177. Selfless Scholarship Event

Our first LIVE podcast. It was taped in the Spring, but we have been saving it to inject a little holiday cheer into the world. 

Transcript

0:28

At this time, I'd like to introduce a few, uh, folks, uh, Reid Endersbe, who you met earlier. Uh, Steve Brown. I'll explain who Steve is in a second. Back here we've got, uh, Clint Christensen and Jerry Zeit, who are with the Grand Command jury of the Knight's Templar. How many of you heard of the Knight's Templar? There's two of them back there. So, have any of you ever seen, Chicago Med Chicago pd. You know how every once in a while they'll have a crossover event? Well, we have two podcasts. One of our podcasts is called Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries, and that's hosted by my friend Reid Endersbe here. And then we also have a podcast called The Kindness Chronicles. The Kindness Chronicles. We have, uh, Steve Brown, who's one of our co-hosts, if any of you're hockey fans, Kevin Gorg, who does, interviews of the players in between the, the periods. Uh, he was supposed to be here, but decided to go to Las Vegas instead. So thanks a lot, Kevin. But we also have Michael Dempsey, who's one of our, uh, frequent, contributors. And back here we have our 55-year-old intern, Jeff Hoffman. He retired recently and somehow decided that it would be worth his time to not make any money working for a podcast. That doesn't make any money, but we do it'cause we love it. And, uh, what we decided we'd like to do tonight is invite some of, the people that did the Selfless Scholarship nominations and, uh, somewhat surprised the people that they nominated. So, aia, is that how we say that? Aia, why don't you come on up here, come and grab a, grab a chair. There you go. He's going to uc, Berkeley next year. As I understand it. Congratulations. You probably also got one of those A CT scores I'm unfamiliar with. So aia, would you please read your nomination? I would be honored to thank you. My nominees. Leadership is like a steady flame, quiet constant, and grounding. She doesn't seek recognition yet. Her presence consistently uplifts others. She makes a unique impact on other students. As the Assistant Director of Connections tutoring, my nominee ensures that hundreds of underserved students receive both academic and emotional support. She trains new tutors, organizes outreach efforts, and personally mentors younger students. Her impact isn't flashy. It's found in the trust. She builds the students who speak up because of her encouragement and the teammates who follow her lead. When I worked with her at board meetings, I noticed that she always showed up with a smile and new ideas, always thinking about how to reach one more student. She also advocates for inclusion through Centennial Students for Change, working with district leaders to address equity gaps, whether planning cultural celebrations or speaking to superintendents, she leads with true empathy and action beyond school. She brings quiet strength to Tsung, a weekly spiritual gathering dedicated to service and self-reflection. There she leads meditation circles for children, fostering emotional resilience in those who feel unseen, whether empowering a student to stand up to bullying or building their self-esteem, her calm energy and judgment-free attitude. Create a safe space where others can reflect and truly feel heard. This nominee has been my childhood best friend and a collaborator for over a decade. Yet what inspires me the most is not just what she does, but how she does it with humility, compassion, and unwavering consistency. Even outside formal roles. I've seen her pause homework sessions to comfort an anxious student or stay well after Satsung to walk a nervous child through their fears. To me, this just proves that community service isn't just something she does for her. It's a way of life. For that reason alone, I can't think of anyone more deserving of an award called the Selfless Scholarship than someone who is a wonderful source of daily inspiration, friendship, and kindness to me. So today I congratulate my best friend, Rohini Chei. Now, we didn't ask for permission, but we're gonna ask for forgiveness. Would you be able to sit with us and talk for a couple minutes? No pressure. None at all. No. Just to spring this on you. You can blame it on him. That would be great. But congratulations. Thank you. And I understand this is somewhat of a surprise for you tonight. Yes. What did you think you were doing tonight? Um, well my parents told me that there was some work event of my dad's. Oh yeah. It's a few less bucks, your dad will have to pay for your tuition. So in a way it sort of is a work event. So, quick question for you. Where are you going to school next year? Uh, I'll be attending McAllister College. McAlester. Very nice. Congratulations. Studying? Uh, I'll be studying political science and international relations. Okay. And how about you? What are you studying? Uh, applied mathematics and data science. Applied mathematics. Not even sure what that is. And that's why I'm up here. And you're at uc, Berkeley. Congratulations. Thank you so much, Steve. Reid, you got any