such you know,
(11:27):
we have just fundraisers that go on throughout the year.
You can step up and be in volunteer for one
of those. We do several activities with our matches and
maybe you you can teach how to you know, we
had a crocheting you know activity where we brought in
adults to come in and help the kids learn how
to crochet, or a science project or leg you know,
(11:49):
whatever that may be. You might be a teacher in
an area that that could benefit your kids could benefit from.
Or making a donation. Yes, if you go on our website,
there is they donate now button and you can become
a monthly donor or you can become a one time donor.
But it helps us just continue to to make an
(12:10):
influence with that next generation and be able to bring
more kin into our program. And so those dollars are
so crucial to making what we do here happen because
we don't rely on a lot of federal dollars. A
lot of our funding does come from the fundraisers we do,
as well as a number of grants foundations, if you will,
(12:33):
But it's a lot of corporate support that comes in
the community as well as this individual giving.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Okay, and perfect way to lead into this big fundraising
event that's going to be happening here real soon. And
it's over the edge, over the edge, and again if
you've maybe seen this in the past, First off, every
time I see it, I just see the commercials that
I've seen on TV. Here now I'm taking dramamine pills
(13:03):
when I'm watching these people strapped up and ready to
go over there. They haven't even attempted that yet, and
yet it is kind of a cool thing to see
the number of people that have committed already, and even
at this late minute, somebody could still be a part
of it. Or even if you want to take it
a step further, when we're talking about volunteering, still need
some volunteers just to make sure everything goes off without
(13:26):
a hitch coming up here. What is it the twenty
second or is it the twenty third or both? When
is the big day for this?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Yeah, the twenty third is the big day. We have
a few people that do go down on the twenty second,
but some of our sponsors media, some of those individuals
go and then on Saturday we'll have one hundred and
two individuals repalling there's forty feet down.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Stop, you should have done just okay, wait a minute,
let's stop with one hundred and two and don't tell
them one hundred and forty feet okay, but there are
It's not like they're really with that it's not like
anybody is going down without at least a little bit
of training because there will be spotters there. This is
going to be successful all the way around here for everybody.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Yeah, I encourage everybody to go out and check out
over the Edge qc dot org and that's the website
for the event. And if you go to our leaderboard,
and I will say our just get a little competitive
with each other and their fundraising, which is kind of exciting.
We have such a wide depths of individuals that are
(14:40):
participating and I always get really excited to hear the
stories behind why, you know, why who somebody is and
maybe why they're doing it. I mean, we have father
and son, We have sisters that actually live from outside
of Iowa coming back for this. We have a gentleman
that started to doing this four years ago and just
(15:04):
can't wait to do it the next year and be
creative with his fundraising. We have a gym one of
an instructor from a local gym who did a thousand
burpees to raise money. I mean, that's incredible. We have realtors,
we have co workers, we have superintendents, so we have Davenport,
North Scott and TV superintendents as well as as well
(15:28):
as Illinois superintendent. They're competing with one another to raise
some money for the cause. In Hands we have a
chiropractic office. I mean, this is so cool to see
all these people coming together, and the cool thing is
the donations that are coming in. Because these individuals have
to have the courage before even stepping up on the roof,
(15:49):
to have the courage to ask people for support.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And that's not always, that's not that's not always an
easier thing. Some people, if they were making the choice
between those two activities, they would they would go over
the edge first before they'd ask for money. But that's
that just shows how much people are facing their fears
to want to help out big brothers, big sisters.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Yeah. So you know, we always get the question is
why why are you? Why are you doing this? What
is what made you decide to do this eight years ago?
And you know it was a big you know, risk
or something we really had to think hard about. But
when you think about who we serve and the youth
and their challenges in life, that it's all about building
(16:33):
that confidence and having them believe in themselves that they
have a future, they can achieve success and do great things.
And we all have had mentors in our life. We
all had people next to us helping us along the way,
whether that is a family member, maybe it's a coach,
maybe it was a teacher that was a huge fan
of yours. And all it took was a little bit
(16:53):
of nudging to get you over that that hurdle and
with over the edge, people have to have the courage
to one ask people to support them and support what
they want to do, this thing outside of their box
that they're repelling to raise money for an important cause
and doing that take a lot of courage and believing
(17:15):
in yourself then to get up on the roof and
do it. But that's but we're showing these youths that
if you believe in yourself and you pursue something you
believe in and you're passionate about, you can do it right.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
And I can I hear the energy on your end too,
and when they see they're big doing that, and it
really can be a life changing moment.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, we do. We always have a good number of
bigs that go down. It's fun to have the littles.
