VIP Café Show – Youngstown, Ohio – Local Guests with Amazing Impact to Our Community

E48: The VIP Café Show with Joe McGeorge - Strategies for Life: Chess, Resilience, and Community

May 06, 2024 Debbie Larson and Greg Smith Season 3 Episode 48
E48: The VIP Café Show with Joe McGeorge - Strategies for Life: Chess, Resilience, and Community
VIP Café Show – Youngstown, Ohio – Local Guests with Amazing Impact to Our Community
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VIP Café Show – Youngstown, Ohio – Local Guests with Amazing Impact to Our Community
E48: The VIP Café Show with Joe McGeorge - Strategies for Life: Chess, Resilience, and Community
May 06, 2024 Season 3 Episode 48
Debbie Larson and Greg Smith

Ever wondered how the strategic game of chess can unveil life’s grander strategies? That's just a slice of what we unpacked with Mr. McGeorge, the soul behind Warriors Inc, the Chess House, and Eagle Christian Preschool and Child Care. His story, from a challenging childhood to becoming a Marine, evokes the essence of resilience. During our heart-to-heart, Mr. McGeorge opens up about how his own trials sparked a fiery dedication to nurturing the community's youth and fathers in Youngstown. His words are not just inspiring—they're a call to action for anyone who's ever faced adversity and searched for ways to give back.

Our conversation took an enlightening turn when we broached the subjects of mentorship and leadership, especially for young women. Mr. McGeorge's initiatives empower daughters to lead, setting an example that encourages sons to follow suit. Within the welcoming walls of the Chess House, he's crafted a sanctuary where life lessons are learned over black and white squares. It's here that the communities of Youngstown, Warren, and Lisbon find common ground, and it's through these programs where children absorb values that will shape the adults they'll become.

But it's not all heavy topics and life lessons. We also get a glimpse of Mr. McGeorge's lighter side in a "rapid-fire" session that uncovers everything from his snack preferences to what gets under his skin. Through this intimate and spirited discussion, we're reminded of the human touch that lies at the heart of community service—proving that even warriors have their favorite pizza toppings. Tune in for an episode that's as much about the bonds we forge as the battles we fight, all while drawing wisdom from the board to the broad spectrum of life.

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Ever wondered how the strategic game of chess can unveil life’s grander strategies? That's just a slice of what we unpacked with Mr. McGeorge, the soul behind Warriors Inc, the Chess House, and Eagle Christian Preschool and Child Care. His story, from a challenging childhood to becoming a Marine, evokes the essence of resilience. During our heart-to-heart, Mr. McGeorge opens up about how his own trials sparked a fiery dedication to nurturing the community's youth and fathers in Youngstown. His words are not just inspiring—they're a call to action for anyone who's ever faced adversity and searched for ways to give back.

Our conversation took an enlightening turn when we broached the subjects of mentorship and leadership, especially for young women. Mr. McGeorge's initiatives empower daughters to lead, setting an example that encourages sons to follow suit. Within the welcoming walls of the Chess House, he's crafted a sanctuary where life lessons are learned over black and white squares. It's here that the communities of Youngstown, Warren, and Lisbon find common ground, and it's through these programs where children absorb values that will shape the adults they'll become.

But it's not all heavy topics and life lessons. We also get a glimpse of Mr. McGeorge's lighter side in a "rapid-fire" session that uncovers everything from his snack preferences to what gets under his skin. Through this intimate and spirited discussion, we're reminded of the human touch that lies at the heart of community service—proving that even warriors have their favorite pizza toppings. Tune in for an episode that's as much about the bonds we forge as the battles we fight, all while drawing wisdom from the board to the broad spectrum of life.

Speaker 2:

welcome to the vip cafe show. We have a great show for you today. I'm here with my unbelievable co-host, debbie larson. Hello, it is good to be back I'm greg smith and we have a interesting guest today, don't?