questions? I just wanna say congrats to both of you and when John talked a little bit earlier about what, what is freemasonry? What do Freemason stand for? Some of the things we strive to be in this world are making authentic friends, building community and personal development, and your story encompasses all of those things so very well. I, I can't imagine that you are not just an absolute inspiration to your, your family, your classmates, your friends, neighbors, colleagues. Thank you. I, I would concur. I'm, it's amazing what you've done and what your friend has, uh, recognized in you and you're doing great things in the world. I'm also impressed with your, what you wrote. That was amazing, and that's beautiful. I think that's fantastic. Thank both of you. Congratulations. Thank you. I didn't need to exaggerate at all. No, that's, yeah, and, and I can tell you that we had hundreds of nominations and you can tell when they're exaggerating. It's like, enough already. We get it. They say the same thing over and over again. What I wanna do is encourage all of you this year while you're sitting here, think of somebody that you could nominate next year for one of the selfless scholarships. You know, one of the objectives of this program really is to uncover stories of kindness that would otherwise go untold. Uh, I think that this is a perfect example and, uh, we are very grateful. Congratulations, you guys. I just want to tell you a little bit about my friend Steve here. Steve and I have been doing, uh, the Kindness Chronicles podcast for about four years. I'm sure you're all listeners, right? Yeah, I know there's at least one of them here. Thank you. Nick, but uh, Steve, those of you that grew up, uh, in the Twin Cities and maybe in the St. Cloud area, Steve is the lead singer of a band called Johnny Clueless. Steve is what? From the nineties minor local celebrity. He was very, uh, what's that? There's a one Johnny Clueless fan back there, very nine there. He goes, rock, hang on. These kids are like, what? But Steve, uh, Steve's band toured with bands like Cheap Trick and The Bare Naked Ladies, the Googo Dolls. Yeah. I'm gonna make up some things. No, that's rolling Stones. Uh, I, for basically coed all through my twenties playing rock and roll with my friends, original music. And we had a fantastic time. We still play a little bit, but, uh, it was a fantastic part of my life. And the reason we asked him to be part of our podcast is he was the third person that Kevin Gorg and I interviewed, and all of a sudden we went from having a couple hundred listeners to many hundred listeners, and we thought, how did that happen? And he sent it out to what's called Clueless Nation. Which tells you a little bit about our listenership. So, uh, exactly. At this time, I would like to invite our next nominee tour up. Esme Ru, please join us. I learned that Esme is going to a, a little school in, uh, Madison, Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin, Madison. And what do we know about that? Thank you. You're learning. My daughter goes there. Esme, welcome. Why don't she introduce us to your, nominee? My nominee for the Masonic charity Selfless Scholarship is the embodiment of resilience and compassion. She's a senior at Madam High School, who I'm why I've known for five years now. She's always stood by me, especially in times when I was going through mental health troubles. Reminding me that I'm loved. She's been a rock, not only for me, but countless others as well. Early in our junior year, my nominee discovered she had autism. Although it wasn't entirely unexpected, it still weighed down on her. Her diagnosis was one of many, not limited to anxiety, A DHD, and multiple learning disabilities. Even so she never let herself be defined by these labels. Through socializing with her peers was sometimes hard. She persevered approaching social situations with bravery. At the start of senior year, she bravely decided to help other kids with similar struggles. She began peer mentoring a classmate. Her peer mentoring entailed offering general help and guidance alongside a paraprofessional, but my nominee took a step further and extended her friendship, getting gifts, singing with her in choir, and even going to a dance with her because her mentee was scared of going without her. My nominees compassion didn't stop there. As well as peer mentoring other high schoolers with disabilities, she volunteers at a local place in Stillwater called Valley Friendship Club. This club serves as a place for people with disabilities to come together to make friendships and socialize because of harsh societal norms. Even through her struggles with her own stuff, Elizabeth managed to use her experiences to help uplift others and inspire a better community. For these reasons and countless others, I nominate Elizabeth Carlin, a great person who has shown me what true compassion can look like, and I'm honored to call her my friend, Elizabeth. Congratulations. Tell us how you're feeling right about now. Yeah, pretty nice to have a friend like Esme, isn't it? Oh yeah, very much so. We were most taken by this nomination because of your courage. We thought that it