Obstacles to Opportunities
When faced with life's obstacles, let's channel that negative energy into positivity and forge opportunities. Throughout the nation, business owners will share their experiences of triumphing over daunting challenges in their careers and lives, illustrating how they've harnessed these experiences for growth opportunities.
Obstacles to Opportunities
The Heart of the Village: Inside the Mission of Foster Village SWFL with Kacie Hass
Kacie Hass is a proud Southwest Florida native, having spent 35 years living and building deep roots in Cape Coral. She's married to her best friend, Tanner Hass, a Fort Myers firefighter/EMT, and together they’re raising three beautiful children. The family is actively involved in their faith community at Christian Life Fellowship Church.
Kacie is the founder of Hearten Inc., a nonprofit that merged with Foster Village SWFL in June 2024. Her mission has always been clear: to celebrate the inherent worth of every child, regardless of their circumstances. With a heart for the vulnerable, she’s passionate about standing in the gap during times of hardship—offering hope, support, and joy when it’s needed most.
As the Director of Programs and Operations at Foster Village SWFL, Kacie leads with vision and heart. She implements the systems and strategies that keep the organization thriving while also serving as the team’s biggest cheerleader. Her natural gift of encouragement uplifts everyone she meets.
In the world of foster care, families often feel overwhelmed and isolated. Many foster caregivers leave within a year due to burnout and lack of support. Meanwhile, 85% of people who aren’t fostering say they care and want to help—they just don’t know how. Kacie’s work bridges that gap, creating a community where no one walks alone.
🍋 Join the Movement:
Be part of our "Growing the Village is Sweet" campaign! Host your own lemonade stand this May to raise awareness and support for local foster families. Sign up by April 15th to get your T-shirt + Lemonade Kit!
👕🍋 https://www.fostervillageswfl.org/lp/growing-the-village-is-sweet
✨ Want to make a lasting impact? Become an MVP – Monthly Village Partner and help sustain the mission all year long.
🤝 https://www.fostervillageswfl.org/ways-to-give
📣 Hosting a fundraiser, golf tournament, or community event? Consider choosing Foster Village SWFL as your beneficiary. Reach out to us—we’d love to connect!
👉🏼https://www.fostervillageswfl.org/
welcome to the obstacles the opportunities podcast.
Speaker 2:I am jess powell, your host and I am your co-host, heather kane. Guys, it's been a while. It has been a while, but we are ready and we're back. We are back bigger and better, heck yeah.
Speaker 1:And I actually have been asking this guest to come for I don't know a year. I don't know, Maybe a year, and she's here. She drove down from Cape Coral. She weathered the terrible traffic to be in our studio today.
Speaker 3:Oh goodness, it is worth it, though you guys are so encouraging already.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited to be here, and so Casey Haas is our guest, and the way that we met was through an organization called Foster Village of Southwest Florida. Yes, and I'm going to tell this story really quick because it's kind of hilarious I met Heather, the founder, at our church, ocean Church. Yes, and she called me out of the blue and she was just like what are you doing next week? And do you know the story? No, okay, okay. She was like what are you doing next week? And I was like I'm working. And she's like okay, well, can you come in to the Resource Center Because I want to ask you something.
Speaker 1:So met you at the resource center. It's the first time I saw the resource center, yeah, and she was like me and Casey are going to be gone next week and we need you to just run it while we're gone. Oh, my gosh, remember. And then you guys gave me a key and I was like are you sure you trust me? There was a moment where I was like do you want to run? You guys were like we're not there yet with Foster Village, but we trust you because we just sat down and talked to you for a while. I mean, I love that so much because I really got to know you guys that day in your heart for what you were working to do, and you put some trust in me that week. I really appreciate it and I somehow pulled it off.
Speaker 3:I don't know how. You were amazing. You're amazing. It was a. It was a very last minute, like hey, they're having an affiliate training. Yes, I had just joined, you had brought you on and we're like oh, did you want to help? Here's a key.
