February 10, 2025 • 30 mins
This week’s show featured Scouting America Mid-America Council CEO Chris Mehaffey promoting the benefits of scouting in a young person’s life and inviting the public to their “rebranding ribbon cutting event.” Then, Visiting Nurse Association president and CEO Dr. Carole Patrick discussed how their annual “Art & Soup” fundraiser allows the organization to assist so many people in homes and shelters around the area each year.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
This is Community Matters, a weekly public affairs program to
inform and entertain you with some of the great people, organizations,
and events in and around Omaha. Now here's the host
of the program from news radio eleven ten KFAB. It's
Scott for.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Heats and so great to have you with us on
this week's edition of Community Matters. I am Scott Voorheas
welcoming back to the program. Here from the Boy Scotts
of America Mid America Council. The CEO Chris Mahaffey is
here and Chris, it's great to have you back in
the program.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Scott, It's always great to be with you.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Now, what's going on in the world of Scouting these days.
We've got a big event coming up here to start
off the.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Week we do.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
This is Scouting's anniversary week. We were chartered on February eighth,
nineteen ten by Congress.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
You've been there the whole time, the whole time, Yes,
a really interesting perspective to this. So it's great to
celebrate one hundred and fifty fifteen years of Scouting nationally
and here in Omaha, one hundred and fourteen years because
we started here in nineteen eleven. Why so late.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, well we started earlier than others.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
We're gonna wait and see on this one. No, it's
it's really great to be able to honor a big
anniversary like this. So what are you doing to honor
said big anniversary?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Well, because we serve such a wide variety of youth,
well males and females, we want to make sure that
our female membership feels a part of our organization. So
as of this broadcast, we are changing our name to
Scouting America. Oh okay, in order to be inclusive of
the females that we serve.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, I've heard about this being in the works, but
it's official now Scouting America Scouting America.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
So we're Scouting America Mid America Council, still serving the
same boys and girls here in the one hundred and
two counties between Nebraska, Iowa and Union County, South Dakota.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Let's explore that a little bit, because there were certainly
a lot of debate discussion about how all this was
going to work and what accommodations would need to be made.
Obviously you've been a part of those discussions, and any
accommodations are changes. How's all that going.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
It's actually going really well. We've had most of our
Scouting families understand that we're serving boys and girls now,
and because most of them are sisters of a Scout
right of a male Scout. So it has been an
awesome opportunity for us to see full families now coming
into the Scouting organization. My own children, I have three
(02:38):
daughters and the two oldest ones are Eagle Scouts through
the program and have received a wonderful experience. So this
is a great opportunity for us to show that we
serve more than just boys.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, and of course there are people that say, well,
you got the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, isn't
it all under the same umbrella.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Not really, No, the Girl Scouts is a unique organization
and they serve young ladies and do so in a
fantastic way. Absolutely, and I really appreciate the programs they offer.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
But our programs are different.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Our mission is to serve young people and help them
make moral and ethical choices over their lifetime.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
It doesn't say boys.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Right, so by doing so and in inviting girls, we're
just giving them a different perspective from our program that
now is one hundred and fifteen years old, a lot
more outdoor skills, a lot more leadership. That the Girl
Scouts do offer a lot of leadership, we do so
in a different way, and I appreciate the way that
(03:38):
they offer leadership. Ours is one hundred and fifteen years
in the making, and every young person ought to have
the opportunity to participate.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And you're doing all this while also correcting people for
probably the next twenty five years who continue to refer
to it by the old name. So Scouting America more
all encompassing term for all that you're serving, Craig in
the same way.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
It's kind of like when I ask some if they're
an Eagle Scout. Yeah, I was an Eagle Scout. No,
it's kind of like your marine. What's your legle scout?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Right?
Speaker 3 (04:07):
You're always an Eagle Scout? Yes, I have.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I learned years ago. There's no such thing as a
former marine, no such thing as an next marine. We're
talking here with the current CEO of Scouting America's Mid
America Council, Chris ma Haffy, with us on community matters.
Got a little sidetracked. So the anniversary is Monday. What
are you doing to celebrate the anniversary.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
We're actually going to cut a ribbon.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
A Chamber of Commerce is coming back out to the
Durham Scout Center on Maple at one hundred and twenty
fourth and we're going to have an open house. We've
got a lot of the names have been changed in
the building, so we're going to be able to celebrate
this and celebrate our history and look forward to the
next century of serving kids.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
That's wonderful. If you know, I know it's Monday's a
school day, so it's not like a lot of kids
will be able to come, but there might be a
lot of As you said, there's no such thing as
a former Scout, those who participated more in Scouts than
their younger years who are now older and want to
be a part of this. What time do people need
to come out there?
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Come before ten am is when we will have the
official ribbon cutting on our new name of Scouting America
Mid America Council. We've got a wonderful museum, the Bachelder
Museum is there. Three pillars of our community are listed
in all their Scouting experience, along with a lot of
memorabilia in our office. Our Scout shop has been updated
(05:26):
It's a great way for people to reconnect with our organization,
and we'd love to have them there to celebrate with us.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
At ten o'clock.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
What about those who can't be there at ten am
this Monday? Is it open to the public?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It is.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Again, We've got the bat Children Museum that's got an
interactive display that asks kids to read a passage and
then be able to answer a couple of questions, so
it's there's some reading comprehension. John Goshchak, who was a
longtime support of the Boy Scouts and a national president
of the organization, a lot of his memorabilia is currently
on display as we celebrate his life. So there's and
(06:02):
then we've got a full Scout shop there with all
the Scouting supply. So I would love to have the
public come and to check out Scouting America at one
hundred and twenty fourth in Mapril.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Do you get to be the one to cut the ribbon?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I will be one of the people cutting the.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Do your years in Scouting serve you to be able
to do such an arduous task as taking a giant
pair of scissors and cutting a big ribbon.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I have had to earn my totin ship more than
once so I can wield a pair of scissors.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Okay, we're talking here with the CEO of the Mid
America Council of Scouting America formally Boy Scouts of America,
Chris maa haffy with us here, joked earlier. You've been
there for every single one of one hundred and fourteen
years that the Scout's been operational in Omaha. Not quite.
