iHeartRadio Greenville Carolina Conference Call with Thompson

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Good morning and welcome to Carolina. Conference call with me
this morning is Josh Shaw and Seawan Brown. Now we're
the Thompson Child and Family Focus. Now, Josh is the
program director for Thompson Child Family Focus, and Sean you're
the operations director. Wanted the operations director for this wonderful
Thompson Child Family and Focus. How are you guys doing?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
First of all, does.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Nobody speaking once? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Yeah, first of all, and that's quite the mouthful. But
because you do so much, so I understand why while
we have the what we're saying here, But Josh, why
don't you start out and tell me what it is
that Thompson Child Family Focus is?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
What what is it? Would do? What is?

Speaker 4 (00:54):
I think a better question, what isn't it?

Speaker 3 (00:56):
What is it?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
But no, we are an agency out of Charles at
North Carolina and we provide all sorts of different services
and programs for that to help, you know, support children
and families and more specifically here in South Carolina. Now,
I guess it's worth mentioning that we are across a

(01:17):
lot of different states, so it's not just South Carolina.
South Carolina. Tennessee's a new one. Florida's relatively new talks
of move in some other places as well. So so yeah,
we're all throughout the southeast and kind of you know today,
just would love to talk a little bit more about
what we're doing in South Carolina.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Absolutely be before you there, Sean, Can you tell me
the origins of this because since you're so big now,
where did it start.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
And how did it start?

Speaker 5 (01:43):
So it started one hundred and thirty nine years ago
in Charlotte as a small orphanage, and over the course
of the years we've added programs with early childhood education,
community based mental health services, and child welfare programs.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
You say mental health, and that's so important right now,
and I'm so glad that we are focusing because we
wait till somebody gets older and they're really deep into
their mental problems they may be having. And is that
what your job is or Thompson's job basically is to
maybe catch it early and get people what is a
mental health issue?

Speaker 3 (02:20):
What do you do with that?

Speaker 5 (02:21):
We work across the spectrum. We have several programs that
are geared toward prevention and early childhood education, which can
help prevent people from getting deep into the challenges that
you were describing, but then we also work on the
other end. Once people are in and experiencing these challenges,

(02:41):
our programs help them find hope, find joy, find purpose,
and find a way through those challenges.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
I know there's people listening right now.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Perhaps that's not them, but somebody in their family who
seems so depressed, it seems so dark. They're so happy
that y'all are moving your facilities or move them, just
expanding out of Charlotte and coming to partly ever get
gets everything first.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
But then we'll get it eventually here in Greenville.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Josh, why don't you tell us about why you're coming
to Greenville and what we can expect from Thompson.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Sure, I mean Greenville is of course, that's a place
that's very.

Speaker 4 (03:13):
Near and dear to my heart.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
I grew up here, born here, all that good stuff,
and you know, children and families they need help everywhere.

Speaker 4 (03:21):
It's not exclusive to.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Greenville by any means, but I think Greenville is a
kind of a natural to your point, how Charlotte gets
things first, Yeah, yeah, and kind of and kind of
trickles down here. But I'm trying to kind of replicate
what's going on with all of our programs in Charlotte
and then moving and doing the same thing here in Greenville.
I think that's that's the dream, right, And so we

(03:45):
have a few programs here in South Carolina, Like one
is multi systemic therapy, which is for very high acuity children.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Because I'm not one, I'm what what is that? What
does all that mean?

Speaker 4 (03:59):
Right? I mean I think I think Sean's probably more well.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Very right, Shawna.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
Yeah, So multi systemic therapy works together with children who
are experiencing high levels of mental health issues. They're also
experiencing troubles at school, in the community, may be engaging
in at risk behavior, criminal behavior, and it works together
with the entire family system. As we know, if it's

(04:25):
impacting one person in the family, it's impacting other people.
And so this treatment model works together with the whole
family to identify what are the root causes and to
provide supports and interventions to help them navigate through those
and many times break generational cycles.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Because well, they're not bad kids.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Kids just haven't been given the tools that they need, especially,
like you said, if it's generational, they're just mimicking behavior
they've seen in the past.

