Unstoppable Achievers - Chris Lambert
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring interview, Chris Lambert, founder and CEO of Life Remodeled, shares his journey from a small Indiana town to transforming Detroit communities. Through repurposing vacant school buildings into community hubs and engaging thousands of volunteers in annual projects, Lambert's organization addresses disparities in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. His story highlights the power of collaboration and the importance of involving the community in sustainable revitalization efforts.
Takeaways
- 😀 Chris Lambert, the founder and CEO of Life Remodeled, was born and raised in a small town in northern Indiana and had a profound life change after a spiritual encounter in Australia.
- 🏫 Life Remodeled's mission is to address the opportunity gap in Detroit by repurposing large vacant school buildings into community hubs filled with nonprofits that provide services requested by community members.
- 📈 The organization focuses on three main areas of community needs: youth education programs, workforce development initiatives, and access to health and wellness services.
- 🏢 The Dery Innovation Society is an example of a repurposed building that now houses 34 nonprofits, including Detroit at Work, a major workforce development initiative.
- 🌐 Lambert emphasizes the importance of community involvement and learning from the community to ensure that the revitalization efforts are sustainable and beneficial to the residents.
- 💡 The idea for Life Remodeled came from Lambert's desire to support people experiencing suffering and life-controlling circumstances, inspired by his time in Africa and his spiritual journey.
- 👥 Life Remodeled's annual Six-Day project mobilizes 5,000 volunteers to beautify neighborhoods, but Lambert acknowledges that the real impact comes from the services provided in the repurposed schools.
- 🤝 Lambert believes in the importance of collaboration and that everyone involved in the organization learns and grows together, reflecting the name 'Life Remodeled'.
- 🌟 The organization has successfully revitalized six neighborhoods in Detroit, with a focus on not just physical changes but also providing opportunities for education, employment, and health.
- 🔑 Lambert's drive comes from a sense of responsibility, given the opportunities he has had in life, and a desire to help others access similar opportunities.
- 📆 Those interested in getting involved with Life Remodeled can participate in the Six-Day project or other year-round opportunities, including youth programs and community services.
Q & A
Who is Chris Lambert and what is his background?
-Chris Lambert is the founder and CEO of Life Remodeled. He was born and raised in a small town in northern Indiana and later moved to Detroit. He is married with two sons and is deeply involved in community revitalization efforts in Detroit.
What is Life Remodeled and what does the organization focus on?
-Life Remodeled is a nonprofit organization focused on repurposing large vacant school buildings into community hubs that provide opportunities for education, workforce development, and health and wellness services. It aims to bridge the opportunity gap in Detroit by collaborating with local nonprofits and community members.
What was the initial motivation behind Life Remodeled's establishment?
-Life Remodeled was established to address the disparity in Detroit, where residents face challenges such as low median household income, inadequate healthcare access, and a high percentage of students reading below grade level. The organization seeks to provide the community with the opportunities they deserve.
How does Life Remodeled engage with the community to understand their needs?
-Life Remodeled engages with the community by asking questions and developing trust. They focus on relationship development to ensure that the community's authentic needs and desires are understood and addressed.
What are some of the services provided by the nonprofits in the repurposed school buildings?
-The repurposed school buildings house a variety of services including youth programs focused on education and leadership, workforce development initiatives that lead to sustainable jobs, and health and wellness services such as mental health support and early childhood education.
Can you provide an example of a repurposed school building by Life Remodeled?
-An example is the Dery Innovation Society, a vacant school building that was repurposed and now houses 34 nonprofits, providing a wide range of services to the community.
What was a pivotal moment in Chris Lambert's life that led to his current path?
-A pivotal moment in Chris Lambert's life was during his junior year of college when he moved to Australia for six months. There, he had a profound spiritual encounter that shifted his perspective and led him to a path of service and community work.
How did Chris Lambert's college experience influence his future endeavors?
