August 13, 2025 • 29 mins
Rusty Holland, the Executive Director and CEO of Concern Hotline, talks with us about this year's Firday Fish Fry! It's Concern's biggest fundraiser of the year, held at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.
Rusty tells us all about the food, entertainment, and fun we'll have while supporting a much needed non profit that actively listens to its callers 24/7.
Rusty tells us all about the food, entertainment, and fun we'll have while supporting a much needed non profit that actively listens to its callers 24/7.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, here on the Q one O two Community Hotline,
we have one of our favorite people. This is our buddy, Rusty.
Rusty Holland is with Concern Hotline and we're going to
talk about the Friday Fish Fry and a lot more
coming up.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to the show, Rusty.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hey, Chris, thanks for having me man. I'm really happy
to be here this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Always good to have you on, brother. And there's a
lot going on a Concern hotline that we want to
talk about. But right right front and center, we want
to talk about something that we've been part of since
its inception all those years ago, and it's grown and grown.
It's the incredible Friday Fish Fry, the biggest fundraiser you
guys have tell us about it.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
It's coming up.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Twenty six years, Chris, you and I have been working
on this for twenty six years. It's hard to believe,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yes, it truly is.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We are entering into this year really excited. This event
keeps growing. A few years ago, you know, we moved
to Frederick County Fairgrounds because we had outgrown our third
location and we are I think home to say at
Frederick County Fairground. See parking is great and easy access.
We have plenty of room for as many people as
(01:08):
we can possibly fit, and we are looking forward to
a wonderful event September fifth, from four to nine pm.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's going to be incredible. It always is just incredible.
I love so much about it, the fellowship, the music,
the food, and just a great sense of being part
of something, being part of a community and having fun.
So tell us now, so twenty six years, you've got
this down pat like you've got the formula, but it's
(01:36):
always fun. Who's going to be playing this year because
you always have great music?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Well, we're trying something new this year. We've gotten a
band out of Richmond called Innovation that is a R
and B and soul and motown cover band fun and
they do some originals, but they are guaranteed to make
you boogie and we were really looking forward to having them.
So if you miss those motown sounds, this is a
time to come get them, sit there and have your
(02:02):
dinner and meet with your friends and maybe even get
up and shake it a little bit. So we're really
looking forward to Innovation being here this year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
It is just so much fun. And if you don't
like fish.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Don't worry about it because you guys have all the alternatives, right.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Well, we do. You know the sides. I've had people
come and tell me that the best sides they don't
even eat the fish. Amen.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So you know, red beans and rice, and this year
we've got Bonnie Blue doing the red beans and rice
with fresh and dewy sausage in it. And we have
corn bread, and we have fresh may cole sal that's
made on site, and we have cookies for dessert and
cheers to charity, we'll be giving out ice cream. We
have field greens collared greens that are Caribbean spiced. So
(02:45):
we've got a lot of sides. And then to top
it off, best pizza in the area, Claudio's Pizza will
be there for the land lubbers that can't handle the fish.
So you know, we're real lucky to have Claudios involved.
And it's it's just a complete community event. You know.
Some of the other restaurants that are involved Glory Days
(03:08):
and I said Claudios And then we've got Jiffy Sandwich
Shop and Cork Street Tavern and we just the list
goes on and on and on. We bat at a
new one this year. Billy Sue Food Truck has joined
us this year. And we're just real proud that people
continuing to see the community that we build with this
(03:31):
fish fry, because that's what it's all about, Chris. I mean,
we're here to build community. So the community knows that
we're here to serve them, whether it's fish or twenty
four hours on a compassionate listing hotline.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Exactly so, and people keep joining.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I do find that people are pretty amazed if they
go for the first time and they see just first
how big it is. It's a massive event and it
is a real community event. Like you were saying, I
love that you started years ago incorporating other nonprofits in
and you started bringing in all the local businesses to help.
(04:07):
It's really something to see when you walk in. You
can really see the community cares about Concern Hotline and
about the other nonprofits as well. And this is just
I don't know, I just I can't say enough good
things about it. I'm in love with the fish and
if you don't want your fish, I'll have it. You
can put on my plate.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well, you know, the key is, well, the first year
we did this, Chris, we decided that the most important
thing was giving people a really good meal for a
really good value, and to give them a full plate
of that meal, and we have carried that out for
the last twenty five years. We give you the freshest fish.
It's hot out of the deep prior it is. It's
(04:46):
white and flaky and tasty, and all of our sides
go on that plate. You get a full plate of food.
This year, the ticket price is twenty five dollars in advance,
which I recommend you getting them in advance. We've got
posters up a you can visit us on Facebook to
see where the ticket outlets are that I'd be happy
to mention thirty dollars at the gate, So save yourself
(05:07):
a little bit of money and grab a ticket online.
And we also offer After that first year, we was
just walk up. Then we started doing drive through and
we average between four and five hundred drive through meals
in four hours.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
No kidding, that's crazy. I didn't realize is that big.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
It's crazy, Chris. I mean the cars are lining up
at three o'clock in the afternoon and we don't open
till four, so you know, it's like I'm going to
get my fish and go home and eat it. So
even if you can't come and spend time with us
and party with us, you can still pick up your
fish and drive home and enjoy it at home or
at work. And we have decided years ago that if
(05:48):
you are a first responder and you're on shift and
you need to eat, you come get in line or
you walk in and you will receive your meal for free.
