April 18, 2024 • 50 mins
Embark on a personal journey like no other as my dear friend Allison McElroy, a seasoned nonprofit strategist, joins me to unpack the emotional nuances of career shifts and the quest for work-life harmony. Allison's poignant transition from her role at Open Avenues to the consulting realm, motivated by the need to care for her ailing father, speaks volumes of the sacrifices and adjustments we often face. Our candid conversation weaves through the intricacies of maintaining family bonds, carving out time for self-care, and the universal challenge of managing a bustling schedule — touchstones that resonate with parents and professionals alike.
We then navigate the delicate art of cultivating empathy and the subtleties of parenting in a world that yearns for kindness and inclusion. Through shared stories from our own childhoods, we shed light on how the dynamics within our families and the roles of parents to sons shape our approach to society and the values we hope to instill in future generations. Exploring the evolution of nonprofit work, our dialogue honors the unsung heroes of mentorship and their visionary impact, laying the groundwork for a culture of meaningful engagement and philanthropy.
Wrapping up with a heartfelt discussion on our shared dedication to Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas, we delve into the critical services these organizations provide for children and families grappling with trauma. Our laughter and sincerity punctuate a conversation that's bound to ignite passion and dialogue about resilience, generosity, and the intricate juggling acts defining the joys of life.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey everyone.
I'm Kasie Yokley.
I'm here with my dear friendtoday, Allison McElroy.
This is the inaugural 3Wpodcast, which Who What Where
for the .
So, yay, you guinea pigs outthere get to partake in this
today.
So we're very excited.
So welcome to my friend,allison.
Hello, I am so glad to be hereand be on the very first podcast
(00:29):
.
I know, when I was sittingaround trying to thank
everyone's bugged us for yearsto do this, and so I thought,
well, who should I ask?
We have all these clients, allthese amazing friends, but you
have to roll with yourcheerleaders first.
So I went to my cheerleader,yes, yes, and she's a fans
non-profit, so it's a win-win.
Obviously, it's a great fit.
So tell us about you.
Who are you?
(00:50):
I'm Allison McElroy.
You are and, uh, we have alwayshad an easy way of talking, so
this should go very it's gonnabe great.
I don't know if we'll stay ontopic highly unlikely, um, but
I'm Allison McElroy and I have anonprofit background.
I worked at Open Avenues foralmost 21 years a long time and
(01:11):
started their fundraisingfoundation development
department, and then, in 2015, Irealized that I needed to care
for my dad and so I needed us.
I wasn't going to be able tocontinue a traditional job and I
(01:31):
knew, but I did not know what Iwas going to do and I think
that should be a whole podcast.
Oh, absolutely like when yougrow up, when I want to do like,
I thought what am I going to do?
Because it wasn't like we couldjust decide to be a one income
family Money pays the bills.
But I had to make a choice thatthere was.
I knew that I was alreadystruggling, juggling all the
(01:53):
things which we're going to tapon, yes, and so I didn't know
like how, how I would then addmy dad and all his appointments
and getting him settled andfinding a place to live and
caretakers and all that stuff.
So I knew that it was probablytime.
I also knew which is a wholenother podcast that I was about
to turn.
I think, yes, I was about toturn 45.
(02:15):
Okay, okay, I'm way past that,okay, and I, I thought I've been
here for almost 20, 20 yearsand in in any job, that's a long
time.
Yes, yes, but in the nonprofitworld, it seemed at that time
everyone else was moving andjumping to better their career,
right, which there's nothingwrong with that Zero, but I kept
(02:39):
wanting to finish those goalsthere, and I was so passionate
about Open Avenue I still am.
The mission was important to meand I was so passionate about
Open Avenue I still am.
The mission was important to meand I had goals and we had
achieved so many of them, but Iwanted to achieve a couple more,
and so I think I kept staying.
And just something about youknow, something was whispering
(03:01):
at me Maybe it's time, maybeit's time.
And then my dad tells me Ithink I need to move to Rogers
and it was a sign.
And so there's a lot of topicswe could discuss with all that.
But my fundraising friendsthere's a handful of them that
said we know what you can do.
Your office has been an opendoor to all of this All the time
(03:26):
, 20 years.
Yes, why don't you just becomea consultant?
And then it'll be flexible withyour dad.
And I thought, oh, my goodness,I bet I could do this Because
you've already been doing it forso long.
And you know, do I knowanything about starting my own
business?
No, do I, any of us?
No, we don't.
Do I know any more?
Now, you know, in 2024?
(03:46):
I take the trash out, yeah, soI decided to give it a try and I
did do some interviews duringthat time because I honestly
went thinking that will be goodpractice to help me learn,
because I had been out of thatloop for 20 years.
Absolutely I don't know how tomake a resume.
(04:08):
So I think even going on thoseinterviews, I was in the back of
my head thinking this isn't,this is the right fit.
I think I do need to just do myown thing.
So in 2016, dad had gotten here, was settled.
2016, dad had gotten here, wassettled.
So in March of 2016, I just putthe shingle out there that said
(04:29):
the McElroy Group, here I am,and it was just me and my little
dog at the time and it justsort of took off, as you have
always been integrated in thecommunity.
So, yes, you had built in people.
I did, I did so.
Yes, I had built in people.
I did, I did and I can tell youthose same concepts of being a
fundraising development officerat an organization.
(04:52):
Same thing when you're awin-win, it's all about
relationships.
It's all about relationshipsand how you make people feel.
Yes, and I've always been ableto have enough, and in the lean
(05:14):
months I just thought we'll getthrough.
We'll somehow get through.
I will hug someone else and itwill all work out.
It'll all work out and it justanytime.
I got a little you know itwasn't.
You know blossoms and roses.
The whole time it's hard, butwhen there were some of those
lame months I thought it'll beokay, I'll get there, I'll
(05:36):
figure it out, yes, and so hereI am Still drugging.
I'm not at all.
And then it leads you to, um,the pretend work-life balance,
which is completely fake news.
But that's okay.
Yes, that's okay.
Still haven't figured that out.
No.
So, allison, you have two kids,I have.
You have two boys.
Uh-huh, I have two boys.
So I'm following in yourfootsteps and I'm gonna look at
(05:58):
the camera right now.
Okay, many of y'all don't know,but we have like a super funny
story about how we met.
So I met Allison at an event in08.
She was extremely pregnant,having her youngest like within
the next week or two.
Fast forward to like two yearslater, I'm ridiculously pregnant
, about to have my first.
(06:19):
And she says to me how are youhaving him?
And being the highly anxietyridden human that I am, I said
I'm having a C-section.
And what did you say to meright after that.
I said, and to all of youhaving a C-section out there, I
said to her I know this is goingto be weird and a little
(06:40):
personal, but as soon as you areallowed to stand all the way up
after your C-section A dearfriend, shelly Ball, gave me
that advice when I was havingCooper because it turned into a
C-section situation Wasn'tplanned but it turned into one
and she said if you are having aC-section, you stand all the
(07:03):
way up as soon as they tell youit's time to get up and walk
around.
Don't Don't Stand all the way upand it's going to hurt like
nobody's business, but you'vejust got to do it.
If you do that, you'll be ableto care for the baby and move
around the very next day.
And she was right.
It's so true.
(07:23):
It hurts like hell very nextday.
And she was right, it's so true.
And so it hurts like hell.
It is.
We're all baiting.
So I was getting all up in yourbusiness, you were.
I wanted you to know and I havetold everybody that has a
c-section and most, most of thepeople that have done it have
been.
It's about just like you say.
Thank you for telling me yes,barrett was born like the week
before thanksgiving, so I did itagain.
And the second time was harderbecause I knew was what was
about to happen.
The first time, yes, barrettwas born like the week before
(07:44):
Thanksgiving, so I did it again.
And the second time was harderbecause I knew what was about to
happen.
The first time I was like shesaid, stand still, but I was
able to Christmas shop the nextweek.
He was not even because I, oh,I totally beat my two weeks Like
what you can't drive for twoweeks, or whatever.
And I'm like, no, I got thingsto do Right, yeah, weeks of like
(08:05):
what you can't drive for twoweeks, or whatever.
And I'm like, uh, no, I gotthings to do right, yeah, and I
was like driving in a week.
They're like, what's wrong withyou?
And I'm like, oh, my friendAllison gave me really great
advice to like rip the crap outof my stomach and stand up.
So here I am, yeah, let's go.
Yeah.
So I mean, we, we've beenconnected with our two boys, yes
, and with our c-section story,you know, and non-profit and
non-profit.
So it was meant for us to betogether.
(08:26):
So tell me about your work-lifebalance, because you're a
business owner.
Yes, so that means you know wehave to pay the taxes, do pay
the secretary of state, that wedon't know.
We have to pay every now andthen, exactly, and the insurance
and take the trash out.
And oh, I've got to, like youknow, do payroll or love all my
clients like, but I'll.
I have a husband and I have afamily and I have one kid in
(08:48):
college, one kid at lsu and theother is in high school.
Is he a freshman?
Yes, okay, right, so that's mynew adventure next year.
Yeah, got a freshman and then asophomore at lsu and now still
an uber.
And the youngest one, yes, yes,yeah, which was this morning.
He overslept, of course, here,then it threw the whole morning
(09:10):
off, but on his own he does,he's really good at it.
Um, he, just, it was.
It was horrendous throughelementary school, okay, but
somewhere in middle school hebecame in control of that and he
had I will say he's mastered it.
Okay, today was an exception.
(09:30):
Okay, I'm going to have to fixthat.
But there was like thescreaming fits Uh-huh, we got to
get to school.
That all happened all throughReagan Elementary.
Okay, they'd see us pulling inon two wheels and I would still
be preaching she's on wheels,preaching with my white knuckle
why, if you just cannot?
We got to meet the traffic andthen somehow, when we got to
(09:52):
Oakdale, he just took control.
And maybe it was because he wasin basketball and he had things
Responsibilities yeah, okay, Ithink.
And so he really shifted.
Then, yes, and so he's reallygood.
And so, um, his alarm.
I don't know if he's growingused to it, but I think this
morning he neither one of usheard his alarm this morning.
(10:14):
Usually both of us do, but thethe other thing that's tricky is
my husband works for Walmartand so there's not as much
flexibility.
No, so as when my dad, my daddid pass away.
He passed away in 2022 and youhad Bill's farewell tour, and I
had Bill's farewell tour, whichis a whole other part.
I have a hundred ways tocelebrate.
We celebrate a life, um, but I,I think there was a part of me
(10:39):
that thought, well, should I getback into the back into a job,
or should I just keep doing theMcElroy group?
And I felt doing the McElroygroup, doing the McElroy group,
and I felt like the McElroygroup was that was your gift
from your dad?
Yeah, somewhat we didn't know.
Yeah, we didn't know, but itwas yeah, and the flexibility is
only helping me juggle theboys' schedules.
(11:03):
Does it make you a better wifeand a better mom?
I think it does.
I think where I fall, though,is the structure.
I think I'm like my youngestson.
