Now the 490 with Gretchen de Bakker might kill them.

And Kevin Mullin up.

Welcome to the 419.

Powered by GT and presented by We Trow Wealth Management.

I'm Kevin.

Mullen, Gretchen.

De Becker.

Matt.

Kill him!

We've got an exciting show for you today on a Tuesday edition.

This is, the time when we normally highlight great people, making our community a better place.

Our friends at the Community Foundation, are sort of passing along some of their friends to say, hey, here's people that we really want to highlight, and we've got a, a jam packed show with some incredible people.

Gretchen.

Who have you brought for us today?

Well, thanks to our friends, as you said at the to the Community Foundation, we have a couple of representatives from the junction neighborhood and the Junction Coalition here today.

We're going to talk to Alexis Smith.

In the first segment.

So, so much going on there, so much development, so much positivity.

We're excited to get an update.

All right.

Yeah I'm excited to learn more about what they're doing.

Yep.

This is, as we're in the final week.

This is our second to the last show, right?

Is in our last show tomorrow on the first.

I think I treat every show like it's my last show.

Yeah, you know what?

That's the right way to do it.

That's the way to.

Live your life.

Which is?

People are hoping.

Yeah, yeah.

That's right.

Some of the time.

So Friday, this Friday will be our final show of season one.

Okay.

Yeah.

And then we'll take a break.

And.

God willing.

And creaked our eyes.

On the barrel ahead.

Yeah.

We'll be back for season two.

That's right.

So no excited?

It's it's been, an awesome six months of of highlighting incredible folks in our community that are making Toledo a better place.

That, you know, both through their presence and through their passion, make our community better.

And certainly I think we're going to meet, three individuals, that that meet that criteria for individuals today to meet that criteria.

We will also have, cameras and ski from the Victory Center.

He's going to join us to talk about some of the great work that they're doing, with individuals diagnosed with cancer in northwest Ohio.

I had the privilege to attend a, celebrity weight night of fun with them.

That was one of the.

It's just our super fun event.

It was a 90s theme.

And were you a waiter?

I was a waiter.

Okay.

Thank you for not using the words.

I'm not a celebrity.

I was a waiter.

Yeah.

You just worked at the restaurant.

That's that's exactly right.

But it was a great time.

It was a lot of fun.

And, I found out that it was a themed event, like the day before.

Oh.

That's tough.

And so it was like, yeah, the theme is the 90s.

And I'm like, well, theoretically I should own something that I could wear and just go.

I just went.

Yeah, I had a great time.

It.

You know what?

No, I work.

I wore a jacket.

Nice dress.

Nice.

Because I got to take care of our friends at the Hollywood Casino.

Gretchen, you're, a theme.

You're in the theme.

I do love.

Theme.

And you are a great party thrower.

Thank you.

Is there a party that you've thrown thematically that is like your number one favorite Galentine's Day?

Yes.

Is everything is pink and red and hearts.

That's my favorite.

And you guys have been invited to last.

That's because it's for women.

Unless you called in to.

Unless I made Matt Killam and, Mark Fulk for my bartenders.

Yeah.

That was mostly because they wanted to be around the ladies.

That is not the case.

We were called to also set up and tear down.

That's right.

Yeah.

Don't pretend like there was one.

There also did that.

Thing that was in it for us.

It was all the thing.

Yeah.

That's right.

That's right.

I love it.

All right, let's just let's take a break, okay?

When we come back, we'll dive into our conversation with Alexis.

I'm so excited.

The junction coalition.

Okay.

We'll be right back on the 419.

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Thank you.

Welcome back into the 419 powered by GT.

We're joined now by Alexis Smith with the Junction Coalition.

Welcome to the.

Jacob.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me I'm so excited.

Oh, good.

Beautiful set up and everything.

Thank you.

Takes the distraction away from our faces.

Stop it.

We love having you here.

Tell us about the Junction Coalition.

Yep.

Yeah.

So Junction Coalition is located central city Toledo.

It was known as the Onyx neighborhood.

It's been rebranded, you know, dubbed into junction neighborhood because the Junction Avenue is where a lot of our longest standing sort of local businesses, black owned businesses, are located.

And so, Junction Coalition started, really out of just family concern and neighborhood concern.

So I've been with it since its conception when I was just 12 years old.

I remember, yeah, walking around that.

Yes, yes.

And so it started out just a bunch of, you know, adolescents and teens being concerned about the neighborhood, concerned about, the elders.

We have a large elderly population.

It is now 80% African-American.

There's about, 47, 51 at the time, but 47% vacancy lots empty lots and 51% homeownership.

50% of the community lives under the poverty line.

And so it is a designated nursing community.

And what that basically means is there is a high need right there.

There is a need for quality food.

There is needed for, quality water, air, soil.

It is surrounded by environmental harms and impacts.

When you talk about the chemical plant and industry, long lasting industry that's been there for, you know, legacy you know, pollution is that.

Important, right?

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

Last question, I think I think I know the answer to but I mean, the reality is you're growing up in a neighborhood and you're seeing challenges in that neighborhood.

Yeah.

Why stay and and work on those versus just say, nope, I'm out.

I'm out.

Yeah.

I mean, it, and to some degree, it's a little sentimental, right?

