F3 Podcast - Faith, Family, and Finance
A Gaddis Premier Wealth Advisors Podcast.
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F3 Podcast - Faith, Family, and Finance
Krysten Brown | Episode 14 | Impacting the lives of children, and the joy of giving on Christmas
What if every child could feel the magic of Christmas, no matter their circumstances? Join Krysten Brown, the inspiring founder of the Payton Project, as she shares moving stories of spreading holiday joy to children in need. Krysten's heartfelt mission ensures that kids can dream without limitations and feel the warmth of the season. Listen to how her dedication transformed a simple toy room into what a young girl believed to be Santa's workshop. This episode captures the essence of generosity and the extraordinary impact of small acts of kindness during the holidays.
While Krysten's work is truly heartwarming, her personal life is equally engaging. In the vibrant town of Durant, she juggles the lively world of raising four athletic boys alongside her husband, Daniel. From the basketball court to the baseball diamond, their household is always buzzing with activity. Krysten shares delightful anecdotes about her sons' sports adventures, the highs and lows of competition, and the lessons learned from their energetic pursuits. This episode is a joyful blend of holiday cheer and the whirlwind of family life, sure to inspire and entertain listeners who cherish the spirit of both giving and family fun.
a little girl had came in and there was gifts everywhere and I wasn't there. My husband was. But she looked at my husband and was like, is this Santa's workshop? And he was just like, yeah, he had to source some of the gifts here and so he texted me and told me about that. And then he said, all because of you, that little girl believes in the magic of Christmas now. And like it still gives me chills thinking about it, just because those are the important things. Like the kids shouldn't have to worry or they shouldn't have to not ask for things because they don't think their parents can afford it. They should be able to have a normal Christmas list like everybody else.
Speaker 2:My name is Derek Hines and I am one of the partners here at Gattis Premier Wealth Advisors. Welcome to our podcast. Today we have Kristen Brown and she is the founder and director of operations at the Payton Project. Yes, how are you? I'm good. How are you Good? Good, I really appreciate you coming on today.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate you inviting me. I'm excited to tell you.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, before we get into the Payton Project, just tell me a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm Kristen Brown. I am a lifelong resident of the Durant area. I graduated high school from Calera. I've been married to my husband, Daniel, for six years. We have four children, four boys Ryder is 14, Payton's 11, Knox is five and Lincoln is three.
Speaker 2:So four boys? I bet that's fun.
Speaker 1:It keeps me busy. They're all very involved in sports and extracurriculars. My youngest isn't in school yet, the two middle ones go to Silo and then Ryder is at 8th grade at Kingston.
Speaker 2:Okay, nice, nice. So what kind of sports do they play?
Speaker 1:A little bit of everything. We're going to basketball season that's our favorite one in the house and then they do football and baseball in those seasons too, but those aren't near as fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so how old are they, say again 14, 11, five and three. Do the 11 and 5-year-old play basketball? Yeah?
Speaker 1:The 5-year-old is starting his first season this year. Okay, what grade? I'm 14, so we'll see Kindergarten.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, well, they don't. So I've got you know my kids. I was like I was telling you earlier. So 10, 8, and 6. And the 8-year-old, they played silo a couple of times. Yeah, they have not been victorious.
Speaker 1:No, it's fun. They start playing with the school. So young, yeah. So fun to watch them grow up, yeah.
Speaker 2:My middle one's our little competitor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's my oldest.
Speaker 2:He likes to compete. That's fun. He likes to win? Yes, didn't necessarily like to compete, I think he just liked to win and sore losers for sure, especially boys.
Speaker 1:It's a lot of testosterone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So what other sports do they play, so basketball?
Speaker 1:Basketball is their primary one, and then in the spring they'll play baseball usually, or T-ball Of course, yeah, silo. The little ones like T-ball, and silo the little ones like t-ball. And then, um, my oldest going to kingston, they have football, so but he's injured right now so he didn't get to play. Yeah, we're hoping he'll get to play basketball this season, but we'll see yeah, what uh?
Speaker 2:how did he get hurt?
