Inspiring Good

Darrell Peterson and David Gaona on Passing The Torch At Lifeline

• Community Foundation of Elkhart County • Episode 31

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What does it take to carry a legacy without getting stuck in the past? We sit down with outgoing executive director Darrell Peterson and incoming leader David Gaona to explore how Lifeline Youth Ministries, a long-standing youth organization in Elkhart, turned a devastating fire into a season of growth, forged a culture built on intentional relationships, and executed a rare, joyful leadership transition.

This conversation offers a blueprint for nonprofit leadership, youth development, and community partnership: keep the mission anchored, adapt the methods, and invest deeply in people. If this story resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who cares about youth and community, and leave a review with the moment that inspired you most.

You can learn more about Lifeline at https://www.elkhartlifeline.com/

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This show is a production of the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. It is powered by equipment from Sweetwater and recorded in The Riverbend building in Elkhart's River District. Editing is done by the award-winning communication students at Goshen College, home of one of the best college radio stations in the nation. Listen to Globe Radio at 91.1 FM. Learn more about the Community Foundation of Elkhart County at inspiringgood.org You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Music is provided by Sensational Sounds. Thanks for listening. We hope you are inspired and inspire good and your community.

Marshall King:

Welcome to the Inspiring Good Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, which serves a vibrant community in northern Indiana, known for its generosity and strong network of nonprofit organizations. I'm Marshall King, who's hosting this podcast with Kevin Deary, a former nonprofit CEO who now coaches others. Our guests today, and we have two, are Darrell Peterson, who's been executive director of Lifeline and is retiring soon. Welcome, Darrell. Thank you. And David Gaona, who is taking over as the leader of the youth serving organization. Welcome, David.

David Gaona:

Yeah, thank you for having me.

Kevin Deary:

Gentlemen, it is so good to have you here on the on our podcast today. Uh both of us go way back. You, Darrell, you and I go back for many years. And it's been a privilege to work in the youth development work with you. And I retired two or three years ago, and now it's your turn. Right. And isn't it nice to see that we've got people coming up behind us that are the next generation, that are frankly, more technical than us, smarter than us, they're not taller than us, but they are they are the next generation of leaders. And it's wonderful to see. And tell me if before we get started, not everybody who's listening to the podcast today knows about Lifeline. So I'm gonna throw it to you, David. Talk a little bit about what is Lifeline, David.

David Gaona:

Yeah, so Lifeline, uh, first of all, Lifeline has been in Elkhart since 1963. So that has that's over 60 years, uh, started by a man that needs no introduction, Earth Polk, right? And um we focus on after school programs. Uh, we're heavily involved in the school system with uh El Cart Community Schools, Premier Arts Academy, Concord. And we uh pick up students and bring them to our building, and it's a safe place for students to be. But um outside of our after school programs, we have vocational training as well, where we teach high school students um construction skills and and also in the apparel business. Um and I can keep talking more, but man, we would be here all day of all the things that Lifeline does.

Kevin Deary:

And you mentioned Irv Polk, you know, I I arrived in Indiana early 1994, and uh Irv is one of the greatest Christian men I've ever met. And just such a gentleman. His passion for kids uh was a was like nothing I've ever seen. It's the only man I know who answered a thank you note with a thank you note, and he he wrote more thank you notes handwritten in a beautiful handwriting. Uh and I still remember because we would go into detention center and work with kids together, pray with kids together, and uh we worked together with boys and girls because in Lifeline. Uh, and I just I learned I was only 32 years old. I was just a young man, and I learned a lot from him.

David Gaona:

Yeah.

Kevin Deary:

Daryl, what's Lifeline meant? What's what's it meant to you?

Darrell Peterson:

