How Wheeler Mission Saved His Life

Just looked at me right in the eyes and told me the truth. If I don't stop, I'm either gonna be dead or in prison. Change my life forever. Dig this hole, dig this hole, and then all of a sudden you look up and it's like insurmountable. You need these programs to level the playing field a little bit when you're down and out and when you have nowhere else to go.

That's what Wheeler Mission has been. Where was the moment in that nine months when you could call your parents and be proud of who you had become?

From South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in between. This is Get IN, the show focused on the Hoosier State and the incredible stories happening here today. I'm Nate Spangle, founder of Get Indiana, and I will be your host for today's conversation. Hey there. Before we jump into today's episode, I wanna take a minute to thank the folks that made this Nonprofit Spotlight series possible. Elements Financial. As a credit union, they're a not-for-profit financial institution built on the idea of empowering individuals to achieve financial success, and they've been doing just that for 95 years, starting right here in Indiana. Now they're based in Indy and proudly support Hoosiers, but their reach goes way beyond state lines.

They don't just talk about impact. They live it. Elements teaches more than 1,000 financial wellness classes annually. They pay their employees to volunteer and they donate 1% of net profits to causes that improve lives. So yeah, it made perfect sense for them to back this series because when it comes to supporting people doing good elements cares, learn more at elements.org/getin.

That's elements.org/getin and use code getin Elements Financial, like a bank only better federally insured by NCUA. Now let's get into this special Nonprofit Spotlight episode presented by Elements Financial. Today I'm joined by Brian Crispin, chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Wheeler Mission, a non-profit serving homelessness, hunger and addiction here in Indiana.

Now Brian transforms corporate sponsorships and community goodwill into real life changing impact, and Brian knows firsthand the benefits of Wheeler because he went through some of their programming back in 2006 and has worked at Wheeler Mission for the last 17 years. Today we're gonna be talking about the over 100 year history of Wheeler Mission, the impact they're making across Indiana, not just here in Indianapolis, but in, uh, in another geographical region as well.

And we're gonna close out talking about an iconic, upcoming event right here in Broad Ripple that you can participate in and that can make a real impact in your community. Brian, welcome to Get in. Hey, thank you for having me. This is gonna be a, a really enlightening episode, I think to, uh, to a lot of the listeners out there.

I gotta start by saying I had no idea the age in which Wheeler Mission has operated. You said a long time? 1818. 1893. 1893, yeah. Is when it first got started. And for the last 100 and I'm, I'm not gonna, a hundred twenty, thirty two thirty, a hundred and thirty two years y'all have been serving Indianapolis and Indiana as a whole.

Yeah. Incredible work. I think that it's no surprise if you get online and you read headlines or this, that about downtown Indianapolis in particular, like. The work that you guys are doing. Sometimes on the one side of it, people can be like, it's not enough and we need to do some more. And on the other side of it, it's like, you're obviously trying to raise money and create impact and, but also like change lives.

Yeah. Uh, and I think that like, through wherever we go today, the biggest thing that we need to know and keep in mind is the work that you're doing is to change lives and provide opportunity. Whether it's getting people back on their feet or you know, the work you're doing, whether it's men, women, children, like this is something that, um, that Hoosiers, that, that impacts Hoosiers and 17 years later can make a huge impact.

And like, you know, I don't know if seven, if, if 19 years ago Yeah, you would've envisioned yourself. Working for Wheeler Mission for over a decade. No way. We'll, we're gonna talk through a lot of different things from the history to the impact here in central Indiana. And a lot of times you all I see on Twitter or wherever is just like people complaining about downtown Indianapolis or whatever it is.

Yeah. And by the end of this episode, they'll know the work that y'all are doing. They'll know ways that they can get involved, and hopefully we have like a positive outlook on how we can make this community the best place possible for all Hoosiers. Right. Amazing. Love it. Yeah. All right, let's start at the beginning.

Okay. 1893. What did Wheeler Mission start as? How did this come to life? Yeah. Like what was it? Uh, we actually started as a organization called The Door of Hope and our organization now, so Wheeler Mission is founded. Um, and named after William Wheeler. He's a Civil War veteran. And, uh, long story there. But his wife, uh, Mary Wheeler, actually started this Door of Hope for friendless women.

These are women that were outcast in this community, uh, that she saw a need to, to jump in and help friendless friendless women. These were women that were involved in prostitution. Um, they were outcast in this community. Um, and, and no one else was, was helping these individuals. So she started an organization to make sure these people had had somewhere to go and get, and get the help they need.

So, um, and so she did that for, for a number of years, and then as homeless men became a larger issue here in Indianapolis. Uh, William Wheeler, who was a pastor, um, uh, came in and started, uh, a ministry to help homeless men, and that's been our core really ever since then. And so again, this home, this, uh, Civil War veteran that, uh, was again a pastor and wanted to help, uh, change the dynamics of, of what was the, the main issue on the streets of Indianapolis.

He jumped in and helped just like, you know, a lot of Hoosiers do. They, they jump right in and, and, and make a difference. And so he did that. Um, and we've really. Kept that core for all these years. And so currently our mission is to, is to provide, uh, Christ-centered programs and home and, and services to people who are experiencing homelessness and those in need.

And that's exactly what William Wheeler was doing. Yeah. That's exactly what his wife was doing with the Door of Hope. And certainly we've grown and expanded some of our services and our programs. Um, but when you're down and out and when you have nowhere else to go and uh, there are no other options for you, that's what Wheeler Mission has been for 132 years.

And that's who that is has changed. Uh, with the dynamics of people's, uh, personal issues has changed. Um, but our, our core mission is not, that is, uh, the perfect time and the hardest time to like be inserted into someone's life and to be there for them. Right? Yeah. It's like you say, I mean, you you just said like when they're at their lowest and they're down and out and there's no one that's there for them.

Like, that's when you, when you guys step in, like what does it look like for someone, the average person that comes to you all like, yeah. Like, give us some details on that. Yeah. Well, we always talk about, you know, experiencing homelessness really isn't about, uh, running out of money. Like, um, that that can be solved, right?

We have fam, families can step in, they can let you stay with them. You have friends that can help you out. Like there are people that will in your life that will probably step in and help you when you run out of money. So it's not really that as what causes homelessness. It's the broken relationships and the broken structure of the family.

And when you have lost all of your relationships and you have nowhere else to turn, and no one is there to take you in anymore, that's when you're at the darkest moment in your life. And those are the people that come through our front doors. They have no options. Their family is either gone or they have been exhausted, or they have, they have, um, you know, they're, they're unhealthy in their own way and they've, they've pushed people away from their own homes.

Their wife or their husband may, may have said enough, enough. Their kids want nothing to, want, nothing to do with them, or they're gone. Or you, you name it. It can come in a variety of ways. But the people who come through our front door are literally on the last rope. Right. They, they have no other options.

And they might even have just the close on their back. Uh, someone may have even dropped 'em off. Right. And that might have been the, the goodbye moment, right. The hard love of like, look, enough's enough. Like, or maybe they just were, have been on the streets for a long time and they finally said, you know what?

I need to get inside. I've been outside and this is now dangerous. I'm outside. It's cold, it's hot, whatever it may be. Um, and so whatever the moment, I mean like, like those people that come in are desperate. They're desperate for something different. And that's who we're receiving. Is is there like a requirement for someone to get into your guys' programming?

No. So when you need a, a place, you, if you just need a meal today, I mean, you or I could walk in our, our, our kitchens and get a meal for free today. So. Uh, we'll let you in. Uh, there's certainly security. We make sure things are safe, but, uh, we serve over a thousand meals a day to people that just need to come inside and get a, and get food if you need to stay there for the night.

Um, certainly we check in, we make sure things are safe, but, um, no, there's no requirements to come in. Certainly. Um, there's timeframes where you need to check in by, um, and, and get and get a bed and, and get a spot for the night. But, uh, we serve anywhere from 700 to 900 people a a night, and those people come right through our front doors.

And if you think about like the hundred over a hundred year history predominantly, was it like one specific geographical spot? Like a, a mission was like one building. And where was that at? In Indiana? Yeah, it's moved around. So right now, the, the big, the most iconic space that people know us for is right on Delaware and New York and Mass Ave.