Speaker 3:And I got a key. I mean I was like, okay, I mean it's definitely a testament to how I think our journey has been going with foster village down here is trusting and God just placing people in our lives that were the perfect person or the perfect group, you know. So that's amazing. I love that story.
Speaker 1:And I tell it because I'm like, I'm like I just fell in love with these ladies, like the second we met and I got a key and so okay, so we need to back up a little bit because I feel like you know, maybe we should start. Let's just start with you and like how you kind of came to have a heart for foster children and what that journey was like, because I think a lot of us maybe hear about the needs in the foster community and they don't know how to help. It's like maybe I don't feel called to be a foster and I've thought about it. I was like, should I Because there's such a need? And I've thought about it. I was like, should I Because there's such a need? But then people can't figure out how to support that group of people, support the kids. So tell us about your journey getting to Foster Village.
Speaker 3:I kind of felt the same way too. I guess I will start, though, from the beginning, of kind of where I came from. I grew up here, born and raised here, local Southwest Florida, raising my family here now. So I definitely have a heart for the community I think I always have but there was a moment in my life I think that we all go through seasons, right, there's a season in life, and life can really throw some stuff at you that you just were not prepared for or to handle, throws some stuff at you that you just were not prepared for or to handle. And I think that that moment for me was realizing that I had to make the choice to leave a marriage and be a single parent, and I had two toddlers, my daughter and my son.
Speaker 3:And it was probably some of the darkest days and things that are out of your control. Feeling out of control, feeling lost, feeling hopeless and not sure, and just totally you know this wasn't what I had planned, right, this is not the plan that I thought was happening. So I think, in the midst of all of that, I remember having a village, just a village that surrounded me. I relied and trusted on God that there was a plan, but I do know that, those dark days, I remember not being able to survive without that village, whether it was my families, my sisters, best friends, people that were placed, or even just people I didn't know sisters, best friends, people that were placed, or even just people I didn't know. There were situations where I had, finally, you know, I started off young and owned a home before I was a parent and thought I was on the path, I was going to be successful, I had this together.
Speaker 3:I was going to, you know, and you know, when everything started, my life just started to fall apart. You know, everything was crumbling, I was losing my home, I couldn't afford, I was alone. And you know, as all those things started happening, the village that just supported me, that God had kind of placed in my life, knowing that I would need these people, but even so, I was saying, like people I didn't know, you know a neighbor that had come over and cut my grass, you know, for no reason and just out of the kindness of his heart, and little things that they probably thought didn't matter, but to me just changed my whole day. You know, that little bit of hope, that little bit of support. So I think I realized, going through that time and fast forward now, you know, met an amazing man. You know we have an amazing family, we have three beautiful children. You know, bought my house again, you know I Did. You Bought another house.
Speaker 1:Did you buy the same house? No, oh, ok, I wish. No, no, I was kind of like, oh, that's kind of I know it would be cool. But, you did, but you do, you bought your house again. Yeah, your home pushed through.
Speaker 3:You know, you know we started from scratch again. Yeah, you know you start from scratch and you can either fight and you know, do and be strong and and rely on those village of people and support around you to kind of lift you up through the hard times. But yeah, fast forward. I was three years ago looking back, as we all do, at New Year's or whatever it might be, and just saying you know, I'm like I am so blessed my beautiful children and my family, my house and we added a pool and someone around in the pool and I'm like you know what, it's my turn. You know, it's my turn to be that village of support and I just felt very called and so, um, I actually resigned from my career job as a bookkeeper and a business consultant.
Speaker 3:Wow, you felt that passionate about it. Yeah and again oh could only do it without the people around me that said you know we got you, you know we're here for you If this is what you feel like you really are called to do right now. So, um, so I did. I resigned and I decided to start a nonprofit. I figured out what are my strengths, what can I help, who can I be a village for? And my? I've always been very passionate about kids and you know, in children's ministry and you know things like that. I've always been very passionate about that. I feel like things are completely out of their control, so they deserve to be seen and heard. So I decided to start a nonprofit that was called Hearten and I was going to throw birthday parties for children in foster care and I wanted to spread joy and encouragement. Oh, I love that idea.