Like, I grew up in the house that my mother was raised in, that my great grandmother, raised her son.

And and so it's a legacy home.

And we own the home, you know, and so my my parents had this idea if we're going to be here, you know, we should take care of our neighbors.

We should take care of each other.

And my mom has a saying, you know, for every child she saves, that's one less she has to worry about.

You know, taking hers away from her.

And so it's that understanding of what is your self-interest of being here, being rooted and planted in this community.

You know, that has been sort of forgotten, sort of divested.

And, you know, let's.

Talk a little bit about your mom and make sure that, our audience knows who she is.

Absolutely.

Alisha Smith.

Yes.

She is a co-founder and executive director for Junction Coalition.

Junction coalition functioning on, four pillars of, justice and focus area.

So that's environmental, social, economic and peace education.

And so in everything that we do, we think those are sort of the principles in terms of improving quality of life for the neighborhood.

You can't talk about Junction Coalition without talking about allyship.

I'm going to talk.

Go back a little bit to that nurse designation.

That's a federal designation, yes.

And and what does that mean for the community in terms of city of Toledo?

State of Ohio?

Sure.

Investments.

It means that there's more investment that now comes back to the community.

All of the, during sort of the flight of economic opportunity and assets that left that area.

We have an opportunity to bring back into the community.

We have an opportunity to, do some beautification projects, whether that is helping folks, you know, do facade, improvements to their businesses, whether that is helping folks acquire vacant lot so that they can, you know, add to their property, do some beautification work.

We've worked pretty closely with the housing, department and the city of Toledo to do some of those, improvements in terms of getting people new roofs and, just kind of standing in the gap and providing those resources that didn't exist before.

Talk to me a little bit.

And in case people don't know, give me the hard, boundaries of the junction neighborhood.

Yeah, I have an idea.

Yeah.

From, I would say from, door to the Anthony Wayne Trail and from Collingwood to Brown.

Okay.

It's sort of where that, general, outline is.

And so that covers just over about 7000 residents.

Gotcha.

And so we don't provide direct service in terms of we go and we're giving all these things.

But when it's necessary, we have been known to, you know, deliver a case of water for folks whose water has been shut off or they've been living without water.

But in most cases, you know, a lot of it is folks just don't know.

And you don't know what you don't know, right?

And so if there is a homestead opportunity where you're a senior who is living with high water rates, we can help you get connected to the services that allows you to get on a payment plan.

So just standing in the gap and being that resource for the community is is what we do.

You're a comparatively young person to the old fossils that are on this show.

So you have more energy than us.

But what you do on a daily basis, your family and, and colleagues and friends, I, I've really been at the Junction Coalition a number of times and outside the fence line to work on things, with the Metroparks and, and we're lucky to have the connection that we do.

But even with an endless amount of energy, you are dealing with things that did not happen overnight.

Yeah.

And the uptick or changes that you're affecting, are to some degree also incremental.

How do you keep wind in your cells and sort of keep at it.

It's funny.

This is your mom because she's terrifying.

I do whatever she says anyway.

So do.

I. Yeah.

Yeah.

So, you.

Know, but, you know, it's funny because I actually have to be the person that says, okay, you guys, we need to take a break.

We need to take a step back.

Yeah.

Level set.

Reset ourselves.

Because it does get especially.

I still live in a neighborhood, you know, and so I live and work in the area that I'm concerned about, so it's hard not to take that home with you.

Yeah.

It's hard not to answer calls after, you know, the 9 to 5.

That's right.

You know, if you got an emergency, you've got a resident who needs something.

But I've been really intentional about going away, you know?

Yeah.

Taking time off, and, like you said, setting those boundaries.

So do you have a person you have in mind or that you think about when you when you are the voice for the neighborhood in other communities or in other settings that you're that you believe that you're advocating for?

Absolutely.

I mean, I think about Mister Austin across the street.

You know, that from my, childhood home.

You know who brought us pears when we were kids from his pear tree.

You know, I think about Miss Mary just down the street.

Yeah.

Mister Rivers, who is also one of the founding members of Junction Coalition.

You know, talking to us about the history of junction and, you know, where we started versus where we are now.

And how do we keep that going?

I think about even the youth, especially.

Yeah.

I've had the pleasure of, you know, crossing paths with so many kids my age older, younger, in that peer to peer interaction was just I mean, it was just hopefully as impactful for them as it was for me.

How do you not.

You're such a delightful person.

You always are kind and friendly to everyone.

How do you not just stay mad all the time?

Write about the systematic problems in our world that have caused, so many of the issues to the people that live in your neighborhood.

How how do you not how are you not just mad?

Yeah.

You know what?

It helps to have a sounding board.

You know, with your team, with your colleagues and your friends.

Folks who are also exposed to the same work.

There are times you're absolutely like, oh, my God, did we just get this call?

And like, you know, or, you know, we've we've been able to build a better relationship with the city of Toledo.

But that wasn't always easy.

You know, trying to maneuver through, folks and assumptions through.

Politics.

Exactly, exactly.

Politics.

All of it.

It's not easy.

And so I think having a very strong support system and having folks outside of the work also help.

So you have your folks inside who understand it can, you know, relate.

But then the people outside who are removed from it that give you fresh perspective, that give you an opportunity to say, hey, let's, let's just go and grab some ramen, you know, and just hang out, whatever.