They're cheering them on and greeting them when they land,
because when you're finished, the amount of emotions and excitement
that goes on there. We've had everything from tears, the
people kissing the ground to just in awe that they
just did something so incredible and the process or the
(18:06):
you know, how they got there there, the road that
took them there is truly amazing. And donations are coming
in from all over the country. So that's the other
cool thing is these people are talking to family members, friends,
past college roommates potentially, or somebody they know that lives
in California or Florida or Minnesota, and these people are
(18:28):
making a donation. So we're raising awareness for youth mentoring
across the country. And so when somebody hears Big Brothers
Big Sisters, whether it's our chapter or another, they'd be like, yeah,
I gave the somebody that was doing this you know
event or so you know for youth mentoring and have
a general idea of what the program's about.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
This is so great to see this coming and now
it's big in the windshield right now. So we've got
the date. By the time this interview airs, this is
going to be it's gonna be up for somebody to
come right on in and make it happen. It still
can happen, and there's still plenty who I don't want
anybody to think, well, it's too late, can't do it.
There are other ways to help, or maybe this is
(19:10):
just starting their process to become a big for somebody soon.
So if they want to do any of that, how
should they find out? How should they help?
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Yeah? So yeah, the eveng does take place at Hotel Blackhaws,
who has been our partner for many for all eight years.
You know, if eleven stories and people go, man, you
know what about a bigger building and it's like, no,
this is the perfect side because in a matter of
ten minutes you can get down and you feel great
about what you did.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Right, So it's the perfect height for a lot of people,
and yet at the same time it's I can't think
of a classier building to be repelling off of than
the Black Hotel Black Ops.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
But to go to overthe Edge qc dot org, click
on Volunteer Opportunities at the top and there's a link
that goes to where you can sign up to be
a volunteer for one of our ships. And it's a
great way for them for you personally to see the
excitement and all that goes on, so that maybe next
year you're like, yep, I am doing this. This is
something I am going to have to conquer because it
(20:12):
may be a bucket list, or it may be a
fear of you know, or maybe it just be you
know what, I haven't done this in so long. I
would love the opportunity to repel again. Come down, help
out and be a volunteer, or just stop buy for
twenty minutes, thirty minutes and you're going to see a
lot of action. You'll be you can cheer people on.
We have a DJ there that every editor gets to
(20:33):
select their own song to repel to. We give a
little fun facts about everybody so people can learn about
all these incredible fun people that are participating. And then
I would also say at the top, if they clicked
on the leaderboard, then they can go and see all
these people that have signed up to do this and
who they are, and I'd be happy to talk to
anybody about who they are and suggest any support to anybody.
(20:58):
It could be five dollars, it could be twenty dollars.
It would all help for the close at hand and
make that propeller that participant feel really good.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
We are talking to Kaylea Casey. It sounds like you're
ready to climb down there again. You've done that a
few times now. You've got somebody's got to organize this thing.
But I think somebody's either got to be at the
top or at the bottom greeting everybody. But I do
think you're you're you're onto something here. Where As people
go on to the website, when they go to over
the Edge and look at the overtheedgeqc dot org, that'll
(21:29):
be the best way to go. Again. You'll be able
to see some of these numbers that some of these
people have raised, and you'll go, well, I don't have
a check for that. You do five, be proud of
five and five is going to go to the right spot.
But it's still a great thing to check out and
just get involved on how you're going to make things
better for not only big brothers and big sisters, but
(21:52):
also for some littles out there that are going to
get paired up with somebody.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I just I can't talk enough about the people that
are that are participating because we're truly blessed to have
them by our side, believing in what we're believing and
thrusting into this in a system and just knowing that
they can do it and they all have a big goal.
To me, they're all doing fantastic job and doing that
as well, and they need all the support, you know,
(22:17):
they need all the support no matter what, even if
it's just coming down and cheering for them and being
part of what we're doing in the community. We love
this community. We love impacting the future generation and knowing
that they are going to lead great lives and have
bright futures with the support of us and the BIGS.