Speaker 3:

we do. We don't go anywhere, guys, because you're going to want to meet this guy, mr mcgeorge, who is the executive director of warriors inc, the chess house and evil christian preschool and child care. Now, before we even get into this, there are the chess house here in youngstown there's only three of them in the entire united states and we have one here, started by mr mcgeorge, and I am super excited for you guys to hear that this amazing organization exists and this amazing man who started it. But here's the cool thing is that sometimes we have no idea who's next to us. We have no idea what's going on down the street, and this is one of those kind of interviews.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and this is where he touched the hearts of children, and we always love that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, absolutely. It's so needed in this day and age when everything's pulling the children's hearts away from parents and from community and from love it's. There's so much isolation. And then here, right here in the heart of Youngstown, yes, okay, all right. So now you guys get to enter, get to meet Mr McGeorge. Mr McGeorge, thank you for coming and being. Actually, we're here at your place, but thank you for taking the time to talk to us today.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for having me on. I greatly appreciate it.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, not a problem.

Speaker 2:

So we need to know the history. What got you doing all these things what we usually ask, from conception on, but let's just go with high school and what formed you into the man you are today. What events happened?

Speaker 1:

Wow, you say since high school. I'm the product of a single mom. I have three other brothers that I grew up with and, of course, I'm the oldest and assume that responsibility. I didn't have a choice of being the oldest, but I got into this. Going back to high school again, I knew I needed something more than what I had. I would watch TV and see the fathers in the household and during that time there was a lot of more. Marriage was more of a sacrament, and I didn't have that and I knew I was missing something. So as soon as I got and I graduated from South High School and so as soon as I got out of high school, the year before I graduated, I signed up for the United States Marine Corps, and I'm so glad I did. After God, that was the best thing that I could have done in my life. It gave me so much. That was the best thing that I could have done in my life. It gave me so much.

Speaker 1:

It focused on intangibles, that I already had the leadership, the poise, the self-reliance, self-direction, all those things that you just can't, that you have but need to be refined. Yeah, so I did that and I mean it really helped me in my life, it really helped me in my career and probably took the fatherhood role in my life that I didn't have those drill instructors and the Marines, by teaching me a lot of things.

Speaker 1:

And so I initially went in for four years, ended up doing 20 years and 28 days and retired. Wow, while I was in, had an excellent career that I wouldn't change a day. I was very productive. I excelled rapidly in the Marine Corps, got my associates in there my bachelor's in three years, and then I got out.

Speaker 2:

Wow.

Speaker 1:

And once I got out I had a few short stints of different jobs and then I met Gary Frost, who's my mentor friend. I love him so much and he directed me to this and I've been doing this ever since 2000.

Speaker 3:

Okay, now for those people who don't know Gary Frost or don't know the name, he's a local pastor. I'll just give a little back. He's a local pastor here in town, but he also does a lot of work in new york city, rikers island. He is really in the heart of connecting to a lot of people and has been such an influence in not only youngstown. Is he from youngstown?

Speaker 1:

yes, he's from.

Speaker 3:

He's from youngstown okay, okay and yeah. Can I say semper Fi if I'm not a Marine?

Speaker 1:

No, that's always faithful, absolutely Is that something that non-Marines are allowed to say.

Speaker 3:

My nephew's a Marine too, so he went to Camp Lejeune, okay, oh wow Dealt with the gnats and all that fun stuff. Okay, okay, the water.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, go-fasters for a little while.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I was a jet mechanic in the Marine Corps, and then I got into recruiting and stayed in there for a large portion of my career. As a matter of fact, it enabled me to be close to this area for a big time, so you were able to stay close to home.

Speaker 3:

Yes and wow, that's amazing. So you do a lot. So tell us about Warriors Inc though. Okay, so we'll start with Warriors Inc, then we'll talk about the chess house, we'll talk about the preschool and the childcare and stuff, but Warriors Inc particularly does fatherhood initiatives. What else does Warriors Inc do generally in the community?

Speaker 1:

We've transformed over the years, and that's where we're at right now is the fatherhood initiative and working with fathers. Again, that goes back to me because there were so many things that I needed to know and wanted to know, and there was a time in my life where I was going through a little difficult time in San Diego in my marriage and I just needed extra and there was nothing around for the men, and so I had to learn how to do my girls' hair and get their hair done and things of that nature, and so I wanted to be what I didn't girl's hair and get their hair done and things of that nature and so I wanted to be what I didn't have. And I think that's probably the story of my life always trying to get into a space or area because of a lack of something that I actually had. And that's where I am now.

