- Hi neighbors.

Welcome to Look for the Helpers, portraits, and Community Service.

I'm Cynthia Tyler.

In every community there are those who step up to lend a helping hand, giving their time and putting in the energy to make life better for those around them.

They don't do it for the recognition, but because they care.

And it's what keeps our communities growing strong.

Tonight we sit down with two of our neighbors making a difference in the place that we call home.

Kyle Stevenson is a local veterinarian whose special bond with her beloved pet Inspired Pause for Potter, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of cancer in pets.

And Stevie Courier discovered her own light within her darkest times and now she shares it with others to lift them up through the Jefferson Lewis Suicide Prevention Committee.

Please join me as we celebrate our local volunteers.

- When I created PO for Potter back in 2016, my goal was to reach out to the communities locally and eventually more broadly than that, to make them more aware of pet cancer being something that their pet could have.

There are so many people I talk to that don't even realize that pet cancer is even a - Possibility Going through cancer the first time you learn that it's not a death sentence, that you can treat it.

So we knew that we would do everything we could to to try and treat it.

And thankfully it was a good outcome for Luna.

She's been cancer free for almost three years now.

Her mast cell tumor was curative with surgical removal.

- With me now is Kyle Stevenson from this amazing organization, pause for Potter.

Now, this was a special that we had done on our PBS Weekly show and it touched so many people and it was really, really special.

And we're so excited that we can explore more of this and your volunteer service from this organization.

So thank you so much for being with us today.

Thank you so much for having me.

Wonderful.

Really - Appreciate it.

- Now, for those of you who might not know, pause for Potter was inspired by your own pet Potter.

A wonderful, he was a Doberman and German Shepherd mix.

Now he must have been a bag of dynamite.

Yeah, he was a pretty, he was a pretty busy guy.

And you found out as he aged that there were some struggles and then you discovered that he had - Cancer.

- Now it was a very rare type of cancer.

- Yeah, he had a heart-based cancer that was never definitively diagnosed because that would've been really hard to do.

But it, it, it was really aggressive - And because people don't really know about cancer and animals who thinks about those things, - Not a lot of people do unless you've been through that - Do - It before - That.

And that sparked pause for Potter.

Yeah.

So now your organization, you've been created, it's been around since 2016.

So this has been around in the community for quite some time.

Yeah.

And it's such, it's grown and grown and grown.

You've said.

Now before you created Paw for Potter, you were a volunteer in other organizations, is that right?

- Yes.

Our, our local clinic that I work at, we've had a Relay for Life team pretty much since I started working there, like within a couple of years of working there.

So we've been pretty busy in the community as part of, as part of that too for the American Cancer Society.

- So, so Cancer is no stranger to you, obviously then going through all those organizations now, going back even further, like was that something special in your family that you were always surrounded by?

Did you always wanna volunteer?

Yeah.

- Yeah.

Like my, my mom was always volunteering for our school.

I was in marching band in high school, so she was marching band mom.

So she spent a lot of time with that.

She also helped out with like a backpack program for the kids for school and the local food pantry where I live.

And my dad's been very busy with the Miss Masonic Lodge in Dexter.

So I've been surrounded by a lot of that over my life.

Yeah.

- Fantastic.

So pause for Potter.

Going back to that, what have you gained from creating this amazing organization?

What has that done for you personally?

- I will admit that when I started Pause for Potter, it was actually for really selfish reasons.

I was very lost for a long time.

He was my best buddy.

I got him in vet school, he got me through a lot.

And when I lost him, like I lost a huge part of myself and I wasn't really even interested in practice anymore.

And when I created it, I wanted a way to give back to the community to help people realize that there was hope and that there was that even like that cancer was even something that we needed to be aware of.

'cause there's so many people that don't.

And so that's, that's why I created it.

And also because I wanted a way to memorialize him so that like, so that something good could come out of something so horrible.

So it started out as, as a selfish reason, but it's, it's become so much more than that.

The community has been just absolutely incredible.

The number of people that have volunteered to help me and to have spread the word.

