Homelessness, charity projects, and hot rod raffle discussion with multiple guests

Undertexter av Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther Nicolai Winther So let me just mention, we actually fed and provided to 100, not homeless, but low-income families in Boyle Heights at the same time. Because our events are two-day events. They're the assembling. The volunteers come out on a Friday night and we assemble all the kids. And I make it something rewarding for the volunteer as well. Because it's not just the person that we're trying to help now. And I see that through our past and what we've done through it. It's getting the people to tug on their hearts. Learning the act of giving, how important it is and how infectious it can be. But freeing your heart and freeing your self-preservation of just being me about myself. And I can't do this financially. You have to step up by faith. And if this world is going to change, we need to be accountable in helping each other. And I need to make sure that it's rewarding for the volunteers also. That they get the ultimate. And experience. And they walk away with. So Friday nights we assemble the kids. Saturday nights we go out. Saturday morning, sorry. We go out to Skid Row. The summer drive is at Gladys Park. When we do the winter drive, it's a little bit different. We do it old school. We go head on into tours like St. Julian on the streets on 5th Street. And we'll get bum-rushed. And we'll get bombarded. And we have a system basically. And we basically lead into 5th Street. And we have a lot of people. And we have a lot of people. And we have a lot of people. And we have a lot of people. And I'm pretty sure you guys saw them last time. I call them the Trumpets that awaken the angels. Because that's what they are to me. And everybody down there, when they hear the motorcycles, they know the help's on the way. They hear the roar, yeah. They know the help's on the way. Exactly. So they get excited. But they all fall in line. And I make sure that it's on a one-on-one basis. That we shake their hands. That we welcome them. That we give them that ultimate red carpet experience as much as possible. And we make sure that we make them feel like they're family. Because that's how real it is. And that's what we've seen. And situations and things that have happened in the past have confirmed that. I was able to experience that with the group and so forth. And the little boy dancing. I have all that on video. I'll give it to you sometime. But actually, we were there. We weren't just there passing out food to some people. We weren't passing out food. We were passing out love. Right. The people responded so beautifully. And this one lady, I thought I was going to cry. You know, I don't cry easily. But anyway, so you were talking about the veterans now. How many veterans do you think are on Skid Row? Many. Many. That's a good answer. That's a good answer. Very good answer. Well, I mean, I can't put a number on it. I can tell you that, like the numbers in terms of Skid Row homelessness, I know the numbers were released today as far as the women in the ages of 51 to 60. And really increased tremendously in Skid Row. But as far as veterans goes, they're out there. You know, they're out there. And it's something that really needs to be turned focus on, you know. And something more specific, I think. We have a Skid Row in Venice. And so last Monday, I had a meeting with the Foursquare minister. And we had a meeting with his board of directors, et cetera, et cetera. But on the way to the meeting, all of a sudden, this family in Venice, at the worst street in Venice, which we call Skid Row, there's right next to Google. They had two little kids, not three years old each, two little girls on the street. And we knew, quote, unquote, if the cops came by and found them, they would take the children. And sometimes that's not the greatest thing to do. So we immediately took care of them and gave them some things. And then we lost them. So we had to go find them. And then we found them. And then, so Sunday night, I wanted to make sure they were still there. Now, most people don't go down Skid Row at night, especially if you're a white boy like me, okay? Unless you're looking for something. Right. Trouble. So I put on my Marine Corps hat, which is, maybe that'll be the last thing I wear. Maybe that'll get some authority. I walked down there, and no problem, because a lot of people know me down there. So these two guys were there, and I said, look, I'm looking for Rebecca. They said, we don't know Rebecca. I said, I'm looking for two little girls. They said, oh, yes, we know where she's at. They're inside that little tent. The little tent was like a little Eskimo dome. Right. And they were both in there. So I said, now you guys don't go away. Stay here, because tomorrow morning, we're going to take you and make sure, that your children get taken care of. And so they did. But what I wanted to tell you, this minister had been working on Skid Row for eight years. I mean, he is a doer. He doesn't