Discover the heartwarming legacy of Father Champlin as Krista Wright from the Guardian Angel Society joins us in our Inner Harbor Media Studios. Together, we honor 27 years of empowering underprivileged kids through education and mentorship—a testament to Father Champlin's dream. Reflecting on my personal encounters with the late Father, the conversation weaves through the invaluable support provided by the society, from tuition aid to life-enriching tutoring programs. Krista highlights how everyone holds the key to change, whether it's through donations or the gift of time, and shares how to join this passionate community of volunteers and benefactors.
Feel the thrill of our annual Kentucky Derby party and other festive events orchestrated by the Guardian Angel Society, where camaraderie meets charity. The episode captures the essence of these vibrant gatherings—complete with Southern buffets, live tunes, and contests—that fund the society's noble mission to brighten futures through education. Krista Wright guides us through the steps families can take to apply for tuition assistance, opening doors for children at Cathedral Academy at Pompeii and beyond. Tune in for an inspiring dialogue that celebrates the transformational power of education and how each of us can contribute to a child's journey toward success.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Discover the heartwarming legacy of Father Champlin as Krista Wright from the Guardian Angel Society joins us in our Inner Harbor Media Studios. Together, we honor 27 years of empowering underprivileged kids through education and mentorship—a testament to Father Champlin's dream. Reflecting on my personal encounters with the late Father, the conversation weaves through the invaluable support provided by the society, from tuition aid to life-enriching tutoring programs. Krista highlights how everyone holds the key to change, whether it's through donations or the gift of time, and shares how to join this passionate community of volunteers and benefactors.
Feel the thrill of our annual Kentucky Derby party and other festive events orchestrated by the Guardian Angel Society, where camaraderie meets charity. The episode captures the essence of these vibrant gatherings—complete with Southern buffets, live tunes, and contests—that fund the society's noble mission to brighten futures through education. Krista Wright guides us through the steps families can take to apply for tuition assistance, opening doors for children at Cathedral Academy at Pompeii and beyond. Tune in for an inspiring dialogue that celebrates the transformational power of education and how each of us can contribute to a child's journey toward success.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Everybody and good morning and welcome to the Inner Harbor cast. And this morning it's all about our community connections and proud to have in the Inner Harbor Media Studios Kristen Wright, who is the Operations and Marketing Director of Father Chaplin's Guardian Angel Society. Is that right Did I get?
Speaker 2:it right.
Speaker 1:It's like a long name but I know I've actually talked to others within the organization and it's always a pleasure to have that opportunity and to talk and talk about Father Champlin and you know what you do for the youth in our community or those that need some education as well. You have some great events. We're going to talk about that, but first of all tell us a little bit of you know Father Champlin. Who was he, what has he done and where are we today?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Father Champlin was a Catholic priest in the Syracuse community for several years. He worked at several different churches and he was a pillar in this community. For sure. I always joke everywhere I go. I never got to meet him myself, but I get to learn so many different stories and I feel like I know him now through that. You know, he always had candy for the kids, he always was able to talk to anybody and make them feel like they were the only person in the room, and we really try to live by how he lived. Um, and we really am so honored to live on his legacy. Uh, cause education was so important to him, which is why the guardian Angel Society was created.
Speaker 1:And how long ago was that created?
Speaker 2:That was 1997. So we are on 27 years this year. Yeah, he realized 27 years ago that graduation rates were not great in the city of Syracuse. I think it was 38% back then.
Speaker 1:No, way Wow.
Speaker 2:And so he wanted to do something about it. So he created the Guardian Angel Society to help underprivileged youth go to parochial school, which is why we offer that tuition aid, the mentorship and the tutorship, because he also thought that that was important as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because without that you can't go.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Right. So being able to provide that to those in need or those that are not getting an education like they should be, this is one way that father could help out In turn everybody can help out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so how long have you been there? I have been there since September of 2020. Wow, so a couple of years now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Kind of being the operations and marketing director. You have a lot on your plate, I would assume.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Operations is a catch all for everything.
Speaker 1:And you got to get the message out there.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, and it's so much fun to be able to do that, and it's so important to be able to do stuff like this, which is why we're always so thankful when we get to do stuff like this, because we really can't do this without the community's support.
Speaker 1:Well, we can't do what we do without your support. So it all kind of goes together. We were talking, before the lights and the cameras went on, about the fact that, uh, producer Carol and myself used to work somewhere else. Father Champlin would come in and just say a few words and when he walked through those glass doors from where we were, it just and it's so true, I'm getting look, I'm getting chicken noodles talking about this, but, uh, it's just everything, all the stress and everything just seemed to go away while he was in our offices and, uh, I'm serious, look at it, I got goosebumps. So it was just the way it was, and I know he's probably that's why I have goosebumps, because he's maybe breathing down the back of my neck right now or something watching this. But it's just. You know, he's such a great guy and very understanding and everything that he believed in and what he preached was hopefully what, you know, most of us believe in as Better person Made me a better person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a better person. Eight Okay.