That I think that makes that makes the difference.

And to just be candid with when you are tired.

When you are tired.

Yeah.

Yeah.

If you could wave a magic wand and money and tour the city.

Yeah.

You know, all of those other concerns you have to realize, like it was not a thing.

Yes.

What's what's the first thing that you would do for.

Oh, wow.

Junction.

No budget.

It's just budget.

Yeah.

You know what?

I wouldn't transform Swan Creek, you know, so that it is accessible and that we can have, recreation, fishing, all of that.

Those things happen because I think there are so many untapped resources in the neighborhood that, folks, one, I don't know if folks even know Swan Creek, extends that far and just cuts through the southern part of junction like it's in our backyard.

And it is an untapped resource.

So, and I would probably plant even more trees.

Yeah.

Yeah.

This is not work that you guys do alone.

Yeah.

You've got partners around the community that are absolutely both as funders and and as as other just, you know, boots on the ground partners talk to me about community foundation and and what their partnership has meant to you guys.

Well, it's really the community Foundation has been amazing in investing in and supporting what we're doing.

We're they're supporting two of our programs, one being the yes program with which is our youth Environmental Stewards.

And then the other is joint sports.

So with the youth environmental stewards, we are cleaning up catch basins, we're cleaning up, bio ourselves and rain gardens.

And then we're also being able to do that education and, you know, talk to children about stormwater management and, environmental harms and concerns and pollution.

And it's a huge help to the city because as much as we like to complain and say that certain things aren't getting done, especially on our timeline, they are at capacity.

There is a capacity issue for the city and they can only do so much with the resources they have.

So it's a huge help when we can, you know, had that investment from Toledo Community Foundation to support them in their work.

And then with the Joy sports program, we're able to, continue to work with students, employ some of those mental health services, through sports, in camaraderie and sportsmanship and, you know, fun activities for the children during the why.

Is the environmental part of that program important?

When you think about historically, the exposure that that community has had, when you're thinking about the aged and old infrastructure within the homes, not just outside of the homes.

It all poses a risk to entire families, especially the vulnerable community, vulnerable, vulnerable population like our elders, our children and our nursing mothers.

And so the more that you know, the more that you can be responsible and get ahead of these, you know, toxins like lead.

Whether that's in the water, in the pipes, you can mitigate things like flooding.

We have a we are in an area that is at sea level.

Right.

And so we're prone to flooding in our neighborhood.

And that is a huge cost burden on top of things that on top of other costs that folks have in that neighborhood.

When you're talking about the potential of living without your water, whether that's because of a leak, whether that is because, you know, turned off due to nonpayment.

Those are all risks.

When Covid 19 happened.

Yeah.

That's the one thing we were told was to sanitize.

And it's impossible to do that without water.

And so the more that you're able to educate not just families, but children and have build that understanding, younger understanding where does your water come from?

Right.

You know, what is that exactly?

You know, but we've been kind of, you know, raised to just understanding.

You turn on the tap and water.

Right.

You know, but to go to Stone lab and see how the water is tested to go and visit, you know, the treatment center and see where your water comes from and how it gets treated.

To understand that there's a beautiful Lake Erie that we get our water from, that mom, as you know, as much as it gets flagged for its current state, is still a huge resource and is there is so much promise there with it coming back to being the beautiful river that we know.

It gives kids excited.

Yeah.

You have a this is probably the toughest question that we're going to ask you.

Yeah, because there's a lot of them.

If we had to pick one, a feel good moment, a program that was successful, even a single family or a child that you helped.

And you got to pick one.

I'm gonna.

Stick.

I know.

That is the toughest.

But I know that's been a success.

This is like crossfire.

And there are, and I do.

You're a very humble person for sharing your family.

And your community is the better for it.

But, you got it.

You you got to pick one, of the many.

So I know that.

Oh, my God, that that jail free card.

Boy.

You know what I think it is the.

So we have a garden called What Blooms on Bloom.

And it's on Bloom Street, and.

I just come up with that.

Name right.

Yeah.

It was, you know, it just kind of fell.

Yeah, exactly.

I take full credit.

But watching my niece and, other children being able to work in that garden, there's a little house like, playhouse that, you know, planted in the garden.

So they're learning how to harvest, but they go and play house and be kids there, right?

You know, they just they want to be outside.

They want to be in the garden.

They want to be immersed in the work they were doing.

So and then Mister Austin an seeing that multi-generational, you know, just interaction.

Yeah.

You got a child was like eight years old in this older man coming together.

He's showing, you know what he knows, passing on that knowledge of how to do this, that with plants.

He's got his incredible green thumb.

Yeah.

So yeah, I think that that memory of seeing them in the garden together is one of my favorites.

Okay.

We're going to transition.

With Alexis Smith from the Junction Coalition.

All right buckle up.

It's now time for.

Graduate whack quiz.

This is.

Fun.

I'm going to ask for rapid fire questions okay.

This is going to have you describe Toledo in one word.

That will list the nine best things in Toledo.

That is the four.

Okay, nine.

Here we go.

You got it.

Are you better at saving or spending?

I'm quite good at both.

Yeah, I've been spending.

Spending?

Yeah.

What's your biggest pet peeve?

Oh, not replacing the toilet paper.

