Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!
🎙️ Welcome to the Skip Happens Podcast – Your Backstage Pass to Country Music 🎶
Join veteran radio host Skip Clark as he dives deep into the heart of country music, where every episode tells a story worth hearing. From legendary country artists to rising Nashville stars, Skip Happens brings you raw, real, and revealing conversations you won’t find anywhere else.
🌟 Go beyond the spotlight as Skip connects with the people behind the music — exploring their journeys, their struggles, and the moments that shaped their careers. Whether it's laughter, inspiration, or a behind-the-scenes scoop, this podcast captures the true essence of country life.
🎧 Perfect for fans of authentic storytelling, Nashville culture, and anyone who loves the rhythm of a good conversation. Subscribe now and join us on this unforgettable ride through the world of country music and more.
👉 New episodes weekly! Don’t miss a beat – because when Skip happens, stories unfold.
#countrylife #nashville #musicjourney #podcast
www.youtube.com/@skiphappenspodcast
Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!
Erin’s Angels of CNY: Building Beds & Feeding Kids
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Erin’s Angels of CNY is doing powerful work for kids and families across Central New York — fighting food insecurity, supporting children, and helping create safer, healthier lives one meal and one bed at a time.
In this episode of the Inner Harbor Cast, Skip Clark sits down with Jack Pflanze, Director of Fund Development and Communications for Erin’s Angels of CNY, to talk about the upcoming Dream Builders Bed Build in partnership with Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
On Saturday, June 13, volunteers will gather at Michael A. Maroun Elementary School in Phoenix, NY, to help build 50 beds for children in Oswego County who do not have a bed of their own. Jack also shares the deeper connection between hunger, sleep, education, and childhood development — and opens up about his own personal experience growing up with food insecurity.
We also talk about a big weekend of events supporting Erin’s Angels, including the NFL Alumni Meet and Greet in Syracuse and the NFL Alumni Charity Golf Tournament at Drumlins.
This is a conversation about community, compassion, and showing up for kids who deserve food, sleep, safety, and a chance.
To learn more, volunteer, donate, or get involved, visit Erin’s Angels of CNY online and follow them on social media.
Hosted by Skip Clark
Inner Harbor Cast — Real conversations with real people doing real good in our community.
#ErinsAngelsCNY #InnerHarborCast #SkipClark #CentralNewYork #SyracuseNY #OswegoCounty #PhoenixNY #SleepInHeavenlyPeace #FoodInsecurity #CommunitySupport #CNYEvents #CharityGolf #NFLAlumni #HelpingKids #PodcastDescription
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/@skiphappenspodcast
Cold Open And Mission
SPEAKER_02And this will be edited in the beginning, but here we go coming to you to you in three, two, one. Good morning, and welcome back to the Inner Harbor Cast. Uh, in the Inner Harbor Broadcast Studios. My name is Skip Clark. I can tell you this is where real conversations meet real people doing real good in our community. And uh today I'm talking about something that hits the heart kids, hunger, sleep, dignity, and the power of the community showing up. Aaron's Angels of CNY has been doing incredible work to help make sure no kids go hungry. And now they're also part of something that will help kids in Oswego County, uh, everywhere else as well, overall, sleep better, feel better, and hopefully do better in school and in life. Uh, we're going to talk about the Dream Builders bed building uh happening on Fry uh Saturday, June 13th at the Michael A. Maroon, is it?
SPEAKER_00Michael A Maroon Elementary School.
SPEAKER_02That's in Phoenix, where volunteers will help build 50, get this 50 beds. It's 5'0 off a bed to sleep in. We'll also talk about a huge weekend of events with the NFL alumni uh alumni meet and greet that is happening on the 14th, and the annual charity golf tournament, which is happening the next day on the 15th of June. Um, both benefiting our friends at Aaron's Angels of CNY. This is a conversation. It's about kindness, it's about community, and it's about what happens when people decide uh kids deserve better. Jack Flange is joining me here today. He is the director of fund development and communications with Aaron's Angels. Jack, good morning. It's good to see you. Man, we you know, I just right off the top, you had the banquet uh a few weeks ago, and I was asked to be the MC, one of the MCs. Just thank you for that and being there and seeing how it all goes down with your sponsors and everything was just incredible.