How how did you get started in scouting?
Speaker 4 (06:50):
It's started by a volunteer coming to my elementary school
in passing out a flyer telling us about all of
the cool things that we were going to be able
to do in scouting, and really it was a game
with a purpose. And when I was eight years old,
I thought it sounded like a whole lot of fun,
and my mom took me to sign up.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
What was the one thing they told you about, Hey,
we're going to do this and this and this. What
was the one thing that stood out like, I want
to do that?
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Go camping? Yeah, good camping.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
And then my parents proceeded to take us camping as kids.
The older we got, and it was nothing like what
we did when we went camping with the Scouts. How
so we carried a whole lot more stuff, but it
was it was a wonderful time. This past August, I
celebrated forty years worth of continuous registration in the Boy
(07:39):
Scouts of America now Scouting America, and I have the
privilege of serving Scouting here for eight years as the CEO.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It's a wonderful organization and I've loved being a part
of different ceremonies recognizing the accomplishments of those who become
Eagle Scouts. Do you have any idea what percentage of
those who start off in Cub Scouts or whatever end
up being Eagle Scouts. It's got to be a really
small number.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's a small number. When we serve more children, it
was south of two percent.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
We still have a number of kids that now stay
in our programs, so we see the retention rate and
now the climbing of the Eagle Scout rate above four
percent here in the Mid America Council. We've been really
fortunate that it's been between four and five percent of
the youth that we serve on an annual basis. And
there's a really neat scholarship that's available starting this fall
(08:31):
for those that are graduating from high school in the
state of Nebraska or the three counties right around the
metro area in Iowa. You're an Eagle Scout and you're
staying in the state of Nebraska three thousand dollars a
year up to four years to go to school here.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
One of the big things that we know about scouting
around here is the annual Scouting for Food event and
that is coming up here in very short order. What's
the timeframe on what you're doing on that.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Yeah, United Weed's the Midlands supports our Scouting for Food drive.
That the first weekend will be the last weekend of
March where our scouts will be coming door to door
putting the stickers on your garage door, your front door
reminding you they'll be back the next Saturday, which is
the first Saturday in April, to pick up your canned foods.
So there are five target stores in the metro area
(09:23):
that you can drop your food off on that first
Saturday in April, and then you'll also have the opportunity
in some of our smaller communities to be able to
drop those off at the food banks directly or at
one of the pantries that the churches.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Support wonderful and again that the reminder notification or the
heads up notifications coming at the end of next month, correct,
so watch for that and it'll tell you exactly when
they'll be back and how much information about what you
can put out on the doorstep is available on that
sticker there.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
So there's a QR code that they can which will
take them to our website that gives them a whole
lot more information. We're working with the food paintry here
Food Bank of the Heartland, so there's a list of
items that they are looking for, particular no glass and
no fresh produce. We want to keep kids safe and
glass tends to get broken along with the thousands of
(10:21):
food items that we pick up, and the fresh produce
is not fresh by the time it gets to the
food bank. And now with our groceries being delivered by
HIV and Walmart, try not to schedule them on Saturday
morning or be there to pick them up. The last
two years we have had to refund grocery money for
folks that are scouts picked up by mistake. They were
(10:42):
doing a good job and we appreciate them being thorough,
but we're trying to help our Scouts understand that maybe
that big grocery order is not as Scouting for Food order.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Great information there, So watch for that sticker on your
home here at the end of next month and be
ready for the annual Scouting for Food if in early April,
and of course the ribbon cutting for the U you know,
and the Chamber Commerce is going to be out there
all right, rebranding what has been known for one hundred
and fourteen years in our community as Boy Scouts of
(11:14):
America as Scouting America. Does that change a website we
go to for more information?
Speaker 3 (11:19):
It does.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Macscouts dot org is the website. It will redirect for
right now. But mac scouts dot org is the website.
Our telephone number is not changing. It's four oh two
four three one nine two seven two and that's a textable.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Number during business hours.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
So if you've got questions or concerns and or just
want to know more about Scouting, then we'd be happy
to help answer those.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Mac scouts dot Org is in Mid America Council mac
Scouts dot org and the Mid America Council encompasses what
space so.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
We cover from the Panhandle of Nebraska with the exception
of sixteen counties around Lincoln all to Des Moines. Okay,
it's one hundred and two counties and that includes Union
County South Dakota.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
We want to see everyone from Union County South Dakota
at the ribbon cutting here in Omaha on Monday ten
am at about one hundred and twenty one hundred and
twenty fourth and fourth and maybe you can't miss it
when you're over there, about one hundred and twenty fourth
and Maple the Mid America Council headquarters for Scouting America.
Chris Mahffy's CEO. Chris, always good talking to you. Thanks
(12:28):
so much for what you're doing to impact the lives
of our community through these young people and the Scouting programs,
and thanks for telling us about it on Community Matters.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Scott, Thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
You're listening to Community Matters and I can't believe it.
Here in February, we are just a few weeks away
now from one of Omaha's great and tastiest and most
aromatic fundraisers every single year in the calendar at about
this time, it is time for the Visiting Nurse Association,
the VNA's Art and Soup event, and we're very lucky
(13:00):
to have back on the program. President and CEO of
the VNA, doctor Carol Patrick, Welcome back to Community Matters.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
Hello, Hello, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I hope that there is no one who doesn't know
what Art and Soup is all about. Even if they don't,
the title should at least give them some idea.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
It's a pretty good lead in, right, right, we put
it right out there.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
But pretend like we don't know anything about it. All right,
what are we doing here on March ninth?
Speaker 5 (13:26):
On March ninth, there is art and there is soup.
I'm going to start with the soup. Actually I'll take
I'll take it from the back end. We're going to
have about twenty five local restaurants, great restaurants here in
town who donate all of the food. They come. The
chefs are there. Yes, they make soup, they all make it.