-Chris Lambert's college experience, particularly his time in Australia and his spiritual encounter, led him to reevaluate his life goals. Instead of pursuing a career in law and real estate development, he felt a calling to help people connect with God and serve communities.
What role does Chris Lambert see himself playing in the community revitalization process?
-Chris Lambert sees himself as a learner and a facilitator in the community revitalization process. He emphasizes the importance of engaging with the community to understand their needs and working together to create sustainable change.
How does Life Remodeled's approach differ from traditional charity or gentrification?
-Life Remodeled's approach focuses on working with the community rather than imposing changes from the outside. They aim for a multi-transformational process where everyone involved grows and benefits, rather than just providing charity or leading to gentrification.
What are some of the challenges Life Remodeled has faced in their community work?
-Some challenges include maintaining the cleanliness and order in neighborhoods after initial cleanups, as well as ensuring that the community is actively involved and invested in the long-term sustainability of the projects.
How can individuals get involved with Life Remodeled's projects?
-Individuals can get involved by volunteering for the Six-Day project, which happens annually, or by exploring other opportunities on their website, such as year-round involvement or working with youth programs.
Outlines
🌟 Introduction to Chris Lambert and Life Remodeled
Chris Lambert, the founder and CEO of Life Remodeled, is introduced in this paragraph. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, he moved to Detroit and started working on urban neighborhood revitalization. The organization's mission is to address the opportunity gap in Detroit by repurposing vacant school buildings into community hubs filled with nonprofits that provide essential services. Chris shares the vision behind Life Remodeled and its impact on the community.
🏫 Transforming Vacant Schools into Community Hubs
This paragraph delves into the specifics of Life Remodeled's work, focusing on the transformation of large vacant school buildings into 'One-Stop hubs of opportunity.' It highlights the importance of community input in determining the types of services needed, such as youth programs, workforce development, and health and wellness services. The example of the Dery Innovation Society building, now occupied by 34 nonprofits, illustrates the success of this approach.
🛤️ Chris Lambert's Journey to Life Remodeled
Chris shares his personal journey, from growing up in a small town to studying business in college and eventually experiencing a life-changing encounter with God during a study abroad program in Australia. This spiritual awakening redirected his life's trajectory towards community service and led him to establish Life Remodeled in Detroit, with a focus on supporting marginalized communities.
🌱 The Evolution of Chris's Entrepreneurial Spirit
Chris discusses his entrepreneurial ventures, starting from high school and college, and how he didn't realize he was an entrepreneur until someone else identified it in him. The paragraph also touches on his move to LA to study at a seminary and the strong calling to Detroit that he and his wife felt, despite initial reluctance. It outlines the beginnings of Life Remodeled and Chris's realization of the importance of community involvement in sustainable neighborhood transformation.
🔨 Life Remodeled's Approach to Community Revitalization
This paragraph explains Life Remodeled's philosophy of community revitalization, distinguishing between gentrification, charity, and working with the community for multi-transformational growth. Chris emphasizes the importance of learning from the community and aligning their skills with the community's needs. He also discusses the annual Six-Day project, which mobilizes thousands of volunteers for neighborhood beautification and the sustainable impact of their work in vacant schools.
🤝 Involvement and Opportunities with Life Remodeled
Chris outlines the various ways individuals can get involved with Life Remodeled, including the annual Six-Day project and year-round opportunities such as youth programs. He encourages potential volunteers to visit the Life Remodeled website to sign up and stresses the importance of matching passions with the organization's needs. The paragraph concludes with an appreciation for the impact of Chris's story and the inspiration it provides for others to get involved in community service.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Unstoppable Achiever
💡Life Remodeled
💡Opportunity Gap
💡Community Revitalization
💡Nonprofit
💡Volunteer
💡Educational Inequality
💡Workforce Development
💡Health and Wellness Services
💡Youth Programs
💡Social Entrepreneurship
Highlights
Chris Lambert, the founder and CEO of Life Remodeled, discusses his journey from a small town in Indiana to transforming Detroit neighborhoods.