That, that intersection right there. Yeah. Kind of like catty corner from like the tap. Yeah. Right there, right? Yeah. It used to be the old, um, IndyStar was right there. That's, I watched them knock that down and, um, built the tap and those condos right there. We have condos around us. And, and, but in the twenties, uh, we built, uh, what is now iconic for us is, was our men's shelter right there on that corner, and you'll see a, a sign out front that most people are, are aware of.

It says Jesus Saves out front. Um, big, big neon sign. And so that's, that's kind of what people think of us. That was our men's, uh, shelter for a number of years until we outgrew it. Um, but before then we were, we were close to downtown, but we built that facility. It was one of the, the first missions that was, that was actually a brand new building in the country.

And so it was state of the art at its time in the twenties. Um, uh, but we outgrew that and we have, we've um, we've merged with other organizations that are downtown. A number of years ago, we merged, merged with another organization called the Lighthouse Mission, which has more space. It's now on East Market Street, just a couple blocks away from the facility I just talked about.

And we actually grew that space to make that our main men's shelter. So if you need overnight sheltering, you go to East Market Street at our shelter for men and you can stay there. Yeah. Um, if you go a couple miles east, we have a women's shelter. Uh, it used to be the old Dearborn Hotel, which was a, when we, when we purchased it, it was a, it was used for prostitution and drugs and we turned that around.

And we now have women and children that stay in this beautiful facility that's a 10 story building. It overlooks the downtown Indianapolis area from the top floors. And, um, but those are our two main shelters for either men or women. And again, if you just need a, a, a meal or a, or a bed for the night, those are the spots that you'll go to.

And we have other facilities that are used for residential. Programming and um, you know, we can take you on that. Life transformation. Yeah. Um, phase, but, but Right. Day one shelter for men, or the Center for Women and Children are the spaces together. Yeah. So talk to us about the programming. 'cause there's one piece of like, you know, you, if you think of through like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right?

It's like number one, it's like shelter and food and water and all this stuff. So you come in and it's like you're, you need, you need a place to stay and you need a meal. And then how do you guys help transform people's lives? And honestly, let's go through maybe your experience. Through the programming at Wheeler Mission.

Sure. And like where you were in life that led you through those front doors and how that, you know, two years later you end up working for the org. People mostly think of Wheeler Mission as food and shelter. Right. And sometimes that's our fault. We talk a lot about that. But, um, but if you don't know what goes on the side of those walls, there's a lot more.

And, um, programs can go up to sometimes nine months to a year. So for me, um, I actually came from Ohio. So I'm from, from originally from Ohio. I grew up in a, in a great family environment. Um, alcohol is what, what really almost destroyed my life and took everything from me. And so I went to college at Miami University in Ohio and, uh, grew up again in, in a very stable environment, had opportunities, but the lifestyle of alcohol and, and just the party atmosphere that, that, that goes with it sometimes.

You know, post-college, I just dove all in and, you know, there were some other things that were were going on in my life that were just hard for me to deal with. And alcohol was always the escape from that, right? And it was always what worked for me. And eventually that tore away what was my life, which was, you know, not only the physical things, you know, the, the money and, and the things, you know, cars and, and your own home really.

Right? Like eventually, um, when you lose your job and, and you, and you start to run out of money, you start to lose those physical things. But it was, it was me as, as who, who I was, was starting to change and drastically, right? Starting to become, uh, just a person. I didn't recognize I was a liar. I was, I was, I was going down past that, you know, that were, you know, certainly not taught to me by my parents, but, um, that just, I didn't recognize who I was anymore, and it got so bad.

In the end that I just became more and more dependent on substances to get through it. And eventually I was just, I was just, I was unrecognizable. And I remember coming back, I was living in Florida, um, and working down there, and I lost my job and tried another one and, and was bouncing around, but I was, I was heavily, um, addicted to alcohol and, and just the whole lifestyle that went with it.

And so I was, I was in that world and I loved that world, but it was killing me and I didn't really know it. And finally, again, after losing all the physical things, just coming back to my family and saying, look, I don't have anything anymore. Help. Right? Like, like, take us through that. Like, you're down there, you had lost your job.

You're trying, you're bouncing around, you're, you know, drinking and the lifestyle and all this stuff. How do you even get home from Florida? How do you get back to Ohio? Yeah. You know, my parents didn't know what, what I was involved in. They, they, we were separate physically. Right. So give us like a, like your mom's, like a school teacher.

Like what do your parents do? Yeah. So my dad's business leader, he was, he is, um, you know, in, in sales. And, uh, industrial sales and just, I mean, one of the most respected people that I know and could fix anything, right? Fix any problem. And was just a solution oriented person. My mom was just a nurturer. She was a stay-at-home mom, took care of me and my sister and was just, was great to us.

We grew up in, in the church and certainly, certainly were, were told, you know, that that following God and following, following scripture was yeah. Was the way to live. And that, that was the, the environment I grew up in. Um, but when I went out on my own, I, I made my own decisions, right? And I moved in a different direction and so, so eventually, again, losing everything and not having a job and I'm like, look, I'm, I'm in debt.

I just had my car repoed. Uh, just had a DUI, like you had to tell, you're like on the phone with your parents? Call my parents. Yeah, you call them. And like at the time, did they know anything? They knew a little, you know, 'cause I'm like, Hey, I need, I need some money for rent, or, hey, like I, I can't pay my car payment.

Yeah. Like, I'm like, oh, Brian, you're in trouble. You need to fix this. Like, okay, I'll fix it. I'll fix it, I'll fix it. They didn't know that, you know, I lost my job and finally, eventually I start to unpack this for 'em. Yeah. Because now I'm, now I need help. Right. So I need to kind of tell you what's going on.

Um, but it was so bad that, and I, and I was so deep in it that, and, and I would only reveal what I needed to reveal to get what I needed, right. Which was maybe for the, again, to pay rent or do whatever. But eventually, um, I remember this, I remember, um, my car was repoed. Um, my friends kind of, kind of ditched me.

They were, they were kind of sick of the way I was acting. And I was just on my own in the second apartment that I had down in Florida. And I was getting ready to lose that 'cause I was, I was behind our rent. And I remember sitting there, I had this dog that I had from this girlfriend relationship I had, and she left and I had this dog with me, right?

And like, it was just me and him. His name was Rocky. And, um, and so we're hanging out in this apartment. I have no money, nowhere, nowhere really to go. And, um, and my car just got repoed. So I called my grandparents who live in Bradenton, Florida, and I'm like, Hey, I need to borrow a car. I gotta get to work.

Like, and, and tell them the story. And they let me borrow their car. And one day I go outside my apartment and that car was stolen. Someone had broken in and stolen it. And I'm just like, man, like there, there cannot be anything else that can go wrong right here. And finally, I, I just, I call my parents and I'm like, look, this is what's going on.

And they're like, look Brian, you gotta get back to Ohio. Like we gotta get you back here. We can't help you down there. Right. I'm like, well, I, I don't have, I don't have any money. I don't have, I don't have a credit card. That's, they're all max. Like I don't really have any way to get there. Right. So I remember my dad FedExed me a credit card to go get a U-Haul and get back to Ohio.

Right. And the first thing I did, I went to the bar and started, started, started drinking on that credit card. Right. It was the first thing I did. Eventually, eventually I pack up this U-Haul, um, with everything I have left my dog and drive back to him. Is he like calling you like. Like, Hey, I gave you this car.

Yeah. Not for the U-Haul or not for the bar, but for the U-Haul. Yeah. You know, and I'd go, I'd be tricky about it. I'd go to a restaurant that, you know, I'm like, well, I'm just eating dinner, you know, and, and, but really what I'm doing is, is just trying to make one more day out of it. Right? Yeah. Like, just one more day.

And that's kind of the insane reality. You are, you're in when you're in addiction. Is, is like, if I can just get through today, like maybe tomorrow will be better. Right. And it just gets worse. You get, you dig deeper and deeper. Yeah. And deeper. And eventually you look up like, how did I get here? I don't even know how to get out of this.

Yeah. And the mountain in front of you becomes so difficult to even fathom. Not to mention that you can't, you, there's no way I can get through this. Yeah. That you just, you know, you, you, you live to again, whatever substances you're, you're on or, um, sleeping, dreaming, like whatever reality I can be in to not have to deal with this.

