Season 3 EP1 - Mission Warmth - Greg Eckert, Colleen Kelley, Kim Rosmarin

Welcome to Season 3 - Episode 1 of The Bridge to Kindness Project Podcast

"Good Guys, Doing Good" made possible by EPS

On this Episode you will hear from the following organization:

Mission Warmth - Greg Eckert, Colleen Kelley, Kim Rosmarin             00:00 - 22:00

Each episode features interviews on how you can be involved, volunteer, donate and make a difference being a part of these non-profits in our region.  To learn how your organization can become a part of The Bridge to Kindness project send an email to theBridgetoKindness@gmail.com.  Thanks for listening!  New episodes air each week at 1pm on Saturdays.

You can also find out about The Bridge to Kindness Project by visiting our website at www.TheBridgetoKindness.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:15

Welcome to season three and episode one of the Bridge to Kindness Podcast. I'm Ron Smith. This podcast is made possible through the generosity of EPS, signature carpet care, Pathways Financial Credit Union, Express's Florida Design, and Lindsay Honda. Today we have our monthly feature, Good Guys Doing Good, courtesy of our friends at EPS. On our website, thebridge tokindness.com, you'll find out more about our mission and have access to links to the organization's websites we spotlight, as well as an archive of the interviews we have here on the podcast. We would love to hear from you, whether you're a volunteer or you lead a nonprofit organization. You can reach us through the website or email us at the bridge tokindness at gmail.com. With us today is Greg Eckert, one of the co-founders and the executive director of Mission Warren. He served our country for 23 years in the U.S. Navy, so he knows what it means to be on mission. He has a passion specifically for helping the homeless, even more specifically, homeless veterans. He has brought with him two team members to the meeting today, Kim and Colleen, that are part of this amazing work here in the Columbus region. Kim Rosmerin is the Director of Inventory and Mission Outreach Volunteer Lead. Colleen Kelly is a member of the fundraising committee and one of the annual fundraiser committee leads. She's also a mission outreach volunteer. Welcome to all of you. Greg, share with us how your military background and what led you to get involved in the homeless mission.

SPEAKER_04 1:53

What got us started with this uh is we've been inviting an organization from Painesville called Sub Zero Mission down to do a uh homeless outreach uh every year since 2015. And there was such a need for the outreach that uh we decided to start our own organization in 2022. Um my background is is I'm a retired military, uh Navy um submariner uh and a surface warfare guy. But uh so I was doing homeless outreach throughout my career at the various duty stations that I went to. Um being a veteran, uh we always reached out to the the VA and a lot of the people. Uh I saw guys that had disabilities leave that needed help. Uh unfortunately saw some of those folks uh end up living out in the land. So it was always kind of near and dear to my heart to help veterans. So when I moved to Columbus uh back in 2004, I just started working with the organizations there as well. And uh the veterans, uh the VA, but it also opened my eyes here in Columbus to how many unsheltered homeless people there are living out on the land. And it was kind of discouraging. So that got me into it. But back to the story with Sub-Zero missions. So it was kind of a natural trans uh transformation to help them when they would come down into Columbus. So we were their guides, uh their scouts for the camps, and then they would show up for a mission. And like I said, there was just such a demand for it, and every year we just saw the numbers grow and grow and grow that we in 2022 said, let's start our own organization because once a year just didn't suffice for uh we wanted to be there all all winter long and to be able to do uh more outreach. So we did. And uh our numbers of people we served have grown significantly from I think the first year was around 380. Uh and this last year we served uh 1943. So um like I always tell people it'd be nice to not have to do this work, but uh unfortunately in Columbus, Central Ohio, it's only getting worse. Um so so that's what's uh just has motivated me um to continue doing the work we do and God bless all the volunteers we have. Our organization has grown and grown and grown. Uh we are a nonprofit, 501c3, and uh we have approximately 90 uh volunteers and we have no paid positions. So out of the goodness of their hearts, uh they're going out into the cold winter nights and helping uh reach people that need warming supplies.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

What are the primary items that you deliver and provide through this mission?