Speaker 3:And just want them to be seen, and I think it's probably the most important thing, as a child I mean. Birthday parties at our house are huge. I grew up that way too Right. It's just always a day of like you know, we celebrate you and we are proud of you and your accomplishments, and no matter what you're going through or you know. So I thought that that was really important to share with the kids and I realized the ball rolled a little bit faster.
Speaker 2:How did you even get to the point, though, that you could throw the birthday parties for these foster children? Did you partner with an organization that had the fosters Like? How did you even I know how did you.
Speaker 3:So how do you get involved? So, um, I craziest thing was I really just prayed about and said this is what I feel like I'm supposed to be doing. And again, people were kind of placed in my life. There was a girl that I grew up with, that that had just moved back from college and she was working for a children's network and she had reached out to me when she found out what I was doing and she basically said this is, you know, again different people placed in front of me that they really came to me. Yeah, we ran into each other and then I think the very first time that I actually decided to go for it. Right, it's one thing to brainstorm and talk about it amongst your friends and family. It's another thing to kind of put it out there. And you know how do you do that?
Speaker 3:And I remember having a play date with someone who, a mom that came over. She was a single mom that our kids went to daycare together and so she's over and she's playing and she had opened up and she had just said you know, I grew up in foster care here, I was trafficked here, grew up in foster care, never had a birthday party, and my daughter now is realizing what birthday parties are and I just can't do it. I don't have the means I don't have, and I had said this might sound crazy. It might sound crazy, but I have not told anybody yet. Wow, I am doing this nonprofit. I've yet to even put out other than my family and she just started crying. She started crying Amazing, and she's like I said I would love to do your daughter's birthday party and that was it. That was the.
Speaker 3:It just went running and I gathered the community, my community, you know, anybody who had the same heart that I did and we threw the most, the biggest princess birthday party you could think of. And it just was one thing after another. You know that. You know, god kind of just put these people. The venue had just happened to call and said hey, you guys ever do like anything. And she's like I just feel like this, I needed this today. I'm actually clearing out my space to do this and you can use it. And it just was like all of these pieces that kind of just fell together. So I realized that, yeah, I said you know I made the right choice. This is it. And, um, you know, on that journey again, the people that support you.
Speaker 2:Isn't it amazing, though, when you listen to your calling of what God has to plan for you, that he does place the people in your, in your heart, in your in front of you, that you need to kind of create the village Like it's amazing, but it takes faith, it does. It's scary. So what, in you, go all the way back, gave you the faith to believe this was your path.
Speaker 3:I think, knowing when I there was a moment in one of my darkest days that I sat on the floor in my daughter's nursery crying and thinking, you know, there's no way. You know, I thought I was supposed to do this To then fast forward to where I was. I struggled a little bit. I was ashamed of my story, you know, I was not happy.
Speaker 2:That's not what I wanted, you know all entrepreneurs can be ashamed of their story, and I just realized it takes failure to create the story.
Speaker 3:And I think I just realized when I had run into and was able to use my story to help someone else, I realized in that moment that that was what that was for. And so at that moment I realized I'm going to use the gifts that God gave me and mine was always celebration, encouragement, parties, I mean just bringing people together and I was going to use that Creating the village. Creating the village and I didn't know it back then and I didn't realize it back then, but I think, having that in the darkest of times, realizing that that's what got you through I was determined and knew that I was going to use my gifts to do that, you know, for someone else.
Speaker 1:That is just. I love hearing these stories because it's so inspiring, because I think you can kind of, like you said, you go through seasons of time where maybe you don't feel God calling you. You know every single day, or you're you're confused like what is my calling. But I think what you did was just so fantastic.
Speaker 3:As you, you sat and you listened, yeah, you know, and again it was confusing, like you guys said, like how do you get involved?
