September 12, 2025 • 42 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to the Roy West Show here on News
Talk five sixty k l V, folks, and I have
Terry and Lee Potter on the show, and they own
American Air Systems and certainly make your life more comfortable.
And we'll talk a little bit about that as well,
because certainly in the summer months, heating and cooling systems
(00:27):
get strained, and we certainly have harder summers. But and
I want to save time to it, but we got
Go for the Bell coming up, which this is going
to be the second one. Correct, Yes, yes, it is
well September twentieth, so it is right around the corner,
and I've got it on my calendar, I know, but
(00:49):
I still have to look when I'm talking, and so
tell people about what goh for the Bell is because
this is quite an undertaking and this is a local organ.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So yeah, so thanks Roy again, First, thanks for letting
us use your platform here to get this out. Go
for the Bill is a five oh one three c
We are a fundraising group for pediatric cancer families here
in southeast Texas. And what that means is this by
(01:24):
our charter and our bylaws and how we have it
set up, we can raise money to help not only
those that are affected by the pediatric cancer, but they're families.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
They can petition.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Through our website and ask for funds and you know,
help and things like that. And it doesn't necessarily have
to be to the person who has cancer. It could
be to a sibling who because all the Reach horses
go to the kid with cancer, they want to play
(02:05):
in a soccer deal.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
We have that availability. We can do that.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
That are our braces, or we need to help the
family get back and forth to Houston for a month
or something.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
You know, it just we have we We're not super specific,
but we are. We have a very tight window that
we stay in. But we can help a lot of
different ways well.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
And you know, it's oftentimes when you when you hear
about things, you you obviously think of the patient, especially
if you know them when it's a kid that but
a cancer diagnosis for a family certainly affects everybody, and
uh and and helping that family have as much normalcy
(02:54):
as possible during a difficult and chaotic time. It seems
to be the direction. And since it's local, the people
that are participating, their money stayed right here helping people
in there in our own backyard.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
That's right, yep. It stays in our local counties. And
this year we're excited. We've added what we're calling it's
a wagon. And we do have a family that is
on our committee this year that has personal Their son
Gray had cancer when he was younger and you know
(03:36):
he is in remission, but they were gifted a wagon
that basically you only have an hour or so to
get to the hospital when there's fever spikes. So this
wagon is ready to go with all their essentials. And
so this year we've added that to the ball. You
can sponsor a wagon for five hundred dollars and it
(03:59):
has all kinds of stuff in it, from essentials to
we we've added a tablet and when when they're feeling
good they have their NERF gun wars they it comes
equipped with there with a NERF gun. But yeah, I
didn't realize how much time just speaking with Holly and
(04:20):
Dustin Gallier, when the kids are at the hospital, they
spend a lot of time in that wagon. They sleep
in the wagon, they go from treatment to treatment in
their wagon. So we added that this year as part
of the fundraising. Fundraising night, so we're excited about that.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
That is awesome and I know, uh, let's let's talk
a little bit about that night and so that people
can know. And also y'all are gonna y'all accept donations
outside of this event as well.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
No, not at all, Yeah, of course we do.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah, the website's very easier friendly.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
If you're not able to come the night of the ball,
there is definitely.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
A place on the website so you can donate. We've
had several generous donations again this year for people who
cannot attend. The live auction lineup is phenomenal this year.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yeah, you know, there's going to.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Be some furry friends. We've got a couple of hunts.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
We've got a great fishing trip to Alaska, a great
trip to a boutique resort in Costa Rica, Costa Rica. Yeah,
a very nice beach house, some great outdoor patio furniture.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
So we've got quite the lineup.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. Again.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Our auction is a little different than everybody else's. We
have two special prize fighters this year we'll be talking
about when they get closed that are going to help
us pump up the crowd. We have our championship belts
for a couple of our auction items that will go
with the win center of that auction. We'll get these
championship belts. And remember, we're fighting like kids, because kids
(06:06):
fight like kids, and we've got to be there for
him because they can't fight alone.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
And that's kind of our motto and that's kind of
what we do. But I will tell you this Love
auction is stacked.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Well, and going to the website, people can certainly get
a lot of information and our tables and seating still available.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Barely, that's exactly my way.
Speaker 5 (06:30):
We probably have less than fifteen tables left.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Maybe actually I think it's I think it's actually less
than that, and so we were probably looking at a
drop dead date here next week for tables and then
once they're gone, they're gone. And as much as we
would want to shove them in there, you know, see
a Beaumont, I'm not going to speak for them, but
they tend to have rules.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, the Civic Center, which is where it's at, have
a capacity. It does, and so which is it's nice
when you're hitting the top of that capacity because it
reflects how y'all are embraced by the community. And again
this is uh, this is only the second year of
(07:16):
Go for the Bill, the the gala, and you know,
tell people a little bit about this is this is
very people are gonna see their neighbors and it's also
pretty relaxed, if you will, right.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Well, So one of the things, one of the bigger
questions that we have is, you know, for us men
is what do we wear? And the attire is bling
and jeans. So one of the other things is Peter,
that pediatric color is for children is gold, so gold
(07:55):
wear some jeans, wear a fancy shirt or blouse or
something like that.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
It is very relaxed. It is a lot of fun.
And I meant, if you're gonna.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Think about it that way, you're gonna start off with
the Jamie Talbot band leading us off.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
And then this year, yeah, Tracy Bird is our headliner
this year.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
How about that local boy gonna be playing for us.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
That's incredible and I know that'll certainly help bring people
out that may be unfamiliar with the organization. But this organization,
you know, uh makes a big impact in families, lives
and kids of families because obviously kids aren't able to
worry about the finances and how you know how fans
(08:41):
affect the family, but certainly parents can. And so if
you have whether it's a family member, whether it's a
church member, whether it's a community member, neighbor that you
know that they run into these, how would people go
about uh seek and you know help for them?
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Well, the application is on our website. If you go
to the website, will take you. I'll ask you at
the top you want to make application, You click on
that button. It takes you all the way to the
end and you fill out the application right there on
the website. And from the website it goes to our
(09:23):
board and there's a process with the board.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
And so in that process, in terms of timing, is
there usually a quick I mean, I know this is
all volunteer base, so I'm not trying to put you
all on the spot. No, No, it is.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
It is fairly quick because we realize that at the
point that the families are requesting the funds, they're at
that point where.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
They need the money.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
They've waited and waited as long as they possibly could,
and you know, people hate to ask, so at the
point that they're asking, it's probably becoming desperate.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Almost too late.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, and that's one of the things again we all
know about Southeast Texas is people's pride and all of this.
But what they've got to understand is we are here
to help. It's not it's not a knock on them,
it's not anything.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Man.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
We just we hate this cancer. I'll leave it clean,
but we hate it. We hate it. We hate it.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
And what we're hoping that we're able to provide some
comfort where some of the other groups out there are
doing the research.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
So that's what we're trying to do.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And are y'all able to track how many families y'all
been able to help in.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
This Yes, where they're very good about tracking.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
And like I said, with Lee and I we sit
on the board and we're part of the tracking process, and.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
I just you know, we don't want to fail to
mention that the founders of this nonprofit is Ronnie and
Kirk Gillespie.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
You know, we were happy to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Glad that yeah, their dream, we get to live in
their reality. And there's a whole lot of people are
going to be in a lot better position because of
them too.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, go for the bill and uh, that is a
four number for so that I get that right. And
I want to remind people too, American Air Systems what
y'all's contact. We're about out of time, So y'all are
always given to the community. When people have air conditioner
heating needs, how do they get in touch with y'all
(11:34):
easiest way?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Four oh nine eight four to two twenty four zero two.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Well, Terry and Lee Potter. American Air Systems, thank y'all
for always being involved and giving back to the community.