Life Remodeled's mission is to address the opportunity gap in Detroit by repurposing vacant school buildings into community hubs.
The organization fills these buildings with nonprofits that provide services directly requested by community members.
Chris emphasizes the importance of community involvement in neighborhood revitalization efforts.
Life Remodeled focuses on youth programs, workforce development, and health and wellness services based on community needs.
The Dery Innovation Society, a repurposed school building, houses 34 nonprofits and is fully occupied, serving as a model for community impact.
Chris shares his personal transformation during college, leading to a life dedicated to community service.
A radical encounter with God in Australia shifted Chris's life trajectory from chasing material success to serving others.
Chris and his wife felt a calling to Detroit due to its significant social need and racial diversity.
Life Remodeled's annual Six-Day project mobilizes thousands of volunteers to beautify and support local neighborhoods.
Chris discusses the importance of sustainable impact through community engagement rather than short-term charity.
Life Remodeled has been in six Detroit neighborhoods, making a long-term difference through their projects.
Chris believes that everyone has a unique purpose and encourages individuals to discover and live into theirs.
Volunteers play a crucial role in Life Remodeled's projects, with around 20% coming from the neighborhoods served.
Chris highlights the need for ongoing community involvement to maintain the positive changes made by Life Remodeled.
Life Remodeled provides opportunities for year-round involvement, including working with youth and other community programs.
Chris invites individuals to get involved with Life Remodeled based on their passions and skills.
Transcripts
welcome to the Walsh College cradle lab
today we are talking with another
Unstoppable achiever and this one I am
so excited this was actually a referral
from a previous one Terry Bean uh told
us he's said if you're going to get cool
people in here you got to start with
Chris Lambert so it was very fun to have
you uh have you respond to us so quickly
and get you in here it's very exciting
but Chris I want you to talk about today
some of your history what you're up to
what you're going and how people can get
involved with you because it's going to
be what you are doing is phenomenal work
okay so Chris Lambert is the founder and
CEO of Life remodeled and we're going to
get into what that is how it came to be
and kind of go from there so Chris why
don't you go ahead and introduce
yourself and we'll Dive Right In all
right um Chris Lambert and I was born
and raised in a very small town in
northern Indiana okay and when I say
small town I mean we didn't have a
four-way stoplight until I was in Middle
School nice so the words Urban
neighborhood revitalization were three
words I never heard in succession as a
child and through a long crazy journey
and I'm only 44 years of age right now I
ended up in Detroit I'm married my wife
and I have two sons and we love the work
that we're doing and being in the D
that's very very cool all right so let's
di into what is life remodeled all right
I always like to start with why first
let's do why that's even better the
reason why We Exist is we're absolutely
convinced detroiters have all the talent
they need th% agree but many don't have
access to all the opportunities they
deserve and so when I talk about that
opportunity gap for a minute let's talk
about the fact that right now 88% of
third grade students are currently
reading below grade level 30% of
detroiters cannot access the healthc
care they need and Detroit residents
median household income is half that of
suburban Pierce and so because of this
disparity what we do is we repurpose
large vacant school buildings into
One-Stop hubs of opportunity for
Community thriving okay and we fill
these buildings with the best and
brightest nonprofits that are delivering
the services directly requested by
community members and we help everyone
collaborate to really move the needle in
dramatic ways that would have been
impossible that's incredible okay can
you give me a couple examples of so
people that are in these hubs of
opportunity because that's phenomenal
sure so before I share those it starts
with first asking community members what
kinds of increased opportunities do you
want more of in your neighborhood do you
ever find Let me let me ask you really
quick do you ever find that sometimes
they don't know what they don't know um
I would imagine what I find is if
questions aren't asked in a way that
translates that you get a response like
I don't know but um that's part of The
Learning Journey that I've been on at
first I would just ask questions well
what do you need and and people may not
necessarily respond to that with an
immediate answer and I learned it has a
lot to do with how the questions asked
and so there's there's very much an