Speaker 1:Right, how do you even start? How do you even start? And then you had someone come through your door. I had someone just show up.
Speaker 2:That's not. That's plain. I don't know why. I know right, I'm like geez. So I want to, because you, Jess knows all about Foster Village because she's been a part of it. But from someone like me, outsider, in Foster Village, you mentioned the birthday party. So how does birthday parties actually correlate into the Foster Village, and can you tell me what the Foster Village is? Because it's here in Collier County? So as a Zeddy, you're listening, so can you just share with me what that picture looks?
Speaker 3:like yes. So I had started the Heart and Birthday Parties a couple years ago which was crazy Down here, heather, who was founding Foster Village. She was doing the same thing, I was, but in Naples and I was up in the Cape, and so I was starting this journey of knowing where I wanted to reach. I wanted to be able to help and she was starting Foster Village. Foster Village has a resource center here in Naples and we walk alongside children and caregivers that are experiencing the foster care system. We meet tangible needs when they're first placed in care, with welcome packs and clothes and just everything they might need. We do events and support groups and things to connect them to each other, connect them to their community, create the village, yeah, and then we advocate for them. We advocate for them, and that is where right now we have Heart and Parties by Foster Village is under our advocate pillar.
Speaker 3:And so when Heather was down here doing it and I was up there doing it again, another moment where we just said, hey, what are you doing? I'll tell my families about it, you tell me, you know. Vice versa, I've got a lot of resources, you know, we just kind of were like, hey, we're local organizations. We're just starting, but the moment that we met it was hilarious. We're like we'll just grab coffee for a couple of minutes, I'll tell you, I'll give you my business card. We ended up there for two, three hours just talking, and it was another one of those experiences where it was just like Well, your hearts are aligned, our hearts aligned, our missions aligned, and we basically just said why are we not doing this together?
Speaker 2:Really, you're stronger together. I mean, that's one of the things Jess and I talk about all the time is finding that missing person in your life right, make it better so, and then you can support more people together, exactly.
Speaker 1:So can we talk about something really quick? Cause I think this is so important for people to understand. There is a major issue with the foster care system today. Yeah, which is why you guys exist, because and can we talk about that a little bit? And just the fallout from you know, foster care and caregivers and all that- yeah, and again, that's right.
Speaker 3:where our hearts come from is because the need was so great. Yeah Is bringing these organizations together, and here in Southwest Florida, I think one of the biggest things that we struggle with right now is that 50% of foster homes will quit in the first year.
Speaker 1:And think about that. Heather, I actually love to hear her story. Heather, the founder was so pumped to be a foster mom. She felt very called. I mean, her whole family called right and they were all in. They did intensive training. They got their house prepared. She actually has what an occupational therapist she's not a therapist. She has lots of tools in her toolbox, a lot of training. They have the resources.
Speaker 1:She was ready to go all in on this, received foster children into her home, home and she fought for it. She fought hard but if I remember her story, it was so hard, she felt so alone, she felt so isolated and she was like this now doesn't feel like it's for us anymore. And so what just stuck out to me? I was like 50% of people that love and care for foster children can't hang in there. What? Because they don't have a village. They don't have a village. They don't have a village and they don't have someone to tell them like this is normal. Here's how to work through this, here's. You know, I'm showing up at your doorstep with like things for you, but I'm also a person that you can like talk to, relational, and I think that's the biggest.
Speaker 3:I do think that's the biggest difference between Foster Village and any other you know organization. It is a very relational organization. This is about walking alongside you through the entire journey. You know we serve foster kinship, which they don't prepare. Kinship would be a relative or non-relative, where they try and keep children with someone that they know before placing them.
Speaker 2:So my best friend right now she represents the children in the court system when they're going CASA. I don't know she's like Guardian of Atlanta, maybe, yes, okay, she is. I don't know she's like Guardian of Maitland, maybe, yes, okay, she is. And so the child that she's representing is actually in care of her grandmother. But it is then a journey, right, and I can't even imagine, if the family member isn't really I don't want to say fit to be that person, like how do you navigate that? Yeah.
