Overcoming Adversity: Dillon Green's Journey From the Foster System to Hope and Resilience

Have you ever wondered about the power of resilience and the impact it can have on a life? Strap in, because today's episode brings you the awe-inspiring story of Dillon Green, a current resident of Place of Hope, who has used his unyielding spirit to overcome adversity and chart out an encouraging journey towards health and wellness. An inspiring tale that showcases the difference nurturing environments like Place of Hope can make, let Dillon's story of triumph remind you that no hurdle is insurmountable.

Picture a young man, stripped from his home, his parents grappling with financial problems, and faced with a neglectful foster care; yet, Dillon Green didn't see a dead-end. Instead, he found solace in consistent running for stress relief and developed a newfound love for health and wellness, inspired by his house parents at Place of Hope. As he steps us through his transformation from a struggling foster kid to a Exercise science graduate with aspirations of attending PT school, learn about the crucial role a positive environment and dedicated individuals can play in shaping young lives.

You'll also get a chance to explore Dillon's insights on the importance of resilience, mentors, and family in overcoming life's harshest challenges. Listen as he shares his lessons on contentment, drive, self-determination, and gratitude. With a lens on the foster care system, the power of a positive environment, and the impact of resources for young individuals, Dillon's story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and a beacon of hope for all those who are weathering their own storms. The journey may be tough, but as Dillon's journey proves, the destination is well worth it.

Host: Charles L. Bender III, Founding CEO and Board Member of Place of Hope

Title Sponsor: Crypto Capital Venture | Follow Dan Gambardello's on Twitter (@cryptorecruitr)

Looking for assistance  in south Florida? Visit VillagesOfHope.net

Link:  Visit the Place of Hope Website, PlaceOfHope.com

Connect with Place of Hope on social media: Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn

Email the Show: POHPodcast@PlaceOfHope.com 

Transcript

Charles Bender: 0:02

Hello and thank you for tuning in to Ambassadors of Hope. I'm your host, Charles Bender. We're so excited that you've tuned in to hear from local South Florida leaders who are making a difference in our community and region through our charity Place of Hope. Who are we? We're the largest, most diverse children and families organization spanning Palm Beach County and the entire Treasure Coast. Our goal is to help those we serve find healing and restoration, leading to a brighter future. Since 2001, place of Hope has served over 25,000 children and youth in South Florida.

Charles Bender: 0:35

Place of Hope is a faith-based, state-licensed organization providing programs and services to children, youth and families to end cycles of abuse, neglect, homelessness and human trafficking in our local communities. None of this would be possible without our Ambassadors of Hope, the people in this community and throughout South Florida. We use their leadership, influence, time, talent and resources to help others. Many have inspiring stories of their own that tie them intrinsically to our mission, and we hope that their stories will challenge you to get out and make a difference where you live, work and play. So much can grow from even just one small seed of hope.

Maya Elias: 1:20

Welcome to this episode of Ambassadors of Hope. I'm your producer, Maya Elias. In this episode, Charles Bender and I have the pleasure of welcoming guest Green, a current resident at our Leanne and David Rinker campus. 's life journey is a remarkable story of resilience and triumph. He entered the foster care system at a young age due to problems at home that ultimately led to his mother becoming incarcerated, and his experiences within the system were initially challenging. Placed with a foster parent who neglected him, Dillon lacked the basic essentials and support needed to thrive. However, his life took a positive turn when he found a new home at Place of Hope's Pax and Campus. Place of Hope provided Dillon with a safe and nurturing environment where he not only received shelter but also vital support services. The organization's programs included counseling, therapy, tutoring and life skills training, which helped Dillon overcome his past challenges and develop a positive outlook for the future. The impactful individuals he encountered at Place of Hope, such as volunteers and mentors, left lasting impressions on him and contributed much to his personal growth.

Maya Elias: 2:33

Reflecting on his time at Place of Hope since he came to us in middle school, fondly remembers the impact of his house parents, who inspired his passion for health and wellness Witnessing his house dad's dedication to running every morning sparked Dillon's interest in fitness, leading him to pursue a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science at Florida Atlantic University. Today, Dillon works as a stretch practitioner at Stretch Zone, where he helps to improve clients' quality of life through assisted stretching and encourages the importance of self-care. 's journey is not only about personal growth, but also about breaking cycles. Inspired by the positive role models he encountered at Place of Hope, he aspires to build a loving and nurturing family in the future, creating a supportive environment and ensuring a brighter future for generations to come. Green's story serves as a powerful reminder of the impact that organizations like Place of Hope can have in the lives of young individuals, helping them overcome adversity and achieve their full potential.

Charles Bender: 3:41

We want to give a special thanks and shout out to our presenting sponsor, Crypto Capital Venture. Crypto Capital Venture acts as both a startup recruiting firm as well as one of the largest crypto communities in the cryptocurrency space, offering trailblazing content for over five years. If you're interested in crypto, you can join over 300,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel for the latest on crypto, just go to YouTube and search Crypto Capital Venture and make sure to subscribe. Thanks so much, Dan and our friends at Crypto Capital Venture.