Speaker 1:uh, he hurt his knee. He pretty much dislocated his kneecap ouch yeah, he's still in physical therapy and trying to strengthen it because he's just so skinny yeah, that's the's the problem.
Speaker 2:He's like a tall, tall, tall kid.
Speaker 1:Tall and lanky and the legs just can't support him basically.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. I'm sure Did he grow really fast.
Speaker 1:Well, he's about 5'7", 5'8" and he's 95 pounds. So you can imagine.
Speaker 2:You're brave for letting him play football.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he he made it one game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, before he got hurt, oh man.
Speaker 1:Maybe that will be the end of it, because I don't love it. He's too little.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's pretty little, is he? So he's 14. So he's probably. Is that a freshman Eighth grade, eighth grade Okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, yeah, still middle school. We haven't hit high school yet, yeah.
Speaker 2:He's got time to fill out, probably more.
Speaker 1:I hope so, I really hope so. Yeah Well, cool Well it sounds like kids keep you busy. Yeah, they're a full-time job in themselves. Of course Between practices or church on Wednesdays. Mm-hmm, they practices or church on Wednesdays and they don't. They can't drive themselves and there's only two of us, so we're outnumbered for sure, yeah, where do you guys go to church? First Baptist Durant Okay.
Speaker 2:Nice. Yep, that is right across the street. That's actually where my wife and I got married, is it? Yeah, we got married in the chapel. Okay, at First Baptist in Durant Married in the chapel.
Speaker 1:Okay, at First Baptist in Durant.
Speaker 2:Wow, that was how long have you been married? Oh, I knew you were going to ask me that. I was trying to get that right in my head, not to get you in trouble. What were you asked? So we got married in 2009. So that was 15 years ago. Okay, we're in 15 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I should get extra points for that.
Speaker 2:I she probably heard it straight right there. Yeah, so we were 15 years. We met in college. So I grew up in Northern Oklahoma, a small town called Perry, oklahoma it's about an hour north of Oklahoma City and then my wife and I went to OSU. My wife is from Durant, well, she's actually from the Bochita area, so Bennington. Yeah. Then went to school at Rock Creek. We met at OSU and then we moved off for work for a couple of years and then moved back to Durant.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I'm a lifetime resident, my husband's a lifetime resident. I graduated from Calera, he graduated from Salo.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, so why'd you stick around Durant?
Speaker 1:My family. I had my oldest when I was younger, like 21. And so moving off just doesn't make sense, because they were here to help me with him and I've been a hairstylist for 14 years also, so when I was going through hair school and all of that, they were here to help me because I was just a single mom with him and I needed all the help I could get.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, kids, kids take a, kids take a lot of help for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially when you're young and you don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but so you're. So you grew up here, so your parents so your parents here, my grandparents, my siblings.
Speaker 1:They moved off, one's in the Fort Worth area and one's in the Oklahoma City area, but we still see them and I'm with all the kids, so they keep my grandparents and my parents busy too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, that's cool.
Speaker 1:With hunting, and they're always at all their games.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you guys like to hunt.
Speaker 1:My oldest and my 11 year old do.
Speaker 2:Okay, just like deer or anything particular.
Speaker 1:Yeah, my parents live out in Bennington, so they'll go out to their land and hunt with my dad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where, where at in Bennington.
Speaker 1:Off of Rockhouse Road.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Like between Bennington and.
Speaker 2:Boswell Okay, okay, nice, yeah, that's where I like I said, that's where my wife, my wife's family is. Yeah, is kind of from that area.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, a lot of good hunting out there. Yeah, it seems like it. They always seem to be pretty successful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so other than like chasing your kids around, like what do you do for fun?
Speaker 1:Chase my kids around. Honestly, watching my kids play sports is fun to me. Like I prefer to do those things. I always tell my husband we're going gonna be like the old people who just show up to high school basketball games for no reason, just because we enjoy it, yeah that's awesome occasionally we'll get date nights and stuff. My parents will keep warm and so we can do things we like to go to dinner or go to one of the local wineries, or yeah, just anything. Yeah, that our kids are not at.
