Unstoppable Achievers - Chris Lambert

Summary

In 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

00:00

🌟 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.

05:03

🏫 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.

10:03

🛤️ 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.

15:04

🌱 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.

20:04

🔨 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.

25:06

🤝 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.

Keywords

💡Unstoppable Achiever

The term 'Unstoppable Achiever' refers to an individual who is driven and determined to succeed despite any obstacles or challenges. In the context of the video, Chris Lambert is described as an 'Unstoppable Achiever' because of his relentless pursuit to improve communities through Life Remodeled, turning around the narrative of his life and focusing on the betterment of others.

💡Life Remodeled

Life Remodeled is the organization founded by Chris Lambert. It is dedicated to revitalizing urban neighborhoods by transforming vacant school buildings into community hubs and organizing large-scale volunteer projects. The organization is a key element in the video as it represents the main endeavor through which Chris impacts his community.

💡Opportunity Gap

The 'opportunity gap' in the video refers to the disparity in access to resources and opportunities between different socioeconomic groups. Chris Lambert discusses this concept in relation to Detroit, highlighting the lack of access to education, healthcare, and economic stability faced by many residents, which Life Remodeled aims to address.

💡Community Revitalization

Community revitalization is the process of improving the physical, economic, and social conditions of a community. In the script, Chris Lambert talks about Life Remodeled's efforts in community revitalization by repurposing vacant school buildings and organizing volunteer work to uplift neighborhoods in Detroit.

💡Nonprofit

A 'nonprofit' organization is one that operates without the primary goal of making a profit, instead focusing on serving a public or social cause. Chris Lambert, as the CEO of Life Remodeled, leads a nonprofit dedicated to community development, illustrating the script's theme of altruistic service.

💡Volunteer

A 'volunteer' is someone who offers their time and effort for free to support a cause without financial gain. The video emphasizes the importance of volunteers in Life Remodeled's Six-Day project, where thousands of volunteers contribute to neighborhood beautification and improvement efforts.

💡Educational Inequality

Educational inequality refers to the unfair or unequal access to educational opportunities and resources. Chris mentions that 88% of third-grade students in Detroit are reading below grade level, indicating a significant educational disparity that Life Remodeled seeks to address.

💡Workforce Development

Workforce development involves programs and initiatives aimed at equipping individuals with the skills necessary for employment and sustainable livelihoods. In the script, Chris discusses Life Remodeled's focus on workforce development to provide Detroit residents with opportunities for stable, well-paying jobs.

💡Health and Wellness Services

Health and wellness services encompass a range of programs and resources designed to improve physical and mental well-being. The video mentions that Life Remodeled fills repurposed buildings with services like mental health support and cancer support groups, addressing the healthcare needs of the community.

💡Youth Programs

Youth programs are initiatives aimed at young people to support their development and engagement in educational, recreational, or social activities. Chris highlights the importance of youth programs in Detroit, mentioning that Life Remodeled supports various programs focused on literacy and leadership for children.

💡Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship involves the application of entrepreneurial principles to organize and create sustainable solutions to societal issues. Chris Lambert's journey from a business background to leading a nonprofit organization focused on community improvement exemplifies social entrepreneurship in action.

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