And so we support the first responders that support us
our mission to keep our community safe, and so they
are always there, and we have really kind of focused
(06:08):
this year on inviting veteran organizations, so you'll see some
veteran organizations there this year. We have about eight different
vendors that will be there that are just giving out
information on how to support them. So we really have
focused kind of on our roots, which is Concerned Hotline
(06:29):
started as a support line for veteran suicide and we
have advanced that mission here fifty eight years later to
becoming a community compassionate listener not So we want to
give back to the veterans and we want to get
back to the first responders. So if you're out there
and you're working, you need to eat, come on by
(06:51):
we'll feed you.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Concern Hotlines. Friday Fish Fry happens Friday, September fifth, and
it starts at four in the afternoon and it's just
a party all evening long. Rusty, we can't wait, and
one more time to find out where you can get
your tickets in advance for twenty five dollars. You go
to your Facebook page.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Right, go to Concern Hotline ink on Facebook. But I
can throw them out there at you real quick. Scotline,
Harley Davidson, John B. Hayes, Tobacconist, Lichens Chiropractic, and two
fat butchers over in front Royal Excellent.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Hope to see you out there September fifth for the
Friday Fish Fry.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Can't wait.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Chris, let's talk about Concern Hotline because Concern Hotline is
such a vital nonprofit for our community. And I say
our community, I mean all of Shenandoah Country. This is
a massive undertaking and it started way back in nineteen
sixty eight.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
If I'm not.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Wrong, that's correct.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
How about that? So fill us in.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Maybe folks are new to the area, they haven't heard
of Concern Hotline.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
We want to find out what you are, what you Do.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Well Concern Hotline operates a twenty four hour anonymous and
confidential phone line. We have four phone lines that we
manage in the Shenandoah Valley and they are answered by
volunteers that are trained in compassionate listening and crisis response.
So as we started as a suicide prevention lifeline, we
still offer that crisis response and have MOUs with existing
(08:24):
jurisdictions for our first responders, but the majority of our
calls are what we refer to as compassionate listening, where
we're just there for people that are suffering from any
kind of despair or grief or just uncertainty can call
and talk to somebody anonymously and get some help, get
(08:44):
a listening, hear who's compassionate and wants to be there
for you. So we're continuing that for our fifty seventh
year this year moving into our fifty eighth, and we've
answered about three thousand phone calls a year. We used
to answer more, but Google took our Google took our
information and referral services away from us when they started
(09:08):
the Internet out dare they But we were answered about
twelve thousand calls a year at that time. God and
now we're down to three thousand. But what we've done
is we've narrowed that down into we are here for
you as a compassionate listener, or if you're in crisis,
or if you know someone who's in crisis and you
need to help them or need to get some information,
(09:30):
call us up and we can help you. We trained
volunteers here locally. We've got right now about approximately forty
volunteers that answer the phone around the clock. We have
been in existence for you and we go up and
down the valley from as you said, Shenandoah Country is
who we serve. And recently we've had a great thing
(09:56):
happened to us, and that is that we received international
certification through the International Council for Helplines. And what that
means is is that we have met a rigorous test
of policy development and met the criteria to be established
as an international helpline, which gives us access to the
(10:17):
non eight eight Helpline, which we're hoping to become. We
were hoping this year, but it looks like it's going
to be early winner of twenty twenty six. We will
become Alive nine eight eight National Suicide Prevention Lifeline answering service,
so we can we can have our outreach go farther
(10:37):
out than Sennadel country.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That is remarkable. That is a terrific thing because boy,
you guys are trained, ready to go and now certified
internationally certified. So when you say international, are people going
to be calling you up in French?
Speaker 3 (10:53):
And well, tell you that you asked me that I've
talked to people in Belgium. They find us on the
internet and they call us and you know, they just
wanted someone to listen. And so he didn't speak to
me in French that day, but we did get that
person some help. But we get calls from all over
the country simply because we're on that world wide Web.
(11:17):
But the majority of our phone calls come right here
locally from our neighbors and that's who we primarily.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Served and have been serving since again nineteen sixty eight.
And we're so proud of the work that you do.
So getting that international certification is just pretty remarkable. How
long did it take to get that done?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
It took almost two years of work. Just so people
understand this is right now. This is a two person operation.
The volunteers answer the phone, but the office and all
the policies and all the upkeep and all the daily
work that goes into running a hotline is done by
two people, and so it took a lot of time
(12:02):
and a lot of effort, and it was very rigorous.
But we finished up and we were granted certification July first,
and it's good for three years. So we're kind of
taking a breath and getting our feet back under us.
And now we're moving forward with nine eight eight again,
so we're developing more policy for them to fit their
(12:23):
needs and what their requirements are. We're almost there. We are.
We are knocking on the door and we're really they're
getting they've opened it a little bit. We're going to
step through it all the way January first.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
That's amazing. I am excited to hear what that will
bring for you.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
So I can't wait to tell you it's going to
be It's going to be amazing, and we're going to
our business model is going to change. We're gonna we're
going to still offer Concern hotline the way it is,
because we know that our neighbors have come to rely
on it, but we're going to begin a whole new
training regimen and a whole new group of listeners. So
it's going to be it's going to be a lot
(13:01):
of work, but it's going to be very exciting.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
So let me ask you. I know that that right now.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
There have been some reductions in the amount of money
that comes into funding lots of nonprofits. I know that
fish fry is your biggest fundraiser, right how much do
we look forward to we when we do a fish fry.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Well, when you say our major fundraiser raiser, you're not
Kidd and Chris. We have We don't put all our
eggs in one basket. We have several fundraisers, but this
is our largest fundraiser and we look to net over
fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
That's amazing and and you know, through.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
The help of the community, our sponsors, and if you
get a chance, I want people to look at our
poster and just recognize how many wonderful sponsors that we have.