Speaker 3:

Amazing. So you do the daddy-daughter dance. I don't know if you guys have seen those. They're pink right. They're pink signs and in the sides of like different yards while you're driving and stuff. So this is the fifth. This year you'll have the fifth annual daddy daughter dance right, which is so cute because I was. I got to be a part. I didn't get to go last year, but I got to be a part of seeing some of the plans and they teach they.

Speaker 3:

You guys actually do workshops where these dads can learn how to do their daughter's hair right and then you work with an organization to help them get a suit and to look nice for this dance right so what have you, what's been rewarding for you, or what's been some of the feedback from some of the the people who've been a part of that?

Speaker 1:

what's different about our father-daughter dance is it's for young ladies from four to 74. And to be on the dance floor and see a four-year-old daughter with her father, whether he's been in her life or not been in her life, is great. And then I think the oldest I've had is a 90-year-old man on the dance floor with his daughter. And so just to see that and that mixture and everybody just loving on their fathers, loving on their daughters, no agendas, it's just been so rewarding, so great and fulfilling. It really has. And so I've had again fathers who had no relationships, some that have relationships, and that just one time a year they could come together and just be father and daughter.

Speaker 1:

Wow.

Speaker 2:

It's great. Tell me just something that hits me. Is that somebody that's out there that thinks that they were or weren't a great father, or wants to be a better father? What would you say to them?

Speaker 1:

It's never too late. As long as you're breathing, she's breathing it's never too late. I understand that there's different circumstances and dynamics in every relationship, but you got to work on it. It's never too late to get into your daughter's life and I think that's what. I have three girls and it was important for me to be in their life. I would.

Speaker 1:

My thing mantra was I was never going to allow somebody else to call my daughter or my daughter to call someone else, dad, whether I was there or not. When I was away in the military, I would send them tapes of my voice recordings. I call them often and I wanted to be an influence in their life and I think that's helped them to be very independent sometimes too independent, but very independent and it's given them a lot of confidence to do a lot of things that they want to do. I was their track coach, basketball coach, they were in gymnastics. They had things that were what do you call them? Musical instruments, voice all of that because I think I wanted to be there and I wanted them to be well-rounded and I think it really helped them that's amazing and I want other fathers to be able to do that with their daughters and I hear that that's the theme is that it's not so much perfection.

Speaker 3:

I think some that sometimes dads hold themselves to it like can't do this for them, so I might as well not be in their life, or I can't buy them the new this, so I'm not needed. But that's obviously not true. You see these, these daughters, connect with their dads even one time a year and really appreciate that right the financial support is important, I would say, but it's not the only thing.

Speaker 1:

It it's time.

Speaker 2:

Your daughter's need.

Speaker 1:

I have a staff here of probably 50 some odd women, yeah and I'm like the dad to a certain extent. When there's issues, problems, concerns, they come to me or they'll call me, whatever, and you can see that a lot of them just need guidance and haven't had that in their life Someone who would just love them unconditionally, with no additional agenda.

Speaker 3:

So all right. So we've touched a little bit about women and daughters and this being, or March just having ended being the International Women's Month, so much emphasis was on women, and rightfully. There's been some amazing women through history that have made powerful marks.

Speaker 3:

But the one thing that I noticed as I listened to some of these stories is usually, usually they were either backed, encouraged, loved or somehow disliked, helped by a strong man, and so that made me appreciate the men who love strong women, because it's not easy at all. But let's talk a little bit about sons. Let's talk about have you had much experience with the father and the sons? I know gary frost has you know he's talked a little bit about you know how little father, fatherhood is seen in the prisons, in the lives of some of these prisoners, and a lot of that, and I find that fascinating. But have you seen that? Let's talk a little bit about the father and sons.

Speaker 1:

I think our mission derived because I have daughters. Of course You'll see like a lot of things that we do are probably because of habits or hobbies or situations that I've had to endure, so it was just tailored to the daughters. But when we were really actively in youth leadership, there was a lot of young men there and our goal was to help them to be leaders in the community, local, community, state, bigger than the state world. Basically, was our goal is just to help them to be leaders?

Speaker 1:

Probably not as much the focus has been on the fathers and sons, more the fathers and daughters I've heard, even when we even had the, we had an AAU, basketball was primarily, which was girls, young ladies, and then we ended up getting into the boys, but it's always been basically about the young ladies because with my experience and everything is, you can teach a young lady to have standards, then it'll help her not to settle for any everything. So the goal is the young man will hopefully step up because he needs to be on that level.