And Go for the Bill is such a wonderful charity
that serves right here in Southeast Texas. So thank you
both for taking the time to be on the show today.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Thank thank you man. It's all thank you brother.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
All right, talk to y'all soon.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Let them.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Good afternoon, Southeast Texas. You're listening to the Roy West
Show here on News Talk five sixty KLV. And you
can always catch us anytime on the free iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast and Android podcast. But here's here every Sunday
noon to one on News Talk five sixty KLB. And
(12:27):
I have Gene Theodori with me and he is associate
provost at Lamar University and he's also which is a
new title I believe the rodeo team coach and Lamar's
got a rodeo team now and there's a big event
coming up right around.
Speaker 7 (12:47):
The corner there is September twentieth.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Well, so let's talk about this. First of all, most
people know where Gladys City is, which is right there
on Highway sixty nine. It's got the old Derek there,
it's the old old city. It's been rebuilt. And across
from that there's a big empty field and y'all got
(13:14):
plans for both those that that Saturday, September twentieth.
Speaker 7 (13:21):
Yeah, So on the museum grounds there on that side,
we will have a car show, we will have a
kid zone area with a mechanical bull and some bouncy
houses and petting zoo. We will have food trucks on
that side and some bars on that side. And then
(13:47):
in the open field there right across the road there,
we will have professional bull riding at five o'clock and
so we will be setting up in AA with the
bucking shoots, all the panels. We'll haul in some bleachers
and have a full fledged bull riding arena with mutton
(14:13):
busting for the five year old to seven year olds.
We'll run the mutton busting at four o'clock and then
the professional bull riding at five o'clock, and then afterwards,
back on the museum grounds, we will have the local
band running on credit for a performance from say seven
(14:34):
point thirty to maybe ten o'clock.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Well, this is an incredible time and being a Lamar graduate,
I've just got to give a shout out that, you know,
Lamar has continued to think outside the box and having
a rodeo team is just super cool. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:56):
Yeah. And then so the first collegiate rodeo for our
students will be the next weekend September twenty sixth and
twenty seventh, and that will be that first rodeo is
at Pinola College.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
And we will y'all host a rodeo at Lamar this season.
Speaker 7 (15:17):
Not this season, no, but there's a possibility we may
be able to host a rodeo next year. I've been
working with some you know folks in the area who
do have covered arenas and you know, have rodeo ready arenas,
and if we need to get into the mix next year,
(15:37):
we will. But we have you know, ten schools within
the Southern region that holds the rodeos. Five in the
fall semester and five in the spring semester. But if
we need to get into that mix, we will.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Well and let's talk a little bit that about uh
the rodeo. So y'all are able to put on a team.
How did y'all recruit a team?
Speaker 7 (16:07):
Well, we're building the team. Let me let me there,
I don't want to uh you know there that we're
building the team. And so right now we have a
few girls who barrel race, and we will have barrel
racers competing, uh, you know as part of the Lamar
University Rodeo team. I will be working this year to
(16:28):
uh continue to build the team and that will be
you know, recruiting both men and women to come here
to Lamar to compete uh in all of the events,
uh you know on the on the women's side, we
have the barrel racing and the breakaway roping and the
goat tying. And then on the men's side at the
college level, we have all the roughstock events, the bronc riding,
(16:50):
the bareback bronc riding, and the bull riding, plus the
timed events the calf roping and the steer steer roping.
And I'm sorry, the steer sling and the team roping
on the men's side.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
And how did you end up being the coach because
you certainly have your schedule full as associate professor provost.
Speaker 7 (17:14):
Too, that is true, But I do have a background
in rodeo, and specifically in collegiate rodeo. I was an
assistant coach at Texas A and M University for many
years while I was on a faculty over in College Station.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Well, this is going to be a fun event, and
it's a great time for and it's an all day
event because it starts at noon and it's going to
end up going till about ten o'clock that evening.
Speaker 7 (17:44):
It will and we do have slots available for the
mutt and busting. So if you're a parent out there
and you want to enter your child five year old
to seven year old, you can go to the website
Lamar dot edu slash Rodeo, and when you go there
(18:06):
you will find the link to well to buy the
admission tickets, but also to register for the mutton busting.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Well, and there are tickets available, and there is registration
for the mutton busting. And I'm assuming the twelve to five.
Do you need a ticket for that aspect of it.
Speaker 7 (18:31):
One ticket gets you into everything, Okay, ten dollar admission.
We'll get you into the car show and the food
trucks and the mutton busting, the bull riding, and the
concert afterwards.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
And it will also.
Speaker 7 (18:45):
Get you into the educational event that the Center for
Resiliency is hosting that day. We failed to mention that earlier,
but the Center for Resiliency will be working with you know,
stakeholders and the general public too. Write gat folks on
the community level work that they do well.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
And I actually had Theresa robertson from there on the
radio show a couple of weeks ago them promoting it.
Because the Center for Resilience is something really cool for
Beaumont to have through Lamar University, and they partner with
a lot of agencies and businesses. And because clearly being
(19:33):
in an area that can have storms and floods and
other things, how quickly we come back, not just as people,
but also as an economy because it's so important to
the rest of the country as well as parts of
the world. So there is always a lot going on,
and this is being all integrated together. And I just
(19:55):
thought I applaud all and U and I see that
LAMAR students and l I T students get in free
with a valid IV.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
That's correct.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Well, this is this is going to be an exciting
time and it is this it'll be this coming Saturday,
because we're recording it a little bit early, gene So,
but it's Saturday the twentieth, and it starts as early
as noon if you want to get there for to
(20:29):
go through the community Resiliency showcase or the car show.
There's going to be live music and certainly food trucks
and the kids zone, and then at three to four
rodeo games, and then four to five is mutton busting,
which is always a good time, and then professional bull
riding five to seven point thirty. And for you know,
(20:53):
we do have in the spring of rodeo here with
the YMBL, so I'll think they usually get a pretty
good crowd. So I'm thinking this is going to be
quite an attraction for people here in Southeast Texas because
otherwise you have to go, you know, quite a way
in Houston, and this is right here in our own backyard.
(21:15):
And then you got live music that night, and you're
providing things for the student population, which is you know what,
fourteen thousand or so at Lamar.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Absolutely, it's going to be a great event and we
look forward to seeing members from the community come out
and support this event. And the Lamar University Radio team.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Well absolutely and Jean Theodori, who is an associate provost
at Lamar University, but also the rodeo team coach and
that's you need to get you some rodeo team apparel.
I'm looking forward to seeing that. Well, Gene, thank you
so much for being on the show today. Thank you
for having me for sure, absolutely all right, talk to
(22:02):
you soon. Thanks Billet, Bye b We are back with
the Roy West Show here on News Talk five sixty
k LV. Folks. We love to talk about what's happened
in the community and particularly organizations that are given back
and bringing people together. And I have April with me
(22:24):
with Saint Mark's Chili, and this is an annual event, April,
Let's talk about it.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
Yeah, absolutely, so annual event for Saint Mark's. I think
one of the most important things to say is our motto.
We definitely lead by that serving christ community in Chile.
This event, not a lot of people realize, Yes, you
get to enjoy a bowl of chili and all the
sides that go with it, but more importantly, you are
(22:51):
truly helping our community. Last year, between the Chili Supper
and the Treasure House, which is another one of Saint
Mark's fundraise, we were able to award seventy seven thousand
dollars in grants, which is just amazing when you really
think about.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
It, well, and that all that money stays right here
in the community.
Speaker 8 (23:11):
Hunt it does.