Maya Elias: 4:14

Welcome to Seed of Hope. Where warmth, gratitude and hope flourish. Today we bring you the inspiring story of the Stack Family Cottage. Imagine the pride and joy we felt as our 17-year-old completed her track season and attended senior prom. It was a beautiful milestone in her life, a moment filled with celebration and hope for her bright future ahead of her. But the accomplishments didn't stop there. Two of our younger children embarked on a new journey by joining the Flag football team. With determination and teamwork, they emerged victorious in their first game, smiles radiating from their faces with excitement, and we couldn't be happier for them. Thank you so much for joining us on today's segment of Seat of Hope and I hope that you continue listening in for our guest, Green.

Charles Bender: 5:07

Alright Green. Thank you for coming on our show today. Ambassadors of Hope, and we're going to get right into it Tell us a little bit about how Place of Hope's programs and services have impacted your life during your time. You know, when you were here at Place of Hope as a young man and now that you're getting a little older, living at Villages of Hope on our Leanna David Rinker campus, some of the things that have impacted your life in terms of, you know, creating a safe and supportive environment during a difficult period.

Dillon Green: 5:32

Certainly starting with Place of Hope. When I was 13, before I even entered into the system of foster care, I had a lot of inconsistency, not very much home stability for many years, parents arguing every night and just kind of not really being sure how the next day would go. And then when I first entered the system, I was with one lady's house. It was my first introduction to foster care and she was entirely different to me just kind of butt out a little small stereo box for me each morning to have. Then I get home from school and have the lunch she set out. I basically never talked to her for the whole six months I was there.

Dillon Green: 6:09

So as far as my mind went back then I was 13, as my introduction to the system, I thought this was a pretty good deal. I heard horror stories. I heard a lot of abuse ongoing in foster care. I didn't really know what to expect so I thought this was all right, like this is probably pretty fair. And then my coordinator Lightham, chris Baker. She had advocated for main court and introduced the idea of me going to place a hope. And once I got there, to circumvent your question here, once.

Dillon Green: 6:36

I got to Place of Hope, I found stability. I found that I was able to go to the school that I wanted to in high school and I was able to pretty much have the same sort of routine day in and day out and got to build up habits that I really appreciated over time too. Not only a place of hope for high school did I get to go to the high school I wanted in the IT Magnum program. But even after then my age now turn 18, moved to the dorms at Florida Atlantic University. Houseparents helped me move to the dorms. Eventually I came to Village of Hope, where I was able to have stable housing. I have now purchased a car since my time there. I've had a steady job for past year and also gotten many hours in physical therapy, finished my bachelor's degree as well.

Dillon Green: 7:21

So, stability, I think, is the greatest quality that was introduced to me through Place of Hope.

Charles Bender: 7:26

Yeah, you know it's interesting. One of the things you mentioned was the relational side of what it was like in the foster home before you came to Place of Hope and you look back and you thought, well, I guess this is okay, even though you knew something was fundamentally wrong, because she's just placing out food for you to eat and you'd never talked to her in six months. It was great that you had a place to be right, but there was no relational aspect. And how was that different when you came to Place of Hope?

Dillon Green: 7:52

That's that was. That was when I was young. I didn't really, like I said, register how important that was. I just thought this was fine enough. But having house parents that actually cared about me, took us on trips I know they even like took us out to eat pretty often, just like giving the guys in the house attention and wanted us to succeed and push us forward and keep back, to keep on with our lives it was a totally different, stable lifestyle that I was able to build up from.

Charles Bender: 8:26

Yeah.

Dillon Green: 8:26

It was completely polar opposite.

Charles Bender: 8:30

It's, basically, it's the whole foundation of what Place of Hope is about faith-based, family-based, you know. So that's the big difference and glad that you obviously, you know, experienced that and you're experiencing it still at villages, but at a different level, obviously more independent, you know, you're an adult. Yes, we're there for you, as you know, how did your mentors and volunteers you encountered while at Place of Hope, like Mr Doug and the couple who mentored you, shape your outlook on life and contribute to your personal growth?

Dillon Green: 9:00

I would say that, again, referring back to growing up, I had a lot of adults when I was a kid let me down. Basically they were good role models and so as a kid I developed this mindset of seeing what I don't want as a part of my life. So I didn't have. I had a lot of general distrust toward what you know, elders or spears would say to me because I thought I kind of was figuring out better.

Dillon Green: 9:27

I saw a lot of bad folks in my corner or irresponsible folks in my life. So being at Place of Hope, meeting mentors like Mr Doug and Mr Tim as Relief Parent, mr Trey as Relief Parent back in college six so many they really showed me there's a lot of good people in my corner, a lot of generous and compassionate people, and that really set me down a whole different path in my life. I wouldn't say I was ever one who was like means for anybody, but they showed me that kindness and compassion takes you so very far.