SPEAKER_04 4:57

The primary items that we deliver are what we refer to as a stay alive five. And um they're boots, hats, coats, gloves, and sleeping bags, and they're very heavy items. Um you can imagine people that are you know stay alive, and our motto is no one should freeze to death. So it kind of gives you an idea of what we're delivering. Um, waterproof sleeping bags, waterproof coats, waterproof boots, heavy-duty gloves, uh, because this might be their only um items that are gonna keep them from freezing to death. So, and we also deliver tents and tarps, hand and toe warmers, uh warm socks, more a warm uh emergency warming blankets. Uh we give them some water and uh kind of a tradition of ours based on a friend of mine and one of the uh co-founders' uh husbands, Chris Damo. He used to go around and would hand out Pop Tarts. So um we we've uh keep that tradition going. And uh we also have some survival suits. So these are the items if people are going to help us, that's what we're buying. And they're they're not inexpensive items. So we're not just giving them, you know, what's the uh cheapest items we can give. We want to make sure they're gonna stay alive and they're gonna leave the bus, going back out into their the woods or wherever they go, and they're gonna survive. And and it's really good when we see that people coming, as Kim alluded to, they're crying, they don't know what's going on. And out of the darkness comes this bus. And people you know leave the bus and they start handing out not just kind of warm stuff, but extremely warm items. And you know, the one of the things that just touches my heart every time is we give this to them, and as they're heading back to the woods, they turn to us and say, Hey, you guys stay warm. And we're like, you know, us stay warm, we're gonna go back and take a shower and sleep in a nice warm bed. So we want to make sure that we're providing really good items. So when people I just want to make sure they understand they're donating for good life-saving uh items.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

Kim, this seemed like a natural fit for you as well.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

I've always been involved with a lot of nonprofit and volunteering through raising four kids and through their school and that kind of stuff. So it's always been an interest to me to help others. And uh my husband and I have been friends with Greg and his family since they moved here. So when he decided to start Mission Warm, he reached out to me, knew my organizational skills, and asked me to be the inventory director. And it is just grown from there. And it's a it's he's right out, it's a passion I have. I love what we do. Um so I've been doing it from the start.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

Colleen, you have a unique connection to Mission Warm through relationships that you've had in the nonprofit community.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

I mean, similarly, uh, I've always had a passion for, you know, helping um unhoused folks, people um, you know, who are in a tough position, um, something I've always been interested in. And then a couple years ago, um I got connected with a gal I went to high school with, Katherine Sander, um and her family, the Damo family, who are also um the co-founders of Mission Warmth. And I really loved what I was seeing from social media and the things that uh she was sharing about the organization. So um I initially got involved just as a volunteer to do the outreach, um, but I've worked in nonprofits and I've worked in fundraising. Um, and so I thought I could bring a little bit of what I knew from, you know, my my career uh to help with some of the fundraising that we do. So I'm on the fundraising committee now and try to do as much as I can to spread the word and help gain some financial support to fund our mission.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

As a resident of the Columbus region, Colleen, how has doing this work impacted you?

SPEAKER_01 8:56

It's it's really wonderful. I I have lived in Columbus almost my whole life. I was born and raised here. Um, and I think it's opened my eyes a lot to the need that's right here around us. Um, you know, you you see folks who are unhoused, you know, here and there, um, you know, at bus stops. And I know that there's, you know, warming shelters and and food kitchens and all that. Um, but going on the missions and visiting camps that are largely hidden from our eyes uh was really, really eye-opening about the need that's right here in Central Ohio and in Columbus. Um so it's it's really made me more aware of the needs that are, you know, right around us that we might not see every day. Um, and then also I've met a lot of great people. All of the volunteers involved are fantastic and so passionate and wonderful. It's a really great community that Mission Warmth has built. Um, and feeling like you can just do even a little tiny bit to help the folks that are around us is totally worth it.

SPEAKER_03 9:56

Kim, you also have a personal experience in doing this work that really impacted you. Can you share with us the story that really demonstrates how sometimes circumstances lead to homelessness?