SPEAKER_00Oh, Skip, it was our pleasure to have you there. And you did a fantastic. It's my pleasure to be here this morning as well. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming in, hanging out. Uh, we got donuts, coffee. I mean, we'll make you all we'll take good care of you.
What Aaron's Angels Does
SPEAKER_02You know, um, for anyone who may be hearing about Aaron's Angels, I know I I've talked before about this, but for somebody that's joining us right now for the very first time, tell us uh who you are and what Aaron's Angels of CNY does.
SPEAKER_00Sure. So Aaron's Angels of CNY was created uh about nine years ago by our founder and executive director, Sheila Dion. Sheila was working uh in food service in a school in Phoenix, New York, and there were kids asking for extra food on Fridays to take home for the weekend. And she identified that there was a food insecurity issue when kids weren't in school and school meals weren't available. So she spoke to the superintendent of schools and found out that the Phoenix School District was the only district in the county that did not have a weekend meal backpack program. So she created the program. So
The Story Behind The Name
SPEAKER_00the program is named after a little girl named Aaron Maxwell. Yes. Erin Maxwell's story is a tragic story, but we're working in her memory to try to honor her and help other kids who may be in a similar situation to Aaron's, in that Aaron suffered through food insecurity in a big way.
SPEAKER_02You know, the um wow, I heard that story at the banquet, by the way. I mean, it went deep and uh just unbelievable. And if you don't know what that's about, you can look that up. The name, yeah. So Aaron Maxwell.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so Aaron um was starved, abused, neglected, treated horribly, and ultimately murdered by her stepbrother. And you know, part of the work that we do, and we could talk about this another time. Uh, we also do a lot of advocacy work where we're trying to change the policies and the laws that um oversee children in New York State. And that's a whole different conversation. But with regard to Aaron, so Aaron's Angels began with Sheila Dion and Aaron Maxwell. And Sheila has brought the agency over nine years to new heights. Um, we started in the basement of a church under their 501c3, and we now we're our own entity. We have two offices in Phoenix, New York. We have an endowment with SUNY Upstate Medical, we have a scholarship program, we're packing over 500 meal bags a month for kids in the Phoenix School District. We have a community outreach program, and we have a summer meals program. So we not only provide uh meals to the kids during the school year on the weekends during the breaks, but we're also providing these meals, we're delivering them directly to the homes over the summer. And so if folks want to help us, you know, want to contribute or volunteer to help us with summer uh meals program, that's available as well.
Growing Up Hungry And Exhausted
SPEAKER_02Jack, what does it mean emotionally when you know a child is going home on a Friday afternoon may not have enough food, enough support, or even a proper bed to sleep in.
SPEAKER_00It's absolutely heartbreaking, Skip. And I say that not just because I work for the organization, but because these are things I experienced growing up. Tell me about that. So growing up, I grew up in poverty. I grew up in a um underserved high crime area of Utica and in the um housing projects of Utica. And I went to bed hungry more nights than I care to remember. And I also grew up in sort of a hostile family environment, which is why when I first learned about Aaron Maxwell and Aaron's Angels, the whole mission of the organization resonated with me deeply. And so I didn't have anyone uh there to tell me when to go to bed at night. So I would stay up all night watching TV and I would fall asleep to the sound of Oh Canada on CKWS on the Canadian station at 1 a.m. Oh yeah, and then uh, you know, somehow miraculously got myself out of bed and I was exhausted because I'd only gotten three or four or five hours sleep, and on a regular basis, five nights a week, seven nights a week.
SPEAKER_02That affects your whole day ahead, though. When you when you let's say you're going to school, I mean the education and everything you need to absorb, when you're tired, oh yeah, it doesn't work.
SPEAKER_00And not only tired, but I was hungry. Hungry. So you know, it's a bad combination, yeah. And so I can remember not being able to concentrate, not being able to take good notes, not being able the thought process, the thinking process wasn't clicking, and you know, too tired to do homework. And it was a whole process, it was a whole thing. Um, growing up up until I got to the point where I was in high school, and my mother passed away when I was 15. I had to go to work full-time, and I realized I have to overcome these barriers somehow so I can leave a productive adult life.