Charles Bender: 10:01

Yeah, well, that's how you are. I mean, you're kind and compassion and it's and you're full of gratefulness, which is a word we've kind of placed on you these days is because it exudes from you. You know, and I think maybe that has a lot to do with you know the people who sewed into your early days like that. You know, like you said, you didn't think it was normal, what was. You know you didn't trust a lot of people because of those broken relationships. But you had people coming in. You know that either lived there or were on the staff or these mentors. But we used to.

Charles Bender: 10:31

Actually, when we launched that, we used to call it an extended family member program Because, as you know, while you were in care, some or a lot of kids that are in care, a lot of times they're not able to have contact with family members or there just isn't any. And so what? You know, we've always felt like the mentors and these folks can fill those gaps in a lot of ways, you know. So it is definitely a big part of the place of hope model. You mentioned to our producer of the show that your house parents at Place Ope had a significant impact on your love for health and wellness and the industry that you're in now. Elaborate a little bit on that, on their influence, and tell us a little bit about what you're doing in exercise science.

Dillon Green: 11:12

Yeah, they are the foundation of it all. Really, again, I feel like I want to come on circle and back to what my previous mindset was, and almost how I had a reborn mindset. After coming to Place Ope, starting with almost at a subconscious level, I grew up sort of middle class with my folks and then, once I entered middle school, that's when they kind of lost the house and a bunch of financial issues basically occurred.

Dillon Green: 11:38

Long story short and they lost everything a lot of arguments ensued and that's kind of how I saw things derail with my folks at home before Fosu here and so I think subconsciously I didn't register this completely. I really equated stability and having a source of income as some of the most important qualities of life. So I was in the IT Magnet program in high school so I pretty much had that mindset for a good while. I was on my computer all day. I was learning programming. It was interesting to an extent.

Dillon Green: 12:09

But once I got to college initializing a pre-science major, it wasn't for me. I realized it's not my field of interest. But what my stress relief was, that I figured out in high school from my house parents was I saw Mr Sheldon, my house parent. He'd run each morning Like he's in the Marines, real fit do, a real buff guy, and I respected that. I thought you know that gave confidence to me. So I started out just running. I really know what I was doing. I'd run around kind of the Christ Fellowship Park and lot and just get that. It was good, a little stress relief for me.

Dillon Green: 12:39

And I tuned in a little bit more to healthier, conscious eating, eating just like weller carbs and just trying to be more health conscious. So that was the foundation. And then when we went on a hiking trip to Georgia, they house parents took us all on out up there. It was a great time I can the mountain, seeing the wilderness. It was real, real good time out there and it was real eye opening just to appreciate how beautiful nature really is out there. I had an experience like anything like that, never been on a trip, even out of the state. So I was out there. It really was a core memory for me at that point and after I aged out it's kind of a sort of tradition now with my buddies will go hiking once a year. So around January, just driving up north, making a bit of road trip and do seven to 10 day hikes throughout our trip.

Dillon Green: 13:28

And awesome, awesome memories there and the foundation of all really just just from the simple act of running from a house Baron, who get the miles in every morning, started doing on my own.

Charles Bender: 13:37

See that's the modeling right. That's the healthy parenting Modeling that we've tried to create and keep over the years. And then, and then there's that element that you threw in there about the, the travels with the family right, which is now something you do with your buds every year. But Oftentimes, when we tell people about like, so what's different? About place of hope, a lot of people you know we'll talk about these things that seem very normal in the everyday life of most people. Right, people take vacations, people go places on Weekends. They might go boating, they might go running, they might go to a gym, they might go hiking in the mountains in Georgia or whatever.

Charles Bender: 14:10

But a lot, oftentimes, too often, when you apply that to kids in foster care because of the sort of the tumultuous journey, oftentimes with placement disruptions and sometimes you know lower levels of care that are out there quality care and that. So what seems to be so normal in some ways is really not when you apply it to the average kid that's that's in foster care. So tell us a little bit about I mean, I just love the way you describe that tell us a little bit about what you're doing right now in Health science world which is relatable to when your help your foster parent, dad at place, oh, it was Running and you were watching them run.

Dillon Green: 14:48

As of now, I'm still in the books, keeping all of my studies. I did earn my bachelor's in exercise science a couple years ago and now I'm studying to become a certified personal trainer with the National Academy Sports Medicine, as well as a certified nutritionist and corrective exercise specialization, group fitness instruction and behavioral change as well. So a lot of certifications lined up. I'm just knocking those out over time. And as for my personal fitness, I box five days a week, so I'm doing that every morning, hitting up the bag, getting the fitness in with some others, and that's a big passion of mine. That's for a boxing. And as for my actual light of work, over the past year I've been stretch practitioner at stretch zone, and that's a physically active, demanding job as well. Yeah, though, it's not exercise, it's. I'm physically active in there about six, seven hours each day. Yeah, so well, this is really important. I gotta keep on with the recovery of it all.