And this year we have three presenting sponsors. Main Drilling
and Blasting, which is a local company here, Perry Engineering
and the Conrad who of our American Legion Post twenty
(14:01):
one are presenting sponsors. And then we have a whole
list of over twenty five other sponsors that help us
put this event on. So we we're blessed by the
community to be able to raise this kind of money
to support the lifeline that we have become the known for.
(14:21):
Did I say that right? That we have been known?
We have become known for? How's that I like it?
I hope you're editing button work.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I'm in thinksiss apparently, because I do that all the time.
I always tell people don't worry about screwing up on
Q one O two because I've done worse than you
on my best day, so you'll never screw up more
than I do.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Anyway. So I look at.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
All of the people who support you, and there's good
reason for it. How many we were talking earlier, you say,
run three thousand people a year turned to you. You get
about that many calls? And will you think about how
many people have got something going on that's so serious
they find the number, pick the phone up and call.
(15:07):
That's a pretty remarkable amount of need.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I think, well, Chris, you know it makes me think
of one of the calls that I took this year
that came from a thirteen year old young lady, and
she had gone through the actions of beginning to take
her in life. She had taken an overdose and she
(15:33):
called us and I just happened to be on shift
that moment, and we talked, and I got her to
get some help there in her household, and then got
first responders out and we got to her in time.
The amazing thing to me, and people say, that's fantastic.
You saved her life, and yeah, you know, we save
lives every day, but this young lady was thirteen years old.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
That's awful.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Well, she found their number. She had the wherewithal to
look and find the number for Concern Hotline and reach
out to where she knew she'd get some help. And
that means everything to me, that we know that people
are out there sharing our numbers, sharing our information, getting
us in their mouths and in their ears, and calling
(16:18):
us when they need us, whether it's a suicidal situation,
or whether you're just lonely or having some despair or
feel a little isolated today, or just down and out
and need someone to talk to. People know us, and
they trust us, and that's what we're trying to make
sure that we continue to do is offer a trusting
and trained, compassionate listener.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I'm glad you brought up training because that's where I
was going to go next. These are not just amateurs
hopping on the phone say well, honey, that's terrible. Now,
these are you guys go through a lot of training.
Could you describe the training and what you go through
to become an active listener.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Our training takes approximately thirty hours, and we train in
all types of topics from domestic violence to mental health
to crisis and we try to make sure that we
cover all the bases. But we go we have a
classroom setting. We even now are using AI to help
us train our listeners because they have a higher level
(17:19):
of need, because they're a little bit more sophisticated, and
so we want to make sure that they're getting the
best training that they can get. We trained Shenandola University
students and vet them for the hotline. We trained community members.
We're very proud of our training program. It's all written
in house. One of the things that really amazed me
(17:40):
was when we got international certification the on site visitors.
The site visitors came to us and they said the
one thing that impressed them the most was our training.
That we were so meticulous in our training and making
sure that our listeners had every tool they needed in
order to answer the phone. That we stood out in
the top ten percent internationally in our training regimen internationally. Yes,
(18:05):
so we were very proud of our training program.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
You should be my gosh, so do you.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Obviously it's not a year long training program like like,
do you is there a certain time of year that
you well year up?
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Funny, you should mention, Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Sunday after the fish fry, we have a training Sunday
to seventh and it's an eight hour training and it's
in classroom and we'll train approximately ten new listeners we've
trained individually in our office. You know, it really depends
on the schedule of the volunteer because we try to
meet your schedule. But you can come into the office
(18:41):
we'll train you one on one. This summer, we have
trained four new listeners and gotten them on the hotline.
That doesn't sound you know, four doesn't sound like a
lot of people, but when you're running a suicide prevention lifeline,
four people can make all the difference in the world.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
This is true. This is really true.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
So if you're interested in volunteering, you can reach out
to us where again. Find us on Facebook, find us
on the on our website. Our website's under construction right now,
but it still has links in order to contact us.
So please feel free to reach out and find out
about what training is and find out how you can
(19:16):
volunteer to become a listener if you're so inclined.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
So let's let's talk about the the like, is there
an ideal candidate for a listener or what are the
things you look for in listener volunteers?
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Compassion, people that understand that other people need help and
to not be judgmental and to be able to be
there in the moment for individuals are our prime suspects.
We will train anybody. You know, people always, you know,
it's amazing. I've been training for years and you know,
(19:48):
people will come to me and say, you know, my
friends all say I'm a wonderful listener. And that's a
different type of listening. There's there's listening and then there's
actively and that's the majority of our training is training
people how to become active listeners. And once you're an
active listener, the rest of that information is you know,
(20:09):
everybody has information on the topics. We just need to
make sure you're aware of it and make sure that
you're listening actively to the caller and respond to them accordingly.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
When you say active listening, can you give it like
an example of help help us understand what that means
versus just being a good listener.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Well, active listening is the process in which you actively
engage with what the topics that the caller is feeding
to you. There's a lot of parroting, is a good
word for it. People understand that term by being able
to listen and then rephrase, understand what the caller is
(20:47):
saying and rephrase it and say, is this what you mean?
So we have a common understanding. Once we have a
common understanding, what we do is we test for safety.
Our job is to make people are safe. Our motto
is safe for now. We want to keep you safe
on the line. So once we get that topic and
rapport and understanding out of the way, then we can
(21:10):
start assessing risk, assessed for safety and move through the
cycle of the call and hopefully reach some sort of
conclusion that will keep those people safe or give them
the tools they need to make it through the rest
of their day.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
So you gave us that example of something that happened
earlier this year, the phone call with the thirteen year
old who was already in the process of suicide. Is
there another phone call that you could share with us
that without giving away who it is or anything like that,
but could you share another phone call that stood out
to you this year?