wait. He doesn't say, we'll send you to an agency in the morning. We'll get to you. We'll pray for you. And that's the end of it. Right. He does it. He does it right now. And that's what I admire about him. And he'll be helping us all over again. That's good. That's the kind of thing I like to see. You don't wait. You just go and do. Yeah, that's, you know what? Like I said, what we give is just the tip of the iceberg of it. My heart is to help people wherever they need it the greatest. And this is not easy when it comes to really, really helping people out and not hurting them or not just throwing them into, like you just mentioned, the system. It's really important, especially with people that have kids. And there's a lot of them in Skid Row. You might not see it outright, but you know what? They're out there. But you know what? They're also precautious. They're just about their children, too. Yes, they are. In 2012, when we did our summer drive, we were passing out kids. Actually, I'm sorry. We did our winter drive. This lady came up. And my daughter, my 12-year-old daughter, was passing the bags out personally to them. And this lady came up with her two kids, two young girls. And she didn't want kids. She asked for prayer. And they had just been there, like, less than a week. But they were out on the streets. And she said, I never thought that I would see that also. And, you know, it broke my daughter's heart. But my daughter, you know, when she turned around, she says, I just feel so blessed. And she was crying. She says, I never thought that I would see that. And it breaks my heart. But those are the things, though. That's why a lot of people now, a lot of volunteers, they ask, can we bring our kids out? Because they want their kids to see what life is, you know, and what to be grateful for also. And also, it's a great thing to teach those kids to give back. And I also saw, too, we got kids in the mix helping, you know, and putting in work at a young age. And that's a beautiful, beautiful thing to see and be part of. So I'm blessed for being part of that. You really are. And we're blessed for going down there. And it's amazing. Wynn, let's talk a little bit about your program and what you're doing. Well, like I said before, I'm here to help Aaron and Lost Angels Children Project. And whatever. I can do to help these children. And, you know, it's just heartbreaking to know that there's kids on Skid Row that just don't have a chance and have no choice in it. And, you know, Aaron came up with this idea and immediately I wanted to be involved in it. So my part is to help Aaron, you know, do what he needs to get done so we can. Get this hot rod finished. Get it raffled off. And that money could go help these kids. And hopefully, as time goes on, we can raise enough money to have after school programs and have mentor programs. And not only. Help them immediately, but be able to give them some kind of a future at the same time. That future is extremely important. Aaron, tell me about your 1931 something or another. Something or another. What I'm doing is a 1931 Ford. Early little hot rod trying to keep it as traditional as possible. 31 Ford Roadster on a 32 frame with a small block Chevy. A lot of the old parts and just trying to make something cool that appeals to a lot of people. And I'm trying to do something. Something cool. Something different. I haven't seen this done in the car world yet. So I was like, man, I was trying to figure out how to do something bigger than just a hot meal. I've been doing working for the soup kitchens for about two, three, four years now. Started doing it and just got hooked. It's like you were saying. Once you go, it's addictive, you know. And just that feeling of giving, that feeling of helping. It's more rewarding than people think. So you're going from hot meals to hot wheels. Yes. I don't want credit for it. Somebody else said it. How did they get a raffle ticket? We got a website up and then there's a lot of hot rod shops, barber shops, tattoo shops all around Southern California. The website is LostAngelsChildrensProject.com. We have a Facebook page. Same thing, Lost Angels Children's Project. Like page. And then there's also an Instagram that's showing the process of the build. You know, it started from the beginning. And it's showing in the paint booth and it's showing all this stuff so people can follow the build. And people are starting to get involved. And if they want to get tickets, how much are they? Tickets are $20 tickets. Tried to make it the same thing accessible to everybody. So everybody can get involved. They're not $100 tickets. They're $20 tickets. We're trying to raise as much money as possible. My goal is to raise 50 grand to split between the two shelters. I would love to be able to cut a check for $25,000 to Union Rescue Mission and go just to the children's side so they can do field trips. They can do a lot of things. They can do a lot of things. I think they're going to do the tutor program because I guess the tutors are only coming in once every other week. So