Charles Bender: 15:43

I love it. We're gonna have to have you back at some point and you get all these certifications and everything and have you back. You know, doing some of that fitness with the kids and especially the nutritional side, as you know A lot of the kids that come into our care have. You know there's no knowledge there whatsoever of what's what's good and what's not good for you, right? I mean, you're teaching people that now.

Dillon Green: 16:03

Yes, actually, I mean initially, when I first came into care, I was completely clueless about that. When I was started out kind of six, I was probably drinking an Arizona tea every single day. Mcdonald's Frappuccino caramel full of sugar.

Maya Elias: 16:19

Yeah, full of sugar.

Dillon Green: 16:20

I mean an adult male Should have like around 40, 36 grams of sugar per day, and those Frappuccinos they can have over a hundred grams. I get the large one and I'm a 13 year old, young, 14 young, young boy.

Maya Elias: 16:34

Yeah that is that's not well.

Dillon Green: 16:36

That's really terrible, but I really didn't think nothing of it as a kid. I was not raised with those values and in any matter for health. It just wasn't that. When I was growing up it was I get home and put a banquet Microwave meal and each day and that was that was what I ate, consistently fed myself mostly. So when I tuned in just seeing my house parent I believe he's also a vegetarian for over decades I'm a shill and and he was very ill-conscious too about about such and just really rubbed off on me I wanted to gain that self-confidence of treating my body and bonus with respect.

Charles Bender: 17:13

I love the Like mentally I'm picturing, like this vine and branches idea, like you know You're applying and a lot of it's on your own. Now I've your self-motivated and you're you're driven, but just some of the things you learned when you're in the healthier environments and how you've now taken and kind of built upon that. I mean, that's life right, that's what we're supposed to do, right? Nobody nobody gets to success on their own. They might tell you they do, but they don't.

Charles Bender: 17:37

There are people there that you've learned from. There are people that have mentored you directly or indirectly. There are people who have helped lift you up right and then you're gonna turn around and do that exact same thing. You're already doing it, by the way, because the people that know you are inspired by you and your story and what you're doing with your life and and that's just a super, super big deal. So we're we're excited about that part of things with you as well. When you were at at Place of Hope years back, you did some mission trips you participated in In high school to Bel Glade. Had those experience shape your perspective on service and community involvement, and how do you incorporate those values in your life now?

Dillon Green: 18:16

today With Christ Fellowship to mission trips out to Bo Gleed, I believe, a week or two each time and it was tough work out there but it really gave me a lot of perspective about how tough it is for some folks elsewhere.

Dillon Green: 18:31

You know I've heard a lot of stories in my time of the many roommates I've had through the years in Vastvigar and Everybody has a different sort of heart to speak it their perspective from, and I've, you know, heard many who think the world may owe them a lot and Life's tough and that's that's fair point. It is tough but you also got to recognize there's others out there who really do have it even more tough. So going out there and seeing the community first-hand, I Was able to play an active hand in helping out through Christ Fellowship and play so pain for that mission trip as well. And I was just but I was getting after the hard work. I was laying out the mulch for the school yards and churches and painting and and bugs were eating us up out there and there was really awesome Worship toward the evening's as well. It was a really great experience for myself and socially with others and we were helping people.

Dillon Green: 19:26

Yeah it's very valuable, you know I keep going back this.

Charles Bender: 19:29

But you know, people know that I say about you, your Gratitude, that your level of gratefulness, that kind of oozes out of you. But you know it's interesting is you can't experience or you can't be grateful without experiences in your life. You have to have something to measure it against. You could have been out there on those trips and I'm probably a hundred other Arenas you can think of or experiences, but you could have been out there on those trips and been like, well, this stinks, man. I, you know I I deserve this because I've already been through some of this. I've lived, like some of these folks out here. I had some bad experiences, I had some traumas in my life, but instead you were seeing it, even like spot-on at that time point in time that you know we're giving back and this is this is great. I enjoy this.

Charles Bender: 20:10

Yeah, what do you? How do you think of that now? And you're what do you think it? Whether it's now or into the future? What? How are you gonna see yourself serving others? I mean, you're doing a little bit of that today. By the way, you're on the ambassador's a whole podcast show and people are gonna be inspired by your story. But any other things you're looking at doing in that arena?

Dillon Green: 20:27

as you mentioned earlier, the opportunity of Once they not got these certification some and maybe helping out the youth back in terms of fitness. I think that's at least person, for me, one of the most rewarding Confidence building, stress relieving experiences one can have. So once one can Work on their wellness and build that self-confidence by treating their body with much more importance and what they put in, what they get out of it, working on their fitness, I think that really does restore a lot of confidence and Build, builds folks up. So I think working with the youth to that extent would be awesome. Yeah, even my current line of work I I love it. I'm very fashionable, what I do.