Speaker 6 (23:12):
It all stays right here. Some of the more popular
outreach partners you may have heard of, nutrition and services
for seniors. You might have heard that called meals on Wheels,
We've done just about every year we're able to help them.
The Samaritan Counseling Center some other place, which is such
an important ministry here in Beaumont, COASA. I think everybody
(23:33):
knows about COSA, the United Boards of Missions, the Rape
and Suicide Crisis Center Southeast Texas, just so very many
organizations that I feel like it's an even more important
time than ever as funding gets cut for them to
be able to reach out to us and for us
to continue helping, and every bit of the proceeds for
(23:54):
every bit of chili that sold, spice packets whether the
chili is frozen, whether it's served a of whether it
is the spicy Tuesdays. It all goes straight back into
the community.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Well, and y'all have a fabulous website while we're talking
about this, St Mark's Chili dot Com and on there
it even it lists, you know, all the recipients of
the grants. Yeah, and even has a picture and shows
them out, which is super cool. But so this ues
(24:27):
and I really don't know when it expanded, but it
certainly has expanded because Chili Supper is Thursday, November thirteenth,
which is a way is off yet, but people can
start participating a lot sooner than that.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Yes, absolutely, so we just completed our second Every Tuesday
we cook, the cooks start at about six o'clock in
the morning. They start getting there about five thirty, which
is a crazy early time to start cooking chili. But
it's all volunteers and they start cooking every week for
ten weeks, ten tuesdays in a row. They start browning meat,
(25:04):
doing the onions, everything that goes into it. Every week
we make about two hundred and eighty pints and one
hundred and ninety quarts of chili that gets frozen, So
the next question usually is where do you put all
that chili. We have a lot of freezers, so it
is definitely all frozen. Then towards the end we'll start
putting it in pans so we have it ready for
(25:25):
the day of chili supper. But we are very very
excited to go ahead and start selling that frozen chili now.
So from now until November you can definitely start enjoying
Saint Mark's chili. And also we will have Spicy Tuesdays,
which is something new we started doing in the past
couple of years.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
It's just a name.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
The chili is not spicy, it's the same chili we
always make, but you get it fresh, so it's ready
from that cook that day.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
So what you can.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Do is go on our website and order, place your order,
and then on that Tuesday you can go pick it
up by ten o'clock that Tuesday morning, that's the cutoff
for that day cooking session, and then between eleven and
twelve you pick it up there at the church office
at six eighty calder in downtown and you're gonna get
enough chili, cheese, onions, jalapenos, friedos.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
All that stuff you need.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
You're gonna get enough to feed sixteen up to sixteen
people and it's one hundred dollars, which is that's amazing.
So if you have a family of four, four meals
for one hundred dollars is really hard to do these days.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Absolutely it is. And it's another way. And this is
such a large commitment by so many people. Do you
have a head count of how many people volunteer for
the Saint mark.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
Chili It's it's amazing, it really That's probably part of
what really helped me join Saint Mark's. And the Chili
Supper is near and dear to my heart, I personally
see all of the wonderful things that comes out of
the Chili Supper.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
But we we serve.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
We've served upwards of one thousand people every year, and
that's just you know, just the meal, the day of
lunch and to goes takeout is huge day of that's
not even counting all the frozen that we sell. And
we have people who come and fill up cooler after
cooler after cooler to either freeze or give out as
gifts or send out to people who moved away from
(27:20):
here that absolutely have to have it. We have the
spice packs as well that we sell that way. If
you are interested in maybe using ground turkey, or maybe
you have your own little bit that you want to
add to it, or you want to cook it a
certain way, you're definitely able to do that as well.
We have spice packs for sale for five dollars. Some
people buy those and actually mail those as gifts as well.
(27:45):
But we'll have the frozen chili online sixteen dollars for
re court eight for a pint, and then here shortly
if they're not on there already, we'll start having tickets
for sale for the day of It'll be twenty for
an adult, ten for a child, and in person if
you stay and eat so dine in that is all
you can eat chili. So we truly want you to
(28:06):
come be our guest. If you haven't been before, you
come in, you turning your ticket and then you are
going to go through the line and get your first bowl,
fix it how you like it, and then you are
going to sit down and be.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
Served from that point on.
Speaker 6 (28:20):
And I don't know that there's a lot of fundraisers
where you go enjoy a meal where someone is waiting
on you.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
That's a fact, and I can speak to that, and
you know, I'm assuming too. There's been people that have
been a part of this for you know, for decades.
It's been around eighty four years, and so that community
probably extends beyond the church. In terms of volunteers, Oh.
Speaker 8 (28:43):
For sure.
Speaker 6 (28:43):
We have Malcolm Williams who was involved in the Saint
Mark's Chili Supper for years and years and years.
Speaker 5 (28:50):
He kept all of the details.
Speaker 6 (28:51):
And his daughter comes in and she's one chili cook
off with Saint Mark's Chili.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
She comes in and helps cook.
Speaker 6 (28:57):
She's the bean maker Mourning of because that's always you know,
we have the beans available, we don't put them in
the chili because that's a very strong opinion that people
have beans belong in chili or not. So she comes
and make the beans day of and then we start
the roasters. But we do we have a lot of
community members that count on it, but a lot of
(29:18):
volunteers that volunteer are not only day of, but all
of the time leading up to it. It looks like
a well oiled machine because it truly is. But there's
a lot of volunteers on a lot of man hours
that go into making that happen.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Well, and your website is very interactive, so you know,
if anybody has any questions, they can certainly jump on
here and get that information. It even shows you how
many days and hours and minutes through the actual event.
And chili supper is at lunchtime as well, so that's
(29:51):
an important factor for people to know. And you also
have a bizarre that day. Tell people a little bit
about that.
Speaker 6 (29:59):
We'll have our bizarre from ten to seven and you
can come shop.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 6 (30:03):
It's all local vendors, so again giving back to the community.
It's a great time to kind of get the jump
on Christmas shopping. We'll have Saint Mark's Treasure House will
be there as well with an amazing boost set up,
and you can also buy your frozen chili down in
the room next to the bazaar.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Well, this is a way to give back to the community.
And as you point out, this is not that there'd
be anything wrong with it just being a church fundraiser,
because certainly churches have a lot of fundraisers and then sure,
but this is something that is designed to give back
to the community truly, and the five oh one C
(30:43):
three's that are right here in this.
Speaker 6 (30:45):
Community it is, And it's like I said, it's just
more important than ever for the amount of funding that
has been cut that these organizations feel support and they
turn around and give back to our community that needs
it so desperately.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Well, and I want to We've got just about a
minute left. But if people are you know, they can
give money, they can buy tickets, but if they wanted
to volunteer, how could they go about getting involved?
Speaker 3 (31:09):
In sure?
Speaker 6 (31:10):
So you can get the church a call or stop
by downtown. We're always looking for volunteers to help with
waiting with I mean, we literally need everything talked to bottom,
setting up, cleaning up, that's a whole nother endeavor. So whatever,
if your heart feels like you want to volunteer for sure,
just check in with us called Saint Mark's and we'd
be more than happy to help.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Well.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
And this is again a long time celebration. You're going
to see people that sometimes that's the only time I
see them. Yes, sure, at the chili supper, but I
certainly enjoy it. And when you come, you're usually going
to stay a little bit longer because you are going
to be seeing so many friends from across the community.
(31:51):
Because the Chili is awesome and it goes to a
great cause. Well, April, thank you for your leadership in this,
because I'm sure it's no small undertaking. It's probably a
year round project.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
It feeds my heart though, it's very important.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Well, thank you so much. We're out of time. You
read this.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
You two all right?