(13:47):
They're required to make soup. But some of them have
other things too, and they feed us. And you go
around and trust me, once you have eaten twenty five
different soups, and we're we're not talking like tomato soup
like you would normally. You know, we're talking unusual, creative,
(14:07):
very different things for your taste.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Buzz because in addition to serving people, there's also a
bit of a competition.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
There is a competition. There is a blind judged competition
by folks who really know what they're doing. And there
is a people's choice award where you, as you're there,
can vote for you know, it's a popularity context and
that's a good thing too.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
And having something that's maybe a little bit different sometimes
lends itself well to winning one of these competitions. It
can and a lot I think I've noticed here and
my being there over the years. Sometimes it depends on
the weather. If you have a cold, nasty day and
you come in there and someone's giving you something that's
(14:50):
more traditional like a chicken noodle soup, that just nothing
better than that on No, you're right, you have those
days in March where it's seventy degrees out of nowhere
and suddenly a hot soup. I don't know, someone might
do a cold soup of something yet, do you know.
Speaker 5 (15:05):
We actually had a few years ago and ice cream
soup and I think that was the first one to
go that day. It was incredible, It was incredible. So
there's the soup part. While you are walking around with
your spoon and eating all these soups, there is an
art festival going on. We already have thirty five artists
(15:29):
signed up, all different genres, everything from jewelry, sculpture, paintings,
glass blowing, you name it, all genres, all price points,
and these amazing folks have come in and they have
committed fifty percent of their sales to v and A.
(15:51):
So you get to shop and knowing that when I
won't say if, when you buy things that you're helping
the cause. The ticket that you purchase that gets you
all the food, the art that you purchase all then
goes to placing VNA nurses in every local homeless shelter,
(16:12):
domestic violent shelter, and group maternity home in both Omaha
and Council Bluffs.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
And before we talk more about what you can't think
of a better cause? Right, absolutely, this is a great fundraiser.
Let's make sure people know how to get their ticket
for this event coming up on Sunday, March ninth. Just
really just a couple of weeks away here, almost a
few weeks away.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
And it's at Omaha Design Center. The easiest way to
get your ticket is to go online so vnatoday dot org,
backslash art and soup, spell out and so VNA today
dot org backslash art and soup.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And how much is a ticket?
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Is there a do you do?
Speaker 2 (16:51):
You save a few dollars to get it now as
opposed to at the door you do?
Speaker 5 (16:54):
You do fifty dollars ticket in advance, it goes up
to fifty five at the door. Were and yeah, we
encourage you to get that and come on over starting
at two o'clock that day.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Omaha Design Center, downtown Omaha, not far from the ballpark
down there. That's twenty something in coming ish.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Twenty something sounds good. Yeah, yeah, for the.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Art, Omaha Design Center is.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
And if you're worried about parking at all, we have
there's some parking that's designated there in lots, but we
also have valet parking and it's free.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Sunday, March Night at the Omaha Design Center the annual
art and Soup fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Association. All
the details at VNA today dot org, slash Art and Soup.
We're talking with the president and CEO of the VNA,
doctor Carol Patrick, and you were saying that this is
(17:50):
a fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Association. Tell me about
the VNA. What you guys do, right, So.
Speaker 5 (17:58):
Let's focus in particular. So this fundraiser puts our nurses
in homeless shelters right where they and I'm gonna head
that direction for just a minute. Our nurses are are
the triage units, right, They are one of the first
people that many of the shelter clients see when they
(18:20):
come in. And r V and A nurses work hand
in hand with those amazing shelter staffs to help folks
who are coming in off the streets, who have been
living in their cars. And just an example of some
of the things that they do. There's a high level
(18:40):
of mental health issues within the community. There are over
eighty percent, in fact, close to ninety percent of the
local shelter population is disabled. The fastest growing population in
our local shelters is older adults, which just breaks my heart.
And these folks have chronic illnesses and we're talking about
(19:03):
we're talking about like seventy year old people with walkers, okay,
with chronic illness. And and here's the you know, here's
the picture to paint I have I have a chronic illness.
I need to decide this week if I can take
my medicine, pay my rent, and eat and which of
(19:25):
those things do I give up if I don't have
enough money. So it's it's it can be very easy.
It's human nature to look at these homeless shelters and say, oh,
those lazy people, why don't they just go get a job.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
But what brings many people to their knees and brings
them to these shelters are physical and mental health disorders,
and so we're very proud to partner with those shelters.
The whole idea if you've if you had a basic
psychology class, you know Maslow's hierarchy, right, and and you
can't can't move up that hierarchy and help yourself until
(20:03):
the basic needs are met. So if I have some
food in my tummy, if my health issues are stabilized,
if I've had a shower, and I have a safe
place to sleep, then I can start thinking about applying
for a job. Then I can think about transitioning to
a permanent home. So that's what that shelter system is doing.
(20:28):
That's what our nurses are doing.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
My friend doctor Candace Gregory at the other permission.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
She always said, hope begins with the meal.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
Absolutely, it does fill the tummy, fill the tummy, right, It.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Makes a difference, right. And I also, I can't help
but think that with the weather that we've seen here
just in the last couple of weeks around the Omaha Metro,
we've had days in the sixties, we've had days around zero,
We've had you freezing ice and so forth. And anytime
(21:00):
I'm in the news when you've got really really cold
temperatures we get the windshills below zero, there's always a
news story that says the shelters are really filling up.
You know, people are coming in off the streets, and
it's always treated as like odds. These poor people they're
they're coming in off the streets, they're going into the shelters.
Knowing what I do about everything you just said, and
(21:20):
I've talked with people are at these shelters, they always
see that as a tremendous opportunity to intervene, and specifically
for the VNA's purposes, here address a lot of health
needs that are often ignored or I don't I don't
have health insurance. I can't pay for this, So I'm
going to let this festering wound that's infected that might
(21:41):
cause me to have my foot amputated. They're just gonna
let it go. But when they go into the shelter,
someone says, we need to deal with this.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Yes, we're gonna help.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Where the DNA comes in.