Charles Bender: 21:10

Yeah, so tell me a little bit about that. You do what you do at work. How does that, how do you incorporate, like your own life experiences prior into when you're, you know, physically at your job, now at stretch zone and meeting with a client? Do you kind of do you go back in your mind about some of the things you experienced, or why, the why behind it, and when you're trying to get people to explain why this is important for them?

Dillon Green: 21:32

I I do in that I should also mention as a wellness practitioner at stretch. In a stretch practitioner it's not just like physical, hands-on activity, it's also a very good outlet emotionally for some clients. They like to talk and socialize. So I should get to share some of my experiences over time and reflect Back of where I honestly once came from. So when I'm, for example, one of the regulars that I have is the police chief of the county and and he booked out with me in particular for months ahead of time and I sometimes think you know it's a very endearing thing that the Appreciates a particular service that much. And there's other many clients, many examples of that. I think to myself, like, looking back as I myself as a middle school kid, like I didn't imagine, I didn't picture anything like that for myself, like I didn't know I would get to this level where I'm at now and even now as I know, I'm very hard-working and I'm proud of where I'm at.

Dillon Green: 22:29

It's still such a big work in progress for me, so there's so much more to come. Yeah, it just feels limitless how much more time I have to become an expert on my crafts in the field.

Charles Bender: 22:38

Yeah, you, that gratefulness just came out again and you're talking about you're basically. You said you're grateful that somebody repeat visits you.

Charles Bender: 22:46

Yes that's pretty powerful man, I mean. I think we walk through life a lot of times and we take so many things for granted only because you know You're focused on one thing, or you're focused on the level of the plateau that you're at, and maybe even focused on your future. But You're looking at even just the details that have you where you're at right now Somebody who comes back weekly or every few days or whatever it is, and you show gratitude for that. I love that, it's awesome. So let's see, what else are we going to talk about? Looking back at your time when you were at place of hope, as opposed to villages, post-care, what aspects of the organization's support and services do you think were crucial in helping you overcome the challenges you faced during your transition from foster care and beyond? I mean, you talked a little bit about all that, but what do you think? Some of those the way we do what we do is better. Sorry, could you repeat the full question again?

Charles Bender: 23:37

Well, yeah, so it's just some of the aspects of place of hope, support and the actual services that we made available for you. How were they crucial in helping you overcome the challenges you faced?

Dillon Green: 23:52

I think, a prime example. There was obviously a lot of workshops and enhancement and literacy over time for us as youth at Place of Hope. So there's a bunch of skills to talk on in each accord and an array of matters for those. But I remember one particular event, for example, where it was a very crafty event. There was a racial community put together and stuff of that sort, and I wasn't as creative in that at that time so I was talking with some of the.

Dillon Green: 24:22

They may have been donors or just mentors to other kids, but at that event I got to talk with some folks and I got in contact with a mentor there. We just talked well and eventually started taking me out to dinners every other weekend. Basically, we got a great connection in that manner and I was over at their Christmas parties with their family, their huge family, and so that was something I got to look forward to every other weekend just have a nice dinner with a family who wanted to just take a kid out, and I was really grateful for that too. I know that's the word of the day with me, but yeah.

Charles Bender: 24:57

Now. I love it, because you might expect that your answer would be oh well, helping me get in this scholarship program or taking me here or there, but you went to the organic, family side of what Place of Hope's really all about. Like I said, we're faith-based and we're family-based. We've always really tried to never replace family that kids and young people come from, but just to simply create, at least for now, a very healthy environment so that you could model from that and then you're going to be a great husband to somebody one day or two days, because, listen, gratitude goes a long way. Let me ask you this from the other angle Having experienced foster care, you experienced some that wasn't so great. You experienced some that was great at Place of Hope, even your time in foster care and then post foster care and transition. What do you think are some of the things, when you look back or even now, that you think could be changed systemically, like statewide or even greater than that, to make it better for those that are coming up after you in foster care?

Dillon Green: 26:07

That's an awesome question. That's something I've thought about here and there over time. Statewide it's probably a huge discussion. I've only had one experience with the lady for half a year and I was not well, obviously, but Place of Hope thinking about just on their terms. When I was there. I wished there was like, I had wished there was a dedicated gym of a sort like a big one.

Dillon Green: 26:34

And now, after I left, I see there's a huge awesome luggage in with heavy bags and weights everywhere, and I've been in there and it looks awesome and there's also, I believe, a dedicated coach or two over there too, just helping the youth for when they want to come in.

Charles Bender: 26:49

A lot of volunteers and folks from outside gyms and so forth come in and volunteer with the kids. I think that's.