the kids are in their care. I think they do like a 60-day turnaround or a 90-day turnaround down there. So it's not much help that the kids are actually getting. And what I know is the life that the kids have had before they got into the shelters, 99% of the time is pretty damn rough. So let's make the time there that they're in their care as best as possible. Well, while we're talking about funding and events, Jeff, tell us about your event. Well, it's kind of an outgrowth of what we've all been doing together here. I'm really pleased that you and Isaac have joined forces. And I think it lays the groundwork for what we want to do together. Specifically, we at the Veterans Project have been focusing on homelessness in the veteran population. And we've been doing this for a long time. We've been doing it for a while. But only over the last few months or so has it really heated up as an issue that's seemingly on everyone's radar. Michelle Obama was recently in town to address a summit on homeless veterans. And Mayor Garcetti has proclaimed that homelessness in the veteran population will be ended completely by the end of 2015. So while all these very lofty goals are being set aside, we're ready to just step in. Well, speaking of stepping in, Scotty and I will be going to Korea. And you know, Scotty will be gone in a few days. I'll be gone the rest of the month. And during that time, you will be running what we call running this show. So take over the show right now and practice, okay? I thought I just was. I thought I just was. And I'm going to... I'm going to spew this propaganda over and over again. Because this is the time. You know, it's timely. There's a lot of things that are worth doing. But because the stars haven't aligned in such a way that the support isn't there, it's not always doable. So what I was saying is because the bigwigs are now focusing on this and making this commitment, we have an opportunity to really step up to the plate and continue the work that we've been doing. So as I was saying, I'm glad that you and Isaac have teamed up and we're going to build on that. Isaac is totally committed to addressing homelessness in general. And we are addressing homelessness in the veteran population. So there's obvious overlap there. And we have a stand down every year at the Vortex in downtown Los Angeles. This year, it's going to be on November 15th. And in the weeks and months leading up to that, we're going to have a series of smaller forums that are dedicated to this. We're going to have a series of smaller forums that are dedicated to exchanging ideas amongst all segments of the population, not just the usual suspects. We're going to have architects and artists mixing side by side with city officials. And the next in our series of public forums is next next Wednesday, August 13th, at a venue in the downtown arts district called Play. And I love that it's called Play because it really gives us a chance to kind of emphasize where we are. And we're going to have a series of public forums that are dedicated to this. where we're coming from. It doesn't have to be morose, it doesn't have to be the same old, same old. We want some freewheeling, creative types to be involved in this problem-solving situation. So I think, we're trying to learn, Isaac is hard to commit, but I think he's going to be there, right? No, I'll be there. That's a yes, that's a commitment. And we have also someone, the mayor has a commission, an advisory council on homelessness in the veteran population, so they'll have somebody there, and hopefully from City Councilman Huizar's office, and we'll have some architects talking about very creative housing solutions, and we'll have refreshments, even alcoholic beverages. Why not? We're adults, some of us. So if you want more information on that, please go to the webpage we have dedicated to this campaign. It's homefrontrising.org homefrontrising.org Now you've done a wonderful job of interviewing yourself. Now interview someone else. Okay. Just pick anybody? Alright, I want to why don't we chat for a moment with my new friend from Lost Angels Project, and what I'm wondering is, Aaron, apart from when you're building this car, which is a very innovative thing, and it's a great attention grabber, what next for you? Are there other ways that you have of getting attention and funding and accomplishing things? Well, yeah, definitely. I got long-term goals, I got short-term goals. I mean, this is what I do for a living. I build custom cars, so I was like, what can I do bigger than just doing a hot meal? That's what I do all the time working at the shelter, so it's like I can combine the two. I can build a car and raffle it off and raise money and give it away. Like, that's, it definitely gets people's attention. It's what I can do that's bigger than just a hot meal. My goal is to be able to, if this works well this year, to be able to do this every year. Once a year, do this. Do this hot rod giveaway. Do a custom car giveaway. And I'm hoping it raises enough awareness this year, enough people want to