Speaker 3 (21:44):
I'd love to. I'd love to. I talked to an
elderly gentleman who lived in London, as a matter of fact,
which is right there in the hardest Shendo County, I
mean Senida country, isn't it. Yes, So the gentleman called
from London. He was not a frequent caller, but a
regular caller, and a lot of our listeners had had
had contact with him. And one of the days that
(22:06):
he called, he was very despondent, very upset, and I
recognized that and we discussed, you know, his emotional state,
and I came to find out that his beloved dog
had passed and he lived by himself and his dog
was his best friend in his whole world. And we
discussed what his options were, and he, you know, he
(22:28):
was an elderly gentleman and didn't have a whole lot
to resource wise, but we were able to which is
very unusual for Concern Hotline, but we were able to
utilize some of our resources and we got him to
an animal shelter where he adopted a senior dog and
(22:51):
got him a new best friend. And that was through
our work through some of the counseling in home counseling
programs that were resourced with he was reunited with a
new best friend. And I'm just you know, we were
there for him. He was sad, and we made him
get through that day when he didn't think there was
(23:13):
any way he could get through it, and then tried
to find a way to help him get through the
rest of his days. So, I you know, being a
dog person myself, I totally got that one.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
And loneliness is such a crisis in the country. I
think we I think we really brought it into focus
during the pandemic, but it endures. I mean, it's a
real crisis. Am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (23:36):
You know? I always tell people and ask me what
that means. I'm like, have you ever been in a
room full of people and felt alone? And when people say, hey, yeah,
I have, I said, well, that's isolation. That's that's one
of the number one topics of calls for us really
is isolation and depression, and it's it's become more rampant
(23:59):
since since the pandemic. You know, people thought it would
just kind of go away, and it has not gone
away while we still had you know, I mean isolation
and depression before the pandemic. Now it's even greater. And
it's not just the elderly. It's it's everyone from our
teenagers to our middle aged people to our elderly, everyone
(24:21):
that experiences that isolation and depression. I recommend that you
call because you've got a friend to Concern hotline. Somebody
wants to listen. So we're working on that. Hopefully we're
depleting the isolation and depression in Shenadel Country.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I sure do hope.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
So, you know, is there any can anybody point to
anything and say here is why that's happening, why it's growing.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Well, I think, you know, I think everyone will kind
of point to the Internet and social media because it's
kind of given us an invisible barrier between us and society,
which isolates us a little bit more so, you know,
especially in the youth that we talk to, and you know,
we all know that some of our youth are the
(25:08):
most vulnerable to suicide in our country right now, and
we know that online bullying leads to a lot of that,
and we know that that online bullying leads to that
isolated feeling from some of our youth. So I see
a direct connection there, and we talk about that in
our training. We talk about, you know, how to identify that,
(25:31):
what's the best way to move forward?
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Do you get many calls that are originating in bullying?
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Oh? Yes, yeah, you know. One of the things we
have tried to do is increase our knowledge to the
to the younger people. And one of the reasons we
really liked we really like training at Shenandol University is
it brings us a younger demographic of listener that connects
really well with our younger callers. And so not only
(26:03):
are we, you know, trying to reach the elderly that
are despondent, because right now, white males over the age
of sixty five are the most vulnerable no suicide, no,
kidd in No, that's that's the demographic that we see
international or nationally with suicide numbers, and you know, it's
(26:26):
it's rampant, and so we're trying really hard to reach
the whole spectrum of callers from the youth to the
elderly and everything in between.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Well, I'm thrilled that you're using the kids from Shenando.
I call them kids because you know, but like the
students from Shnado, I guess I'm old. I'm as old
as concerned hotline is.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
But there you go.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
But I do think it is a tremendous thing to
tap into the younger talent at SU that I've always
felt like they were really great students, and I love
that the school actually has part of their degree being
working within this community. It has helped out a lot.
So as you look forward, are you are you looking
(27:10):
to recruit more. You said you were hoping to get
ten people in training after the fish fry, So do
you have those ten slots yet or are you looking?
Speaker 3 (27:19):
We have eight filled and we will have veteran listeners
there to talk about their experiences on the hotline because
we believe that that group experiential learning is so valuable
for us and we learn from each other as a
group of listeners. Most of those gaps have been or
spots have been filled by students as the new semester starts,
(27:40):
and I got to tell you. I've met some of
the most amazing young people I've ever met in my
life training the Senadell University students. They are just incredible
community members and human beings, and it gives me such
faith in our future because I see how amazing they
are and how much they want to give back.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Rusty Holland is with Concern Hotline and let's really circle
back to the beginning. Friday Fish Fry, the largest fundraiser
and the best time. Gosh, this is a party and
it's coming our way September fifth, So one more time.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Where can we get tickets and what can.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
We expect Skyline Harley Davidson, John B. Hayes, Tobacconists, Lichens Chiropractic,
and two fat butchers over in front Royal and you
can expect to come and jam and eat with about
fifteen hundred of your closest friends.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
It's going to be a good time. It always is,
and we hope to see you there. Rusty, thank you
so much for joining us and spending some time and
sharing all of this about Concern Hotline and the Friday
Fish Fry and all of the other wonderful things that
you guys do here for our community. We really appreciate you,
your volunteers and what you.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Do for us.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Well, you get that right back at you, because we
couldn't do it with your support, Chris. And it means
a lot to us to have a heart and Q
one two and all of your affiliated stations supporting us
and getting the message out to help our community be safe.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Well, thanks, Rusty, Rusty Holland with concern Hotline Gang. Go
to their Facebook page find out all about the Friday
fish frying all the other things that they are doing.
And that's it for another crossroads. Can you believe it?