Oh, um, you know, when I came, I really didn't know what to expect. And in a very short period of time, the relationships that I built with our students there was so deep. Um, and that's one of the main things that we talk about at Lifeline is relationships. Um but here I sit 17 years later, and I still get calls um talking about the the great times that we had, and and uh David just mentioned Irv. Um, you know, he he brought me into his office almost every day that I was there. Our our time only overlapped, about six months. And uh he was dying of pancreatic cancer, but he loved it. And one thing is that when we walked into Lifeline, he had a four by eight sheet of plywood that he had painted through these doors walk their greatest kids of Elkard. If you walk into our new building, it says that now. But I saw a man who was so passionate. And one of the neat things that he did too is because it's hard work, and he would point to a filing cabinet almost every time I was in his office, and I thought, why does he keep talking about that filing cabinet? Because there were letters in there from students who long after they left Lifeline started making good decisions, got their heart right. And he wanted me to know that you do your best, and that's all you can do. Um I went to visit him in the hospital the night before he died. Obviously, I didn't know that was the case. And he grabbed my forearm and he pulled me in and he just kind of whispered, Don't let it die. Don't let it die. And I tell you, that's that's powerful. And um I think every dessert night, that's one of the things I start with, too, is just honoring him. And he's honored through our building. But um it has been an amazing 17 years. The relationships that I have with kids, it's just phenomenal.

Kevin Deary:

Yeah, he was definitely a special man. In 2012, uh, you had a fire. Yes. Tell me about that.

Darrell Peterson:

Um, I woke up and noticed that I had a message on my phone, and um someone had said, Hey, your your building's on fire. So I went down to uh State Street and the building was gone. I mean, uh the roof had collapsed. Um the fire department told me that um they had poured a million gallons of water into that fire. Because if you remember, there were two other buildings that caught fire, and there was people in one of the other buildings. So, rightly so, the firemen were far more concerned about uh that one house. And I remember sitting there and thinking, what in the world are we gonna do? And at that time I was actually helping the Y out as well. The most amazing thing about this community, and Kevin, you were a part of that with Boys and Girls Club, is everybody reaching out, and Monday we still had clubs, which is pretty amazing, um, how the everybody rallied around us. And and um we just continued to grow and continued to move on, but it was it was shocking. I will say hindsight being in 2020 is the greatest thing that happened to Lifeline. Um because at that time, one of the places we went was uh Mary Beck Elementary School. And then the principal there went to Roosevelt, and then we're at Roosevelt, and before we knew it, we're at five different elementary schools in Elkhart.

Kevin Deary:

I remember that time. Uh I remember coming over and seeing being on State Street and visiting with you, but I remember the children, teens especially, coming over, and they they were devastated. That was like a home to them.

Darrell Peterson:

Absolutely. Um it's a place where it was safe and unconditional love.

Kevin Deary:

But uh you guys moved so quickly and they had a place. And what they what the kids quickly realized was yeah, the place was important to us, but it's the people in our lives that really matter. Absolutely. And as long as they had you guys, then it really didn't matter what what roof was over their house, over their head. So but but you rebuilt and you replanned.

Darrell Peterson:

It was uh thirteen years. Um thirteen locations. Um it was at times heartbreaking. Uh there were times that I would go to the south side, different areas, um, and pray that God would give us the south side, give us an opportunity to really reach the south side. And uh I can remember praying too, God, why aren't you giving us a building? Um is it me? And uh I remember our speaking that openly at one point, and someone said, Look at all the things that have happened in that time frame, the relationship that you have with Elkar Community Schools by being in so many schools. We started an internship program, which now has just exploded. Um, I think David and I talked the other day that we had um over 350, excuse me, over 350 interns since we started our internship program. So we've become a a teaching facility, but all of that was brought about um in that waiting period.

Marshall King:

I when I was at the E lkhart Truth, I remember interviewing Irv or going to talk to Irv, and and there was this, you know, in the newsroom, it's like, oh, you're going to talk to Irv. He's, you know, or I mean, he was just known throughout the community as this amazing man. Um, but Daryl, I remember after the fire being out on the street talking to you. Um, I was a newspaper editor, reporter, and came out and we were talking and with the people next door and what happened, and then there's the whole, you know, how did this all happen? But um the the the grief was palpable that this place had gone away. Um, but it was also a place that in many ways was so tied to Irv's legacy. And so for that, for for that to get reimagined in some ways, um change the organization and you led it through that to what it is now. Um, I don't I don't know if this is the right transition, but tell us uh David, on a daily basis, Daryl or David, what what is happening at the the building you have now called the hub?