SPEAKER_02You know, and that leads us into what you're doing with Aaron's Angels
Dream Builders Bed Build Explained
SPEAKER_02now. That uh it's called the Dream Builder's Bed Build. And uh it's food, sleep, stability, all of it connects. Yeah, as you were just talking about your your personal connection to all this. And that brings us to this incredible event. It's the Dream Builder's Bed Build. Uh, tell us about this. I guess it's happening on Saturday, June 13th, and it's at the elementary school in Phoenix.
SPEAKER_00Michael Lee Moonroom Elementary School. We're starting at around 10 a.m. We're probably gonna go to about 1 p.m. We have 60 volunteers signed up who are going to come and they're going to help us construct the pieces needed to build a bed in the home of a child who needs a bed to sleep in. So um, your families can apply through the Sleep in Heavenly Peace website to receive a bed. The bed comes with mattresses, it comes with bedding, and it's built right in the home. The pillows and everything, yeah. Pillows and everything. So we're in a partnership with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which is a fabulous organization. And they are doing work all over the country to make sure kids who need a bed have a bed to sleep in. Yeah, it's like their safe space. Yes, that's exactly right. Exactly. And so, yeah, on Saturday, uh the 13th, we're going to be from one from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. We'll be there. We'll be making the pieces of the bed. We'll be sawing, we'll be sanding, we'll be staining, and uh those pieces will get stored at the Michael A. Maroon Elementary School and then distributed to families as needed. What are the requirements to get a bed? Well, you know, if folks want to find out the requirements to get a bed, they can visit the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Central New York chapter website.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. And everything will be spelled out for you. I guess the goal is the goal is to build 50, 50 of these beds, as I mentioned minutes ago. Uh, children in a suego county who do not have a bed of sleep in. When you say that out loud, man, I tell you, you know, Jack, that's so powerful. Um, how how seriously, how real is the need in the area?
SPEAKER_00The need is very real. This program was a dream of our current president of the board of directors, Lou Lindsay Hart. She wants she's wanted this for a long time because she works for uh DSS. Okay, works in child protection.
SPEAKER_02Somebody that has an inside knowledge of what is happening.
SPEAKER_00So every time I talk to her, she is just excited beyond being excited at the at the idea that this is finally coming to fruition because she sees this need every single day.
SPEAKER_02You know, at this event supported by Grow Wealth Partners and the Shinneman uh Foundation. And uh, how important are these community partners in making something like this possible at all?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, we can't do what we do without the help of the community, without volunteers, without corporate support, without people just to say, what do you need? What can I do to help you? We organizations like ours cannot operate in a bubble. We cannot operate in a vacuum. We have to have outside help. And it's only through working with our partners, whether it's a community partner or corporate partner or a volunteer who comes in and packs meals a couple of times a month, we can't do what we do without them.
SPEAKER_02And and I know you talked to you touched on this just a few minutes ago, but tell us again, what does the bed build look like? What will the volunteers actually be doing, actually be doing that day? Piecing it all together, you said.
SPEAKER_00So we're going to be constructing the pieces needed to build the bed in the home. Okay. So we'll be putting the pieces together to store at the elementary school. And then when an application comes in for a bed, the pieces will be transported to the home, and then those pieces will be put together as a bed in the bedroom. And when the uh folks from Sleep in Heavenly Peace leave the home, they will also leave all the bedding, all the blankets, leave it all right there. Yeah, everything there.
SPEAKER_02And now, as I mentioned before, that child, that individual will now have his own safe space.
SPEAKER_00Right. So we have kids in Oswego County who are sleeping on floors, they're sleeping on couches, they're sleeping three, four to a bed, they're sleeping with mom and dad. This gives them their own ability to get a good night's sleep so that they can go to school in the morning and be able to thrive as children.
SPEAKER_02You know, I say that uh so many of us take sleep for granted. And but for the kids, sleep is not a luxury, it's a biological necessity. Um, I've seen it with my own child, uh, my own son. I mean, you got to get your sleep, dude.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know, I mean, just so you have a good day, which you touched on a few minutes ago
Why Sleep Matters For School
SPEAKER_02as well. Why is it important for Aaron's angels to be involved in something that focuses on sleep and not just food?
SPEAKER_00You know, in a nutshell, our mission is to bring together the people and the resources to help kids overcome the barriers to education so that they can thrive and enjoy being children because childhood goes by so fast. And in doing so, we give them the tools and the things they need to be able to thrive as children so then they can go on and thrive as adults.