(22:38):
And it's very inspiring.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I can hear you getting kind of inspired, kind of
getting emotional now as we speak. So Friday and Saturday,
twenty second and twenty third, people can go down even
during the media event or is it. Would you prefer
people to show up on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah, they can come down Friday. It doesn't start well
after around five o'clock on Friday, but I would highly
recommend coming Saturday. It's the biggest day and when there's
a lot more festive type of things going on. Definitely
a bigger crowd if you will. So Friday evening is
definitely open. But if you're available Saturday, if you're driving by,
(23:18):
find a parking space, come over for a few minutes
and check it out. And you never know, maybe next
year that'll be you.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I like it. I like your confidence too. You. You
are quite the salesperson for all of this. We are
talking Kayla Casey with Big Brothers, Big Sisters to the
Quad Cities. But again, if they want to find out more,
see the toeboard all that stuff. What's the website they
go to.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Over the Edge QC dot org.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
See it one more time with feeling.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Kayla over the Edge QC dot org. And if you
do want to learn more just about Big Brothers, Big Sisters,
we have a separate, separate website and that's b B
b S, three bs and an S hyphen MV dot org.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Say that again, you got to say that one. We
should have worked that in earlier, but better late than ever.
Give us that other one again.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Yeah, so, three b's and an S, so Big Brothers,
Big Sisters, BBB S hyphen MV which stands for Mississippi
Valley dot org. And you can learn more about our
mission and there's a donate button and just learn about
how you might be able to get involved, Kayla.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I think we could talk another hour, but I'm gonna
just leave it at a half hour here and say
we had a good time here, look forward to helping
you somewhere down the line with something else too, And
we hope it's a record breaking crowd out there money
wise and numbers wise here in just a couple of days.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Well, thank you for this opportunity. We just love can
I thing with so many people for so many, so
many things, and it really does make a difference. It
takes us all and we have so many youths out
there that that need our support.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Well, the only reason that I was able to talk
to Kayla the first words out of her mouth was
she brought up one of my one of our boys'
names here with Ted. So Ted had done some work
for you a long time ago. Where Else I wouldn't
have gotten the time of day from me. Kayla, I
think you would have had you not known about Ted.
That was the only way that the door opened that
you talked to me.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Well, I don't know, because I do listen to you
quite frequently. Ted was a great mentor and a great volunteer.
He not only was it big but he stepped up
and was part of one of our committees and helping
us plan some of our events. So there's so many again,
different ways to be involved.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Well, you know what, that's it too, And I have
to say he gets all of that good stuff from
his mom, but I'll take some of that credit too.
But we're hoping to talk to you again soon. Have
a great day, and we hope Over the Edge exceeds
everything that you were expecting it to do.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Oh, I think it's going to be. This is gonna
be one of our biggest years yet. So can't wait.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Win Saturday morning fairly early since you got one hundred
and two that and by the music, do they just
keep playing because some people aren't going to go down
that quick? I would imagine do you play like American
Pie or are you playing something a little bit longer?
Played the song twice? Or what goes on there?
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yeah? The events nine It will be running from nine
to five six o'clock that evening, so it is a
full day. We send two people down every ten minutes,
and so that's how you get the number of what
we can send over based on our contract, if you will,
But it's two people every ten minutes because we have
(26:48):
two ropes that run simultaneously, okay, and it starts at
nine and it goes until we finished, of course, but
this year will be probably six o'clock. That's the largest
we've ever had.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Okay. So the big event is or events coming up
here in just a couple of days. Now. You'll have
one on Friday the twenty second, and I'm sure people
can go to that. What is the time for that event?
And then the big thing, probably the bigger crowd will
be on Saturday, So why don't you give us the
time for that one too, all right?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
So yeah, over the edge at Hotel black Hawk on
Friday the twenty second would be from about five to
seventy pm. Then on Saturday, the twenty third, it will
run from nine am to about five thirty six o'clock
in the evening because we do have the one hundred
some participants going down, and basically we have two people
(27:45):
that go down every ten minutes because we have two
ropes running simultaneously, So every ten minutes you're going to
see somebody new.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
It's must see viewing there in downtown Davenport if they
want to find out more or see the tillboard all
that stuff. What's the website they go to.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Over the edge QC dot org. Over the edge QC
dot org. And if you do want to learn more
just about Big Brothers, Big Sisters, we have a separate,
separate website and that is b B b S three
BS and an S hyphen MV dot org three BS
(28:27):
and an S so Big Brothers, Big Sisters BBBS hyphen
MV which stands for Mississippi Valley dot org. And you
can learn more about our mission and there's a donate
button and just learn about how you might be able
to get involved.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
If you or your organization would like to be featured
on Quad City Forum, please visit the contact page and
our station website. Now back to Fat Luke and Danny Linnou.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
And as we wrap up the Quad City Forum today,
a great fund raise. It kind of a non traditional
way to help out some area fire departments. An antique
train ride, riding the rails and support the Mineral and
Gold fire departments. It's September seventh, and there's some urgency
here even though that's a few days away. If you
want to book a seat because they're filling up fast.