was pretty impressive that you would, take this challenge that you have and turn it into something that was positive for people around you. Just, we just think that that's awesome. Esme, do you have any other, uh, words of wisdom about your friend, Elizabeth? she's pretty cool. Pretty cool. And you're going to Century College next year. And what is it that you wanna study? Special education. Wonderful, wonderful. I think what's so evident with both of you is that things like kindness are action words for you. They're verbs. It's easy for any of us to say that, oh, sure, we align with kindness and compassion and all of those, those things. But sometimes that becomes a hashtag that just becomes a passing buzzword. But for you two, you can feel it and the kind, obviously the world needs a little more kindness these days. So my hats off to both of you. We talk about something called oxytocin. Do any of you know what oxytocin is? Oxytocin is the happiness hormone. And I can tell you when I had the opportunity to read these nominations, I had an overdose of oxytocin. I, I, I can't tell you how. Excited I get every year when we get the opportunity to read these, uh, these nominations. And Steve here has a PhD in oxytocin. No, oxytocin is amazing because if you see someone do something that's kind, you get a shot of oxytocin. The person that did something kind gets a shot of oxytocin, and the person who receives something kind gets oxytocin all around. We have a, it's surprising. We have a thing on, uh, our podcast. We refer to it as oxytocin. And on Sunday, what we encourage our listeners to do is manipulate their algorithms. Yeah, watch things that make you happy on Sunday. What'll happen is, is they're gonna keep feeding you. For example, I must have a thing for babies laughing.'cause every Sunday I get hammered with TikTok videos Facebook, YouTube videos of babies laughing. And I start my Monday in a really good mood and by Monday afternoon I'm in a real crabby mood. It's a and okay, it's a campaign to change our algorithms. Yeah. So think hashtag oxy to Sunday. Well, thank you very much for coming up and, uh, congratulations. Thank you. Next, I would like to invite a young man named Max Egan to come forward. Max has got quite an incredible story. Come on up, max. I was reading through these nominations and when I came across Max Egan's story, it was a story I was familiar with.'cause I heard about what had happened to Max. Max is a student at Maida High School and Max,, is an incredible hockey player. And Max was gonna tell you what happened, last year. But I also wanted to, to, to make note of the fact that his nominee is not here today. He, uh, discovered that he had pink eye in both eyes. And we said, why don't you stay home? We would rather not have that. But what's really funny is, uh, it's Max Newcomb is your, uh, your nominee. Um, Steve and I happened to go to high school with his dad, Mike Newcomb. Yeah. And the fact that Max Newcomb turned out to be such a great guy must be a sign that his mother is someone special. So, max, why don't you read your nomination, Mike. I hope you didn't hear that. Yeah. I met my nominee last spring because we shared an English class. To be completely fair, our friendship initially sparked due to our mutual dislike of the class. Little did I know our friendship would be taken to the next level when my life was up turned upside down by a freak accident. One of the traditions of spring for many schools is Nerf gun tag or Nerf gun wars. Last spring, about a month after meeting my nominee, I was shot in the eye with a Nerf gun and I suffered an injury to my left eyeball and was temporarily blinded for the coming months. I was unable to attend class because the light in the room bothered my vision. I was confined to my bed and had a difficult time keeping up with school. Over time, my A in English dropped to a C one day. However, everything changed. While in my room, I heard my doorbell ring. Reluctantly, I had trudged on the stairs and opened the door, squinting my one good eye through the bright doorway. I made out a familiar smile. It was my new friend. I was confused as to why he'd be standing at my front door, but I was pleasantly surprised. But confused. Nonetheless, he told me he was there to help me catch up on the work I had missed in the class. Over the coming months. He voluntarily came to my house three days a week to work on our class together. Steadily my grade went back up to an A. I eventually had another eye surgery and was able to return to school. Upon returning one of my friends in the same class informed me that while I was away, my nominee was the only person to stick out for me. When people were saying hurtful things about me behind my back, the world would be a better place if we had more people like my nominee Max Newcomb. Thank you for the opportunity to share this story. So here's what I know about Max Egan. I had a couple of teachers from Amidi High School reach out to me and just tell me what a remarkable young man Max was. Max, uh, as I mentioned, was a very, very talented hockey player. Uh, had a future in hockey. Because of this Nerf gun accident really kinda lost