Speaker 5 (04:53):
Absolutely, and to that point, many, many parents and caregivers
are very well inten and they're doing the best that
they can, but their children have experienced trauma or other
mental health issues, and they don't know how to access
those things or even what to do. And that's where

(05:15):
they don't have to Nobody has to go through these
things alone. There are resources out there. We're here, and
we're here to partner together with them and walk through
that journey with them to help them.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Well, now, glad they include the entire family, because you know,
we all had issues in our family. It could be
anything from drugs to anything really of like you know,
feeling bad behavior, whatever it is. But sometimes when you
point to the kid and say you're the problem, but
there's the families. Okay, No, it's the family's problem. I
love like you say, focus on the family. I think
that's so important because you love, this person's part of
our wheel that rolls, you know, and when part of

(05:49):
that wheel comes out, the wheel doesn't roll along the
road anymore.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
So I love that.

Speaker 5 (05:53):
So Earlier you asked, how did we get to hear Yeah,
we started partnerships with the Department of Social Services with DSS,
and through that we became very familiar with some key

(06:14):
challenges that they were facing, especially for teens. And so
our position as an organization is, if there is a need,
if there's a need with a family, if there's a
need in a community, no matter how challenging it is,
will answer the call. And so when we heard that
how many teenagers and how many children were in foster

(06:38):
care here in South Carolina, we looked at the fact
that we've grown to over three hundred and seventy five
foster homes in North Carolina, and we said, this is
what we do. It's a challenge, but we will accept
the call. And so we moved in and started first

(06:59):
with multi systemic treatment. Then we grew into a program
called Thompson Placement Stability And what that does is that
works with kids who are in foster care, primarily who
because of the trauma, are experiencing placement disruptions. Maybe that
as a result of it, they've had some acting out behavior.

(07:21):
The caregiver or the foster parent doesn't know how to
meet that child's needs and work through that. Now the
kid's placements in jeopardy. Well, our team of professionals of
mentors and behavior modification specialists then partner together with the
caregiver and with the youth to help figure out what's
triggering that behavior and help them come up with healthy

(07:43):
ways to cope with it. And so we began doing that.
We started off in a pilot here in the Upstate.
Joshua was a key part of that. From the ground
help building that we started in a few counties, we
expanded to all of upstate. From up State, we then
planted another team and expanded in Midlands out of Columbia.

(08:05):
Then we moved over into supporting PD and Low Country.
And so as we did that, we continued to see
what the needs were of these children, and that's when
we said it's time. We need to move in and
we need to begin to develop foster homes, and we
need to offer a continuum of care and supports to

(08:31):
these children and to the families to be able to
support them through this.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
And I love that you went to the belly of
the beach. You went too, DSS, you know, because instead
of going you said, of going, here's what we think, No,
let's find out what the problems are, what they need,
develop a program and help these kids and families and
the foster families, you know, it'd be terrifying to take
a child into your home, like am I going to do?

Speaker 3 (08:50):
No?

Speaker 1 (08:50):
No, we got you, here's here's you know, you got
what problems you have? Maybe have no problems, maybe you do.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
We're here to help you.

Speaker 1 (08:55):
And that is I mean, you couldn't you couldn't put
a price sag on you know, that kind of help
for someone, and then you're taking someone, You're changing their
destination of life. Absolutely a child that's being knocked around
here and there. But like, no, no, we're going to
stop that. We're going to fix these problems all right now, Josh,
he tells what else? So what are the programs are
coming to? I guess it's everything, But what else can
we expect here in the upstate Greenville?

Speaker 4 (09:16):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (09:17):
No, I mean to Shawn's point, MST and TPSU, the
two that he mentioned, those are kind of leading the way.
Those are very well established and those are essentially statewide, right,
and so foster care is really like the next the
next thing that we're doing. We started literally two months ago.
I mean that that's how that's how Seon It's all happened,

(09:39):
and and so that's our big push, right, is just
how do we take kind of these pain points and
gaps that we have been filling. But then how do
we bring community into that? Right, and foster parents are
are the way to do that.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
Now, how does that work? You explained?