David Gaona:

Yeah, I can summarize it in two words intentional relationships. From the moment our students uh get off the bus, there is a leader greeting them at the door, opening the door for them, smiling at them, giving them high fives, calling them by name. And every kid right away they know that they are loved, they are they are seen, and they're known by name. What an incredible thing, right? That somebody knows you by name. And um, as soon as they walk into the doors, that's what what these students are feeling and getting. And there's an excitement, man. We're excited that you are here. If you were to walk around our building, you'll see laughter, joy. Um, our leaders are so intentional, and not just uh watching the kids, but playing with the kids. And that and that's powerful. Uh we pride ourselves on not being babysitters, but we want to build relationships. So you'll see our leaders playing the gym games with the kids, you'll see our leaders playing board games, building Legos, but also having sometimes hard conversations, but you can see the love in those conversations. There's times where we have to maybe suspend a student for a few days, and that is so hard. And and you see how our leaders have such a hard time even saying, Hey, we have to you have to miss a few days. And we have leader literally seen leaders hug the students, like, man, I really don't want to do this, but we have to. And so that's what you will see, just a lot of intentionality. Um, and and for me, when I when I walk around and I see that, it it really does feel like I'm I'm in a miracle. Or I'm and I ask myself, man, God, why do I get to do this? You know, I get to do this as a living. What a what a privilege that is, you know. Um, and I tell our leaders like, we get to play with kids, you know, as a job. Uh what an amazing thing that is.

Darrell Peterson:

I I think one other thing too is we're very intentional for the number of students that we have in the building. Um, we try to keep our ratio to 10 to 1. And and the reason for that is so that we can develop the relationships. It's incredibly unfortunate that we have to turn kids away. Our summer camp, we did 240 this year. We're gonna try to do 300 this next summer. That's a huge amount of kids. And we want to bring quality people in. We have the summer internship program through our um our internship growing. But uh we want to bring quality people in to build those quality relationships. Another interesting thing is how many middle schoolers and high schoolers we have in our building after school and how many of those have been with us since elementary school. Yeah.

David Gaona:

Since um so when I started at Lifeline, my first group of students that I have just graduated this past year. So I saw these students all the way from elementary to high school. Um and to me, that's a win for me. Those are things that nobody can take away from me, and um what a privilege that is.

Darrell Peterson:

And and and now those students become junior cam counselors. So they're in leadership positions working with our elementary program.

Kevin Deary:

And you actually started uh in 2016 as paid staff.

David Gaona:

I was an intern. Okay, intern. Yeah, I was working part-time um at that time. And um yeah, and then slowly.

Kevin Deary:

But you had been a lifeline kid too, had no.

David Gaona:

I wasn't, no.

Kevin Deary:

So you grew up in Elkart. Yes. And and yet had not not had the opportunity to go to Lifeline, but somehow you you fell at into Lifeline. Tell me how that happened.

David Gaona:

Yeah, so that's uh again, when we we when we look at this story, all you can see is God. You you see God and how he moves things, uh, and he's just so sovereign over our lives. But um, when I was in Bible college in upstate New York, uh, I was there for two years, and um God had really burdened me for the youth in Elkart. And during that time he would tell me, Hey, go into the schools. Hey, go go minister to these youth in Elkart. And I was wrestling with God because uh I said, God, how am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to just go into a school and say, Hey, I want to mentor kids? And it was a couple months before my end of my time at the Bible Institute, and I was working at their summer camp. And it just so happened that Daryl's dad worked at this Bible Institute, and Daryl grew up in that town where this Bible institute was at, and he grew up going to those camps that that I was working at. And now, as the executive director, Daryl would take students, lifeline students, up to this summer camp. And it just so happened to be that I was in charge of a unit of counselors, and my unit ended up being responsible for those lifeline students. Uh, and through some circumstances, circumstances, Daryl and I met and we started talking, and he started telling me the things that Lifeline does. He's like, Oh yeah, we mentor students in Elcart, we go into the schools, we have after school programs, literally to the to the um details, the things that God had been telling me to do was exactly what Lifeline was. And that's an incredible, yeah, just God.

Marshall King:

So at some point there was a romance that was part of this.

Darrell Peterson:

Um that happened long long afterwards, actually.

Marshall King:

Well, so so so talk because I I don't we didn't in it we didn't lead with this on the podcast, but Daryl, you're now the father-in-law of David. Like he is married to your daughter. So what how talk how did that come into play here?

