She Saw People Everyone Else Walked Past… And Did Something About It

We sit down with Alma Randolph Crump to trace how childhood loss and poverty shaped a lifelong commitment to protect families from the quiet humiliations that follow kids into school hallways. Her foundation’s “hand up” approach shows what dignity looks like when a community meets real needs with practical help and steady love.

• Alma’s early life in Beaver Dam shaped by faith, loss and welfare support
• The lasting shame of poverty signals like the free lunch card
• Feeling called in 1993 to build a local mission in Owensboro
• The Alma Randolph Charitable Foundation’s growth and back-to-school clothing impact
• HUTS Hands Up To Succeed requirements and why “hand up” matters
• The hidden basics families often lack like beds, tables and curtains
• Referral pathways from shelters and social services for families starting over
• Stories of resilience after a home is furnished including kids thriving in school
• Community partnerships like Build-A-Bed and why volunteers multiply impact
• The case for giving time and talent even without extra money
• Owensboro’s nonprofit culture and the Black and White Gala fundraiser
• Alma’s legacy focus on faith, humility and serving without judgment

https://almarandolphfoundation.org/

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Transcript

A Mission Field Close To Home

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I thought my mission field was abroad. I did not realize that my mission field was just gonna be 30 miles from the highway.

SPEAKER_03 0:11

30 miles doesn't sound like much, but in this case, it changed thousands of lives right here in Owensboro. Today, you're gonna hear the story behind the Alma Randolph Foundation, a mission built from real struggle, real faith, and a commitment to give families a hand up, not a handout. Alright, guys, welcome back to All Things Owensboro. I'm with a special guest today. I say that every single week, but this podcast lets celebrate people with stories and the heart of our community. And this person, I think, simplifies all three of those. I feel like you're a first responder for families a lot of time. But we'll get that into that a little bit. If you help thousands of people over at Owensboro, and so Miss Alma, welcome to Alma. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Thank you. I've looked forward to it.

Growing Up With Loss And Poverty

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Yes, ma'am. Yes. It should be good. All right. So um if okay, so I wanted to start off really just to get to know who you are. And so for someone listening who may not know your story yet, who is Alma Randolph? Sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Alma Randolph Crump. Alma Randolph Crump is uh a native of Beaver Dam, okay, Kentucky. So it's neighboring community. One of four kids, the only girl.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Born into a family. My father was a bishop.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Uh, in the Church of God of Prophecy. And um, so grew up in a Christian home and then loved, loved, loved my father. He adored me because I was the only girl, outfull of his eye. And but he went home to be with the Lord when I was three years old.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

And so that happened in 1960. And so, Brad, during those days, churches were not prepared really to step up to the plate to help a widow who was left with four babies. She had just given birth to my uh youngest brother.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

In February that same month, dad was diagnosed with liver cancer. Oh, wow. And so they predicted that he had six months to live in. In September, he went home to be with the Lord. So our family went from never being rich, but we went from being comfortable to mom struggling because his his ministry was our source of income. Right. So she had to become dependent on welfare.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

I think they referred to it as KTAP now. That was the term then. Instead of food stamps, we had commodities. And so, you know, I recall my mom going to the site where they would give boxes of food. She only had an eighth-grade education, but we never experienced a hungry day.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

I mean, mom could come up with more recipes with the food that that was donated, and then the welfare check that she received. She was able to keep utilities on. And she always referred to our home as the old shack.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