Speaker 2:What do you guys like to eat?
Speaker 1:Um, we like the, we really like the library, and uh, sure, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like the library too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then we like 34 Chop House. Yep, that's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did you eat at Full Belly's before it burned?
Speaker 1:out. I never did. No, oh, that was. But I heard great things about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was good.
Speaker 1:That was probably one of our favorites. And then we really like to go to Blue River Valley. They support me with everything I do, and so that's probably our favorite place to go. Yeah, we'll go out there with the kids too, because they have the big yard and the kids will take a football and just go out there and play and run around. It's very friendly, family, family friendly out there. Yeah, it's very family-friendly out there, so that's probably our favorite place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, awesome. So tell me about, how did you get started? Well, first what is Peyton's Project, and then we can talk about how it got started.
Speaker 1:Yes, the Peyton Project. It is a nonprofit that is geared towards helping underprivileged children. That is geared towards helping underprivileged children. We want to make sure that all children just feel loved and supported, regardless of their circumstances. Yeah, a lot of people think that we primarily go for foster children or that's our main focus, but it's kind of not. Peyton, he is my son, my 11-year-old son. He came to me December will be five years and he was in the foster care system and it was a kinship thing. So when they called me and asked me to take him, I was like, okay, but it cannot be forever, it cannot, this cannot be a permanent thing. And then the very first night he was in our house, I remember looking at my husband and saying a permanent thing. And then the very first night he was in our house, I remember looking at my husband and saying he is not leaving, like he is not going anywhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And, um, so probably a year and a half, two years I think it was two Christmases after we got him Cause we got him one week before Christmas I was. I decided me and my husband owned rebel nutrition. It was a little, um, Me and my husband owned Rebel Nutrition. It was a little Herbalife hub out in Silo, Okay yeah, and I was like I think I want to do an angel tree and so I did and I posted about it and I think I got 162 kids adopted that year. It was great. I would just take in lists and then post about them on Facebook and people would just adopt them.
Speaker 1:And then I hosted a couple other fundraisers. I did Team Gage. That was for a kid in Silo that had cancer and we raised a lot of money for him. And then I did a few other just small fundraisers for families who needed help, and I was like I love this, I love helping people, I love being able to help people. I want to do something with this one day.
Speaker 1:And then the next year, last year, we did our second angel tree and that one blew up and we did 500 angels and that was not from like people donating lots of money, that was like the community coming out and adopting these kids and buying them Christmas gifts. And at that point I was in leadership, Durant, and I had said one day I'm gonna make this into a nonprofit, One day when I have time I'll make it a thing. I just don't have time right now. And a few of my classmates pretty much just came together and were like we're doing this, here's the paperwork, we've already done it, you just. And then the Payment Project was born, probably five months ago. Like it's still officially, it's still new, but it's my third year for the Angel Tree at least.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's, that's awesome. So you mentioned underserved children, underprivileged, underprivileged, okay, underprivileged, what is that Like? What constitutes underprivileged?
Speaker 1:So, like I said, most people think we focus on foster kids, but we're more focused on the kids that just aren't in foster care.
Speaker 1:Because thinking about payton, like his life was really rough, like the foster care part is when it got easier because he actually had a house and a bed and food, and so there's so many kids out there who don't have that but they're not in the system and it could be because their parents make poor choices and poor decisions.
Speaker 1:Or it could be because their mom is a single mom trying her best to work as many jobs as she can but still is just barely making ends meet. And I mean those kids still deserve Christmas gifts or the magic of Santa or we do a backpack drive. They deserve new backpack school supplies. They shouldn't have to go to school worried about not having a pencil or so, like any of those kids. That's why one of the biggest things in our mission statement is regardless of their circumstances, because the kids whose parents are trying, because the kids whose parents are trying, and the kids whose parents are making terrible decisions, and then the kids whose parents are millionaires, like they're all, at the end of the day, kids and they still deserve the same love and support from others.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So I'm curious you know you obviously have like a huge heart for kids, a huge heart for the community. You know you. I mean you obviously have like a huge heart for kids, a huge heart for the community. You know you. I mean you exhibit that by all the. Is it Angel Tree?