Darrell Peterson:

Well, um, two things. The interesting thing, too, about the story of uh Word of Life Island was um there was a young man that I had to say, if you walk off this blacktop, I'll physically pick you up and bring you back. I've never raised my voice to a lifeline kid, but he knew I was serious. Um that student child is now at Lifeline. Yes. Um, so that's it, that's an interesting thing. When David first came, he and Emily were working together at Hawthorne, and they uh, to put it mildly, did not enjoy each other. They didn't like each other at all. And I can remember saying, you guys need to look at each other's giftedness and talents and realize that um you guys could make a good team here at Hawthorne. And uh so it didn't start off um as a romance, it started off almost exactly opposite. But I'll let David pick up from here.

David Gaona:

Yeah, just um a few years later, you know, we had um some tragedies at Lifeline um that really bonded the staff together. Um, we had to be there for one another during that time. And um just through that, we Emily and I just developed a friendship. And that's where it all started, just as friends. Where uh we would get um some of the other Lifeline employees and we would hang out after our clubs would end. So after clubs would end, we would all of us would go to Emily's house and Emily would feed us and we would watch shows together, and and uh yeah, we would just do a lot of different activities together. During that time, uh just feelings started developing and um one thing led to another. We the kids would notice it, and the kids they would catch they they were catching on to it because we were bickering, right? Uh but really we were flirting. And the kids would say, Oh, you guys like each other, and we both would say, We will never marry each other. And then finally, when we f we when we did start dating, everyone around us said, We knew it. We knew you guys were gonna start dating. And the kids were the the funny thing is the kids, the kids were also saying, We knew this was gonna going to happen.

Darrell Peterson:

You know, and and David in in a very respectful way came to talk to me at my house and asked me if he could date Emily. And I I remember saying to him, if this works out, you will have the greatest mate that you could possibly imagine for what you want to do. Uh Emily was a senior when I went to Lifeline and she was very heavily involved. But she is all about ministering to people. Um even right now, um on a Tuesday night, she has the entire staff over for dinner. And even as the staff has grown to the high twenties now, um, she still loves doing that and gets energy from that. And I said to David just the other day, you know, as mud as many times as you can get her in to do something here in the office, she helped us with the Christmas store. Um, it just energizes her. And you can drop your daughter off at our house anytime to make that happen. So um it it is a great team. I mean, my wife, I the things that we were able to do, the kids that we had at the house almost every day during the summer. Um so Emily was taught by a master.

Kevin Deary:

Yeah. Interesting side note. Uh I worked at Lifeline, I attended Lifeline. I was in Sagoon Lake growing up. Uh Daryl and I were in the same rooms in the early 70s. Word of life. Word of life. Didn't even didn't even know each other. And uh we had gone to snow camp, we went to I worked at the island, we'd been in basketball marathons, we and who would have guessed that God would have put us in the same county working with youth in two different two different ministries. So just an amazing uh story right there. But your story is amazing as far. Far as not only how you two met and how you ended up in Elkirk County, but you're the next generation of leadership. And that must be invigorating, exciting, must also be a little terrifying.

David Gaona:

Yeah, I mean, I look at it as um just what an opportunity, right? I told Daryl I could have been the elementary director for the rest of my life, um, because I just love doing that job. Um, but when Daryl approached me about the executive director role, um, Emily and I really took time to pray about it. And we felt that the Lord was leading me to that. But um, but I don't need to be the executive director. We just I just want to serve kids, you know. But in that, I feel like it's such a great opportunity, and w the plan that we developed and we have executed has been so key to this transition being um so smooth and just I I have so many people around me that are pouring into me. And yeah, it has just been an incredible journey. Yes, it has been there there have been moments of fear, but because of all the people that have been put around me and have been developing me, I've it I really do feel ready because of that.

Kevin Deary:

Well, let's talk about that transition, because I know when I was g I had given a year notice, uh, and I had been in boys and girls clubs for 40 years total, 30 as CEO. And I remember as time was getting near, my emotions, it was hard to keep them in check because I was walking away from something that I had built, something that I loved, something that was really, really important. Uh and I even though I was transitioning it to somebody who uh is doing an amazing job, uh, it was I still went through a lot of emotional ups and downs. And Daryl, maybe you could talk a little bit about that since you are you I'm I'm sure you're feeling some of that.

