Proof Point Podcast Branding

Be the Change: Supporting Women Through Recovery

Patricia Vandervort

Patricia Vandervort is the Director of Seeds of Hope, an addiction recovery program in Indianapolis. As an alumna of Seeds of Hope herself, Patricia has personally navigated the challenges of addiction for over two decades, including incarceration. Through her experiences, she discovered her passion for helping others lead fulfilling, sober lives and ardently supports women on their recovery journeys. Her commitment to elevating those in need radiates through her leadership at the organization, where she uplifts women through the nonprofit’s evidence-based, compassionate approaches. 

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

  • [1:54] Patricia Vandervort’s journey from struggle to success in addiction recovery
  • [2:01] How Seeds of Hope’s structured environment facilitates women’s transition to self-sufficiency
  • [4:09] The value of love, support, and relatability in the recovery process
  • [6:40] Adopting a compassionate yet firm approach to guidance and behavior change
  • [9:02] How Seeds of Hope’s community-centered history contributes to its winning nonprofit model
  • [13:30] The impact of clear problem statements in attracting donors and community engagement
  • [16:31] The inspiring story behind Seeds of Hope’s new facility set to open in 2025
  • [20:07] Fulfilling missions through volunteer support and the impact of key visionaries
  • [29:09] How Seeds of Hope plans to cater to women and children in its new family center

In this episode…

Has life ever handed you a difficult time, leaving you with a need for a fresh start? Women recovering from addiction encounter various challenges, requiring extensive support on their journey to self-sufficiency. Would an organization that provides a lifeline for these individuals capture your interest?

Patricia Vandervort, Director at Seeds of Hope, delves deep into the compassionate world of helping women overcome addiction. Narrating her transformative story from addiction to leadership, Patricia emphasizes how Seeds of Hope not only offered her a second chance but led her to a path where she could extend the same life-changing support to others. She highlights the need for a structured, nurturing environment and includes examples of practical life skills training and the peer support vital to holistic recovery. Honoring the legacies of its visionaries like the late Father Glenn O’Connor and Marvetta Grimes, the nonprofit recently established a recovery facility for women and children to expand its reach further.

In this episode of Proof Point, Stacie Porter Bilger chats with Patricia Vandervort, Director at Seeds of Hope, about embracing and empowering women in recovery. She reflects on the robust structure of love, guidance, and community support that defines Seeds of Hope, the importance of love, support, and relatability in the recovery process, and her personal journey from addiction to leadership.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

  • “You just need some support to stay in what’s comfortable; anyone that’s brave enough to come and get some help needs that love and support.” 
  • “If I can get to know all of our supporters and our donors, that’s probably my favorite thing about the reverse raffle.” 
  • “I wouldn’t be here without it, and Sherry wouldn’t be here without it, and Marvetta wouldn’t have been here without it.”
  • “It makes all the difference when you have someone that has been right where they are.” 

Action Steps:

  1. Engage in community support activities for organizations like Seeds of Hope that offer transitional housing and recovery programs: Community engagement strengthens the network of resources available to those in the recovery process.
  2. Attend fundraising events to raise financial or in-kind support for nonprofit organizations: Participating actively in such events can increase the visibility and impact of nonprofits like Seeds of Hope.
  3. Educate yourself about the challenges women face in recovery to understand the necessity of dedicated programs better: Knowledge about specific struggles can lead to more effective assistance and advocacy for recovery initiatives.
  4. Volunteer your time or skills to support the operational aspects of recovery organizations: Offering specialized skills can improve organizations’ efficiency and capacity to reach more people in need.
  5. Consider becoming a mentor or sponsor for individuals in recovery programs: Personal involvement can provide crucial emotional and moral support to those facing the challenges of addiction recovery.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Proof Digital.

We are a strategic and creative performance marketing agency partnering with organizations to create data-fueled marketing engines that drive growth and deliver a tangible ROI.

Founded by Stacie Porter Bilger in 2012, Proof Digital employs a strategic marketing approach by blending today’s marketing tools like SEO, PPC, and paid social ads with traditional sales funnel processes.