Speaker 1:Yeah, angel Trees, you've done we do an Angel Tree, we have a back to school drive with backpacks and school supplies. We are teaming up with Bryan County Sports because, like I said, we're a big sports family and that's expensive and some parents can't afford to pay a hundred dollars per kid to sign them up. So we're gearing up with them and gonna host a fundraiser so that we can donate money to them so they can help the kids who want to play but can't afford it to play yeah, yeah, that's incredible so eventually we want to be huge and do like a college scholarship or endowment or something like that, yeah, yeah, goals, what uh like what.
Speaker 2:Why do you think? Or where do, or something like that yeah, yeah, goals, what uh like what, what. Why do you think? Or where do you think like your heart for for kids or the community comes from?
Speaker 1:I don't know, I don't, I think I was just born this way. Yeah, I am such an empathetic type two personality and I can like I can see people in need, and it literally makes my stomach hurt because I feel like I should do something oh man like sometimes I'll pass the homeless people on the street and, like you know, you try to ignore it because you're like, oh, they're gonna do.
Speaker 1:But I'm like you know what, if they do something bad with it, that doesn't. I did what I'm supposed to do and like before I drove off and ignored them, and then I'm like I have to turn around because I'm obsessed about it and I will not be okay until I go back.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know why.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you said, you said blessing and a curse. You said type two. What do you mean by that? Like the Enneagram, okay, I was hoping that's where you were going to go with that.
Speaker 1:I'm a type two personality hardcore on the Enneagram. If you've never done it, you should.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm very familiar with the Enneagram. Yeah, I love the Enneagram. I don't, you know, I'm more of a, I'm more enjoy, like Myers-Briggs type stuff.
Speaker 1:One of my friends just told me about that and I'm needing to do that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I wish I had you know. If we have time after this, I can probably run you through it pretty quick. There's some really quick, really quick questions on, like different things that you prefer.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And we can probably, we can probably get you pretty close.
Speaker 1:I need to look into that. One of my friends this weekend just told me about that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, because I like the Enneagram as well and it does make sense that you're a two. That's yeah. Something like this would definitely be a project that a two would take on and champion. Well, so I'm pretty high.
Speaker 1:eight and one, okay on the enneagram, so I don't really I don't know what any of the other ones are yeah really. But I've looked into mine. I've never really went so far to do the wings, but just the basic yeah, yeah, the eights.
Speaker 2:The eight is really, um, they get a bad rap. There's a lot of eights that are just really hard charging, like high energy. They get a pretty bad reputation. And then the one is really uh, they, they want to be right, like it's very important that they are, that they are right and correct and there's a proper way of doing everything. Yeah, so I could probably say a little bit of me in there too. Yeah, both could be a challenge for sure.
Speaker 1:All right, I'm gonna have to look deeper into it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So how so with all of, with sort of this passion project of yours like, how does that? Where is your? You know, how does the? Are your kids supportive?
Speaker 1:Like, what's the family dynamic around that? Yes, so my kids are supportive. Um, my husband's very good at like. If I need to work on this or I have an event, they come to all my events. They give me the space that I need to be able to um work on like the little things behind the scenes things. Um, payton loves it, he's in everything and I always tell him I'm like we can't have a Peyton project without Peyton. So, but he loves it. He says he loves to help kids who are like him or kids that were like him. He wants to be to show them that that doesn't have to be your life forever. And I have a board of six other members other than myself and they're great and supportive. And I tell everybody I'm just the idea and my board makes it happen. Just call them and tell them hey, I have an idea for this, and then it just happens, they throw it together.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's awesome. So with uh, with being a two on the Enneagram and directing a nonprofit, it's probably really important that you figure out what your husband is on the Enneagram.
Speaker 1:Yeah, probably. Yeah, he's just a very supportive person. I could. He's very chill. Our personalities are complete opposite. He's down for whatever and I'm a control freak and he's just like. He knows when I'm like need my space, he knows when I need help. He. He knows that sometimes just leave me alone.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, he's, he's good with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, awesome. Well, that's so you. You've mentioned several, like several, projects or things that you guys are working on, so maybe let's start with like the the most, like a time sensitive one or the project that's coming up the soonest. So what do you guys have that you are working on right now?