He loves structure.
I do too.
I think that the flexibilitysometimes gets in my own way.
Does it make you lazy?
A little bit?
Not lazy you have a pretend dayoff as a business owner.
(11:28):
Do you ever really?
But you know what I mean, right, and I haven't figured out how
to do that yet and stick to it.
I scheduled them right, butthen I I feel like, oh well,
they, this is the only day theyhave me right.
Put it on the thing, yes, but Ithink it's um, how do I
describe it?
Like it's not lazy, it's likean organizer.
(11:50):
Misuse of time, time managementthat's such a bad way to say
that.
Like I get lost.
Classify my nap last week atthe end of spring break as a
misuse of time.
Yes, and I've gotten to where Itry to schedule a little nap.
I think it's because now I'm 53.
You can, and so sometimes Ithink I have to rest these
muscles, yes, in order to finish.
(12:12):
Okay, fair To the finish line.
So they're power naps, but theywork, do you think so?
I think I'm dreading it.
Two hours in a life.
When are we going to bed?
Is it time to retire for theevening?
But I think that's where I wishI could get better is the weeks
(12:32):
that I am structured and haveeverything laid out.
I am killing it, crushing it.
But you give me a two hourdowntime and I am like in the
pantry.
If I'm home, I'm in the pantry,uh-huh, if I'm, I'm in the
pantry, I'm scrolling the phoneoh, I should have done this post
.
And then I create some kind ofpost and try to post, and and
(12:53):
then I think, well, that wasn't,didn't even make sense compared
to what I was posting yesterday.
Right, all those things, right,um, so that's that's the thing.
It give me a little bit of adowntime, it doesn't.
And it's like, yes, and thenit's like I just lost two hours.
I was done if I had just laidthat out.
Or, yeah, that's where I wish Icould get stronger.
(13:16):
I don't want to be so scheduledthat I'm rigid.
I think I'm both.
Yes, but I I think, when Iactually map out and figure out
those two hours, even if I planto just zone for two hours, do
you feel like you're rushing?
Yeah, all the time, yes, always, always.
And then I think what are youdoing?
(13:39):
Because you're flexible, Idon't care, I've got deadlines,
the kids have places to be,everything is 40 minutes.
We live in a traffic cone.
I'm like I am just in my roadrage.
It is just out of control.
And we have a dear friend incommon, sister lisa, who used to
be with us at mercy yeah, um,and I was on my journey to
(14:02):
become catholic years ago and Iwas talking about having to go
to confession and she was like,oh, yeah, I had to do that.
And I was like you're a sister,what could you possibly need to
go to confession about?
Like you're like Jesus, thePope, monsignor Review, like we
got lineage, you're good.
She's like, oh, my road rage.
(14:24):
And I was like, oh my God, Ifeel so great about this
conversation Because you are an.
I love her, she is, she has it,she has road rage, and I felt
so connected.
I was like, oh, that's great, Idon't have road rage.
You know what I do, that we areall supposed to work on.
Ladies and gentlemen, we haveto, like I end up thinking, if I
(14:49):
just live five minutes early,oh for sure, this is as a me
problem.
Yes, why didn't I just do la,la, la and trying to work on
this School dismissal gets out alittle late.
I'm like, come on now, y'allsaid three, like I'm still in
car line 306.
Like let's bust a move.
And then I'm like that's it,that's a you problem.
And play, for playing sports isthe worst.
(15:10):
When he practices over at four,uh-huh, it's never four, it's
never four, and it's four thirdby your kids.
So you're like the last onesout of the law sitting in the
thing, because I think you knowit ends at four or ish.
I think coaches think ish, andthen the lollygagging and the
mine too are always the last.
But anyway, that's the balancething.
(15:32):
I don't know if it's ever 100%achievable, but the weeks that I
do well, it's because ofsomething I do better, and
that's I just.
Yes, I can see that and why.
I can't figure out how to dothat every week.
Is your husband a planner?
He is, he is For work, for work, oh, okay, I think for home.
(15:55):
He has to desensitize orrejuvenate.
So he doesn't do the like whenI'm convinced and I love my
husband dearly, I'd rather fightwith him any day than wake up
next to anyone else.
But he knows this.
I'm sorry I threw you under thebus.
It's like when he's done withwork, it's like he turns into a
(16:16):
toddler Go, no.
I'm like no, I have a plan,let's go.
He's like you're always at arush and I'm like dude, this is
the only way this boat floats.
Yeah, our boat floats, becausemy husband's introverted so he
doesn't want to go to all thethings.
I don't know if I've ever seenhim.
Yes, so I don't.
(16:37):
We decided a long time ago it'seasier on me if I can just go
Right, do on me.
If I can just go right, do mything and see my people, yes, so
, and then he's, you know, hesays I've had so much people,
let's try and people, people,that's me in December.
I'm people doubt, he's peopledoubt, and so he needs more that
uh, downtime.
So he, he doesn't turn into atoddler.
(16:59):
Now, if you give him a trip, hewill plan the trip in your life
.
Now he's being the most amazingto be a girl.
It's free.
Oh, that is where his.
I mean, he takes that, he hasone thing, he feels that and he
just turns it into magic.
Like I didn't plan at work?
Yes, didn't he a planner?
Yeah, he's in events.
Yes, yes, so like that's askill, especially for the
(17:23):
magnitude that Walmart house,yes, yes, so Wow, anyway, I
don't know, we're a good match,we're great partnership.
We're a good match.
We get a little, you know,cheesy sometimes, but like it's
okay.
We just we've been best friendssince college and so I think
(17:44):
that's that's where that Bigdeal.
We started out as friends.
We started as friends and I hadno idea he was the one.
Uh-huh, anyway, dwayne.
Dwayne is an awesome person andanyone will tell you he's the
one, he's introverted.
But if he ever is an event, youwould want to sit by Dwayne
because he's not going to saythe thing for the whole table or
the whole universe to hear,like his wife, yeah, he's going
(18:05):
to just say, and then thatlittle row that heard it will
die.
Yeah, they will.
All the sides will hurt, theywill laugh so hard.
Um, because probably shouldn'tsit next to you or me or even
Dwayne and not.
Sometimes he'll say it and I'llthink, oh, my, my gosh, and
then I'll repeat it.
(18:25):
He was like I did not dream youwere going to say it out loud.
Yeah, didn't need a mic moment.
I'm like that was so good.
Yes, we got to share it.
Yes, so he's very funny.
Does he critique events?
He does what I didn't realizefor sure, because I do, and I
(18:48):
don't know if it will ever years.
Um, we'll you know he'll saythings and I'll think I didn't
know you were being than that.
Oh for sure he is.
But then I remember that's yourjob.
Yes, so of course you'repainting.
Yes, yeah, oh, my gosh, haveyou been to events?
He's organized, used to?
Okay, they've changed things atwork.
So now outsiders, like I don'tneed to go to the meetings
(19:08):
anymore, but like used to thefamily, they come to Saturday
morning, really.
And so Were you so impressed?
I'm blown away and and share, Ido get to go to sharehold,
right, and I'm just blown away,like that's kind of cool, yeah,
but I mean it's okay.
And you used to play an event,yeah, right back in the day.
(19:29):
What was it?
Spring fling, spring flip.
Okay, did he um, give youadvice?
He did.
Did he did?
Did you like it?
Did you adhere to it.
Usually I did Okay, but thetimes it was frustrating, he
knew it was out of my hands.
Oh, okay, it was an event issue, a venue issue or a sound issue
(19:51):
.
So what I'm hearing is you'remore involved than me Because
I'm like I hear your advice, butyou're more involved than me
because I'm like I hear youradvice but you're not.
And yes, it's, yes, type acontrol yes, but you know, so
helpful, especially in the earlydays when he was in walmart
television, you know, figuringout ways to video shoes, and
that way he was more umtechnique in the technical part
(20:15):
of production, and so he wasable to give great ideas about
which way the video should go toshow the clients working and
all that.
So that's awesome.
But then, event wise, like youknow.
So he was like I will go, weknow the event for the next
thing, I'll go so we could seewhat the audio and equipment
should be.
Okay, yeah, well, that had tobe helpful with.
Should be.
(20:35):
Okay, yeah, well, that had tobe helpful with spring playing.
Yes, it was.
He would do the PowerPoints, hewould sit at the back and work
with the sound people when itwas at Embassy Suite, and once
that happened.
My life was a fairy'm so happyfor you as a fairy tale because
(20:56):
I didn't have to stress overthat.
He was in control and had itbecause he, you know, I love how
these things happened.
They're like little God winksalong the way.
Yes, yes, okay, tell me moreabout the McElroy Group, because
we did work like ballads and Ifeel like that is highly
interwoven.
Yes, it is, and especially withnonprofits, because that's
(21:18):
where my heart is and I think Iwas always going to be.
Did you know?
You loved that.
I knew that I always cared aboutpeople and my whole life, my
whole life, julie the cruisedirector, when the family, my
mom and dad, divorced From LoveBoat.
Yes, oh, I didn't know.
Yes, julie, I felt like I wassupposed to keep everyone
(21:39):
excited and happy, like, yes,mom and dad are getting a
divorce, but everything will beokay because we still have our
mom and dad.
Yeah, you know, or let's dothis at Christmas, it'll be
special, you know, because westill celebrated together.
Anyway, like I've always takenthat on to, just how to make
(22:00):
people feel is important to me,and I think it's because all the
years, especially middle school, I learned how I felt okay.
Um, when we went from a certainkind of car to a different kind
of card and how I was treated,and when everything shifted and
(22:21):
our status shifted.
When you, when your parents, gothrough a divorce, sometimes
things change, change, and Ithink it was like I had an aha
moment, like I see, there are,there are levels of things, and
I'm not in the level I used tobe in, even though I did.
It's why I understand it.
Yeah, that's a young age and Itold myself at that very moment
(22:43):
I won't be a person that evertreats anyone like they're in a
different category, and it wasall in back in the back of my
mind, but I have that it startedthen.
It's really young for that bigof a selection, yes, and so
there were people and I I thinkall my high school friends would
(23:05):
say that I didn't just run withone group.
I was.
We had a very small class, butI tried to.
I was friends with everybody,right, and which will lead to
some of our next discussionAbsolutely, but it's about how
you make people feel it is, andI just wanted them to never feel
some of the things I felt whenI caught on to oh, we don't
(23:32):
drive an Audi anymore.
Did you have those conversationswith the boys?
I have just like did you havethe hard conversation?
I have not had to have the hardconversations, but there's
something about boys uh, my twoespecially the looking people in
the eye, and I noticed whenpeople would greet them at it,
(23:53):
like when you're at a door, likeat child care, and you're
everybody's getting there forthe day and you're that we're
all rushing crazy.
I would notice there were somemoms that was you know, and they
would just be like that deer inthe headlights and then they're
so like I think I've mostlytalked to me, be sure, and look
people in the eye.
It's never, it's never a badidea to just smile at someone.
(24:16):
Never, uh, and always hold thedoor if you can.