Ready to get results? Visit https://proofdigital.com/ to learn more.

Interview Transcription –

Be the Change Supporting Women Through Recovery

(0:02 – 0:16)

Welcome to the Proof Point podcast, where we decode digital success, one click at a time. We share key takeaways fueled by data and insights that your team can implement today to drive growth. Now, let’s get started.

(0:21 – 0:44)

This is Stacie Porter-Bilger, your host for the Proof Point Podcast, where I feature B2B, D2C businesses and thought leaders and nonprofits sharing marketing, data tactics, sales strategies, and leadership insights that will kickstart your growth in this rapidly changing digital space. This podcast is brought to you by Proof Digital. Proof Digital is a strategic and creative performance marketing agency.

(0:45 – 1:03)

We partner with companies and nonprofits to create data-fueled marketing sales funnels and brand strategy. Visit Proof Digital to learn more. Before introducing my guest today, I want to thank Ashley Lightner, who invited our guest on today.

(1:04 – 1:29)

And Ashley has been working quite a bit of time with an organization called Seeds of Hope. And Seeds of Hope is an organization that really helps women in recovery. And one of the important traits for Proof Digital is being the change and elevating those who are doing good work.

(1:29 – 1:48)

And every day, and I have a sign behind me that actually emphasizes that, and our team really wants to focus on how we can elevate others. And today, our guest today is Patricia Vandervort. And Patricia is a Seeds of Hope alumni and now the director of Seeds of Hope program in Indianapolis, Indiana.

(1:48 – 2:00)

She has a passion for helping women who are on their journey through recovery. And she believes in what she’s doing, what God has called her to do. And so, Patricia, thanks so much for joining me today.

(2:01 – 2:08)

Thank you for having me. No, no, no. Well, tell me a little bit about yourself, and then kind of tell me a little bit more about Seeds of Hope.

(2:09 – 2:30)

So my name is Patricia Vandervort and, you know, I struggled with my addiction for the better part of 20 years. And you know, through that struggle, you know, I went through prison. And as I was getting out of prison, I needed a safe place to go and Seeds of Hope was that place.

(2:32 – 2:41)

While I was here, I was able to get a job. I started working in 12-step program. I found a sponsor that was great.

(2:42 – 3:01)

You know, after I graduated, I moved over to the Father Glenn O’Connor home. And, you know, I just had this new passion for helping women in recovery, you know, it just filled my heart. So this is, you know, kind of what I want to do.

(3:01 – 3:10)

And I know that this is Seeds of Hope was, I was brought here and it was no mistake. So I’m blessed. No, it sounds like it.

(3:11 – 3:42)

And your journey, I can’t imagine the struggles along that journey. But the story behind it to me is, you know, how when you have a community around you that helps lift you up and supports you and knows those steps that you need to take is so vital. And I think it’s important for all of us to understand that if you reach a handout, you know, you can elevate others.

(3:43 – 3:53)

And then to your point, it’s your calling, it’s your passion, and now you’re doing the same. And so it’s just an amazing story. Thank you very much.

(3:54 – 4:22)

Thank you very much. It does make a big difference when you have someone that’s kind of been through the same things that you’ve been through. It changes when someone can say, hey, I’ve been through the same thing that you’ve been through.

And this is how I, you know, made a change in my life. And this is what I did. And to have that guidance and that peer support in somebody that is like-minded, that can relate to you, it makes all the difference.

(4:22 – 4:47)

Yeah. And that’s really Seeds of Hope is about putting those peers support, people who have been through it before, and then providing a safe space to go through those. I mean, there’s a lot of steps that need to take place before you can, you know, join, you know, and go to the next level of life if you need that support.

(4:47 – 5:22)

So tell me a little bit about the program itself of Seeds of Hope and how it impacted you. Okay, so Seeds of Hope is a 12-step-based program, so we expect the women to be able to work a full-time job. They are expected to find sponsors, go to 12-step meetings. We have in-house meetings that are mandatory for them to attend. They’re responsible for cooking for the house a couple of times a month. They’re responsible for doing their own laundry, for keeping their room clean.