that opportunity. And regardless of the fact that he lost that opportunity, it's almost like his spirit got better. Like people were just overwhelmed with the resilience of this young man. And, uh, how many of you guys have participated in the Nerf gun wars? Anyone? Some of you may recall, uh, about 10 years ago, there were two young men down in Burnsville that were killed during the Nerf gun war. I'm not telling you not to participate in it, but you gotta be really careful. In fact, one of the young men that passed away, his name was Johnny Price, and there's a foundation that was created in his honor that Minnesota Masonic Charities has become a, uh, a sponsor for. The other young man that passed away, his name was Jake Flynn, and I don't know if any of you know the name, Vince Flynn, the author, uh, who passed away a few, about 10 years ago now. And in fact, one of, uh, Vince Flynn's buddies Nick Flood is here with us today. We just learned that Nick is a listener to the Kindness Chronicles. So you're the guy Congrat. Thank you very much. It's remarkable the resilience that you've shown in just the strength, working through something like that. What a testament to authentic friendship. Sometimes I feel like we, we feel like if a friend is going through something, we have to somehow fix it for them. And it's not about fixing it, it's about sitting down with someone and being there with them and, and going through the journey together. Your, your story of authentic friendship. You guys will be, you're gonna blink and be old guys on the stage with gray hair. You're gonna, you guys are gonna be pal for time or no light hair or no hair. That's true. Thanks so much. Yeah. Congratulations, man. Keep going. Welcome Emma Lang. Emma, where do you go to school? I go to Mayo High School in Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo. Look it. She knows how to use the mic. Holy smokes. I try public speaking. Holy cow. Why don't you share your story with us? Okay. So I'm Emma Lang, as you guys said, and being kind to others saves lives. My nominee is absolutely the embodiment of Selfness. The first time I met her was the first day of high school. We were both nervous, but she decided to strike up a conversation in gym class. Ever since that day, we have been very close. I see her leadership every day and I've noticed her growth throughout high school. She's loved by the soccer team that she captions. She's Key Club President, which is a club encouraging high school students to volunteer, and she has a deep love for dogs and her dog pepper. She's the type of person that consistently makes people feel special and loved when she talks to them. I admire the hard worker that she is. She has worked at a restaurant for the majority of her high school, but she still finds time to prioritize academics, volunteering, and friendships. She's one of those people that is always seeking new connections with others. Every year, our school has a month long fundraiser for the local homeless shelter. During that month, you'll often find her in the halls selling cookies or doing other things to make that fundraiser a success. And that fundraiser actually earned. We earned about like$60,000 last year, which was really impressive for us. For the past five years, she has selflessly forfeited weeks of her summer vacation. To volunteer for a house building service project in Kentucky, and she actually, this year, invited me to go with, so I'm really excited to go with her this year. Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge she has always shown up for me. One small example is this year I had shoulder surgery and I couldn't drive at all. So for about five weeks she picked me up every day from my house and drove me to school to make sure I got there on time. for this in so many other reasons. I'd like to nominate my best friend, Avita Hanson, for this student. Need recognition. Thank you so much. Well, well, well, you're a fundraising person. Let me, let's talk about that for a moment. We happen to be in the fundraising business around here. When we tell people that we do a couple million dollars a year in scholarships and, you know, we do 35 million, we need fundraisers. So maybe she talk to me afterwards. I just have to, to to mention this. Um, there was this, this is for all of you parents out there. There was a study done a few years ago that, was done at the University of Indiana School of Philanthropy. It's the only school of its kind in the country. And what the study showed was is that people that have a charitable element in their estate plan will live 3.1 years longer than those that don't. So if you are looking for an extra 3.1 years, I am an estate planning lawyer and I know a guy that can help you. And maybe because you already have an estate plan that includes a charitable element, that's why you're still here. You're welcome. Anyways, enough about me. It's a fun fact, John. It is some funny fact. Thank you very much. So how do you feel about this Avita? Um, I'm a little overwhelmed, to be honest. It's, this is a surprise to you. It's not actually so less overwhelmed than maybe the other, um, nominees, but it is overwhelming. I'm