Speaker 1 (32:13):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k LB. We love to talk
about what's going on in the community. And I have
Dana with the Lamar State College Port Author Small Business
Development Center, and there is a small business symposium coming
(32:33):
up right around the corner.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
It is.
Speaker 8 (32:35):
It's going to be here before you know.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
It, September eighteenth at Central Mall from ten to two.
Tell people about it.
Speaker 9 (32:43):
It is a pactful half a day, if you will,
from ten to two, and it's designed for small business
owners that maybe want to come in and do a
couple hours of training in the morning and then have
lunch with this and enjoy the keynote speaker, or maybe
they can get away for a few hours in the afternoon,
come have lunch with us, and then there'll be trainings
(33:06):
available in the afternoon. Throughout the day, We're going to
be doing the expo, which are small businesses that are
being set up in the big atrium area between TJ
Max and JC Pennyes and Target there at Central Mall.
So we will have a full day of activities that's
(33:27):
going to be going on at Central Mall and.
Speaker 8 (33:29):
We're excited again this year.
Speaker 9 (33:31):
Last year we hosted it for the first time at
Central Mall and it worked out really well because we're
promoting commerce, right, so we're promoting commerce not only with
our small businesses that maybe our home based businesses and
really don't have an opportunity to get the exposure from
(33:52):
walk ins, if you will, So this day is set
to allow those types of businesses to have a booth
and interact and network with other businesses and the public
that are just in the mall shopping for the day.
And so it's a fun day for us and we're
(34:13):
always excited to host.
Speaker 8 (34:14):
It every year.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Well, and for small business it's like, of course, you
could almost say this anytime. It's always changing and the
opportunities out there continue to change and in this technology world,
but there's still some basics and oftentimes when people get
involved in a new business, they know about that niche,
(34:37):
but not necessarily how to be a business owner, how
to execute the rest of it. And I know, I'm
assuming that's part of what this helps with because I
know that's what the Small Business Development Center does as well.
Speaker 8 (34:51):
That's right, You're right.
Speaker 9 (34:53):
We are here to help those that maybe have their
experts at welding, but they're not sure what they want
to do as far.
Speaker 8 (35:01):
As their business goes. And so the Small Business.
Speaker 9 (35:03):
Wellness Center is there to help those small business owners
learn about business, how to do business, learn how to
grow your business, and also we want you to be successful,
so we're here to help you through that, through that journey, right.
Speaker 8 (35:23):
And we have.
Speaker 9 (35:26):
Businesses that have been in business for thirty, thirty five,
forty years that still use the SBDC services. Even though
they pretty much know what to do, they still rely
on new information that's out there. It could be like,
right now, the big topic is AI and how to
use AI.
Speaker 8 (35:46):
For small businesses.
Speaker 9 (35:47):
So we stay on top of all of the trends
and we're here to be used as a resource well.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
And you know that is such a short aspect that
is local and available to small business and sometimes you know,
being able to get the noise out of the way,
because with life and business, you know, there's all kinds
of things trying to get your attention. But you've got
(36:17):
to make sure that you know you are relevant and
that you can stay relevant, and that you're uh and
that you're using all the tools that are available to.
Speaker 9 (36:27):
You and to learn how to be competitive, right right,
I mean, that's the world we live in, is learning,
learning how to be competitive and how to go about
doing that, and that's what we're here for to be used.
Speaker 8 (36:38):
As a resource to help you through that.
Speaker 9 (36:40):
And we bring in trainers from all over to train
in specialized topics, like you know, maybe it's taxes for
small businesses, what do you need to know and how
do you need to stay on top of it. Maybe
it's someone that is learning how to use quick books
and they want to use that that accounting software and
(37:02):
for their business and how to set it up properly
and what to do, how to troubleshoot, you know, those
kinds of things.
Speaker 8 (37:08):
Then we have social.
Speaker 9 (37:09):
Media marketing, and we have marketing, and we have a
wide variety of different types of topics. The small Business
Plan topic session is always a much needed one because
if you're wanting as a small business owner to look
(37:30):
for some capital, right, you're looking to maybe secure a
business loan from a local lender. One of their first
requirements are going to ask. They're going to ask is
do you have.
Speaker 8 (37:40):
A business plan?
Speaker 9 (37:42):
Right, And we help those small business owners get their
business plans ready. Our role is to get them lender ready.
That's what we call that is to get them lender ready,
and we help them with projections and we help them
with their statements. You know, there's just a lot of
things that are associated with going to the bank and
(38:04):
asking for a business loan that you normally wouldn't be
required to do as an individual, right, and we're here
to help.
Speaker 8 (38:12):
We're here to help with that.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Well. And knowing where to go can be some of
the first challenges because certainly how different areas of the country,
certainly different states and municipalities, there can be different requirements.
So it's important to know of a resource, and that
is exactly what y'all are doing. And then y'all are
(38:36):
open offering this event as a chance for people to
make those new relationships as well.
Speaker 9 (38:43):
That's right, and that's part of business is networking and
finding exchanging cards and finding out who's doing what and what's.
Speaker 8 (38:53):
Going on in the communities.
Speaker 9 (38:54):
And this symposium is meant to bring us all together
and give you an opportunity to meet others you know,
and brag about your business, sell your business to others.
I mean, that's what we're here for. And one of
the things that I didn't mention is is that the
services of the SBDC is at no cost.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yeah, you can't. You can't beat that. We're under a minute. Now,
how do people sign up if they hadn't got been
involved yet?
Speaker 9 (39:26):
We have we have flyers that are out there with
QR codes that you can scan. I don't know if
that's something that you can put up on the screen
during your show, is showing the QR code, but the
QR code. And there's also a link that you could
use to go to where you sign up. And the
(39:48):
registration is for everything for the day, so it's for
the trainings, it includes a lunch ticket for the luncheon,
it includes the expo, it includes everything for that day,
and it's a at a low cost of thirty dollars.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
That's awesome. And there's a phone number it looks like
four as zero nine nine eighty four sixty five three one.
Speaker 8 (40:09):
Yes, that is correct.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
All right, Well we're about out of time. I just
want to thank you for being on today and get
the word out and folks be sure to show up
and if you can't make that, still reach out and
get additional information.
Speaker 8 (40:22):
We're here to help you. Have a good day. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
We are back wrapping up another Roy West show here
on News Talk five sixty k lv I and the
first segment we were talking to Lee Potter with charity
Go for the Bill, which is for pediatric cancer patients
and their family. He and his wife Terry Potter are
the event chairs. That is September twentieth at the Civic Center.
(40:48):
Then I was talking to Jean Theodoori and he is
an associate provost at Lamar University as well as the
new Lamar Rodeo team coach and they are hosting a
rodeo bull ride barrel racing on September twentieth out at
Lamar University in the field opposite of the Gladys City.
(41:11):
Then I spoke with April with Saint Mark's Chili Supper
and that is coming up Thursday, November thirteenth, but they
sell Chili every week until then and then Dana the
director of the Small Business Development Center at Lamar State
College and port author. So it was a great show
and I appreciate everybody tuning in, and I do like
(41:33):
to remind people the roy West team, the Guild Mortgage
does all types of home loans, whether it's your first home,
whether you're moving up or downsizing, whether you're buy to
vacation home or investment property. We can help you with
all of those, and also we can do refinances, so
(41:55):
we are there for whatever your needs may be. We
do all types alone, conventional loans, jumbo loans, FHA loans,
VA loans, USDA loans, so if there's a product out there,
we could do the loan and we look forward to
assisting you. Been doing a mortgage business for over twenty
(42:17):
years here in Beaumont, and we sure appreciate our loyal customers.
And until we talk again, God bless you all.