But my I'm a neat freak with my my home. I mean, everything's just gotta be clean and it's like it today, right? But my mom always said, just because you're poor does not mean that you cannot be clean. So she had a social worker that was assigned to our family, and they they always talked about mom as like the poster child mom because her house was always so immaculate. And but, you know, Brad, during those days, I from like I said, dad passed away at the age of three. So then when I started going to school, I was the the brunt of jokes from time to time because you could tell that I was one of the have nots, you know. And this one young girl, she was older than me, and her mom was blessed to work for people that was able to give her things or enable her to to buy things on credit. So, you know, her kids went to school looking really nice. But she saw something in me that I didn't see, and and it was like every time I turned around, she was making fun of me, you know, which was then causing me to feel this sting of poverty, probably at a level that normally you would not. I remember back during those days that we were on free lunch, and so if you were on free lunch, you were given a card that said, free lunch, Alma Randolph. And so even when it was time to go to lunch, I was hungry, wanted to go and eat, but I was worried as I was walking down that hallway because it was like, I'm gonna have to present my free lunch card. And it just seemed like every time I turned around, I was either in line with a child in front of me or behind me that was paying for their lunch. And I had to, and so that was embarrassing. I remember thinking before the first day of school, I was like, I wish we could just wait a couple of weeks before returning to school. And why was that so important to me? Well, it was because you can identify the haves from the have nots more than than any other time. Because kids are returned to school with their new clothes on right. They had book satchels then, we have backpacks now, but you can identify the haves from the have-nots more than than any other time. And so I remember dreading that. You know, now I'm 69 years old. Um those experiences are as real to me today as they were then, but I realized that God was using those painful experiences for me to be so aware of what was happening around me so that I would never forget. You know, I my mom, I don't know if she had a scholarship or what, but I was able to to join the Brownies, which was like a Girl Scouts before you get to Girl Scouts. And so one day they had refreshments at one of the ladies' homes. And so my mom took me to the store and bought a package of these chocolate cookies that had the marshmallow in the center of them. And so that's what I took. Well, evidently another little girl who was was disadvantaged brought something in a container that that was not good, you know. Um, and I remember seeing these parents standing in a corner and looking over at me while they're inspecting this. That like we're not gonna put and and I remember just as a little girl wanting to run over and say, I didn't bring those cookies. These are what my mommy, I mean, it was like God was allowing me to feel, you know, the sting of poverty, the embarrassments, and preparing me. He was literally preparing me for doing what I'm doing now. I never had my own room growing up. Um, I never had my own bed. I shared a bed with my mom until I was 22.

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

And so I remember people always they tease me now about you're always so dressed up and da-da-da-da. And I said, Yeah, because I said that there was a little girl when I was growing up that made herself a promise, and that was me. I was the little girl. I said, I'll never walk into a room when I'm an adult where that I will be looked down upon again because of the way so that it it shaped me into becoming the person that I am. So I, you know, yes, it's a lot of work with what the foundation does and what have you, but those are guidelines, the services that we provide, uh, you better believe it it's based off of my own experiences. You didn't ask for all that.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

No, no. I thought that was awesome. I mean, I didn't grow up a lot of money either, so I get the whole free line.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Yes, yes.

The Call To Give Back

SPEAKER_03 8:20

And so I relate to that uh as well. And so, you know, you talked about you grew up in Beaver Dam and now you've been in Owensboro. And so what made you start noticing the needs of families in Owensboro? Was it I know you talked about how your background really influenced where you're at today, but but when did you start thinking, man, was that uh you know, again, I think it was just that uh that then in '93, I would wake up at night and just felt like that that God was pricking my heart.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Okay, you've you've been through this, you know what it feels like. I want you to give back. And you know, a lot of times, excuse me, we'll see a problem and that exists, and and we'll say, yeah, someone needs to do something about that. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Yeah.

Foundation Beginnings And Early Impact

HUTS And What “Hand Up” Means

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Well, we don't see ourselves as being that someone, but I knew that I was being called to this mission field. Uh another thing that I'd forgotten is as I was growing up, when my mom would ask me, What did I want to do when I grew up? I would say, I want to be a missionary. Well, I thought my mission field was abroad. I did not realize that my mission field was just gonna be 30 miles from the highway. Um, and so then I knew that God was calling me to do this. And one morning I woke up and I was just like, okay, today's the day that I'm going to reach out to several community leaders and I'm gonna share my heart. See what they think about it. No goals in mind of an X number of people that we wanted. I said, I just want, I want to spare children from going through the experiences that I, you know, was subjected to growing up. And I finally had to quit sharing my vision because everyone was on board and they were excited. And what can we do to help? I was told, you know, anytime you step out to do something that God's called you to do, Dalton Thomas is right around the corner. Oh, for sure. And so the Dalton Thomas has said, Well, you know, with you being a gospel singer, most people would go away and make their millions of dollars, and when it's time to retire, they come back and do something like this. So I was like, Well, that's not what I'm being called to do. Um, and the time is now, and I want to do this now. And so the Alma Randolph Charitable Foundation was established. I was told by Dalton Thomas that it would be if we could survive five years, then we would stand a chance, but probably wouldn't make any real money, a difference. Before then, well, the first year after the concert that I had for the the benefit of the foundation, we had approximately$12,000 to take children, and we took uh children shopping that following summer. It was like 160 kids were able to shop. And here we are 33 years later, and approximately 18,000 children have been closed. Wow, okay. Yeah. And then in December of 2016, the HUTS program was started.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