very flattered. Um, I think the most, the best thing about this is just learning that someone that I admire so much for a lot of the same values, Emma's. Very selfless. She's very kind. And knowing that she may, she admires me to the same extent is very flatter. And it means a lot. I'll tell you what's unique about this scholarship. I've heard back from some people that have received this scholarship in the past and they say when they, they put selfless scholarship on their resume, and it's a very unusual scholarship. In fact, I don't know of a scholarship like this anywhere in the country and I've Googled it, so that must be true, right? What we've heard is, is it's a differentiator. You know, there are a lot of people, those of you that have got the Harvard people and stuff like that, I'm sure you're gonna do fine. But for those of us that aren't academic achievers, we need that differentiator in life. So maybe a kindness scholarship will be a talking point. I'm sure Harvard will be a talking point for you. I'd like to know what, what motivated you or who, who has inspired you in your life? That what you, we heard all of these examples of selflessness and kindness. Who, who do you look, look up to? Who led you to be the wonderful, kind, kind and selfless person you are. Um, she's probably gonna cry, but I'd probably say my mom. She's sitting somewhere else. Where is she? That's actually the correct answer. Yep. Yep. Just have ear hand, mom. She's crying. We got it. Oh no, her phone's out too, so it's all on case. You're wondering children. That is the correct answer, dad, maybe mom For sure. Just throwing it a couple more details though, but what about, what did your mom do that you noticed as you've been growing up that led you to want to do all of these great activities? She's crying quite hard. Um, she's probably the kindest person I know. She's the person who really got me into volunteering. We've been a part of our church ever since I was little. I mean, we joined the, I joined the church choir when I was three, so we've been in it for a while. And ever since I was younger, she would take me to volunteer. That's how I got involved with my, um, program that I built houses in Kentucky over the summer. The Appalachian Service project. I learned about that through my mom and through the church. So yeah, she definitely got me into volunteering and has. Me, the kinder person that I'm today. So tell us about the, the service that you're doing in Kentucky for starters. Why Kentucky? It's so hot. It is. It is. But is it, this is through your church? This is through my church. It's a much bigger organization, the Appalachian Service Project. I'm excited to talk about. It's my favorite thing. But, um, basically every summer my church and a lot of churches, um, across the country send teams to go work. Houses, impoverished communities and counties in Kentucky, um, North Carolina, South Carolina. So it's involved in a couple of states. It's really awesome. It's been an incredible experience and I've been in it since the summer after my eighth grade year. So, yeah. Do you have like a tool belt? I do have a tool belt. You flew up? Yeah, it has my name on it even so. Oh geez. This is serious business. So what are, are you framing houses? Are you putting shingles on them? A lot of stuff. I, it makes me sound more knowledgeable about construction than I am, but, um, we do a lot, we do insulation, siding. Um, I did cementing one year. It was really hard. I was digging a lot of holes. The reason John got a little excited about Kentucky is because he first thought of chicken. Right. That's that. It started earlier. That's true, but it's not about that. Okay. We make fun of each other from time to time, but thanks. That's really kind of you. Well, congratulations. Next we have Kylie Jones, if you would come forward please. Well, welcome Kylie. What school do you go to? Kylie Stewartville. Stewartville. Fantastic. Right by mail. Mm-hmm. Congratulations. Yeah. Where are you gonna school next year? Gustavus Ado. Very nice. Okay. St. Peter. Here we come. So tell us about your friend. All right. My nominee is always the kindest person in any room, and she's always looking for an opportunity to brighten the day of someone around her. Whether she is taking care of one of her younger siblings or participating in a volunteer or organization, her time is almost entirely spent focused on helping others. Her active participation in organizations such as Key Club, a school-based group that volunteers around the school and local community. Food for Kids, which is a nonprofit that packages food to be sent to families in Africa. And Project Linus, which is a community-based group that creates care packages for children in difficult situations, are only a handful of the ways that she seeks out volunteerism. She's also a proud Girl Scout working towards her gold award and a church class teacher at St. Bernard's Parish where she teaches a class of fourth graders. The amazing part about Alex is that even when she is not dedicating time towards others, she's making their day better in some other way. I cannot count the number of times that she has offered me