get involved that next year when I'm calling people for sponsorships and for donors and to get involved, I won't get the door slammed in my face like this year. No one really wanted to get on deck. So I'm hoping if it goes well next year, all those same people will be like, yeah, man, no, I heard what you did last year. I'm down. We can do it again. And other builders will get involved. And it just, it spreads. It can come, something infectious. More people want to get on board. And then even bigger scale than that is to actually, you know, have like an after school program. Have kids come in and be able to learn welding, learn painting, learn auto body, learn this stuff, learn metal art. So it's not just, I'm not trying to create a bunch of car builders out there in the world, but just so people can have a, some of these kids from rough neighborhoods can have a sense of achievement that they made something. They had a place to go that was cool and creative and non-judging. And I don't care about any of that stuff. You come in, you have a good time, learn some stuff. You never know where they could take it from there. You know, so that's, it's, to me, it's on a big scale. It's building the car. It's helping kids definitely, but it's inspiring. That's my big thing is, and I think you touched on it. And by the way, I'm like so impressed on what you guys got going on. I love your style of like just get in and handle it. Get your hands dirty and let's do something. Well, maybe you guys should partner. I'm ready. I'm ready. Two steps ahead of you. I don't know how far you are in as far as into the vehicle. And restoring it already. We're pretty close. We got our deadline. That's like, it's crunch time. That's like even when was calling me to come down for the show and I was like, for real, dude, I hope it's going to be good because I got stuff to do. I'm at the shop every night. So like 11 o'clock, the deadline is August 30th is where there's the giveaway. Has upholstery already been done? Upholstery's not done yet. I had the guy come by the shop. Paint's done. Motor's just about done. What do you got on upholstery? What's up, dude? What you got, dog? You know what? My father does custom upholstery for hot rods for low riders. He's been doing it for over 25 years. There you go. Let's get it on. I got the guy that does pimp my ride. He'll work with you. We'll see about next year, bro. I don't know. We'll see. I'm thinking we can do something to help you guys out. No, that'd be amazing. We're right at that level. I'm hoping next week. Honestly, I'd say everything is falling into place real fast right now. You have a... I see your heart already and that's what we read, you know? What you read is... It's not... It's... It comes out of our voices sometimes when you're passionate about something and I can see that with you. Mike, I can tell already. Mike's... Mike can see that already, so... Oh, very cool. I can be more than glad to help you guys out with that. That'd be cool. I think my dad's watching tonight, so... He's... For real? What? But it's a 30 what? 31 Roadster. 31 Ford Roadster. Little Model A Roadster. It's wham bam. Yeah. By the way, if you can't get a ticket going into one of the places that we're selling it, you can come down to the Ventura National Hot Rod Show where the car will be raffled off on August 30th of this, you know. Yeah, that's the big thing. And that's it. It's a big venue of car enthusiasts bringing their cars, motorcycles down. It's all about the car culture. And that's where you can, you know, purchase your ticket. And have a good time. And hopefully you can win a hot rod at the same time that will go to help these kids. And the last week of this month at Boyle Heights City Hall, we'll be having our first annual Kids for Hope Day, which is just a day of giving back to children a hardship. This is something with LAPD Home and Back Division, YMCA, and a couple other organizations really being specific in bringing in those children of hardship that have really gone through it. Kind of like a carnival atmosphere, but without the rides. But it's just a day of giving back to them, you know. And this is something new that we're starting. But we're looking at about 120 kids also, too. So we haven't locked down the date, but I know it's one of the weekdays of the last week of this month. So that's something new that we'll be doing as well. Well, that's what's up, man. That's what's up. Giving kids something that have already been through the struggle. Something cool to remember. A positive time. Absolutely. So, Isaac, why don't you give your website address so that when you have that information finalized, people can find out. I'll give it to Mike. So the website is www.operation help, no, ohthforhope.org ohthforhope.org ohthforhope.org And the website is www.operation help, no, ohthforhope.org is the number four? Four, yeah. All right. Hopefully people will remember that. That's my brother Mike right there. That's my right hand. He's my brother Compassion. I gotta tell you something. He's your real