Like, that's what I'll take. Right. Yeah. And so again, someone hands you a little bit of money, it's just, Hey, that gives me another hour. Right? Yeah. Like, or maybe it's, Hey, get me a hotel room 'cause I just lost my apartment. That gives me a day. Right. And eventually you can live years like that. Thankfully.

Um, God didn't really let me live years like that. It went pretty quick and I hit rock bottom fast. So you load up this U-Haul Yeah. To come back to Ohio. 'cause at some point in this kind, in this story, you end up in Indianapolis. Yeah. So I go back to Ohio and I ask, and, and I ask for my dad for help. They let me stay with them for a while and, you know, I'm How, how old are you at this time?

Let's see, I was probably 27, 28 at this time. Yeah. So pretty young. Right. And, um, you know, and I knew how to, to, to work my way through finding a new job and stuff. If I could get myself stable, like, you know, I could, I could interview well and I could have a job and, and so I'd do that. So I ended up. Well, it, it goes round and round for a while, but I ended up moving to Atlanta, um, because a, a job hired me and they, they brought me down there and they were gonna get me housing down there, and they let me stay in a hotel until I found housing.

So I leave and it's all promising, like, we're gonna get this figured out. I go back down there within a month, like, I haven't found housing, I've spent all my money, I'm drinking every night. I'm not showing up to this job. And finally they figure it out and they're like, Hey man, like we need to, we gotta let you go.

Like, we're, you're not even working here. Right? So, so then I go back to Ohio again, and finally this happened. Geographical change would happen a few times where I'm like, eventually, like, I can't get out of this. Like, I can do it for a minute. But, so I go to a place called Teen Challenge, um, which is a, a rehab place that's, um, all over the country, but there's one in Cincinnati, Ohio.

And I stayed there. For seven weeks. Um, and I snuck in all kinds of things that I wasn't supposed to have in seven weeks, sober, seven weeks feeling good. I had Wait, you snuck in like, like booze, like cigarettes and, you know, just all the stuff that they didn't want you to have. I was, I was manipulating it pretty hard.

And yeah, I was just buying time. I'm like, look, let me be sober for, for this. This is a nine month program, right? So I'm like, lemme be sober long enough and I'll figure this out again. I'll go get a job again. And so seven weeks later, I manipulate my mom to come pick me up from this program. And she does, she picks me up and I give her the story, couldn't even tell you what it was.

And she's like, okay, Brian, you can come back again. So I go back to their house again. And again, start to use and abuse them again. And I'll never forget this, um, one day, uh, I don't have a car and my, my parents know that I'm drinking anytime that they're not looking and I'm just abusing everything that they're giving me.

And I remember like sneaking out the back door of their house and I'm walking to a gas station to try to go get alcohol. And I remember thinking, I'll get away with this until, until they won't notice that I'm gone. And I'm Dr. I'm walking back on this road, it's probably a three mile walk that I took to this gas station.

And I walk back and I see my dad's car pull around and I just drop the alcohol down and I'm just like embarrassed and ashamed and thinking like, man, what am I doing? Like, this is horrible. Like, and I remember le leaving that there and my dad pulls up and he's like, Brian, what are you doing? And um, and I just get in his car and, and was like, dad, I don't, I don't know.

I don't know what to, I don't know how to fix this. And, um, and I get pick in his car and finally we go sit in front of a, a pastor friend, uh, that, that we had at our church. His name was Jim Gray. He's no longer alive. And, uh, he's like, he's like, and my dad puts me in a meeting with him and I sit in front of him and he's, he's like Brian, and he, and he's a counselor too.

And he had some options for me. And he said, Brian, let me ask you about your usage. And he was asking me how much I drink and how, how, how often I drink. And I'm, and I, I remember pushing the, the sheet back to Jim and I said, Jim, it's bad. Like it's bad. I don't know what to do anymore. Like, I'm just, I'm outta options.

And I remember he's like, all right, I got options for you. And he said, and he wrote down three numbers on a piece of paper. One was a place up in Pennsylvania that I don't remember the name of, and one of the places was this place called Wheeler Mission, and it was in Indianapolis, Indiana. And, and I'm like, Indianapolis.

I'm like, how long is this thing? He's like, it's a year long program. And I'm like, man, that's a long time. He's like, Brian, what have you been doing for the last, you know, two or three years yourself? Like, where, where will this end up if you don't fix it? I'm like, I don't know. And so I go, so my mom drives me to this place in Indianapolis called Wheeler Mission.

Right? And they tell me of this place that has this beautiful camp. Um, it is, there's this 285 acre camp. They're like, it's beautiful. You're gonna love it. It's, there's a lake on it. And they have these cabins and all this stuff, and. And that exists. Wheeler Mission has this program, um, that is this beautiful program, but I get dropped off in Indianapolis, Indiana at this, at the Jesus Saves sign.

And I look around and I'm at a homeless shelter, and I'm like, what? Like, this is not, this is not what, what I was expecting. And so I'm in the parking lot, I'm calling my dad. I'm like, dad, I'm at a homeless shelter. And my dad's like, look, that's your option. Like this. That's, that's what you have left, right?

He's like, go in, talk to 'em and see what they have. And so I remember, wait. Yeah. When your mom drops you off, drops me off. So like, where is the camp at? The camps in Bloomington? It's in, yeah. We, the Mission does have an addiction recovery program that's on a camp, a beautiful, beautiful camp. But they, you get dropped at the Jesus Saves sign in downtown Indianapolis because intake is at the homeless shelter.

All right. And you have to start there. And so I didn't, I don't know what I'm getting myself into. So I, I walk in the front door and this guy comes, this guy comes out to meet me. Um, and he's the intake manager for the, for the, um, for the Addiction Recovery Program. His name was Dwayne Gordon, and he sits in front of me and, um, nice.

You know, just a, a well put together guy come to know, like he's, he is a business guy. Just went through our program, uh, just went through Wheeler missions program, had graduated, had taken a job on staff, and he was working as an intake manager. And I remember he was about my age and had a very similar background to me.

And he looked at me, he's like, Brian, he's like, if you don't stop, like you're gonna, you're gonna kill your, like you're gonna die or you're gonna be in prison and you're killing your family. Like, just looked at me right in the eyes and told me the truth. And it was the first time anybody had ever looked at me that had been there Right.

And knew it, and told me exactly where this was heading. You know, everyone else I'd manipulated and they would tell me things that would, you know, that they thought could help me, but a guy who'd been there to, to look at you and say, this is where it's heading. If you don't stop. And I knew it was true at this point.

I had, I just had three DUIs over my head. I had legal issues, I had financial issues. I had. You know, I was physically a mess, right? I hadn't eaten and I was on a liquid pretty much drinking, drinking my, my diet, right? And I was just a physical mess. And I knew because he, and when he said it to me, I knew it was true.

If I don't stop, I'm either gonna be dead or in prison. Right. And I knew, and he's like, look, we can help you. Just, just trust me. I'm like, all right, I'll do it. And so, so I remember, um, coming in that front door and two guys come in to help me get my stuff, and they had been through the program, right? And I'm just meeting people that had hope in their eyes.

Like they looked, they looked, they had joy. And I'm like, and they, and they had been at that lowest moment, they'd always been, they, they've been there. Like Brian, we've been here, right? Like, we've come through our pro, come through the program like, man, you gotta stick it out. We, we can get you there, right?

And I'm like, man, these guys look different. They, they just talk different and they have joy and hope in their eyes. I want what they have, right? But I'm, I'm like, this is a long program. This is nine months program. You're trying to tell me that that exists. I'm at a homeless shelter. You know, this is not easy.

And so it was a hard choice to, to just to, to stay there that day. But hearing people that, that look you and tell you the, you know, just truth and love, um, made all the difference. Yeah. That was huge for me. And so you. Stuck it out. Yeah. So I go in the first day I'm trying to sneak cigarettes, and again, using stuff you can't have and.

And Dwayne, uh, the guy looks at me, we're going up to, um, to one of the beds, and he's like, look, he's like, if you have anything, it's like, just, just tell me now. He's like, we, we just need to lay it all out, right? Just tell me what's going on. And I'm like, man, I do. I've got this stuff. I'm like, all right, let, and that was kind of my decision to be like, I'm done.

Right? Like, like, I'm not trying to manipulate anymore. This isn't working. And so I leave that stuff behind. I do what they ask me to do. It's a, it's a Christian organization, so the first thing they do is, um, I mean, teach you who, who exactly it is that they believe will, will save your life. And, and so Jesus is, is is the fundamental aspect for everything that we do at Wheeler Mission.