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's good If that makes any sense Absolutely, and I love it. It goes back to what you said, that a lot of your life has been through your experience and being able to then create this organization that gets to like multiply that so much. That's definitely being a daughter, and being a strong daughter. I could definitely appreciate that, and no matter how strong a woman is, oh my goodness, sometimes I just need my dad to give me a hug. Yeah that's.

Speaker 1:

That is so powerful, yeah, that's so powerful so powerful 100.

Speaker 3:

So that kind of leads us into the chess house. Greg, have you been to the chess house yet?

Speaker 2:

no I haven't.

Speaker 3:

No, oh, do you play chess?

Speaker 2:

I used to oh, my dad used to make me do it oh really yeah, because he that was way before iphones. But it made you think and let's, if I wanted to watch my favorite tv program, he made me play him around the chest no way, that is good.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, parents, you should try that. I want to watch the iPad. We got to play a game of chess.

Speaker 2:

I'll tell you what, though. A lot of these kids will smoke their parents these days.

Speaker 1:

You know what I mean Even the chess house, derived from a hobby that I taught myself how to play chess at seven.

Speaker 3:

What and I?

Speaker 1:

can remember, just dreaming about different moves. I'm sleep thinking about chess and chess, just dreaming about different moves. I'm sleep thinking about chess and chess had been so instrumental in the foundation of a lot of things that I had, because it taught you, as you said, to strategize, to move ahead, to think before you move in all your moves. And chess parallels life, and you cannot be really good at life and not good at chess. It's just life on the board is what chess is basically about, and so, because of all the things that it helped me do, I wanted to be able to have something, and I thought that was the mark as far as the chess house to give back to this community.

Speaker 3:

That's amazing. I've been there. I actually learned how to play chess. The guy who was teaching me a couple of moves I made, he was like, oh, I was not expecting that and that made me feel so good. I still lost, but still to be able to say, man, I am smarter than I thought I was in this game, to be able to see things and start to really grow with it, is a really good feeling, very definitely so.

Speaker 3:

It's a free chess house which so tell us a little bit about the chess house and why there's only three and the it was started. Was it inspired by a movie or how that?

Speaker 1:

I know that, something so around yes, it was inspired by a movie life is a king. I saw the movie, okay, and eugene brown was in that movie. He was the star of the movie and he was played at that time by Cuba Gooding Jr, okay, and it was just so impactful on those kids' lives and it gave me an idea. And Eugene and I are friends now too. So I've talked to him several times. I think it was a couple of months ago that I talked to him, but the movie was about just what I said helping with direction, helping with focus, helping with strategy, and it's all about your mind.

Speaker 1:

And so often we get hung up on the athlete, the physical attributes of an athlete. They can go out and they can play football, they practice, but you also have to do the same thing with your mind, and chess allows you to exercise that. Chess allows you to go to different levels on that. So in talking to eugene, I said let's do it, and so we actually had him here on our debut when we actually cut it oh, the ribbon cutting okay ribbon cutting.

Speaker 3:

He came and he actually spoke to the community I need to go watch that movie yes, excellent the life of a king life of a king okay, and then it was an excellent movie the Life of a King.

Speaker 1:

Life of a King, Okay, and it was about chess and it was about young students and it was everything that I wanted to do, so we just did the same thing.

Speaker 2:

And where is this located? Where is the chess house located?

Speaker 1:

Our chess house is at 3431 Market Street, youngstown, ohio, and it's free it's free Free for anyone.

Speaker 2:

What are the operational hours?

Speaker 1:

It and it's free, it's free. What are the operational hours? It's Tuesday through Saturday. We say 3 o'clock to 7 o'clock and then on Saturdays it's 10 o'clock to 2. And it's free, completely free. And even the second part of that goal was I wanted to have something where there used to be a McDonald's down the street and the older gentlemen, the seniors, used to go down there, there, and they used to just congregate and meet and talk.

Speaker 1:

And so the goal was is to get them, give them a place to where they can go up there and play chess and inspire the youth and talk to them about their stories and about their lives and things of that nature. So that was part two of that goal just to have something like that.