Speaker 5 (21:51):
Exactly, we see a lot of frostbite. We see a
lot of gastro intestinal issues because people have been eating
spoiled food or they've not been eating or uh, you know,
all sorts of issues there along with the with the
chronic things we see even in cold weather, people coming
in barefoot off the streets, or they are wearing a
(22:13):
pair of shoes that's three sizes too small or three
sizes too big.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (22:18):
And and uh if you're on your feet and walking
around the streets and you don't have shoes or you
have ill fitting shoes, Uh, it messes with a lot
of with a lot of things. We do a lot
of footwork, yeah literally literally with within there. But yeah,
we uh some of the other things that that VNA does.
(22:40):
I wanted to highlight the shelter things, but uh we
also uh, I would say on both ends of the
age spectrum. We work with young parents in the community.
We work with teen moms uh pregnant teens through healthy,
healthy pregnancy, healthy childbirth. We have lactation consultants and we
(23:05):
will stay with that family up to a child being
five years old. Working with parenting skills. We have parent coaches,
social workers and parent coaches who will go in after
the nurse and all of this is done in the home.
We go wherever somebody calls home all right, and going
in there and helping helping folks first get through the
(23:30):
pregnancy pieces. But then if I was not read to
as a child, it does not occur to me of
the value of reading to my own child. So that's
where those parent coaching pieces come in. You don't have
to have all the money in the world to buy toys.
You can make toys. There are things around your house
that serve as learning things, and that's what our nurses
(23:52):
and social.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Workers right exactly always.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Yeah. On the other end of the spectrum, we have
vulnerable elderly right within our community. And maybe you're talking
about somebody who's been in their home for fifty plus
years and they want to stay there, that that's where
they are that's where That's where my recliner is, that's
where my dog is. That's where all the things that
are important and precious to me are. And with a
(24:17):
little bit of help, things like a bath aid, things
like medication management, things like have I had a v
and a nurse come in and assess for falls? You know,
maybe maybe I've a fall for an older person could
be catastrophic, So having somebody come in and check it out.
We even have funding. Do you need do you know?
(24:39):
Do you need bars put in your in your bathtub?
Do you need a bath chair? Those are the kind
of things we can help folks with so they can
stay safely in their homes and not end up in
that shelter system or not. Because gosh, we have a
lot of people in our community who could never afford
to go to an assisted living FACI, and so we
(25:01):
want to do the very best we can to surround
them with help so they can stay within their home.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Let's get people to do something. That's one of my
favorite things to promote on this program, and that is
we have a great cause and a great time and
we can put them together and people are having fun
and they're contributing to a great cause. So once again
tell people how they can be a part of Art
and Soup.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
Yes, so go to the website for a ticket VNA
today dot org backslash Art and Soup. We also need sponsors.
I know there are people hearing this and you have
a business, you have, you know something's going on where
you would like to come in and contribute a little
bit more as a sponsor to this, And you go
(25:46):
to that same website, there's some information there. With that sponsorship,
you get tickets also, so you can you can do
a little more good. If you are hearing this date
and you're saying, man, we're going to be out of
town that day, we can't do that. We've got something
else going on. Would you please consider making a donation anyway? Uh,
knowing what a tremendous cause, uh, you know that it is.
(26:09):
We've also got I I want to put in a plug, Scott.
We've got every year we uh uh, we have an
honorary chair right as part of this event, and we've
been very lucky to have some some tremendous folks and
and the role of that honorary chair is helping us
to raise money for for this cause and the.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Promoted as long as it's not Randy J.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Goodwin.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
Yeah, dang it, Okay, I'll have to all have to
be quiet then, so yes, it is. It is your friend.
It is your friend, Randy J. Goodwin. And uh uh yeah,
he's recently, just in this last year, opened up a
new company here in Omaha, Fallen Giant Films. And Randy
(26:54):
is an Omaha boy.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
He went to grade school here, He went to Creighton
Press up, he went to unl uh and then he
went to Hollywood. And Randy's had some tremendous success as
as an actor, writer, producer, while while maintaining values and
not crossing lines, not compromising his values within a within
(27:21):
a gosh a genre of work. That's difficult, right to
to do that. And now he's coming back to Omaha
and producing films in this area. And one of the
interesting stories when I when I first met Randy, uh,
when when he was in l a Uh, he he
(27:43):
lived in his car for a period of time. He
said it was a Fiat convertible, so not lots of
space to stretch out right in the cold weather. He's
uh slept sitting up in the car because his clothes
were in the back seat in the better weather, he
slept on a park bench. And when he told me
(28:04):
that story and I told him the story of what
we're doing, it was it was like a fit. He
understands a little bit of what it is like not
not to have that home. But yesterday I took him
to one of the homeless shelters with me and we
had an opportunity right to meet some folks and have
(28:27):
lunch with them, and we even had one of the
one of the homeless clients sang a song for Randy.
And it was a good day. It was a good
day of immersing right in what this community is all about.
And so shout out to Randy. I know you're working
on having him come in and talk with you another time,
(28:49):
but shout out to him for helping us this year.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
At the event kiss.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
He will be there. He will absolutely be there.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yet I's already hearing him speak. VNA today dot org,
slash Art and Soup all spelled out vnatoday dot org,
slash art and soup for details about either getting your
ticket for or helping sponsor in some way. The Art
and Soup event fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Association coming
up on Sunday, March ninth, Omaha Design Center, Downtown Omaha.
(29:19):
Doctor Carol Patrick for the Visiting Nurse Association. Always great
having you on the program. Thank yous, congratulations on another
great year of success with the VNA, and I know
this fundraiser will help the next year go well as well.