(5:23 – 5:31)

All while they’re working full-time. So this is going to get them acclimated to what life is going to be like. So we all have to have a job.

(5:31 – 5:49)

And, you know, for addicts who need that extra support, 12-step meetings are there. You have a sponsor there to help support you. And, you know, doing laundry, making dinner, all of these things are going to be exactly what you need to do when you leave here.

(5:49 – 6:07)

So for me, it was everything that I needed to teach me how to live my life again. I didn’t know how to do anything outside of using. And, you know, that’s all I did, you know, and it made me feel good to actually do what I was supposed to be doing.

(6:07 – 7:08)

You know, I built my self-confidence and, you know, the people that worked here at Seeds of Hope, there was that love and support there. There was that understanding. And, you know, but there was that, hey, you know, you’re not doing this right at the same time.

And, you know, but it was done with love. And, you know, even if I didn’t want to hear it, you know, right? And I remember Marbetta Grimes, you know, I did something wrong. I did something wrong in the program. And she looked down over her glasses at me and she told me she was disappointed. And I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was a big deal. You know, if you knew Marbetta, you knew that she was really disappointed and that hurt my feelings. But I never did anything else wrong either. So when you have that love around you and that support, maybe you didn’t have it before or you lost it in that journey.

(7:10 – 7:39)

It’s almost from my standpoint, looking from the outside in, you don’t have that the chances of of of leaving those those challenging places of addiction or crime or other things that kind of get to you at a place of almost hard to figure out how you’re going to get out of. If you don’t have that love or feel like somebody actually cares about you, I think it’s almost impossible to get out of that. Yeah, absolutely.

(7:40 – 7:54)

You know, you have to have that support around you. You have to know that it’s going to be okay, you know, especially when you’re so comfortable using and living that lifestyle. And, you know, I mean, I went from homelessness.

(7:54 – 8:12)

You know, we have women out here who are homeless, you know, using and finding ways and means to get more. And, you know, whenever that’s all you’re used to, to have, you know, the support of someone that has been there with them, you know, it changes. You know, it’s so uncomfortable to have to learn how to live again.

(8:14 – 8:31)

And, you know, sometimes, you know, you just stay in what’s comfortable. So anyone that’s brave enough to to come and give some help, they need that love and support because we know that it’s uncomfortable. We know that this is a serious life change and it takes a lot to do it.

(8:32 – 8:40)

And but you can and that’s the whole thing. Like you can do it. And we’re everyone that works here at Seeds of Hope, we are living proof that you never have to use again.

(8:41 – 8:53)

And, you know, that’s something that is successful in this program is that we have, you know, people that have been right where they are and that makes all the difference. It does. It really does.

(8:53 – 9:18)

And if you could share a little bit about the history of the organization and Father Glenn O’Connor and his passion and the model of Seeds of Hope. I’m going to dig in a little bit. Is it actually a winning formula from my standpoint of how nonprofits can grow and actually make a big impact? And it starts with him from my outside looking at it.

(9:18 – 9:44)

So could you tell me a little bit about the story behind, you know, Seeds of Hope, what best of you know, and Father Glenn O’Connor? So this the place that we’re in now used to be a convent for St. Joe’s Catholic Church, and they decided that they wanted to make this a recovery house for women. And so that’s what they did. So Fairbanks brought a program in.

(9:45 – 9:58)

It wasn’t long after that Fairbanks is like, you know, it was a fresh start program. So they were like, okay, you know, we don’t want to do this. Well, the director at the time walked over to St. Joe’s and, you know, talked to Father Glenn.

(9:58 – 10:08)

And they were like, you know, they’re closing our program down. And, you know, we have all these women and they have nowhere to go. And, you know, anybody that didn’t have the chance to meet Father Glenn.

(10:08 – 10:22)

But every story that I have ever heard about him was just, you know, we’ll take care of it. And, you know, that’s what he did. So he took it over and made it Seeds of Hope.