SPEAKER_02 10:07

One specific was, and this was probably two years ago, there was a woman that came up. Um she had flip-flops on, no socks, very, very cold. Um, so we immediately got our supplies, gave her warm socks to put on, found the boots her size, gave her a chair to put them on, and uh she was really in tears um at the at the you know the supplies we were giving her. And through our blue coats working outside the bus, we found out um that she was once a nurse who at the VA hospital and had ended up with a brain aneurysm, I believe, which caused her to lose her job, and that's how she ended up uh you know in the homeless camp. And it just kind of shows you also there isn't one type of person that lives out of these camps. Uh it's not just people that are on drugs, it's not criminals, it's it's you know, people down on their luck, and you know, and she was trying, you know, uh to find a way out. But just being able to help her that night um really humbled me a lot.

SPEAKER_03 11:20

Greg, what are the areas that you serve today that you'd like to expand to make a greater impact?

SPEAKER_04 11:26

We'd like to you know do a expand our search of the unsheltered to be able to better predict where they might be so we can be more efficient reaching out to them. Uh over the years, uh we have we've gained a pretty good reputation, especially with the community shelter board, who appreciates uh us knowing where the people are, how they move. Um we're getting more involved with that kind of I would say city government, but it's not you know, we're not attached to the hip, but they know the effectiveness of us reaching out. So uh I'd like to stay involved with that and make more of an impact on transitioning folks from living on the land to permanent shelter, whichever however we can. So um I think we're in a good place to be able to do some of that work uh just by the relationships we built.

SPEAKER_03 12:30

When we come back, we'll talk with the team about where they're making the greatest impact with this amazing mission. It's mission warm. You're listening to the Bridge the Kindness podcast. I'm Ron Smith. We'll be right back.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Thank you for joining us today on the Bridge to Kindness Podcast. Today's episode is made possible through the generosity of EPS, Pathways Financial Credit Union, Signature Carpet Care, Expressions Floral Design, and Lindsay Honda. To reach us, you can email us at thebrid2kindness at gmail.com. We would love to hear from you whether you want to nominate an organization to be on our show or share with us your own experience in the nonprofit industry. That's thebridge tokindness at gmail.com. For additional information about today's guests at the organization's spotlight, go to www.thhebridge tokindness.com. That's thebridge tokindness.com.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Welcome back to the Bridge to Kindness Podcast. I'm Ron Smith, joined today by some of the leadership team members of Mission Warmth. Greg Eckert is one of the co-founders of this mission. Greg, where do you find you're making the biggest difference in your work today?

SPEAKER_04 14:15

We're making the biggest difference by being able to be there for the people that are most vulnerable. Um kind of back to the numbers I talked about. The first year 380, and now we're at almost 2,000. How we do that is by the our more effective way of scouting the camps. We call reconnaissance. And again, we got a lot of military terminology just because I understand that. And uh but going out there and being ever present. Um we go out once or twice a week, we figure out where people are so that when our mission team gets on the bus, we load it, we can go right to camps and make a you know, we we are serving maybe 25 people a night to over a hundred now. So and we're getting just in time warming supplies uh to the folks. Uh we run into people that are are suffering from hypothermia, uh frostbite, and I know a couple stories where I really believe if we hadn't have been there providing the just-in-time warming supplies, they wouldn't have made it through the night.

SPEAKER_03 15:23

Kim, can you share with us how people can get involved with this mission?

SPEAKER_02 15:27

There's a lot of ways to to engage. Um, I mean, we do have volunteers that literally do go on, you know, out on the missions on the bus, serving the people. Um and then there's a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff, you know, the behind the scenes volunteers and and people can also, you know, donate through, you know, monetary donations, you know, our inventory. Uh, we're always looking for coats and boots and hats. And um, you know, our website provides all those resources to let them know how they can help, you know, on that end.

SPEAKER_03 16:00

Colleen, what type of background would someone need to help out?