Speaker 1:All right. So it was back in the early 2000s that producer Carol and myself were over there and we were able to experience a lot of that, which is pretty cool. So this obviously, with the Father Champlin's Guardian Angel Society, you need to have funds. You need to be able to provide for the youth that need to get an education. You want to help out where you can help out. Where do a lot of these funds come from?
Speaker 2:All of our funds come from donors, essentially, so we can apply to grants and things like that, but nothing. There's no state or government funding for our type of stuff.
Speaker 2:So everything is literally out of the goodness of our donors' hearts and we are blessed with generous people. But yeah, it's these big fundraisers and stuff and getting more people involved Because we also like to say you know, it's time, treasure and talent as well, because if you can't afford, you know I get it. I'm a young person myself. I can't afford to give a bunch of money to places. No, exactly but I can definitely volunteer my time.
Speaker 2:And that's just as important for us as well, which is the benefit of having that mentor tutor program as well. For us, you can mentor a kid.
Speaker 1:There you go. So it's not only the monetary side of things, it's if you can't do that which you were just speaking of, it's people like myself, or maybe I have a friend that wants. You know I can't do that, but you know what? I want to give my time, which is just as valuable. So you take volunteers, you do. And how does one become a volunteer?
Speaker 2:So if you go to our website, which is guardianangelsocorg, there's a volunteer application that goes directly to my email address, as a matter of fact. And then I talk with Jill, who's our program person. Um, she's our development program director uh, well, manager, rather um and she helps coordinate all of that um to make sure that we can have everybody um up to date with all the trainings and everything like that so we can get them into those schools talking to those kids. Um, and if that's not your thing, we also have committees where you can help us put on these type of events. So if I know like my twin sister's an event person, right, so I always call her and I'm like, hey, use your event stuff for me.
Speaker 1:So stuff like that. I love it. I love it. Now, Father Champlin, he would have been 93?
Speaker 2:94.
Speaker 1:94.
Speaker 2:94 in May, oh my goodness, because he was 1929. 94. No 30, rather yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, I know you had a big event when he turned 93. You were doing $93 certificates to the In Between. I believe in Camillus, I think that was. We are still doing that. You are still 94 this time, so now they're 94. Yes, tell us a about that if you will yeah.
Speaker 2:So chris sasta from the in-between is such a good friend to the society. I was actually on the phone with him yesterday. It's their 50th anniversary this year too, which is great okay um, but he is so generous where he partners with us where if you give us a 94 donation this year in honor of father's birthday, you all go ahead and get a 94 certificate to the in-between and you can go have dinner there.
Speaker 1:What a great idea. Yeah, you know, $94.
Speaker 2:So it gets you one heck of a meal if you know what I mean and, as you know, I'm sure you've been to the in-between.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I grew up in Camilla, so I'm very familiar with it. Yeah, it was great. Yeah, that's an awesome opportunity and they that's helping you raise some much needed funds. But what about the Kentucky Derby? I know you guys go all out each and every year for this event.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this is our fourth Kentucky Derby party. We've been doing it for four years now. We had to pause a little bit during COVID, but we aren't going to talk about that.
Speaker 1:No, no, we don't go back to those days.
Speaker 2:But this is our fourth one, so it started in 2019. But what we do is 300 of our closest friends go to the Marriott Syracuse downtown and we watch the Kentucky Derby Party live. We have a Southern buffet brought to you by the Marriott. That's really good. You dance the night away with Atlas playing as the band. There's a pick-a-pony contest, there's the hat contest and the best-dressed contest, and then we also have a wine pool, which is new the last year or two.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:And then we have 10th Mountain Whiskey. Comes all the way from Vail, colorado, and brings us all the whiskey, which is why all of us get a mint julep, because that's our Kentucky Derby drink. Yes, everybody dresses up. It's a super fun event.
Speaker 1:So you wear the hats and all that.
Speaker 2:Well, yes, yes, absolutely. We have the dresses, we have the hats, we always have the gentlemen, the pastel suits, which is always fun. It's such a fun event because you can also wear ridiculous things that you never get to wear anywhere else.
Speaker 1:Exactly, you can have fun doing that, and I don't know if you mentioned this or not, and I apologize if I missed it, but do you do like the best dressed and stuff like that? Yeah, so we have a best dressed contest.
Speaker 2:So it's best dressed woman, man and hat, because the hat's such a big thing. And then we also have really really great raffle baskets as well. We usually have 20 to 25 raffle baskets.
Speaker 1:Is it like a silent auction or you just write down?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we usually have a silent auction, and then you can get raffle tickets as well for raffle baskets.
Speaker 1:And 100% of this goes back to Father Champlin's Guardian.