Speaker 1:That would be the angel tree I launched back in October that I was accepting angels. You go to our website, click a link, fill out a form. It asks for age, gender, clothing, shoe size, wants, needs and one wish list item. I already have close to 500 lists. We have put together an angel tree committee, so that's just people who aren't on the board but want to help with this specific project, and they've been great with helping me get everything organized and together and physically writing out the angels so we can put them on trees.
Speaker 1:We have multiple businesses around the area, from Bochita to Kingston to Caddo to Calvert, like the full area, and businesses will have trees with angels on them so people can go into those businesses and adopt. They can email me, say they want an angel and I'll send them a list and then in December, on the 21st and 22nd, we will have a pickup event and so that's when people will come in to pick up their gifts and I try to make it a full thing and not a charity thing, because some people are embarrassed. I don't want their kids to know that they had to reach out and, like kids will come in. I'm like, oh no, there was just so many kids on the nice list that Santa needed us to help them get it all delivered, or they weren't going to make it in time, and so that'll be our pickup event. We do a Santa, we do cookies. We try to make it fun and not a charity.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to go to your website and look at your form so I can figure out what my kids want for Christmas. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So how does the angel tree? So people go to your website they can fill out the. The kids can fill out the form. No parents, parents fill out the form.
Speaker 1:We keep it all confidential.
Speaker 2:And then that gets, their name gets put on a tree.
Speaker 1:No, no, no. Their name gets put on a tree. No, no, no. They fill out the form and then we transfer that form onto a physical the locations who have trees to a physical angel, and it just has the list and it has a number on it Because we try to keep everything as confidential as possible. And so, like you adopt angel number 68, you'll go shop for it, you'll wrap all the gifts and just put number 68 on them. Okay, and that's how we identify.
Speaker 2:And then that gets delivered back to you.
Speaker 1:Or whatever location you picked up at.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then who?
Speaker 1:who gives the gifts to the kids Me, my ward and my committee and then I'll have a. I have a lot of volunteers from the community that come out.
Speaker 2:Kids will come out, um, like basketball team or they love to the kids, love to help. Yeah, that's incredible. So what? What has been? Uh, you, you have to think about this one for a minute and so we, we can come back to it for sure, if you need to. But when you think about, you know, the, the kids that you've helped, you know, with the angel tree, like what has been the most impactful one.
Speaker 1:Um, I don't have to think about it.
Speaker 2:Okay, I figured not.
Speaker 1:Um, my very first year I I didn't do a pickup event cause it was small, so they were supposed to come pick them up. Well, this not, it was snowing and sleeting. And so me and my husband like loaded up and tried to deliver as much as we could and, like, these people don't have really anything to give or they wouldn't be on my tree. And so I delivered this one to this mom and she handed me this little bag with a card and her kids had signed it and they had handmade me a little ornament and like, and I think it was a couple pieces of candy too, like they didn't have that's what they had to give. And it was everything, yeah, was a couple pieces of candy too. Like they didn't have, that's what they had to give. And I, it was everything, yeah, that was that just warmed the whole soul and made everything I do worth it.
Speaker 1:And then there's actually a second one um, a little girl had came in and there was gifts everywhere and I wasn't there. My husband was, but she looked at my husband. I was like, is this Santa's workshop? And he was just like, yeah, he had to source some of the gifts here. And so he texted me and told me about that. And then he said all because of you, that little girl believes in the magic of Christmas now, and like it still gives me chills thinking about it, just because those are the important things. Like the kids shouldn't have to worry or they shouldn't have to not ask for things because they don't think their parents can afford it. They should be able to have a normal Christmas list like everybody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and how long ago were those?
Speaker 1:were both of those, that was my very first year. So two years ago this was my third year to do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, third year. And how many? How many kids do you think you'll serve?