You're listening to the Roy West Show here on News
Talk five sixty k l V, folks, and I have
Terry and Lee Potter on the show, and they own
American Air Systems and certainly make your life more comfortable.
And we'll talk a little bit about that as well,
because certainly in the summer months, heating and cooling systems
(00:27):
get strained, and we certainly have harder summers. But and
I want to save time to it, but we got
Go for the Bell coming up, which this is going
to be the second one. Correct, Yes, yes, it is
well September twentieth, so it is right around the corner,
and I've got it on my calendar, I know, but
(00:49):
I still have to look when I'm talking, and so
tell people about what goh for the Bell is because
this is quite an undertaking and this is a local organ.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So yeah, so thanks Roy again, First, thanks for letting
us use your platform here to get this out. Go
for the Bill is a five oh one three c
We are a fundraising group for pediatric cancer families here
in southeast Texas. And what that means is this by
(01:24):
our charter and our bylaws and how we have it
set up, we can raise money to help not only
those that are affected by the pediatric cancer, but they're families.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
They can petition.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Through our website and ask for funds and you know,
help and things like that. And it doesn't necessarily have
to be to the person who has cancer. It could
be to a sibling who because all the Reach horses
go to the kid with cancer, they want to play
(02:05):
in a soccer deal.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
We have that availability. We can do that.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
That are our braces, or we need to help the
family get back and forth to Houston for a month
or something.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
You know, it just we have we We're not super specific,
but we are. We have a very tight window that
we stay in. But we can help a lot of
different ways well.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
And you know, it's oftentimes when you when you hear
about things, you you obviously think of the patient, especially
if you know them when it's a kid that but
a cancer diagnosis for a family certainly affects everybody, and
uh and and helping that family have as much normalcy
(02:54):
as possible during a difficult and chaotic time. It seems
to be the direction. And since it's local, the people
that are participating, their money stayed right here helping people
in there in our own backyard.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
That's right, yep. It stays in our local counties. And
this year we're excited. We've added what we're calling it's
a wagon. And we do have a family that is
on our committee this year that has personal Their son
Gray had cancer when he was younger and you know
(03:36):
he is in remission, but they were gifted a wagon
that basically you only have an hour or so to
get to the hospital when there's fever spikes. So this
wagon is ready to go with all their essentials. And
so this year we've added that to the ball. You
can sponsor a wagon for five hundred dollars and it
(03:59):
has all kinds of stuff in it, from essentials to
we we've added a tablet and when when they're feeling
good they have their NERF gun wars they it comes
equipped with there with a NERF gun. But yeah, I
didn't realize how much time just speaking with Holly and
(04:20):
Dustin Gallier, when the kids are at the hospital, they
spend a lot of time in that wagon. They sleep
in the wagon, they go from treatment to treatment in
their wagon. So we added that this year as part
of the fundraising. Fundraising night, so we're excited about that.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
That is awesome and I know, uh, let's let's talk
a little bit about that night and so that people
can know. And also y'all are gonna y'all accept donations
outside of this event as well.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
No, not at all, Yeah, of course we do.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah, the website's very easier friendly.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
If you're not able to come the night of the ball,
there is definitely.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
A place on the website so you can donate. We've
had several generous donations again this year for people who
cannot attend. The live auction lineup is phenomenal this year.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yeah, you know, there's going to.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Be some furry friends. We've got a couple of hunts.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
We've got a great fishing trip to Alaska, a great
trip to a boutique resort in Costa Rica, Costa Rica. Yeah,
a very nice beach house, some great outdoor patio furniture.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
So we've got quite the lineup.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. Again.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Our auction is a little different than everybody else's. We
have two special prize fighters this year we'll be talking
about when they get closed that are going to help
us pump up the crowd. We have our championship belts
for a couple of our auction items that will go
with the win center of that auction. We'll get these
championship belts. And remember, we're fighting like kids, because kids
(06:06):
fight like kids, and we've got to be there for
him because they can't fight alone.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
And that's kind of our motto and that's kind of
what we do. But I will tell you this Love
auction is stacked.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Well, and going to the website, people can certainly get
a lot of information and our tables and seating still available.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Barely, that's exactly my way.
Speaker 5 (06:30):
We probably have less than fifteen tables left.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Maybe actually I think it's I think it's actually less
than that, and so we were probably looking at a
drop dead date here next week for tables and then
once they're gone, they're gone. And as much as we
would want to shove them in there, you know, see
a Beaumont, I'm not going to speak for them, but
they tend to have rules.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah, the Civic Center, which is where it's at, have
a capacity. It does, and so which is it's nice
when you're hitting the top of that capacity because it
reflects how y'all are embraced by the community. And again
this is uh, this is only the second year of
(07:16):
Go for the Bill, the the gala, and you know,
tell people a little bit about this is this is
very people are gonna see their neighbors and it's also
pretty relaxed, if you will, right.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Well, So one of the things, one of the bigger
questions that we have is, you know, for us men
is what do we wear? And the attire is bling
and jeans. So one of the other things is Peter,
that pediatric color is for children is gold, so gold
(07:55):
wear some jeans, wear a fancy shirt or blouse or
something like that.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
It is very relaxed. It is a lot of fun.
And I meant, if you're gonna.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Think about it that way, you're gonna start off with
the Jamie Talbot band leading us off.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
And then this year, yeah, Tracy Bird is our headliner
this year.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
How about that local boy gonna be playing for us.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
That's incredible and I know that'll certainly help bring people
out that may be unfamiliar with the organization. But this organization,
you know, uh makes a big impact in families, lives
and kids of families because obviously kids aren't able to
worry about the finances and how you know how fans
(08:41):
affect the family, but certainly parents can. And so if
you have whether it's a family member, whether it's a
church member, whether it's a community member, neighbor that you
know that they run into these, how would people go
about uh seek and you know help for them?
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Well, the application is on our website. If you go
to the website, will take you. I'll ask you at
the top you want to make application, You click on
that button. It takes you all the way to the
end and you fill out the application right there on
the website. And from the website it goes to our
(09:23):
board and there's a process with the board.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
And so in that process, in terms of timing, is
there usually a quick I mean, I know this is
all volunteer base, so I'm not trying to put you
all on the spot. No, No, it is.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
It is fairly quick because we realize that at the
point that the families are requesting the funds, they're at
that point where.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
They need the money.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
They've waited and waited as long as they possibly could,
and you know, people hate to ask, so at the
point that they're asking, it's probably becoming desperate.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Almost too late.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, and that's one of the things again we all
know about Southeast Texas is people's pride and all of this.
But what they've got to understand is we are here
to help. It's not it's not a knock on them,
it's not anything.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Man.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
We just we hate this cancer. I'll leave it clean,
but we hate it. We hate it. We hate it.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
And what we're hoping that we're able to provide some
comfort where some of the other groups out there are
doing the research.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
So that's what we're trying to do.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
And are y'all able to track how many families y'all
been able to help in.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
This Yes, where they're very good about tracking.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
And like I said, with Lee and I we sit
on the board and we're part of the tracking process, and.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
I just you know, we don't want to fail to
mention that the founders of this nonprofit is Ronnie and
Kirk Gillespie.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
You know, we were happy to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Glad that yeah, their dream, we get to live in
their reality. And there's a whole lot of people are
going to be in a lot better position because of
them too.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, go for the bill and uh, that is a
four number for so that I get that right. And
I want to remind people too, American Air Systems what
y'all's contact. We're about out of time, So y'all are
always given to the community. When people have air conditioner
heating needs, how do they get in touch with y'all
(11:34):
easiest way?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Four oh nine eight four to two twenty four zero two.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Well, Terry and Lee Potter. American Air Systems, thank y'all
for always being involved and giving back to the community.