SPEAKER_02How does um here again? I you touched on this a few minutes ago, but I really want to stress this about sleep and how important it is. Uh poor sleep, we know, as you mentioned, you went through it. It's you know, it it affects your attention, your concentration, information processing, such as going to school and being educated, uh, and your behavior as well. And uh, how does that show up in the classroom?
SPEAKER_00Well, I can tell you from personal experience that when I would go to school in the morning and I was exhausted, I was irritable, unmotivated, unmotivated, exhausted, difficult, absolutely difficult. Um, I had a really hard time paying attention to teachers. I had a hard time grasping what they wanted me to do and when they wanted me to do it. I had a difficult time processing and memorizing. So a big part of my childhood education was memorizing facts and formulas and in also using logic. And so I had a very difficult time processing all that information, which then just kind of snowballed year after year after year. So the things we take for granted, like food and sleep, are vital to our success as children and forming us into adults.
SPEAKER_02There's so many that are not getting that, yeah, which is it's very sad.
SPEAKER_00It is. And fortunately, there are organizations like Sleep in Heavenly Peace who have found a way to make it happen.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so let's say I know that's going on with a neighbor of mine.
Finding Help And Measuring Need
SPEAKER_02All right. Let's say I know that can I get a hold of somebody from Aaron's Angels or Sleep in Heavenly Peace and say, Hey, can you look into these people? Or do I have to go through a DSS or somebody like that?
SPEAKER_00I would say talk to the family, talk to the parent and say, Hey, you know, there are resources out here available to you to help you. So go to the Sleep in Heavenly Peace website. They can, you know, if Johnny needs a bed, they can help you see if Johnny's qualified for a bed. If you need food for Johnny, call Aaron's Angels of C and Y. And also you can go to the um school social worker. Oh, yeah, that's we're based in Phoenix, New York, and our weekend meal backpack program is for the student uh students in central New York. I mean, sorry, for the students in Phoenix, New York, but we also have a community outreach program. So when we see a need or a need is communicated to us from agencies or schools in other counties, we'll evaluate that need and figure out how to meet that need. So we recently um had a call out from Kernan School in Utica. Oh, wow. In a night account, okay, and they needed food for their food pantry. So we brought them a carload of food. We got a call from Red House Theater, they needed lunches for a summer program. We made sure they had lunches. We got a call from Liverpool school system, they needed snacks. We met them at BJ's warehouse. I love it. Called out the devil card and bought them a bunch of snacks.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, West Tennessee was another one. Didn't you do like a backpack uh program with West Tennessee High School?
SPEAKER_00West Tennessee, they have a backpack.
SPEAKER_02They have their their program, but they reached out to Aaron's Angels. Yep, I believe so. Put it all together together. Whatever we can do.
SPEAKER_00Sheila was mentioning that. Yeah. So whatever we can do to help an organization or an agency or school outside of Las Vegas County, we're gonna do it. Why not?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly. We're all all one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Everybody needs help.
SPEAKER_02And even not so close. But uh, you know, Deep, you know, I would bet that people, maybe you watching this or listening to this uh information, uh, you'd be really surprised in how many children in our our own communities that don't have a proper place to sleep. Yeah, or even food.
SPEAKER_00It's something that we take for granted. Um, I can tell you that when I do a presentation or I'm doing an interview such as this one, or excuse me, or even if I'm just talking to a donor or volunteer, and I mentioned that one in five children in Oswego County go to bed hungry on any given night, I get that look. Wow. They look like, oh wow, I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_02You don't realize that.
SPEAKER_00And now the other thing people don't, I I'm not sure people understand is that Anada County, Oswego County, and Anadaga County, those three counties are in the top 10 counties in New York State for food insecurity.
SPEAKER_02Wow, I did not know that. Wow, interesting.
SPEAKER_00So this is sleep and food is something people simply take for granted.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so we're talking about the bed build, the 50 beds.