Speaker 1 (09:57):
One of you explain me, like, does DSS contact you guys,
or do you or do you go to the schools
and counselors? Or how how do you find children of
foster care? Or how does that work? And maybe I
should know, I'm but I'm a little ignorant to it.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
So I apologize, Yeah, I know, so so so DSS.
They are obviously that they have custody of the children.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
Okay, they've taken it out of someone's home, They've taken
the child.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
Out right, correct, and and so in doing that, obviously
the kids need a place to go, right in, a
place to call home. And so foster parents and what
we do is we're out recruiting. You know, do you
have space in your home? Do you have the heart
for this? Would you like to change the trajectory of

(10:38):
a kid's life? Because that's exactly what this is doing,
and it's offering a support and guidance and again strengthening
the entire community of Greenville. Or wherever you know the
need is, which is everywhere right Carolina especially, And so
you know the way that that works is there's a
lot of different agencies that they're called CPAs child placing

(11:01):
agencies that you know have foster care. And then you
go in you get with them or my team in
this case, and you would you would say, you know, hey,
you know, I'm interested in doing that.

Speaker 4 (11:12):
How does that work?

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Right?

Speaker 2 (11:14):
Next step is then application, just basic information and things
like that. Then we set you up with one of
our partners helped Heartfelt Calling. Uh, they provide all the training.
You do that training, it's about thirty hours of self
paced training.

Speaker 4 (11:29):
You'll do that.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
Along the way, there's background checks and inspections, Yes, things
that you would expect if you know it was maybe
your own child. You want if they were going to
different places.

Speaker 3 (11:42):
Right, you want to make sure yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
So throughout that process that can take you know, three
or more months. Three to six months is typically what
we see. But then after that time and after all
those things, we get with the s s S says,
we have a kiddo for you and we'd love to
make that connection. And then that that journey begins and.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
I'm sure you think about you know, the kids likes
like they like music, and you say, oh, this family
likes have love music, and that would instead of going
to that family, let's go to this family because they
have that in common.

Speaker 3 (12:13):
I mean, yea stuff like that.

Speaker 4 (12:15):
Sure, for sure.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
I think it's important in anything where you know you're
you're kind of matching, right, Yeah, you don't want to
send someone that has nothing in common or there's just
not any connection.

Speaker 4 (12:27):
Right.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
Everyone's gonna have preferences for those things. I mean, the
kids themselves are going to.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Have, right, and you want it to work. You don't
want to have to say, okay, let's put you here.
That's a whole idea of your program is to find
something that works and lasts for the child until they
need it.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, And so what we're doing is we're definitely just
we're trying to make a difference in that way. And
I think to Shawn's point, we're offering something that's so
different from what's typical and that we already have established programs,
we have established partnerships, and it's not.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
Hey, here's kiddo in your home, see you later.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
I think that's the fear of a lot of people like,
I would do it, but I wouldn't know what happens.

Speaker 5 (13:06):
A lot of people really do have that fear. I've
had the opportunity now to work with foster care programs
in three different states, and that's a very common theme,
is that people say, well, I would do it, but
I just I don't know what to do. You don't
have to know what to do. We're not looking for
the perfect person. We're looking for a person who has
the heart to make a difference, will wrap supports and

(13:27):
services around them. We have our we have our continuum
of care that we've we've talked about a couple of
different times. We have strategic partnerships that we're growing and
developing in the Columbia area and in the Greenville area.
And one of the things that we're going to be
doing is developing care support teams. So when people talk
about I would do something if I felt like I could, no,

(13:50):
you can. Now we understand that not everybody is going
to fill the call to become a foster parent, but
everybody can do something to support it child in foster care.
And so in creating a care support team, there may
be individuals who say you know what, I just don't
have the ability or I'm not the right person to

(14:12):
be a foster parent. Well, in a care support team,
a group of individuals could come together and say we're
going to take one foster family and we're going to
be the care support team for that family. Anytime a
child is placed in that home, we're going to be
there to support that foster family. Some have come and
brought meals. Here's meals for the first week. That kids

(14:33):
need clothes, they'll help with clothing. Whatever the needs are
that that family has. They work together to support that
family to help make it possible for them to be
able to meet the Now.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
What a nice way to kids gets hoe in the
water a little bit and you can see, like, you
know what, like you said, I can do that is
That's what it is.

Speaker 5 (14:51):
I can do that exactly. So there's a couple of
different types of foster parents that we have, and again
this is where a lot of people just aren't aware
of what's out there. We have traditional fostering, which is
basic level kids ages zero through twenty one. Could be
because sometimes kids age out and we work with them afterwards.