(29:16):
This is what you do three oh nine nine four
five three four six eight. Now you can go to
the Mineral and Gold Fire Department to find out more
on their Facebook page, or call this number again to
book a seat. Three oh nine nine four five three
four six eight. And thank you from your iHeartRadio stations
of the Quad Cities.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
You've been listening to Quad City Forum, a weekly community
service program produced by iHeartRadio. If you were your nonprofit
organization would like to be featured, please visit the contact
page in our station website for contact Quad City Forum
and carab Iheartsmedia, Quad Cities three five three five East
Kimberley Road, Davin Fords, Iowa five two eight zero seven
Welcome to Quad City Forum, a weekly community service program
produced by iHeartMedia to look at the issues and opportunities
that exist in our community. Now here's your hosts for
a Quad City Forum, Hot Luke and Denny Linnhowe.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
We are talking with Kayla Keisei with Big Brothers, Big
Sisters of the Quad Cities. Kayla, you have a big
event coming up here soon that I think people have
to be There's a lot of trust involved if you're
talking about scaling any building here in the Quad City area.
But it's all for a great cause. But before we
talk about over the Edge, let's just talk about Big Brothers,
(00:38):
Big Sisters in all the great work that you've done
for some people. As much as you've been very visible
for a long time now, a lot of people really
don't understand what it's all about to be a big
and how easy it is to be a big do Yes.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
We are one of over two hundred chapters across the
country and we've been here for about thirty seven thirty
eight years serving local kids through our one to one
youth mentoring programs and services.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It's it's amazing though for people that think, okay, well,
even people my age are a little bit older, they
would think, well I can't. I'm you know, I already
have grandkids now I can't be a big That's not
the case.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
No, we try. We involve people of all ages. Kids
in our program can enter as soon as they you know,
go to school at age six, and they age out
of the program as we would when they graduate and
go on to uh bigger and brighter futures. But as
(01:44):
for the adult side, on the volunteer, we have volunteers
as soon as they become an adulter at eighteen, they
can be considered for a mentoring role. And then people
can be a mentor all the way up until their eighties.
We've had mentors, big brothers and big sisters at eighty seven,
(02:08):
eighty two, seventy nine, I mean even tests. You know,
when people enter retirement days, sometimes that's almost a great
time where connecting with a young one for lunch. It
of course gets you out of the home and bright
can brighten up everyone's day on multiple levels and just
(02:31):
a great opportunity as well for the working for the
working person as well. It's I find when I've done
different activities, getting out of the office and kind of
stepping away from that stress and that work life. It
kind of just brings some light to the day. It
releaves a little of those frustrations you might be feeling
(02:53):
at work and you can focus on Man, everyone's still
a kid at heart, and I can play a good
game of Uno.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Well.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think sometimes that does intimidate some people though, but
you're right with the perspective that it brings. But a
lot of times the perspective and like you said, playing
Uno or just listening, that is probably what our littles
need more than anything, somebody that recognizes them and make
(03:25):
sure they kind of reinforce again that they have value too.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, it's really all about being present and providing a
consistent friendship for this young person who is just needing
a little bit more support, somebody they can just count
on for whether it be to pursue an interest or
(03:50):
to seek an opportunity, or it may be just looking
for some guidance on some challenges, some obstacles in their life,
whether it be social, academically, mentally. A lot of the
kids in our program have a lot going on outside
of the school walls back at home, and they're looking
(04:12):
for somebody to spend some time with to make them
feel important and that their interests and what they would
love to go. You know, at least try is possible.
You know, they they have an opportunity and should be
able to achieve things in their life and see that
they have great potential. And for many reasons it's not
(04:36):
maybe been possible at that point because a lot of
them come from single parent households. A lot of them
some of our kids don't even live with their with
their mother or father. They might live with a grandparent
or another family member, and they just need somebody to
to really spend time with and being present and just
(05:01):
giving them a carrying shoulder and saying, hey, let's go
fishing or play basketball or ride a bike and just
you know, be yourself for a couple of hours.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Right, And even in some cases, if you're not very
good at basketball, but maybe you like watching it on TV,
maybe there's a game that you can take them to
that they would be excited about. And even though you
could maybe help them with their homework, it is not
a prerequisite to go Okay, you've got to be a
math major to be able to figure out this homework.