NFL Alumni Weekend Fundraiser
SPEAKER_02And uh also it's not that that is happening on the 13th, and then on the 14th of June. Uh, I love this, by the way. This is another event that you have going. And I I made some notes here that you have the NFL Alumni Meet and Greet. Uh, along with the bed build, there's a major weekend coming up with the NFL Alumni Association. Uh, I love this because you're bringing sports, community, and charity together in a big way. Can you tell us about the NFL Alumni Meet and Greet happening on Sunday, June 14th? I believe I correct me if I'm wrong, it's from 6 till 9 p.m.
SPEAKER_00Six uh might be six to eight.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Well, it starts at six. Six to six, yeah. Okay, at the Collegian uh hotel in Syracuse.
SPEAKER_00So, first let me thank Gene Mills and Leroy Collins with the NFL Central New York Alumni Association for including us in this event once again.
SPEAKER_02Being the beneficiary of what's being one of the beneficiaries.
SPEAKER_00Um, and this isn't the uh the first time, they are continuously thinking about how they can help Aaron's Angels of CNY. And as you know, as I said before, we cannot operate in a bubble, we cannot operate in a vacuum. We need our community partners. So them including us into this means a great deal to us. And so we have there's the meet and greet at the Collegian Hotel on the 14th. So to put this in perspective, we're building beds on Saturday. Sunday, we're at the Collegian Hotel for the NFL meet and greet, uh, where people will get a chance to talk to and hear stories from and mingle with former NFL players, former Syracuse University players, and even current Syracuse University coaches. And maybe some other notable athletes. Yeah, there may be some others coming too. Pretty excited about that. And so that'll be on Sunday, and that'll be an opportunity for them to just get a sense of what it was like to be in this world when they were in sports and understand and hear stories and have a really good time. There's food, there's gonna be music, silent auction, silent auction. Sweet so it's gonna be a great time. And and uh the next day, Forsom's will have an opportunity to play golf with a former NFL um uh football player or a former SU player, and you know, that's another opportunity to hear the stories from the glory days and to get an idea of what life was like for them back in back in the day.
SPEAKER_02You're so good at what you do, Jack. We're talking to Jack Falange, by the way, the um, you know, community um the fun director and director of community communications. Communications. Um, you you've answered a lot of the questions I had here in that last paragraph. I'm sorry. No, no, it's all good because you know we're talking about the live music and the silent auction chance to interact with the players and how important that is and how it's got to be cool. Yeah, you know what I mean? Just have a conversation like we're having a conversation here, you know, and kind of exchange thoughts and just you know, why are you doing this and all that?
SPEAKER_00At the very same time, you're helping to feed kids in central New York who are experiencing food insecurity every day.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and that would be why it's so important that the Central New York chapter of the NFL Alumni Association uh chose Aaron's Angels as their benefit, one of the beneficiaries.
SPEAKER_00And we are so very grateful that they did. Um, every time we receive a donation of five dollars, five dollars feeds a child for a weekend. We have a relationship with the food bank for central New York that allows us to purchase the food that we need at bulk. So five dollars goes a long way. So if you break that down, two dollars and fifty cents feeds a child for a day, five dollars feed the child for a weekend. But when you put that into perspective, we're the the we are the wealthiest country in the nation. And you know, we should not have children going to bed hungry at night.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely not.
SPEAKER_00And you you know, if people can support us through the uh meet and greet, through the golf tournament, through any other any of our other fundraisers and activities we've got going on all throughout the year, everything counts.
SPEAKER_02Do you have a favorite part of these events? You know, maybe watching the people meet the athletes, seeing the fundraising happen, or just feeling the support of the community in the room. What's your favorite?
SPEAKER_00You know, Skip, you don't do this kind of work for the outcome, you do it. I'm sorry, I mean, let me backtrack. Okay, you don't do this kind of work for the income, you do it for the outcome. Exactly. And so after after an event like this, I just kind of sit down and take it all in that we just spent the last however many hours feeding children who are going through exactly what I went through as a child.
SPEAKER_02That's I mean, having somebody that's been through what you've been through in the position that you're in, it's such a great thing for Aaron's angels because now you're relating to all this and you know what is needed.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I get to spend my friend, that's so cool. I get to spend my time um trying to make sure kids don't have to go. Through what I went through as a child, and when you think about that, um, you know, I've worked in corporate where I'm sure doing things to line the pockets of stockholders. Now my work means I'm feeding kids.
SPEAKER_02You're giving back.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm trying.