important um relationship development
that must take place for authentic
responses to be delivered to a question
like that right and so after a lot of
hard work and really developing trust
and and breaking bread together and
learning from the community um there
really are three things that we
consistently hear in neighborhood after
neighborhood in Detroit okay and in no
specific order people say we want more
youth programs that are educational love
that we want more Workforce Development
initiatives that lead to sustainable
livable wage jobs and we want access to
more and Better Health and Wellness
Services okay and then there's some
nuances within those things but so if we
look at the dery Innovation society
which is the first vacant School
building that we repurposed okay and
that building has 34 nonprofits wow it
is 100% occupied it's 143,000 Square ft
and just for our viewers out there who
aren't laying eyes on the building right
now it looks like Harry Potter
School what was this school it was
Hogwarts right it's got a slate roof Neo
Gothic architecture plaster crown
molding incredible the types of
organizations that are in there are
organizations that are doing one of
those three things okay so the largest
Workforce Development initiative in
Detroit is called Detroit at work that
is in our building love that along with
several other trades programs um health
and wellness Services everything from
Mental Health Services to cancer support
groups there's Early Childhood
educational daycare that's a Head Start
program read by Focus hope there's 15
Afterschool youth programs one of them
is Beyond Basics another is Center for
Success both of them do literacy and
then there's the Metro Detroit youth
clubs which used to be called The Boys
and Girls Club of mome Oakland County
and they were the number one performing
Boys and Girls Club in the state they
rebranded and so there there's a lot of
great things happening that's incredible
okay I have to know how you got this
point so as I'm reading through some of
your background and those kind of things
it sounds like there was something that
happened during college that shifted
everything for you so let's start prior
to that okay what was it like growing up
so you grew up in a very very small town
I was very similar we had we had a
blinking light and that was it that was
and so very similar my small town was
smaller than your small town I bet it
was I bet it was 2,000 people how many
did you have I think we had 1400 okay we
we had we had a lot more cattle than we
did people and it was but it was an
incredible way to grow up because you do
get exposed to things in a very
different way but when you leave there
boys it a culture shock because you
realize that the world is so big yep now
for you growing up in that and then
coming to today what was that like
because you don't just have a have a
moment you go I'm going to go change the
world right now and do that so how did
you get to a point where where you made
that decision yeah what I wanted coming
out of high school was I wanted to make
a ton of money and fund the lifestyle
that I thought that I wanted which meant
you know however many cars and houses I
wanted and travel all over the world and
living in luxury right and I think I'm
not alone and that a lot of people
probably chase after that and I I was I
was dead set on that and so um but what
I wanted in college in particular was uh
great parties and all that comes along
with that and somehow I thought I'd get
it all together and get good enough
grades to continue that okay so I
studied business okay which I in many
ways am involved in business to this day
and I would actually like to say that I
think leading a nonprofit is actually
more complicated than leading a a
similar sized company I'm not comp's a
lot more boot Motors lifer model but you
know saying but there's there's a lot of
bootstrap stuff that has to happen in
the nonprofit world you have to take a
different approach to things big time
but I but at this time I have no intent
of leading a nonprofit or going down the
direction of my life took me and uh
while I was studying business at Indiana
University I joined what at the time was
the largest fraternity on campus okay um
couple years after I left we got kicked
off for uh cocaine and guns and all
kinds of activities it made uh the movie
Animal House kind of look like a girl
scouts uh episode but um I was having a
great time at that time of my life but
there'd be these nights when I'd lay in
bed and I'd kind of think to myself like
man this isn't really doing for me what
I thought it would do for me so my
solution to my perceived problem was
really just to double down on all those
activities that that went along with
that lifestyle and then my junior year
of college I moved to Australia for six
months to study yeah yeah overseas yeah
uhhuh I know that move yeah and my
parents bought it anyway but um so
wasn't a lot of studying going on but
while I was there I ended up