And HUTS is hands up to succeed.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

And that program is designed to give a family a hand up and not a hand out because there is a difference, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:42

There is, there is, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

And so basically, to qualify for that program, the families must the parents must be employed or medically or physically disabled. Okay. They must have a lease or a mortgage in their home because if they're living with someone else, we're not going to go in and furnish. We do not provide any form of assistance as far as improving structural related issues within the home, the landlords, that's their responsibility. Okay. And then they're also required to have dependent children in the home or custody of dependent children. So we established huts in December 2016 was the first family that we served. Okay. And in a couple of weeks, we will be completing the 100th home. Oh, wow. So a hundred homes in that. Yeah, and well, it won't even be 10 years to December. Okay. Wow, yeah, yeah. I mean, again, only God could do that, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

And and I never set out to try and reach X number. I I didn't know how this was going to work. All I knew was for a fact that God had spoken to my heart that it was time to expand the vision. So I may never hear his voice again as long as I live, but I know I heard his voice in 1993 when I established the foundation because 33 years later it's still being a blessing. Yeah. And obviously, I heard his voice in 2016 because we're getting ready to do home number 100 in less than 10 years. Yeah, that's awesome.

Partners Who Make More Possible

SPEAKER_03 13:31

God be the glory. Yeah. Is it 18,000 children? Like that's that's amazing. Yeah. And sometimes you don't realize it. Well, you've done it. You're like, wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Yeah. And then, you know, what is so neat, Brad, is that God will touch the hearts of others to come along and undergird you. So, you know, here we are at First Baptist Church in Oynsboro. You guys have become a partner with the uh the Build-A-Bed program. And the tremendous blessing that has been for this foundation because I don't have to worry about purchasing uh the twin-size beds, the mattresses, the bedding. That you guys do that. And that relieves us of the funds that would have to be allocated to provide those items for the families. Now we can use those funds, you know, to spend on other things. And it's so so that has just been a tremendous blessing. And I I want to thank you guys.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

Yeah, yeah. Well, again, we don't do two-day in the morning, but it is I will say it is really neat going in the houses and uh putting up the beds, and a lot of times the kids aren't home, which is okay. But the fact that we get uh go in there and put the beds up in the bed, um, that's that's been really cool.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Well, and I've just fallen in love with the uh with the team that you guys have at Crazy David Vivens. It's like wow, it's like okay, let the party begin now. Yeah, but you know, I've known the Barnett's for years, and then you know, so some of the of the team members I've I've known a little bit longer. You know, Bonnie's a sweetheart, and you've taken over prior to you was was a Bob uh farmer who is a sweetheart to work with. So it's just it's been an awesome, awesome partnership, and I'm so thankful.

What Struggling Families Really Lack

SPEAKER_03 15:26

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, who knows what happened, you know, in the years to come for sure. And so, you know, you talked about how families reach out and the farmers that are requiring that. But what is something, and I I guess you have some personal experience with this as well, probably to childhood, but uh you're working with people who are trying to get a hand up, a handout. I mean, so what is something about struggling families that people often misunderstand?