Speaker 3:And that's we are realizing in this area. There are a lot of kinship, there are a lot of grandparents. You know I met this. They have the heart because it's their family and they really want to. But you know, a 23, 24, I think she was, you know young girl just working, took in her one-year-old and her four-year-old cousins because she didn't want them to just be placed somewhere. And this young girl, who's you know, working really hard to just survive on her own, is now taking on two children and she's never been a parent, you know, she's never, and she's determined, and so we're determined to support her. And I think that's one of the biggest things is Foster Village supports the caregivers so in turn, they can sustain and love and, you know, transition these children. They're on the front lines and, like we were saying, not everyone's called to foster but that doesn't mean you can't help and support.
Speaker 2:How long does a foster family usually have a child?
Speaker 3:Well, statistically, and this is one of the sadder parts, because of how hard it is, or a foster family quitting or feeling you know just isolated About the abandonment that that child goes through.
Speaker 3:Then Statistically, a child will move three times in a year. So, and it can be for different reasons, they're all struggling with trauma, you know they're all struggling with. And unless we can support these caregivers where they feel like they have the tools that they need to deal with, you know, certain sensory things or trauma, or you know, or just have a support group to talk to, like hey, you've been through this, you know it's hard for them.
Speaker 2:Think about how hard it is to raise our own children. Oh yeah, right, you know it's our own children. And then you bring another child into the mix. That I mean. That has to be a really hard even for family dynamics of people that have their own children. It affects them all.
Speaker 3:It does. You know it affects them all and they feel a sense of loss and grief when children are placed back again. You know you've had them for two, three years and now they're going back. It's a messy, broken system. But I think that where we can come out and where the community can kind of rally around them is to support them through it and point them in the direction of who. You know where is like with the village support, like we talked about, and I think doing that for these caregivers is opening up that door, making them realize that they're seen, they're heard and in turn these kids are staying in a loving home and not being moved and placed and as best as we can, I just I my heart like hurts for those kids to think you know they've gone through an abandonment with their own family and then to go through that through a foster family to have the support and love that you're providing those caregivers is incredible.
Speaker 3:It's really interesting to see now that it's been couple years right that I have been meeting families in this area that foster and they are struggling to get new foster homes. So I do come across right the same foster families, maybe with different kids. But what I think I really love the most is seeing the kids that I met two years ago and, as sad as it is for my, you know my heart breaks for them that they're still in care or maybe they went back and reunified, but now they're back again, that I can still see them and be a constant for them, no matter what, whether it's seeing them at events or how often do they get adopted by the foster parent?
Speaker 2:Is that common here? It's complicated?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is. I don't know the statistics off the top of my head, but I do know that it definitely does happen. There are a lot of situations where they are fostering right out of the hospital.
Speaker 2:My youth pastor. He took two foster children in and they just adopted both of them, but I believe they had them as like almost infants. Yeah, you know that they had them.
Speaker 3:It's a journey, it's a process.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, they're like one, I think it's five, and then there's three.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it definitely. Yeah, it's a process and every situation is different. You know the case plan is different. You know the biological. You know families are different, you know who's involved and who's not involved. It's just, but it's a very hard journey for those caregivers because they do their best to love on those kids but it's it's very hard journey for those caregivers because they they do their best to love on those kids but really it's out of their control on. You know decisions that are made, you know for them, but I think advocating for them and being that and hearing them and helps and you know there's a lot of people that are working on giving them a voice too and and being there for them them what I loved when I first went in and saw what Foster Village is doing, which you guys are, located just north of Immokalee, kind of by the Holocaust Museum.
Speaker 1:Yes, yep, that plaza, yeah, yeah, I loved that you, first of all, you walk in and there is a very adorable like indoor playground for the kids to play in, so like whether it's a connection point or a meeting for people.