brother. Basically, we've known each other since kindergarten. Yeah, since about six years old, we've been best friends. We've all gone through our things, and that's why we have such appreciation to help those in need, because it's not easy growing up, especially when you're in LA or in this area. Just to have a heart to help others really changes your whole life, just by seeing the effect you have on people. And when you have, like Isaac said, about having children help us out, and volunteers bringing their kids along to be a part of the events, we've gotten so many phone calls and people, parents crying to us saying thank you for showing our kids the real, the things that are out there. And even as families go home, their kids are not alone. Even as families go home, their kids are not alone. Even as families go home, their kids are not alone. And they want to help others on their own, doing outside of what we're doing. So it just really grows, and it's infectious. It's a good thing. Kindness breeds kindness. What a love fest we have going here. Well, I also want to jump in with an offer to come down to the Vortex sometime, which is where the Veterans Project is based. It's a multi-purpose community center. It has a capacity of 400 people, and it has a garage door that opens up so one of these cars that you rebuild, you can easily drive right in and . I'd love to. Let's do it. And actually, that's where I met Isaac and why we're all here together. So this is the idea. It is happening. It's not just a concept in our minds. So it's great to see it happening. Why don't we take a break, and then we'll return for the home stretch. Looks like we can work on getting these things done. Looks like we can work on getting these things done. Looks like we can work on getting these things done. Looks like we can work on getting these things done. You are watching and or listening to OccupySkid Row.us, a weekly veteransnewsnet.us feature presented every Tuesday evening from 8 to 9 p.m. Pacific Time, live at skidrowstudios.com. We invite you to join our discussion now. Call us at 1-800-893-9562 or text us at 310-266-9465. And now, here's your host, Chaplain Willis Buddy Clark Jr. We're back. We're back. And Buddy was just toweling down because it's a little bit hot in here, but you look fresh and perky now, Buddy. Well, you should be on the inside. Okay, Scotty, let's talk about what we're going to do with a whole lot of people. Well, before I do that, I would like, I am so humbled by the work that our other guests are doing with children and homelessness and feeding. And this evening, I brought a book. I brought a book with me. And sometimes I just open up a book to see what the universe offers. And I think this message of love was supposed to be here because of these guests. The cosmic realm is filled through and through with love. And to enter into this realm is to love every living creature with all the power of heart and soul. When you are in the cosmic state, you are in the universal. All life is divine. All life is beautiful. All life is precious. All life is sacred. Your sympathy is as large as the universe and as touching as the innermost tenderness of the soul. To love everybody, no matter what they are or what they have done, is a part of your own life. Is that from Michael Beckwith? No, this is one of my favorite authors, Christian D. Larson. He died in 1914. This book, The Optimist Creed, and The Optimist was based off of his writings in the early 1900s. And there's five books in here. And I just open them up periodically. And the message is so pure and so directly divine that no matter where I open it up, it seems like it's exactly what I'm supposed to find for that occasion. So we have a book. We have a book. We have—Jeff, you mentioned What a Love Fest. Yeah, right. And for me to open this up to that, it just—it's—it's a blessing to be here. I'm here to provide you with golden segues, Scotty. Okay. Stand by for a segue. Here we go. This is—this is actually here, our segue. Okay. So you're on. Okay. Here's your segue. Talk about whatever you want. Yeah. I'm speaking French now. Our first French word is segue. We're going to call you segue. Quise de resistance is coming soon. Okay. Alrighty. Well, this past weekend, Saturday, Bobby Buck asked me to participate in taking pictures. He liked some of my photography. On Skid Row in the Gladys Park. And a lady by the name of Shari, she has Char On Foundation. And what she did is she put together a talent show for the people there on Skid Row. And I'm telling you, they've got some fabulous, outstanding talent that really needs to be seen. One was an impersonator of Spielberg. I had people asking me, because I was close enough, is that real? Is that really him? I saw a picture of him. I really, I had to ask Bobby. I said, that's not really. He said, no. And so that's... That's how good this guy was. Impersonating voice, body language, looks, everything. And another one sang the song, Neither One of Us Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye. Two different girls sang that