Thank you so much for what you're doing for our
community and thank you for telling us about it on
Community Matters.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Thanks This has been Community Matters, a weekly public affairs
special on CAT one O three, Omaha's Greatest Hits, ninety
nine point nine kg R News Radio eleven ten KFAB
Country's Greatest Hits, ninety three three The Wolf, and ninety
six to one Kiss FM. Thank you so much for listening,
(29:58):
and enjoy the rest of your day
This is Community Matters, a weekly public affairs program to
inform and entertain you with some of the great people, organizations,
and events in and around Omaha. Now here's the host
of the program from news radio eleven ten KFAB. It's
Scott for.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Heats and so great to have you with us on
this week's edition of Community Matters. I am Scott Voorheas
welcoming back to the program. Here from the Boy Scotts
of America Mid America Council. The CEO Chris Mahaffey is
here and Chris, it's great to have you back in
the program.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Scott, It's always great to be with you.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Now, what's going on in the world of Scouting these days.
We've got a big event coming up here to start
off the.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Week we do.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
This is Scouting's anniversary week. We were chartered on February eighth,
nineteen ten by Congress.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
You've been there the whole time, the whole time, Yes,
a really interesting perspective to this. So it's great to
celebrate one hundred and fifty fifteen years of Scouting nationally
and here in Omaha, one hundred and fourteen years because
we started here in nineteen eleven. Why so late.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, well we started earlier than others.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
We're gonna wait and see on this one. No, it's
it's really great to be able to honor a big
anniversary like this. So what are you doing to honor
said big anniversary?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Well, because we serve such a wide variety of youth,
well males and females, we want to make sure that
our female membership feels a part of our organization. So
as of this broadcast, we are changing our name to
Scouting America. Oh okay, in order to be inclusive of
the females that we serve.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, I've heard about this being in the works, but
it's official now Scouting America Scouting America.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
So we're Scouting America Mid America Council, still serving the
same boys and girls here in the one hundred and
two counties between Nebraska, Iowa and Union County, South Dakota.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Let's explore that a little bit, because there were certainly
a lot of debate discussion about how all this was
going to work and what accommodations would need to be made.
Obviously you've been a part of those discussions, and any
accommodations are changes. How's all that going.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
It's actually going really well. We've had most of our
Scouting families understand that we're serving boys and girls now,
and because most of them are sisters of a Scout
right of a male Scout. So it has been an
awesome opportunity for us to see full families now coming
into the Scouting organization. My own children, I have three
(02:38):
daughters and the two oldest ones are Eagle Scouts through
the program and have received a wonderful experience. So this
is a great opportunity for us to show that we
serve more than just boys.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, and of course there are people that say, well,
you got the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, isn't
it all under the same umbrella.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Not really, No, the Girl Scouts is a unique organization
and they serve young ladies and do so in a
fantastic way. Absolutely, and I really appreciate the programs they offer.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
But our programs are different.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Our mission is to serve young people and help them
make moral and ethical choices over their lifetime.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
It doesn't say boys.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Right, so by doing so and in inviting girls, we're
just giving them a different perspective from our program that
now is one hundred and fifteen years old, a lot
more outdoor skills, a lot more leadership. That the Girl
Scouts do offer a lot of leadership, we do so
in a different way, and I appreciate the way that
(03:38):
they offer leadership. Ours is one hundred and fifteen years
in the making, and every young person ought to have
the opportunity to participate.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
And you're doing all this while also correcting people for
probably the next twenty five years who continue to refer
to it by the old name. So Scouting America more
all encompassing term for all that you're serving, Craig in
the same way.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
It's kind of like when I ask some if they're
an Eagle Scout. Yeah, I was an Eagle Scout. No,
it's kind of like your marine. What's your legle scout?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Right?
Speaker 3 (04:07):
You're always an Eagle Scout? Yes, I have.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
I learned years ago. There's no such thing as a
former marine, no such thing as an next marine. We're
talking here with the current CEO of Scouting America's Mid
America Council, Chris ma Haffy, with us on community matters.
Got a little sidetracked. So the anniversary is Monday. What
are you doing to celebrate the anniversary.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
We're actually going to cut a ribbon.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
A Chamber of Commerce is coming back out to the
Durham Scout Center on Maple at one hundred and twenty
fourth and we're going to have an open house. We've
got a lot of the names have been changed in
the building, so we're going to be able to celebrate
this and celebrate our history and look forward to the
next century of serving kids.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
That's wonderful. If you know, I know it's Monday's a
school day, so it's not like a lot of kids
will be able to come, but there might be a
lot of As you said, there's no such thing as
a former Scout, those who participated more in Scouts than
their younger years who are now older and want to
be a part of this. What time do people need
to come out there?
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Come before ten am is when we will have the
official ribbon cutting on our new name of Scouting America
Mid America Council. We've got a wonderful museum, the Bachelder
Museum is there. Three pillars of our community are listed
in all their Scouting experience, along with a lot of
memorabilia in our office. Our Scout shop has been updated
(05:26):
It's a great way for people to reconnect with our organization,
and we'd love to have them there to celebrate with us.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
At ten o'clock.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
What about those who can't be there at ten am
this Monday? Is it open to the public?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It is.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Again, We've got the bat Children Museum that's got an
interactive display that asks kids to read a passage and
then be able to answer a couple of questions, so
it's there's some reading comprehension. John Goshchak, who was a
longtime support of the Boy Scouts and a national president
of the organization, a lot of his memorabilia is currently
on display as we celebrate his life. So there's and
(06:02):
then we've got a full Scout shop there with all
the Scouting supply. So I would love to have the
public come and to check out Scouting America at one
hundred and twenty fourth in Mapril.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Do you get to be the one to cut the ribbon?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I will be one of the people cutting the.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Do your years in Scouting serve you to be able
to do such an arduous task as taking a giant
pair of scissors and cutting a big ribbon.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
I have had to earn my totin ship more than
once so I can wield a pair of scissors.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Okay, we're talking here with the CEO of the Mid
America Council of Scouting America formally Boy Scouts of America,
Chris maa haffy with us here, joked earlier. You've been
there for every single one of one hundred and fourteen
years that the Scout's been operational in Omaha. Not quite.
How how did you get started in scouting?