And in 10, in less than 10 years, we raised a hundred thousand dollars for a national organization.

So phenomenal.

It's just crazy to me.

It's - So selfish at all.

It sounds like you had, you found a need and you created something to meet that need in the community and we're all the richer for it.

I know Potter is extremely proud of you for that.

I hope so.

So your organization partners with the National Canine Cancer Foundation, which is a national organization now.

It's fascinating because people don't understand that one out four dogs will develop cancer and one out three cats.

That's a lot.

- It's a lot.

- So if, what are some, what are some signs that people should be looking for?

Just like basic one or two things that they should be just on the lookout for if they think that there might be some trouble.

- Yeah, I think the ones that are the easiest for people to look for are kind of more the out outward appearance things.

So like if they're finding lumps or bumps on their pet, that's really easy because that's something that they can physically look at and feel once a month to see if there's anything new or different.

And if there is something new or different, it's been there a month or longer, it's a good time to call your vet to get them checked out.

'cause those are pretty easy things that we can diagnose with very basic diagnostics.

And then probably just, I think like there's, there's so many others, there's like a big group of 10, but any like not eating really well limbing or lameness or difficulty breathing.

Like the problem is, is most of those signs could be also signs of other things.

Of course.

Like there's not one thing that can be directly related to cancer, but any of those symptoms is a good idea to get, - Get your, that's very good information.

So now for the National Canine Cancer Foundation and pause for Potter, what kind of services do they offer for the community?

What do they do?

- So Pause for Potter in general is strictly educational.

So we unfortunately don't like finance people to be able to pay for cancer treatment.

There are organizations out there that do that.

We are mostly trying to reach as many people as possible about educating the top 10 warning signs of cancer, different treatment options that are available, realizing that there's hope for pets with cancer that, not that it's not necessarily gonna be a death sentence.

The National Canine Cancer Foundation does outreach programs similarly and they fund different research projects at different universities to help figure out new treatment options for, for for dogs.

- Okay.

So your organization is the cross the board.

They're not necessarily something that can help get you treatment, but they can point you in the direction of hope.

- Yeah.

- What a wonderful, wonderful thing to have created.

That's so you must be so proud.

Thank you.

What a wonderful - Thing.

I'm just incredibly grateful that we have been able to reach as many people - As we can.

Absolutely.

Now, of course, in this 10 years that you have this organization, what is this, what's one of the greatest achievements that you can name from this?

- Fundraising is not something I'm good at.

It's not something that I enjoy doing necessarily.

I'm really excited that we've been able to raise the amount of money that we have for the National Kenai Cancer Foundation because my goal was a hundred thousand dollars in 10 years and we surpassed that last year.

So that is wonderful.

But I think just being able to reach as many people as we have, and even though COVD put a damper on many things in 2020, it actually was able to launch us a little further because we did a virtual dog walk that year.

And I reached more states of people.

So our people in different states.

So the fact that I have people that I still interact with in Alaska and like across the country in Canada and different places and people, people have interacted in that way and have realized like what they can do for their pets.

And I have like, one comes to mind, somebody that used to live in this area and she moved to Virginia with her pets and she remembered me talking about checking for lumps and bumps for their dog.

And she did that with her pet.

Like, it just like, when it comes full circle like that, like it's, it means a lot.

Yeah.

- That's wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

What would you say to somebody to inspire them to start volunteering?

- I think it opens your soul to so many possibilities.

For me, I think just being able to share something similar, like passion wise, like it, it really, it really fills your cup and it gives you a sense of community.

Because if you're in a situation where like, I guess I'll just give this as an example.

If your pet does have cancer, and like a lot of times you feel completely alone.

Like you don't feel like anybody understands.

You don't know what to ask, you don't know who to turn to.

And similarly with like people with cancer or really like significant diseases, like, you know, where are you gonna turn and you turn to your community.

And if you have, if you have like that network of people and, and volunteering has done that for me, like it's provided a whole community of people that I share this passion.

- Fantastic.

Absolutely fantastic.