Yes, um, it wasn't aboutchivalry.
It's like all these littlethings make people feel good and
you want them to feel like youacknowledge their presence.
You know, and you know Iprobably did it way to a fault.
They're boys.
(24:37):
I don't think I have to worryabout and going way over bored
on the over thinking that, but Ireally do try to make them like
acknowledge me.
I feel like go down.
I don't we don't have girlsright, but everyone says the
mean girl stigma which I get, Isee we've all seen it.
(24:58):
But I do feel like, while childrearing boys might be a smidge
easier in that sense I'm like,looked, my oldest just switched
from private to public this year, so we've navigated, seeing a
lot of different things andgroups and popular kids and not
popular, just all the thingsright.
(25:19):
And it's been very interestingto watch it because I grew up
with it, I was public my wholelife and so I've watched it just
develop and I'm like just justgo in and smile, yeah, just you
just don't know what you'regoing to be faced with, or or
who's going to say what.
There's been a lot of talk ofwho makes what, who's building
(25:41):
what and all these things at hisschool and I'm like and it's
highly irrelevant in eighthgrade just smile right to your
point.
So I do feel like even though Isay that I contradict her
myself but I do feel likerearing boys has been a smidge
easier than what I envisionedrearing girls in that same stage
and I do think God knew for methat probably I needed boys.
(26:06):
Oh, that's good.
No, him and I are going to havea big chat when I get on there,
of like I really wanted a girl,like I was given two beautiful,
healthy boys.
So thank you, and I, I think Iknew what he was doing, because
I don't think I had a.
I don't think I would have hada clue if I'd had a.
No, but, and I didn't know that,I didn't know that when I was
(26:27):
pregnant, I, just after I, mybest friend, had two girls and
my two of my best friends hadtwo girls.
And so I get here you are withthe boys.
Yes, I get to live out all that, okay, but but I think, seeing
what they were, they've gonethrough or things, the hindsight
.
But I'm telling you right now,I wanted to be in the trenches,
(26:49):
like I would still take like thebows and the bloomers and the
hair.
Yes, I really yes, and thatstill do, but that's okay, like
you know, I think I've told you,I know we've said this at one
of those early morning meetingswe probably had to be at.
Like Cooper's hair, I don'tthink I ever brushed it like I
did.
I let he went to school and noone cares, yes, and I learned to
(27:12):
not care.
Oh, I'm still working on that,but, yes, you tell me about that
.
Think about the mornings wewould have had to been braiding
the hair, but I know you'reright, and then we'd have to
redo it.
Yes, yeah, it's so like they'redressed and no, they didn't
even match today.
Oh, see, that stresses me out.
But see, I'm having to, like,attempt to let go, ish yeah, ish
(27:42):
yeah, because he's not in it.
The oldest isn't in a uniformanymore and I'm like, oh, why do
we think that matches?
He's like it's fine.
I'm like, but is it?
Yeah, I just, I've learned to,and both of mine do their own
laundry.
Oh, see again.
Yeah, no other by half.
Yeah, they're not there yet.
Obviously he doesn't likehimself.
So I, I'm clearly not.
Barrett has his laundry day,like he does his on Sundays, and
do we sort?
No, I just say, throw it all inthere, you're fine.
(28:05):
But again, this leads to yourwork life balance with the
McElroy group.
He got off that the McElroygroup.
So all the, all the McElroygroup does, it's just me, I'm
the group, I know, I love it.
Um, I just, but you have avillage behind you.
When I started at Open Avenues I, you know, didn't know one
(28:30):
thing about fundraising fornon-profits.
I didn't know anything aboutnon-profits.
I didn't know anything aboutreal grown-up adulting.
Oh sad.
I was just flying under Rogersnewlywed, thinking this is where
we're gonna live, this is great, and I don't know what I'm
gonna do.
It's all gonna work itself out.
It'll figure itself out Inrelationship.
I met the executive director ofOpen Avenue, who's through my
(28:53):
husband, and she wasn't thinkingme at all.
I wasn't, you know.
She said tell me where sheworked.
And we took a tour of it andshe was going to help us find
where we should live.
I was here for like a weekend.
We find a place from where.
Where were we coming out?
Jonesboro?
Okay, I can't believe I haven'tsaid jonesboro at Arkansas
(29:13):
State, red Wolves yet Wolves up.
Anyway.
She just like nonchalantly saysyou know, our organization is
thinking about hiring a personto be a cheerleader and do like
public relations and you knowfundraising and fundraisers and
(29:36):
awareness.
And I thought, huh, and shethought, yeah, I don't know how
this is going to go.
Anyway, fast forward, weddinghappens, I move here.
And I said is that stillhappening?
She said, said, yeah, they'rereally thinking about doing that
(29:57):
.
So I thought my palms with meright now, let's go.
This thing looks like me, eventhough I went to school to be a
radio, television or atelevision news anchor, which is
perfect for this.
Uh-huh, yeah, that's what Ireally wanted to do.
But that's what that's howduane and I met.
He was in his job, working hard, but to get there, I saw what
(30:21):
all he had to do and for anewlywed and a new fan, like a
new relationship, like that Ithought I can't be working
overnights for two dollars anhour or whatever, and then ships
that pass, you know him, go towork in them, and I just thought
I still think I can go thatroute right now, that's, and I
just moved here, I don't even,and so but I thought that sounds
(30:45):
like me and what a greatorganization like.
When I toured it and saw theseadults with different abilities
doing all these different thingsand I thought I hadn't even
thought of people that weredifferent from me, that weren't
going the same path, and whatthey, their families, would do
after high school.
And no, it didn't bother meuntil I took a tour.
(31:06):
So it just I was like this isthe most amazing organization
ever, so I knew I could be acheerleader for it.
So I started learning myself,started the Maguroy group
thinking if I could just help.
You know some organizationswith that shoestring budget.
We did not have a budget for myposition, nothing.
(31:28):
I sat every month and waited tosee if the board voted to keep
me or not.
That's how this was stressful.
This was 1995.
Only people that haddevelopment departments were
universities and hospitals.
Okay, that makes sense.
So the small organizationsaround here hadn't started that.
It was a mentor that that boardhad that said this is going to
(31:50):
be the wave of the future.
And if y'all want to be ahead,is that mentor still around?
He is, Okay, he is.
His name is Jeff Hutton.
Oh, I know that name, you do,Because Renee is his wife.
Yes, you're a single parent.
He told that board this is whatyou need to do, and he was my
mentor that first six months ora year telling me you need to do
(32:11):
this, you need to get an AFP,you need to get on committees at
the chamber, you need to be inRotary and you need to do this.
And he told them this is allgoing to cost money, but you
have to spend money to makemoney.
And so he just kept tellingthem to hang in there, and then
they had, I guess the majorityof the board said we need to
(32:33):
stick with it.
If we quit now, we're nevergoing to get back here.
So that's how that all gotstarted and I just I thought the
McElroy group can be, I can bethat person to say we had
nothing, yes, and there's here'slittle ways you can do it.
But the thing that I, withnothing, with nothing, like you
know, I would sit next to theUniversity of Arkansas at a
(32:54):
training and maybe that day Idefinitely needed every
educational session.
But if there was an educationalsession that I did not think
the title matched or whatever Iwent, I went to everything I was
supposed to go to.
Because when you get seatednext to a Sandy Edwards or a Joe
(33:22):
Ucolano from the university andyou get to say, yeah, we're
struggling with, and they said,oh goodness, yeah, we have a
marketing department.
But you could just, yes, andyou leave that day and think, oh
my goodness, and you go backand you figure it out.
You can do it.
No budget, no extra help it.
And I thought that's the beautyof going to everything.
So that's another lesson,ladies and gentlemen connection
(33:44):
if you don't ever stop learning,never stop learning if you
think the topic is not yourtopic.
Don't skip the thing.
Go to get to be by the people,and that's the same with rotary
or anything you're involved in.
Be completely plugged in.
Yes, so, um, I started it.
I help non-profits fromeverything from board training,
strategic planning, um,one-on-one coaching, which is my
(34:07):
favorite.
Well, uh, amazing on it,because you're just a
cheerleader, I just internallycut out all the hard stuff.
Yes, don't show me a strategicplan with pie charts.
Yes, great businesses makeeverything real hard.
How can you get this done andwhich day can you do it?
Yes, and is it a re?
Is it realistic or unrealistic?
Do we really need to circleback?
(34:29):
Yes, I think we do.
No, let's just handle it rightnow.
Let's just do it right now.
Yeah, is this a five year thingor a two-year thing?
If it's two-year, does it fitin 2027 or 2026?
I know right, I'm like I'venever been good at math.
What year?
It is never good being good atmath, but anyway, that's.
Macward group helps non-profitsand we try to do that.
(34:49):
We, I try to do that in themost, uh, cheerleading,
understanding way I can, uh, tohelp them see the full potential
and my, my biggest client rightnow, which I have matched up
with 3w, is the yeah, the rogershistorical museum foundation
and which?
Did you all know that there's amuseum in downtown rogers?
(35:11):
You probably did, but have youreally been, I don't know.
But now allison is likebringing them to the market.
I feel like they've been there.
Thanks, they've been there.
It is an award-winning,accredited museum in downtown
Rogers, the Rogers.
People know about it, but lotshas happened in Rogers, so if
(35:32):
you have not been to the museum,you've got to go.
And several years ago theyremodeled the Haley Building and
so there's just so much to see.
There's the Hawkins House, theKey Wing and the Haley Building,
all downtown Rogers by LasPalmas.
But they started a foundationwhich is completely separate, to
(35:53):
secure the future.
Honestly, the motto of thefoundation is to preserve the
past, support the present andsecure the future of the museum.
So, promote the past, no,preserve the past, promote the
future, okay, no, promote thepresent.
(36:14):
There's something in the middle.
Okay, promote the present,secure the future, okay.
No, promote the present in themiddle, okay, yeah, yeah,
promote the present, secure thefuture, uh huh, got it okay.
So it's like yeah, you just hadan event, yes, a couple weeks
ago.
There's a new exhibit and wejust had a kickoff party for
that and it's about alcohol inthe ozarks and you don't want to
miss it.
So it's about prohibition howthings got started in this area
(36:35):
like moonshine, whatever youwant to learn about history of
alcohol in prohibition howthings got started in this area
like moonshine, whatever youwant to learn about history of
alcohol in the Ozarks.
But you had to be a member.
Yeah, right to attend.
Yes, you did.
But a membership is only, ohyeah, $35.
That's $20 for an individual.
Oh, okay, like it's a deal, yes, and $30 for your family okay.
And then there's several otherlevels.
Definitely want to be a friendof the museum.
(36:58):
So that's my current clientright now, and here's the reason
I am loving working with them.
There is so much potential,like the museum is.
There are so many.
You have just like, totallychanged right now the last 30
seconds, like you're just beingme.
It's easier to talk aboutsomeone else yourself, yes, but
(37:18):
there's the.
The museum is a wonderful placeand there's so much potential
to support it and thatfoundation.