We've spent thirty minutes already. Time just flies, doesn't it, Russy,
Thanks a bunch man.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
All right, Chris, we'll see you soon
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Can't wait, buddy, all right, buddy, Bye bye,
Well, here on the Q one O two Community Hotline,
we have one of our favorite people. This is our buddy, Rusty.
Rusty Holland is with Concern Hotline and we're going to
talk about the Friday Fish Fry and a lot more
coming up.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to the show, Rusty.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Hey, Chris, thanks for having me man. I'm really happy
to be here this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Always good to have you on, brother. And there's a
lot going on a Concern hotline that we want to
talk about. But right right front and center, we want
to talk about something that we've been part of since
its inception all those years ago, and it's grown and grown.
It's the incredible Friday Fish Fry, the biggest fundraiser you
guys have tell us about it.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
It's coming up.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Twenty six years, Chris, you and I have been working
on this for twenty six years. It's hard to believe,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Yes, it truly is.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We are entering into this year really excited. This event
keeps growing. A few years ago, you know, we moved
to Frederick County Fairgrounds because we had outgrown our third
location and we are I think home to say at
Frederick County Fairground. See parking is great and easy access.
We have plenty of room for as many people as
(01:08):
we can possibly fit, and we are looking forward to
a wonderful event September fifth, from four to nine pm.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's going to be incredible. It always is just incredible.
I love so much about it, the fellowship, the music,
the food, and just a great sense of being part
of something, being part of a community and having fun.
So tell us now, so twenty six years, you've got
this down pat like you've got the formula, but it's
(01:36):
always fun. Who's going to be playing this year because
you always have great music?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Well, we're trying something new this year. We've gotten a
band out of Richmond called Innovation that is a R
and B and soul and motown cover band fun and
they do some originals, but they are guaranteed to make
you boogie and we were really looking forward to having them.
So if you miss those motown sounds, this is a
time to come get them, sit there and have your
(02:02):
dinner and meet with your friends and maybe even get
up and shake it a little bit. So we're really
looking forward to Innovation being here this year.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
It is just so much fun. And if you don't
like fish.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Don't worry about it because you guys have all the alternatives, right.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Well, we do. You know the sides. I've had people
come and tell me that the best sides they don't
even eat the fish. Amen.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
So you know, red beans and rice, and this year
we've got Bonnie Blue doing the red beans and rice
with fresh and dewy sausage in it. And we have
corn bread, and we have fresh may cole sal that's
made on site, and we have cookies for dessert and
cheers to charity, we'll be giving out ice cream. We
have field greens collared greens that are Caribbean spiced. So
(02:45):
we've got a lot of sides. And then to top
it off, best pizza in the area, Claudio's Pizza will
be there for the land lubbers that can't handle the fish.
So you know, we're real lucky to have Claudios involved.
And it's it's just a complete community event. You know.
Some of the other restaurants that are involved Glory Days
(03:08):
and I said Claudios And then we've got Jiffy Sandwich
Shop and Cork Street Tavern and we just the list
goes on and on and on. We bat at a
new one this year. Billy Sue Food Truck has joined
us this year. And we're just real proud that people
continuing to see the community that we build with this
(03:31):
fish fry, because that's what it's all about, Chris. I mean,
we're here to build community. So the community knows that
we're here to serve them, whether it's fish or twenty
four hours on a compassionate listing hotline.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Exactly so, and people keep joining.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I do find that people are pretty amazed if they
go for the first time and they see just first
how big it is. It's a massive event and it
is a real community event. Like you were saying, I
love that you started years ago incorporating other nonprofits in
and you started bringing in all the local businesses to help.
(04:07):
It's really something to see when you walk in. You
can really see the community cares about Concern Hotline and
about the other nonprofits as well. And this is just
I don't know, I just I can't say enough good
things about it. I'm in love with the fish and
if you don't want your fish, I'll have it. You
can put on my plate.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well, you know, the key is, well, the first year
we did this, Chris, we decided that the most important
thing was giving people a really good meal for a
really good value, and to give them a full plate
of that meal, and we have carried that out for
the last twenty five years. We give you the freshest fish.
It's hot out of the deep prior it is. It's
(04:46):
white and flaky and tasty, and all of our sides
go on that plate. You get a full plate of food.
This year, the ticket price is twenty five dollars in advance,
which I recommend you getting them in advance. We've got
posters up a you can visit us on Facebook to
see where the ticket outlets are that I'd be happy
to mention thirty dollars at the gate, So save yourself
(05:07):
a little bit of money and grab a ticket online.
And we also offer After that first year, we was
just walk up. Then we started doing drive through and
we average between four and five hundred drive through meals
in four hours.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
No kidding, that's crazy. I didn't realize is that big.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
It's crazy, Chris. I mean the cars are lining up
at three o'clock in the afternoon and we don't open
till four, so you know, it's like I'm going to
get my fish and go home and eat it. So
even if you can't come and spend time with us
and party with us, you can still pick up your
fish and drive home and enjoy it at home or
at work. And we have decided years ago that if
(05:48):
you are a first responder and you're on shift and
you need to eat, you come get in line or
you walk in and you will receive your meal for free.