(10:22 – 10:53)

And, you know, in 1999, Marbetta Grimes, yeah, Marbetta Grimes went through this program. He made her house manager, director, and then the executive director. But people people got behind Father Glenn’s passion for this place and and with helping women.

You know, it didn’t matter if it was five dollars or five hundred dollars. You know, he wanted people to support the women that were trying to change their lives. And I think people could see how important it was to him.

(10:54 – 11:14)

And, you know, maybe even the difference that it was making with the women that they helped. And, you know, so people got behind it. And it is just, you know, we’re twenty-five years old now and, you know, we still have we have a ton of support and a lot of, you know, good people that back us up in serving these women.

(11:14 – 12:22)

You know, they make it possible for us to do what God has intended us to do in this program. Right. And when I first became aware of Seeds of Hope, the piece that I loved within our partnership was it was really clear to me what problem do you solve? It’s really clear.

I mean, what are you doing? It’s not it’s not murky at all. What are you doing? And you’re helping these women through these steps and providing a roof over their head during this process and, you know, a support system that carries them so that that they can transition out of this traditional place to give them support and the skills that they need to go on to find their passions like yours and to have impactful lives. And how you know, how are you going to make my life? I knew how you were going to make my community’s life better, even if I wasn’t, you know, someone who needed your service, because it was really clear to me, you know, if we don’t have organizations like yours.

(12:25 – 12:33)

These women have no hope, like you said, this is a seed of hope. Absolutely. And for me, I wouldn’t have had anywhere to go.

(12:33 – 12:48)

I would have been you know, I would have been released from prison and right back in the same environment because I wouldn’t have had a choice. And this, you know, coming to Seeds of Hope gave me a safe place to be where I could start my life over. And that’s exactly what I needed.

(12:49 – 13:03)

Yeah, no. And Father Glenn’s vision. And then the other piece that I saw and we talked a little bit offline on this is that he put two feet in and said, we’re going to make this happen.

(13:03 – 13:10)

I went to an event of yours last November. It was a reverse raffle. And I would like to talk a little bit about that.

(13:10 – 13:20)

I will tell you, it was the best. If any nonprofit wants to learn on how to do a reverse raffle, they need to go to your event. It was unbelievable.

(13:21 – 13:46)

But what’s also unbelievable was the amount of champions that you had in that room. And so you really have through I’m sure it was built by the O’Connor Foundation, but now you have so many others who have embraced your organization and embrace these women. I mean, there were hundreds of people there.

(13:47 – 14:00)

And it was again like I said, it was the best nonprofit event that I had ever been to. And I’ve been in the Apple’s community and watching nonprofits for three decades now. So congrats.

(14:00 – 14:21)

Any insights that you can have in addition to what I just said? But I mean, it was it’s the way to do a nonprofit. It’s great. We get together and we have people donate stuff for our auctions and we really get out there.

But we have fun. You know, we have fun and we make jokes. And, you know, this cause is so important.

(14:21 – 14:35)

And, you know, women that need help in Indianapolis should, you know, always have support. And the fact that we do, you know, we’ve got, you know, the O’Connor family. They do amazing things for Seeds of Hope.

(14:35 – 15:17)

And, you know, we’ve had support through Father Glenn and now Sean O’Connor, who has taken over and, you know, picked up right where Father Glenn left off. And, you know, we wouldn’t be here today without that. Right.

So, you know, in the transition, I’m sure that it was hard at the time when it happened, but people are still supporting, you know, our reverse raffle is probably, you know, our single favorite event of the year, you know when a lot of people come out. And, you know, I like it because I get to meet all the people that help us and, you know, to put a face with a name. And, you know, to us, it’s not you’re not just a dollar sign.

(15:17 – 15:32)

You’re like helping us help these women that need us. And, you know, there’s no replacement for that. So if I can get to know all of our supporters and our donors, I love that.

(15:32 – 16:24)

Like that’s probably my favorite thing about the reverse raffle is just meeting all the people that make this possible for us. That’s, you know, so important. It is.