Dillon Green: 26:56

I mean speaking of my own craft here. That's beautiful. Yes, that's something I wish I had at that time. A little more just to work the bag, get in the box, even beforehand. Great stress relief, great to learn from somebody about fitness and enthusiasm as well.

Charles Bender: 27:11

So those are fundamental things, that kids in care, because, as you know, most kids have no idea how long they're going to be in foster care. It could be six months, it could be 10 years, you just really don't know. But as opposed to being in this don't know holding pattern, there are critical, formative, healthy, related things that all kids should be involved in. So you go to kind of like the health and the fitness and the engagement.

Dillon Green: 27:41

Yes, I think I guess a more broad term would be extracurriculars in some way. But yeah, in terms of fitness for stress relief and building up confidence for youth, that's an awesome opportunity to do so.

Charles Bender: 27:54

It's funny because I've had so many young people who were there back in the day when we didn't have the gym and we didn't have the enrichment centers on the campuses. They're still beautiful campuses, neighborhoods, right. You have the space to do this, you get the playgrounds. But I hear that so often. It's funny to me because you guys are a little bit older than the ones that are there now. The gym's only been there so long and to hear, man, we didn't have that when I was a kid here. It's great, I love it. I love it how you know. Reflecting on your own journey, what advice would you give to other young kids or young people going through similar challenges and hardships? How can they better navigate their circumstances and find hope for a better future? A lot of times you feel like you're kind of on your own right, floating through foster care. What would you, how would you encourage them?

Dillon Green: 28:43

Well, I would say, for those who are really tough times, you may be feeling a little lost or hopeless, even prior to place of hope, as some may feel. There's a quote I want to share that's really applicable to any age, but especially maybe when you're young. A man who thinks at the age of 30, the same as he did when he was 25, has wasted five years of his life. And the way I think about it is when I was 13, when I was young in care, I had no honest direction of when it would change. Like, how could such improve? Like, how does this all?

Dillon Green: 29:20

resolve in the end, where does it go? What's the future holding for me? And I did not anticipate right now to be here sitting across from you, mr Charles ona podcast and sharing my story I didn't either, by the way, and the work in progress that's been for myself. So I want to remind those in care that life goes on and all the hardship that is current it'll resolve in some manner or another. And you got to tune in yourself. You got to have that grit, show resilience and keep it bushing. You got to get it tough and out and life goes on.

Charles Bender: 29:57

Well, we live in a time right now where it's almost like a victimhood mentality. It's easy just to say I was done wrong and that's why I'm not doing this. I've experienced this, that was wrong in my life and that's why I'm not Right. But you're not, you're not, you're not believing that, you're going for it regardless.

Dillon Green: 30:14

I didn't believe in it back in time when I was 13. I mean, I almost used to think to myself. I heard, I heard, if I may mention, I had buddies who were from a higher class wealthy you could say and I heard them complain about just such small things. And just entering high school as a freshman, I heard you know classmates who complain about the littlest things and myself I thought you know I could. I pretty much thought to myself. I guess I do kind of suffer in silence. I'm not one who's trying to seek an outlet just by complaining. I just have a bit of a vision. I want better for myself and complaining about it isn't going to necessarily get me there. Yeah, I just got up Great teeth and keep it moving.

Charles Bender: 30:55

You know, in scripture, apostle I think it's apostle Paul talks about the idea of contentment, right, contentment, something that's missing in our world today, especially with a lot of young people, and I'm not just over generalizing, but just a lot of young people. You know, that's just. I got to have this to be happy. I'm not gonna be happy till I get to here, right?

Charles Bender: 31:11

now drive is great. I'm all for drive, entrepreneurialism, all of it. But you have to go through life with a degree of contentment, because I think contentment is also based on your experiences and based on what you've seen good and bad and knowing that God has you in a place right now. Right, and finding the good in that right. I'm gonna be content, knowing that he's gotten me through here and I'm gonna. I'm gonna pour energy into this almost as a form of gratitude, right, and then just being confident to know that you're gonna get there and you, you have that.

Dillon Green: 31:44

I love that you say that. That's exactly right for me. That's exactly applicable for me.

Charles Bender: 31:49

I think it's another area that you could do some training with some young people one day. You know one of the things we did and you know about these. We we've done these, although I don't remember if we were doing them when you were at place hope or probably at villages on the leadership and career days.

Charles Bender: 32:01

Yeah, we actually talked about that and I'll go. I remember here in the stories of some young folks that came who grew up in foster care, who went through a different foster care agency and we're working for Moss construction and that's a big family that's involved with place of hope. Well, they came and talked to were you there for one of those? And there I think there were two or three young people I was there for one of them.

Charles Bender: 32:24

Yeah, and then here, here you got these young people that came like your story, came through foster care, driven to you know, go to the next level and they go to work for this great company who has you know, passion for helping people that have, you know, been into multiple situations and and and and put them in places of leadership and to have them speaking back to you guys and the young people.