(05:36):
It's just about being able to bond with somebody, and
like you said, from the social aspect, so so many
of us do need to get out of the house
a little bit more, want to go out and learn
a different perspective with a little.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, we offer so many different activities to expose the
youth to different opportunities. For example, we just had an
activity not too long ago and the boys that attended
it was surprising, but a couple of them really didn't
even know how to hold a basketball, and so the
adults that was there with them was like, okay, you know,
(06:14):
showing them what to do and you know what what
the past and a dribble looked like. And it was
amazing now that that little boy can go out at
recess on, you know, and go play basketball potentially with
some of the other kids, because now they don't feel
like they don't know or you know, are not skilled
enough to play. So those type of things are really
cool to see that it's just that little bit of
(06:36):
time can help them just feel more confident in themselves
and what they might be able to do. There's just
all kinds of examples like that.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Well, I loved it, and I you know what I
also love about this Kayla is by the way, we're
talking to Kayla Keasey, chief Engagement officer with Big Brothers
Big Sisters. But I love just the model that I see.
It takes a little to be a big.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah. Really, we don't ask a lot of people are questioned, Okay,
how much am I committing to? What is my time
that you're asking because everyone has busy life. We all
have a lot going on, and we we realize that
we all do I do, and we only you know,
four to six hours a month is really the little
(07:27):
that could be given to a child that can make
such a huge impact. You know, it's the time in
the car that's just as important when you're having conversations.
I find that with my own family, you have their
attention and general things can come up in conversation that
can mean a lot and can go a long ways.
And it's those conversations. It's going and sitting down and
(07:47):
over you know, a ice cream cone or slice the pizza,
going to TVK and playing an arcade game, and you know,
bringing out that little competitive side in all of this
that you might learn somebody has a pretty it's skill
at right.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And it opens the door. It opens the door. And
I would think too, even when you have a family
of your own and you become a big it probably
sometimes will open the door going wait a minute, you
can not only help your little the boy or the girl,
but then it also maybe can open the door to hey,
(08:23):
I can get better over here too. I was kind
of ignoring that with my family, while I'm going to
work on that with my little and I'm also going
to be more aware that I was maybe developing some
bad habits with my family too. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
No, I mean even if somebody does have children of
their own, we have a lot of those, a lot
of big brothers and big sisters who have kids of
their own on top of their little And I just
know that although we focus on one to one, so
it's all about that one to one relationship and that
time that that kid is neeeding because they are needing
(09:01):
that away from groups or what may be going on
elsewhere where. It's all about them. But there are times
when our bigs will bring their other children in on
an activity, or if they're at their home doing gardening
or yard work. I mean a lot of these littles
just need to know how to do general stuff around
the home that's not being taught like how you know,
how do you change the tire? How do you change it?
(09:23):
You know, if I ever.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Had something, but Kayley, if I had a if I
had a little, I would make sure that I would
have to YouTube that to just figure out how I
change the tire. But it can be it can be
similar to that. It can be a great bonding experience
when you learn that together changing the oil on a car,
it's it can it can benefit both sides, it sure can.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
And just being around other children, you know, and other
families that are so positive and encouraging and maybe can
teach them something that they do can be a really
valuable thing. And it's amazing that boarding for the big
and the little pre alcohol relationship. It's amazing how many
bigs say I got so much out of this, more
than I would have ever thought.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
I think I'm getting that too. I'm really getting excited
just hearing you talk about this. But as we move
forward here, as we're talking about big brothers, big sisters,
big brothers big sisters certainly not immune to funding being
cut in a lot of different ways. So even though
we're going to talk about a way to donate your
(10:29):
time here in a few minutes. If people want to donate,
maybe they still don't have the time or they just
don't feel like they have the time to physically donate
their time and talents. Is there a way to donate
financially right now?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah? Absolutely, you know, just if somebody is not ready
for that commitment to be a big because when we
do as a commitment, we do ask for one year
commitment because it does take time to build that relationship,
to build that true us. You know, it takes at
least six months for them to start, you know, get
comfortable with both of you and to see where what
(11:06):
interest you have in common and the type of things
you want to do together. And so you know, initially
there's that your commitment. But there are other ways, like
if you know, people say, I'm just this is just
not something I can commit to right now. How else
can you get involved? There are so many things that
they could volunteer for outside of it, such you know,
(11:27):
we have just fundraisers that go on throughout the year.
You can step up and be in volunteer for one
of those. We do several activities with our matches and
maybe you you can teach how to you know, we
had a crocheting you know activity where we brought in
adults to come in and help the kids learn how
to crochet, or a science project or leg you know,
(11:49):
whatever that may be. You might be a teacher in
an area that that could benefit your kids could benefit from.
Or making a donation. Yes, if you go on our website,
there is they donate now button and you can become
a monthly donor or you can become a one time donor.