Speaker 2:Angels Society. Yeah to our mission absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah to the mission of providing a good education for those youth that need it. Yeah, so I like that. So if I wanted to go, what do I need to do to get involved?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so if you want to go to our Kentucky Derby Party, you can call our office at 315-422-7218. And any of us on the phone can help you out with getting your tickets. You can also go online, as I've mentioned a couple times now Our website. It's right there and we can just go from there. There's several different options. We have sponsorships available as well, If you have a company that's really interested.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask about that because we get a lot of those businesses that watch our Inner Harbor cast because we're so involved in the community that they're going to go. This is a cool event. How do I get involved? So they just go to the website.
Speaker 2:Yep, you can go to the website or give us a call and if you have any questions, all of us are available to answer any questions in the office. It's $95 a ticket. If you're going, you know just yourself.
Speaker 1:And it's a ton of fun. It sounds like a ton of fun, and every year I've spoken to somebody from Father Champlin's Guardian Angel Society about this event and it just seems like, you know, to be honest with you, it seems like it's getting bigger and bigger and bigger and better and better and better. You know, it's always been great, don't get me wrong, but it just seems like there's always something bigger and better every year. Yeah, and it's just great. Now this is, of course, somebody that wants to give it's a tax write-off as well. Correct? Yep, it's a 501c3.
Speaker 2:We are a 501c3. Yeah, so donations are deductible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we are talking with Krista Wright, who is the Operation Marketing Director Father Champlin's Guardian Angels Society. Do you have any other big events or is this like the major event?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we have. This is our signature event, so this is the biggest event we do. But, throughout the year. We also have a golf tournament in August. Oh okay, it's out in Radisson and the Radisson Golf Course in Baldwinsville Beautiful area. Yes it is so that's August 8th this year.
Speaker 1:We have a St Patrick's Day event in March because we have a couple Irish board members and it's a ton of fun. Is there where they cook the food, or somebody? What happened? I know it's after the fact now, but maybe for next time around, do you have a restaurant involved or do you have a chef come in and cook? If I remember correctly, there was something that you guys were doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this year Green Hills Farms catered for us.
Speaker 1:And it was absolutely fantastic.
Speaker 2:And the Taunton Fire Department hosted us so that was super cool. Father Champlin was a priest on the West side for a very very long time, so we love going back to the West side. It feels like home from the West side. Yep, it feels like home. So Taunton was super generous and opened up their doors for us to be able to do that this year.
Speaker 1:So you had that event, you've got the Kentucky Derby, you've got the $94 monetary donation. In the in-between, we'll give you $94 certificate. Anything else? Yeah, just's huge though. You know, golf is huge. There's no doubt about that around here. It's really big, and if you can get a team together, and even if you don't play golf, why not? I mean, it's all for a great cause.
Speaker 2:I have no idea how to play golf, but I have a ton of fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, it's what it's all about. Uh again, talking to Krista right, the operations and Marketing Director for Father Champlin's Guardian Angel Society. I want to make sure I get that right Again. What is the website?
Speaker 2:It's wwwguardianangelsocorg.
Speaker 1:There you go, and what are you going to find on the website?
Speaker 2:You'll find information about the society, you'll figure out how to be able to volunteer if you want to be able to volunteer, and we have a shop that has all of our events.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask about buying stuff so you can do it all right there online.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a little shop section right there on the main banner.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to thank you for coming in today and chatting a little bit on the Inner Harbor cast. We're so involved in the community here with the four radio stations that we have in Inner Harbor Media, and that's what we're about. We're about hometown proud, you're about hometown proud. Speaking of that, the Father Chaplains Guardian Angel Society. Is this the only place in the country that we have something like this?
Speaker 2:Yes, so Syracuse, we only support the kids in Syracuse. Okay, so we give $85,000 in tuition assistance to underprivileged kids in Syracuse every year. They go and we follow them K through 12, unlike other scholarship programs, which is what's cool. So once a kid starts with us in kindergarten, they have us through graduation, because that's our goal and we can boast that Father Champlin's Guardian Angel Society does have a 100% graduation rate.
Speaker 1:I love that and I remember that fact and that's so cool. One thing I didn't ask him before we let you go today how does somebody get involved in getting the tuition assistance?
Speaker 2:Right. So if right now the way it works is is our kids go to Cathedral Academy at Pompeii, we will continue to support children after Cathedral Academy at Pompeii closes Obviously everybody's heard about that. And then they have a. We have an application on our website for tuition aid. Ok, so as long as they start as a Catholic elementary school, specifically Cathedral Academy of Pompeii right now, they go on to the Catholic high schools and we follow them from there.
Speaker 1:And the thing to do is jump on the website, fill out the application and then you take it from there.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, for all of our underprivileged and the development directors at the Catholic schools are really good with working with us to be able to get that through.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. You know what You're wonderful, you're blessed.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're so happy to be here, you know we're talking to Krista.
Speaker 1:I knew I would say that sooner or later. Krista Wright, the operations and marketing director at Father Champlin's Guardian Angel Society, big thank you for being here today. It's such a pleasure to meet you. I look to having the opportunity to do this again soon and we can't wait for the Kentucky Derby party. Get all the information on the website and we'll post it right below as well, in the comments. So there you go. Thank you for being here today.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. It was great it's a pleasure.