And that's where I come from, right? Like I, I come from the church background. I knew, I knew that that's where I wanted to, to how I wanted to live my life, but seeing people that were walking it out and didn't open an AA book for me right? Didn't, didn't talk about 12 steps. And I, I'd been through AA and I've done stuff like that, and it was honestly horrible for me.

I didn't want to talk about alcohol anymore. I just wanted something different. Like, let's just move away from that. Yeah. Let's go somewhere else. Right. And it's like, you need something to take that attention. Yeah. You know, like if you're constantly thinking and talking and you know, alcohol, it's like, oh, we're gonna talk about Jesus.

Yeah. And we're gonna talk about, you know, what's what? What's gonna save you? Yep. Wow. So, so first thing we do, first day there, we open Bibles, right? And it's like, all right, let's start. Let's start just focusing on scripture and focusing on what God says about you and what God says about your future and what God's says about himself.

Right. And so doing that really is the program. Like that was the program and, and it was doing that with people. There was dozens of people that had been there. I met all kinds of people, people from inner city, people from outta state, people from Indiana, people that looked like me, people that didn't, people that were older, right?

And they'd all been in the same place. I had every opportunity in the world. Some of these people grew up on the streets. We're all in the same place. Like we all can relate and we all can relate certainly to, to what God says about us, right? And, and so just focusing on that for what ended up being nine months.

Changed my life forever. Right? Not focusing on alcohol. And I remember talking to, to another staff member in the program and, and he was like, you know, I've been through programs where we talk about, you know, the, the, you know, the psychological impacts of, of, of addiction and you know, why we do all these things.

He's like, I've been through those programs, and he's like, you know where it led me? He's like, I remember leaving one of those programs before and sitting in a truck stop all by myself with a needle in my arm thinking I know exactly why I'm doing this, right? Like, I'm educated to the point with the, with the addiction knowledge to know I know why I'm doing this.

And he's like, I, I just, he's like, I, I, he's like, focusing on that will not change you. Focusing on serving other people. Focus, focusing not on yourself, but others. Focusing on God and what he says, and focusing on biblical truth will change your life forever. And now there's org, there's structure to that.

There's, there's certainly program, um, um, curriculum that goes along with it. But man, what changed my life was focusing on God for an extended period of time and taking time to serve others. I mean, we, in the programs, you're, you're cooking meals for other people in the program. You're cleaning the facilities When you And I did get to camp, right?

So eventually I get to this beautiful camp. You know, but we're cooking the meals, we're cutting the grass. How long did it take you to get to camp? Yeah, so back then, um, you would start downtown for, uh, six weeks. And if you got through that orientation phase, you would go to this, this, um, camp down in Bloomington.

It's again, 285 acres. There's, um, there's a lake on it. Um, there the cabins that were built by men that were in the program. Um, again, men are taking care of these facilities. Men, uh, men who have been the through the program are teaching classes. Um, there's a, there's a, there's a shop, uh, where you're actually going through work therapy.

So there's actually a pallet shop down there where you're building pallets and going and actually learning how to be, you know, responsible with, with small things of cleaning up the shop. And then you're put management positions and there's, there's growth within integrity and character that goes along with the program.

So how long are you in Bloomington for? But yeah, nine months. Okay. So, so you do six We, and they basically weed 'em out where it's like, if you can't do six months. Or six weeks here. Yeah. Like, we're not gonna, you're not gonna make it down there. Right. And are you serious? Right. Because yeah, there's no cost to get in this program because donors in this community have made it so and so what would cost you for a normal, um, you know, uh, addiction recovery program?

Tens of thousands of dollars unless you have insurance to cover it, if not more. Um, zero cost. Right. And so, um, but in order to do that, there are certainly, um, responsibilities with taking care of the facilities and all that. So yeah, it was, it was a long program where, where was the moment? So your, your program was nine months in total?

Yeah. Where was the moment in that nine months when you could call your parents and be proud of who you had become? First six weeks, you are not talking to your family. It was, it was, Hey, leave 'em alone. Like they need to rest too. Right. They've been through it. Um, you could write letters and I'd write letters.

Um, ask my, my sister for forgiveness. My sister followed me down the path I was, that I was on. She's six months, six years. Younger than me. She, she went to jail on a, on a, on an alcohol related charge, um, while I was in the program. Like, she had followed my footsteps, right? And I'm, I'm writing forgiveness letters to them.

Like, I'm like, I, I, I led a lot of people the wrong way, right? And so, letters were my only form of communication for a while. Now, eventually, like I was sold to change and, and I was, I was all in, I was gonna finish this thing no matter what. And so once you're at, at the camp for a couple months, uh, there's, there's cabins down there where the families could come visit and they could come stay.

And, and my parents were close enough to just come down for the day and, and head back. But I remember, um, about halfway through the program, my dad coming down again, who I respect in a big way and before I got to the program, was at a loss to what to do for me or with me. We're in this, we're in the woods.

And my dad loves the woods. He loves animals and he loves everything about what I'm doing, right. The, the facility that I'm at. And he's like, he's like, man, he's like, I've worked my whole life. He's like, this place is beautiful. He is like, I don't get to, I don't get to hang out here. You get to hang out here.

And uh, and he's like, you know what though? And I remember we went down to the lake and we're talking, we're talking about just what God had done in my life and some of the barriers he had removed from my life. Like the legal issues that he had literally just removed, um, to make it possible for me to even be there, which I could go down that story all by itself.

Um, but we're just reflecting on this, like this journey that God had brought me through and our family that had had been through it together, right? But he forgi, he forgave me, my mom forgave me. And we're sitting there talking about, you know, what God was doing next in our lives. And I remember just thinking like, man, I actually have something that my dad and I have in common and are interested in now.

Like for years. Like I manipulated this person for, for years to get what I wanted. And now we're on the same page. And, um, and I remember asking him like, what do you think I should do next? You know, after I leave this place. And he's like, he's like, Brian, God's opening doors for you left and right. Just keep walking through those.

Like, he's like, don't stop. And, um, you know, and I've always took advice from my dad and, and, um, be on the same page. And that moment was, yeah, was gold for me. That had to feel so freeing. Yeah. After just like the, you know, you start like digging deeper, digging deeper, digging deeper to the point where you look up and you're like, you're stuck in this hole.

And to get like. Kinda like scooped up, put out of there and back on this playing field with a chance. I just can't imagine like that feeling. Um, yeah. Incredible quick pauses. I think we can all agree that fall is one of the best times of the year in Indiana. Whether it's festivals, tailgating, or scenic road trips, it's a fun and busy time for everyone.

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That's elements.org/getingear and use promo code. Get in Elements Financial. Like a bank only better federally insured by NCUA. Let's get back into the episode. How did you end up working within Wheeler Mission and then staying for 17 years? Finish the program. Two choices for me. One is go back, you know, try to find a job.

You know, I'm trying to, I have to, on my resume, I gotta figure out what am I gonna t tell people I've been for nine months, right? Or a year, close to a year at this point, or an offer was given to me to stay. Um, and there's a second year option of a program called Servant Leadership Training. It's an option to stay at Wheeler, um, go through counseling, training, go through live in the facilities for free.

But you're teaching classes, you're helping the people. Those people that helped me that came in that first day and said, Hey, we've been through this to do what they were doing. And, and I'm like, and, and I, there were some friends, I, I started to make really good friends in this program. Right? Like, people that we've been through the trenches with, right?

Like people we've been through. Th we've been through it together and they're staying, and I'm like, let's do that. Let's, let's stay, let's just keep going down this road. So I did Servant Leadership Training for a year, which is something we still offer at Wheeler Mission for program graduates. And that was the hardest year of my life.

It because it was the most challenging. Like, I'm serving other people. I've been, I've been through the program, I'm been sober for a year. Like I really am itching to go, like, start a career and stuff, but God has me here to do this for a year, and I did it teaching classes. I'm living on the FI ended up being back downtown.

I'm living on the fourth floor of the homeless shelter, again, in a different environment. It's different floor. Um, and I've got some more, you know, re I've got some more responsibilities that are given to me, but I still don't have a door to my room. So I'm living in this like, cubby hole type room, but, you know, I'm on fire for, for, for this new life that I'm, I'm, I've been given by God and I want to go down that path.