But it helps us just continue to to make an
(12:10):
influence with that next generation and be able to bring
more kin into our program. And so those dollars are
so crucial to making what we do here happen because
we don't rely on a lot of federal dollars. A
lot of our funding does come from the fundraisers we do,
as well as a number of grants foundations, if you will,
(12:33):
But it's a lot of corporate support that comes in
the community as well as this individual giving.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Okay, and perfect way to lead into this big fundraising
event that's going to be happening here real soon. And
it's over the edge, over the edge, and again if
you've maybe seen this in the past, First off, every
time I see it, I just see the commercials that
I've seen on TV. Here now I'm taking dramamine pills
(13:03):
when I'm watching these people strapped up and ready to
go over there. They haven't even attempted that yet, and
yet it is kind of a cool thing to see
the number of people that have committed already, and even
at this late minute, somebody could still be a part
of it. Or even if you want to take it
a step further, when we're talking about volunteering, still need
some volunteers just to make sure everything goes off without
(13:26):
a hitch coming up here. What is it the twenty
second or is it the twenty third or both? When
is the big day for this?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
Yeah, the twenty third is the big day. We have
a few people that do go down on the twenty second,
but some of our sponsors media, some of those individuals
go and then on Saturday we'll have one hundred and
two individuals repalling there's forty feet down.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Stop, you should have done just okay, wait a minute,
let's stop with one hundred and two and don't tell
them one hundred and forty feet okay, but there are
It's not like they're really with that it's not like
anybody is going down without at least a little bit
of training because there will be spotters there. This is
going to be successful all the way around here for everybody.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Yeah, I encourage everybody to go out and check out
over the Edge qc dot org and that's the website
for the event. And if you go to our leaderboard,
and I will say our just get a little competitive
with each other and their fundraising, which is kind of exciting.
We have such a wide depths of individuals that are
(14:40):
participating and I always get really excited to hear the
stories behind why, you know, why who somebody is and
maybe why they're doing it. I mean, we have father
and son, We have sisters that actually live from outside
of Iowa coming back for this. We have a gentleman
that started to doing this four years ago and just
(15:04):
can't wait to do it the next year and be
creative with his fundraising. We have a gym one of
an instructor from a local gym who did a thousand
burpees to raise money. I mean, that's incredible. We have realtors,
we have co workers, we have superintendents, so we have Davenport,
North Scott and TV superintendents as well as as well
(15:28):
as Illinois superintendent. They're competing with one another to raise
some money for the cause. In Hands we have a
chiropractic office. I mean, this is so cool to see
all these people coming together, and the cool thing is
the donations that are coming in. Because these individuals have
to have the courage before even stepping up on the roof,
(15:49):
to have the courage to ask people for support.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And that's not always, that's not that's not always an
easier thing. Some people, if they were making the choice
between those two activities, they would they would go over
the edge first before they'd ask for money. But that's
that just shows how much people are facing their fears
to want to help out big brothers, big sisters.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Yeah. So you know, we always get the question is
why why are you? Why are you doing this? What
is what made you decide to do this eight years ago?
And you know it was a big you know, risk
or something we really had to think hard about. But
when you think about who we serve and the youth
and their challenges in life, that it's all about building
(16:33):
that confidence and having them believe in themselves that they
have a future, they can achieve success and do great things.
And we all have had mentors in our life. We
all had people next to us helping us along the way,
whether that is a family member, maybe it's a coach,
maybe it was a teacher that was a huge fan
of yours. And all it took was a little bit
(16:53):
of nudging to get you over that that hurdle and
with over the edge, people have to have the courage
to one ask people to support them and support what
they want to do, this thing outside of their box
that they're repelling to raise money for an important cause
and doing that take a lot of courage and believing
(17:15):
in yourself then to get up on the roof and
do it. But that's but we're showing these youths that
if you believe in yourself and you pursue something you
believe in and you're passionate about, you can do it right.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
And I can I hear the energy on your end too,
and when they see they're big doing that, and it
really can be a life changing moment.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, we do. We always have a good number of
bigs that go down. It's fun to have the littles.
They're cheering them on and greeting them when they land,
because when you're finished, the amount of emotions and excitement
that goes on there. We've had everything from tears, the
people kissing the ground to just in awe that they
just did something so incredible and the process or the
(18:06):
you know, how they got there there, the road that
took them there is truly amazing. And donations are coming
in from all over the country. So that's the other
cool thing is these people are talking to family members, friends,
past college roommates potentially, or somebody they know that lives
in California or Florida or Minnesota, and these people are
(18:28):
making a donation. So we're raising awareness for youth mentoring
across the country. And so when somebody hears Big Brothers
Big Sisters, whether it's our chapter or another, they'd be like, yeah,
I gave the somebody that was doing this you know
event or so you know for youth mentoring and have
a general idea of what the program's about.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
This is so great to see this coming and now
it's big in the windshield right now. So we've got
the date. By the time this interview airs, this is
going to be it's gonna be up for somebody to
come right on in and make it happen. It still
can happen, and there's still plenty who I don't want
anybody to think, well, it's too late, can't do it.