I'm enjoying working with them,showing them that people, once
they are aware and connected andare a part, they will support
that museum.
What's your favorite artifact atthe museum?
(37:40):
Oh goodness, I assume it hasartifacts.
I will throw myself right underthe bus.
Okay, not been in it, I'm alittle, but you've held some
events and I'm like realfrustrated I haven't been able
to go.
I the the one that I'm mostpartial to is there's a Rotary.
Oh, because you are a bigRotarian and past president,
right, yes, and our club wasstarted in 1917.
(38:04):
Okay, and so the Rotary Clubwas the chamber before the
chamber.
Oh, your specific club.
Oh, that's a big deal.
Yes, so we have an exhibit atthe museum talking about those
years and then honoring DickDaniel, who was the president of
the state.
Yes, and is that the award thatis given out every summer?
(38:25):
Now?
Okay, okay, yep, so I'm partialto that exhibit.
But, like there's an old jailcell, there's an old stagecoach,
it's a great place to take yourkids.
And what is it physically in?
Is this like a former?
It's an old building that'sbeen redone and it has a glass
brick wall, right, right, I canrecall.
Does the building holdsignificance?
(38:46):
I think it was like a cardealership, okay, but I think it
also had tractors too, becausesomebody talked about going
there to climb on their uncle'stractor, okay.
But then it was the MorningNews.
Oh, wow, the newspaper buildingOkay, so that's probably what a
lot of you will remember is theMorning News was on 2nd Street,
(39:09):
that is the Haley building, andnow it is a museum, and so you
just had an event a couple weeksago because of the new exhibit.
Yes, it's called Last Call.
Oh, that's cute, that'sfantastic.
Last Call, yeah, do you havemore planned for 24?
Yes, now, the museum websitehas a ton of activity.
(39:29):
The foundation is thefundraising site, right, and
they have their fundraiser inseptember.
Okay, and it is a tasting.
I was gonna say I feel like itwas a bourbon, or, yeah, it's
called something historicalspirits, something around an
apple uh-huh, last year wasapple blossom, okay, or apple
brandy apple brandy, yes, okay,it was the apple blossom
(39:51):
festival.
Okay, used to be in rogers.
This year it'll probably belike a bourbon, uh, whiskey,
we're not sure yet, but it's a.
It's called historical spirit.
So it'll be some sort of spirit, and does it take place in
october?
To kind of go with the spirit,like, um, spirit and spirit?
Well, I thought that I can'tremember, but it's in september.
(40:11):
Okay, I lied, I'm sorry Ishould know these't remember,
but it's in September.
Okay, I lied, I'm sorry Ishould know these, but it's in
September and it's really moreabout historical.
So we'll have a mixologist fromSiloam Springs Her name she
came last year.
Her name is Angela Bolt and shecomes up with the concoctions
and then tells the history oflike, like.
(40:31):
I'm hoping we're going to get awhole thing about prohibition
and what kinds.
Will the exhibits still bethere?
Yes, please, if it goes all theway to November, oh, ok,
fantastic, yeah, and it happensthere.
Are you getting?
No, it doesn't, it doesn't, itdoesn't, it doesn't.
We have because the foundationseparate from the museum.
We try to have our eventsseparate, but the preview party
(40:52):
was to kick off the and it wasin the museum.
It was in the museum, yes, andthere's not enough space for all
of it.
It's small.
So we're thinking about havingit at the farm, which is a new
venue.
It's a new venue Over there.
Another nonprofit you'reinvolved with?
Had an event there, yes, yes.
Where involved with?
(41:12):
Had an event there?
Yes, yes, yes.
Where, say, health foundation?
Yes, when we went with amission.
That'll be another podcast.
Maybe we should have a podcastwith just several members.
We all talk about that shit is.
That's another one of myfavorite things.
Yes, I do have a passion forthat, yeah.
And then one more passion isthe children's advocacy center.
You're on the boards in littlerock, yes, right, or yes, state,
yes.
Children's advocacy centers ofarkansas?
Okay, and I'm very the boardsin Little Rock, yes, right, yes,
state, yes, children's AdvocacyCenters of Arkansas, okay, and
(41:33):
I'm very passionate about that.
We have, we are so blessed innorthwest Arkansas.
We have two centers, one inWashington County, one in Benton
County, and both our dearfriends.
Elizabeth Shackelford is thenames director at Washington
County.
Natalie Tibbs is, uh, in BendCounty.
(41:53):
Yes, they're different names,but and I know we're in this
whole thing about collaborationand they are collaborating, they
do collaborate.
They all fall under theumbrella, but they're they both
right, yes, yes, they can'tmerge because the law
enforcement down there, the lawenforcement down there, the law
enforcement up here, there aretoo many kids, which is a sad
thing, but we need all hands ondeck there.
(42:16):
It's not a, it's not an ideathat they could just merge and
and be one.
Oh, that's good.
I never knew that we need bothlocations, because Washington
County deputies, benton Countydeputies, but also, but also
they serve like WashingtonCounty and a little south.
Benton County does west andnorth, so we need both centers.
(42:40):
But I look forward to the dayit's all gone I do too and you
don't sit on that board anymore,because it doesn't exist and
the awareness of it all has beenso such a uh, enlightening for
me, although heartbreaking.
But didn't you join it on awhim, kind of well, I ish, it
(43:01):
was, it's an interesting story.
I was just asked would youconsider it?
And I thought, well, yeah, I'm,I'm got this whole new thing, I
I should have time to be ableto go to Little Rock now.
And so I interviewed for theposition, the board position,
and, and the more I learned, themore I thought people need to
know such a complicated,heartbreaking, heart-wrenching,
(43:25):
terrible, awful, formal thing towhat these centers do is so
positive and so, so, so manyresources for so many families
and children who've been throughthe worst thing they could
possibly imagine to get to go toa place where the child isn't
(43:48):
put through anything extra thanthe trauma they've already gone
through.
One-stop shop.
One-stop shop, their interview,their exam, their therapy,
their recovery, their familiesare helped and served supplies,
that they might need, groceries,whatever.
It's all there at the centerand it's all and and made on a
(44:11):
child's level so they never feellike more intimidation.
Or, and the whole thing isbecause they used to go from the
police to the hospital and thestory then gets changed, or they
, they start thinking that maybethey shouldn't have said
anything, or this is the way.
And if more people understoodthat.
(44:31):
And the whole goal for thestate is to make sure that there
is a center 30 miles from everychild.
Oh, ok, yes, I was going tobring it back to that.
Like, you sit on it at a statelevel, and so the state level
operates differently than thelocal center, right?
So it's like it's called thestate chapter, differently than
(44:53):
the local centers, right, soit's like it's called the state
chapter.
And so we are the support, themothership, to help assist each
center in arkansas, um, withtheir, you know, trying to find
their funding, um, trying tolearn that.
We, there's, we try to helpthem with their fundraising or
teach them how to fundraise.
Um, do you know anyone that canhelp with that?
I do, okay, good, yeah.
(45:13):
And so I asked Clark, oh,another one of our friends,
clark Ellison with Mercy, butyes, so they're there for all
the legal stuff, bills, thelegislative stuff, all of that.
That's where the state chapteris so helpful to help with.
(45:35):
Have you witnessed any of thatstuff on the floor?
Not on the floor, okay, no, butthere have been a couple of
times we have all been at theready on our Zoom, waiting to
know who we need to email orwhat we need to say or who how
we you know, do we need to voteto do this?
Is this bad?
Or what do we need to tellpeople?
We've we've been.
The board members have been atthe ready with the main people
(45:58):
there on the floor.
And how many of you boardmembers are here in Northwest
Arkansas Right now?
We're working on this?
Okay, we've got me and ClarkEllison and Susan Hutchinson.
Okay, stephanie Morris, we'vegot four from up here right now,
which is not normally we want.
We don't want that many.
From one part, I'm like thatsounds like a big number for our
(46:19):
small corner.
Covid kind of messed up ourboard terms and we smoothed them
, and you know so, because welost Right.
But Susan and I roll off, uh,this summer.
Okay, because you've been on itfor a few years and I'm not
sure when, stephanie, but anywaywe're and we've got a
(46:42):
nominating meeting, yes, yes,because we need to figure out so
we can get, uh, some some newfaces from other parts of the
state.
Okay, that's got to bechallenging.
It is Because you're like, Idon't know anyone in Timbuktu
County, like I did get luckybecause Jonesboro is.
You know, that's where I wasborn and raised, so they needed
somebody with financial.
(47:03):
Oh, my friend, tammy, yes,she's a CPA in Jonesboro.
Okay, tammy, so Tammy, and nowwe get to see each other and
love fantastic and servetogether and that's been, that's
been so awesome.
Oh, so, every girl, my, my, oneof my best friends from high
school, and now we get to be onthe board together.
I love this just because she'sfull circle, full circle just
(47:25):
because of where she lives, justbecause of where she lives and
and the fact that the educationyes, cpa that one helps, yeah,
so I love this.
That's, that's my board serviceand in.
You know I'm passionate aboutafp.
We could go on and on about allthe things I'm passionate about
, but I know we could well, youhave, but I, learning to say no
(47:46):
is something that I've gottenbetter at still don't have it
mastered.
I don't have it mastered andI'm okay with that, because I've
gone from like I always say yes.
I don't want to say no topeople just hammering on me of
like you've got to say no, yougot to say no, and I'm like and
it yes.
(48:06):
But don't say no just for thesake of saying no, of like
everyone's telling me I need tosay no.
I am very proud to be a yesperson.
I do know my limits and I doshut down and my family does get
the repercussions of that, but,um, I want people to know they
can always come to me.
I want to be that open door andI want to hug you and I want to
(48:29):
try and solve the problems foryou and I want to be a yes, I
want to be that person thatknows the thing or can connect
you to the person, or I.
I have to be your doctor, yes,and I don't know why I do that,
but I do.
Yeah, I want to.
I'm not doing it on the ground.
I want to be the person thatsays when you, you have a
C-section, stand right on theway.
(48:51):
I want to be that person.
I am that person because youmade me that person, but I want
to be the dot connector.
I don't want to be the boots onthe ground doing the work at
the CAC, for example.
I don't have the mentalwherewithal to be able to do
that.
Another one of our dear friendswho will see soon, linda
Phillips with the Children'sShelter, when she makes me have
(49:12):
to have a meeting out there, Iam the crankiest human I'm like
I will raise money for you.
Don't make me come out here.
You all do amazing.
I'm just not a boot.
Everyone has another placeright.
I'm not a boots on the groundperson.
I'm a hugger and a dotconnector and I will find a way
to make you some money.
I'll try to make myself somemoney and you some money too.
Oh, we got to monetize itbecause without that, the bills
(49:34):
are not paid.
Exactly, allison, you were myfirst guest.
Thank you so much.
I could cry because this was soeasy, so easy, and I hope it
wasn't boring for everyone outthere.
The regret is that I didn'tknow we were going to be on
camera.
I heard podcasts so I worejeans, but you look cute.