SPEAKER_02And you're blessed for that. I'm trying. You're blessed for that. Good things are going to come to you. Uh, so we talk about you know, this one event on Sunday, but then on Monday, you mentioned the golf tournament.
Charity Golf Tournament Details
SPEAKER_02Um, the fundraising continues with the right on the golf course. Uh, the NFL Alumni Annual Charity Golf Tournament. It's Monday, the 15th of June. That takes place at Drumlins. Great course, by the way. Give us the details on that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So folks can go to the NFL Alumni Chapter Association Facebook page, and there's a link there that they can sign up, and it's sixteen hundred dollars for a foresome. Okay. Or you can attend the dinner and all the other festivities for $100. And all of those funds raised are going to come back to Aaron's Angels of CNY to help us feed kids and to a scholarship fund for Alex Jones, who um was a member of the Alumni Association, a local uh wrestler and a former NFL player.
SPEAKER_02He was a wrestling champion and a Syracuse University defensive standout. Um, man, what an honor uh it is to honor somebody with that kind of uh local sports legacy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so that's what's going on. You know, we're bringing together these players who played in the National Football League, but now we're also uh making a local connection to it as well.
SPEAKER_02Do we know exactly which players are gonna be involved?
SPEAKER_00There is a uh um a lot of players coming. Uh we're still confirming folks who are coming into town, but you know, there's uh some folks who have played in Super Bowls, there's folks who played in Pro Bowls, um, there are folks who played for Syracuse over the years. There's gonna be a lot of folks there.
SPEAKER_02Oh man, I'm excited about this. Uh, so we're talking about the golf charity event at Drumlins on the 15th. Uh, registration and tea assignment. If you're thinking about doing this, and why not? I don't know why you wouldn't, especially you got guys you work with, maybe you're hanging out, y'all get together, play golf once a week. Here's here's a great way to play some golf and give back. But uh the tea assignments and registration begins at 9:30. Uh, I guess what I wrote down here, correct me if I'm wrong, is a 10 a.m. shotgun start. And uh, what can the golfers expect that day?
SPEAKER_00Well, hopefully they can expect great weather. Yeah, and hopefully they can expect uh incredible stories of what it's like to play in the National Football League or what it's like to play in uh in high-level college sports or coaching college sports, and hopefully they can uh relate to and understand and get to know some of these folks who have had their uh time in the sunlight in the sun um on the gridiron.
SPEAKER_02I love that, and um so it's it's captain and crew style, okay. Each uh foursome is paired with an NFL alumnus or celebrity, which is cool. That's a lot of fun. Now, the cost includes the meet and greet, of course. You get 18 holes with a cart, you get the cart, cool. Yeah, I'd walk it, but still, but still, you get lunch on the turn.
SPEAKER_00You might walk it if you didn't spend years on the football field. Oh no, you have a point, Jack.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you have a point. Your knees probably aren't what they used to be, if you know what I mean, or maybe even your hips or other parts of your body. So uh, but uh you get lunch on the turn, you get embroidered golf polo, uh the silent auction is going on, you get the raffles, uh, dinner, entertainment awards, and more. Uh, it's a full experience, man. That's like the whole deal. That's yeah, that's everything.
SPEAKER_00If you're an NFL fan or or and or if you're a golfer, I we I don't know what else, you know. This is it. This is the epitome of a golf experience.
SPEAKER_02This is big time, yeah. And it all goes back for a great cause. So if you if you take part in this event, you're giving back to Aaron's Angels. Absolutely, and you're helping defeat our children in central New York, which is cool. Now, let's say you don't golf, you just want to go to the dinner. It's a hundred bucks, hundred bucks, hundred dollars, and they can click on a link probably on Facebook, wherever, and get that alumni association Facebook page, and that way you are uh you know helping the cause. So, and uh for somebody who right now, let's kind of switch it up here just a little bit uh before we
How To Volunteer Or Donate
SPEAKER_02wrap this up. For somebody listening right now who wants to help Aaron's Angels, what are the best ways for somebody, maybe you watching uh or listening, uh, you want to get involved? How can they do that?