So what can somebody do to help pause for Potter?

Where do they find information?

What can they do?

Are you taking volunteers?

What resources do you need?

- We're always willing to take volunteers.

Our organization keeps growing every year.

So and so you can go to our website, which is pause for potter.com.

My email is Pause forPotter@gmail.com.

Like you can reach out to me anytime with any questions.

It doesn't have to be about volunteer stuff.

- Okay.

And can cats, people with cats be a part of the organization?

Oh - Yes, because cats get cancer too.

And we do have a couple of cats that come to our dog walk in strollers.

- Oh, those are so cute.

I'm sorry.

I think they're adorable.

My goodness.

Well, Kyle, thank you so, so much for creating such a wonderful organization that has been such a gift to the community.

I think it's just wonderful what you've done in Potter's memory.

It's absolutely fabulous.

Thank you so much for being with us today and we wish you so much success in the future with, with your organization.

Thank you so much.

I have with me now Stevie Courier, who is a volunteer with the Jefferson Lewis County Suicide Prevention Committee.

Thank you so much for being with us today, Stevie, - Thank you very much for allowing me to be here and talk about something that needs to be brought up and talk about more.

- And you're absolutely right.

Now we have had people talk about hospice here in the end of life care and all of that.

But this is something so much more immediate and this is something that touches the community so deeply and so painfully that people really don't talk about it.

So what got you inspired to start joining this organization?

- So I went through my own mental health issues growing up early from my early teens until my early twenties.

And I finally was just like, I can't keep living like this.

I have to, you know, I wanna get better.

I wanna, 'cause I was hurting the people around me that I loved.

And you know, having that impact on them, it just was devastating for them to see me go through it.

And so I got myself help.

I reached out and got into therapy with and adjusted with a psychiatrist.

And the thing about recovery is you want to want it and you have to make the effort for it.

And so as I was getting through therapy and learning, you know, unique and safe guidelines to recovery, I was like, you know, like I can see myself moving forward and shining a light on those that I felt like I was never going to get better.

And here I am, almost two years clean and it's amazing to see the progress I've made and now being an inspiration to others that are going through it and letting, letting them know that recovery is possible.

- Wow.

Well congratulations on your recovery.

That is such a wonderful thing and we're so happy that you're still here with us.

So talk a little bit about what that organization provides.

What kind of services do they offer?

- So we provide, as far as helplines safety talks and toolkits, and also just spreading the message to the younger generation as well as anybody that's going through it, that it's okay to reach out for help.

We have plenty of resources and phone numbers that we can provide so anybody that's going through a crisis can reach out and it's total totally free to call somebody.

The nine a eight Lifeline has saved my life and it saved many lives that are going through it.

And it's just a, it's a free number that you can call in times where you're in distress and it can, you know, take away what you're feeling at the moment and talk to somebody that will listen to you and will support you in the right direction to get the help that you need.

And also we provide, you know, we try to make it fun for the people to, you know, we'll do organizations or events that bring people together.

Just not too long ago, we did a mental health walk and it was great to have the community come together and walk for mental health.

And it's inspiring to see everybody come together and be there for one another.

- So the, and so if anybody wants to volunteer for this, how do they get involved?

- They can go to afsp, which is american foundation suicide prevention.com.

And you click on the county and there's different suggestions where you can volunteer at or put in a notice like, you know, a sign up, willing to wanna, I'm sorry, willing to want to, oh my God, I'm drawing a blank.

Okay.

Willing to volunteer.

That was the word.

- I know, I believe me.

I do it all the time.

Don't even worry about it.

So, so they can, they can go onto the website and find out ways and where they can volunteer.

And does that require training?

Does that require, you know, an education or is it just something that anybody can help?

- Anybody can help.

There are trainings that they do offer for free that you can join in on.

And you don't have to pay anything for it, it's just to gain more knowledge into mental health and suicide prevention so you have the right words, keywords to provide those that when you're talking to somebody that's in a crisis, you know what to say and what not to say.

And just having those key tools also, like, provides very much information on the subject too.