(15:14):
But our main mission that we're answering the call to
is the teenage kids, so we really want to hone
in on them, but we're also going to serve the
other kids as well. So there's different age groups, there's
different needs that kids have. There's also the abilities for
somebody to say, you know what, I can't be a
full time foster parent, but I want to be there

(15:36):
to offer support, and they can become what's called a
respite caregiver. And so maybe the family and the kid
need a break for a weekend or something's going on,
and then that child can go spend the night with
those approved foster parents and have respite support. And then

(15:57):
another thing is there's kinship care. There's a lot of
families right now who have had situations in which children
in their family that they're either kin with or maybe fictive.
Can you know the brother from another the sister from another. Mystery,
it's not the biological blood that makes us family, it's

(16:17):
the relationship. Who who have had kids come live with them, Well,
we can offer them supports. They're already doing it now,
but they're in it many times by themselves. They could
come over with us. We could train them, give them
tools and resources for parenting education. Discipline, all of those

(16:39):
things in meeting the kid's needs, offer them financial supports
as well as this continuum of care and our community
partner supports to help stabilize that kinship family. And so
that's a whole nother group of folks who traditionally wouldn't
necessarily think that they fit in this category, They absolutely do.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
How do we not know this was a thing? How
do we not know? I mean, y'all are doing it
in Charlotte, You're not that far away.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
That is a beautiful thing to hear because a lot
of times, you know, with radio station, we'll go out
and we'll meet people and you'll meet families like that.
You'll meet somebod who's raising their sister's children or their
grandchildren or they're whomever, and they're they're lost, and they're
you can tell there overwhelmed the situation.

Speaker 3 (17:21):
But it's family.

Speaker 1 (17:22):
So she know's a place to sit down and talk
to somebody and go help. What do I need to do?
Whether it's just advice or like said, somebody actually comes
in and changes a little bit or it helps you
out just a little bit.

Speaker 5 (17:31):
Absolutely, I think that's that's the challenge that many people
find themselves in is they don't know how to connect
with the resources. We want to connect people with resources.
All we need them to do is take the first step.
They can go to our website, to THOMPSONCFF dot org. Okay,
once you get to the website, you can click on

(17:54):
our fostering link. Once you go to that page, you
can click on to South Carolina because we've got North
Carolina and South Carolina and that will Once you get
to that page, it tells you all about what we're
doing across South Carolina. If they're interested, all they have
to do is click the link for more information or
become a foster parent. We'll get together with them and

(18:16):
will help them figure out what the best fit is
for them, what their options are, and talk with them
about how we can support them through this entire journey.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
That's amazing. I'm so happy I've come to our community.
It really am because there's such a need here for
Thompson there really is, and all the services you offer
and like sometimes it's just information. Just some people don't
even know the question to ask. Just to go to
your website and check it out. Now, I'll let you
guys know, if you Google Thompson, you'll still find it
because I'm so bad at writing down.

Speaker 3 (18:45):
But I know a CFF. But if you Thompson cff
dot org? Is it at dot org? But I just
google Thompson. I found them.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
So if you're driving and you can't write anything down,
please know that because this may be speaking to you
right now. All right now, Josh, tell me what you
need here? How can we make sure this is successful
in Greenville, Spartanburg here in the upstate.

Speaker 3 (19:04):
How can we make this work? What do you need
from your community?

Speaker 4 (19:07):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (19:07):
Absolutely, I think the big thing is is just be
curious if this if this is making you go huh,
that's your call.

Speaker 4 (19:19):
Is right now.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Again, we're going to be in Greenville, Spartanburg, really the
whole upstate, and then we're also going to be serving
Colombia and the Rock hillar area as well in South Carolina.
And so, you know, for for us, it's it's just
so important that the worst question you can ask is
the one that you don't ask.

Speaker 3 (19:39):
Right.

Speaker 2 (19:40):
So, so we're here and we're wide open, and you know,
if this is something that's kind of pulling on your
heartstrings a little bit, or if you know somebody that
could could you know, benefit from really any of our services,
especially foster care, because we are brand new that then
then you know that this would be the time to
do it.

Speaker 4 (20:00):
And so for us, it's just reach out to us.
We're going to be around. We're always here. We're not again.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
We're not saying hey, you know, check the box and
then we'll see you later. This is not a here's
your information. You be proactive. We are going to be
there with you. We're going to grab your.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
Hand and say I am mad.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
Yes, and we all need that, right. This is a
new thing for for a lot of folks. I mean
there's probably a lot of people listening that have I
didn't even know this was a thing that existed, or
that the need was so much, and all those types
of things, and so, you know, it's just it's just
be curious, and there's a million ways you can help.
If you want to become a foster parent, we are here.