Speaker 1:The kids have a place to play, it's like a fun place for them to go, and then in the back there's like a shopping area and it's all set up just like a store and all of the items are new for the most part, or just like extremely like pristine, and that's important. It is. It's important because of the dignity that you guys wanted to instill in people that are walking in. They're important enough to have new clothes and so they'll allow people to have a shopping experience and go in and choose their own clothes and there's kind of this almost like transition kit that they've put together for like the things that they may need as they transition into a new home. And I loved that part because I just, you know, you think about a lot of organizations where it's they're doing really good things, but the intention behind how everything is, just like you know, to make someone feel significant and special.
Speaker 3:The second they walk through the door and they really do. I mean it's you have to imagine being removed from your home and placed with someone that you don't know. You know and you're in a whole new on top of whatever trauma you've been through. You know, and I we've seen these kids. The resource center is set up like that, where they we are giving them some control back. We want you to come in and we want you to pick your favorite color and your favorite shoes and your favorite toy and what do you like? You know what do you want to, and they love it. And they just had this little checklist and it is it.
Speaker 3:It breaks those walls down, they start to trust a little bit. It gives caregivers time to kind of bond with them and and get to know them and um, but then it also gives us time. The sensory playroom, which works really well too, because, um, you know, heather being an occupational therapist, there's a lot of tools and resources she can help with when they say, hey, he's really struggling with sleeping or a sensory you know to this or you know whatever he might be struggling with, and so and it's great All around. The Resource Center is meant for the community, it's meant for siblings that have to be separated, and how can the community support.
Speaker 2:What are you guys needing right now from the community?
Speaker 3:I think the biggest need is growing the village for us is getting the word out there that this is what we're doing.
Speaker 3:Um, I think that always the biggest um hurdle as a new nonprofit, a baby nonprofit that's not connected to anything larger, um on a financial scale no we do have churches that definitely um, missionally partner with us and like First Naples is big Ocean Church is big Grow Church down here, like they definitely all love to get involved. We've had volunteers at our Christmas events. So we are feeling that love of volunteers and things like that. But in order to sustain these resources and these programs between support groups, we have monthly play dates. We do huge community events for all of Southwest Florida. So, like our Christmas event had 350 kids and caregivers come to Hertz Arena and do free ice skating and family photos with Santa and gifts galore and hot chocolate and characters and face painting, and it's we do try and do things.
Speaker 3:We're not trying to reinvent the wheel right. We're trying to find the holes where these families are really needing help and fill those. And we have realized that they are needing connection connection with each other, connection with their community, more than they are more toys. So we've really heard them and we're trying to fill that. So for the community, it's hard to start off financially as a nonprofit. We all work for free, but you're passionate about it and you're willing to do it. But I think that we've been blessed that some people have financially said hey, I want to support you guys, but we are really working on trying to build that in our communities as well.
Speaker 1:Awesome, and I want to say, too, just a quick plug. We'll put a link to how you can get connected and become the village. Yes, one thing I love about serving with this organization is that you can get your kids involved. So I will bring my kids to the resource center. We will pack the bags. They will not always come and shop, because they are serving like a lot of different areas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, these packages need to be dropped off at homes because they are serving like a lot of different areas. These packages need to be dropped off at homes, and so I've brought my children to drop them off at the home and we'll talk to the caregiver and we will see pictures of the babies or the kids if they're not there, and that is just a really great teaching moment for your kids, just so they can better understand, like, what a situation what kids in their class may be going through behind the scenes they have no clue about. And so I just want to plug that, because a lot of families want their kids to be involved in the community, but they don't know how to do it and a lot of them don't allow kids to be involved.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love that part. I love that part. And again, we have like one of our. She's incredible, caitlin. She is there with her kids and she's helping us. And incredible Caitlin, she is there with her kids and she's helping us and she comes in almost every day. I'm like, what are you doing? But she just it's her heart and she's there with her kids and her kids are playing while we're packing welcome packs or we're brainstorming the next event or whatever we might need to do. And I do love that as well. That it's about family, so it's definitely something you can do as a family. Yeah, so everyone sign up.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right. My daughter, if she keeps saying this summer she's like Mom, I want to do something that I can drive around, maybe deliver meals, maybe do this. I said, well, that might be something, because she's you know, she will.