And it’s also like I said, if any other nonprofit wants to look at, I mean, everybody who’s involved in that room, this is an issue that’s important to them and they understand. A donor wants to understand how their investment is being used, right? And the impact of lives. And so how is your trusted organization and how is my dollar going to be used? And it was clear it was so clear about how my contribution or anybody contributed to Seeds of Hope and what impact you have.

(16:24 – 16:55)

Yeah. So you know, we make sure to get up there and say I’m a Seeds of Hope graduate like I wouldn’t be here without your support. You know, we bring other alumni up to tell their story and say, you know, thank you guys.

This is, you know, the reason that you guys do this is to help women like me that just need a second chance and they just need some support. And, you know, anyone that donates to this cause should just know that, you know, I wouldn’t be here without it. And Sherry wouldn’t be here without it.

(16:55 – 17:03)

And Marbetta wouldn’t have been here without it. And, you know, there are good women out there that just need some help and we’re here to help them. Right.

(17:03 – 17:18)

We’ll talk about a little bit there about what are some things coming up for Seeds of Hope that are coming up for folks to take advantage of? As far as our new facility goes. Yeah. Your new facility.

(17:18 – 17:37)

Yeah. You have a new facility opening up next year. Yes.

2025. So a lot of people don’t know the story. Marbetta Grimes, she had some children that, you know, were in foster care through her addiction, you know, as she was trying to get herself together.

(17:38 – 18:23)

And she had a set of twins. Anthony Grimes and Kanoia and Anthony Grimes, unfortunately, didn’t make it, they were beaten and starved in the foster care system. And, you know, Marbetta had, you know, when I sat down and had this conversation with her, she always felt like if and I get so emotional about this because she’s right.

And just that we’re making this happen for her is, you know, I mean, I can’t even express how that feels. But, you know, she always felt like if she had a place to bring her and her children for them to recover together, that he would still be here with us. And she’s absolutely right.

(18:24 – 18:50)

And so it was her dream and vision to have a place for women and children to go so the families could recover together. So we have partnered with the Volunteers of America, you know, a little little story about that after we got the father, Glenn O’Connor, home. And Sean, I heard it, I heard the story from Marbetta and I also heard the story from Sean O’Connor.

(18:50 – 19:15)

He so I guess after the father, Glenn O’Connor, home went up, I guess Marbetta was walking next to Sean and she’s like, now we just need a place for women and children. And he was like, Marbetta, can we get this place going before we’re on to the next project? Yeah, but you know what, she was determined. And, you know, that’s one of the things that you loved about her.

(19:15 – 19:33)

Like, you know, she was on a mission and, you know, she wanted to do something impactful through her pain. And that’s exactly what she did. So it wasn’t 48 hours later, someone with the VOA had called Sean O’Connor and said, hey, you know, we’re looking to open a women and children’s facility.

(19:34 – 19:45)

Would you be interested? And he blames Father Glenn. He’s like, you know, they’re pulling strings from heaven. And, you know, I tell that because, you know, that it’s a beautiful thing.

(19:46 – 20:01)

And, you know, it’s just so heartwarming to think that, you know, Father Glenn, you know, he had a passion. He wanted a place for the women to go after they, you know, graduated so that they wouldn’t have to go back to the same environment. And, you know, they made that happen for him.

(20:01 – 20:11)

And now we have Marbetta, whose, you know, dream and passion was to have a place for women and children. And we’re making that happen. So, you know, it says a lot about our organization as a whole.

(20:13 – 20:33)

So in 2025, we are opening the Marbetta and Anthony Grimes Family Center. And, you know, it’s not only because it is so needed in this community. But, you know, it’s a little bit more special to us here at Seeds of Hope because we know why.

(20:33 – 21:08)

And, you know, we got to know the person behind this dream and vision. So on that level, it means so much more. And it’s exciting because she, you know, unfortunately, isn’t going to be able to see this.

But we know that she’s seen it. We know that she’s there with Father Glenn pulling strings and, you know, messing with Sean O’Connor. I know.

And I know for those listening, she passed a little over a year ago. I want to say. Is that right? May 10th was her one-year anniversary.