Speaker 1:Our goal is a thousand, wow I just keep taking them until the community quits adopting yeah because I'll have people on christmas eve still asking and yeah I can't say no yeah, yeah, that's what that?
Speaker 2:that's, that, that's wonderful. That's such an incredible story it's, it's.
Speaker 1:It's really heartwarming and obviously you're gonna have people who take advantage, but yeah you have the moms coming to the pickup event with tears in their eyes because they're just so thankful, and that's why you do it yeah, yeah, that's powerful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you mentioned you have other projects as well, though. So what's? What are your other, what are the other things you're working on, and we can kind of work through them one by one yeah, um.
Speaker 1:So since we've been officially the painting project, we did a cornhole tournament and we did that out at Blue River Winery.
Speaker 2:Jordan told us all about that.
Speaker 1:Oh, I bet he keeps us in line, he that one. All the proceeds from that went to the back to school drive so we were able to purchase backpacks and school supplies and stuff like that. Then we did the Danford three on three soccer tournament and that was for a local family who lost their baby in a car wreck. We threw together this soccer tournament and all that money went to them. That's just one of the random hey, they need help, we can do something about it, let's. Let's do this.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We've done that. We'll set up at like we'll be setting up at the Christmas Magnolia festival and we'll have some angels out there. We like to set up at events like that just to because we're new, we need to get our name out there. We've set up at the downtown concert and like sold popcorn and that money goes back into the angel tree and then next year after the angel tree, like I said, we plan on doing a tournament for Bryan County Sports to help the kiddos get into sports, and then we already have a date for cornhole and soccer again.
Speaker 2:Cool. So you said a tournament for Bryan County Sports. What kind of tournament?
Speaker 1:We don't know yet we're going to. There's just been different ideas thrown around, yeah.
Speaker 2:You could consider. So I sit on the board of a nonprofit as well. Durant Trails and Open Space. Yes, yes, yes, and I think they're actually having a pickleball tournament.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I may be a little ahead of myself. By the time this comes out, I'm sure it'll all be planned and advertised. You'll be, in trouble for announcing it. I could, I could, but yeah, I know there's pickleball courts in Durant now and I don't play pickleball. I ball courts in Durant now and I don't. I don't play pickleball.
Speaker 2:I don't know anything about it. Yeah, it's like a it's. It's kind of like tennis. Yeah, I don't. I don't know a whole lot about it either. Okay, uh, our other board member, he's. He's kind of the one in charge of of pickleball, but that might be something we consider or even partner with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we had talked about it's not set in stone by any means. Um, maybe like a father son, mother son, like kickball tournament, or like on Mother's Day or Father's Day, something that boys don't want to hang out with their moms yeah, maybe they would with that. Or a softball tournament, golf, I don't know, we have so many ideas thrown around that. Yeah, Right now, though, it's hard to think about anything. Past Christmas, we got to survive Christmas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you can do all kinds of cool stuff like Father's Day, mother's Day, you know, I think of I'm trying to think of the movie. I think it's Cheaper by the Dozen. You ever seen Cheaper by the Dozen? Yeah, they do like the whole tournament at the camp.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They do like the whole tournament at the camp. Yes, so like gunny sack, races, archery, canoeing, kayaking.
Speaker 1:We talked about like a fishing tournament or a golf one, but I love to throw tournaments over sports I don't know anything about, like cornhole. I did not know cornhole was a serious sport.
Speaker 2:You know, Jordan was telling us about some of the people that came to the cornhole tournament.
Speaker 1:I did not know. People have their own bags and boards.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, no, no me neither.
Speaker 1:I thought it was just something people did in the backyard. Yeah, I did not know.
Speaker 2:Nope, I think there's people that'll take anything to the extreme. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, we'll be more prepared for that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, at least have a healthy disclaimer. Yes, yeah, at least have a healthy disclaimer.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was fun though.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a lot of cool stuff in Durant. I mean we have Pickleball now there's disc golf courses everywhere.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of community events which I had no idea about until I did Leadership Durant and I had no idea there was so much stuff going on all the time yeah.
Speaker 2:So how did you like Leadership Durant?