song. And they did an outstanding job. Another... It was a girl. And she did a Michael Jackson impersonation. I wonder, perhaps, next week, we'd like to show some footage of that. Videos and pictures? Sure. So you can kind of get... Contact Bobby and we'll put together something. Incidentally, Shari has herself just the most amazing story. Her husband used to tour with Seals and Crofts. He passed away. She became homeless. She felt like the bottom just fell out, word for word. That's what she said. Until a lady there saw her for her and saw her potential and what she could do. And she has been down there on Skid Row helping ever since. She has her own... She is an author. She is an author, speaker, life coach, consulting, training, and she has workshops and seminars. And if you'd like more information about what she does, she can be reached at www.shari.com. Scotty, could you tell us a little more about this World Peace Conference we're going to? Yes, I can. It is in... Seoul, Korea. It's from the 17th to the 19th of September. It is a gathering of all religions from around the world. And their speaker list is not only the religious, but a potpourri of presidents and past presidents from countries that believe that there's something government can do. There's something government can do. There's something government can do. There's something government can do. There's something government can do besides engage in conflict. So this is a peace conference par excellence. And it's being held in a country that's been divided for years and years since the Korean War. And those people still would love to have a united country. And a united vision of peace is within the Korean people's heart. And I think it's a blessing that I'll be speaking. And I think it's a blessing that I'll be speaking at that about our efforts to get a billion people to grassroots peace. And I think it's a blessing that you're coming, my friend. Oh, what a blessing. Because, see, I fly military for free all over the world. But sometimes we get stuck. I got stuck in Guam one time. The next time I get stuck will be in Newfoundland, way up in Canada with the Chinooks and all those kind of things. So I don't want to be stuck. But once I get there, I can take any military plane home and take my time. And I'll be back. And I'll be back. But I have to be back for the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. So we want to go to that and probably, hopefully, showcase world peace there because it's the most photographed event in the world. Absolutely. If you ever get a chance, go there. It's always the first week, ten days in October. So if you get a chance, go to that. Now, let's get back to it. Now, here's where we're at, gang. Anybody can talk about anything they want to. And you can interrupt. You can just have a good time. And if you... But don't take your clothes off, okay? All right? Hey, buddy, let me do a shout-out. Okay. Because what I want to recognize goes right in with what these gentlemen are doing. Mama Hill of Mama Hill's Help. Her actual name is Melissa Hill. She was a teacher in Los Angeles schools for 30 years. And by the time she retired, she thought, based on her estimate, that she had lost 2,000 students, either to drugs. Uh... Gang violence or just dropouts. And when she retired, she opened up her home. And now kids come in there. She tutors them. They learn computer skills. She loves them. And she's having her annual fundraiser, September 27th. Celebrate the Children, a back-to-school event. It's going to... They're going to close off the streets. It's at 755 East 92nd Street. so if you want to help mama they're going to be having food, they're going to be having crafts they're going to be having bouncy things and it's a $10 donation for adults and $5 for children and you can go to mamahillshelp.org for tickets Can somebody tell me what a bouncy thing is? It's one of these baby In case you're still on the radio we had one of the biggest bouncers you've ever seen, okay? He's really good at it, okay? So, free for all? What happens at the barber shop, Wayne? You want to talk about the barber shop? More than anything May I be bold enough to suggest the microphone pointing that way? Yes, sir It's very nice of you to support Aaron's non-profit Yes But here you are You're hanging out with us Yes So just like as if it were a party and whatnot, you know we want to know about you too So what's going on, Winster? Winston, I haven't been called that for a while Winston? Well, um I, uh the manager of Angelo's Barber Shop right down the street over on Olive and we just opened up six weeks ago but actually that's uh not really what I want to talk about I want to talk about uh Los Angeles Children's Project Yes, you do You know, that's that's, uh why we're here and that's what, uh uh my focus is is to do anything and everything that I can to, uh bring awareness to, uh the children Alright, I'm going to have to declare you a hostile witness then if you're not going to talk about the subject If I could jump on something real quick and for me the