Yes.

Yeah, that's.

It's crazy.

The last person in there.

Come on.

Right.

Yeah.

What's the most exciting thing you have done on a dare?

Oh, boy.

We can talk about on public radio.

I was going to say PG 13.

Most exciting thing.

Oh, maybe a ding dong ditch.

There you go.

All right.

How would you describe the perfect day?

Perfect day on a beach?

Anywhere on a beach.

What's the one word you would use to describe the city of Toledo?

Oh.

Potential.

Okay, go.

All right, we're going to do nine together right now.

Okay.

About the city.

Fire away!

Wonderful.

The food.

Yep.

Love it.

Metro Park?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Give you two for that.

This the.

Zoo?

Sure.

Mud hens?

Yeah.

University of Toledo.

Because I'm an.

Alum.

There you go.

What are you studying?

Bioengineering.

Bioengineering?

I almost did that to you, but I realized I was done.

No, it's it's.

Got it.

You got two more.

Oh.

What's a better place to eat?

Any place to eat.

Ramen.

Kengo yakitori.

Yeah.

That place is amazing, right?

You got one left.

Oh.

One left.

I your mom or.

My mom.

Oh my God.

Very suddenly said your mother mentioned her mom.

Hey.

Alexis.

You brought some friends with us.

Who are we going to talk to you next?

You're talking about Alexander DaVinci, who is on our environmental team at Junction Coalition, and then Sister Mario Check, who is the grandmother of junction.

She has been a part of the coalition since his conception.

So let's call her grandma.

Okay.

She prefers.

It.

Okay, good.

Perfect.

All right.

When we come back, we'll continue this conversation.

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We're talking with our friends from the Junction Coalition.

We're joined now by Zander and Maria.

Grandma, I think as we were, we were told to call you.

Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you for having us.

What?

What brought both of you to Junction Coalition?

I when I retired from, teaching, I looked for an exciting thing to do.

And I happened to meet at a meeting, Alicia Smith.

And I thought to myself, that is a leader that I want to support.

I don't want to do.

I don't want to be in charge of anything.

I want to follow someone and support someone who.

Who needs that?

Who may need the help, may or may not need the help.

After 50 years of teaching, I was interested in going back to research, reading and writing and discovered that I could do all of that.

Working with Alicia at the Junction Coalition.

So I've been with Alicia from the very beginning.

Although the Junction Coalition really, arose in people's hearts and minds prior to my being there.

We consider it's official, beginning as the water crisis in Toledo, because Alicia sent out her children and her children's friends to carry water to various people.

And water came from Detroit, as far away as Detroit and other places, in order for and, and was distributed in the the junction.

Still to this day, the only way to contact every single person is in the junction is to ring every single doorbell.

Yeah, although folks do have new technology, that they're using, we don't know how well versed they are, in that technology.

And so we put something on every single doorstep.

And the water crisis you're referring to a just interrupt briefly, is that when the algal blooms shut down, the water and people in their home didn't have water in their homes for a period of time?

Yeah, okay.

And every single doorbell in the junction was rung by the family.

By friends, of Alicia's children.

And so that the needs of as many people as possible were accommodated then.

And so the very first activity that we took on was to study how to provide safe, clean water to the community.

And that's where, I found, myself really busy because I'm, I tend to be kind of a lake a holic.

I love the Great Lakes.

I've taken students, to, to other Great Lakes to see what clean water really should look like after seeing, the algal bloom in Lake Erie.

And so I began to devise a little educational pieces on the, on what?

Clean and safe water looks like and what it takes to deliver clean and safe water, and what it is that really caused the crisis in Toledo.

Not necessarily how it could have been averted, because it could have been, you know, averted.

But, creating those communication pieces that that people needed to understand what's happening, why it's happening and, and how can we deal with it, how can we cope with it, but also how can we deal with it and remedy the situation?

What did you teach?

What did you teach?

And, where did where did you teach?

My last teaching stint was 23 years at Lourdes University, where I, handle the, the majors of courses and also the environmental science courses.

I developed the environmental science major.

And so that was able to take several groups of students to Lake Superior all the way to Lake Superior.

Yeah.

And so they experienced where Toledo Water comes from.

Right?

Because it trickles down to us from, you know, from Lake Superior.

So, I was in the biology department all of that time at Leeds University.

And Chandler, what about you?

So I started junction last summer.

I had just wrapped up a previous internship with a local law firm.

Wonderful people over there, by the way, and I wanted to, expand my horizons a little on my work experience.

I wanted to work on environmental policy, ecology, science fields like that, and it was my former environmental policy professor at the University of Toledo, Go rockets, who referred me to the Junction Coalition.

And I started in about September, and I've loved what I've been doing there ever since.

But really, I think it's more than just the referral because, back in the 50s and 60s, that era of the junction neighborhood, my grandmother actually, lived there for a good while.

So I think it's kind of like a, like a fate type deal, you know, like a full circle moment there.

Yeah.

So my family started in junction, and now it's coming back to junction.

And so are you working in the yes program that, Alicia was I mean, Alexis was just talking about.

Yes.

I am going to be involved in some capacity in the yes program.

I was forwarded the information and I have reviewed it.

And like I said, it's part of training that next generation of the green workforce of Toledo.