Speaker 3:

Don't you see that in Central Park I see the movies where the old guys are in the park playing chess and everybody's just standing around Exactly.

Speaker 1:

It's that exciting. And anybody can learn. It's just about developing your mind.

Speaker 3:

I saw a post on Facebook from a local pastor that said there's a young man in this congregation that has yet to be beat by at chess and he's a sudden like kind of a fairly new player. But he's always like anybody want to compete, anybody want to try. He said he hasn't been beaten yet and he's here in town, so he needs to come to the chess house.

Speaker 1:

There's some very good players up there but there's players of all levels. So I don't want to intimidate anyone coming up there thinking that you have to be so good.

Speaker 3:

But it'd be fun to be in that chess community for sure.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely, 100%, absolutely.

Speaker 3:

That'd be fun. Okay, now let's talk about the childcare, unless you guys have anything more about chess, because we could probably talk. I don't know what's your next move. I'm using the. What is it? The horse, the bishop? The bishop is that the horse, the?

Speaker 2:

night, the night see. Oh yes, I'm a chess man, quick yeah yes, I'm using that.

Speaker 3:

I like to jump that horse. That's one of my favorite moves okay so anyway, okay, let's talk about the eagle christian preschool and child care, because there is very few things more important than your children. That is something that I feel like if I were a parent it would make me take a deep breath in. It makes me nervous when I see people making these public posts oh, looking for a babysitter or something I'm like, because there's a lot of trustworthy people out there, but but it's such a scary thing.

Speaker 3:

So I have watched different children come out of the preschool or the childcare here and just seen them laughing like they've been having a good time, and so, even though I don't know much about it, I do know that it is important to you to keep them safe. I see them having a good time, so talk to us a little bit about why that was necessary to be a part of Warriors Inc and what you do.

Speaker 1:

The children are our future. Excuse me, the children are our future and it was important for me to have created an environment where parents can go to work, school, play or wherever, and be able to get quality care for their kids, and when quality care not just changing them and washing their faces, but also educating them and teaching them you know and our kids do very well.

Speaker 1:

When they leave here they go out into the community Poland, boardman, youngstown and they excel. And our teachers are very good teachers. We have a very high percentage of degreed staff. We're talking four-year degrees, two-year degrees and then child CDAs. Here we really encourage our teachers to think of themselves as professionals, not just child care providers and I hate the word daycare here. That's a word that we don't even use. Okay, because we're actually teaching and training these kids to be, really good.

Speaker 1:

So that's important and we really focus on that and we take them from six weeks and we have an after-school program up to 12 years of age and the older ones. They get on the computers, the computer games yeah to help them learn and things of that nature.

Speaker 3:

So it's that's really cool. I know that there's a period during the early childhood I find all this fascinating, but there's a period in the during early childhood that is called rapid mapping where they it's like accelerated learning everything yeah, zero to six, okay, where their expressions and activities and mannerisms are all being learned at this accelerated rate, and that period is so important.

Speaker 3:

Who your people are around, or who your children are around, what they're watching, what they're exposed to, is so important because it's literally forming the base identity at that age, and that's so powerful, so to sit them in a chair and give them an iPad when you don't know who's creating that stuff that's streaming through, that is so dangerous when it comes down to who your child will become, I think it's also important to give them a safe environment.

Speaker 1:

I agree, I agree Totally agree, and I think about my daughter, my middle daughter, as a matter of fact. We were in California, the schools were so crowded and in her early years she didn't have in that school system what she needed but kindergarten and preschool because it was so crowded. And that's another reason why I'm in child care, because I want to do something different than what I have experienced and that's why we have low ratios here to really try to develop these kids. And we have three locations. We've expanded.

Speaker 1:

We have the one in Youngstown, we have one in Warren. The Youngstown is the oldest one We've been. We have the one in Youngstown, we have one in Warren. Okay, the Youngstown is the oldest one. We've been here since 2001. Warren since 2011. And then in Lisbon since 2017.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

So I wanted to service the whole tri-county.

Speaker 3:

That's amazing.

Speaker 2:

When I was talking with John Maxwell and he said the thing we've forgotten in this culture which you are doing is teaching kids values, because if you have good values on the insides, what happens on the outsides? Isn't going to bother you. Social media is not going to be. It's like an armor. Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Interesting.