big thing is you started talking about it too with, with bringing volunteers in bringing people in they people just get stoked on it they can't help it but come back and the thing for me that I keep going back to with this whole thing is inspiring people that, that's just it it's, it's it's making a car it's making something it's making some food it's, it's putting some food in people's belly it's giving a smile, a hug, whatever uh, stuff but it's inspiring other people to do something on their own so they, they come back on their own free will because what happened they were stoked and it was like when I, I was talking with Wynn when I first kicking this around and I broke it all down step by step of what was going on he was like, I'm in and he's taking this and run in a whole another level of shit I didn't even think about so it's like it, it's already working you know, Wynn was already inspired to do what he's gonna do and it's just it, it's weird because I didn't see it for a while until it all clicked you know, other people I thought were just helping and they, they just take it and run with it on their whole other trip there's this girl um Tiffany I haven't even met this woman in person yet but we talked over the phone she was just hype on the whole thing yeah, I'm, I'm in I'm down like whatever she took it on her own accord got some tickets and put a, a thing up on Facebook like, hey everybody I got tickets we're riding around I'm delivering tickets what, what's up who needs them and people started getting back to her it was her and her old man on a, on a motorcycle mobbing through the valley and she's on the back of a bike checking her Facebook status on her phone like, okay, cool babe, turn here and they're jamming down some street on Roscoe selling tickets like, it was just like to me that that's what keeps me going in the garage until 1130 at night knowing that there's people out there that are inspired by what we got going on and inspired to help other people to get off, off the couch get out of their normal comfort routine and do something like that's, that's to me that's what I live off of that's, that's what's keeping me rolling on this whole trip, you know exactly cause, you know, it's like this, it's when you think about what we're doing okay and what we're doing it for you know, it's, it's a sad event you know there's, there's children that don't have a choice in life in the matter that are living on the streets and then when you have people like Tiffany and my another friend of mine Wayne that just like picked this up and ran with it that's what keeps a smile on our face okay and, you know brings the heart and soul to it is watching these other people wanting to be involved and they're doing it effortlessly they're doing it you know, because they want to they're being, you know living an altruistic way of life which is the kind of life that I choose to live and that, that I have just so much thanks for that's awesome I mean, that's, that's, that's ultimately I think what we're trying to do is just raise awareness about child poverty yeah, but it's also raise awareness about I mean, the human spirit just to try and give back to try and be a kinder person instead of getting stuck in this everyday drive of self-greed and just you're always you work your whole life just to take care of yourself and buy a bigger house and buy a faster car and all this it doesn't really get you nowhere when the man standing next to you is starving you know, it what is that? what is that big house when people are outside starving? you know, I'm we're never going to end homeless and we're not going to none of that stuff's ever going to be fixed and gone complete it's never going to be a bunch of hippies running around the street it's not going to happen but if we can all do our part and if everyone and it more and more people get on board to do something positive you never know where it could go you're exactly right and that's, that's that's one thing that I'll be honest with you you know, a lot of people they have their own perceptions about homelessness you know, just you know, if you go out of Pasadena you see people panhandling off the freeways and you know, sometimes you get to know if it's a hustle, of course, yes and then who's really sincere so we get questions like that a lot and we get a lot of people that hesitate to actually volunteer or to donate or to do something because their skepticism no matter how we round it or what we do and you know what that whole thing of just stepping out by faith and opening your heart and just giving because you know the fact that somebody's out there panhandling when it's raining it doesn't matter what they're going to use it for yeah, whether it's a hustle or not yeah, I mean they obviously need it more than, than you do you know but you got to just trust in God and and do your part in acting and giving I just want to point out one thing that um um One situation that happened last year in our winter drive, we were passing about 700 homeless kids at about 7.30 in the morning, and