But I wanted to look, you know,fresh and springy on this 40
(49:56):
degree day and we blend.
Yes, we do.
I mean I kind of am like a.
It's probably like a greenscreen for me, like I'm just a
bobbling head at this point, butthank you so much for saying
yes.
Thank you for saying yes, and Ihope I get to come back again.
You will absolutely get to comeback, or maybe I'll start my
own and you'll be my first guest.
(50:17):
How fun would that be.
I know some really great peopleat podcastvideoscom that can
help you.
So that's all we have for today, but thank you so much.
Remember, 3w stands for the who, what, where, and we are always
inspiring a culture of giving.
Hey everyone.
I'm Kasie Yokley.
I'm here with my dear friendtoday, Allison McElroy.
This is the inaugural 3Wpodcast, which Who What Where
for the .
So, yay, you guinea pigs outthere get to partake in this
today.
So we're very excited.
So welcome to my friend,allison.
Hello, I am so glad to be hereand be on the very first podcast
(00:29):
.
I know, when I was sittingaround trying to thank
everyone's bugged us for yearsto do this, and so I thought,
well, who should I ask?
We have all these clients, allthese amazing friends, but you
have to roll with yourcheerleaders first.
So I went to my cheerleader,yes, yes, and she's a fans
non-profit, so it's a win-win.
Obviously, it's a great fit.
So tell us about you.
Who are you?
(00:50):
I'm Allison McElroy.
You are and, uh, we have alwayshad an easy way of talking, so
this should go very it's gonnabe great.
I don't know if we'll stay ontopic highly unlikely, um, but
I'm Allison McElroy and I have anonprofit background.
I worked at Open Avenues foralmost 21 years a long time and
(01:11):
started their fundraisingfoundation development
department, and then, in 2015, Irealized that I needed to care
for my dad and so I needed us.
I wasn't going to be able tocontinue a traditional job and I
(01:31):
knew, but I did not know what Iwas going to do and I think
that should be a whole podcast.
Oh, absolutely like when yougrow up, when I want to do like,
I thought what am I going to do?
Because it wasn't like we couldjust decide to be a one income
family Money pays the bills.
But I had to make a choice thatthere was.
I knew that I was alreadystruggling, juggling all the
(01:53):
things which we're going to tapon, yes, and so I didn't know
like how, how I would then addmy dad and all his appointments
and getting him settled andfinding a place to live and
caretakers and all that stuff.
So I knew that it was probablytime.
I also knew which is a wholenother podcast that I was about
to turn.
I think, yes, I was about toturn 45.
(02:15):
Okay, okay, I'm way past that,okay, and I, I thought I've been
here for almost 20, 20 yearsand in in any job, that's a long
time.
Yes, yes, but in the nonprofitworld, it seemed at that time
everyone else was moving andjumping to better their career,
right, which there's nothingwrong with that Zero, but I kept
(02:39):
wanting to finish those goalsthere, and I was so passionate
about Open Avenue I still am.
The mission was important to meand I was so passionate about
Open Avenue I still am.
The mission was important to meand I had goals and we had
achieved so many of them, but Iwanted to achieve a couple more,
and so I think I kept staying.
And just something about youknow, something was whispering
(03:01):
at me Maybe it's time, maybeit's time.
And then my dad tells me Ithink I need to move to Rogers
and it was a sign.
And so there's a lot of topicswe could discuss with all that.
But my fundraising friendsthere's a handful of them that
said we know what you can do.
Your office has been an opendoor to all of this All the time
(03:26):
, 20 years.
Yes, why don't you just becomea consultant?
And then it'll be flexible withyour dad.
And I thought, oh, my goodness,I bet I could do this Because
you've already been doing it forso long.
And you know, do I knowanything about starting my own
business?
No, do I, any of us?
No, we don't.
Do I know any more?
Now, you know, in 2024?
(03:46):
I take the trash out, yeah, soI decided to give it a try and I
did do some interviews duringthat time because I honestly
went thinking that will be goodpractice to help me learn,
because I had been out of thatloop for 20 years.
Absolutely I don't know how tomake a resume.
(04:08):
So I think even going on thoseinterviews, I was in the back of
my head thinking this isn't,this is the right fit.
I think I do need to just do myown thing.
So in 2016, dad had gotten here, was settled.
2016, dad had gotten here, wassettled.
So in March of 2016, I just putthe shingle out there that said
(04:29):
the McElroy Group, here I am,and it was just me and my little
dog at the time and it justsort of took off, as you have
always been integrated in thecommunity.
So, yes, you had built in people.
I did, I did so.
Yes, I had built in people.
I did, I did and I can tell youthose same concepts of being a
fundraising development officerat an organization.
(04:52):
Same thing when you're awin-win, it's all about
relationships.
It's all about relationshipsand how you make people feel.
Yes, and I've always been ableto have enough, and in the lean
(05:14):
months I just thought we'll getthrough.
We'll somehow get through.
I will hug someone else and itwill all work out.
It'll all work out and it justanytime.
I got a little you know itwasn't.
You know blossoms and roses.
The whole time it's hard, butwhen there were some of those
lame months I thought it'll beokay, I'll get there, I'll
(05:36):
figure it out, yes, and so hereI am Still drugging.
I'm not at all.
And then it leads you to, um,the pretend work-life balance,
which is completely fake news.
But that's okay.
Yes, that's okay.
Still haven't figured that out.
No.
So, allison, you have two kids,I have.
You have two boys.
Uh-huh, I have two boys.
So I'm following in yourfootsteps and I'm gonna look at
(05:58):
the camera right now.
Okay, many of y'all don't know,but we have like a super funny
story about how we met.
So I met Allison at an event in08.
She was extremely pregnant,having her youngest like within
the next week or two.
Fast forward to like two yearslater, I'm ridiculously pregnant
, about to have my first.
(06:19):
And she says to me how are youhaving him?
And being the highly anxietyridden human that I am, I said
I'm having a C-section.
And what did you say to meright after that.
I said, and to all of youhaving a C-section out there, I
said to her I know this is goingto be weird and a little
(06:40):
personal, but as soon as you areallowed to stand all the way up
after your C-section A dearfriend, shelly Ball, gave me
that advice when I was havingCooper because it turned into a
C-section situation Wasn'tplanned but it turned into one
and she said if you are having aC-section, you stand all the
(07:03):
way up as soon as they tell youit's time to get up and walk
around.
Don't Don't Stand all the way upand it's going to hurt like
nobody's business, but you'vejust got to do it.
If you do that, you'll be ableto care for the baby and move
around the very next day.
And she was right.
It's so true.
(07:23):
It hurts like hell very nextday.
And she was right, it's so true.
And so it hurts like hell.
It is.
We're all baiting.
So I was getting all up in yourbusiness, you were.
I wanted you to know and I havetold everybody that has a
c-section and most, most of thepeople that have done it have
been.
It's about just like you say.
Thank you for telling me yes,barrett was born like the week
before thanksgiving, so I did itagain.
And the second time was harderbecause I knew was what was
about to happen.
The first time, yes, barrettwas born like the week before
(07:44):
Thanksgiving, so I did it again.
And the second time was harderbecause I knew what was about to
happen.
The first time I was like shesaid, stand still, but I was
able to Christmas shop the nextweek.
He was not even because I, oh,I totally beat my two weeks Like
what you can't drive for twoweeks, or whatever.
And I'm like, no, I got thingsto do Right, yeah, weeks of like
(08:05):
what you can't drive for twoweeks, or whatever.
And I'm like, uh, no, I gotthings to do right, yeah, and I
was like driving in a week.
They're like, what's wrong withyou?
And I'm like, oh, my friendAllison gave me really great
advice to like rip the crap outof my stomach and stand up.
So here I am, yeah, let's go.
Yeah.
So I mean, we, we've beenconnected with our two boys, yes
, and with our c-section story,you know, and non-profit and
non-profit.
So it was meant for us to betogether.
(08:26):
So tell me about your work-lifebalance, because you're a
business owner.
Yes, so that means you know wehave to pay the taxes, do pay
the secretary of state, that wedon't know.
We have to pay every now andthen, exactly, and the insurance
and take the trash out.
And oh, I've got to, like youknow, do payroll or love all my
clients like, but I'll.
I have a husband and I have afamily and I have one kid in
(08:48):
college, one kid at lsu and theother is in high school.
Is he a freshman?
Yes, okay, right, so that's mynew adventure next year.
Yeah, got a freshman and then asophomore at lsu and now still
an uber.
And the youngest one, yes, yes,yeah, which was this morning.
He overslept, of course, here,then it threw the whole morning
(09:10):
off, but on his own he does,he's really good at it.
Um, he, just, it was.
It was horrendous throughelementary school, okay, but
somewhere in middle school hebecame in control of that and he
had I will say he's mastered it.
Okay, today was an exception.
(09:30):
Okay, I'm going to have to fixthat.
But there was like thescreaming fits Uh-huh, we got to
get to school.
That all happened all throughReagan Elementary.
Okay, they'd see us pulling inon two wheels and I would still
be preaching she's on wheels,preaching with my white knuckle
why, if you just cannot?
We got to meet the traffic andthen somehow, when we got to
(09:52):
Oakdale, he just took control.
And maybe it was because he wasin basketball and he had things
Responsibilities yeah, okay, Ithink.
And so he really shifted.
Then, yes, and so he's reallygood.
And so, um, his alarm.
I don't know if he's growingused to it, but I think this
morning he neither one of usheard his alarm this morning.
(10:14):
Usually both of us do, but thethe other thing that's tricky is
my husband works for Walmartand so there's not as much
flexibility.
No, so as when my dad, my daddid pass away.
He passed away in 2022 and youhad Bill's farewell tour, and I
had Bill's farewell tour, whichis a whole other part.
I have a hundred ways tocelebrate.
We celebrate a life, um, but I,I think there was a part of me
(10:39):
that thought, well, should I getback into the back into a job,
or should I just keep doing theMcElroy group?
And I felt doing the McElroygroup, doing the McElroy group,
and I felt like the McElroygroup was that was your gift
from your dad?
Yeah, somewhat we didn't know.
Yeah, we didn't know, but itwas yeah, and the flexibility is
only helping me juggle theboys' schedules.
(11:03):
Does it make you a better wifeand a better mom?
I think it does.
I think where I fall, though,is the structure.
I think I'm like my youngestson.
He loves structure.
I do too.
I think that the flexibilitysometimes gets in my own way.
Does it make you lazy?
A little bit?
Not lazy you have a pretend dayoff as a business owner.
(11:28):
Do you ever really?
But you know what I mean, right, and I haven't figured out how
to do that yet and stick to it.
I scheduled them right, butthen I I feel like, oh well,
they, this is the only day theyhave me right.
Put it on the thing, yes, but Ithink it's um, how do I
describe it?
Like it's not lazy, it's likean organizer.
(11:50):
Misuse of time, time managementthat's such a bad way to say
that.
Like I get lost.
Classify my nap last week atthe end of spring break as a
misuse of time.