There are other ways to help, or maybe this is
(19:10):
just starting their process to become a big for somebody soon.
So if they want to do any of that, how
should they find out? How should they help?
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Yeah? So yeah, the eveng does take place at Hotel Blackhaws,
who has been our partner for many for all eight years.
You know, if eleven stories and people go, man, you
know what about a bigger building and it's like, no,
this is the perfect side because in a matter of
ten minutes you can get down and you feel great
about what you did.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Right, So it's the perfect height for a lot of people,
and yet at the same time it's I can't think
of a classier building to be repelling off of than
the Black Hotel Black Ops.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
But to go to overthe Edge qc dot org, click
on Volunteer Opportunities at the top and there's a link
that goes to where you can sign up to be
a volunteer for one of our ships. And it's a
great way for them for you personally to see the
excitement and all that goes on, so that maybe next
year you're like, yep, I am doing this. This is
something I am going to have to conquer because it
(20:12):
may be a bucket list, or it may be a
fear of you know, or maybe it just be you
know what, I haven't done this in so long. I
would love the opportunity to repel again. Come down, help
out and be a volunteer, or just stop buy for
twenty minutes, thirty minutes and you're going to see a
lot of action. You'll be you can cheer people on.
We have a DJ there that every editor gets to
(20:33):
select their own song to repel to. We give a
little fun facts about everybody so people can learn about
all these incredible fun people that are participating. And then
I would also say at the top, if they clicked
on the leaderboard, then they can go and see all
these people that have signed up to do this and
who they are, and I'd be happy to talk to
anybody about who they are and suggest any support to anybody.
(20:58):
It could be five dollars, it could be twenty dollars.
It would all help for the close at hand and
make that propeller that participant feel really good.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
We are talking to Kaylea Casey. It sounds like you're
ready to climb down there again. You've done that a
few times now. You've got somebody's got to organize this thing.
But I think somebody's either got to be at the
top or at the bottom greeting everybody. But I do
think you're you're you're onto something here. Where As people
go on to the website, when they go to over
the Edge and look at the overtheedgeqc dot org, that'll
(21:29):
be the best way to go. Again. You'll be able
to see some of these numbers that some of these
people have raised, and you'll go, well, I don't have
a check for that. You do five, be proud of
five and five is going to go to the right spot.
But it's still a great thing to check out and
just get involved on how you're going to make things
better for not only big brothers and big sisters, but
(21:52):
also for some littles out there that are going to
get paired up with somebody.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I just I can't talk enough about the people that
are that are participating because we're truly blessed to have
them by our side, believing in what we're believing and
thrusting into this in a system and just knowing that
they can do it and they all have a big goal.
To me, they're all doing fantastic job and doing that
as well, and they need all the support, you know,
(22:17):
they need all the support no matter what, even if
it's just coming down and cheering for them and being
part of what we're doing in the community. We love
this community. We love impacting the future generation and knowing
that they are going to lead great lives and have
bright futures with the support of us and the BIGS.
(22:38):
And it's very inspiring.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I can hear you getting kind of inspired, kind of
getting emotional now as we speak. So Friday and Saturday,
twenty second and twenty third, people can go down even
during the media event or is it. Would you prefer
people to show up on Saturday.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah, they can come down Friday. It doesn't start well
after around five o'clock on Friday, but I would highly
recommend coming Saturday. It's the biggest day and when there's
a lot more festive type of things going on. Definitely
a bigger crowd if you will. So Friday evening is
definitely open. But if you're available Saturday, if you're driving by,
(23:18):
find a parking space, come over for a few minutes
and check it out. And you never know, maybe next
year that'll be you.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
I like it. I like your confidence too. You. You
are quite the salesperson for all of this. We are
talking Kayla Casey with Big Brothers, Big Sisters to the
Quad Cities. But again, if they want to find out more,
see the toeboard all that stuff. What's the website they
go to.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Over the Edge QC dot org.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
See it one more time with feeling.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Kayla over the Edge QC dot org. And if you
do want to learn more just about Big Brothers, Big Sisters,
we have a separate, separate website and that's b B
b S, three bs and an S hyphen MV dot org.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Say that again, you got to say that one. We
should have worked that in earlier, but better late than ever.