And Go for the Bill is such a wonderful charity
that serves right here in Southeast Texas. So thank you
both for taking the time to be on the show today.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Thank thank you man. It's all thank you brother.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
All right, talk to y'all soon.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Let them.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Good afternoon, Southeast Texas. You're listening to the Roy West
Show here on News Talk five sixty KLV. And you
can always catch us anytime on the free iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast and Android podcast. But here's here every Sunday
noon to one on News Talk five sixty KLB. And
(12:27):
I have Gene Theodori with me and he is associate
provost at Lamar University and he's also which is a
new title I believe the rodeo team coach and Lamar's
got a rodeo team now and there's a big event
coming up right around.
Speaker 7 (12:47):
The corner there is September twentieth.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Well, so let's talk about this. First of all, most
people know where Gladys City is, which is right there
on Highway sixty nine. It's got the old Derek there,
it's the old old city. It's been rebuilt. And across
from that there's a big empty field and y'all got
(13:14):
plans for both those that that Saturday, September twentieth.
Speaker 7 (13:21):
Yeah, So on the museum grounds there on that side,
we will have a car show, we will have a
kid zone area with a mechanical bull and some bouncy
houses and petting zoo. We will have food trucks on
that side and some bars on that side. And then
(13:47):
in the open field there right across the road there,
we will have professional bull riding at five o'clock and
so we will be setting up in AA with the
bucking shoots, all the panels. We'll haul in some bleachers
and have a full fledged bull riding arena with mutton
(14:13):
busting for the five year old to seven year olds.
We'll run the mutton busting at four o'clock and then
the professional bull riding at five o'clock, and then afterwards,
back on the museum grounds, we will have the local
band running on credit for a performance from say seven
(14:34):
point thirty to maybe ten o'clock.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Well, this is an incredible time and being a Lamar graduate,
I've just got to give a shout out that, you know,
Lamar has continued to think outside the box and having
a rodeo team is just super cool. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (14:56):
Yeah. And then so the first collegiate rodeo for our
students will be the next weekend September twenty sixth and
twenty seventh, and that will be that first rodeo is
at Pinola College.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
And we will y'all host a rodeo at Lamar this season.
Speaker 7 (15:17):
Not this season, no, but there's a possibility we may
be able to host a rodeo next year. I've been
working with some you know folks in the area who
do have covered arenas and you know, have rodeo ready arenas,
and if we need to get into the mix next year,
(15:37):
we will. But we have you know, ten schools within
the Southern region that holds the rodeos. Five in the
fall semester and five in the spring semester. But if
we need to get into that mix, we will.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Well and let's talk a little bit that about uh
the rodeo. So y'all are able to put on a team.
How did y'all recruit a team?
Speaker 7 (16:07):
Well, we're building the team. Let me let me there,
I don't want to uh you know there that we're
building the team. And so right now we have a
few girls who barrel race, and we will have barrel
racers competing, uh, you know as part of the Lamar
University Rodeo team. I will be working this year to
(16:28):
uh continue to build the team and that will be
you know, recruiting both men and women to come here
to Lamar to compete uh in all of the events,
uh you know on the on the women's side, we
have the barrel racing and the breakaway roping and the
goat tying. And then on the men's side at the
college level, we have all the roughstock events, the bronc riding,
(16:50):
the bareback bronc riding, and the bull riding, plus the
timed events the calf roping and the steer steer roping.
And I'm sorry, the steer sling and the team roping
on the men's side.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
And how did you end up being the coach because
you certainly have your schedule full as associate professor provost.
Speaker 7 (17:14):
Too, that is true, But I do have a background
in rodeo, and specifically in collegiate rodeo. I was an
assistant coach at Texas A and M University for many
years while I was on a faculty over in College Station.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Well, this is going to be a fun event, and
it's a great time for and it's an all day
event because it starts at noon and it's going to
end up going till about ten o'clock that evening.
Speaker 7 (17:44):
It will and we do have slots available for the
mutt and busting. So if you're a parent out there
and you want to enter your child five year old
to seven year old, you can go to the website
Lamar dot edu slash Rodeo, and when you go there
(18:06):
you will find the link to well to buy the
admission tickets, but also to register for the mutton busting.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Well, and there are tickets available, and there is registration
for the mutton busting. And I'm assuming the twelve to five.
Do you need a ticket for that aspect of it.
Speaker 7 (18:31):
One ticket gets you into everything, Okay, ten dollar admission.
We'll get you into the car show and the food
trucks and the mutton busting, the bull riding, and the
concert afterwards.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
And it will also.
Speaker 7 (18:45):
Get you into the educational event that the Center for
Resiliency is hosting that day. We failed to mention that earlier,
but the Center for Resiliency will be working with you know,
stakeholders and the general public too. Write gat folks on
the community level work that they do well.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
And I actually had Theresa robertson from there on the
radio show a couple of weeks ago them promoting it.
Because the Center for Resilience is something really cool for
Beaumont to have through Lamar University, and they partner with
a lot of agencies and businesses. And because clearly being
(19:33):
in an area that can have storms and floods and
other things, how quickly we come back, not just as people,
but also as an economy because it's so important to
the rest of the country as well as parts of
the world. So there is always a lot going on,
and this is being all integrated together. And I just
(19:55):
thought I applaud all and U and I see that
LAMAR students and l I T students get in free
with a valid IV.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
That's correct.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Well, this is this is going to be an exciting
time and it is this it'll be this coming Saturday,
because we're recording it a little bit early, gene So,
but it's Saturday the twentieth, and it starts as early
as noon if you want to get there for to
(20:29):
go through the community Resiliency showcase or the car show.
There's going to be live music and certainly food trucks
and the kids zone, and then at three to four
rodeo games, and then four to five is mutton busting,
which is always a good time, and then professional bull
riding five to seven point thirty. And for you know,
(20:53):
we do have in the spring of rodeo here with
the YMBL, so I'll think they usually get a pretty
good crowd. So I'm thinking this is going to be
quite an attraction for people here in Southeast Texas because
otherwise you have to go, you know, quite a way
in Houston, and this is right here in our own backyard.
(21:15):
And then you got live music that night, and you're
providing things for the student population, which is you know what,
fourteen thousand or so at Lamar.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Absolutely, it's going to be a great event and we
look forward to seeing members from the community come out
and support this event. And the Lamar University Radio team.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Well absolutely and Jean Theodori, who is an associate provost
at Lamar University, but also the rodeo team coach and
that's you need to get you some rodeo team apparel.
I'm looking forward to seeing that. Well, Gene, thank you
so much for being on the show today. Thank you
for having me for sure, absolutely all right, talk to
(22:02):
you soon. Thanks Billet, Bye b We are back with
the Roy West Show here on News Talk five sixty
k LV. Folks. We love to talk about what's happened
in the community and particularly organizations that are given back
and bringing people together. And I have April with me
(22:24):
with Saint Mark's Chili, and this is an annual event, April,
Let's talk about it.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
Yeah, absolutely, so annual event for Saint Mark's. I think
one of the most important things to say is our motto.
We definitely lead by that serving christ community in Chile.
This event, not a lot of people realize, Yes, you
get to enjoy a bowl of chili and all the
sides that go with it, but more importantly, you are
(22:51):
truly helping our community. Last year, between the Chili Supper
and the Treasure House, which is another one of Saint
Mark's fundraise, we were able to award seventy seven thousand
dollars in grants, which is just amazing when you really
think about.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
It, well, and that all that money stays right here
in the community.
Speaker 8 (23:11):
Hunt it does.