I saw this lady cut in line, and she says, Oh my God, Isaac, I can't believe I'm looking at you. How are you? And I saw her cut in line, and I said, you know, she probably heard my name from somebody else, and I said, Go to the end of the line. We got enough for you. She says, You don't remember me, do you? And she was clearly addicted, sucked up, and she was not doing good. And I said, No, I don't. She says, Remember I taught you how to drive? Oh, wow. And I said, No, because I really didn't. And she says, Well, how about this? Remember when your mom threw you out on your ass the night before your eighth grade graduation, and you came into my home? I brought you in my home. And when she said that, my world stopped, because I looked for one of my best friends, Denise Reza. I looked for her, who was there at the event, and she was in my truck, and she was with her head down crying. She says, I'm Denise's mom. My friend Denise Reza didn't know where her mom was for about four years. She was in that line that morning. That's heavy, man. And so things like this, though, but I'll be honest with you, they happen. Not like that situation, but we get reminded constantly that we're on the right path. So that's why we keep doing what we do. Yeah, that's good. I know. I know. God, you guys are beautiful. You big, ugly, dead, beautiful guys. Not so much on the outside as... Well, I was just briefly thumbing through some quotes on peace, and I came across this one. I really like it. It says, the more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war. Gosh, I know why it's 100 in here now. You know, I saw one the other day, and I can't believe I never picked up on it. It was... That's right. I'm not big on... I'm not big on quotes. That's not my deal. You know, whatever people do, that's it. But I saw one that says, be the change that you want to see in the world. And it was by Gandhi. By Gandhi. And I was like, man, that one... I've probably read it 100 times, didn't pay attention to it, but it was like, it just fit perfect. Be the change you want to see. Have you seen our Gandhi? I'm sorry? The painter on Skid Row, have you seen our Gandhi? Mm-hmm. Gerald Smuck did a Gandhi on Skid Row. And it's Gandhi smiling and thin and everything. Without teeth. Without teeth? Without his teeth. Mm-hmm. Well, we got just a few more minutes to go, guys. So just some quick shout-outs because we're going to wrap this program pretty quick. Okay? Gandhi also said, you cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. Mm. Mm-hmm. The Beatles said, all you need is love. I want to give a quick shout-out to my... to my directors, to Don Matter, a.k.a. Grumpy, to Rick Flores, a.k.a. Moose, Peter Hernandez, Cassidy, and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart because putting on events that we do are not easy. They're very hard, especially when they're two-day events. I mean, from the location, the amount of items that we need to come up with and all that, it's... it's very hard work, but it's a blessing, and I just want to thank them, and I want to thank my family, too, and my friends, and all of our supporters, everyone watching this. Hello. Okay? And thanks for tuning in. And my brother from another mother, from Whittier, right here. Whittier Small World. Yeah. A couple more shout-outs. You got to hurry. I once again want to remind everybody that if you are interested in the raffle, you can go to the Ventura Nationals Hot Rod Show on the 30th. Buy a ticket there. You'll be helping a great cause, helping these kids, and get a chance at that beautiful hot rod that Aaron built. I want to thank the people that are promoting the show, Aaron and Holly, because they're... Yeah, huge fans. Huge, huge. Help has been invaluable. They have just blown this up. They have spread tickets all over the city. That's beautiful. And their help has just been amazing. I don't know what we'd do without them. And then, you know, just friends. I mean, nobody has said no. It's amazing. Okay, well, Winston, if they'll deliver on the motorcycle to me, there's another ticket. Okay? Okay. Well, I'll walk it down to you, buddy. Okay? That's even better. All right. Well, thank all of you for appearing on Occupy Skid Row and Veterans Newsnet. Can I get one more? And now, we will see you next week. All right. Thank you for having us. Thank you. Thank you. episodes, please go to occupyskidrow.us Thank you for joining us. Come on and join us all It's time to pray It's a brand new day Brand new day Brand new day We need to find a way To be better every day Come on and turn us on It's time to pray It's a brand new day It's a brand new day Brand new day Brand new day Well we've been on this road For a long, long time And what I've heard is We can turn the tide There are lots of folks here That have heard the call To bring about the changes And that ain't all We got faith, love and hope This is gonna come It's inside each one of us You gotta sing it Sing it Shout it Shout it Ain't no doubt It's a brand new day Brand new day Brand new day Come on, it's a brand new day