And so I've, I finished that out for a year. And at the end of that, we merged with this mission, um, called The Lighthouse. And there was a man that, that was running the, the, the mission that we merged with. Um, his name was Matt Roller, and he started to hire some of the guys that were in SLT to just work nights and just be there to, to oversee the facility as, as the shelter operated.

And so he would pay us, I don't know, eight bucks an hour or something. And we, we were making a little bit of money and so I was working for him for a little bit. And when I was finishing up that I, I'll, I'll never forget, I'm like, again, at this crossroads, do I go my own way or do I, do I keep going down this path?

And I'll never forget that, um, I, I come back in my office one day that, that I was, I was in and, and um, and there was a postcard in there and it said, it said, be still and know that I'm God. And it was, someone had put it in there. I'm assuming it was Matt. And it was just spoke to me that look like God, God keeps opening these doors and he has changed things that you didn't even think were possible.

Like, like mountains were removed that you didn't even think like could ever be removed. You thought you were done and it keep, he keeps doing it for you. So, so that moment was just be patient and be still and know that I'm God. And so, so I kept walking through that door and, and Matt hired me. He wanted me to work for the program and started to give me responsibilities to develop an alumni, uh, program for guys who have been through the program.

Like I, I was a college graduate, so I'm like, most of these guys have never graduated high school. Like they don't belong to anything. Like, I wanna make something that these guys feel like they belong in. So I created this alumni, uh, program. We had a board, we had all this stuff, and I worked for the program for itself for a year.

But again, my, my background was in marketing and sales and. I'll never forget this email comes through. That was an internal email from Wheeler Mission. This guy Steve Kerr, who, who um, was with Wheeler for a long time, had an opening and development. It was the fundraising marketing arm and it was, and it was a very, very general development job.

And it was an opening. And I'm like, that's, that's it. Like this is the door. This is where I would love to be. And you know, I, I did my time working for the program, but like to be able to go out in the community and tell stories and fundraise and do all the things and events, like that's where I wanted.

And so, and I had a couple people were like, man, that's your job. Like you need to apply for that. And I did. I was the only people that personally interviewed for the job and they hired me pretty much on the spot. And I worked and I did that whatever they asked me to do for a long time. And, um, my career just built from there.

And so God just kept opening doors and ended up being, uh, the director of marketing for a long time, working for different events that we have, helping again, tell the story of Wheeler Mission in the community and tell people it's not just a homeless shelter. This is not just meals and beds. There's a whole group of people that lives are different forever.

Right. And they've gone through these programs and you know that because you're one of them. Yeah. That is like the ultimate seat to be in from a, a marketing perspective. It's just like you can, you know how powerful this is because like you've experienced it firsthand. Yeah. That is an incredible journey, man.

Like, kudos to you so. What I, I mean, that's just like a, a wild journey. Yeah. Through, you know, one year within the program, you know, the Servant Leadership Training. Oh my gosh. I can't imagine. It's interesting that you said that that was the hardest year of your life. A lot of days I wanted to quit, you know, I wanted to quit.

It was just difficult because it probably feels like, well, I'm good. Like, personally you're good, but you're like in this second, I don't know. That's, that's, there's a, there's a lot of self confrontation that you, you need to go through, right. And be like, look, I'm sober, but there's a lot of stuff that I just need to grow through.

Right? Yeah. And those are hard things to pull out. Like, especially if you've been down a rough road, like there's just a lot of bad habits and, um, things that you like to hide and hold onto that are eventually, if you hold onto those, they're gonna lead you right back down that same path. And to weed all that out takes a, takes a long time.

What is like the year, like, how long do, do you feel like someone has to make it in sobriety to not. Go back, you know, you can never go backwards. You gotta keep moving forward, right? Yeah. And I don't, I don't, I don't live my life one day at a time anymore. Like, that's, that seems ridiculous to me anymore.

Like I live free, um, I'm not chained at any of that. But I do know that if I go back that direction Yeah. Like I know where it goes. Right? Yeah. And so you just gotta keep moving forward, man. I didn't know if there's like a, a, let's say, hey, if we can get people to 12 months or we can get people to nine months, the the chances flip from like Yeah.

They're more likely than less likely to change their life. I think finishing what you start is, is probably the biggest thing you can do. Right? And so, you know, again, if you've been living in, in, in, in addiction for years and years and years, 30 days, 90 days, I mean, you're not, you're not changing the, the trajectory of your life in that, in that, that time.

Like it, for us, nine months is, is the moment, right? Like nine months is how long our program is. Nine months. You've been living it out. You've had chances to, to, to change your character. You have new habits, you have new things going on in your life. You've been focused on something long enough. To not be focused on that.

Right? Yeah. So, so that's where we're at. Nine months is, is the program. Um, and so it's that, that way for a reason. Um, but I'll never forget this because we always, when we, when people are in the program, they're like, well, what's the success rate of this program? What's the success rate? And I remember, never forget this, a teacher putting on the board, he writes up there 'cause he got sick of being asked, you know, 'cause everybody's like, well, how long do I need to stay?

And he wrote up a hundred percent. He said, you know what? A hundred percent of the people that want to change and do the things that it takes to change will change. Right. Like they will. And so if you say you're gonna finish this program in nine months and you quit six months from now, like, that's not saying, that's not doing what you said, but if you'll finish this and then whatever the next thing is, if you'll finish that, if you'll keep moving forward.

Man, you're gonna be successful. Yeah. Going to. Wow, man. So this nine month, yeah. What's this program called? So it's called the Hebron Program. It's a, it's a biblical reference for a place of refuge in, in the Bible that, that is, um, that you can look through. But, um, but yeah, it's in Bloomington and it's still available today to anyone who needs it.

What are, what are the other programs Yeah. That y'all offer to support and I mean, so not even just Hoosiers, like you're coming from Ohio. Yeah. Like Buckeye gets dropped off at the front door and Yeah. Hey, but I've been here, here ever since. Right. Amen. Right. So what are the other program, what's the other programming that you guys offer?

Yeah. Obviously we have overnight sheltering, so you can come to us for a meal and leave. Um, you can come and get a bed for the night and leave, um, the next morning. Um, if you are with us for, for a number of days, our case managers will find you and, and start to unpack, like, all right, our vision is for you to be equipped to be a productive citizen and join lasting success in Christ.

That's our vision. And so the case managers will start to unpack that we have shorter programs for people that just need a place to stay for a while. Maybe they're working, but they need to save money. We have shorter programs for those individuals. Uh, we have residential programs downtown that are a few months long that aren't addiction recovery type programs that will give you, um, the teaching and the tools, um, to get back on your feet, right?

If you're just experiencing homelessness in general. Um, and then addiction recovery programs on the men and women's side are the longest programs that we have. And again, everything we just, I just talked about as a, as a, as a experience of a man. Uh, we have very similar experiences on the women's side.

We have over a hundred women staying at our Center for Women and Children tonight. Um, many of those women have children either with them or somewhere, right, that are very closely connected to them. So we have children staying in that center for women and children. So on the women's side, it's a little different because.

There are families over there, whereas the men's side, it's just single men, man. Okay. So those are some of the programs that, like how many, you said you serve over a thousand meals a day. Like how many, what are the metrics that you guys use to, to measure the impact that Wheeler Mission has on Indiana?

First thing we do is serve anybody who comes through our front door, right? And so, you know, we're a Christian organization, but we don't discriminate. It could be you could be anybody and as long as you need help and you're asking for help, we'll we'll let you in and and help you. So a thousand meals a day, that's just the step one.

I mean, it doesn't do any good to start talking to someone about life transformation if they're hungry, right? They just need the basic essentials or they're cold or they just haven't slept in three days. Right? And they've been on the streets. Like we offer them the bare essentials clothing. People donate clothing to us all the time.

Um, we have, we have that we, we make sure they have what they need, toiletries, we make sure they have what they need. So those are the basics. Um, but one, once we start to unpack with case managers who are trained to do so on what's going on with you, um, then we can start to see what the barriers are that are causing you to experience this situation.

Right. It could be addiction, it could just be that, you know, you're broke. Right? Or, or you, you don't have any fa or you're, you might be, have some mental health issues and so we'll, we'll collaborate with other organizations in the community to get the help that you need. So whether, whether we can help you with, with, you know, with our services or collaborate with others in the community, uh, our goal is to make sure that, again, you're equipped in the end to be a productive citizen here in here in Indiana.