Speaker 6 (23:12):
It all stays right here. Some of the more popular
outreach partners you may have heard of, nutrition and services
for seniors. You might have heard that called meals on Wheels,
We've done just about every year we're able to help them.
The Samaritan Counseling Center some other place, which is such
an important ministry here in Beaumont, COASA. I think everybody
(23:33):
knows about COSA, the United Boards of Missions, the Rape
and Suicide Crisis Center Southeast Texas, just so very many
organizations that I feel like it's an even more important
time than ever as funding gets cut for them to
be able to reach out to us and for us
to continue helping, and every bit of the proceeds for
(23:54):
every bit of chili that sold, spice packets whether the
chili is frozen, whether it's served a of whether it
is the spicy Tuesdays. It all goes straight back into
the community.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Well, and y'all have a fabulous website while we're talking
about this, St Mark's Chili dot Com and on there
it even it lists, you know, all the recipients of
the grants. Yeah, and even has a picture and shows
them out, which is super cool. But so this ues
(24:27):
and I really don't know when it expanded, but it
certainly has expanded because Chili Supper is Thursday, November thirteenth,
which is a way is off yet, but people can
start participating a lot sooner than that.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Yes, absolutely, so we just completed our second Every Tuesday
we cook, the cooks start at about six o'clock in
the morning. They start getting there about five thirty, which
is a crazy early time to start cooking chili. But
it's all volunteers and they start cooking every week for
ten weeks, ten tuesdays in a row. They start browning meat,
(25:04):
doing the onions, everything that goes into it. Every week
we make about two hundred and eighty pints and one
hundred and ninety quarts of chili that gets frozen, So
the next question usually is where do you put all
that chili. We have a lot of freezers, so it
is definitely all frozen. Then towards the end we'll start
putting it in pans so we have it ready for
(25:25):
the day of chili supper. But we are very very
excited to go ahead and start selling that frozen chili now.
So from now until November you can definitely start enjoying
Saint Mark's chili. And also we will have Spicy Tuesdays,
which is something new we started doing in the past
couple of years.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
It's just a name.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
The chili is not spicy, it's the same chili we
always make, but you get it fresh, so it's ready
from that cook that day.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
So what you can.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Do is go on our website and order, place your order,
and then on that Tuesday you can go pick it
up by ten o'clock that Tuesday morning, that's the cutoff
for that day cooking session, and then between eleven and
twelve you pick it up there at the church office
at six eighty calder in downtown and you're gonna get
enough chili, cheese, onions, jalapenos, friedos.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
All that stuff you need.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
You're gonna get enough to feed sixteen up to sixteen
people and it's one hundred dollars, which is that's amazing.
So if you have a family of four, four meals
for one hundred dollars is really hard to do these days.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Absolutely it is. And it's another way. And this is
such a large commitment by so many people. Do you
have a head count of how many people volunteer for
the Saint mark.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
Chili It's it's amazing, it really That's probably part of
what really helped me join Saint Mark's. And the Chili
Supper is near and dear to my heart, I personally
see all of the wonderful things that comes out of
the Chili Supper.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
But we we serve.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
We've served upwards of one thousand people every year, and
that's just you know, just the meal, the day of
lunch and to goes takeout is huge day of that's
not even counting all the frozen that we sell. And
we have people who come and fill up cooler after
cooler after cooler to either freeze or give out as
gifts or send out to people who moved away from
(27:20):
here that absolutely have to have it. We have the
spice packs as well that we sell that way. If
you are interested in maybe using ground turkey, or maybe
you have your own little bit that you want to
add to it, or you want to cook it a
certain way, you're definitely able to do that as well.
We have spice packs for sale for five dollars. Some
people buy those and actually mail those as gifts as well.
(27:45):
But we'll have the frozen chili online sixteen dollars for
re court eight for a pint, and then here shortly
if they're not on there already, we'll start having tickets
for sale for the day of It'll be twenty for
an adult, ten for a child, and in person if
you stay and eat so dine in that is all
you can eat chili. So we truly want you to
(28:06):
come be our guest. If you haven't been before, you
come in, you turning your ticket and then you are
going to go through the line and get your first bowl,
fix it how you like it, and then you are
going to sit down and be.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
Served from that point on.
Speaker 6 (28:20):
And I don't know that there's a lot of fundraisers
where you go enjoy a meal where someone is waiting
on you.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
That's a fact, and I can speak to that, and
you know, I'm assuming too. There's been people that have
been a part of this for you know, for decades.
It's been around eighty four years, and so that community
probably extends beyond the church. In terms of volunteers, Oh.
Speaker 8 (28:43):
For sure.
Speaker 6 (28:43):
We have Malcolm Williams who was involved in the Saint
Mark's Chili Supper for years and years and years.
Speaker 5 (28:50):
He kept all of the details.
Speaker 6 (28:51):
And his daughter comes in and she's one chili cook
off with Saint Mark's Chili.
Speaker 5 (28:55):
She comes in and helps cook.
Speaker 6 (28:57):
She's the bean maker Mourning of because that's always you know,
we have the beans available, we don't put them in
the chili because that's a very strong opinion that people
have beans belong in chili or not. So she comes
and make the beans day of and then we start
the roasters. But we do we have a lot of
community members that count on it, but a lot of
(29:18):
volunteers that volunteer are not only day of, but all
of the time leading up to it. It looks like
a well oiled machine because it truly is. But there's
a lot of volunteers on a lot of man hours
that go into making that happen.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Well, and your website is very interactive, so you know,
if anybody has any questions, they can certainly jump on
here and get that information. It even shows you how
many days and hours and minutes through the actual event.
And chili supper is at lunchtime as well, so that's
(29:51):
an important factor for people to know. And you also
have a bizarre that day. Tell people a little bit
about that.
Speaker 6 (29:59):
We'll have our bizarre from ten to seven and you
can come shop.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 6 (30:03):
It's all local vendors, so again giving back to the community.
It's a great time to kind of get the jump
on Christmas shopping. We'll have Saint Mark's Treasure House will
be there as well with an amazing boost set up,
and you can also buy your frozen chili down in
the room next to the bazaar.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Well, this is a way to give back to the community.
And as you point out, this is not that there'd
be anything wrong with it just being a church fundraiser,
because certainly churches have a lot of fundraisers and then sure,
but this is something that is designed to give back
to the community truly, and the five oh one C
(30:43):
three's that are right here in this.
Speaker 6 (30:45):
Community it is, And it's like I said, it's just
more important than ever for the amount of funding that
has been cut that these organizations feel support and they
turn around and give back to our community that needs
it so desperately.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Well, and I want to We've got just about a
minute left. But if people are you know, they can
give money, they can buy tickets, but if they wanted
to volunteer, how could they go about getting involved?
Speaker 3 (31:09):
In sure?
Speaker 6 (31:10):
So you can get the church a call or stop
by downtown. We're always looking for volunteers to help with
waiting with I mean, we literally need everything talked to bottom,
setting up, cleaning up, that's a whole nother endeavor. So whatever,
if your heart feels like you want to volunteer for sure,
just check in with us called Saint Mark's and we'd
be more than happy to help.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Well.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
And this is again a long time celebration. You're going
to see people that sometimes that's the only time I
see them. Yes, sure, at the chili supper, but I
certainly enjoy it. And when you come, you're usually going
to stay a little bit longer because you are going
to be seeing so many friends from across the community.
(31:51):
Because the Chili is awesome and it goes to a
great cause. Well, April, thank you for your leadership in this,
because I'm sure it's no small undertaking. It's probably a
year round project.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
It feeds my heart though, it's very important.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Well, thank you so much. We're out of time. You
read this.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
You two all right?