Yes, and I've gotten to where Itry to schedule a little nap.
I think it's because now I'm 53.
You can, and so sometimes Ithink I have to rest these
muscles, yes, in order to finish.
(12:12):
Okay, fair To the finish line.
So they're power naps, but theywork, do you think so?
I think I'm dreading it.
Two hours in a life.
When are we going to bed?
Is it time to retire for theevening?
But I think that's where I wishI could get better is the weeks
(12:32):
that I am structured and haveeverything laid out.
I am killing it, crushing it.
But you give me a two hourdowntime and I am like in the
pantry.
If I'm home, I'm in the pantry,uh-huh, if I'm, I'm in the
pantry, I'm scrolling the phoneoh, I should have done this post
.
And then I create some kind ofpost and try to post, and and
(12:53):
then I think, well, that wasn't,didn't even make sense compared
to what I was posting yesterday.
Right, all those things, right,um, so that's that's the thing.
It give me a little bit of adowntime, it doesn't.
And it's like, yes, and thenit's like I just lost two hours.
I was done if I had just laidthat out.
Or, yeah, that's where I wish Icould get stronger.
(13:16):
I don't want to be so scheduledthat I'm rigid.
I think I'm both.
Yes, but I I think, when Iactually map out and figure out
those two hours, even if I planto just zone for two hours, do
you feel like you're rushing?
Yeah, all the time, yes, always, always.
And then I think what are youdoing?
(13:39):
Because you're flexible, Idon't care, I've got deadlines,
the kids have places to be,everything is 40 minutes.
We live in a traffic cone.
I'm like I am just in my roadrage.
It is just out of control.
And we have a dear friend incommon, sister lisa, who used to
be with us at mercy yeah, um,and I was on my journey to
(14:02):
become catholic years ago and Iwas talking about having to go
to confession and she was like,oh, yeah, I had to do that.
And I was like you're a sister,what could you possibly need to
go to confession about?
Like you're like Jesus, thePope, monsignor Review, like we
got lineage, you're good.
She's like, oh, my road rage.
(14:24):
And I was like, oh my God, Ifeel so great about this
conversation Because you are an.
I love her, she is, she has it,she has road rage, and I felt
so connected.
I was like, oh, that's great, Idon't have road rage.
You know what I do, that we areall supposed to work on.
Ladies and gentlemen, we haveto, like I end up thinking, if I
(14:49):
just live five minutes early,oh for sure, this is as a me
problem.
Yes, why didn't I just do la,la, la and trying to work on
this School dismissal gets out alittle late.
I'm like, come on now, y'allsaid three, like I'm still in
car line 306.
Like let's bust a move.
And then I'm like that's it,that's a you problem.
And play, for playing sports isthe worst.
(15:10):
When he practices over at four,uh-huh, it's never four, it's
never four, and it's four thirdby your kids.
So you're like the last onesout of the law sitting in the
thing, because I think you knowit ends at four or ish.
I think coaches think ish, andthen the lollygagging and the
mine too are always the last.
But anyway, that's the balancething.
(15:32):
I don't know if it's ever 100%achievable, but the weeks that I
do well, it's because ofsomething I do better, and
that's I just.
Yes, I can see that and why.
I can't figure out how to dothat every week.
Is your husband a planner?
He is, he is For work, for work, oh, okay, I think for home.
(15:55):
He has to desensitize orrejuvenate.
So he doesn't do the like whenI'm convinced and I love my
husband dearly, I'd rather fightwith him any day than wake up
next to anyone else.
But he knows this.
I'm sorry I threw you under thebus.
It's like when he's done withwork, it's like he turns into a
(16:16):
toddler Go, no.
I'm like no, I have a plan,let's go.
He's like you're always at arush and I'm like dude, this is
the only way this boat floats.
Yeah, our boat floats, becausemy husband's introverted so he
doesn't want to go to all thethings.
I don't know if I've ever seenhim.
Yes, so I don't.
(16:37):
We decided a long time ago it'seasier on me if I can just go
Right, do on me.
If I can just go right, do mything and see my people, yes, so
, and then he's, you know, hesays I've had so much people,
let's try and people, people,that's me in December.
I'm people doubt, he's peopledoubt, and so he needs more that
uh, downtime.
So he, he doesn't turn into atoddler.
(16:59):
Now, if you give him a trip, hewill plan the trip in your life
.
Now he's being the most amazingto be a girl.
It's free.
Oh, that is where his.
I mean, he takes that, he hasone thing, he feels that and he
just turns it into magic.
Like I didn't plan at work?
Yes, didn't he a planner?
Yeah, he's in events.
Yes, yes, so like that's askill, especially for the
(17:23):
magnitude that Walmart house,yes, yes, so Wow, anyway, I
don't know, we're a good match,we're great partnership.
We're a good match.
We get a little, you know,cheesy sometimes, but like it's
okay.
We just we've been best friendssince college and so I think
(17:44):
that's that's where that Bigdeal.
We started out as friends.
We started as friends and I hadno idea he was the one.
Uh-huh, anyway, dwayne.
Dwayne is an awesome person andanyone will tell you he's the
one, he's introverted.
But if he ever is an event, youwould want to sit by Dwayne
because he's not going to saythe thing for the whole table or
the whole universe to hear,like his wife, yeah, he's going
(18:05):
to just say, and then thatlittle row that heard it will
die.
Yeah, they will.
All the sides will hurt, theywill laugh so hard.
Um, because probably shouldn'tsit next to you or me or even
Dwayne and not.
Sometimes he'll say it and I'llthink, oh, my, my gosh, and
then I'll repeat it.
(18:25):
He was like I did not dream youwere going to say it out loud.
Yeah, didn't need a mic moment.
I'm like that was so good.
Yes, we got to share it.
Yes, so he's very funny.
Does he critique events?
He does what I didn't realizefor sure, because I do, and I
(18:48):
don't know if it will ever years.
Um, we'll you know he'll saythings and I'll think I didn't
know you were being than that.
Oh for sure he is.
But then I remember that's yourjob.
Yes, so of course you'repainting.
Yes, yeah, oh, my gosh, haveyou been to events?
He's organized, used to?
Okay, they've changed things atwork.
So now outsiders, like I don'tneed to go to the meetings
(19:08):
anymore, but like used to thefamily, they come to Saturday
morning, really.
And so Were you so impressed?
I'm blown away and and share, Ido get to go to sharehold,
right, and I'm just blown away,like that's kind of cool, yeah,
but I mean it's okay.
And you used to play an event,yeah, right back in the day.
(19:29):
What was it?
Spring fling, spring flip.
Okay, did he um, give youadvice?
He did.
Did he did?
Did you like it?
Did you adhere to it.
Usually I did Okay, but thetimes it was frustrating, he
knew it was out of my hands.
Oh, okay, it was an event issue, a venue issue or a sound issue
(19:51):
.
So what I'm hearing is you'remore involved than me Because
I'm like I hear your advice, butyou're more involved than me
because I'm like I hear youradvice but you're not.
And yes, it's, yes, type acontrol yes, but you know, so
helpful, especially in the earlydays when he was in walmart
television, you know, figuringout ways to video shoes, and
that way he was more umtechnique in the technical part
(20:15):
of production, and so he wasable to give great ideas about
which way the video should go toshow the clients working and
all that.
So that's awesome.
But then, event wise, like youknow.
So he was like I will go, weknow the event for the next
thing, I'll go so we could seewhat the audio and equipment
should be.
Okay, yeah, well, that had tobe helpful with.
Should be.
(20:35):
Okay, yeah, well, that had tobe helpful with spring playing.
Yes, it was.
He would do the PowerPoints, hewould sit at the back and work
with the sound people when itwas at Embassy Suite, and once
that happened.
My life was a fairy'm so happyfor you as a fairy tale because
(20:56):
I didn't have to stress overthat.
He was in control and had itbecause he, you know, I love how
these things happened.
They're like little God winksalong the way.
Yes, yes, okay, tell me moreabout the McElroy Group, because
we did work like ballads and Ifeel like that is highly
interwoven.
Yes, it is, and especially withnonprofits, because that's
(21:18):
where my heart is and I think Iwas always going to be.
Did you know?
You loved that.
I knew that I always cared aboutpeople and my whole life, my
whole life, julie the cruisedirector, when the family, my
mom and dad, divorced From LoveBoat.
Yes, oh, I didn't know.
Yes, julie, I felt like I wassupposed to keep everyone
(21:39):
excited and happy, like, yes,mom and dad are getting a
divorce, but everything will beokay because we still have our
mom and dad.
Yeah, you know, or let's dothis at Christmas, it'll be
special, you know, because westill celebrated together.
Anyway, like I've always takenthat on to, just how to make
(22:00):
people feel is important to me,and I think it's because all the
years, especially middle school, I learned how I felt okay.
Um, when we went from a certainkind of car to a different kind
of card and how I was treated,and when everything shifted and
(22:21):
our status shifted.
When you, when your parents, gothrough a divorce, sometimes
things change, change, and Ithink it was like I had an aha
moment, like I see, there are,there are levels of things, and
I'm not in the level I used tobe in, even though I did.
It's why I understand it.
Yeah, that's a young age and Itold myself at that very moment
(22:43):
I won't be a person that evertreats anyone like they're in a
different category, and it wasall in back in the back of my
mind, but I have that it startedthen.
It's really young for that bigof a selection, yes, and so
there were people and I I thinkall my high school friends would
(23:05):
say that I didn't just run withone group.
I was.
We had a very small class, butI tried to.
I was friends with everybody,right, and which will lead to
some of our next discussionAbsolutely, but it's about how
you make people feel it is, andI just wanted them to never feel
some of the things I felt whenI caught on to oh, we don't
(23:32):
drive an Audi anymore.
Did you have those conversationswith the boys?
I have just like did you havethe hard conversation?
I have not had to have the hardconversations, but there's
something about boys uh, my twoespecially the looking people in
the eye, and I noticed whenpeople would greet them at it,
(23:53):
like when you're at a door, likeat child care, and you're
everybody's getting there forthe day and you're that we're
all rushing crazy.
I would notice there were somemoms that was you know, and they
would just be like that deer inthe headlights and then they're
so like I think I've mostlytalked to me, be sure, and look
people in the eye.
It's never, it's never a badidea to just smile at someone.
(24:16):
Never, uh, and always hold thedoor if you can.
Yes, um, it wasn't aboutchivalry.
It's like all these littlethings make people feel good and
you want them to feel like youacknowledge their presence.
You know, and you know Iprobably did it way to a fault.
They're boys.
(24:37):
I don't think I have to worryabout and going way over bored
on the over thinking that, but Ireally do try to make them like
acknowledge me.
I feel like go down.
I don't we don't have girlsright, but everyone says the
mean girl stigma which I get, Isee we've all seen it.
(24:58):
But I do feel like, while childrearing boys might be a smidge
easier in that sense I'm like,looked, my oldest just switched
from private to public this year, so we've navigated, seeing a
lot of different things andgroups and popular kids and not
popular, just all the thingsright.