SPEAKER_00Sure. So our webpage is aaronsangels.com, erin sangels.com. We also are on Facebook, we're on Instagram, we're on Twitter, uh, we're on LinkedIn, and we're on YouTube. And we are in current need of volunteers. Okay, we need folks who would like to serve on our board of directors to help us steer the ship. We are we just celebrated nine years of our backpack program, and we want to operate for 90 more years. And so we need folks on our board of directors who can help us navigate throughout the next however many decades. And we also need folks on our committees. And just to name a few, we have an advocacy committee where we're trying to affect the uh rules, regulations, laws of New York State as they apply to children. We have a scholarship committee. We give out two $1,000 college or trade school scholarships to um high school seniors in Oswego County. We have a finance committee. We certainly could use help with that as well. And so if folks want to get involved, we have different events that happen throughout the year that you can come and volunteer and participate in. Um, but we also need folks who can consistently help us with the different projects we have going on with our different committees. For example, we have a fundraising committee that meets once a month and we organize all the fundraising events. So if you and you don't have to necessarily have experience, you just have to have the passion to help children battle food insecurity.
SPEAKER_02And I can't imagine anybody not having that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and so you can simply go to our webpage. There are uh there's a tab there where you can click and uh get more information to volunteer, but you can also contact me directly. Um, you can reach me at Jack at Aaron's E-R-I-N-S Angels.com. Simple. You can uh call me at 315-374-0693. You can send me a telegram, send me a smoke signal. You know, I mean I'm everywhere. So yeah, if you can't get a hold of me, you're not trying.
SPEAKER_02Right, exactly. You know, one of the most important things, maybe uh, you know, we're so busy in life nowadays, and maybe somebody's already committed to a lot of different organizations, but you know what? You can help by spreading the word, yeah, just word of mouth, yeah. You know, talk about Aaron's Angels, talk about what they're doing, talk about the uh the bed builders uh and talk about the gut the charity event that's coming up on the golf course.
SPEAKER_00That's pretty exciting, and even just follow us on social media and share and like and comment on our uh our different posts.
SPEAKER_02And and with all that being said, once again, where can um people go to get updates on the dream builders bed build?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I would say if you uh go to the sleep in heavenly peace Facebook page or website or the central New York chapter, all the information should be right there.
SPEAKER_02And for the NFL alumni meet and greet and golf tournament, people can get tickets and more information where from the um NFL Alumni Central New York chapter Facebook page.
SPEAKER_00All right, here's a big one.
SPEAKER_02What would you say to a business owner or community leader who was thinking, you know, maybe we should get involved?
SPEAKER_00I'd say, no, maybe about it. Get involved.
SPEAKER_02I love you, Jack.
SPEAKER_00I would say call me, write me, send me a smoke signal, and we will figure out a way to get you involved with Aaron's Angels so that it's a mutually beneficial relationship.
SPEAKER_02You know, one thing I before we wrap this up, one thing I want to ask. Um, we're talking to Jack uh Flange, who is the fund director and community engagement. Uh you know, I didn't I don't have it here in front of me now.
SPEAKER_00Uh director of fund development and communications.
SPEAKER_02There it is. Big time. That's a big position. Getting the word out, and that's what you're doing very well. Uh, what is the biggest need for Aaron's Angels right now? It's just volunteers. I would say donations.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, monetary to say biggest need, everything's a need. And so, you know, every like I said, every $5 donated feeds a child for a weekend. We can't do this kind of work in a vacuum. We can't do this in a bubble. We need help. Um, everything we do is volunteer driven, whether it's a committee, whether it's an event, whether it's building beds, you know, if you just get involved one way or another, you're going to help feed kids in central New York and in Oswego County.
SPEAKER_02So if you make a monetary donation, it's tax deductible. You're a 501c3 organization. So I want you to keep it well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. People are looking for the other way that people often help us is by conducting food drives in a workplace. And how do they go about doing that? Just contact our office.
SPEAKER_02And you can set it all up.
SPEAKER_00And absolutely. Our phone number is right on the website. You can uh uh give us a call, and we're happy to help you coordinate a food drive in your workplace, in your school, in your uh if you're a member of a club, we'll make it happen.
SPEAKER_02Jack, Jack Flange from Aaron's
Feed The Future And Summer Meals
SPEAKER_02Angels. I want to thank you for coming in. But uh, if there's one thing you want people to remember after this conversation, this podcast, this on air segment, um, if you what do you want people to remember after hearing all this?