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Echoing what what Ken said, there are so many opportunities to get involved that really folks with any type of background can find a place. Um, you know, visiting our website, mission-warm.org, you can read more about the different ways to get involved. Um, obviously, going on the missions is kind of the highlight of it all because you actually get to go and provide the hands-on and the face-to-face service to folks. Um, but if that's not your style or for um folks that don't want to be out at night on Friday uh evenings in the winter, um, getting involved with our inventory, hosting um, you know, corporate uh donation drives or fundraising. We've had a lot of schools that get involved by hosting fundraisers or hosting donation drives, um, putting together care packs that we can take out with some of the smaller items, you know, hand warmers and socks and things like that are ways that groups have gotten involved. So whether you're an individual looking to make an individual impact by showing up, or if you're a group who wants to organize an activity to get involved, anyone can can be involved and play a part in our mission. So um come one, come all.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

This is a situation, Greg, that we can all help with in some way. What do you feel is the most important takeaway from our time together?

SPEAKER_04 17:23

It's not a a large organization, but I think we make a big impact. And I will add to what can people do, it's just awareness. Um these programs that we've been on on other radio stations, other or it makes a big impact, and and people, it's just their eyes are open. I think Colleen alluded to it. It's there's a lot of people from this area that aren't aware of how dire the situation is in Columbus and how big it's growing. Um uh the community shelter board, they go out once a year and do their point-in-time uh counts. Uh it went up 43% this year from uh people living outside. And the uh housing uh uh and urban development said they feel that in Columbus by 2028 the numbers will go up 68%. So it's not going the the the direction we're hoping it can go. Uh so that is something I mean just to make people aware of that and to have organizations, and we're not the only one. I gotta give shout outs to other organizations doing a lot of work trying to help them. But uh I think our commitment, our proactiveness, our going directly to the camps is makes a difference, and that's what kind of sets us apart. Um and so any way people could just help us, uh financial is a wonderful way to help us because our missions do cost uh quite a bit. It's about five thousand dollars for us to go on a mission. And last year we did uh 21 missions. Um now we do you know we go out on Friday nights or we refer to our big missions, but throughout the week people can contact us. So we have people going out every day of the week, delivering just one-offs, you know, point, you know, point to point. So we're we're always around and the the unsheltered people appreciate and know that we're going to be there and can be counted on.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

You have an important event coming up in the middle of this month, Colleen, and you have a special invitation to our listeners to take part.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

So last summer, uh, we did our first ever big summer fundraiser. And so this is the second annual. Summer is a critical time for our fundraising because through the winter, obviously, we give out all of our inventory, and summer is our time to stock back up on our coats, hats, boots, gloves, sleeping bags, tents. Um, so our big summer fundraiser is coming up July 19th. It's at Edison Brewing Company in Gehana from 5 to 8 p.m. Um, it's really just a fun, family-friendly gathering. So we have live music from the Fair Weathered. We'll have raffles and silent auctions and 50-50. Um, Edison Brewing Company obviously has uh food and beverages both for adults and kids. Um, and we'll have outdoor games and information about mission warmth. Um, so if folks are looking to get involved or just learn a little bit more or want to support us through our fundraising, I would definitely encourage people to come out to Edison Brewing on July 19th, which is a Sunday, to learn a little bit more, to get involved, to hopefully win some fun prizes and get to know some of our volunteers and supporters. Um, it's going to be a lot of fun. We raised um over $7,000 last year, and we're looking uh and aiming and um expecting to raise that this year um even further. So would love to see people there.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Thank you, Greg, Kim, and Colleen for sharing such great information about Mission Warmth with us today. You all definitely bring our theme today on our podcast of Good Guys Doing Good. Keep up the great work and making a difference. That brings to a close this edition of the Birch to Kindness podcast. This podcast is made possible through the generosity of TPS, signature carpet care, Pathways Financial Credit Union, Expression's Florida Design, and Lindsay Honda. Special thanks to the crew that makes up Mission War for joining us today. Take a moment and think about how you can engage with a nonprofit or an organization in your community to make a difference in those around you. Join us again on our next episode, and we'll profile more individuals and nonprofits in the Columbus region and share how they help people and how you can be involved. Until then, from all of us with the Bruce to Kindness, I'm Ron Smith. Make a difference, make an impact.