Give us that other one again.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Yeah, so, three b's and an S, so Big Brothers,
Big Sisters, BBB S hyphen MV which stands for Mississippi
Valley dot org. And you can learn more about our
mission and there's a donate button and just learn about
how you might be able to get involved, Kayla.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I think we could talk another hour, but I'm gonna
just leave it at a half hour here and say
we had a good time here, look forward to helping
you somewhere down the line with something else too, And
we hope it's a record breaking crowd out there money
wise and numbers wise here in just a couple of days.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Well, thank you for this opportunity. We just love can
I thing with so many people for so many, so
many things, and it really does make a difference. It
takes us all and we have so many youths out
there that that need our support.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Well, the only reason that I was able to talk
to Kayla the first words out of her mouth was
she brought up one of my one of our boys'
names here with Ted. So Ted had done some work
for you a long time ago. Where Else I wouldn't
have gotten the time of day from me. Kayla, I
think you would have had you not known about Ted.
That was the only way that the door opened that
you talked to me.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Well, I don't know, because I do listen to you
quite frequently. Ted was a great mentor and a great volunteer.
He not only was it big but he stepped up
and was part of one of our committees and helping
us plan some of our events. So there's so many again,
different ways to be involved.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Well, you know what, that's it too, And I have
to say he gets all of that good stuff from
his mom, but I'll take some of that credit too.
But we're hoping to talk to you again soon. Have
a great day, and we hope Over the Edge exceeds
everything that you were expecting it to do.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Oh, I think it's going to be. This is gonna
be one of our biggest years yet. So can't wait.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Win Saturday morning fairly early since you got one hundred
and two that and by the music, do they just
keep playing because some people aren't going to go down
that quick? I would imagine do you play like American
Pie or are you playing something a little bit longer?
Played the song twice? Or what goes on there?
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yeah? The events nine It will be running from nine
to five six o'clock that evening, so it is a
full day. We send two people down every ten minutes,
and so that's how you get the number of what
we can send over based on our contract, if you will,
But it's two people every ten minutes because we have
(26:48):
two ropes that run simultaneously, okay, and it starts at
nine and it goes until we finished, of course, but
this year will be probably six o'clock. That's the largest
we've ever had.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Okay. So the big event is or events coming up
here in just a couple of days. Now. You'll have
one on Friday the twenty second, and I'm sure people
can go to that. What is the time for that event?
And then the big thing, probably the bigger crowd will
be on Saturday, So why don't you give us the
time for that one too, all right?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
So yeah, over the edge at Hotel black Hawk on
Friday the twenty second would be from about five to
seventy pm. Then on Saturday, the twenty third, it will
run from nine am to about five thirty six o'clock
in the evening because we do have the one hundred
some participants going down, and basically we have two people
(27:45):
that go down every ten minutes because we have two
ropes running simultaneously, So every ten minutes you're going to
see somebody new.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
It's must see viewing there in downtown Davenport if they
want to find out more or see the tillboard all
that stuff. What's the website they go to.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Over the edge QC dot org. Over the edge QC
dot org. And if you do want to learn more
just about Big Brothers, Big Sisters, we have a separate,
separate website and that is b B b S three
BS and an S hyphen MV dot org three BS
(28:27):
and an S so Big Brothers, Big Sisters BBBS hyphen
MV which stands for Mississippi Valley dot org. And you
can learn more about our mission and there's a donate
button and just learn about how you might be able
to get involved.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
If you or your organization would like to be featured
on Quad City Forum, please visit the contact page and
our station website. Now back to Fat Luke and Danny Linnou.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
And as we wrap up the Quad City Forum today,
a great fund raise. It kind of a non traditional
way to help out some area fire departments. An antique
train ride, riding the rails and support the Mineral and
Gold fire departments. It's September seventh, and there's some urgency
here even though that's a few days away. If you
want to book a seat because they're filling up fast.
(29:16):
This is what you do three oh nine nine four
five three four six eight. Now you can go to
the Mineral and Gold Fire Department to find out more
on their Facebook page, or call this number again to
book a seat. Three oh nine nine four five three
four six eight. And thank you from your iHeartRadio stations
of the Quad Cities.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
You've been listening to Quad City Forum, a weekly community
service program produced by iHeartRadio. If you were your nonprofit
organization would like to be featured, please visit the contact
page in our station website for contact Quad City Forum
and carab Iheartsmedia, Quad Cities three five three five East
Kimberley Road, Davin Fords, Iowa five two eight zero seven
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.