Speaker 4 (06:50):
It's started by a volunteer coming to my elementary school
in passing out a flyer telling us about all of
the cool things that we were going to be able
to do in scouting, and really it was a game
with a purpose. And when I was eight years old,
I thought it sounded like a whole lot of fun,
and my mom took me to sign up.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
What was the one thing they told you about, Hey,
we're going to do this and this and this. What
was the one thing that stood out like, I want
to do that?
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Go camping? Yeah, good camping.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
And then my parents proceeded to take us camping as kids.
The older we got, and it was nothing like what
we did when we went camping with the Scouts. How
so we carried a whole lot more stuff, but it
was it was a wonderful time. This past August, I
celebrated forty years worth of continuous registration in the Boy
(07:39):
Scouts of America now Scouting America, and I have the
privilege of serving Scouting here for eight years as the CEO.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It's a wonderful organization and I've loved being a part
of different ceremonies recognizing the accomplishments of those who become
Eagle Scouts. Do you have any idea what percentage of
those who start off in Cub Scouts or whatever end
up being Eagle Scouts. It's got to be a really
small number.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's a small number. When we serve more children, it
was south of two percent.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
We still have a number of kids that now stay
in our programs, so we see the retention rate and
now the climbing of the Eagle Scout rate above four
percent here in the Mid America Council. We've been really
fortunate that it's been between four and five percent of
the youth that we serve on an annual basis. And
there's a really neat scholarship that's available starting this fall
(08:31):
for those that are graduating from high school in the
state of Nebraska or the three counties right around the
metro area in Iowa. You're an Eagle Scout and you're
staying in the state of Nebraska three thousand dollars a
year up to four years to go to school here.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
One of the big things that we know about scouting
around here is the annual Scouting for Food event and
that is coming up here in very short order. What's
the timeframe on what you're doing on that.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Yeah, United Weed's the Midlands supports our Scouting for Food drive.
That the first weekend will be the last weekend of
March where our scouts will be coming door to door
putting the stickers on your garage door, your front door
reminding you they'll be back the next Saturday, which is
the first Saturday in April, to pick up your canned foods.
So there are five target stores in the metro area
(09:23):
that you can drop your food off on that first
Saturday in April, and then you'll also have the opportunity
in some of our smaller communities to be able to
drop those off at the food banks directly or at
one of the pantries that the churches.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Support wonderful and again that the reminder notification or the
heads up notifications coming at the end of next month, correct,
so watch for that and it'll tell you exactly when
they'll be back and how much information about what you
can put out on the doorstep is available on that
sticker there.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
So there's a QR code that they can which will
take them to our website that gives them a whole
lot more information. We're working with the food paintry here
Food Bank of the Heartland, so there's a list of
items that they are looking for, particular no glass and
no fresh produce. We want to keep kids safe and
glass tends to get broken along with the thousands of
(10:21):
food items that we pick up, and the fresh produce
is not fresh by the time it gets to the
food bank. And now with our groceries being delivered by
HIV and Walmart, try not to schedule them on Saturday
morning or be there to pick them up. The last
two years we have had to refund grocery money for
folks that are scouts picked up by mistake. They were
(10:42):
doing a good job and we appreciate them being thorough,
but we're trying to help our Scouts understand that maybe
that big grocery order is not as Scouting for Food order.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Great information there, So watch for that sticker on your
home here at the end of next month and be
ready for the annual Scouting for Food if in early April,
and of course the ribbon cutting for the U you know,
and the Chamber Commerce is going to be out there
all right, rebranding what has been known for one hundred
and fourteen years in our community as Boy Scouts of
(11:14):
America as Scouting America. Does that change a website we
go to for more information?
Speaker 3 (11:19):
It does.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Macscouts dot org is the website. It will redirect for
right now. But mac scouts dot org is the website.
Our telephone number is not changing. It's four oh two
four three one nine two seven two and that's a textable.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Number during business hours.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
So if you've got questions or concerns and or just
want to know more about Scouting, then we'd be happy
to help answer those.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Mac scouts dot Org is in Mid America Council mac
Scouts dot org and the Mid America Council encompasses what
space so.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
We cover from the Panhandle of Nebraska with the exception
of sixteen counties around Lincoln all to Des Moines. Okay,
it's one hundred and two counties and that includes Union
County South Dakota.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
We want to see everyone from Union County South Dakota
at the ribbon cutting here in Omaha on Monday ten
am at about one hundred and twenty one hundred and
twenty fourth and fourth and maybe you can't miss it
when you're over there, about one hundred and twenty fourth
and Maple the Mid America Council headquarters for Scouting America.
Chris Mahffy's CEO. Chris, always good talking to you. Thanks
(12:28):
so much for what you're doing to impact the lives
of our community through these young people and the Scouting programs,
and thanks for telling us about it on Community Matters.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Scott, Thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
You're listening to Community Matters and I can't believe it.
Here in February, we are just a few weeks away
now from one of Omaha's great and tastiest and most
aromatic fundraisers every single year in the calendar at about
this time, it is time for the Visiting Nurse Association,
the VNA's Art and Soup event, and we're very lucky
(13:00):
to have back on the program. President and CEO of
the VNA, doctor Carol Patrick, Welcome back to Community Matters.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
Hello, Hello, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I hope that there is no one who doesn't know
what Art and Soup is all about. Even if they don't,
the title should at least give them some idea.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
It's a pretty good lead in, right, right, we put
it right out there.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
But pretend like we don't know anything about it. All right,
what are we doing here on March ninth?
Speaker 5 (13:26):
On March ninth, there is art and there is soup.
I'm going to start with the soup. Actually I'll take
I'll take it from the back end. We're going to
have about twenty five local restaurants, great restaurants here in
town who donate all of the food. They come. The
chefs are there. Yes, they make soup, they all make it.