Yeah. Who enjoys lasting success in Christ. Talk to us about how community members Yeah. People within Indiana can make an impact, whether it's with Wheeler Mission or just in general on. You know, homelessness and those that might be going through these tough times that need the, a programming that need a, a meal or a place to, uh, stay for the night.

Like, how can us as Hoosiers, uh, what, you know, with Wheeler Mission, like be involved? The first thing I'll say, which is probably a different angle than what you would expect me to say is, you know, um, if you know someone that needs help, like tell 'em to go to, tell 'em that Wheeler Mission's available. Like that pastor that told me that Wheeler Mission could help me changed my life, right.

If you would've done told me that, I wouldn't have known the place existed. Yeah. There are people, you know, struggling with addictions. Certainly there's people that you see on the streets, they're saying, Hey, I need, I need some money. Like, tell them to go to Wheeler. Right. We, I talked to like, if, if you know someone that's sick, like, like tell them to go get the, the help that they need.

Right. Like point 'em in the direction of the hospital. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So, so that's, that's one is um, tell people about it. Right. Tell people that they can go there, send this podcast. They're like, you can talk about maybe, maybe there people, you know, that pastor, uh, talking to you and like giving you three numbers.

Yeah. And like the fact that you chose Wheeler Mission in Indianapolis, like your life is different because of it. It was just the first one that I went to. Right. I was gonna go to the others, but I'm like, man, this is, this is for me. So, but yeah. Tell people about Wheeler. You know, there are moms out there that, I mean, I can't even tell you what my mom went through watching me go through what I went through.

Right. Like tell, tell moms that look, there's hope for your son. Like you may not have seen him in six months a year and he may be out there doing things or your daughter, right. Like there, there's places that can help put that number in their hand. You never know when they'll use it. Yeah. Um, so that's one.

I think, you know, and all the services that I just mentioned are free for people that go through our programs. We don't charge 'em anything, um, whether they eat or they stay for a year. Um, and so donations is what, what gets us through. Um, we have many multiple facilities. Certainly our doors are open and our lights are on because people donate.

Um, and we, we, we have a lot of volunteers. We have thousands of volunteers that can come in. It could be as simple as coming in during lunch or dinner and serving a meal. Um, you could come in downtown and, and serve 200 meals in a lunchtime, in an hour and a half. It's something that you can do. It's something you can bring your kids to, something you can bring your, your small group to.

I would, I would challenge listeners. I like this. Yeah. I would challenge listeners. We'll, we'll find a day, we'll protect the Get Indiana team down there. Okay. And we'll surf. But also every time you find yourself where you're in a conversation. Where you're complaining about maybe the makeup of, of down in Indianapolis and you're like, oh, we need to do something.

Like how can we help? Every time you find yourself in that conversation, you should book time to go serve it with other Yeah. Like I'm so big on impact. Like I love the idea of like, you see an issue in your community and you should work to go solve it. Yeah. So it's like, okay, great. That's your like mental trigger.

Every time you find yourself like complaining that there's something you know, that you want a difference or a change to be made. Alright, cool. Go be part of the change. Go make an impact. I think that's like a first domino of like understanding. Like a lot of times people don't have this conversation and don't get to spend 50 minutes hearing about how Wheeler Mission changed your life.

Yeah. 19 years ago. Yeah. Going on 20 years. Yeah. Like, that's incredible man. And you like, get this newfound appreciation. I think people just think like, they don't understand like how um, the slope, like how like you slowly like dig this hole, dig this hole, and then all of a sudden you look up and it's like.

Insurmountable. Yeah. You know, and that you need these programs to level the playing field a little bit there and like get back to where even if it was like it was choices that you made and these things that you went down, like yeah, you still gotta to find a way through. So there's me, my first charge.

If you find yourself in a, in a moment where you're maybe, um, complaining and not making your community a better place, like go work to make your community a better place. Absolutely there. There is that. We're gonna clip that one for social. Yeah. wheelervolunteer.org. That's the website you go to volunteer.

Amen. Easy to do. Um, okay. Talk to us about there. There's two more things I want to cover. One is like people are talking about downtown Indianapolis and the homelessness and all this piece there. What is within Wheeler? If you had an unlimited budget, like what do we need, what does Wheeler need? What does down in Indianapolis need to help these Hoosiers to help these people that are experiencing homeless?

And like that might be at that lowest moment. Yeah, we just got the, um, the count. Um, so there's a, there's a Point-in-Time Count that comes out every year that, um, organization called CHIP manages. And so people go, go out in the community and they, they count, they literally, literally count on the exact same day every year.

How many people are experiencing homelessness in this city? Um, they go under bridges, they go to shelters. They go anywhere that they, they normally would find someone who, who's, uh, without a home. Um, and that count was up 7% this year. So it's 1,815, I think is the number of Hoosiers in Marion County that are experiencing homelessness.

Up 7%. They're 1800 Hoosiers. Yes. Like, that doesn't seem. Insurmountable to fix? No. Compared to other cities, it's, it's pretty small, like 18. Like the thing, it still a, a lot of people, it's, it isn't n it is a ton of people. Yeah. But it it, and it's something similar to your scenario. It's not just like if someone would've given you $10,000 Right.

It would've it wouldn't have fixed it. No. Like you had to change your heart position. You had to change, like you had to want to change your life. Yes. That's the part that's like a credit card. Like you, you said it yourself. Yeah. It's like I went straight to the bar. Yep. 1800 and how many? 1,815 this year.

1,815. That's January. That was count up 7%. Up seven. So that's okay. That's the base. Yeah. Now what can, what can be done or what's on the plan? What are the steps being taken to serve and into. Uh, yeah. To help those 1800 Hoosiers. Yeah. So for, for us, what we have done, we've, we, thanks to donors who have set us up to do so, have expanded both our men's shelter and our women's shelter to just have more space.

Right? I will say this, we did the men's shelter, uh, a number of years ago, and then the women's shelter in 2021. Um, the day that we opened up the brand new larger shelter, they fill up. Right. Because people, you build it, they will come, right? Yeah. Like people that were outside were like, oh, there's a nicer, newer place for me to get inside.

They'll get in. Now we want 'em to come in because now we can start working with those individuals. Yeah. But, you know, step into the space, right? Is, is kind of what I would say first. Like, there's, there's complicated issues in, in every person's life. Like, like what I just said to you that my whole story, like that's not, I did, I went down that path.

Right? Like no one was gonna stop that. My parents would've done anything to stop that. Yeah. But once I got there, people needed to be able to step into that space and help me. Right. It was a pastor that stepped in and, and pointed the right direction. It was an organization that was set up by, by, so. You know, there are gaps.

Um, and anybody who wants to step in and help, whether it's, whether it's to have shelter, space, program, space services for, for people that are struggling with mental health, um, addiction, you name it, step into the space. 'cause when people are in that, that position, like they need help. And then once we walk 'em out of that, like, like they can experience.

Long lasting success. Right. But you're never gonna, you're never gonna end homelessness. Like, I don't, I don't believe that. Right? Like, I don't think that you can end my story, like my story would've happened. No matter who set up what people are gonna, people are gonna be in these positions, and we need to be there to respond when they are.

Now, there are, there are things you can do to help, right? Like making sure that, you know, that, that, that we're, they have stable living environments. Mm-hmm. Obviously, um, rent is unaffordable right now. Right? There's housing is unaffordable, there's, there's, there's housing that's not even available in this community.

There's very little space to even go find, find a home to rent or buy. Right? So there are spaces you can help. I'll, I'll tell you this. Uh, when, when I graduated the program. One of the first people I met was this guy named Don, and I found him on the, on the paper. 'cause I was looking for a place to live. I didn't have any money.

Like I was just starting to work. Right. I had a roommate that wanted to help me and he came to us and he owned multiple properties and he said, and we met. And the guy that I was working, that I was, um, wanted to room with came through our program and he had a drug charge for selling drugs. So he had red flags on him, right?

But this guy said, you know what guys? I see something's different in you guys, and I wanna help you and I'm gonna, I'm gonna let you rent my, my place. I'm not even gonna charge you the, the deposit you guys just pay me the first month. Right? And we found a way to make that work. And he, he helped us in a way with the resources he had.