Darrell Peterson:

Um I think much less than you would think. And I I I think there's a couple reasons. Because we've worked together for 10 years, um and and really created a great team because David's skill set is different than mine. And I think that's important to notice too, because God was able to use me to get lifeline where it is. But David's talents is perfect for where we're heading. Um when I first approached David, and this is always emotional for me, when I asked him if he would be interested in doing it, uh actually it was even before that, I said to him, What's your game plan? And he said, What do you mean? I said, Well, you're a gifted speaker, you've spoken at church. Is that a direction or is lifeline your direction? And he said, When I was in college, and he just shared it earlier, I prayed all the time that God would send me to the south side of Elkhart to be the man I needed growing up. That comment meant the world to me because often not-for-profits will bring in somebody who's competent but not passionate. And for lifeline to have somebody who is competent and passionate, 10 years of experience, knows the staff. I mean, you know, you check an awful lot of boxes. When we decided to do it and picked a time, David did ask me if I would stay on to uh help with the vocational education, the um apparel shop that we have in the construction team. And I said, I'd I'd I'd love to. Um I want to serve you in any way that I possibly can. And I guess it was about two months ago, um, he said, uh, what would you think about leadership development here? And you know what, uh, Kevin, um, you know me, and to be able to pour into our staff means everything to me. And um I'm just excited about it. But you know, I have no desire to make decisions. I've said that to David. My wife said, What are you gonna do if David does something that you don't think you should? And I said, he does that now. I mean, you know, there are times our staff comes and says, What do you think about this? And I would might say, I don't know if I would do it, or I'm not sure if I would do it that way. But being a macro manager, it's like, you know, if you feel that this is what we need to do, go ahead and do it. And um I've been pleasantly surprised on a number of occasions. Um there's there's a great deal of confidence in David and the staff. So I man, I I I just feel so fortunate to be able to have a role, and that role is really doing what I love to do, and that's pouring into people.

Kevin Deary:

Are you gonna take some time maybe to go away before after you retire just for a little bit?

Darrell Peterson:

Um, you know, well, you know I love golf. So um Leslie and I are leaving um I think April 1st is that day, and April 11th, I was able to get a place um for a week south of here. And then Leslie and I go away for three weeks in February. But what's interesting too, into that is um Andy Murray asked the other day in our secession plane. So our we have a secession team that meets, and he said to me, Um, where are we? Because January 1st is really the soft start. How close are we to that? And I looked at David and we smiled and said, he's basically there. Um for the last year I have said to him, I will make no decision that affects April 2nd without you being involved. Um when we go to Word of Life and we were asked to speak at one of the sessions, I had David do it. Um, making sure that everybody knows that David is the future. Um so I look at it and just I'm so excited. I really am excited. I'm excited because I get to spend time with the staff. I'm excited because I get to spend more time with my grandkids. Um my wife and I were gonna play heck of a lot of golf this summer.

Kevin Deary:

Good. Good for you.

Marshall King:

But you are gonna have a role at Lifeline. Like this um you're not uh you you're not completely going away. Tell us about what you're gonna be doing, because you're you've you've you've been good at marketing, and now a marketing role is gonna be part of what you're gonna be doing.

Darrell Peterson:

Yeah, you know, it's interesting you would say that too, because I don't ask people for money. Pete would use me as an example of what not to do. Um but I said we had a strategic planning follow-up meeting um last week, and I said uh to Mike Reddy, who was doing it, I think I'm gonna have an easier time asking for money in the future because I'm saying David needs your help. And I said, that may make no sense to people. Because I'm not asking for myself. And Mike was like, no, that makes sense sense to me. And that's I was one who said, Hey, let's do mission 100. Um so for me to be in a role of promoting the staff and what the staff is accomplishing, uh, that that that would be much easier in in the future. Um so I'm looking for that. And then doing the apparel, you know, that was something that I I wanted to do from years ago. And in our first year, to do a quarter of a million dollars in sales blew my mind. And the construction team um not long ago built three duplexes from the ground up for La Casa. So to expand those things as well is is great. And we're teaching high school kids. Um, our staff is getting uh certified as teachers, so it's like going to the career center.

Kevin Deary:

I think one of the things I was so impressed with with Lifeline being ahead of the curve of a lot of the other nonprofits. So many of us could find quality staff, but they lived far away, but they couldn't find a place to live. That was a constant problem for us in Elkirk County. No matter what town it was, it was finding uh a place to live that that was affordable. Uh and and because if the employees don't have a place to live, that's hard to have a base. But you guys came up with this revolutionary idea that was I was so impressed with. Why don't you talk a little bit about how those how those houses happened?