(13:47):
They're required to make soup. But some of them have
other things too, and they feed us. And you go
around and trust me, once you have eaten twenty five
different soups, and we're we're not talking like tomato soup
like you would normally. You know, we're talking unusual, creative,
(14:07):
very different things for your taste.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Buzz because in addition to serving people, there's also a
bit of a competition.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
There is a competition. There is a blind judged competition
by folks who really know what they're doing. And there
is a people's choice award where you, as you're there,
can vote for you know, it's a popularity context and
that's a good thing too.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
And having something that's maybe a little bit different sometimes
lends itself well to winning one of these competitions. It
can and a lot I think I've noticed here and
my being there over the years. Sometimes it depends on
the weather. If you have a cold, nasty day and
you come in there and someone's giving you something that's
(14:50):
more traditional like a chicken noodle soup, that just nothing
better than that on No, you're right, you have those
days in March where it's seventy degrees out of nowhere
and suddenly a hot soup. I don't know, someone might
do a cold soup of something yet, do you know.
Speaker 5 (15:05):
We actually had a few years ago and ice cream
soup and I think that was the first one to
go that day. It was incredible, It was incredible. So
there's the soup part. While you are walking around with
your spoon and eating all these soups, there is an
art festival going on. We already have thirty five artists
(15:29):
signed up, all different genres, everything from jewelry, sculpture, paintings,
glass blowing, you name it, all genres, all price points,
and these amazing folks have come in and they have
committed fifty percent of their sales to v and A.
(15:51):
So you get to shop and knowing that when I
won't say if, when you buy things that you're helping
the cause. The ticket that you purchase that gets you
all the food, the art that you purchase all then
goes to placing VNA nurses in every local homeless shelter,
(16:12):
domestic violent shelter, and group maternity home in both Omaha
and Council Bluffs.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
And before we talk more about what you can't think
of a better cause? Right, absolutely, this is a great fundraiser.
Let's make sure people know how to get their ticket
for this event coming up on Sunday, March ninth. Just
really just a couple of weeks away here, almost a
few weeks away.
Speaker 5 (16:31):
And it's at Omaha Design Center. The easiest way to
get your ticket is to go online so vnatoday dot org,
backslash art and soup, spell out and so VNA today
dot org backslash art and soup.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And how much is a ticket?
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Is there a do you do?
Speaker 2 (16:51):
You save a few dollars to get it now as
opposed to at the door you do?
Speaker 5 (16:54):
You do fifty dollars ticket in advance, it goes up
to fifty five at the door. Were and yeah, we
encourage you to get that and come on over starting
at two o'clock that day.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Omaha Design Center, downtown Omaha, not far from the ballpark
down there. That's twenty something in coming ish.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Twenty something sounds good. Yeah, yeah, for the.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Art, Omaha Design Center is.
Speaker 5 (17:20):
And if you're worried about parking at all, we have
there's some parking that's designated there in lots, but we
also have valet parking and it's free.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Sunday, March Night at the Omaha Design Center the annual
art and Soup fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Association. All
the details at VNA today dot org, slash Art and Soup.
We're talking with the president and CEO of the VNA,
doctor Carol Patrick, and you were saying that this is
(17:50):
a fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Association. Tell me about
the VNA. What you guys do, right, So.
Speaker 5 (17:58):
Let's focus in particular. So this fundraiser puts our nurses
in homeless shelters right where they and I'm gonna head
that direction for just a minute. Our nurses are are
the triage units, right, They are one of the first
people that many of the shelter clients see when they
(18:20):
come in. And r V and A nurses work hand
in hand with those amazing shelter staffs to help folks
who are coming in off the streets, who have been
living in their cars. And just an example of some
of the things that they do. There's a high level
(18:40):
of mental health issues within the community. There are over
eighty percent, in fact, close to ninety percent of the
local shelter population is disabled. The fastest growing population in
our local shelters is older adults, which just breaks my heart.
And these folks have chronic illnesses and we're talking about
(19:03):
we're talking about like seventy year old people with walkers, okay,
with chronic illness. And and here's the you know, here's
the picture to paint I have I have a chronic illness.
I need to decide this week if I can take
my medicine, pay my rent, and eat and which of
(19:25):
those things do I give up if I don't have
enough money. So it's it's it can be very easy.
It's human nature to look at these homeless shelters and say, oh,
those lazy people, why don't they just go get a job.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
But what brings many people to their knees and brings
them to these shelters are physical and mental health disorders,
and so we're very proud to partner with those shelters.
The whole idea if you've if you had a basic
psychology class, you know Maslow's hierarchy, right, and and you
can't can't move up that hierarchy and help yourself until
(20:03):
the basic needs are met. So if I have some
food in my tummy, if my health issues are stabilized,
if I've had a shower, and I have a safe
place to sleep, then I can start thinking about applying
for a job. Then I can think about transitioning to
a permanent home. So that's what that shelter system is doing.
(20:28):
That's what our nurses are doing.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
My friend doctor Candace Gregory at the other permission.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
She always said, hope begins with the meal.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
Absolutely, it does fill the tummy, fill the tummy, right, It.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Makes a difference, right. And I also, I can't help
but think that with the weather that we've seen here
just in the last couple of weeks around the Omaha Metro,
we've had days in the sixties, we've had days around zero,
We've had you freezing ice and so forth. And anytime
(21:00):
I'm in the news when you've got really really cold
temperatures we get the windshills below zero, there's always a
news story that says the shelters are really filling up.
You know, people are coming in off the streets, and
it's always treated as like odds. These poor people they're
they're coming in off the streets, they're going into the shelters.
Knowing what I do about everything you just said, and
(21:20):
I've talked with people are at these shelters, they always
see that as a tremendous opportunity to intervene, and specifically
for the VNA's purposes, here address a lot of health
needs that are often ignored or I don't I don't
have health insurance. I can't pay for this, So I'm
going to let this festering wound that's infected that might
(21:41):
cause me to have my foot amputated. They're just gonna
let it go. But when they go into the shelter,
someone says, we need to deal with this.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Yes, we're gonna help.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Where the DNA comes in.