What surprises you about what young folks your age or younger don't know about the environment or don't understand about what's happening in the environment?

I think it really boils down to, I'd say, like the general consensus of where pollution comes from, you know, factories, plants, places like that.

I think something that needs to be more widely analyzed are all sources of pollution, because it doesn't just come from those factories and plants, it comes from landfills.

It comes from agriculture.

The mommy River is in the it is a very good resource for Toledo.

But yes, the it's condition is the result of agricultural runoff.

And I think that should be more widely, studied so that we so that there can be a greater focus in mitigating things such as agricultural runoff, on top of the restrictions on runoff from factories and plants.

What what is the biggest misconception that the community has about this neighborhood, that it has you spent time in this neighborhood, something you've learned about it, that you think the rest of Toledo should know about?

Junction Coalition.

The biggest misconception about the junction neighborhood, to me is that people think it's a rough neighborhood.

It's not, the population is majority in the retiree age or like 50s to 80s somewhere in that field.

And it's not, bad area.

It doesn't have the it doesn't have a very high crime rate.

Honestly.

And I think that's the biggest misconception about the neighborhood.

It's, it's a good blue collar neighborhood and with good people.

Who.

And the reason that misconception came up was because of the historical disadvantages that the neighborhood was put through.

Right.

How about you, sister?

Oh, misconceptions about the junction, I think it I'm sorry.

I really, you know, I really don't.

Well, I know the rest of Toledo.

I know Toledo well, I've lived in Toledo for, you know, for quite some time, and I. But I really don't have my ear to the ground as far as what the rest of what what the rest of Toledo thinks, you know, Toledo is it's neighborhoods, right?

And each neighborhood has distinct, distinct flavor, distinct character, distinct culture.

And but it's also but also it's distinct problems so that the concentration of neighborhood organizations is, is meeting the needs of the people regarding those problems.

And it will really be advantageous for those communities to look at the things that junction has done over these past ten, 12 years, because we've created some good models of how things could be done.

We've done a quite a bit of pioneering, of course, with Alicia Smith at the helm.

You know, very much depends has depended on her ability to network, not just in Toledo but nationally on various stages as she's gone to, conferences.

She's made many, many good friends for us.

And these are friends that every community likes.

A junction in Toledo needs.

Right.

And so, we use the word coalition because we really want to work with others.

We really want to help others.

We want to be an example for others.

But in return, what can those communities also do for the junction, we have a motto do nothing to us without us.

So no one comes into the community and just starts canvasing the neighborhood without letting some leadership in the community know you know what's going on.

The city of Toledo knows that you don't send in a troop of trucks without letting someone know what's going on.

And that's a lesson that folks have learned from, you know, from the junction.

So we talk about.

50 years in education, you know, time at Lourdes, the Sisters of Saint Francis of Sylvania environment is such a, important pillar, to the work that that you're doing.

Why is that important for the next generation?

To to value environment?

Because I've approached environment more as an, academic.

I've had to remember these are y people who will be who are already leaders and who are going to be the next generation of, you know, of leaders.

And so I've tried very much to humanize the environment.

You know, without being anthropomorphic, getting students wet and dirty in various, wetlands and waterways in northwest Ohio.

So I think I've taught Toledo to Toledo ones by taking them to Swan Creek to Ten Mile Creek and the Ottawa River to the Miami River.

They've actually stepped into those, those waterways so that they understand just the importance of water and that nothing happens without, without water.

So we talk about the source water and the environmentalism as relates to that.

And the activism relates to the water that we ultimately drink.

We also talk about, lead in the water, lead in the pipes.

City of Toledo had undertaken a pretty large project replacing the street to the house.

Pipes still concerns about people's homes.

I know you have a lead related event coming up in July, and one of you guys give us a little information about that.

Of course.

So on top of the environmental team, I'm also, Junction Coalition's designated lead team, where we handle lead related concerns not just in junction, but in the Toledo area in Ohio.

And I'm I'm going to say this, there is no amount of lead that is safe in the human body.

And there's serious risks that come with lead exposure.

You know, there's cognitive issues that can be developed.

There's physical issues that can be developed.

Sickness sicknesses can be developed as well.

And in some cases it can be fatal.

It can't be reversed.

Right.

The those outcomes.

Irreversible.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And children aged 0 to 6, that is the most important age to make sure you are tested for lead, to make sure you are lead free.

Lead safe because that is where a lot of those issues develop and form.

And that's what this event that we're hosting, Thursday and Friday, July 23rd and 24th, at the Toledo Main Branch Library.

That's what we're hoping to do there.

We're hoping to spread awareness on the risks of lead exposure and how you can avoid lead exposure, like if you already have lead in your system.

Yeah, but that can't be that can't be changed.

But if you have, a kid between 0 to 6 that can be prevented.

And is that a free event?

Absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely.

And registration is on our website, junction coalition 419.org, completely free, open to the public if if anybody's interested in coming out, if either of you are interested in coming out, please do.

It's going to be very informative.

What's the dream center for Junction Coalition?

My dream, my dream for the Junction Coalition is that every single person in the junction understands because not everybody in the community knows what we're doing.

Not every person in the community, not every household, knows how to contact us, but my dream would be that every household uses the Junction Coalition as kind of a sounding board.