Speaker 1 (32:13):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k LB. We love to talk
about what's going on in the community. And I have
Dana with the Lamar State College Port Author Small Business
Development Center, and there is a small business symposium coming
(32:33):
up right around the corner.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
It is.
Speaker 8 (32:35):
It's going to be here before you know.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
It, September eighteenth at Central Mall from ten to two.
Tell people about it.
Speaker 9 (32:43):
It is a pactful half a day, if you will,
from ten to two, and it's designed for small business
owners that maybe want to come in and do a
couple hours of training in the morning and then have
lunch with this and enjoy the keynote speaker, or maybe
they can get away for a few hours in the afternoon,
come have lunch with us, and then there'll be trainings
(33:06):
available in the afternoon. Throughout the day, We're going to
be doing the expo, which are small businesses that are
being set up in the big atrium area between TJ
Max and JC Pennyes and Target there at Central Mall.
So we will have a full day of activities that's
(33:27):
going to be going on at Central Mall and.
Speaker 8 (33:29):
We're excited again this year.
Speaker 9 (33:31):
Last year we hosted it for the first time at
Central Mall and it worked out really well because we're
promoting commerce, right, so we're promoting commerce not only with
our small businesses that maybe our home based businesses and
really don't have an opportunity to get the exposure from
(33:52):
walk ins, if you will, So this day is set
to allow those types of businesses to have a booth
and interact and network with other businesses and the public
that are just in the mall shopping for the day.
And so it's a fun day for us and we're
(34:13):
always excited to host.
Speaker 8 (34:14):
It every year.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Well, and for small business it's like, of course, you
could almost say this anytime. It's always changing and the
opportunities out there continue to change and in this technology world,
but there's still some basics and oftentimes when people get
involved in a new business, they know about that niche,
(34:37):
but not necessarily how to be a business owner, how
to execute the rest of it. And I know, I'm
assuming that's part of what this helps with because I
know that's what the Small Business Development Center does as well.
Speaker 8 (34:51):
That's right, You're right.
Speaker 9 (34:53):
We are here to help those that maybe have their
experts at welding, but they're not sure what they want
to do as far.
Speaker 8 (35:01):
As their business goes. And so the Small Business.
Speaker 9 (35:03):
Wellness Center is there to help those small business owners
learn about business, how to do business, learn how to
grow your business, and also we want you to be successful,
so we're here to help you through that, through that journey, right.
Speaker 8 (35:23):
And we have.
Speaker 9 (35:26):
Businesses that have been in business for thirty, thirty five,
forty years that still use the SBDC services. Even though
they pretty much know what to do, they still rely
on new information that's out there. It could be like,
right now, the big topic is AI and how to
use AI.
Speaker 8 (35:46):
For small businesses.
Speaker 9 (35:47):
So we stay on top of all of the trends
and we're here to be used as a resource well.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
And you know that is such a short aspect that
is local and available to small business and sometimes you know,
being able to get the noise out of the way,
because with life and business, you know, there's all kinds
of things trying to get your attention. But you've got
(36:17):
to make sure that you know you are relevant and
that you can stay relevant, and that you're uh and
that you're using all the tools that are available to.
Speaker 9 (36:27):
You and to learn how to be competitive, right right,
I mean, that's the world we live in, is learning,
learning how to be competitive and how to go about
doing that, and that's what we're here for to be used.
Speaker 8 (36:38):
As a resource to help you through that.
Speaker 9 (36:40):
And we bring in trainers from all over to train
in specialized topics, like you know, maybe it's taxes for
small businesses, what do you need to know and how
do you need to stay on top of it. Maybe
it's someone that is learning how to use quick books
and they want to use that that accounting software and
(37:02):
for their business and how to set it up properly
and what to do, how to troubleshoot, you know, those
kinds of things.
Speaker 8 (37:08):
Then we have social.
Speaker 9 (37:09):
Media marketing, and we have marketing, and we have a
wide variety of different types of topics. The small Business
Plan topic session is always a much needed one because
if you're wanting as a small business owner to look
(37:30):
for some capital, right, you're looking to maybe secure a
business loan from a local lender. One of their first
requirements are going to ask. They're going to ask is
do you have.
Speaker 8 (37:40):
A business plan?
Speaker 9 (37:42):
Right, And we help those small business owners get their
business plans ready. Our role is to get them lender ready.
That's what we call that is to get them lender ready,
and we help them with projections and we help them
with their statements. You know, there's just a lot of
things that are associated with going to the bank and
(38:04):
asking for a business loan that you normally wouldn't be
required to do as an individual, right, and we're here
to help.
Speaker 8 (38:12):
We're here to help with that.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Well. And knowing where to go can be some of
the first challenges because certainly how different areas of the country,
certainly different states and municipalities, there can be different requirements.
So it's important to know of a resource, and that
is exactly what y'all are doing. And then y'all are
(38:36):
open offering this event as a chance for people to
make those new relationships as well.
Speaker 9 (38:43):
That's right, and that's part of business is networking and
finding exchanging cards and finding out who's doing what and what's.
Speaker 8 (38:53):
Going on in the communities.
Speaker 9 (38:54):
And this symposium is meant to bring us all together
and give you an opportunity to meet others you know,
and brag about your business, sell your business to others.
I mean, that's what we're here for. And one of
the things that I didn't mention is is that the
services of the SBDC is at no cost.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yeah, you can't. You can't beat that. We're under a minute. Now,
how do people sign up if they hadn't got been
involved yet?
Speaker 9 (39:26):
We have we have flyers that are out there with
QR codes that you can scan. I don't know if
that's something that you can put up on the screen
during your show, is showing the QR code, but the
QR code. And there's also a link that you could
use to go to where you sign up. And the
(39:48):
registration is for everything for the day, so it's for
the trainings, it includes a lunch ticket for the luncheon,
it includes the expo, it includes everything for that day,
and it's a at a low cost of thirty dollars.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
That's awesome. And there's a phone number it looks like
four as zero nine nine eighty four sixty five three one.
Speaker 8 (40:09):
Yes, that is correct.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
All right, Well we're about out of time. I just
want to thank you for being on today and get
the word out and folks be sure to show up
and if you can't make that, still reach out and
get additional information.
Speaker 8 (40:22):
We're here to help you. Have a good day. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
We are back wrapping up another Roy West show here
on News Talk five sixty k lv I and the
first segment we were talking to Lee Potter with charity
Go for the Bill, which is for pediatric cancer patients
and their family. He and his wife Terry Potter are
the event chairs. That is September twentieth at the Civic Center.
(40:48):
Then I was talking to Jean Theodoori and he is
an associate provost at Lamar University as well as the
new Lamar Rodeo team coach and they are hosting a
rodeo bull ride barrel racing on September twentieth out at
Lamar University in the field opposite of the Gladys City.
(41:11):
Then I spoke with April with Saint Mark's Chili Supper
and that is coming up Thursday, November thirteenth, but they
sell Chili every week until then and then Dana the
director of the Small Business Development Center at Lamar State
College and port author. So it was a great show
and I appreciate everybody tuning in, and I do like
(41:33):
to remind people the roy West team, the Guild Mortgage
does all types of home loans, whether it's your first home,
whether you're moving up or downsizing, whether you're buy to
vacation home or investment property. We can help you with
all of those, and also we can do refinances, so
(41:55):
we are there for whatever your needs may be. We
do all types alone, conventional loans, jumbo loans, FHA loans,
VA loans, USDA loans, so if there's a product out there,
we could do the loan and we look forward to
assisting you. Been doing a mortgage business for over twenty
(42:17):
years here in Beaumont, and we sure appreciate our loyal customers.
And until we talk again, God bless you all.
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