Speaker 5 (21:51):
Exactly, we see a lot of frostbite. We see a
lot of gastro intestinal issues because people have been eating
spoiled food or they've not been eating or uh, you know,
all sorts of issues there along with the with the
chronic things we see even in cold weather, people coming
in barefoot off the streets, or they are wearing a
(22:13):
pair of shoes that's three sizes too small or three
sizes too big.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (22:18):
And and uh if you're on your feet and walking
around the streets and you don't have shoes or you
have ill fitting shoes, Uh, it messes with a lot
of with a lot of things. We do a lot
of footwork, yeah literally literally with within there. But yeah,
we uh some of the other things that that VNA does.
(22:40):
I wanted to highlight the shelter things, but uh we
also uh, I would say on both ends of the
age spectrum. We work with young parents in the community.
We work with teen moms uh pregnant teens through healthy,
healthy pregnancy, healthy childbirth. We have lactation consultants and we
(23:05):
will stay with that family up to a child being
five years old. Working with parenting skills. We have parent coaches,
social workers and parent coaches who will go in after
the nurse and all of this is done in the home.
We go wherever somebody calls home all right, and going
in there and helping helping folks first get through the
(23:30):
pregnancy pieces. But then if I was not read to
as a child, it does not occur to me of
the value of reading to my own child. So that's
where those parent coaching pieces come in. You don't have
to have all the money in the world to buy toys.
You can make toys. There are things around your house
that serve as learning things, and that's what our nurses
(23:52):
and social.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Workers right exactly always.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Yeah. On the other end of the spectrum, we have
vulnerable elderly right within our community. And maybe you're talking
about somebody who's been in their home for fifty plus
years and they want to stay there, that that's where
they are that's where That's where my recliner is, that's
where my dog is. That's where all the things that
are important and precious to me are. And with a
(24:17):
little bit of help, things like a bath aid, things
like medication management, things like have I had a v
and a nurse come in and assess for falls? You know,
maybe maybe I've a fall for an older person could
be catastrophic, So having somebody come in and check it out.
We even have funding. Do you need do you know?
(24:39):
Do you need bars put in your in your bathtub?
Do you need a bath chair? Those are the kind
of things we can help folks with so they can
stay safely in their homes and not end up in
that shelter system or not. Because gosh, we have a
lot of people in our community who could never afford
to go to an assisted living FACI, and so we
(25:01):
want to do the very best we can to surround
them with help so they can stay within their home.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Let's get people to do something. That's one of my
favorite things to promote on this program, and that is
we have a great cause and a great time and
we can put them together and people are having fun
and they're contributing to a great cause. So once again
tell people how they can be a part of Art
and Soup.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
Yes, so go to the website for a ticket VNA
today dot org backslash Art and Soup. We also need sponsors.
I know there are people hearing this and you have
a business, you have, you know something's going on where
you would like to come in and contribute a little
bit more as a sponsor to this, And you go
(25:46):
to that same website, there's some information there. With that sponsorship,
you get tickets also, so you can you can do
a little more good. If you are hearing this date
and you're saying, man, we're going to be out of
town that day, we can't do that. We've got something
else going on. Would you please consider making a donation anyway? Uh,
knowing what a tremendous cause, uh, you know that it is.
(26:09):
We've also got I I want to put in a plug, Scott.
We've got every year we uh uh, we have an
honorary chair right as part of this event, and we've
been very lucky to have some some tremendous folks and
and the role of that honorary chair is helping us
to raise money for for this cause and the.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Promoted as long as it's not Randy J.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Goodwin.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
Yeah, dang it, Okay, I'll have to all have to
be quiet then, so yes, it is. It is your friend.
It is your friend, Randy J. Goodwin. And uh uh yeah,
he's recently, just in this last year, opened up a
new company here in Omaha, Fallen Giant Films. And Randy
(26:54):
is an Omaha boy.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
He went to grade school here, He went to Creighton
Press up, he went to unl uh and then he
went to Hollywood. And Randy's had some tremendous success as
as an actor, writer, producer, while while maintaining values and
not crossing lines, not compromising his values within a within
(27:21):
a gosh a genre of work. That's difficult, right to
to do that. And now he's coming back to Omaha
and producing films in this area. And one of the
interesting stories when I when I first met Randy, uh,
when when he was in l a Uh, he he
(27:43):
lived in his car for a period of time. He
said it was a Fiat convertible, so not lots of
space to stretch out right in the cold weather. He's
uh slept sitting up in the car because his clothes
were in the back seat in the better weather, he
slept on a park bench. And when he told me
(28:04):
that story and I told him the story of what
we're doing, it was it was like a fit. He
understands a little bit of what it is like not
not to have that home. But yesterday I took him
to one of the homeless shelters with me and we
had an opportunity right to meet some folks and have
(28:27):
lunch with them, and we even had one of the
one of the homeless clients sang a song for Randy.
And it was a good day. It was a good
day of immersing right in what this community is all about.
And so shout out to Randy. I know you're working
on having him come in and talk with you another time,
(28:49):
but shout out to him for helping us this year.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
At the event kiss.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
He will be there. He will absolutely be there.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yet I's already hearing him speak. VNA today dot org,
slash Art and Soup all spelled out vnatoday dot org,
slash art and soup for details about either getting your
ticket for or helping sponsor in some way. The Art
and Soup event fundraiser for the Visiting Nurse Association coming
up on Sunday, March ninth, Omaha Design Center, Downtown Omaha.
(29:19):
Doctor Carol Patrick for the Visiting Nurse Association. Always great
having you on the program. Thank yous, congratulations on another
great year of success with the VNA, and I know
this fundraiser will help the next year go well as well.
Thank you so much for what you're doing for our
community and thank you for telling us about it on
Community Matters.
Speaker 5 (29:37):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Thanks This has been Community Matters, a weekly public affairs
special on CAT one O three, Omaha's Greatest Hits, ninety
nine point nine kg R News Radio eleven ten KFAB
Country's Greatest Hits, ninety three three The Wolf, and ninety
six to one Kiss FM. Thank you so much for listening,
(29:58):
and enjoy the rest of your day
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