Darrell Peterson:

Well, um if you remember the the State Street was was not really the place to be a while back. And there was a duplex across the street, uh prick duplex and um drugs and prostitution. Um and we could see from our office all the different things that were going on, it came up for sale. And I was talking to our board and it it wasn't met real warmly, so we lost it. So then it came up for sale again, and by that time our board was understanding that you know, if we can bring people in for the summer, then we can really do a lot more. If we can do one-year internships, we can do a lot more. So when it came up for sale the second time, um the guy wanted a pretty decent amount for it, and I said to him, I know what you paid for it, and I know why you're selling it, because I I see it every day. I'll give you what you paid for. And he took it in a heartbeat. And it was actually uh uh Craig Fulmer who um I went to and I said, Can you talk me out of this? Because this is a crazy idea. And he said, I'm gonna talk to Connie, but uh this is something um I think we're we want to be a part of. And I said, again, not being a good fundraiser. I said, I didn't come here for money, I came here for advice. And he said, Well, if I'm gonna give you money, that means I think it's a decent idea. And that's how it started. And then all of a sudden it exploded, and we went and got uh another duplex, and then we remodeled two quadplexes and a triplex. And actually, David and I talked last week that as we continue to grow, there's an empty lot that we own, and it might be time to look at building something uh new, because we're actually talking to two couples right now who are getting married, who are rock stars, who they both want to work for Lifeline. And um, but having the house, as you said, people can drop everything and move here. Um, I'm going to Word of Life, Florida in uh January, and we're putting a new banner up. And the banner says real big, free housing, paid enter, well, it's paid internship, free housing, life's transformed. And there have been so many times where someone says, free housing, and how easy it is for them to uh to move here. So it's been it's been a huge game changer.

Kevin Deary:

And just brings in quality people at the best time because they're ready to launch their careers and we're better than here in Lifeline than to do that.

Darrell Peterson:

Right. You know, so we we look at ourselves now as a as a sending organization. Um we lost a uh an employee just the other day, and I said to him, and one of the board members said, You we have to look at those as graduations because they've come here, they've cut their teeth in youth ministry, we've been able to teach them, and we literally have former interns in South America and all over the United States who cut their teeth at Lifeline.

Kevin Deary:

Yeah. You know, you have a wonderful board. You mentioned about your secession plan, and you've done a great job of building and maintaining a strong board of directors that can be strategic, and you've always provided vision, uh, like the housing and this beautiful facility the community has given you, and you sh that you offered up to another nonprofit to move in to help them get started. Uh you just continue to be the leaders in the youth development uh space. But this board of directors is very, very unique. And the fact that they have been so uh helpful in this trans transition, uh what were some of the bumps along the way?

Darrell Peterson:

I I don't know how many. I would say even in the last two years, there was one hiccup. And you know, when David and I were talking yesterday about this podcast, honesty was the main thing. We always speak honestly with each other. Um there's something that I learned years ago. Oh, I see, we observe, we interpret. The C is not conclusion, the C is asking for clarification. So um, and and even through that little hiccup over a year ago, that's what got us through it to say, okay, you know, here's what I'm seeing, help me, help me with this, help me with this. And I would say there's an enormous amount of trust and honesty. Um and I'll let David chime in here, but when Andy Murray said to me, I'm retiring, what's one thing you can do for me? I said, start meeting with David periodically. And he has met with David for, you know, like two years every other week. And and Kevin, you know, in talking with David, you've been a big part of that as well. So uh I think that's really super key that he's not just getting information from one person. He he has a number of people in his life, as you mentioned earlier.

Kevin Deary:

Yeah, I think a lot of people are as much as you pour into kids, a lot of uh successful business people are pouring into you. That that had to have been helpful for you, but also a little daunting figuring out how do I take all this in and then and then deploy it back out into the mission. So we may talk a little bit about that.

David Gaona:

Yeah, I think um I always um I'm opening your ears to all these giants, you know, in my life. And um in terms of these are everyone that is pouring into me in their sector of business or not for profit, they they're the top, you know, and it it's incredible that God has provided that for me. And so it's it's so nice to be able to have those people. It's so nice to be able to um even for you, Kevin, to be able to come to you to you and just ask you on how to process a few things.