(21:08 – 21:16)

And we did a balloon release. And our groundbreaking event was on May 16th. So it was super close.

(21:16 – 21:26)

And, you know, it was so emotional. Just it’s still so emotional. But it’s so emotional to us here because, you know.

(21:27 – 21:46)

Because Marbetta, you know, period, just because of Marbetta. And our team was lucky enough to capture a little bit of her almost a week before that, my understanding. And so that story and her story, you can catch it on the Seeds of Hope website, which is seedsofhopeindy.org.

(21:47 – 22:00)

And we’ll make sure that we add that information into the show notes and those types of things. But seedsofhopeindy.org, you can actually learn a little bit more because her video is right there on the front. Telling the story.

(22:01 – 22:16)

How can folks engage with you all? I mean, you have the Father O’Connor home. And you’re still you. Applications can go through.

(22:16 – 22:37)

So how someone would go about, you know, getting help from us? So if you are a woman or, you know, a woman that’s in need of substance abuse disorder, sober or transitional housing or sober living. So we have the transitional housing for women just starting out.

(22:37 – 22:47)

You know, they need to be able to pass a drug screen. But we also have an application process and that you can find on our website. It’s under the get support.

(22:48 – 23:04)

And there’s three sections, recovery house, Father Glenn O’Connor home, and then the Marbetta and Anthony Grimes Center. You just go to the recovery house and click on download application. You can download it.

You can bring it in. You can fax it in. You can email it back to us.

(23:05 – 23:27)

And we’ll review it and let you know within 48 hours if you’ve met the criteria. And then we just go from there. If you have six months of clean time and you’ve been on your job for at least six months, you can give us a call here at Seeds of Hope and have your income to the Father Glenn O’Connor home.

(23:28 – 23:33)

And that’s sober living. So it’s independent living. It’s $562 a month.

(23:33 – 23:41)

All utilities paid Wi-Fi included in the rent, free laundry facilities. It’s a great place to be. Great sober living environment.

(23:41 – 24:17)

So just give us a call after Patty. I’ll give you more information about the Father Glenn O’Connor home. And if you know someone that is going to need the Marbetta and Anthony Grimes family center for women and their children, or, you know, someone that has already a woman with her children that has already been in a program, this is going to be the place for them because we’re going to have two and three bedroom apartments.

We’ll have twenty-four two and three-bedroom apartments for the women to gain their footing and to continue on their journey. So we’re really excited about this. That is amazing.

(24:17 – 24:25)

And you can always contact there’s a contact form on your site. Phone numbers are at the top of your site. It’s seedsofhopeindy.org.

(24:26 – 24:34)

And you can learn more about what’s latest, their team, their facilities, all that on that site. Yes, ma’am. That’s a pretty sight.

(24:35 – 24:37)

It is. It’s great.

(24:40 – 24:57)

What else can you share, anything else that you want to make sure that the final thoughts here, I mean, we covered a lot, I just want to make sure. That folks. Take home, you know, the most important proof point as we kind of talk through about.

(24:58 – 25:15)

One is how important it is to dive into a community that you feel passionate about, and this is one that I am confident that makes a big difference in our community. Oh, it definitely does. You know, Seeds of Hope, like I said, we’ve been around twenty-five years and you know, we continue to just do more.

(25:15 – 26:12)

You know, we’ll be able to house 75 women here in the importance and their children like that we are going to be able to help if you are a woman that is suffering from substance abuse disorder and you need help. We’re going to be the recovery campus that you need, whether you have children or not. You know, and I think that’s the biggest takeaway, you know, our community, you know, needs us and, you know, we need our community support and, you know, we do great things here.

And, you know, our intentions are to help women achieve, you know, long-term sobriety and live, you know, the life that they’ve always lived. And, you know, I think that’s, you know, the most important thing is that you know, we are helping these women that need us. How many years have you been involved in this organization? When did you first come? 2021.

(26:13 – 26:16)

Okay, it was 2021. Okay. Alright.