experiencing what I would call this
radical encounter with God okay that
completely changed the whole trajectory
my life and it was the the result of a
number of scenarios that all culminated
together but um one thing that was going
on was I was traveling around in
Southeast Asia the Pacific Rim and of
course Australia okay and I began to
realize the world is a very big place
very big place it does not revolve
around me and my 22-year-old ego which
was a very important lesson yes right
for sure and then I met a couple guys
over there who became my closest friends
and they happen to be what I would call
Jesus followers okay okay but they were
pretty fun guys they could go out to a
bar have some drinks and go home
meanwhile I'd stay out doing all the
things they weren't doing and they kept
trying to get me to come to their church
service and I was like bro that that
didn't happen um and eventually I gave
in and I went and it was okay and I went
back a second time and a third time and
the third time I went I ended up having
this just encounter where I heard God
speaking to me for the first time in my
life and it wasn't an audible voice but
it was more clear than anything I'd ever
heard another human being say the
biggest change that came out of that was
prior to that experience you know I
loved my family I loved my friends but I
didn't give
a a crapless to say about anybody
outside of my little bubble right all
right was paying no attention
immediately after this experience and
carrying on to this day I began to be
very curious about other people who they
were what was going on their life what
their motivations were right so I come
back to IU for my senior year shortly
before I left IU to go to Australia
there was not a single Jesus follower or
Christian in this entire fraternity of
180 guys right before I got back this
had nothing to do with me my three best
friends in the Frat also had these crazy
encounters with God plus my drug dealer
who was an atheist before I left right
and they look at me they're like Lambert
what the heck happened to you I what the
heck happened to you I'll cut this story
short but we ended up starting this
Bible study in the FR okay and we
started leading guy after guy to Faith
after about a month we had 12 to 15 guys
coming every week it was unbelievable
yeah and I was getting ready to go to
law school and become a real estate
developer that was that was how I was
going to make all my money right and now
I'm not attracted to that at this point
in my life at 22 and I'm starting to
think wellow maybe I just want to help
people connect with God and one thing
led to another I felt like that was the
path God put me on so I cancelled law
school moved out to LA studied at a
seminary out there interesting and A
lot's happened since that's a very it's
a very different uh World from where you
started quite different that's pretty
incredible so so you have this moment
you're 22 you said yes so you have this
moment you you change everything I mean
you you pulled quite literally a 180 on
life and and everything came back so you
went Australia southeast Asia you're
you're going all over the place you
quickly realize borders are arbitrary
and it's people are people and people
are fascinating yes you come back and
you now have a group of people that are
kind of falling into the same steps that
you are you're finding into this space
that has changed your perspective on a
lot of things MH take me now summarized
it's well that's I try got a get there
that's good so so you you now take the
step from that point so now now what you
move out you move out west move out to
LA study Seminary and and how does where
do you go from that point yeah so um I
thought at that point in my life I was
going to be a pastor church planter
that's what I felt like God was calling
me to do met the woman who became my
wife in LA and we started to feel this
very strong sense of calling to Detroit
okay which she didn't want to go and so
why I didn't want to go why Detroit you
know um as I look back on it now here
were the factors my wife was born in
Romania okay she moved to Southwest
Detroit when she was two because of
persecution under her communism and
again she didn't want to move back we
both wanted to live in LA forever but
there were two clear factors that were
very much in common where we both knew
that we always want wanted to live where
these two things are present okay and
those two things were significant social
need and racial diversity yep and La had
that right but when we were looking at
Detroit and the amount of investment at
that time in 2004 okay that was being
made into uh Los Angeles and the
surrounding area and in Detroit there
was a much greater need and so I think
that played a big sense and hey there's
more need here and I don't know we just
felt like this is where we were supposed
to be yeah well an Endless Summer in
California wasn't doing it for you you
had to have winter got got to get that
got to get that you got that all wrong