As a household name, so that we reach as many people as possible and use the ripple effect from that, because grandparents impact their grandchildren, those grandchildren go back home and impact their parents.

They may impact their classmates in some way.

So spreading the word about the good thing that the good things that the junction does is hard.

But that would be my dream for the community.

Beautiful.

What about you, Zander?

And what what's the future hold for you as a young leader in our community?

What do you see both for junction and for yourself?

So for me, I'm actually hoping to move into environmental ecology.

I'm starting my master's degree with Unity Environmental University, this coming August.

Great.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And the future for the Junction Coalition.

For me, I believe, to not be just a co a coalition for junction, but to also be the junction coalition for Toledo.

So we we do a lot of work around Toledo with that focus in junction, I, I hope that one day the Junction Coalition, can gain that city wide influence.

And we are taking steps toward that.

And I'm very excited to see where this organization or organization goes with that.

Sorry.

Well.

Thank you both for your work and your commitment.

And thank you for being here.

Yeah.

You guys been fantastic.

Thank you so much.

And we're going to take a break when we come back, we'll be joined by Kimberly Rose Penske from the Victory Center, talking about the great work that they do with patients diagnosed with cancer.

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Welcome back into the 419 Powered by.

We're joined now by Kimberly Rochinski from the Victory Center.

Thank you so much for being here.

Welcome.

Thanks for having me.

You called me Kim earlier.

It's Kimberly.

Kimberly.

I did that, and I said it, and I'm like, that's not what I did.

You know, Kimmie.

Didn't feel right.

Kimmie.

So immediate family calls me Kimmie.

I started this with a funny anecdote, okay?

It's my sister and Kimmie.

Right?

So my niece and nephew call me Kimmie and Kimmie, whatever it is.

But when my sister was dating her now husband and she was talking about me fondly and memories, and we went to college together, my sister and I, and she's going, oh, yeah, give me this and give me that.

So I meet her boyfriend at the time and he goes, hi, Kimmie, it's nice to meet you.

I like and I go, where can I have some problems here?

I do that, so I'm so my thing.

Is, I love that.

People will call me Kev.

Oh I call.

And my thing is like, if you ask, oh, can I call you this I never asked.

The answer is always no.

Like as if you have to ask, but like some people get away with it.

So.

All right, Kimberly, I got it right.

So talk to us about what is the Victory Center.

Yeah, absolutely.

So the Victory Center in 20, 26 is celebrating 30 years, 30 years in service to the community.

This has been, three decades of meeting people with cancer diagnoses and helping them with non-medical services.

They already have a doctor.

Hopefully they've already been assigned to a nurse navigator.

We are there to take care of the mind, body and soul, and that's what our original charter said in 1996 when we were launched.

This was a group of oncologists who came together and said, we're not seeing the patient for enough time, and they didn't have enough time in the day to see everyone for the expansive amount that they need to talk to them, provide resources, but also listen, you know.

Well, I'd never knew that that's so interesting that it was started by oncologists because there's so many related things, that you don't think about for someone that's going through cancer treatment, I mean, transportation and child care and getting stuff done around the house and just nutrition and someone to talk to.

I mean, it's everything.

Those are incredible examples.

You know, we find that people have these barriers in their lives, and it may be just that they don't have a strong support system at home.

You know, a lot of people are very lucky to have a husband, a wife, kids, family members, community work colleagues that really rally around them.

But the best thing about the Victory Center is you can come there and you can say, gosh, I got this treatment and I'm feeling X and someone else in the room and it's going to go, I know exactly how you feel.

You talk to me about that.

I mean, that's for folks that that are sitting in the doctor's office and they hear the C word.

Yeah.

For the first time.

What what are you hearing from those folks?

About what?

That what that feels like and the and the relief that the Victory Center can can provide to those folks.

Yeah.

So oftentimes people aren't sitting in the office.

We have someone who was on her way to get a Christmas tree with her kids, and she got the call that she was in the car.

Oh my gosh, you know.

And so it's cancer doesn't have biases.

We talk about things all the time.

Having one side or another side or parts of the spectrum.

Cancer doesn't care.

And honestly, the way that it affects people's lives is different based on how they approach things, who their oncologist is, what phase in their life they're in.

We have people at the Victory Center who are teenagers, who are going through cancer while they're quitting soccer because they can't continue with their sports at school, but they're worried about an exam on Friday.

Right.

And they also have infusion, and they also have chemo, and they also have this date on the calendar for a future surgery.

And then we have people who've gotten their diagnoses in retirement, and they have to worry about the financial aspect.

This money was locked away for me to have my bucket list items checked off, and now we're worried about making sure that we can afford prescriptions.

So all of those things that fall under the umbrella of cancer, the diagnosis is about first step.

Yes, but for us, for the Victory Center, we call everyone a survivor because day one, you are surviving something that you didn't ask to happen to you, that you didn't ask to be thrust upon you and your life and everyone in the family goes through cancer with you.

So it is the person who's diagnosed.

Where's the driver and the caregiver?

When is the hurt?

When can a person, become involved with the Victory Center like is is in the level of like those first calls, like is do you need to know what you actually need to reach out.

Yeah.

So, we have kind of like two sides of the spectrum of what we offer.

When we have programing.

You can come at any time and enjoy a yoga class or art therapy.