SPEAKER_00 15:47

I think, you know, so often I I'm concerned that individuals may tend to make assumptions that okay, if if there's a mom and dad in the home then and they're working or what have you, well, they should have every everything that they need. One of the biggest shocks for me is to walk in some of these homes and find out the children do not have beds to sleep in. Or mom and dad may be sleeping on a mattress, or if they have uh a bed, you know, it's it's not in a suitable condition, or the mattresses are in bad need. But some some families uh do not have uh a table to sit down and have a meal together as a family or living room furniture to just have uh, you know, family time or simple things like having uh draperies or curtains to hang uh at the windows. Uh so often uh they they do not have those things. We are uh um receiving referrals a lot of times from um spouse abuse shelter or the patino shelter where they have zero and they're starting over. So they need everything from pots and pans to you know dishes to um forks and knives. And so I I think that because we live in Oinsboro, Kentucky, and we're blessed that, or at least I haven't seen it, where we can drive up and down pretty much any street, and you're not gonna see someone sleeping, you know, on the street or out there with their children, yeah, homeless. That is it's easy, I think, to make assumptions that maybe we don't have people in our community who are hurting and and and desperately needing a hand up. I I personally do not believe in giving handouts. You know, I want to know that you're doing something to try and better yourself.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

But the mom that we just helped, it was on the news, so it was home number 99, and she said, Ms. Randolph, I worked all my life since I was 14 years old. And uh, but she had a drug addiction, then got pregnant, decided to keep her baby, and but during her pregnancy, they discovered she had a hole in her heart.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Oh, wow. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

So she's not able to work or is gonna have to find something that will allow her to just sit down and do whatever. And so she was blessed to move into the Owensboro Housing Authority. Okay, and so great celebration,$88 a month, I think, took care of everything for her, but her income was like less than$300 a month. Oh wow. So how is she going to furnish the place? The bomb that we're getting ready to bless for the 100th. Um, she just graduated from OCTC in December.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

She's a mama too uh in the summer. She's returning to school at Western uh to secure her bachelor's degree. So she was approved for section eight and uh moved into a three-bedroom home. She said normally it would rent for approximately thirteen hundred dollars a month. Her income's less than$400 a month. So her rent is$13. Well, we'll celebrate, right? Yeah, that's great. She's gonna supplement her income with DoorDash. Where's the money coming from to furnish the home?

SPEAKER_03 19:42

Hey Owensboro, this one's close to home for over 30 years. The Alma Randolph Foundation has been giving families a hand up, not a handout. Through the Hutch program, they ploved over 17,000 children and helped restore nearly 100 homes right here in our community. That's not just Impact, that's Owensboro showing up. Join the story at Almarandolph Foundation.org. Hey, quick pause. I'm Brad Winter, host of All Things Owensboro Podcast. If you're looking for a church that feels like home, we'd love to invite you to First Baptist Church Owensboro. We gather Sundays at 10 30 a.m. right next to the Blue Bridge. Infos in the show notes, and if you reach out, my family will gladly sit with you. Looking for a place to get active, connect with others, and have fun as a family? Then come check out the rec at FBC Owensboro. From open gym and a weight room to upward sports and community events, there's something for everyone. Memberships are super affordable, just$2 a day,$10 a month, or$60 a year. And get this, families, you only pay$120 max for the entire family for the whole year. And if you're a senior, college student, or one of our city heroes, like a teacher, first responder, or healthcare worker, you get a discount too. The rec is more than a gym, it's a place to belong.

How A Home Upgrade Changes Kids

SPEAKER_00 21:18

And so again, that's where we come in. Yeah. And and we do that. So, but these are moms that are doing everything to create a better life for themselves and for their kids. They just need a hand up.

SPEAKER_03 21:32

Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. Uh, that was a great story too. Hear about I know there's thousands of those too, so we can sit here all day and hear all those. And so what have the families eat help taught about resilience?

SPEAKER_02 21:50

In what way?

SPEAKER_03 21:51

Uh I don't know. I just I just that's fine. I guess I guess uh let's see. Maybe you know, maybe starting and then and then we talked about. Up maybe improving.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

What after they've been blessed with hugs? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. I wasn't following you. Sorry. No, it's fine. The uh one mom that stands out, she has a child that is nonverbal.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

And so her social worker, our our speech therapist, I'm sorry, nominated her for her huts.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

She lived in public housing, and we were able to go in and completely uh upgrade her living conditions. And she said that her son, who is in school, is not the child that's disabled, it's the youngest one. But she said he's all A B. Oh wow. She said, I've I've seen him flourished. He's no longer embarrassed about other children coming to visit.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 22:53

Come to hang out in his home. And she said, and now that we've been given this hand up, she's her plans are to return to school. Oh. And I think she wants to become a speech, a speech.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Oh, really? Okay.