(25:19):
And it's been very interestingto watch it because I grew up
with it, I was public my wholelife and so I've watched it just
develop and I'm like just justgo in and smile, yeah, just you
just don't know what you'regoing to be faced with, or or
who's going to say what.
There's been a lot of talk ofwho makes what, who's building
(25:41):
what and all these things at hisschool and I'm like and it's
highly irrelevant in eighthgrade just smile right to your
point.
So I do feel like even though Isay that I contradict her
myself but I do feel likerearing boys has been a smidge
easier than what I envisionedrearing girls in that same stage
and I do think God knew for methat probably I needed boys.
(26:06):
Oh, that's good.
No, him and I are going to havea big chat when I get on there,
of like I really wanted a girl,like I was given two beautiful,
healthy boys.
So thank you, and I, I think Iknew what he was doing, because
I don't think I had a.
I don't think I would have hada clue if I'd had a.
No, but, and I didn't know that,I didn't know that when I was
(26:27):
pregnant, I, just after I, mybest friend, had two girls and
my two of my best friends hadtwo girls.
And so I get here you are withthe boys.
Yes, I get to live out all that, okay, but but I think, seeing
what they were, they've gonethrough or things, the hindsight
.
But I'm telling you right now,I wanted to be in the trenches,
(26:49):
like I would still take like thebows and the bloomers and the
hair.
Yes, I really yes, and thatstill do, but that's okay, like
you know, I think I've told you,I know we've said this at one
of those early morning meetingswe probably had to be at.
Like Cooper's hair, I don'tthink I ever brushed it like I
did.
I let he went to school and noone cares, yes, and I learned to
(27:12):
not care.
Oh, I'm still working on that,but, yes, you tell me about that
.
Think about the mornings wewould have had to been braiding
the hair, but I know you'reright, and then we'd have to
redo it.
Yes, yeah, it's so like they'redressed and no, they didn't
even match today.
Oh, see, that stresses me out.
But see, I'm having to, like,attempt to let go, ish yeah, ish
(27:42):
yeah, because he's not in it.
The oldest isn't in a uniformanymore and I'm like, oh, why do
we think that matches?
He's like it's fine.
I'm like, but is it?
Yeah, I just, I've learned to,and both of mine do their own
laundry.
Oh, see again.
Yeah, no other by half.
Yeah, they're not there yet.
Obviously he doesn't likehimself.
So I, I'm clearly not.
Barrett has his laundry day,like he does his on Sundays, and
do we sort?
No, I just say, throw it all inthere, you're fine.
(28:05):
But again, this leads to yourwork life balance with the
McElroy group.
He got off that the McElroygroup.
So all the, all the McElroygroup does, it's just me, I'm
the group, I know, I love it.
Um, I just, but you have avillage behind you.
When I started at Open Avenues I, you know, didn't know one
(28:30):
thing about fundraising fornon-profits.
I didn't know anything aboutnon-profits.
I didn't know anything aboutreal grown-up adulting.
Oh sad.
I was just flying under Rogersnewlywed, thinking this is where
we're gonna live, this is great, and I don't know what I'm
gonna do.
It's all gonna work itself out.
It'll figure itself out Inrelationship.
I met the executive director ofOpen Avenue, who's through my
(28:53):
husband, and she wasn't thinkingme at all.
I wasn't, you know.
She said tell me where sheworked.
And we took a tour of it andshe was going to help us find
where we should live.
I was here for like a weekend.
We find a place from where.
Where were we coming out?
Jonesboro?
Okay, I can't believe I haven'tsaid jonesboro at Arkansas
(29:13):
State, red Wolves yet Wolves up.
Anyway.
She just like nonchalantly saysyou know, our organization is
thinking about hiring a personto be a cheerleader and do like
public relations and you knowfundraising and fundraisers and
(29:36):
awareness.
And I thought, huh, and shethought, yeah, I don't know how
this is going to go.
Anyway, fast forward, weddinghappens, I move here.
And I said is that stillhappening?
She said, said, yeah, they'rereally thinking about doing that
(29:57):
.
So I thought my palms with meright now, let's go.
This thing looks like me, eventhough I went to school to be a
radio, television or atelevision news anchor, which is
perfect for this.
Uh-huh, yeah, that's what Ireally wanted to do.
But that's what that's howduane and I met.
He was in his job, working hard, but to get there, I saw what
(30:21):
all he had to do and for anewlywed and a new fan, like a
new relationship, like that Ithought I can't be working
overnights for two dollars anhour or whatever, and then ships
that pass, you know him, go towork in them, and I just thought
I still think I can go thatroute right now, that's, and I
just moved here, I don't even,and so but I thought that sounds
(30:45):
like me and what a greatorganization like.
When I toured it and saw theseadults with different abilities
doing all these different thingsand I thought I hadn't even
thought of people that weredifferent from me, that weren't
going the same path, and whatthey, their families, would do
after high school.
And no, it didn't bother meuntil I took a tour.
(31:06):
So it just I was like this isthe most amazing organization
ever, so I knew I could be acheerleader for it.
So I started learning myself,started the Maguroy group
thinking if I could just help.
You know some organizationswith that shoestring budget.
We did not have a budget for myposition, nothing.
(31:28):
I sat every month and waited tosee if the board voted to keep
me or not.
That's how this was stressful.
This was 1995.
Only people that haddevelopment departments were
universities and hospitals.
Okay, that makes sense.
So the small organizationsaround here hadn't started that.
It was a mentor that that boardhad that said this is going to
(31:50):
be the wave of the future.
And if y'all want to be ahead,is that mentor still around?
He is, Okay, he is.
His name is Jeff Hutton.
Oh, I know that name, you do,Because Renee is his wife.
Yes, you're a single parent.
He told that board this is whatyou need to do, and he was my
mentor that first six months ora year telling me you need to do
(32:11):
this, you need to get an AFP,you need to get on committees at
the chamber, you need to be inRotary and you need to do this.
And he told them this is allgoing to cost money, but you
have to spend money to makemoney.
And so he just kept tellingthem to hang in there, and then
they had, I guess the majorityof the board said we need to
(32:33):
stick with it.
If we quit now, we're nevergoing to get back here.
So that's how that all gotstarted and I just I thought the
McElroy group can be, I can bethat person to say we had
nothing, yes, and there's here'slittle ways you can do it.
But the thing that I, withnothing, with nothing, like you
know, I would sit next to theUniversity of Arkansas at a
(32:54):
training and maybe that day Idefinitely needed every
educational session.
But if there was an educationalsession that I did not think
the title matched or whatever Iwent, I went to everything I was
supposed to go to.
Because when you get seatednext to a Sandy Edwards or a Joe
(33:22):
Ucolano from the university andyou get to say, yeah, we're
struggling with, and they said,oh goodness, yeah, we have a
marketing department.
But you could just, yes, andyou leave that day and think, oh
my goodness, and you go backand you figure it out.
You can do it.
No budget, no extra help it.
And I thought that's the beautyof going to everything.
So that's another lesson,ladies and gentlemen connection
(33:44):
if you don't ever stop learning,never stop learning if you
think the topic is not yourtopic.
Don't skip the thing.
Go to get to be by the people,and that's the same with rotary
or anything you're involved in.
Be completely plugged in.
Yes, so, um, I started it.
I help non-profits fromeverything from board training,
strategic planning, um,one-on-one coaching, which is my
(34:07):
favorite.
Well, uh, amazing on it,because you're just a
cheerleader, I just internallycut out all the hard stuff.
Yes, don't show me a strategicplan with pie charts.
Yes, great businesses makeeverything real hard.
How can you get this done andwhich day can you do it?
Yes, and is it a re?
Is it realistic or unrealistic?
Do we really need to circleback?
(34:29):
Yes, I think we do.
No, let's just handle it rightnow.
Let's just do it right now.
Yeah, is this a five year thingor a two-year thing?
If it's two-year, does it fitin 2027 or 2026?
I know right, I'm like I'venever been good at math.
What year?
It is never good being good atmath, but anyway, that's.
Macward group helps non-profitsand we try to do that.
(34:49):
We, I try to do that in themost, uh, cheerleading,
understanding way I can, uh, tohelp them see the full potential
and my, my biggest client rightnow, which I have matched up
with 3w, is the yeah, the rogershistorical museum foundation
and which?
Did you all know that there's amuseum in downtown rogers?
(35:11):
You probably did, but have youreally been, I don't know.
But now allison is likebringing them to the market.
I feel like they've been there.
Thanks, they've been there.
It is an award-winning,accredited museum in downtown
Rogers, the Rogers.
People know about it, but lotshas happened in Rogers, so if
(35:32):
you have not been to the museum,you've got to go.
And several years ago theyremodeled the Haley Building and
so there's just so much to see.
There's the Hawkins House, theKey Wing and the Haley Building,
all downtown Rogers by LasPalmas.
But they started a foundationwhich is completely separate, to
(35:53):
secure the future.
Honestly, the motto of thefoundation is to preserve the
past, support the present andsecure the future of the museum.
So, promote the past, no,preserve the past, promote the
future, okay, no, promote thepresent.
(36:14):
There's something in the middle.
Okay, promote the present,secure the future, okay.
No, promote the present in themiddle, okay, yeah, yeah,
promote the present, secure thefuture, uh huh, got it okay.
So it's like yeah, you just hadan event, yes, a couple weeks
ago.
There's a new exhibit and wejust had a kickoff party for
that and it's about alcohol inthe ozarks and you don't want to
miss it.
So it's about prohibition howthings got started in this area
(36:35):
like moonshine, whatever youwant to learn about history of
alcohol in prohibition howthings got started in this area
like moonshine, whatever youwant to learn about history of
alcohol in the Ozarks.
But you had to be a member.
Yeah, right to attend.
Yes, you did.
But a membership is only, ohyeah, $35.
That's $20 for an individual.
Oh, okay, like it's a deal, yes, and $30 for your family okay.
And then there's several otherlevels.
Definitely want to be a friendof the museum.
(36:58):
So that's my current clientright now, and here's the reason
I am loving working with them.
There is so much potential,like the museum is.
There are so many.
You have just like, totallychanged right now the last 30
seconds, like you're just beingme.
It's easier to talk aboutsomeone else yourself, yes, but
(37:18):
there's the.
The museum is a wonderful placeand there's so much potential
to support it and thatfoundation.
I'm enjoying working with them,showing them that people, once
they are aware and connected andare a part, they will support
that museum.
What's your favorite artifact atthe museum?
(37:40):
Oh goodness, I assume it hasartifacts.
I will throw myself right underthe bus.
Okay, not been in it, I'm alittle, but you've held some
events and I'm like realfrustrated I haven't been able
to go.
I the the one that I'm mostpartial to is there's a Rotary.
Oh, because you are a bigRotarian and past president,
right, yes, and our club wasstarted in 1917.
(38:04):
Okay, and so the Rotary Clubwas the chamber before the
chamber.
Oh, your specific club.
