Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Be Able on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 243
Scott Voos of Be Able shares how his organization provides support, resources, and community to Manhattan residents facing personal challenges. Neighbor Kia courageously tells her powerful journey from addiction to recovery, crediting Be Able with providing the consistent support that changed her life.
• Be Able is celebrating five years of serving the Manhattan community
• The Upside Down Auction fundraiser on September 25th sells opportunities to give hope rather than selling items
• Free tickets available at beablecommunity.com for the event at St. Thomas More Church
• Kia, a veteran and mother of three, found support at Be Able after struggling with addiction
• Be Able provided practical help (furniture, clothing) and emotional support when Kia needed it most
• The organization offers workshops, support groups, and a welcoming environment with "coffee, a smile, and maybe some donuts"
• Kia is now employed full-time and working toward her goal of entering ministry
• Be Able fills a crucial gap as a community center where everyone is welcome, regardless of circumstances
Support Be Able by attending the Upside Down Auction on September 25th at 6pm at St. Thomas More Church. Register for free tickets at beablecommunity.com.
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour, as heard on NewsRadio KMAN. We are back with the GMCF Community Hour here on NewsRadio KMAN and it's always fun to find out more about what's happening at an organization that's relatively new, you know, and I say, was it five years? Six years now, Scott, Five years, Five years yeah. That's still kind of like infancy.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Adolescent.
Speaker 2:An odd spot. We're almost like teenage-like fumbling around, still Teenage-like, Like exactly Making mistakes, but you can see the potential, the growth. You can see it.
Speaker 1:His name is Scott Voos and he's a local Manhattan kid and he has helped start an organization called Be Able, which helps a lot of individuals that are working with a lot of challenges, working through a lot of challenges and giving them hope and inspiration and helping fill a lot of voids in their lives. And I don't know, I mean you. You, you're the one with the elevator speech.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, dave, you've gotten to know us pretty well. So, um, appreciate you paying attention and caring about what we do. I, I want to say, yeah, I think I'm a cheerleader for people and I think, just going back to my when I was fumbling around with life, making mistakes, if I didn't have a few cheerleaders, I would be at rock bottom, I mean, and without those people in my life that that just encouraged me and they maybe they didn't even know it, but I like to put myself in a position every day to to see the vision for somebody, even if they can't see it, and just just encourage them as much as I can.
Speaker 1:So the timeliness of our interview today. Our visit today stems around an event that you have coming up next week, september 25th, 6th, 25th. I have it on my calendar. Yeah, you do. Yeah, I do, it is the upside down auction and this is. You know, this is our second year for this and you know, when we first started talking about this Jared over here who doesn't want to talk today, and when we first started talking about this Jared over here who doesn't want to talk today, came up with this concept about not selling things but selling opportunities, kind of give us a little bit of a background on this and how this has all come about to be what it is.
Speaker 2:Sure, yeah, yeah, have to rely on the general public to help fund and sustain us everything from operational dollars to giving support for people with what they need in life. And so there's a lot of golf tournaments, there's a lot of races. We wanted to try to do something that is different and be able. We have an unorthodox approach in general, so we came up with this concept that we think it's a very radical type of concept where you go there, one to learn about what we do, you learn about the stories of individuals that we've helped take that next step. You learn about our day-to-day operations that are there. So it's an awareness event. But also you're you go there to bid on that opportunity to give hope and kind of the, the inspiration to see these people succeed.
Speaker 2:Um, and last year we we put together a great event. Um, there was a lot of momentum behind it as far as um, just the awareness that we were portraying, but it, the crowd uh turned out and um, we think this year we're only going to take that that next step, next step and tell even more stories.
Speaker 1:A lot of the stories and, by the way, let's give a couple of the details about how to get there. Where it is all that stuff?
Speaker 2:St Thomas More Church, the blue rooftop on Kimball Avenue, september 25th, 6 pm to 8 pm, but you can show up a little bit early for some rubbing, elbow time and socializing as well. Tickets are free, but we do ask that you try to go to our website and reserve a ticket and also keep in mind there is online raffles right now. Where you can, you can put in your own bid for for two e-bikes, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:I saw you riding one of those. Yeah, I mean it was a little awkward for you, but you look like you're having a good time.
Speaker 2:I mean, if a guy like myself can just get on there and whip around the sidewalks, anybody can do it. They're really, really cool bikes. I've never been on one, honestly, and just the simplicity and the ease of the ride is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:The fact I don't have to pedal uphill is definitely something of interest Right. Keep that in mind. One of the great things when we have a segment with Be Able here is that we always get a story straight from the source and we bring in one of your neighbors and it's always a delight and we're going to introduce Kia to us. Hello Kia, how are you today?
Speaker 3:I'm fine. How are you?
Speaker 1:I am great and getting better.
Speaker 3:Well, I like to say, when I first got to Manhattan, I was a veteran and I had three children and you know, I went to K-State and I graduated from there, but then life got hard for me. I started using drugs and I became a product of my environment. Product of my environment. And about five years ago I went to my first Be Able event and it was a workshop and I left and I still got into trouble and, um, I was, my life was really dark, you know, I uh struggle with addiction really bad. And so, um, about three years ago, um, I went back to be able and one of my friends was there and he is an addiction counselor there and he told me hey, kia, it's time to get your life right. And I brushed him off. Really, didn't, really, I think I was hungry and I wanted the food that be able was serving at the time and got something to eat, and I left, you know, and got into more trouble, and the judge told me I had to do community service and that time around I was ready to change. I knew I needed to change and I did a couple hours in community service at BeAble and I joined a couple classes, um, and it changed my life. Y'all BeAble really did. I was able to go back and I'm still able to go back and see different people and do the workshops and do the art room and just get out of my head. Even if it's just a few hours a day, you know, I enjoy it.