people say I love the Four Seasons in
Michigan I say you you can keep them I
Love the One season here's the one one
is good it's I love LA weather I love
surfing I love crazy people but um
Detroit has meant so much to us as a
family to me personally and what we
thought we came here for we did we ended
up starting a church okay and that was
in 2007 before we did that we actually
moved to Africa for for 9 months that's
a whole another yeah that's a whole
another story that's another podcast um
got kicked out of one country and had to
leave with military assistance and uh
our lives were in danger but anyway
another episode so uh here we are we
started this church and I thought I'm
going to be a church pastor and planner
for the rest of my life but it was
actually in Africa that my perspective
changed pretty radically where I
realized and again this goes I know this
isn't a religious institution but for
for me this is a spiritual conversation
um I realized that Jesus spent the
majority of his ministry with people who
were the most marginalized and oppressed
and he was trying to get his followers
to do the same and so when we started
this church it was very much about how
can we support people who are
experiencing suffering life controlling
circumstances and so on and so forth
that was 2007 and then in 2010 I got
this idea to start life remodled okay I
thought I was just going to get it going
and find somebody else to run run it and
meanwhile there been a series of
entrepreneurial Ventures i' done in my
life but I still wasn't even cognizant
that I was an entrepreneur until someone
told me I was in 2017 until you realized
you were the textbook entrepreneur yes I
started a lawn boing business in high
school and e8th grade I started a
t-shirt business in college I I didn't
think those were real businesses so I
didn't know I was an entrepreneur yeah
no well and would you make sense because
you wouldn't you wouldn't ever have that
mindset unless you had somebody else in
your life that was already doing
and then you go oh well I'm like that
guy and he's an entrepreneur so I must
be it's not it's not a phrase that gets
tossed around much more today than it
did then agreed and now it's much more
in the Zeitgeist about you know oh it's
entrepreneur serial entrepreneur starts
many companies all these things which is
wonderful but it takes a very specific
person to do that and for you to then
say Detroit's going to be the spot you
fly in drive in yeah you get into the
City and and how do you even get started
with something like like this because
this is a massive undertaking yeah well
let's try to focus it on life for model
because when we first got started it was
around the church concept right and we
just I just but if you look at life
remodel sure that itself how do you get
the idea of go okay that's the
neighborhood I'm going after that one y
I'm going to go over there and I'm not
just going to make changes because
that's I think the part that a lot of
people they do they go well I have all
this money I'm going to go make that
change over there I used to think that
way right but then you make the changes
but if the community is not there these
things are not maintained so you can go
in and clean up the whole the whole
neighborhood great this is I'm going to
mow that lawn we're going to board up
some window but if the community is not
on board okay you got to you got to hire
a group of people to go in and maintain
that sure so how do you go in and and
make that first step towards your first
neighborhood yeah so um three three
words that really Define three different
ways to engage in a neighborhood okay
two four with
okay so doing neighborhood or vializ to
a community is really gentrification
yeah this is when we're forcing things
on a neighborhood that we think we know
better typically when that kind of
development's done it's done merely for
capitalistic gain right which means that
only people who are of middle class or
middle upper class or upper class can
really benefit from that new housing or
that new Whole Foods or or whatnot and
often leads to displacement of people
who've experienced Decades of Injustice
doing revital ation for a community is
Charity it's where we come in and we say
oh you're suffering so much and we're
going to help you poor poor people right
and the truth is nobody likes to be
treated like a charity case and frankly
there was some time in my life where
that's how I was operating and that's
how or our organization was operating
okay and eventually we learned the real
key is doing the revitalization with the
community this is where it is multi-
transformational where all of us are
growing and that actually is the essence
of our name of our organization life
remodeled okay none of us has got it all
figured out that's one of the things
I've discovered because I'm not even
close and I haven't met anybody who is
but I'm sure you're closer than I am
right doubt that but I'm I'm on a
lifelong journey and um I get just as