When we're talking about something like body work, we have to know if you have a history of blood clots, what medications you're on so that you can get an oncology massage safely, and we can administer that with all of our beautiful trained therapists.

So when someone calls us and tells us that this, that they've gotten a cancer diagnosis or that the doctor has said the C word, then we find out a little bit more information.

What's the chemo treatment plan?

Do we have a surgery scheduled and what are those medications?

And with just that little bit of information, just that first diagnosis, we can get them in and get them signed up for all of our amazing resources.

What was the kind of moment for you?

I mean, I, you and I first met when you were working in television, you were a meteorologist.

Yeah.

At the NBC station here in Toledo.

So folks may recognize you from that.

But kind of moving to me, moving to the other side of the camera a little bit.

Yeah.

Talk to me about kind of the moment for you when you realize, like, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

That moment look like this.

Ready?

Here's your Cobra paperwork.

You're like, oh, no, I gotta pay for this.

Yeah, that's that's.

No jokes aside, you know, TV was a really wonderful industry.

It is something that I still carry with me today because there's a skill set that you just can't replace.

You know?

But now with the Victory Center, it's funny because we'll have tours from students.

We'll have seen our students come through UT students, nursing students.

And I love talking to somebody who is young because so early in our lives are forced to make a decision about what we're going to do for the rest of our lives.

Right.

And I was so sure, you know, like, there was so much confidence in what I was going to do.

And, doing meteorology for ten years, being a meteorologist in Toledo, which was an incredibly gratifying city to do this in because I grew up in Buffalo, New York.

So I love the Four Seasons.

I love winter weather.

Sorry, but it really was something that I knew I was meant to do, and I enjoyed so much of it.

Now at the Victory Center, I can honestly, truly say to everyone who comes through that my dream has changed.

Meaning these people who come through is the gift you think it is every single day.

Someone who wants to tell us their story.

Someone who wants to share with us what's going on with them.

Someone who is having a tough time at home and with TV.

With weather.

I was reaching people, but through the camera, with that distance, I had like a weather school on zoom during Covid.

Like it was really cool to have people in the chat going, my kids are learning something, this is great, but now I get to hold the hand of someone who's got bad news, or I get to be there on a really good day when they get great news, right?

And I get to be the first person sometimes to hear that information, and that I consider to be such a gift.

We do want to talk about your upcoming event, but just for those that may not know and forgive me, I don't know this.

The Victory Center has an actual physical space.

And where is that?

We do we have three.

Okay.

Yeah.

So we have our flagship office.

We've been in there for I think five years.

We moved a couple of years ago, in Toledo near Wildwood Metropark.

Okay.

Trail runs right behind us.

Okay.

And so that Toledo location is where you can get things like, support groups, welcome orientations, one on one counseling.

We have massages, facials, reflexology and Reiki, which is a really great energy work, deep relaxation.

And then we also have art therapy, yoga, light exercise, and other programs like aromatherapy.

You're talking about things like nutrition.

We have healthy habits classes.

And really just try to be well-rounded.

All of that kind of pick it up and move.

It is also inside Mercy Health Hospital in Harrisburg.

Oh, nice.

With a smaller office.

But that's where we have our wig bank.

And so if anyone is experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment, they can come in.

We've got probably over 400 wigs with this.

That's amazing.

A lot of them are paid for with grants and community support.

We are 100% privately funded and so there's no government support.

But it is really lovely when someone comes in and they go.

I can take this home.

Yeah.

For free.

Yeah.

Or like, yeah, you can take it home for free.

It's yours now.

So the wig bank is in Perrysburg, and then duplicate that again.

And we have an office in defiance as well.

That's.

I had a privilege of being a celebrity waiter at your celebrity week nights.

At the pinnacle.

It was a blast.

Such a great event.

Everybody was having fun and supporting a really important cause.

That is one of the ways that you guys raise money, to support your mission.

But it's not the only way.

You've got, you know, some are.

Some are some.

Some are small, some are big, some are low to the ground and some are a little bit higher tide.

You're you're really stretching the, the metaphor.

Take a drink.

So tell me what's what's coming up.

This fall and ways people can support, support the organization.

Yeah, absolutely.

With our, private funding, we have these three major fundraisers, the fashion show, which you have both the amazing in next February, done.

Super fun, really inspirational.

And that event sells out super fast.

We're at the, Hilton Garden in for that in February.

Then we do our celebrity weight night, which again, is just a really great way to bring the community together.

And then in September, I don't know, like, I wish I had the answer to this, but I don't know how the woman before me, Karen, went to our board of directors and said, we want to launch this fundraiser where people repel off the side of the building and our board of.

Directors is like, sure, obviously the lawyer wasn't at the meeting that day.

Right, exactly.

So so over the edge.

Yeah.

Coming up in September, September 4th, and people legitimately rappelled down the side.

And these are mentally well.

Down town building.

I mean, how many stories is this building?

This is not a guy.

These are real.

People choosing of their own.

Volition to do.

This.

We're on a 16 story building.

It is reformer Toledo Edison building.

Okay.

It has got this gorgeous plain concrete face.

And so instead of going down windows and kind of waving to people on the way, you're going down the front of the building where it's this blank concrete face and, it's 225ft.