Speaker 3:May is foster care awareness month, and so we do a huge campaign that's called Growing the Village is Sweet, and we actually a huge campaign that's called Growing the Village is Sweet and we actually families. We provide whole lemonade kits and families will do lemonade stands all around between from Naples all the way up to Norfolk Myers, and they'll host little lemonade stands and we give you all the marketing things that are helping raise awareness for foster kids but also help raise money and then at the very end of that campaign, we, you all to we do a huge luau for all the families you get to see.
Speaker 2:Let's get every family in collier county to do a lemonade and get creative. I think that's our cover for this. Uh, I know for this podcast. Do a lemonade stand I love it.
Speaker 1:That'd be amazing. All right, I I seriously. There's one more story. I know we're running out of time. I want to, just I. I love this story. I seriously. It gives me like chills and all the feels, and I just want to. I want you to share this. So we're scene set. Heather has decided to to open foster village. It's empty. There's nothing in it, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, so she was trusting. She wasn't sure where, where all the stuff was coming from, right, so it is packed with two rooms, from infant all the way up to teens clothes, shoes, school supplies all that she gets a call um from. Was it who was it at Ocean? Was it? It was Diane? Diane, yeah, who said she had met Heather, and Heather told her what her, what she, her vision was for this resource center. She wants to bring Foster Village here and she said you are never going to believe this. There's the sweetest woman ever at our church who has told me several times that she doesn't know why and she doesn't know what it's for, but she has been shopping for foster kids for I don't even know how long. I wish I knew how long she was doing it. She said I have to introduce you, and so Heather's like okay, thinking maybe you know that's great.
Speaker 1:We're going to add a couple of boxes.
Speaker 3:She walks in to her home and Heather tears up. She just can't even even. She has no words. Every room in her house is packed, from floor to ceiling.
Speaker 2:It was like I have goosebumps from like head to toe.
Speaker 3:And when I say packed, packed handwritten sizes 2T, 3t, 4t, shoes, bathing suits, blankets, toys, backpack, I mean she had just stocked her house, so she had a lot of them working in her house? Yes, wow.
Speaker 1:Is that not?
Speaker 3:She had no clue why. She was like no, in the arts, single-handedly stocked the entire resource center and still, to this day, is like I've got another load. And we're like, oh my gosh, you are just an angel, she is an angel and it's, it's. It's been those confirmations, right. As we're going through this and we start going I don't know, I don't know if we're going to be able to, I don't know. And then something like that happens and you're like all right, we're in the right, we're on the right path.
Speaker 2:Awesome, right, so that is so.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I just had to. I love love. That's probably one of my favorite stories.
Speaker 2:I love that story so I had to share that.
Speaker 3:You're on the right mission you know, and it's it's crazy to look back now and see how we were all doing that in different cities and then just all came together and just everything. It's just, and everyone that we meet, you know, like Jess and her mom, and they come in and they help and it it's like right, when you think we're never going to figure it out. And then someone comes in and is like, yeah, I'm here and I'm like, oh my, thank you, god, cause these families need it and I just love being a part of it. Honestly, I just feel so grateful to be a part, to be able to help you know. Well, we want to help You're doing it.
Speaker 1:We're like 100% in support of everything you guys are doing and thank you and I, yeah, if I think the theme of this is like, if you feel this tugging on your heart, listen to it. Oh, go through the door and you could do a lemonade stand. You could get plugged in and help with the resource center and delivering things with events, with supporting the foster families through like mentorship or anything. There's so many needs. We're going to put the link in all of our podcast communications so you can get plugged in. Thank you, casey. Thank you for having me. It's been wonderful, it has been. Thank you so much. We'll have you back again. Thank you.
Speaker 1:All right you.