Oh, that's a big deal.
Yes, so we have an exhibit atthe museum talking about those
years and then honoring DickDaniel, who was the president of
the state.
Yes, and is that the award thatis given out every summer?
(38:25):
Now?
Okay, okay, yep, so I'm partialto that exhibit.
But, like there's an old jailcell, there's an old stagecoach,
it's a great place to take yourkids.
And what is it physically in?
Is this like a former?
It's an old building that'sbeen redone and it has a glass
brick wall, right, right, I canrecall.
Does the building holdsignificance?
(38:46):
I think it was like a cardealership, okay, but I think it
also had tractors too, becausesomebody talked about going
there to climb on their uncle'stractor, okay.
But then it was the MorningNews.
Oh, wow, the newspaper buildingOkay, so that's probably what a
lot of you will remember is theMorning News was on 2nd Street,
(39:09):
that is the Haley building, andnow it is a museum, and so you
just had an event a couple weeksago because of the new exhibit.
Yes, it's called Last Call.
Oh, that's cute, that'sfantastic.
Last Call, yeah, do you havemore planned for 24?
Yes, now, the museum websitehas a ton of activity.
(39:29):
The foundation is thefundraising site, right, and
they have their fundraiser inseptember.
Okay, and it is a tasting.
I was gonna say I feel like itwas a bourbon, or, yeah, it's
called something historicalspirits, something around an
apple uh-huh, last year wasapple blossom, okay, or apple
brandy apple brandy, yes, okay,it was the apple blossom
(39:51):
festival.
Okay, used to be in rogers.
This year it'll probably belike a bourbon, uh, whiskey,
we're not sure yet, but it's a.
It's called historical spirit.
So it'll be some sort of spirit, and does it take place in
october?
To kind of go with the spirit,like, um, spirit and spirit?
Well, I thought that I can'tremember, but it's in september.
(40:11):
Okay, I lied, I'm sorry Ishould know these't remember,
but it's in September.
Okay, I lied, I'm sorry Ishould know these, but it's in
September and it's really moreabout historical.
So we'll have a mixologist fromSiloam Springs Her name she
came last year.
Her name is Angela Bolt and shecomes up with the concoctions
and then tells the history oflike, like.
(40:31):
I'm hoping we're going to get awhole thing about prohibition
and what kinds.
Will the exhibits still bethere?
Yes, please, if it goes all theway to November, oh, ok,
fantastic, yeah, and it happensthere.
Are you getting?
No, it doesn't, it doesn't, itdoesn't, it doesn't.
We have because the foundationseparate from the museum.
We try to have our eventsseparate, but the preview party
(40:52):
was to kick off the and it wasin the museum.
It was in the museum, yes, andthere's not enough space for all
of it.
It's small.
So we're thinking about havingit at the farm, which is a new
venue.
It's a new venue Over there.
Another nonprofit you'reinvolved with?
Had an event there, yes, yes.
Where involved with?
(41:12):
Had an event there?
Yes, yes, yes.
Where, say, health foundation?
Yes, when we went with amission.
That'll be another podcast.
Maybe we should have a podcastwith just several members.
We all talk about that shit is.
That's another one of myfavorite things.
Yes, I do have a passion forthat, yeah.
And then one more passion isthe children's advocacy center.
You're on the boards in littlerock, yes, right, or yes, state,
yes.
Children's advocacy centers ofarkansas?
Okay, and I'm very the boardsin Little Rock, yes, right, yes,
state, yes, children's AdvocacyCenters of Arkansas, okay, and
(41:33):
I'm very passionate about that.
We have, we are so blessed innorthwest Arkansas.
We have two centers, one inWashington County, one in Benton
County, and both our dearfriends.
Elizabeth Shackelford is thenames director at Washington
County.
Natalie Tibbs is, uh, in BendCounty.
(41:53):
Yes, they're different names,but and I know we're in this
whole thing about collaborationand they are collaborating, they
do collaborate.
They all fall under theumbrella, but they're they both
right, yes, yes, they can'tmerge because the law
enforcement down there, the lawenforcement down there, the law
enforcement up here, there aretoo many kids, which is a sad
thing, but we need all hands ondeck there.
(42:16):
It's not a, it's not an ideathat they could just merge and
and be one.
Oh, that's good.
I never knew that we need bothlocations, because Washington
County deputies, benton Countydeputies, but also, but also
they serve like WashingtonCounty and a little south.
Benton County does west andnorth, so we need both centers.
(42:40):
But I look forward to the dayit's all gone I do too and you
don't sit on that board anymore,because it doesn't exist and
the awareness of it all has beenso such a uh, enlightening for
me, although heartbreaking.
But didn't you join it on awhim, kind of well, I ish, it
(43:01):
was, it's an interesting story.
I was just asked would youconsider it?
And I thought, well, yeah, I'm,I'm got this whole new thing, I
I should have time to be ableto go to Little Rock now.
And so I interviewed for theposition, the board position,
and, and the more I learned, themore I thought people need to
know such a complicated,heartbreaking, heart-wrenching,
(43:25):
terrible, awful, formal thing towhat these centers do is so
positive and so, so, so manyresources for so many families
and children who've been throughthe worst thing they could
possibly imagine to get to go toa place where the child isn't
(43:48):
put through anything extra thanthe trauma they've already gone
through.
One-stop shop.
One-stop shop, their interview,their exam, their therapy,
their recovery, their familiesare helped and served supplies,
that they might need, groceries,whatever.
It's all there at the centerand it's all and and made on a
(44:11):
child's level so they never feellike more intimidation.
Or, and the whole thing isbecause they used to go from the
police to the hospital and thestory then gets changed, or they
, they start thinking that maybethey shouldn't have said
anything, or this is the way.
And if more people understoodthat.
(44:31):
And the whole goal for thestate is to make sure that there
is a center 30 miles from everychild.
Oh, ok, yes, I was going tobring it back to that.
Like, you sit on it at a statelevel, and so the state level
operates differently than thelocal center, right?
So it's like it's called thestate chapter, differently than
(44:53):
the local centers, right, soit's like it's called the state
chapter.
And so we are the support, themothership, to help assist each
center in arkansas, um, withtheir, you know, trying to find
their funding, um, trying tolearn that.
We, there's, we try to helpthem with their fundraising or
teach them how to fundraise.
Um, do you know anyone that canhelp with that?
I do, okay, good, yeah.
(45:13):
And so I asked Clark, oh,another one of our friends,
clark Ellison with Mercy, butyes, so they're there for all
the legal stuff, bills, thelegislative stuff, all of that.
That's where the state chapteris so helpful to help with.
(45:35):
Have you witnessed any of thatstuff on the floor?
Not on the floor, okay, no, butthere have been a couple of
times we have all been at theready on our Zoom, waiting to
know who we need to email orwhat we need to say or who how
we you know, do we need to voteto do this?
Is this bad?
Or what do we need to tellpeople?
We've we've been.
The board members have been atthe ready with the main people
(45:58):
there on the floor.
And how many of you boardmembers are here in Northwest
Arkansas Right now?
We're working on this?
Okay, we've got me and ClarkEllison and Susan Hutchinson.
Okay, stephanie Morris, we'vegot four from up here right now,
which is not normally we want.
We don't want that many.
From one part, I'm like thatsounds like a big number for our
(46:19):
small corner.
Covid kind of messed up ourboard terms and we smoothed them
, and you know so, because welost Right.
But Susan and I roll off, uh,this summer.
Okay, because you've been on itfor a few years and I'm not
sure when, stephanie, but anywaywe're and we've got a
(46:42):
nominating meeting, yes, yes,because we need to figure out so
we can get, uh, some some newfaces from other parts of the
state.
Okay, that's got to bechallenging.
It is Because you're like, Idon't know anyone in Timbuktu
County, like I did get luckybecause Jonesboro is.
You know, that's where I wasborn and raised, so they needed
somebody with financial.
(47:03):
Oh, my friend, tammy, yes,she's a CPA in Jonesboro.
Okay, tammy, so Tammy, and nowwe get to see each other and
love fantastic and servetogether and that's been, that's
been so awesome.
Oh, so, every girl, my, my, oneof my best friends from high
school, and now we get to be onthe board together.
I love this just because she'sfull circle, full circle just
(47:25):
because of where she lives, justbecause of where she lives and
and the fact that the educationyes, cpa that one helps, yeah,
so I love this.
That's, that's my board serviceand in.
You know I'm passionate aboutafp.
We could go on and on about allthe things I'm passionate about
, but I know we could well, youhave, but I, learning to say no
(47:46):
is something that I've gottenbetter at still don't have it
mastered.
I don't have it mastered andI'm okay with that, because I've
gone from like I always say yes.
I don't want to say no topeople just hammering on me of
like you've got to say no, yougot to say no, and I'm like and
it yes.
(48:06):
But don't say no just for thesake of saying no, of like
everyone's telling me I need tosay no.
I am very proud to be a yesperson.
I do know my limits and I doshut down and my family does get
the repercussions of that, but,um, I want people to know they
can always come to me.
I want to be that open door andI want to hug you and I want to
(48:29):
try and solve the problems foryou and I want to be a yes, I
want to be that person thatknows the thing or can connect
you to the person, or I.
I have to be your doctor, yes,and I don't know why I do that,
but I do.
Yeah, I want to.
I'm not doing it on the ground.
I want to be the person thatsays when you, you have a
C-section, stand right on theway.
(48:51):
I want to be that person.
I am that person because youmade me that person, but I want
to be the dot connector.
I don't want to be the boots onthe ground doing the work at
the CAC, for example.
I don't have the mentalwherewithal to be able to do
that.
Another one of our dear friendswho will see soon, linda
Phillips with the Children'sShelter, when she makes me have
(49:12):
to have a meeting out there, Iam the crankiest human I'm like
I will raise money for you.
Don't make me come out here.
You all do amazing.
I'm just not a boot.
Everyone has another placeright.
I'm not a boots on the groundperson.
I'm a hugger and a dotconnector and I will find a way
to make you some money.
I'll try to make myself somemoney and you some money too.
Oh, we got to monetize itbecause without that, the bills
(49:34):
are not paid.
Exactly, allison, you were myfirst guest.
Thank you so much.
I could cry because this was soeasy, so easy, and I hope it
wasn't boring for everyone outthere.
The regret is that I didn'tknow we were going to be on
camera.
I heard podcasts so I worejeans, but you look cute.
But I wanted to look, you know,fresh and springy on this 40
(49:56):
degree day and we blend.
Yes, we do.
I mean I kind of am like a.
It's probably like a greenscreen for me, like I'm just a
bobbling head at this point, butthank you so much for saying
yes.
Thank you for saying yes, and Ihope I get to come back again.
You will absolutely get to comeback, or maybe I'll start my
own and you'll be my first guest.
(50:17):
How fun would that be.
I know some really great peopleat podcastvideoscom that can
help you.
So that's all we have for today, but thank you so much.
Remember, 3w stands for the who, what, where, and we are always
inspiring a culture of giving.
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