(20:41):
If you want to do respite and do that on
the weekends to give support and kind of alleviate some
of the pressures.

Speaker 4 (20:47):
Of foster parents, do that as well.

Speaker 2 (20:50):
If you want to help with with meals, if you
want to help create a kind of a more inclusive
environment for that child in their new place.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
And they have a village. The child has a village exactly.

Speaker 1 (21:02):
You know, they come from nothing and then they are
very few people, I would assume, and now they have
all these people that care from has to make them feel.

Speaker 5 (21:09):
Better, right, it absolutely does. I've seen this time after
time where we've previously I've previously done foster care in Georgia.
We see this in North Carolina in our current programs.
Is that these kids go through struggles. And many times,
when we go through struggles, we begin to feel like
we're in it all by ourselves. We begin to feel hopeless,

(21:31):
we begin to feel like people don't understand. But then
if you can get them into a community of loving,
caring people, again I want to echo, these are not
perfect people. These are just people who have a heart,
who care, who are willing to step up and say,
you know what, I don't have it all figured out,
but I figured out a little bit. And what I

(21:52):
want to do is I want to throw a lifeline
of hope out to you. And when these kids and
these sibling groups, any of these kids are in sibling groups,
and that's a whole other challenge is our mission is
to try to keep sibling groups together. We have seen
incredible opportunities where kids have been scattered and separated, they've

(22:14):
come into foster care, We've been able to put them
in a foster home that can reunite the siblings together,
or even if they can upfront, we work with them
to get them to that point. We wrap them around
with services, we wrap them around with love, we wrap
them around with support, and then we begin to see
these kids start their journey of healing and restoration. What's

(22:38):
absolutely amazing is that many more times than not, these
children are able to be successfully reunified with their parents.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
And that's the goal I would assume.

Speaker 5 (22:48):
And that is the primary goal when at all possible,
when it is safe. When it is safe, we have
more success and reunifying children with parents and or helping
them find up a permanency, which may be guardianship, it
could be adoption, yeah oh yeah, but giving them these

(23:10):
options then so that they're able to move forward with that.
And I don't know that a lot of people don't
realize how successful these programs are at helping families resolve
the initial initial safety issues that brought the children into
care and bringing healing and restoration not only to the
children but to the entire family and giving them a

(23:34):
second chance to thrive and succeed and many time break
generational patterns. And when that isn't possible, like I said,
we will work with the children with DSS to help
find another permanency option for them. So everybody can play
a very vital part in some way or not some way.

(23:55):
I love, Josh what you said about if you're driving
down the road, sitting in your home and if anything
in here made you pause and say, huh, that's your call.
Go to our website Thompson CFF dot org click foster Parents,
Foster Care and begin to do some research because there's

(24:19):
there's a high probability that your people, our people can
play a part in this.

Speaker 1 (24:26):
And you know, and you know, we've ever heard the stories.
I think maybe that's Whey Thompson came from. We heard
all the bad stories back in the day, you know,
and I guess you all thought, let's do some well,
how can we make this work. Let's make some programs,
let's study what the children need, the families need. And
I'm so happy that you all took the time to
do that way back in the day, you know, hundred
some years you're trying to figure all this out, and
now today we get to benefit from all that was learned.

(24:47):
You know, what the kids need and how to make
all this successful. What and I'm going to ask you this, Sean,
what is the typical person you hear from? I mean,
you know, I know, through the pandemic, a lot of
people got lonely and disconnected from a lot of different people.
Who do you see coming in now that want to
are curious about fostering?

Speaker 5 (25:04):
We see people of all different walks of everybody. Absolutely,
is there an age thing?

Speaker 3 (25:11):
Is there an age limit or anything like that? Do
we know?

Speaker 5 (25:15):
No, not as not. As long as you're able, body capable,
you have space in the abilityground in the training. That's
again what makes this so incredible is that we need
people from all walks of life. We need them from
all different races, genders, We need everybody. Because you mentioned

(25:40):
this earlier, it takes a village. Our kids are coming
out of our village and they have all these different demographics.
Everybody can play a part. So we're looking really for
a wide variety of people who can come be a
part of this village and that we can makes matchups

(26:01):
for where these kids can thrive.