Speaker 3:But what I like about Be Able is that the doors are always open, no matter if you're suffering, if you're struggling, whatever you're going through, there's someone there with a pot of coffee and a smile and maybe some donuts, you know, just to get you through your day.
Speaker 3:If you need to wash clothes, if you need clothes, if you need shoes, you know. A year I want to say last year, I sent my kids away during the wintertime. I sent my kids away during the wintertime and I really leaned on to be able around Christmas time because I didn't have any family, anybody, and I was able to go feed the homeless. I was able to do things that I didn't think I would be able to do Got my kids back, moved into a new place and BeAble gave me my furniture for my new house and my new dishes that I got from there. And it's all because I reached out and I asked for help and they were there to help me. You know there's so much I can say about BeAble, how it changed my life, and I'm grateful that they're here.
Speaker 1:Boy. There's a lot to unpack here. You have a lot of stories that got a lot of background here and the challenges that you face. Let's talk a little bit about the relationship you have now with your kids.
Speaker 3:I have a beautiful relationship with my girls Um how old are they?
Speaker 1:Might've I asked?
Speaker 3:13, 11, and 9.
Speaker 1:Oh, my Okay, you got a handful of they're all girls too, by the way. Hormones going on, aren't they?
Speaker 3:Yeah, all girls.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh, yeah, so you know, you talk a lot about the different things that you were able to find and it seems like you know when they use the term neighbors and neighbors sometimes is you know that it's a great term, but it almost sounds like you know there's all. It's extended family too.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:What are some of the things that when you go down to be able, and how often? How often do you go there?
Speaker 3:Well, now that I'm full timetime working, I have a job. I probably go every Wednesday. So, but when I wasn't working I was there like a majority of my time.
Speaker 1:What's it like for you to go back on Wednesday?
Speaker 3:On Wednesday. I mean, it's still the same, Like if I, if I want to go to a group, um, they have some new groups opening up some support groups and it's anonymous and I can go there and I can um see the people that I, you know, seen in the winter time when I was going. Every day, some donuts, a lunch. I can always talk to certain members there about what I have going on.
Speaker 1:It's always, you know, a refresher. How about the interaction between you and some of the other neighbors? Do you talk with some of the other neighbors about? You know individually about, you know some of the challenges that you faced and see where. Here's where I am today because of Be Able.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:And do you find that maybe to be somewhat very heartening for you to be able to share your story with them?
Speaker 3:Yes, because some of my neighbors when I was actively using they were actively using and some of them got clean. So it's easy to share my story of what I've been through and people to see that I'm actually living. You know it's, I'm not just talking the talk. You know I'm, I go there and I frequent with them and they see me and I see them. So it's not hard, it's. It's like I haven't. Even though I go once a week, it's not like I'm missing anything, cause once I get there, it's like I haven't. Even though I go once a week, it's not like I'm missing anything, because once I get there, it's like, hey, kia, how you doing, everybody knows me, so yeah, it's got to make you feel good when you walk in the door.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Did you feel good like that before you got involved with Be Able?
Speaker 3:There really wasn't any community programs before Be Able that I actually attended. So no, I didn't really have anywhere. There wasn't no community center that I can go to that I knew about in Manhattan and I've been here for 13 years, so no.
Speaker 1:Yeah, by the way, thank you for your service.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks for sharing your story. We're not done yet here. We are all a work in progress. What are some of your goals?
Speaker 3:My goal is to continue being a para and going into the ministry of my calling. That's my goal. My ending goal to be a pastor somewhere.
Speaker 1:Got quite a story to share.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You're going to be more about your story, though Do you like hearing stories from others?
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:What kind of lessons do you feel like you get from some of the other stories?
Speaker 3:It depends on what someone testimony to me like, what they're sharing, what they have overcame Communication and being able to be an active listener is a great thing, and to understand what everyone comes from all walks of life and have to, you know, accept everyone. So I mean it just depends on what they're sharing with me.
Speaker 1:You'll be at the upside down auction.
Speaker 3:I will be.
Speaker 1:Okay, looking forward to seeing you there. I'll be the guy with the microphone, okay. Hang on here. I got to turn your mic back on.
Speaker 2:Oh, you shut me off, I did okay okay, that's smart.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so this is always. This is I mean, it's our second, I can't say always, because you know we haven't done it a lot right but the upside down auction. This is why you know when you hear stories and this is one of the things I love about when you guys come in and visit with us, about, yeah, about be able, as you bring a neighbor in to tell their story and that's as effective as anything you could do.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, yeah, uh, I could, I could say it, um, so many times and it it. You know it might either fall on deaf ears or that people have heard it before, but, uh, to hear it straight from somebody that has walked through the fire and the adversity, it means so much more and there's so many, there's more diamonds that are out there. People are, they're beautiful, they're, they're diamonds. Kia's eloquent and it just, just, you know, I'm honored to be able to, you know, allow her to share her story and to encourage her to, to have the strength to to tell her story, and that's a big component of what we do is give people the permission and the space to do that.
Speaker 1:Beablecommunitycom is where you can find out more about the Upside Down Auction. We encourage you to get in there and get your name in. Get your tickets, which are free, but we do need a number count. It is going to be September 25th, that's a Thursday night at the Utopia Room at St Thomas More Catholic Church. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of wonderful friends there again. I think we're going to do another great job of helping raise money for people that are changing lives. Thanks for what you do, Scott.
Speaker 2:You betcha. Thanks Dave, thanks Manhattan.
Speaker 1:Jared thanks for being quiet and Kia thanks for sharing your story.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:We'll take a break when we come back. We are going to get Jaina in here and she's going to remind us how to say her last name, and then we'll get an update on some of the other things that are happening in the community as well, here on the GMCF Community Hour on NewsRadio KMAN.