a cookie that she baked simply because she knew it would bring a smile to my face. Everyone that has had the pleasure of meeting my nominee can speak to the fact that she makes the world a better place. She aspires to continue her life of service, especially as she gains her degree in biology with the intent of using it in the healthcare field. Please consider my friend Alex Lennon for the Selfless Scholar Scholarship so she can continue her path of tiny acts of kindness that seem to always have a big impact. So Alex makes cookies really good cook like my kind of people, Alex. Well, congratulations. Thank you. How do you feel about this? Um, happy about it. Happy. So this really isn't fair to some of these nominees, to be quite honest. Like, we spring this on them, put a mic in their hand, and just hope for the best. Um, so thank you for, uh, coming up here and, and, uh, being willing to do this. Tell us about your friend. Um, definitely Kyle's Kylie's generally the like, kindest person I know. Um, so that door swings both ways. Definitely. Yeah. Here's what I'll say about Kylie. You must be like a communications person you're reading of that was exceptional. Thank this guy over here is, uh, he's taking notes'cause he does a lot of, uh, but yeah, that was fantastic. Thank you. Stewartville, what do you guys do in Stewartville? For fun? Go to Rochester. So you're going to Gustavus, where are you going next year? St. Olaf. St. Olaf. Okay. Very nice. Mayak schools. Fantastic. Got any questions there, Johnny? Clueless. You guys are both inspiring. This is fantastic that you took the chance to nominate your friend and you took the chance to come here. Did you know about this? Were you, were you surprised or were you, or is this overwhelming or what? Um, I actually did know about, you knew a little bit, but did you know what in force is? So I just have to tell you when, uh, the, the, the Max Newcomb. The hoops that we had to jump through to keep this a secret for Max Newcomb. I am convinced he was so freaked out that he didn't know where he was going. He got pink eye. He was, he found somebody with pink eye and just went up and rubbed his face up against him. So that's one way to do it at the same time. I mean, maybe it wasn't a surprise, but this is, this is pretty cool. And, and that's, how do you think it was being in front of all these people and, and talking about this with, your experiences I don't know. It's very flattering well we've tortured you enough, but thank you very much and congratulations and good luck next year and nice job. Congrats you guys. Madeline McCaffery key, please come forward and we're lucky to have Madeline here. She wasn't sure, uh, if her softball team was going to be. Rated number one in the the region. Is that how we do it? It's like our section rating. So we got pro one interception, so. So you got number one, so you gotta a buy, so you didn't have to be there. So I got the night off. It would've been a terrible night for softball anyways. Yeah, they canceled all the games. Oh, they did? So you could've been, yeah. Well, tell us about your nominee. My nominee is an extraordinary person. Her amazing leadership skills and ability to connect with everyone has allowed her to have an impact on her peers and her community. She leads with humility and confidence, and there's no one more deserving of the Masonic Selfless scholarship than my friend. I met my nominee in preschool, and our friendship continued through Girl Scouts where we learned valuable lessons about leadership, empathy, service, courage, and character. She's the embodiment and exemplifies these qualities. As co-president of the student council, she has shown me her determination and selfless spirit. She has helped plan many events, including our Homecoming With a Purpose, which raised over$40,000 in 2023 to start an adaptive hockey team at our high school in 20 23, 20 24. The same event raised over$10,000 for the Invisible Wounds Project, which is a, it's explain it a little bit. It's a like organization that started in Forest Lake and it helps with mental health of first responders and military. She also has helped with facilitate annual blood drives mental health week and appreciation days for teachers, custodians, and lunchroom staff to name a few. Last year she started a club at our high school called Letters of Love, which sends handcrafted cards and letters to children who are battling serious illnesses. She continues to put other people first, ensuring a legacy of service within her school and her community. This year, my nominee showed what it truly means to be a voice for all. With our Your Words Matter campaign project. She helped shed a light on hey speech students experience at our high school and showed it won't be tolerated. She cares deeply about others and not, there's not a single person who deserves the Masonic Selfless Scholarship more than Grace Olson. So I just have to mention Forest Lake is, uh, one of the communities that we have a pretty strong Masonic Lodge, also known for a great pancake breakfast from time to time. So check that out. Oh, I must have to. Yeah, absolutely. I am so impressed with all of you students