And so we support the first responders that support us
our mission to keep our community safe, and so they
are always there, and we have really kind of focused
(06:08):
this year on inviting veteran organizations, so you'll see some
veteran organizations there this year. We have about eight different
vendors that will be there that are just giving out
information on how to support them. So we really have
focused kind of on our roots, which is Concerned Hotline
(06:29):
started as a support line for veteran suicide and we
have advanced that mission here fifty eight years later to
becoming a community compassionate listener not So we want to
give back to the veterans and we want to get
back to the first responders. So if you're out there
and you're working, you need to eat, come on by
(06:51):
we'll feed you.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Concern Hotlines. Friday Fish Fry happens Friday, September fifth, and
it starts at four in the afternoon and it's just
a party all evening long. Rusty, we can't wait, and
one more time to find out where you can get
your tickets in advance for twenty five dollars. You go
to your Facebook page.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Right, go to Concern Hotline ink on Facebook. But I
can throw them out there at you real quick. Scotline,
Harley Davidson, John B. Hayes, Tobacconist, Lichens Chiropractic, and two
fat butchers over in front Royal Excellent.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Hope to see you out there September fifth for the
Friday Fish Fry.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Can't wait.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Chris, let's talk about Concern Hotline because Concern Hotline is
such a vital nonprofit for our community. And I say
our community, I mean all of Shenandoah Country. This is
a massive undertaking and it started way back in nineteen
sixty eight.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
If I'm not.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Wrong, that's correct.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
How about that? So fill us in.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Maybe folks are new to the area, they haven't heard
of Concern Hotline.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
We want to find out what you are, what you Do.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Well Concern Hotline operates a twenty four hour anonymous and
confidential phone line. We have four phone lines that we
manage in the Shenandoah Valley and they are answered by
volunteers that are trained in compassionate listening and crisis response.
So as we started as a suicide prevention lifeline, we
still offer that crisis response and have MOUs with existing
(08:24):
jurisdictions for our first responders, but the majority of our
calls are what we refer to as compassionate listening, where
we're just there for people that are suffering from any
kind of despair or grief or just uncertainty can call
and talk to somebody anonymously and get some help, get
(08:44):
a listening, hear who's compassionate and wants to be there
for you. So we're continuing that for our fifty seventh
year this year moving into our fifty eighth, and we've
answered about three thousand phone calls a year. We used
to answer more, but Google took our Google took our
information and referral services away from us when they started
(09:08):
the Internet out dare they But we were answered about
twelve thousand calls a year at that time. God and
now we're down to three thousand. But what we've done
is we've narrowed that down into we are here for
you as a compassionate listener, or if you're in crisis,
or if you know someone who's in crisis and you
need to help them or need to get some information,
(09:30):
call us up and we can help you. We trained
volunteers here locally. We've got right now about approximately forty
volunteers that answer the phone around the clock. We have
been in existence for you and we go up and
down the valley from as you said, Shenandoah Country is
who we serve. And recently we've had a great thing
(09:56):
happened to us, and that is that we received international
certification through the International Council for Helplines. And what that
means is is that we have met a rigorous test
of policy development and met the criteria to be established
as an international helpline, which gives us access to the
(10:17):
non eight eight Helpline, which we're hoping to become. We
were hoping this year, but it looks like it's going
to be early winner of twenty twenty six. We will
become Alive nine eight eight National Suicide Prevention Lifeline answering service,
so we can we can have our outreach go farther
(10:37):
out than Sennadel country.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That is remarkable. That is a terrific thing because boy,
you guys are trained, ready to go and now certified
internationally certified. So when you say international, are people going
to be calling you up in French?
Speaker 3 (10:53):
And well, tell you that you asked me that I've
talked to people in Belgium. They find us on the
internet and they call us and you know, they just
wanted someone to listen. And so he didn't speak to
me in French that day, but we did get that
person some help. But we get calls from all over
the country simply because we're on that world wide Web.
(11:17):
But the majority of our phone calls come right here
locally from our neighbors and that's who we primarily.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Served and have been serving since again nineteen sixty eight.
And we're so proud of the work that you do.
So getting that international certification is just pretty remarkable. How
long did it take to get that done?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
It took almost two years of work. Just so people
understand this is right now. This is a two person operation.
The volunteers answer the phone, but the office and all
the policies and all the upkeep and all the daily
work that goes into running a hotline is done by
two people, and so it took a lot of time
(12:02):
and a lot of effort, and it was very rigorous.
But we finished up and we were granted certification July first,
and it's good for three years. So we're kind of
taking a breath and getting our feet back under us.
And now we're moving forward with nine eight eight again,
so we're developing more policy for them to fit their
(12:23):
needs and what their requirements are. We're almost there. We are.
We are knocking on the door and we're really they're
getting they've opened it a little bit. We're going to
step through it all the way January first.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
That's amazing. I am excited to hear what that will
bring for you.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
So I can't wait to tell you it's going to
be It's going to be amazing, and we're going to
our business model is going to change. We're gonna we're
going to still offer Concern hotline the way it is,
because we know that our neighbors have come to rely
on it, but we're going to begin a whole new
training regimen and a whole new group of listeners. So
it's going to be it's going to be a lot
(13:01):
of work, but it's going to be very exciting.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
So let me ask you. I know that that right now.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
There have been some reductions in the amount of money
that comes into funding lots of nonprofits. I know that
fish fry is your biggest fundraiser, right how much do
we look forward to we when we do a fish fry.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Well, when you say our major fundraiser raiser, you're not
Kidd and Chris. We have We don't put all our
eggs in one basket. We have several fundraisers, but this
is our largest fundraiser and we look to net over
fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
That's amazing and and you know, through.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
The help of the community, our sponsors, and if you
get a chance, I want people to look at our
poster and just recognize how many wonderful sponsors that we have.
And this year we have three presenting sponsors. Main Drilling
and Blasting, which is a local company here, Perry Engineering
and the Conrad who of our American Legion Post twenty
(14:01):
one are presenting sponsors. And then we have a whole
list of over twenty five other sponsors that help us
put this event on. So we we're blessed by the
community to be able to raise this kind of money
to support the lifeline that we have become the known for.