(26:17 – 26:31)

2021. I went through this program in 2021 and just a little insight. So this is how I know that it was a God thing because this is the only place you know, that stuck out.

(26:31 – 26:39)

Whenever I was looking to apply. This isn’t the only place that I applied. This is so I got accepted in here.

(26:40 – 26:58)

And, you know, when I went through this program and I graduated, I moved over to the Father Glenn O’Connor home and Marbetta Grimes called me into her office and I thought I was in trouble. Where did I go? I have Marbetta, you know. So she asked me.

(26:59 – 27:08)

She said she was going to be retiring soon, and I was like, Marbetta, you’re not going to retire here, you’re going to be here forever. And she said, no, I’m not. I’m moving to Arizona.

(27:08 – 27:21)

And, you know, I’m sure casinos had something to do with that. She had you know, wanted to go and live her life. And, you know, it was a beautiful thing to hear her talk about that.

(27:22 – 27:40)

And, you know, she asked me if I would be interested in her position when she retired. And, you know, I just kind of looked at her like she was crazy. I’m like, why me? You know, and then she looked down over her glasses and she said, you know, are you going to answer me? And I was like, well, yeah.

(27:40 – 27:45)

And I was like, but I need experience. So she said, well, you go get experience. And that’s what I did.

(27:45 – 27:55)

I started work. I worked in treatment for about a year. And then I got a call from Marbetta and she said, are you ready? And I was like, I’m ready.

(27:55 – 28:08)

And I put in my two weeks notice and I came here and started working as the director of marketing. And then it was, you know, a short six months later, Marbetta passed. And, you know, I guess.

(28:09 – 28:18)

Yeah, that was it it was tough. What did you say? I mean, she kind of knew that she needed to. Yeah,  I think she did.

(28:18 – 28:29)

You know, we can speculate. You know, I feel like she knew what was going on. She just didn’t realize how bad it was.

(28:29 – 28:39)

But, you know, she was on a mission. Like she she wanted this family center up and running. And, you know, she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that that happened.

(28:39 – 28:46)

And, you know, she did. You know, she did. You know, she got this whole ball rolling before she passed.

(28:46 – 29:02)

And, you know, we know that she’d be proud today. You know, and it was a tough transition to start this position, because, you know, as Sean said, you know, they just kind of threw me in the frying pan and here you go.

(29:03 – 29:13)

But it’s okay. You know, I’ve had all the support. You know, we’ve got a working board and, you know and they have helped me so much.

(29:13 – 29:27)

You know, the staff members here, you know, in the transitioning into this position to make sure that I’m successful. You know, I’m doing the nonprofit executive director, leadership management. Right.

(29:28 – 29:40)

And I work with a professional management coach. I meet with her once a month, you know, on top of, you know, just experience. Yeah.

Experience. Yeah. And, you know, I think I’ve grown so much in this last year.

(29:41 – 29:47)

And I’m learning. Yeah. And I’ll continue to grow and I’ll continue to learn.

(29:48 – 30:01)

You know, and, you know, I’m just so grateful that that, you know, I’ve had the support that I’ve had throughout this process. And, you know, I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of this organization. Yeah.

(30:03 – 30:28)

Well, congratulations, and anything we can do to be supportive. It’s an honor to again to be a part of an organization that is being the change. And any other thing, any other comments we need to, first of all, make sure everybody goes and checks out seedsofhopeindy.org and either support them and help them or direct people who need their support.

(30:28 – 30:40)

That’s right. That’s right. If you know someone that needs help, www.seedsofhopeindy.org. And if you want to support our cause, we have this is a worthy mission.

(30:40 – 30:49)

If you are looking to help someone and to support someone, Seeds of Hope is a worthy cause. And we appreciate it all. Awesome.

(30:50 – 31:09)

Well, thanks. We’ve been talking to Patricia Vandervort. Sorry about that.

It’s okay. And it’s been an honor. Thanks for being the change.

Thank you so much for having me. Thanks for listening to the Proof Point podcast. We’ll see you again next time.

(31:10 – 31:12)

And be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.

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