SPEAKER_00I want people to remember that what we're trying to do is feed the future of Central New York. So you're making a donation today, feed the kid tomorrow. When you feed a kid tomorrow, you're feeding that kid next week, next month, next year, and we're helping that child thrive as a child and enjoy being a child without having to worry about where the next meal is coming from or when they're absolutely.
SPEAKER_02I want to thank you for coming by today, hanging out. It's been a lot of great information. You got some really awesome events coming up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we sure do. And like I mentioned before, we have our uh summer meals program. So we don't kids don't stop eating when school ends. When the school meals go away, kids don't stop eating. No, nobody does. Throughout the month of June, we are conducting a campaign to collect contributions and volunteers to help us with our summer meals program so that we can deliver food to the homes of the families who need to feed kids on the weekends.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. I love this, and and that's what community is supposed to look like right here, what you're doing. Aaron's Angels giving back with the help of others. Uh, Aaron's Angels of CNY is doing that kind of work that changes lives, I guess you would say quietly, powerfully, one child at a time.
Dates Links And Sponsor Shoutouts
SPEAKER_02One meal at a time. One meal at a time, too. There you go. Whether it's making sure no child goes hungry, helping build beds for kids who need a safe place to sleep, or even bringing people together through events like the NFL Alumni Meet and Greet and the Charity Golf Tournament. Uh, this is the work that matters. This matters so much. Uh, the Dream Builders Bed Build, again, that is on Saturday, June 13th at the Michael A. Maroon Elementary School in Phoenix. It starts at what time?
SPEAKER_00We're going to start building at 10 a.m. And since you mentioned that, let me just say that the um the school district, the Phoenix School District, and the uh folks at Michael A. Maroon Elementary School have been tremendous. We can't make this happen without them.
SPEAKER_02I love that. And uh you can get more info and keep uh keep on top of the updates by going to the Aaron's Angels of CNY Facebook page. You can keep an eye on that. The NFL Alumni Meet and Greet is Sunday, the 14th. That gets underway at uh 6 p.m. at the Collegian Hotel right in Syracuse. And the NFL Alumni Charity Golf Tournament that is coming up on Monday, June 15th. It's taking place at uh Drumlins, one of the greatest golf courses. Uh with a registration that gets underway at 8:30. 10 a.m. is the shotgun starts, if I'm not mistaken. Uh, you can find more information and support the event at uh what's the give butter page?
SPEAKER_00That's where people can go to get more information about the golf tournament and the meet and greet and to purchase their tickets. Okay, so there's a link to that. There's a link to that on the NFL alumni page. And you know, real quick, before we sign off, Skip, I just want to kind of identify there are some folks who we simply can't do these kinds of things without. So, for example, Grow Wealth Partners is funding the bed build, they're providing the uh we need to buy the materials to build those beds. Big thank you. Yeah, and then uh Trask Embroidery, they're helping us supply our volunteers with t-shirts. So each volunteer is going to get a memento t-shirt um to represent that they participated. And then the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, they are um providing the funding for the t-shirts.
SPEAKER_02You know, and I'm glad you mentioned that because whenever we do these programs and we know these um businesses have given back, I really stress the fact that if any of you are looking to get something done, maybe you could use them in one way or another. Please do that, or at least if you know somebody there, say thank you for being a part of what Aaron's Angels is doing. It means a lot. They are giving back.
SPEAKER_00And then we have uh one other um business that's been involved from the very beginning, and that is Small Town Girl Marketing. And they do all of our website design and and a lot of our graphic marketing here again.
SPEAKER_02If you need something along those lines, make sure you say thank you for helping out Aaron's Angels, or maybe they can help you out as well by doing something you need for your business. Uh, again, um, a big thank you to Aaron's Angels of CNY for joining us. Actually, I almost called you Frank. I have no idea where Frank came from, but uh Jack Flan. Uh let's be frank. Yeah, let's be frank. There you go. This guy is like the king of one-liners. I love it. Uh huge thank thanks to you, Jack, for joining us, and thanks to everybody listening who believes kids in our community deserve food, sleep, safety, and a chance. Wow, that's powerful. Thank you, Skip. So thank you so much for being here. And this has been the Inner Harbor cast from the beautiful Inner Harbor Syracuse Studios. Have a great day.