So if you step into the space and want to help people talk about another door getting opened, right? Yeah. Man. Another door, right? But. Um, I, I'm convinced that you, you can't fix it all just with a swipe. Like everyone needs to step in and do what they can with the resources they have. If you're a church, like step into the space and, and help, right?

Yeah. If you're a business and you wanna come down and do something like step into the space, there's always room. And I think it starts with some empathy, like understanding, like I do think that's a big piece and you kinda hit on it early on in the pod that was like, you don't just like run outta money one day or you don't go bankrupt and like, you know, like, 'cause the, I'm imagining from the current perspective that I'm in, like if I lost every dollar, I have a list of 500 friends Yeah.

That would like, like, Hey man, stay with me. Like, yeah, stick my, but it comes over like a long, if, if, but if that became my lifestyle for the next three years And you're constantly like, you know, you talked about manipulating and using Yeah. And like, it's this long process, um, that then you had to change Yeah.

Like internally to then like get back on track. Yeah. I think that like, just like understanding and. You know, um, empathizing with how people end up in the situation. Yeah. And then starting to build there of like how you can help to serve these, you know, the current numbers. 1,815. 1,815. Yeah. 1,815. I won't forget that.

1,815, um, uh, individuals in Indianapolis, in Marion County experiencing homelessness. Like they all have a story. Yeah. Yeah. And it's not like everyone. Yeah. And I think that's a big piece. It's like, maybe some people's story is that, but it's not just like, oh yeah, one day my bank account hit zero and I moved out onto the street.

Yeah. Like, and that can happen. You can have a fire, take something, like, you can be sick with some. I mean, there, there are tragic moments in people's lives, but man, okay. The final thing I wanna talk about, uh, as we wrap up the episode is. One of the largest fundraisers. for Wheeler Mission. That's just around the corner.

Yeah. We're talking about the iconic Drumstick Dash right here in Broad Ripple. Yeah. Your previous boss, you talked about him. Uh, Steve Kerr. Yeah. Steve Kerr. Yeah. Not, not the basketball, not the basketball guy. Steve Kerr was the founder or like the, I, the, the brains behind it. The guy who started, yeah, he did.

Um, Drumstick Dash. When did he, it's 2003. So in 2003. So just before you came to town, the Drumstick Dash started, has it always been here in Broad Ripple It has day one. Yep. And the whole thing, right? The like the, the tagline Right. Move your feet so others can eat. Yeah. Like how, what is the impact? And I think this is a really good entry point.

I ran my first Drumstick Dash last year. Nice. I had a great time. Always a great long sleeve that comes out of it like, yeah, blah, blah, blah. Um, what's the impact that comes out of an and how many individuals are, uh, run in the Drumstick Dash Every year people want to know, like, how do I help this, this issue?

Right? And like, you see people that need help, but Drumstick Dash was created as a fun way to go do something about the fact that people are experiencing homelessness right here in our community. So every dollar raised at Drumstick Dash goes right to Wheeler Mission to fund these programs. I just said so, so people don't have to pay to come in and get a meal a night, a night shelter, or stay in our programs.

So 2003, Steve Kerr, um, started this, this, this event before Turkey trots were a big thing before Thanksgiving Day runs were a big thing. He said, let's try it on Thanksgiving Day. And our CEO at the time told him he was crazy. He said that That'll never work. Right? And we had 1300 people show up day. year one?

Yeah. Year one right here in Broad Ripple. Yeah. Do people kinda like, they were like, dude, you know what, let's do it. And I, I bet someone outta that had to be like Steve Edge out their hustling. Come on, come to this thing, it'll be fun. Like, you know, and, and you're like, you're creating some space for Turkey.

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, and Wheeler Mission, you know, the cause was always, always resonated. It's like, man, it's Thanksgiving, it's cold. People, people shouldn't be homeless. That's true too. It fit. Yeah. And there was, there were other people in, in the space. Don Carr, who runs Tuxedo Brothers, runs these big of running, uh, the running events.

He's been involved since day one. Bob Kennedy, who, who owned the, the running company and owns multiple running companies since then. Uh, he's, he's a ex Olympian. He was involved in day one, helped us to get into the running space. Yeah. Um, and so all of this came together in this perfect storm when no other.

No other organization was in the space of Thanksgiving Day with, with races, and we had a, we had a blast. And again, I wasn't here that that year, but it grew every year, um, to the point where in 2016 we had our biggest race. It was 20,140 people, somewhere around there. Over 20,000 people made it one of the largest Thanksgiving Day races in the country.

Um, and one of the top three races in the state when it comes to the number of runners. And so you have the Mini Marathon, you have the Monumental Marathon, and you have Drumstick Dash owned by a homeless shelter right here in, in Indianapolis that in are the top races in the state, which is Wow. So 20,100 something, that's the, the peak.

What, what is it like on a rolling five year basis? Yeah. When we were at 20,000, it was pretty busy. Like, it was like, man, and Broad Ripple's not that big. It's not, and it's like, where do you park? Like the starting line, like there was a year where we, we didn't even get to start on time. We had so many people that streets of abroad were full and we're trying to start, so.

We worked that out, but really we've, we've kind of settled into this wheelhouse about 15, 16,000 people. Yeah. Which makes it a really good experience In Broad Ripple, you can run, you can walk, most people walk, uh, families are out there. You have people that have made this, their Thanksgiving Day tradition.

They have it's great multi-generations now. They have grandpa with his, his son, and his grandson. Uh, granddaughters and all this. Yeah. So, uh, it's really, uh, I, I kind of sometimes explain it like it's a parade where people are running inside of, and they're all there to help, help people that are, it does kind of feel like that.

Yeah. Uh, for sure. Uh, where it's like, yeah, it's a parade. Like, you know, you run under and there's the massive American flag Yeah. On the fire ladders, fire truck ladders. Oh yeah. Like, it's just a whole vibe. Yeah. Uh, I, you know, you shut down Keystone for a little bit there. Yeah. And you get to whip rip around relatively affordable for like, the fact that all the proceeds go to help others on like a day where.

It's all about, uh, let's say like glutton, right? Yeah. You like, you go and you eat a thousand pounds of Turkey and all the mashed potatoes and stuff, and it's like, great, you're gonna go, you know, run in the morning, walk, do whatever. You're gonna donate some money to help others around your community who might not get the same luxuries on Thanksgiving Day.

Yeah, I love it. Do something for others first, right. And then, then we'll worry about our family. But yeah, it's fun. Broad Ripple's, a scenic area to run if you've never run in Broad Ripple. Like we go through the neighborhoods and there's some beautiful neighborhoods in Broad Ripple, my gosh, that most people don't really get a chance to look at.

So, yeah, it's incredible, man. I've just really appreciated having you on the show and telling us your personal story, the story of Wheeler Mission, and the impact that you guys make today, and the plans of how you can continue to grow. How our community members, how our listeners can get plugged in to help make an impact.

1,815 Yeah. Individuals here in Marion County experience homelessness on the day CHIP. Yeah. Is that the organization? That's the day they, they measure that, um, in January. Yeah. And it's, and I think that, um, the piece that you said that was really important, it's like you're not going to be able to eradicate and end homelessness just based on people's life decisions and what happens, but being there to meet them where they are when they're at their lowest and help them on their road to changing their situation.

Yeah. I think it's very, very important. Um, we've come to a partner show where we get to talk about Indiana. We have some, some final questions here, kinda our lightning round. Okay. This question is brought to you by our friends at J.C. Hart. They're a leader in creating enjoyable living experiences at apartment communities all across Indiana and beyond.

Check them out at home is J.C. Hart.com. Question for you, Brian from Ohio. Spent time in Florida back to Ohio over to Indiana. Yeah. Like when you finished the program, you could have obviously, like you could have gone home. You could have gone and worked somewhere else. Why do you call Indiana home? Yeah, I thought I was gonna go back to Ohio.

My dad ran a ministry in Ohio and I was gonna go, gonna go help run that and um, man, God just opened a door for me to be here. I met my wife here. Um, I was actually just barely graduated the program when I, when I met. Who is now my wife, and we've just made a home here. Um, we have three kids here now. We live in New Palestine area.