Speaker 3:

Wow, that's a powerful way to say it. Say that again.

Speaker 2:

If you have values, it's have values, yeah, on the inside, yes, if you have good values on the inside, what happens on the outside won't affect you, because you have a good, you have armor. You have. You know what's right and wrong, you know what's good and right. You've established your own culture within yourself which will allow and disallow within your life wow, that's deep yeah, it is, but you learn it at a young age. You do do and you learn from mimicking adults.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. Which you said brings back to mind something that we were teaching our afterschool kids about the lesson of the iceberg. The iceberg is, you only see, 10% is what the other 90% is under the bottom of the water.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, is what the other 90%?

Speaker 1:

is under the bottom of the water. Yeah, and you don't see that. And so we try to really focus on that portion and really try to build the character, the Christian foundation here. We focus on that. I got kids that will say 66 books of the Bible, preschoolers Wow. Yeah, my preschoolers know 66 books of the Bible oh wow. And the goal is, if they get it and hopefully it's like a reverse thing, because now maybe they go home and it's up to the parents to keep it going- yeah.

Speaker 1:

And hopefully that amazement of my child knows this and my child knows that will encourage a parent if they're not going to go to church to get a relationship with God and so on and so forth. To learn about it a little bit, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 3:

It's amazing, though it's truly amazing what kids or people can learn I just heard this this past week that of all the galaxies and all the things in nature that are incredible and have yet to be explored the oceans and the depths, and just the universe the thing that they find is the most complex thing is the human brain yeah the mind, the human brain, yeah, the mind the mind, the human brain, that's right and so to literally to teach these kids.

Speaker 3:

I was in fourth grade and I memorized the complete chapter of hebrews 11 wow in fourth grade and I can still say it.

Speaker 3:

I mean I might need a few prompts and sometimes I brush up on it, but in fourth grade grade and I think about that like I don't even push myself like that now as an adult, yeah, I know a lot and I think a lot and I learn. But the fact that you can really teach these kids what they can learn and what they can remember and you're like working their mind, because the mind, the brain, can heal, this is a whole different thing. I want to, I actually want to learn a little bit more about the brain. But the brain has the ability to heal in their neuropathways and they actually now we're going off tangent. So give me 10 seconds because this is fascinating.

Speaker 3:

But they found that people who survive, like crazy tragic accidents, like plane crashes and different things. They were like is it really all happenstance or is there something happening why these people survive and these ones didn't, or why certain plane crashes people survived and then some are totally. So they began to research a little bit and they found that if let's just use a plane for an example, you get on a plane and the guy's saying okay, here's what's going to happen in the case of emergency. And so you're like, okay, and your brain goes okay, and are you willing to sit on this exit row? Yeah, if I need to, the instructions are there.

Speaker 3:

But they said that they found that sometimes the instructions would be right there and it's pulled down the lever and push out, but the person stands there and stares and they can't think, can't read, they can't anything, because in this moment, they said, it's the equivalent of that, like loading sign on the computer where their brain is going what did I do last time in the situation? And it's searching and scanning what did I do last time? What did I do last time? And since there's nothing to draw and no files to grab, those they could be looking at the instructions and they're standing there going what did I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? So they said, in the instance of a plane, you get on there and, as they're saying what to do, you tell your brain okay, here's my exit, here's, if you're in the, if you're in the aisle, you say, okay, you picture, just picture yourself following the instructions on what to do or whatever they're telling you to do, and then you go, then you don't think about it, but in your brain you already have that pathway right so it's interesting if that keeps people alive in emergencies, imagine how we could use that in our everyday life I agree

Speaker 2:

creating positive and life-giving pathways I'll tell you you'll get a kick out of this. A Navy and an Air Force guy were talking. He said the Navy guy said he said do you know why on ships we practice putting our life preserves on going on deck, getting our lifeboats, lowering them down, getting into the sea. Do you know why we practice like? That Air Force guy goes no, because you guys don't, because you guys never survive. It's the truth.

Speaker 2:

And truth and just you have to. If you want to be a good father, you have to practice fatherhood.

Speaker 1:

If you want to, if you want to.