much out of the learning experience in
the work that we do in neighborhoods and
so I enter in with that posture first
and foremost that I am here we are here
as Learners now that's why I go back to
you know sometimes when we ask questions
as Outsiders of any culture that's
different than us yeah because we're not
asking it in a way that people really
feel safe to be their authentic selves
yeah and so they're not able to give you
the answers that you're really looking
for and sometimes that's out of
ignorance on our part sometimes it's
willful intent whatever so I I've
operated out of a lot of ignorance I
still have some but my point is to go in
discover what does a community want in
need and then do our skill sets align
with their wants and needs okay and if
the answer is yes we can come together
and build something even greater yeah
well and when you get the community
involvement that has to multiply
everything you're doing it's everything
because so what on on average what would
you say your your volunteer count is
when you start doing this stuff so well
let me break down what we do okay what
we do cuz we you asked it earlier and I
took too long to answer that's all right
we do three things right we repurpose
larger vacant school buildings we talked
about that right we have youth
programming that's very much focused on
education leadership access to
opportunity and then the third thing we
do which is what you're referring to is
our annual Six-Day project where we
mobilize 5,000 volunteers and we
beautify the surrounding area mowing
overgrown brush and weeds getting rid of
illegal dumping on bacon properties yeah
so that's so it's incredible so now you
how many have you done now and
neighborhoods yeah how many
neighborhoods have you done now um well
it takes me a minute to reflect on so
since we've been in Detroit we have been
in one two three four five six
neighborhoods wow yes I mean that's that
is in that's a massive amount of work a
massive amount of Labor and all all for
the betterment of the entire Community
how much how many Le let's say
percentage wise of that 5,000 how many
would you say are coming
are volunteering straight out of the
neighborhoods that you're actually in
yeah that's a lower percentage Yeah and
I would say it's probably around 20%
okay and there's so many factors to that
oh yes for sure and so that's part of
our learning process and one of the
things that we learned was so you can go
back on some of the blocks that we've
cleaned up and they're going to look
just as good as the day that that work
was done you're going to go back to
others that look almost as bad as they
did before we did okay right and here's
here's what I had to come and to terms
with myself I live in Detroit right I
live in a great neighborhood on the west
side of Detroit if there was a vacant
house next to me which there's not thank
god um I might mow it once a year there
is no way I'm GNA mow that thing every
single week now take that times if
there's 10 vacant houses on my street
possible it's not my responsibility this
city had 1.8 million people we now have
about 650,000 so it was part of the work
that we were doing in blight removal
that we realized this is helpful it is
we actually have crime statistics that
have measurably dropped right after that
work but the real sustainable impact is
in what we're doing in these vacant
schools by bringing these services and
opportunities to the community that's
what leads to lifelong change that's the
thing that I find is so fascinating is
that you have taken it you've taken it
from like you said from being this this
charity thing of like oh you poor people
I'm in health you but now you're going
let's let's help you help you let's get
you the skills you need to make not only
yourself better but your future your
future children your children your
children's children I mean you're
setting up a longevity of of greatness
that nobody's ever given that time to so
when you go in a lot of people would
would look at that and go okay well
what's in it for you but you don't
appear to be the person that's in it for
you so what is driving that next thing
what is it that makes you so excited
what makes you get out of bed in the
morning and go do the next neighborhood
well I do want to back up because I want
to say there are a lot of people in the
neighborhoods that we work in that are
putting in Sweat Equity every day and
they are doing something right yeah but
let me say what I said earlier a little
bit differently I talked about
detroiters have all the talent they need
you might have heard this statement that
Talent is evenly distributed all over
the world okay but opportunity is not
very much not okay so I came from a land
of opportunity even though it's a small
little town I have a two parent home my
parents invested a lot of me I was able
to go to the college I wanted to go to
and and that was paid for by my family
I've had a lot of people surround me
there's a lot of privilege that comes