You know, I coach baseball. I love it. It feels a lot like Ohio, except it has obviously more of a basketball flare. Mm-hmm. It's got the, it's got the, uh, the Hoosier mentality that goes behind it, and you've got the pork, um, what do you call it? These tenderloins. Yeah, tenderloins. Yeah. And, and so all that stuff, man, it just, it, it feels like home.

But, uh, a lot of that's due to my wife and she's from Southport area. And so we've, we live in areas that she's used to and I've just, I've just made it my home and our kids love it here. And, and we would never, yeah, we would never wanna leave. What's one story from a Wheeler guest that you'll never forget?

A good friend of mine now, um, I was actually the best man of his wedding. I met him the day he came in from, from, uh, Georgia. Uh, he got dropped off because, um, some friends of his that he was doing drugs with dropped him off in Indianapolis and he didn't know where to go and he was outta money and they ditched him.

And he asked a police officer where to get help and they sent him to Wheeler Mission. And Wheeler Mission changed his life forever, and he ended up be, he's now, um, the president of an organization in town college graduate, ended up being hired to, to run a nonprofit here in town. Uh, I ran into him when he, when he, um, when he, um, was on the first date with his now wife.

We ran into him down in the circle, and I've just got to know this, this, this guy, his name's Brandon and, and, um, and watch him raise three kids and, um, just be a father. But I remember the day he showed up, um, and just looked rough and just was, was, had nowhere else to go. And I'm like, who is this kid, man?

And to watch a person grow in character and be such an impact, uh, here in this community is, is just one of the most fun, uh. People I know, but it's also one of the greatest stories I've seen. Come outta there. What's one thing you wish more people knew about homelessness in Indianapolis? I wish people knew people's name, right.

Like that. When you see someone that's 50, 60, like years old, and you see 'em in that moment, that's the darkest moment in their life. I wish you knew their story. I wish you knew where they came from. Like what was, what was it like when they were 15 Right. And they were at their home, and what was it like when they were married and, and lost that?

What, what's their journey? What's their story? Where's the trauma? Right? Yeah. It's like no one just graduates high school and then their parents say, all right, you're outta here. And like, I mean, at least I don't think so. Like, you just move out onto the street. I mean, not normally. No. Yeah, there's a journey, right?

And it's, and it's, there's a lot of like songs I feel like, you know, especially country songs. Country song. Yeah. Yeah. About like how, how did this happen? Like, and, and yeah. No one really takes the time to ask those questions. Yeah. To hear like the journey that got them there. And when, when sometimes when people volunteer, they'll, they'll ask people their name when they're serving 'em a meal.

That's the first time someone's asking 'em their name. Who knows how long, right? Yeah. Like get, I wish people knew their, their stories. I wish I knew their stories. Right. There's a lot there. These are the same three questions we ask everyone who comes on the show. Uh, first one, what's something the world needs to know about Indiana?

One thing on the east side, right? Like, which I, I knew this because my wife said, Hey, let's move to New Palestine. But once, once you go east and you keep going east, you end up in like this whole different world that's developing like crazy on the east side. And so I'm gonna give a plug to New Pal right now 'cause I'm, I'm a homeowner.

Homeowner out there and, and getting coached sports and I'm involved out there. But once, once you leave, everybody's moving downtown. But once you get outside of the downtown area, man, some really cool places that, that are growing fast in Indianapolis, the west, you know, you go up to Westfield and, and see what's going on in Grand Park and people are coming here from all over the country.

They're learning that Indianapolis and Indiana is, is a growing area, but, um, it's just a great place to live. Um, and, and just raise a family. Yeah. What is the, uh, there's like an ice cream joint in New Pal that people love? Yeah. Frosty Boy. Frosty Boy. Yeah. Absolutely. Go to Frosty Boy for a New Pal. Yeah.

The first thing I did, I'll say, I think that east, the east side, like the East suburbs, Hancock County, that area Yeah. Is. Like, I think the, everyone knows that the north side of Indianapolis is ripping, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. And I think the next place people talk about is maybe the south side. Yeah. And then I feel like people talk about the west side, like Avon, you know, Brownsburg, that place.

Yeah. Sneaky Greenfield, New Pal. Yeah. Like that whole east side of the city. Like there's some definite bang for your buck out there. Yeah. Maybe I shouldn't say that. You know what? Don't come that way. We We'll keep it quiet. Yeah, right. There you go. It's great. We, we love it. Uh, next, this is where you get to, to share some love to a place that more Hoosiers need to know about.

What is a hidden gem in Indiana High school Football, like basketball is, is, is always like everyone's favorite, right? But man, high school football in Indiana is, is something else, right? Like, yeah. And, um, again, were you, do you have, uh, do you have kids that play? I don't. So my oldest is, she's, uh, geez, 15, right?

And, uh, just started high school. Um, my youngest is my son. He's, he's, uh, 10. So we have. We have 15, almost 13 and 10. So, um, but yeah, high school football's a, a blast here in, well, so I'm the head wrestling coach at Chatard. Okay, good. And so New Pal played Chatard in the regional game this past year. It went to like double overtime or whatever.

It was crazy. Yeah. And it was like one of those like nailbiter games, like the whole way through and like, I think New Pal went on to win State. Yeah, last year and no one, not a lot of people could see it, 'cause chat's, stadium's, small, right. So it's like hard to get in there. Yeah. It's, it's, it's an intimate setting.

It's packed, yeah. Oh, sold out. Yeah. It's crazy. Final question for you. This is where we get recommendations for new guests for the show or just people that are doing really cool things. Who's a Hoosier? We need to keep on our radar. Someone who's doing big things. Wheeler Mission had a, a, uh, 30 year CEO.

His name was Rick Alvis and we just, um, brought in a new CEO, um, just a couple years ago. His name's Perry Hines and he is doing amazing things here, here, uh, in Indianapolis. And he's involved in some of the big conversations here on what to how to step into these spaces and make a big difference. Uh, we're now doing some new things in supportive care, uh, aftercare programs because of what Perry has has brought to the, to the table.

And so, uh, Wheeler Mission just received, um, the IBJ Nonprofit of the Year award. Um, so we're excited about that. But Perry's leading that effort, and if you don't know Perry Hines, get to know him because man, he, he took over for a legend. Uh, Rick Alvis, 30 years in, in a spot to take over for that is not easy, but he is, he's making a difference here in Indiana.

Brian, I appreciate you coming on. Yeah, I appreciate you being vulnerable and sharing your story through the programs at Wheeler Mission and your, you know, journey to change your life. Uh, I think that that is very, very impactful and it speaks to the programming. Like, like no better head of marketing than someone who has experienced all that Wheeler has to offer firsthand.

Um, it's incredible. 17 years going strong. I'm excited to go out and run the Drumstick Dash this year. Uh, I mean, the third biggest race in the state of Indiana. Come on. Uh, I'm excited to catch myself when I am in that mode of, you know, complaining about what's wrong with our community, like volunteering.

To help make my community a better place and to support you guys in the initiatives that you have in the programming that you're doing and how you're changing the lives of these 1,815 Hoosiers every single year that are experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis. Um, and it was a pleasure learning about the over 100 year history of Wheeler Mission, how it started, how you guys have grown, and the impact that you make here.

Uh, I really, really appreciate you coming on the show and sharing. If people do want to go make a donation, if they're compelled to, you know, donate, volunteer, how can they get plugged in? wheelermission.org easy. You can volunteer there. You can donate there. You can learn more about our events. We have lots of other events to get plugged into.

Um, go there and it's a, we just had a new website, so it's easy to use. It's nice. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, we appreciate you coming on and we'll talk soon. Thank you. Alright. That's a wrap on today's Nonprofit Spotlight, and I hope you're as fired up as I am about the work being done by amazing leaders right here in Indiana.

Big thanks again to Elements Financial for sponsoring the series as a credit union. They're not-for-profit and built on the idea of empowering individuals to achieve financial success. That's why they've been empowering Hoosiers and folks around the globe for 95 years. They're based in Indy, but they serve members in all 50 states and more than 50 countries.

And they're serious about giving back, teaching more than 1,000 financial wellness classes every year, offering volunteer hours, and donating 1% of net profits to causes that matter. So if you're looking for a financial partner that's rooted in purpose and proud to serve, check out elements.org/getin. That's elements.org/getin and use promo code getin Elements Financial, like a bank only better. Federally insured by NCUA. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time right here on Get IN.