I am not responsible for the safety of our participants.

So that's but.

Someone.

To.

Comfort?

Yes, someone is expert.

Okay.

Experts with a capital E, so we bring in this company over the edge global.

They work out of Nova Scotia, Canada, and across the entire, North America.

Really?

They do these events every single weekend.

I called someone the other day and he was like, hey, I'm on the roof.

Can I call you back?

Like, yep.

So they come in, they've got the ropes.

All of their equipment is totall to standard.

They do ropes checks throughout the day.

So if anything looks amiss, they've constantly got their eyes on things and then they harness you up.

You've got gloves and a helmet and a. Radio helmet would have Mayday, mayday.

I mean, I get that, you know, this is, for many people, the most.

I say this and I'll fix it quickly, but like they say, the most terrifying thing they'll ever do.

But the reality is, you know, your mission is supporting folks who truly are facing one of the scariest things they can face with a cancer diagnosis.

And so this is an opportunity for the community to say, you know what?

These heroes can face this battle.

I can face that one.

I tell you, I'm not afraid of heights.

No, I'm afraid of falling from those heights.

And so, At the bottom of that.

We we need to make a commitment, for our show to support what you're doing.

And so.

And I'm here to make the commitment right now.

Yeah.

That Matt kill will go over there.

He pretty much already is metaphorically over.

Over the.

Edge.

So it's fine.

You can now do it physically.

What?

So talk me through.

So we sign Matt up?

Yeah.

To repel over the edge.

What happens.

Next?

Absolutely.

So going over the edge is a multi-month process.

And sometimes you won't hear from me at all.

But if someone is out in the community and they're raising money for the Victory Center, I'm going to make sure that they have access to me because you're doing the legwork, right?

Amazing, right?

Some people will do fundraisers through work, some people will do them with corporate sponsorships, and some people will just rally their friends and neighbors for $67.50.

I think per story, you can raise money to go over the edge.

So they're really creative ways to do the fundraising, and there's a lot of time.

So we're fundraising through the summer.

Everyone who's registered is on our website with a bio and a picture.

You're why why are you doing this?

And, you know, I think it's great that you said that last year someone touched the ground and someone ran up to him and said, oh my God, Jim, I thought you were afraid of heights, because I am.

I'm more afraid of cancer.

Yeah, and it's so poignant to know that people are doing this to reflect the bravery that we see every single day, the courage that is really at the forefront for someone who has this diagnosis that didn't ask for it.

And then there are these people who are volunteering to do some can.

You that scare them?

Can you announce any other people that are doing it so far that we, you know, we're going to be doing it in September?

Or is it too early?

So as of right now, we've got about 40 Propellors registered, which is incredible.

We've got a really great roster of people.

Isabella Week, who does the Toledo mindfulness?

We've got to.

Go show her.

Her hat is behind you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's just going to be really great to see these people.

We always have propellers from our media sponsor WTOL from 13.

ABC Claire Mitchell Ethan Watch have done it before and it's, it's a really, really special event.

We had, a climb for a couple of years.

So that was a little wild because he would climb the building and it would just kind of lock your progress.

And so Claire did that, which is crazy.

So big shout out to her.

She seems a little fearless to me, but it'll be a roster of 86 people who will go over the edge.

84.

Wow.

And then can people go out on September 4th and watch this happen from the ground?

Oh, it's such it's such a fun event.

I've been there a few different times.

It's it's great.

And and the energy around it I. Do you know when your person is coming over.

Yes.

Yeah.

You can see.

Him.

We'll whiteboard it out so that everyone on deck upstairs, if you get upstairs and you'r like, I need to take a minute, or if you get up stairs to the roof and you go, I need to go now.

Yeah, because otherwise I'm backing out, then we can rearrange the order of, when people actually get on the rope.

And I think this is you.

Radio from the roof and whiteboard it out.

You said this is the 10th year, and no one has ever backed out.

No one has ever backed out.

That's impressive.

All right, so September 4th, people want more information on this.

Where can I find it?

It's on for victory.org.

And that's the number for.

So you can find out more about the Victory Center, more about going over the edge and certainly more ways to support us.

Volunteer and get.

Involved.

So when I get into the office today, I can go to that website and I can sign that up.

Yeah.

And so then it's booked and we're done.

Oh, absolutely.

All right Matt you're in there.

That's what you get.

You're in for cutting out on the show.

That's right.

You're going over the edge.

And we'll support you in doing it.

Thank you so much, Kimberly.

We appreciate it.

We'll take a break.

We'll be right back to wrap up this edition of the 418.

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As we wrap up this Tuesday edition.

Tuesday.

Yeah.

Great.

Great guests.

Yes.

Junction Coalition, doing such incredible work, such good people in the community.

I loved Zander's perspective of, you know, the Junction Coalition for Toledo.

Yep.

Right to and taking the work outside of the neighborhood and and really inspiring change across across the 419 and of course, Victory Center.

Kimberly and the team there doing incredible work.

I'm excited to see Matt go over the edge me to September 4th.

We might have to do a live show.

Yes, absolutely.

We'll do a podcast on the roof.

With Mike as he comes down.

Yeah, we'll talk to him the whole way down.

I don't think that would be allowed per FCC regulations on the air.

The things that he is going to say, if you missed any part of the show.

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