Speaker 1:Loved it. I would never leave. Yeah, if Janet would let me stay and do it every single year.
Speaker 2:Careful what you say, though she may give you a job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she might. No, I loved it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their career or their involvement in the community.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Pain Project would not be a thing without it, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's interesting, you know, because our, our nonprofit came out of Leadership Durant too. Oh, really, yeah. So the nonprofit that we started, uh, the guy and I, the the gentleman that the co-founders, you know, we met in Leadership Durant.
Speaker 1:So you've done Leadership. Yeah, did you love it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was good. It was good Yep. So we, we met in Leadership. Durant kind of had the idea, and that was the, that was the genesis for us as well. Yeah, so what did you? What did you?
Speaker 1:enjoy most about Leadership Durant. So when I first started Leadership Durant, I could not talk in front of anybody. I could not walk into a room by myself, I could not. I was just so closed off and nervous and I was just a walking panic attack basically. So I've really grown. I would never have done this. Yeah, I look at you now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Look at me.
Speaker 1:Yeah no. Jana says like I'm one of the most changed she's ever had from start to beginning, because I was, I could not, I could not do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's saying a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it just made me a better person professionally and maybe not professionally because I'm still me, but it made me not so scared. Yeah, talk to people and I didn't even know. I like networking. I love that. I love going to places and talking to people now and yeah. I love the whole. Thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, experience. Well, you're definitely an E, and on the Myers-Briggs then. So we've narrowed one letter down. Then you have to take the test. There's only three more to go, so that's awesome. Yeah, yeah. So leadership, leadership, leadership grant is cool. Um, so you sort of came out of your shell. For sure, enjoy getting to know people, networking, but I'm sure I mean you were, um, a cosmetologist yes, I still am yeah. So I mean I'm sure you are very outgoing and talk to people a lot whenever you're doing that, right?
Speaker 1:I mean kind of, I've just had the same people all forever, so that's just given my first. Yeah, um, I was like I wanted to be outgoing, but I was too scared to be outgoing, I guess. Yeah, I would never like approach a room by myself, or yeah, I needed to warm up before I could be outgoing, I guess.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, interesting, well, cool. So leadership grants and tournaments, so it sounds like kind of the two, at least the two big things that you guys do are the angel trees and the backpacks.
Speaker 1:Yes, so far.
Speaker 2:Those kind of big things yes.
Speaker 1:And then I want a scholarship. I want to do a scholarship one day.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's kind of like big long-term goal. Yes, scholarship, that's a great goal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and expand more than just this little Texoma area. Yeah, and hopefully, like maybe there'll be a painting project in Oklahoma City or one day it hasn't even been six months yeah.
Speaker 2:So like looking forward into the future, like what?
Speaker 1:do you?
Speaker 2:want to accomplish.
Speaker 1:I want it to be this is dreaming big a nationwide nonprofit, Like I want it to be, one where, when people, when you hear theing Project, people aren't like what's that? I just want it to be known.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a big goal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, big, real big, we'll see.
Speaker 2:It is Cool. Well, that I mean, why not?
Speaker 1:We need to start with outside of Marin County, but we'll get there. Yeah, I agree like I said, it's only been six months and people are already finding out about it, like I've been placed in there. One time somebody was like are you the painting project girl?
Speaker 2:and I was like it's a matter of fact, I am, yeah but also I don't like to take all the credit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm not that person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've got a. I mean, it sounds like you've got a good board and some good people that have really partnered with you, and it takes a community to move something like this forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're great, and they're great with all my random ideas and Jordan's great at telling me no. So, he keeps us. Like I said, he keeps us in line.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We'll throw all these things together and then we're like, okay, who's telling Jordan? Yeah, and always got me, that's awesome, Okay. So you know you, you had some really great stories about, um, the kids, like the kids that were impacted by these, but tell me about some of the adults like how, how are the adults impacted? Or what's the story that comes to mind when you think about the adults being impacted by the angel tree?