along with my life circumstances right
and so I feel that to the responsibility
that I've been given is significant
because of the opportunities that I've
been given right and so I don't feel
like people aren't doing anything but I
feel like that many many of the
individuals in these neighborhoods
haven't been given the opportunities
that I've been given so they're not able
to access millions of dollars of capital
for sure or or political will or
thousands of volunteers and so I I
consider it a duty but not something
that I dread I mean I love what I do and
I do I um you must you keep doing it so
you must be loving it and and I and I
really believe it has everything to do
with eventually learning how to do this
with the community because for a while
you know it it did feel a little a
little awkward when it was just charity
it was transactional right but um I
think it all just comes down to
everybody's on this Earth for different
reasons right and we got to discover why
we're here and live into it and so I've
I found U my Niche and I've realized
that it is all about teams the team in
the community the team and your
organization we have a lot of fun with
our amazing team of talented people who
are smarter and better than I am at a
whole lot of other things where I'm able
to stay focused on what I do best right
and and keep going because it's not easy
out there it's incredible it's
absolutely incredible Chris I your story
the first time I heard it was the most
inspiring thing and and it immediately
made you want to go and just do better
like it just every day do something
better and help more people and thank
you I I appreciate so much that you're
not only willing to do this but you're
willing to go out and tell the story of
of how this came to be yeah because
you're not guarded by the fact that your
past is is very different than what
today is sure and for people to be able
to look at you and that may be that
version of your old self and going you
know what I can do this next thing yeah
that is an incredible piece of this we
we launched this whole series about
Unstoppable Achievers it is something
that we believe very strongly in our
students in our alumni we have we have
them coming out of the woodwork that
fall into this Unstoppable achiever what
we enjoy doing is bringing people like
yourself in who may not have been
involved with Walsh before sure but have
this story of like look you can do this
this is a possibility for anybody and
for you to whether it be through a
religious piece of it or just you come
across somebody that changes the
thoughts and you seem to be that person
that's going to change people to be
better people and I appreciate you
telling that story okay
with that yeah I know that there is
people listening that are like I want to
go do that okay how do people get
involved with what with what you are
doing with what life remodel is doing
how do they get involved and what can
they do once they get involved okay so
whenever anybody asks me that point
blank if we're having a one-on-one
conversation I always want to turn the
question around and find out what do you
like to do what motivates so on and so
forth but I know we're talking to a
broad audience right so U The Six Day
project which you're very knowledgeable
happens every year this year it's
September 23rd through 28th and you can
volunteer from 12 to 5 we provide all
the tools the lawnmowers the weed
whackers all that good stuff right you
just show up although I think four of
the six days are actually fully booked
that's incred a good problem to have
that's a great problem to have that's
incredible but there still are some
opportunities I want to say on Monday
and Tuesday which is like the 23rd and
24th so you can just sign up on our
website okay LIF remodeled
and click on Six Day project and then
for those who are more interested in
being involved in a year round basis or
potentially working with youth there's
other opportunities like that listed on
our website okay um and that's why it's
so important to find out what is a
person's passion are they looking for an
internship are they looking for a
one-time volunteer experience do they
want to read to a child or read with a
child you know once a month um there's
opportuni we can link you up with so
there's everything from from being that
that Hands-On weed whipping mowing all
the way down to let's just read with a
kid yes because a lot of times that's
what they need yes they just need
somebody there that's going to show them
the next thing game changing oh I I
absolutely cannot I cannot imagine the
emotional roller coaster you must go
through in in your role and so Chris I I
love this I love the entire story your
background is incredible and uh and I
hope that through this we can get some
people in touch with your organization
and get people involved sounds like a
plan Chris thank you so much I really
really appreciate it all right bro thank
you appreciate you yeah
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