Charles Bender: 32:46

I mean, that's what I see you doing. One day, too, that's gonna be an element of you, talking about being, you know, full of gratitude and being able to Be content for a period of time, but looking forward and being thankful to be able to even be looking forward From where you're standing currently. I see that about you in a big way. What do you think?

Dillon Green: 33:09

I think it's a work in progress on the whole speaking element. Oh, sure of all things. Consider for myself I don't get nervous about much, but something about speaking in public having the spotlight on me. I'm also not one who really likes a spotlight on myself, I'm typically other reserved, but I do find if there's any reason that I would like to, it would be to share the message and Historian experience of you.

Charles Bender: 33:34

Just keep it moving and you could really become what you want to yeah, again, in a time when you know it's so easy to just check out and say somebody did me wrong and that's why I can't, and that's just not good enough Because it's you know, you have to be able to pull up the bootstraps and move forward right, knowing also that you got people around you that are there to Help you get there.

Dillon Green: 33:55

So that's right. There's resources for them, and you owe it to yourself to seek a better life for yourself.

Charles Bender: 34:03

So, given your personal varied experiences with you, know fine family dynamics, and both positive and negative. What are, what are your aspirations? This can be a tough one right here, buddy, you ready? What are your aspirations and goals when it comes to building your own family, possibly in the future? That's the easiest one.

Dillon Green: 34:20

Honestly, from a pretty young, from a pretty young age, seeing my folks kind of fall apart and the matters that they did, I saw a lot of what I didn't want in my life for the future. But more than anything, I want a stable and resourceful family life. That's what I want more than anything. That's my greatest personal ambition is to become a family man, a proper father of a house. That's that's an awesome thought to me. I've thought about that for a long time. It's. It's definitely a greater dream for my personal life.

Dillon Green: 34:50

I like outside of my craft, unrelated to heaven, hands of healing, help and others. That's what I want for myself more than anything in my life. So I think my experience of what I don't want in that dynamic Is something I could appreciate and hope even for. My own folks like seeing their bad decisions, but I don't want. That helps me and that is fuel. And seeing all the good people in my corner over time, the generous, compassionate people that I have. I see qualities that I do like and I pick up, pick up those over time.

Charles Bender: 35:19

I just love your perspective. It's the right perspective, by the way. I just love to hear you Give your perspective. I was talking to a young man yesterday over near Tampa and we were having the same conversation. You just grew up watching. You know the parents fight a lot and this that they aren't just basically, said I. I went forward to say and it wasn't you know, it wasn't even solicited. I just felt like I needed to say to say, well, just don't let that control how you, you know, formulate your own family and relationships. Going forward, he goes.

Maya Elias: 35:48

Oh, no, no, no.

Charles Bender: 35:49

That's exactly what I'm not gonna do. So to hear him know that, because, again, I think we live in a time where it's just easier to say, well, this is what I experienced and that's why I'm doing what I'm doing, or this is what I experienced and that's why I'm not going in the right direction. No, that's, that's not good enough. And so, taking that energy of something that was, you know, very, very difficult, informative years as well, and then saying this is no, I'm not going that route, I'm going this route, I Love it, I agree.

Charles Bender: 36:15

So how, how the have the positive examples of family life you encountered at place of hope and even at villages influenced your vision for a healthy and supportive family, and there are there any specific values or qualities that you hope to Incorporate into your future family, like so kind of what did you learn and and what did you pick up on the most that you want to make sure you instill?

Dillon Green: 36:37

I Would say it may not be only applicable to what I witnessed, that place of hope, but also just generally in society. I think at this point Everybody gets busy in their own right, in their own time of lives, purposefully to support their house and their children. But you gotta, you gotta somehow make that quality Time with with children in their upbringing. So see in my house parents Well, it's a great care of us always.

Dillon Green: 37:08

I know they have a daughter and I should mention names or anything but, they made the time and she she was able to travel to so many states and experienced so much at. I Think she traveled like 30 states or something by the age of seven and I've been I'm like I've only been to she's got me be and that's an awesome thing to see that there the parents, her parents, are able to do that with her able to have her experience so much early in life and is raised with such a love and care and attention. So seeing that, the manner in which they treated their daughter, that's a great care. It's still a time for us guys. It's something I I want to.

Charles Bender: 37:47

I absolutely want to make the time for Sewing into someone else's life to actually make it meaningful, make it purpose-filled and give someone else direction. Right? See, you're a giver and that comes from your gratitude it, it God's provided that for you in a sort of an alternative way in life with your, your cottage parents and foster experience with us and and now where you're at and You're turning that into wanting to do that with your own family members. But also earlier you said you know as a volunteer as well, and even the people that you serve now through your job. You don't look at your paid job as just a job, it's a purpose.