Speaker 1:The adults, so the parents of the angels. Some of them come to me in tears when they're picking up gifts and just like, want to thank me and give me a hug, and you can tell that they're literally a Christmas miracle and their kids would not have anything without it. But then there are adults who see me who just know about the painting project and know the kind of kids that we help, and they come to me and they're just so grateful and almost in tears because they were that kid that needed, whose parents needed help, and they are the kid who wouldn't have got Christmas without the angel trees. Or they're the kids who never had a new backpack or never had school supplies, or they were the kids that the teachers just kind of passed through the system because they are smelly or they don't have the best parents or just have been judged on their circumstances. And that's what we want to do. We want to make sure, regardless of the circumstances, that they don't have to deal with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's powerful. So how you know about? How much do people spend on these angels?
Speaker 1:It depends. Some people have $20 to spend on the list and then some list will have a Nintendo Switch and people are like, okay, that's what they want. So I don't control shopping, so it's anywhere.
Speaker 2:Like some people but you get to pick that right though, like that's on the tree. Whatever you pick up, you can see what they want.
Speaker 1:So on the list people take an angel and sometimes they'll buy one outfit, one toy. Sometimes they'll buy one toy. Sometimes we'll get everything on the list plus more, so everybody's shop's a little bit different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's powerful. Yeah, I mean just to think about, like, just the impact that 20 to 200 bucks can have Right One time. Either 20 to $200 spend can impact someone for the rest of their life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then a lot of people will be like I can't afford to do a whole list and I don't want to take a whole list. If I can't afford to do it, so can I donate $10, $20? And we take that money and we budget out how much angel tree money we have and we'll take it and go shopping for list and do all the stuff ourselves. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's powerful. I think about you know. Uh, there there was a quote that I read, and I think I read this today, like almost right before this podcast. So, um, so, I do jujitsu, that's kind of my, my hobby.
Speaker 2:And this, this jujitsu professor, he, he gave everyone in his class and it might've been like a college professor, I don't know exactly what the context was of of who the gentleman, but so he gave everyone in in in their class of balloon and he had them blow it up, write their name on it, and he just like filled up the picture that was on this meme. It was like a hallway full of balloons with people's names on them and the assignment was you have five minutes. Go find your balloon, like, go find the balloon with your name on it. Of course nobody could do it Right, and so he brings the class back together. He said, okay, different this time. Of course nobody could do it Right, and so he brings the class back together.
Speaker 2:He said, okay, different this time. You have five minutes. Pick up the first balloon that you come to and whoever's name is on it, you hand it to that person. And they were able to do it. Yeah, so, and the idea was that that's how happiness works, right? So in order for you to get yours, you have to give one away, like you actually experience more happiness by giving than you do receiving which For sure, obviously, that's biblical. So I thought that was just a kind of a cool analogy that came to my mind whenever you were talking.
Speaker 1:Amen, wow, I love that Yep, kind of a cool analogy that came to my mind whenever you were talking. Amen, wow, I love that, yeah.
Speaker 2:So if, uh, if anybody wants to find you or you know, grab an angel off an angel tree or support, support your project. Like how do they, how do they do that?
Speaker 1:Um, you can go to wwwthepaintingprojectorg and Okay, and you can if you want to donate, but you don't want to do the shopping. You can donate, we'll do the shopping. You can go to local businesses like Gattis, we'll have an angel tree.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we will have one.
Speaker 1:Pick out your own angel to do the shopping. You can email us at angeltree, at thepainaintprojectorg, and just tell us you want an angel and we'll get the list sent over to you. Okay, follow us on all socials. We keep it pretty updated, awesome, and any way you want to tell me you want an angel write me a letter. I don't care, she didn't send me.
Speaker 2:Letter email, snail mail.
Speaker 1:Anything, okay, I will figure it out and I'll get you anything to get these kiddos adopted and yeah, have a good christmas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's incredible. Yeah, well, kristin, I really appreciate you coming on the podcast. I just I love hearing your heart for the community and just how just you can I mean you can see how important it is to you to to have an impact yes, so thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:I love to get into share Peyton's story and my story.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, thank you. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yep and thank you everybody for listening. We really appreciate it. If you like this podcast, please do not forget to like and subscribe you.