Speaker 2:

If you want to, if you want a child to grow up in a great environment, you have to put them in a great environment. Yeah, that's, and it has to be intentional. Life is intentional. We all struggle. Everybody struggles. I don't care who you are, you're struggling, you are, and the minute you get that, you'll have an edge on humanity that no one else has. Everybody thinks oh, no one suffers as bad as me. Everybody suffers.

Speaker 1:

Everybody.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and the minute you understand that, you're out. You need to help other people and reach out to other people. Yeah, and if we got back to our roots and understood that and understood we're here to fight for each other's dreams we're here to have each other's back in this country. Then it'd be a whole different situation, Totally agree Strong economy, strong communities yeah.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. One of the things I thought of when you were talking about the mind is one thing my father did with me once he said I thought it got to that age of 15 when I thought I knew everything. So my father drew a big circle on the thing. He says this is all the knowledge in the entire universe, everything god's ever created throughout the, all the galaxies, all the universes, everything right here. How much do you know?

Speaker 1:

just draw on that circle oh, he says, I just wanted to put you in your place son wow, oh man wow how do people go ahead?

Speaker 2:

yeah, if somebody wants to get their time, talent, treasure or they want to get involved somehow, how do they reach out to different organizations?

Speaker 1:

Just, contact Warriors Inc directly by phone. Yeah, 330-783-5440 is our number and from there, even if you want to get a hold of any one of the child care centers, you can call the main number at Warriors and we'll direct it to whichever center that you were interested in, whether it be for a job, whether it be to roll your children, volunteer whatever or donate.

Speaker 3:

All that goes through the warriors incorporated phone number and then we'll disseminate it from there and what I really hear is warriors is like a warrior for the youth, somebody being a warrior or like a somebody coming to to fight or to bat for the youth, somebody being a warrior or like a a somebody coming to to fight or to bat for the youth, is that? Would I be accurate?

Speaker 1:

I would say that this period where Nehemiah 414 is our scripture, and I've been a warrior of my life, basically South High Warrior and a warrior in the Marine Corps.

Speaker 3:

Is that what they were, the warriors? Oh, that's so funny.

Speaker 1:

Wow, it's where we initially started out. And then the Marines considered warriors.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And now I'm Warriors Incorporated.

Speaker 3:

Oh, look at that, look at that.

Speaker 1:

That's basically what it is, and Nehemiah 4.14 is our scripture and it talks about fighting for your community.

Speaker 3:

wow, you sounds like you're doing a great job, and your staff and your volunteers. I have the pleasure of getting of knowing some of them and that's how I know a little bit about the organization and it sounds like a wonderful team that you have so a lot of hard work and dedication Family they're like family.

Speaker 1:

Everybody's family. You have your times, but for the most part we all work really good together and we have that common goal and that's to glorify God.

Speaker 2:

Yes, amen to that.

Speaker 3:

Amen, all right. So Warriors Inc, you guys have the phone number. Thank you very much. Are we doing rapid fire?

Speaker 2:

No, you want to do rapid fire.

Speaker 3:

Let's do it.

Speaker 2:

Go ahead.

Speaker 3:

Pepsi or Coke.

Speaker 1:

Coke.

Speaker 3:

Okay, miracle Whip or Mayonnaise.

Speaker 1:

Miracle Whip.

Speaker 3:

Oh yes, I knew I liked you All right North or South for vacation.

Speaker 1:

South.

Speaker 3:

South, everybody says South Beach or.

Speaker 1:

Mountains Beach, okay, south for vacation, south South.

Speaker 3:

Everybody says South Beach or mountains Beach.

Speaker 1:

Ooh, okay.

Speaker 3:

Favorite pizza in the area.

Speaker 1:

In the area. Yeah, Wedgwood oh yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

Favorite French fry in the area.

Speaker 1:

Favorite French fries would be McDonald's. Okay.

Speaker 3:

All right, that's a big one. And when do you get cranky? When you're tired, when you're hungry. This is a new one.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, when I get tired or when I get hungry, probably when I'm tired, when you're tired, when I'm tired.

Speaker 2:

Thank you very much for your time. Thank you, we appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Thank you guys for having me. You're welcome. I really appreciate it.

Fatherhood Initiatives and Community Impact
Empowering Youth Through Chess and Childcare
Teaching Values and Building Character
Warriors Inc