SPEAKER_03 23:06

Well, that's really cool.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Yeah. We have yes, we have another situation. It's dangerous to ask me these questions.

SPEAKER_02 23:13

Oh no, you're you're good. You're good. You're good.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

And it was a dad, the mother of his children, I believe OD'd, but she passed away. Okay. And he has a child that has a son that has a kidney, a chronic kidney disease. So he's in and out of the hospital a lot. And plus he has two little girls. And they lived in a double-wide mobile home. And dad was working trying to make ends meet. They lived in the mobile home but didn't have furniture.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

We went in and completely furnished their home. The kids are excelling in school.

SPEAKER_02 23:50

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

And I talked to him several months ago. And he, I guess after a year or so, they they ended up relocating to Indiana. He res secured a position that is paying him six figures now.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

Wow. Yeah. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

And he was like, thank you, thank you so much for being there for my family when we when we desperately needed it. But their life, you know, has turned around. And so we we just feel like that by by doing what we do and give these families a hand up, and then it frees up money as well for mom and dad if they're not on food stamps, maybe to put some more food on the table or to pay utility bills, but also we're enhancing their quality of life.

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you see how you're naming the kids' grades, and you said that uh the gentleman was able to go to Indiana and a really good same job and social pool.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

So it's just lots of sense that we have we have two moms that were sort of like our stars. Um, and the grandmother ended up with custody raising her grandchildren.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:09

And she worked the early hour shifts at McDonald's, and then we come home, get the kids ready for school, then transport them. And her story is on our Facebook page.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

And but her her grandchildren now are grown or almost grown, but they she has a granddaughter at University of Louisville.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Oh, wow. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Doing extremely well. I see on on Facebook where the younger ones are playing sports and excelling in school. And she's just like, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. For she's gotten married. The grandmother's gotten married. Okay. And so she said, now she said, I thank you all for being there for me. But she said, now I no longer need help with back to school in July because she and her husband are able to take care uh of it. And so she and the third recipient of Hutts, they have both volunteered to be at the hotel when the moms and the children are picked up or a father and taken to the hotel to stay two days while we're in their homes.

SPEAKER_02 26:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Getting everything set up.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

I didn't even know that. Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

So these two moms who were uh one was the first recipient, the other one I think was the third recipient.

SPEAKER_02 26:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

But they are there working with hospitality.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

That's really cool.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

And then setting down and getting to know the new recipients and letting them know what a blessing this is, take advantage of it. And so Diana and Raven are constantly giving back to the foundation.

What Two Hours Of Volunteering Could Do

SPEAKER_03 26:45

That's really cool. Well, talking about that, really driving to this next question really good, really well. You're talking about it's really cool to see when people come back and they invest into an organization or nonprofit to help that out. And so if every person owns real volunteer two hours per month, two hours per month, what kind of city could this become?

unknown 27:02

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 27:03

That's a big question.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

That would be phenomenal. That would be phenomenal. And you know, Brad, that that is really what we need. We we have professional services that we have to pay for from time to time. But our board of directors and myself, we do not take a dime from the funds that's raised with the foundation. But also what that means is is that you need lots of volunteers, right?

SPEAKER_02 27:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

You need volunteers when you're planning the uh the annual fundraiser. You need volunteers when we're doing the back to school, and we need volunteers when we're going in and we're doing the homes. And so, you know, if someone is listening and they would love to get involved and help some kind of way, they can just go to alma randolph foundation.org, fill out a form on there and say, yes, I would love to donate some time. And and it's a great example, you know, an hour or two is a huge difference. Yeah, and that's just for one month. And that's just for one month in one organization. So I just I feel strongly about the fact that we've been blessed that we should want to give back to the less fortunate. And a lot of times I think people will assume, well, I'm not wealthy, and so I don't have money to give, but it's not always money that's needed. Yeah, a lot of times it's your time and your talent.

What Makes Owensboro Feel Different

SPEAKER_03 28:30

Yeah, no, I agree. And I even know that I'd do it with ministry, right? Yeah. Trying to get people to do things. It's like, I'm only asking for 40 minutes. But yeah, that could make a big difference. And like even those ladies who are giving up their time back is really cool to hear about. So here goes another, here goes some legacy questions. Okay. All right, so for you, someone's like, hey, Miss Alma, what is a good Owensborough starter back? What makes Owensboro Owensboro?