(14:21):
Did I say that right? That we have been known?
We have become known for? How's that I like it?
I hope you're editing button work.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I'm in thinksiss apparently, because I do that all the time.
I always tell people don't worry about screwing up on
Q one O two because I've done worse than you
on my best day, so you'll never screw up more
than I do.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Anyway. So I look at.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
All of the people who support you, and there's good
reason for it. How many we were talking earlier, you say,
run three thousand people a year turned to you. You get
about that many calls? And will you think about how
many people have got something going on that's so serious
they find the number, pick the phone up and call.
(15:07):
That's a pretty remarkable amount of need.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I think, well, Chris, you know it makes me think
of one of the calls that I took this year
that came from a thirteen year old young lady, and
she had gone through the actions of beginning to take
her in life. She had taken an overdose and she
(15:33):
called us and I just happened to be on shift
that moment, and we talked, and I got her to
get some help there in her household, and then got
first responders out and we got to her in time.
The amazing thing to me, and people say, that's fantastic.
You saved her life, and yeah, you know, we save
lives every day, but this young lady was thirteen years old.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
That's awful.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Well, she found their number. She had the wherewithal to
look and find the number for Concern Hotline and reach
out to where she knew she'd get some help. And
that means everything to me, that we know that people
are out there sharing our numbers, sharing our information, getting
us in their mouths and in their ears, and calling
(16:18):
us when they need us, whether it's a suicidal situation,
or whether you're just lonely or having some despair or
feel a little isolated today, or just down and out
and need someone to talk to. People know us, and
they trust us, and that's what we're trying to make
sure that we continue to do is offer a trusting
and trained, compassionate listener.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I'm glad you brought up training because that's where I
was going to go next. These are not just amateurs
hopping on the phone say well, honey, that's terrible. Now,
these are you guys go through a lot of training.
Could you describe the training and what you go through
to become an active listener.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Our training takes approximately thirty hours, and we train in
all types of topics from domestic violence to mental health
to crisis and we try to make sure that we
cover all the bases. But we go we have a
classroom setting. We even now are using AI to help
us train our listeners because they have a higher level
(17:19):
of need, because they're a little bit more sophisticated, and
so we want to make sure that they're getting the
best training that they can get. We trained Shenandola University
students and vet them for the hotline. We trained community members.
We're very proud of our training program. It's all written
in house. One of the things that really amazed me
(17:40):
was when we got international certification the on site visitors.
The site visitors came to us and they said the
one thing that impressed them the most was our training.
That we were so meticulous in our training and making
sure that our listeners had every tool they needed in
order to answer the phone. That we stood out in
the top ten percent internationally in our training regimen internationally. Yes,
(18:05):
so we were very proud of our training program.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
You should be my gosh, so do you.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Obviously it's not a year long training program like like,
do you is there a certain time of year that
you well year up?
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Funny, you should mention, Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Sunday after the fish fry, we have a training Sunday
to seventh and it's an eight hour training and it's
in classroom and we'll train approximately ten new listeners we've
trained individually in our office. You know, it really depends
on the schedule of the volunteer because we try to
meet your schedule. But you can come into the office
(18:41):
we'll train you one on one. This summer, we have
trained four new listeners and gotten them on the hotline.
That doesn't sound you know, four doesn't sound like a
lot of people, but when you're running a suicide prevention lifeline,
four people can make all the difference in the world.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
This is true. This is really true.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
So if you're interested in volunteering, you can reach out
to us where again. Find us on Facebook, find us
on the on our website. Our website's under construction right now,
but it still has links in order to contact us.
So please feel free to reach out and find out
about what training is and find out how you can
(19:16):
volunteer to become a listener if you're so inclined.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
So let's let's talk about the the like, is there
an ideal candidate for a listener or what are the
things you look for in listener volunteers?
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Compassion, people that understand that other people need help and
to not be judgmental and to be able to be
there in the moment for individuals are our prime suspects.
We will train anybody. You know, people always, you know,
it's amazing. I've been training for years and you know,
(19:48):
people will come to me and say, you know, my
friends all say I'm a wonderful listener. And that's a
different type of listening. There's there's listening and then there's
actively and that's the majority of our training is training
people how to become active listeners. And once you're an
active listener, the rest of that information is you know,
(20:09):
everybody has information on the topics. We just need to
make sure you're aware of it and make sure that
you're listening actively to the caller and respond to them accordingly.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
When you say active listening, can you give it like
an example of help help us understand what that means
versus just being a good listener.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Well, active listening is the process in which you actively
engage with what the topics that the caller is feeding
to you. There's a lot of parroting, is a good
word for it. People understand that term by being able
to listen and then rephrase, understand what the caller is
(20:47):
saying and rephrase it and say, is this what you mean?
So we have a common understanding. Once we have a
common understanding, what we do is we test for safety.
Our job is to make people are safe. Our motto
is safe for now. We want to keep you safe
on the line. So once we get that topic and
rapport and understanding out of the way, then we can
(21:10):
start assessing risk, assessed for safety and move through the
cycle of the call and hopefully reach some sort of
conclusion that will keep those people safe or give them
the tools they need to make it through the rest
of their day.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
So you gave us that example of something that happened
earlier this year, the phone call with the thirteen year
old who was already in the process of suicide. Is
there another phone call that you could share with us
that without giving away who it is or anything like that,
but could you share another phone call that stood out
to you this year?