Speaker 3 (26:04):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
And and Josh, like you said, he's you said us
A well, you know like this if you're maybe you're
listening to this for a reason today, maybe you did
your dial and you said, what's that and like, huh,
maybe you know, just get to that website, you know,
Thompson CFF dot org and look into foster parenting and
perhaps there's problems within your own family you're curious about
to know there's other resources for families that are intact
that or maybe have a child that they're I don't

(26:26):
know what to quite do with, you know the situation. Uh,
is there any fundraising? How do we is there anything
we can do for you? Is or fundraising or how
do you all handle that?

Speaker 5 (26:35):
If you want to donate, if somebody wants to donate,
we will gladly. Uh, we will gladly partner with you. Again.
Go to the website. There's a button right on it
that that says donate. People can donate. The beautiful thing
about our organization, even though it's a nonprofit organization, is

(26:57):
that we are very fine financially astute in the work
that we do. When people donate, they're donating to make
an impact. Their donation is a multiplier for the work
that we do. We're not raising money in order to
pay staff or keep the lights on.

Speaker 3 (27:18):
You got that coverage. We got that coverage.

Speaker 5 (27:20):
When people donate, whether it's finances, whether it's in kind,
whether it's a service, they're donating to make an impact
in somebody's life and to multiply the impact that we're
making in a child's life, a family, or the community.

Speaker 1 (27:36):
And the special services that you do, like it's providing
clothing for the child and things like that, I think
it's just, you know, that's the stuff that really touches
your heart. We hear the stories of kids carrying plastic bags.
Do wh't even have suitcases?

Speaker 5 (27:46):
And yeah, that is one of the things that absolutely
break my heart. We've partnered with different organizations and we
welcome partnerships for bags and suitcases. I do not ever
want to see a child go through a traumatic situation
in which they come into foster care and then their

(28:06):
clothes and their belongings are in a trash bag. That's
not acceptable. So when we talk about people answering the
call something so simple as being a part of that
solution is so impactful. I mean, we could even create
care packages for kids when they come into care where
they get a suitcase, a stuffed animal, a blanket, something

(28:31):
tangible that's theirs. Somebody could write a note of encouragement
in a card that says, you know, I don't know
what you're going through, but I want you to know
that you're loved and your special and you're here for
a purpose. Somebody could do that, and it could be
the very thing and I've seen it happen repeatedly that

(28:52):
gives a kid hope.

Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yeah, mad Wi, maybe think about this in the suitcases
and everything.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
So I'm gonna wrap this up here now, Josh, is
there anything we haven't is a question I haven't asked,
or anything you want to touch on before I let
y'all go.

Speaker 4 (29:05):
I think we did a very we got in there.

Speaker 1 (29:08):
Okay, Well, I want to make sure you're successful. I
want to make sure that you know the Greenville Spartenberg
upstate gets the benefit from what you all have to offer.
I just want to make sure our people you know,
oh I didn't know that. I didn't hear that. I'm
not gonna let that happen. We're gonna make sure that
they know everything that's going on with Thompson.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
Right, yeah, So the main thing, you know, we'd love
we'd love all the traffic, all the traffic to go
to the website just to see what all we can
do in a much more kind of detailed type of way.
But but but I am here, and if somebody is
not an email or a click click, they can get

(29:46):
in contact with me at nine eight zero three one
six eight six three three, happy to answer. And if
I don't have an answer, I will find you and
I will get you an answer. But a again, there
are just so many people that need help. It's not
they want help, they need it. In fact, a lot

(30:07):
of them will refuse help.

Speaker 3 (30:09):
But we know you need We're here, We're here, and.

Speaker 2 (30:11):
So there's no wrong way to help, there's no incorrect
way to go about this. If you want to be
a foster parent, we would love to have you. If
you want to just support a foster parent and a child,
we would love to have you as well.

Speaker 3 (30:27):
Give me the website one more time.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
I'm sure Thompson c FF dot org gonna want to
click on our foster care and then click on South Carolina.

Speaker 1 (30:37):
Well, God bless both of you for what you're doing.
Thank you so much for coming into the upstate. Like
I said, there's a lot of need.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
Here and I know Thompson's gonna feel it.

Speaker 4 (30:44):
Well.

Speaker 1 (30:45):
I've been talking to Josh Shaw and Sean Brown there
with a Thompson Child, Family and Focus. If you have
any questions, remember that that website is Thompson CFF dot org.
Thank you so much for listening.