that have been able to come up here and, uh, in front of, you know, 300 and some people and, and share your stories. Very grateful. Madeline clearly has a, an attention to detail. Um, the text messages back and forth were, uh, were pretty, let's just say she's got a, she's got a future, in logistics at the very, I do my best. You know, you certainly did. Um, I almost got as many texts from you as I get from Jeff Hoffman. Where is Jeff? Jeff is our 55-year-old intern. Jeff takes our podcast far more seriously than he should. Very serious. And we're gonna be getting him help here in the very near fu near future. Um, so where are you gonna school next year? I'm going to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Go gophers. Yeah. So what are you gonna be studying? Um, biology. Biology. Lemme tell you about biology for a second. I was a biology major at the, at St. Thomas. It was St. Thomas College at the time. Nick, you went there, right? Hello? Um, and I took my first biology exam and I got a six out of a hundred. Come on. So I went to the professor and I said, professor, I don't think this is for me. And he said, I don't think it is either. And he said, why are you a biology major? And I said, I thought it would impress girls. And he said, you sound like a marketing major. So I swear to God that day I went and became a marketing major anyway, I just want to thank you for your time. Do you have any questions for our, uh, for our guest? I'm constantly shocked with these. See, I didn't get to vet all these, you, you guys went over all these That's right. We did. John just plopped me in here. He didn't know he was gonna be sitting up here, so, but I love hearing about this and I love meeting all these young people and I'm so fascinated with all the things you get involved with, especially now when all the distractions in the world for young people. I love that. You're getting involved, you're trying things, you're meeting people, you're out. Is this a long story? Is that, are you, did we talk too much? I did at my watch. Anyway, I, I, I do say that to Steve from time to time. I'll go. Is this a long story? I just wanna say, uh, congratulations to you as well and your friend, but thank you just for all of you for getting so involved, being out there, getting in the world, meeting people and joining things. It's awesome. Congratulations, and thank you so much. Taking the time. I have to ask, is Evan Kansky here? Evan, you had track practice, you made it come on up. So I'm gonna ask you while we're getting Evan, uh, lined up here for the gift of your influence, all of you students. Um, next year when you're away at college, look for opportunities to share stories of kindness that you encounter. Tell your friends to apply and tell stories about. Maybe they'll tell a story about you. These scholarships, uh, we have been able to secure some extra money for next year so we can do more of these kind of scholarships. And, uh, I just think that the stories that we've uncovered have been incredible. So with that, Evan, welcome. Thank you. Now, track practice. What? What are we practicing? Uh, I do pole vault. Oh. Oh God. Why do you do pole vault? It's fun. I have a funny story. I let the young man speak. Come on. Is it a long story? It's a long story. Um, I told my, my daughter, she had a bunch of friends over and I told her, told them that, uh, when I was in high school, I was a track athlete. I don't look like a track athlete. Um, the truth is, is I was a shot put in discus guy. Okay? But when they said, well, what did you do? And I told them, pole vault and high jump. And for a minute they kinda looked at me and they, one of them said, and I'm not kidding you, a hundred pounds ago. Whoa. Yeah. Yeah. He's not very kind. He will never win a kindness, uh, award ever. So let's keep it clean here tonight. Evan Pole vaulter. Sounds good. Okay. Where does one begin when talking about my nominee? There's so much to say. I met Garrett four years ago and he graduated, uh, when he graduated from Prince of Peace Lutheran School. He moved to my high school in Sock Rapids freshman year. He was the new kid. I knew him a little bit, but I never talked to him until he joined the swim team. That's where he and I really bonded. There was only a one other freshman and all three of us got pretty close. Garrett has seen ton of success in swimming, competing in the state tournament for four years in a row now. Uh, it feels like he's always been a captain even before he was one. His natural leadership abilities and tendency to push for more have always made him stand out as an inspiration on our small team. Out of the water. Garrett is a man of faith. You probably wouldn't have guessed from his education before high school, but he leads our school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes and it feels like he goes to more youth groups than there are days of the week. Earlier this year, a kid joined our swim team. This kid was going through a breakup and was struggling in school. on the second day of practice, Garrett noticed that something, uh, was up with this kid and went up to talk to him about it. I had just learned that what this kid's