Speaker 3 (21:44):
I'd love to. I'd love to. I talked to an
elderly gentleman who lived in London, as a matter of fact,
which is right there in the hardest Shendo County, I
mean Senida country, isn't it. Yes, So the gentleman called
from London. He was not a frequent caller, but a
regular caller, and a lot of our listeners had had
had contact with him. And one of the days that
(22:06):
he called, he was very despondent, very upset, and I
recognized that and we discussed, you know, his emotional state,
and I came to find out that his beloved dog
had passed and he lived by himself and his dog
was his best friend in his whole world. And we
discussed what his options were, and he, you know, he
(22:28):
was an elderly gentleman and didn't have a whole lot
to resource wise, but we were able to which is
very unusual for Concern Hotline, but we were able to
utilize some of our resources and we got him to
an animal shelter where he adopted a senior dog and
(22:51):
got him a new best friend. And that was through
our work through some of the counseling in home counseling
programs that were resourced with he was reunited with a
new best friend. And I'm just you know, we were
there for him. He was sad, and we made him
get through that day when he didn't think there was
(23:13):
any way he could get through it, and then tried
to find a way to help him get through the
rest of his days. So, I you know, being a
dog person myself, I totally got that one.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
And loneliness is such a crisis in the country. I
think we I think we really brought it into focus
during the pandemic, but it endures. I mean, it's a
real crisis. Am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (23:36):
You know? I always tell people and ask me what
that means. I'm like, have you ever been in a
room full of people and felt alone? And when people say, hey, yeah,
I have, I said, well, that's isolation. That's that's one
of the number one topics of calls for us really
is isolation and depression, and it's it's become more rampant
(23:59):
since since the pandemic. You know, people thought it would
just kind of go away, and it has not gone
away while we still had you know, I mean isolation
and depression before the pandemic. Now it's even greater. And
it's not just the elderly. It's it's everyone from our
teenagers to our middle aged people to our elderly, everyone
(24:21):
that experiences that isolation and depression. I recommend that you
call because you've got a friend to Concern hotline. Somebody
wants to listen. So we're working on that. Hopefully we're
depleting the isolation and depression in Shenadel Country.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I sure do hope.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
So, you know, is there any can anybody point to
anything and say here is why that's happening, why it's growing.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Well, I think, you know, I think everyone will kind
of point to the Internet and social media because it's
kind of given us an invisible barrier between us and society,
which isolates us a little bit more so, you know,
especially in the youth that we talk to, and you know,
we all know that some of our youth are the
(25:08):
most vulnerable to suicide in our country right now, and
we know that online bullying leads to a lot of that,
and we know that that online bullying leads to that
isolated feeling from some of our youth. So I see
a direct connection there, and we talk about that in
our training. We talk about, you know, how to identify that,
(25:31):
what's the best way to move forward?
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Do you get many calls that are originating in bullying?
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Oh? Yes, yeah, you know. One of the things we
have tried to do is increase our knowledge to the
to the younger people. And one of the reasons we
really liked we really like training at Shenandol University is
it brings us a younger demographic of listener that connects
really well with our younger callers. And so not only
(26:03):
are we, you know, trying to reach the elderly that
are despondent, because right now, white males over the age
of sixty five are the most vulnerable no suicide, no,
kidd in No, that's that's the demographic that we see
international or nationally with suicide numbers, and you know, it's
(26:26):
it's rampant, and so we're trying really hard to reach
the whole spectrum of callers from the youth to the
elderly and everything in between.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Well, I'm thrilled that you're using the kids from Shenando.
I call them kids because you know, but like the
students from Shnado, I guess I'm old. I'm as old
as concerned hotline is.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
But there you go.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
But I do think it is a tremendous thing to
tap into the younger talent at SU that I've always
felt like they were really great students, and I love
that the school actually has part of their degree being
working within this community. It has helped out a lot.
So as you look forward, are you are you looking
(27:10):
to recruit more. You said you were hoping to get
ten people in training after the fish fry, So do
you have those ten slots yet or are you looking?
Speaker 3 (27:19):
We have eight filled and we will have veteran listeners
there to talk about their experiences on the hotline because
we believe that that group experiential learning is so valuable
for us and we learn from each other as a
group of listeners. Most of those gaps have been or
spots have been filled by students as the new semester starts,
(27:40):
and I got to tell you. I've met some of
the most amazing young people I've ever met in my
life training the Senadell University students. They are just incredible
community members and human beings, and it gives me such
faith in our future because I see how amazing they
are and how much they want to give back.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Rusty Holland is with Concern Hotline and let's really circle
back to the beginning. Friday Fish Fry, the largest fundraiser
and the best time. Gosh, this is a party and
it's coming our way September fifth, So one more time.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
Where can we get tickets and what can.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
We expect Skyline Harley Davidson, John B. Hayes, Tobacconists, Lichens Chiropractic,
and two fat butchers over in front Royal and you
can expect to come and jam and eat with about
fifteen hundred of your closest friends.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
It's going to be a good time. It always is,
and we hope to see you there. Rusty, thank you
so much for joining us and spending some time and
sharing all of this about Concern Hotline and the Friday
Fish Fry and all of the other wonderful things that
you guys do here for our community. We really appreciate you,
your volunteers and what you.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Do for us.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Well, you get that right back at you, because we
couldn't do it with your support, Chris. And it means
a lot to us to have a heart and Q
one two and all of your affiliated stations supporting us
and getting the message out to help our community be safe.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Well, thanks, Rusty, Rusty Holland with concern Hotline Gang. Go
to their Facebook page find out all about the Friday
fish frying all the other things that they are doing.
And that's it for another crossroads. Can you believe it?
We've spent thirty minutes already. Time just flies, doesn't it, Russy,
Thanks a bunch man.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
All right, Chris, we'll see you soon
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Can't wait, buddy, all right, buddy, Bye bye,
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