Dillon Green: 38:24

No, I'm in service of others. I know I don't mean to interrupt if you may have another question, but I wanted to mention one of the most down times actually for me was when the pandemic hit and I got away from the boxing at my college and I was. I was just kind of alone for a good while and I graduated at that point after the online courses to finish up. This is when I was at villages of hope, but I got. I suffered in silence and the problem with myself was I felt like I wasn't Properly contributing anything to anybody at that point. I've just been a student my whole life, been taking classes. People are proud of the fact that I made fair grades and whatnot and I've gotten as far as I have, but to me it wasn't rewarding. I felt like I wasn't valued to, valuable, necessarily to others and I wanted to get busy, and so that was a tough time for me.

Dillon Green: 39:17

So when I finally did Be, I got an internship at a few different physical therapy clinics, have a couple hundred hours in different ones for outpatient care and I felt valuable to others, I was helping people. But it was still kind of tough with there because you're putting through the ring or they're rehabbing an injury. It's tough, it's unpleasant, it's frustrating for him. So I kind of fell for that too. But my, my, current work.

Dillon Green: 39:40

You're right, it's, it's a passion. It's not just work. It's like people get to come in relax from the day and I get to be just hands-on and Help them relief their discomfort that they're feeling throughout the day and also an outlet.

Charles Bender: 39:54

Further speaking to yeah, I love it. That's sort of another's. I mean, if you, if you love what you do, you'll you'll really never have a real day of work, right? If you love what you do for work, it won't really be work. It's purpose, you know, and yours, is to help others and to give back.

Charles Bender: 40:09

It was the opening line in Rick Warren's famous book of Purpose-driven life is it's not about you, right? So he's going into this. The first line in this best-selling book is to say to us life's not about you, the reader. It's about giving to others, it's about serving, it's about having a life of purpose, which is always, at the end of the day, about helping other people and showing love and so forth. So it's awesome.

Charles Bender: 40:35

We're going to wind up, , but I want to say to you, guy to guy, man to man, that day that we did the Palm Beach Post story not long ago in your living room down in Boca was a really special time for me. I really enjoyed that so much more than I even thought I would or could, and I've done a million of those things over the years. But doing that with you and listening for my first time your story, listening to it and just literally seeing you tell the story at the same time, as opposed to just hearing it was really impactful for me in my life and just want you to know how much I appreciate that and how I appreciate you, how I appreciate how you let the Lord steer you in a direction of that continues your attitude of gratitude, and that you want to make your life count and matter, and you are. That's exciting for an old goat like me. I really, I really like it and I'm grateful to know you and call you friend.

Dillon Green: 41:37

Thank you, mr Charles. It's. It was surreal for me then to just to be sitting next to you and I mentioned it there during the interview just seeing you around over the years, and at that point I was sitting right across from you having an interview, and it was an awesome experience. I didn't imagine it for myself. It was kind of surreal, and even now it really is, and so I feel like I should be the one saying thank you for what you've done. Well listen.

Charles Bender: 42:01

Thank you for coming on, ambassadors of hope. I sense that there'll probably be a lot more things like this that we'll do together to you know, really to advance the mission of Place of Hope as well, and that's part of our purpose, right, it's part of your purpose is why you're here today, so that those coming up after you, you know, will have a similar experience and platform to jump forward from. So, thank you for being here today, buddy. I really appreciate your time and I know the listeners are going to love today's episode.

Dillon Green: 42:28

Right on. Thank you for having me.

Maya Elias: 42:41

Welcome to Hope in Action, a place where dreams are nurtured, gratitude flourishes and hope takes flight. Today, we are thrilled to share the incredible journey of the Sawyer family residing in Cottage Nine. Let's begin with our remarkable 17 year old, who has recently completed their studies and is now preparing to graduate with the prestigious Bright Future Scholarship. This extraordinary accomplishment opens up a world of possibilities as they embark on their summer journey at Palm Beach State College. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the compassionate donors at Place of Hope who have played a pivotal role in transforming these opportunities into reality. Speaking of opportunities, our boys had an electrifying experience. They had the privilege of attending a Miami Heat semi-finals game against the Boston Celtics. Can you imagine the sheer excitement they felt as they sat 10 rows from the court immersing themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of the game? It was a memory that will be forever etched in their hearts and we extend immeasurable thanks to those who made this unforgettable experience come true. Thank you so much for joining us in today's segment in hope and action.

Charles Bender: 43:53

Thank you for listening. Please be sure to subscribe and share with your friends so you don't even miss a thing, and if you really gained value today, please be sure to give us a five-star review so, of course, we can be put in front of more listeners. For details and show notes about today's podcast and how you can connect with and support our guests, please go to placeofhopecom, forward slash podcast and please don't forget to email us at pohpodcastatplaceofhopecom and, for sure, follow us on social media. Pastors of Hope Placing Hope in a Child's Future.