name was and Garrett was able to see his struggle. Garrett got him back on track, brought him to all of his youth groups, and with Garrett's help, he has gotten better grades his life back on track, and also considerably better at swimming. I would be surprised if you could find someone at my school who doesn't like Garrett Broman. I'm truly thankful for having him as a friend, and there's nobody more deserving for this scholarship than him is Garrett. Here, come on down. Come on down. Way back there. Come on down. Congratulations Evan. Where are you gonna school next year? I'm going to the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Oh, very cool. How about you, Garrett? I'm going to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Very nice. So there's a lot of gophers here. Did you know what was going on here tonight? Well, I kind of started to connect the dots once, um, people started coming up here. Oh. But, uh, yeah, before that, no, I actually showed up here in sweatpants and t-shirt. So, whose clothes did you steal? My mom brought him my Oh, your mom brought'em very nice. Yeah. I'm also supposed to ask, uh, do you like donuts? Okay. No wait to, he loves donuts, but, uh, at the donut hut, there's a place in little Canada called the donut hut. Have any of your rented the donut hut don't ever go? we have a thing on our podcast where for some reason it always, who've asked you to ask me about donuts. He isn't giving the money. Oh, Gary. Oh, Dempsey, you're excused, sir. Okay. Why are we talking about donuts? Let's talk about you. So what do you feel about, uh, Evan putting this little, uh, story together for us? I hope it's true. Well, I mean, most of it, um. No, I am again, like everybody else has said, just flattered. I mean, I, I knew I had a really good friend in Evan, but I never knew how good of a friend until, the stories have been just overwhelming. We're so grateful that you guys have been willing to make it all the way from Sock Rapids or Sock Center. Sock Sock Rapids. That's the good one. Right? Right. Okay. Sorry. Sock Center. That was terrible. These guys are graduating next week, right? Both of you graduating. Yeah. So let's hope so is, do you know for sure? Yeah, I graduated. Sure. Did you ever get a six in biology? That's good. Yeah. No. My question is, um, do you think you'll take this. Message of kindness into your college careers going forward? Like what do you wanna do in college with regards to what you guys have kind of already embodied, you know, in, in you nominating him and all the, the, all the stuff you're doing, the fellowship and just being a, a captain kind of guy, helping people. How are you gonna move the this into your college career? I don't even know. I'm gonna have to find a new friend. We're gonna be like six hours away. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing like. I kind of ditch him, but I'm skiing. I mean, I'd definitely say, I mean, friendship wise, um, everybody that I am gonna be meeting, I'll be able to say I am my best friend, Evan Kansky, and he is swimming D three and he's an absolute stud. He is an absolute stud. And, and in all sincerity, when you guys go off to college, you know those of you that are the undergraduates. freshman year can be very difficult that first week or two. And, uh, one of the things that we talk about, uh, on our podcast is the fact that, you know, in a high school lunchroom, your loneliness is more exposed in a high school lunchroom than anywhere in the world. In a classroom, you have an assigned seat usually, but in that lunchroom, if you don't have close friends, it's tough. You're gonna see people that are alone at college, and I encourage you to take'em under your wing because there's nothing more thoughtful that you can do for another student that's a freshman at a college that may not know anybody than to go up and connect with those people. You know, I've had three kids that have, have gone through college, and the most important thing for those kids was to find that one person that they could count on, and you might be that one person for that person. That's a lot of purse. Yeah. It's there. Especially if you're, uh, going somewhere far away. There's nothing like finding someone, uh, that understands you and just was there for a minute to listen and you'd be surprised the friendships that you make in early days of college that I, I still have friends that, that I met first day of college. You have any more questions, Reed? I just think one of the best parts of this evening in doing this each year is meeting. Gentlemen like you, ladies and gentlemen, all of our recipients and the families and the friends and the support. Sometimes your generation gets kind of a, a bad rap. Oh, the kids these days, they don't care. They're too busy. Just doom scrolling. But it's really inspirational to hear all of your stories and to get to know some of our recipients tonight of what you're planning on doing your focus. The impact you're having in your friendship circles too. So The Honor is ours tonight to all of you, so thank you. With that, I want to thank you. Read any final words of wisdom. Thanks everyone for coming tonight.