- Right.

So you've been with this organization about two years or so?

- Actually I am going on my first year.

I started, actually they invited me in February of this year.

So I've only been with it just for the past couple months.

And throughout the months we've had events.

So like I mentioned, we did a couple car show events and their donations were going towards the American Foundation, suicide prevention.

So they invited us to have a table there.

And outta my own time I would go along with other volunteers and, you know, hand out tools, resources.

We also had fun things like stickers, pens, pencils, all of the fun stuff - Too.

All the, the swag.

Everybody.

- The swag, yes.

- Okay.

- And it's crazy because when I was on the other side, I would always look forward to going to that table and getting information and being on the other side now and handing it out is awesome.

- Well, that's what I was hoping that you would talk about.

Yeah.

In the time that you've been there, has there been a special moment or a memory that really just kind of cemented and sh shown in your mind that this is, this is good work, this is what I'm here to do?

- Yeah, I've actually, I had a conversation with a lady I had met briefly at an event and she had talked about how she had lost somebody to suicide.

And you know, I am an attempt survivor and you know, when I look back at thinking like, wow, I'm so grateful, like, I'm still here.

Because you don't realize how much it impacts not only your family and friends, but just the community.

You know, you don't even think about it when you're in that state of mind.

So meeting her was awesome because like, I just gave her a big hug and it made me feel good to be where I'm at today and now being a lifeline to those around me in the community, - That's absolutely outstanding.

And what are some of the challenges that you've faced in your service for the organization?

- There's been tough conversations for sure where, you know, people opened up a little bit about their own past experiences or what they've been through.

And just trying to find the right words and just listening to them is the most important thing is listening to them, hearing their story as well.

- Hmm.

- And it can be a little difficult because, you know, everyone reacts differently and it could, you know, people might have traumas towards it too, but just, I always say to myself, you know, you're here for a reason and I'm using my reason to listen to provide and just be there for somebody because you never know what people are going through and one little message can go a long way and can just change someone's day for the better.

- That is very, very true.

And it's such a wonderful thing that you, even in those, all of those challenges, you still find that spirit to help.

And that leads me into my next question.

Somebody's coming up to you and they wanna volunteer, but they're not sure how to start.

What do you say to them to get them to - Try - Volunteering?

- I, I ask them, you know, what's holding you back?

Like, what is, it might be anxiety, fear, you know, something new.

And that's how it was for me.

I was a little nervous when I first got into the committee because I was like, oh boy, like where do I begin?

And everyone is so supportive and you know, we're all there for each other.

We're, we're a team.

We work, we work through it all.

And I would just say, you know, like, don't let fear hold you back.

If you let fear hold you back, you're, you won't overcome it.

And so for me, for example, if somebody wants to volunteer, you know, I'll let them know the process.

You know, it's free to sign up and also give them inspiration too that it's just amazing to be a part of the community and spreading the message like we're all here to support each other and spread the positives because there's so much negative in the world.

And you, like I said, you don't know what people are going through.

Everyone has different lives and being that person to advocate is just, it's a big impact on the community.

- Absolutely.

Outstanding.

Very good.

Now tell us once again, where can they find out more information about this fantastic organization?

- Yep.

So it's WW dot Afsp, which is american foundation suicide prevention.com.

And then they have counties, well it's throughout the whole 50 states there's programs, but if you go on to New York and then select the county you're in.

So for Jefferson it'll show our walk coming up, which you can register for free and it'll also show you a tab where you can sign up to volunteer for the community.

And our supervisor will get in contact with you and get some information, probably discuss a phone call or meet in person and you can sign up and it's free.

- Wonderful.

Well thank you so much Stevie.

We really appreciate your strength, your, your honesty and coming forward and shining a light where it can be hard to do, but your proof that it's definitely worth it.

Thank you so much for being with us Stevie.

Thank you.

Thanks for joining us today.

It's a reminder that bears repeating.

No one achieves anything alone.

The world needs a helping hand.

The world needs, you go out and make a difference.