Kevin Deary:

Tell me what's lifeline gonna look like ten years from now under your leadership?

David Gaona:

Yeah, I think um you will s always see um that we are Jesus centered. You know? Um that that is something that we that is never going to change. And um always finding new ways on how we can um minister to youth. So every so if you look at everything that we do, whether it be the vocational, after school, our JDC program, all of those are just part of our mission statement, reaching Elkart's youth. So we are gonna find new ways on how to reach Elkart Elkart's youth. We are gonna adapt to the uh to whatever the culture is and to make sure that we are reaching Elkart's youth. Uh but the one thing that will never be different is that we will be sharing Jesus to those youth.

Kevin Deary:

Will there be a lifeline Fort Wayne and a lifeline South Bend?

David Gaona:

You know. Um I don't I don't think so right now, but you never know what God has in plan for us.

Darrell Peterson:

I think the neat thing is is our mission never changes, but our methods do. Uh we've had people ask us to come to certain areas, and what we have said is, hey, we have housing, send someone in, they can take everything that we have and go anywhere they want.

Kevin Deary:

You've had so many successful stories. Tell me, give me some of the stories of kids that have come up through lifeline and where they are now as adults.

David Gaona:

Yeah, so uh Daryl will be able to speak um a lot into that, but I'll give you um a student that right now he graduated and is now actually working for us. Um his name is Elvis, and I met Elvis um at Hawthorne Elementary. He was one of my first students that I had. And um he has come through the program. Um he was one of our leaders in our high school program, and um his senior year, he was really struggling that he was gonna graduate because he wouldn't he couldn't come back to Lifeline. And he approached uh me one day and said, Hey, what would be the possibilities of me being an intern? And we started having those conversations. And um he is now working in an arparo shop and he is learning a ton. Uh, we are pouring into him, and but that's just one of of the stories, yeah.

Darrell Peterson:

You know, I think that pouring into is those soft skills. Showing up on time, learning how to work as a team, learning how to communicate, those kind of things. But another great thing is Tadriana, who has worked with us for a number of years, who Emily, my daughter, called me one summer and said, you need to get out of here right away. A tragedy in the family, mom's gonna move, it's not gonna be good for Tadriana. And uh Emily adopts her. And we're talking like 24 hours, mom signs over guardianship to Emily. Uh Emily's 26, she's 16. But again, um, my first call is Don Phillips, Basher Jones. How do we do this? How do we maneuver this? And he gives us all the paperwork, and Basher supports uh Emily uh financially as well. And now Tadriana is a, you know, plays an important role at Lifeline, is actually going to start back at college in January to be a uh social worker. So, you know, you could sit here a time and time again of of young people from a very early age and seeing their incredible growth and the impact that lifeline's had on them.

Marshall King:

Thank you both for being here today and and sharing some of your thoughts on your story with us, but also the way that you share your hearts with other people. Elkart's a better place for it. So um we always uh wrap up the podcast with a question of what gives you hope, and so we'd ask both of you to respond to that.

David Gaona:

Yeah, I that's a great, great question. Um every day, like I mentioned, I live in a miracle, and I see our employees' hearts change to love more, to be more patient. I see our kids' heart changing to trust us and them knowing that they are safe. I see families being impacted because the children go home and tell their parents about the Bible stories and the verses they're memorizing, and then the parents now want to go to church. Every day I'm living in a miracle, and I'm seeing hearts transformed, whether it be our employees, whether it be kids, whether it be whole families.

Darrell Peterson:

Um everything that David said, you know, and I I say it was such a grateful heart. Because God could have chosen anyone to be at Lifeline, but fortunately he chose me. But I think what gives me hope is an Incredibly young, talented staff. I've had other not-for-profit leaders say to me, Darryl, you've got the best staff in Elkart County. And that gives me great hope for the future and continued, continued growth. Very talented, very passionate for our kids.

Marshall King:

This show is a production of the Community Foundation of Elkart County. It is powered by equipment from Sweetwater and recorded at the Community Foundation's offices in Elkart's River District. Editing is done by the award-winning communications students at Goshen College, home of one of the best college radio stations in the nation. Listen to Globe Radio at 91.1 FM. Music is provided by sensational sounds. Learn more about the Community Foundation of Elkhart County at inspiringgood.org. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thanks for listening. We hope you're inspired and inspire good in your community.