SPEAKER_00 29:04

I think it's the people. I think it's uh the sense of the community. And while you you might have a group that's over here with the ABC organization because they can relate to the mission of that that organization, you may have another one over here with the CDE that they can relate to that. But then when they hear that there's an urgent need that's that's impacting the city community-wide, I see uh people coming together and I think it's the heartbeat of the community that people are willing to roll up their sleeves to to share their financial resources uh, you know, when needed to to help.

SPEAKER_03 29:59

Yeah. Well, and I've I've heard like there's like 10,000 nonprofits probably. Wow. They're probably like active in a sense, but you know, you talk about how people show up, people donate money, people uh will get involved with nonprofits. And so where has been a moment that you've seen the community and and I say I went through all uh show up in surprising ways for you guys?

Fundraising Night And Community Buy In

SPEAKER_00 30:21

Oh wow. I would say the gala, okay, our black and white gala. Uh we recruit uh dignitaries and community leaders, okay, volunteers to be guest servers. I'm on the phone, I'm making calls and to uh solicit sponsors for the uh the fundraising event. We we're an organization that is not out there constantly asking for money. It's once a year that we uh that we do that. And so I I pour my heart and soul into I spearhead that personally. And because I love to go and tell the story, you know, and to answer the questions or any concerns that that individuals may have. And so last year I I we we uh raised over a hundred and some thousand, which was phenomenal for us. And so I I I feel like even though the organization is 33 years old and the HUDs project is less than 10 years old, but I I think the vision is beginning to resonate with the citizens in the community.

SPEAKER_01 31:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:52

And they're saying, what what can we do to help? And so I I'm seeing now that that's happening more and and more often.

SPEAKER_03 32:02

Okay. Yeah. That's really cool. I don't think if you overwhelm, I think it's a good thing, yeah. But it'll also be overwhelming too if it's everybody. It's really cool that people are willing to step up and they're reaching out to you, you know, you're not reaching out to other people. Yeah, which is which is great because it makes it easier. I mean, not that it you don't want to reach out to people, but in the sense of like when people come to you, that's a good problem to have.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Well, and you never want, you know, I never uh take for granted any support that we receive. And when when you guys dispatch your build-a-bed teams out, I I always try to remember to say thank you and express how much we appreciate this. And and I know they'll say, Well, this, we're not doing it for that, you know, it's a blessing for us to be able, but I just always want everyone to know it how much their volunteer service, their in-kind contributions, their monetary gifts, that how much it's appreciated because without it, we would not be able to have the impact on these families and the children that we're that we're able to have. The Marilyn and William Young Foundation, if it wasn't for their phenomenal gift uh that we've received almost since the inception of the foundation, we wouldn't be able to clothe the number of kids that we do on an annual basis, but they're extremely supportive. And if you had asked me 30 some years ago, do you think 30 some years down the road they would be would still be on board with you? You know, I probably would have said, Oh, I hope so, but um, you know, I'm doubtful. And uh, but but they are.

Faith Led Leadership And Future Vision

SPEAKER_03 33:45

They are. Well, so you talked about 30 years ago, you know, something that I was thinking about, a question is if you could sit down with your younger self, what would you do? You're just on a journey, so 33 years ago, 1993, you got the Dalvin Thomas going on. Uh, what would you tell your younger self?

SPEAKER_00 34:03

I would tell my younger self, girl, you know that you've been called divinely called by God to do this, and you can't afford to ignore that call that he will provide, and I would remind her that faith is not faith if you can see the outcome.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

That's awesome. That's gold right there, yeah. So, you know, talking about you know, sitting out there on yourself, you know, what what is your vision for this foundation even in 10 years? So I know probably 93 were thinking in 2016 you'll launch it. Now you're almost a hundred, you're a hundred houses in less than ten years. And so what do you what do you gotta idealized or visualized for the next test? Do you have any I don't.

SPEAKER_00 34:50

You know, okay. I don't. I you know, that that's the thing that has been so neat about this journey that God has me on with this foundation, is that I have found that when it's time to shift gears or what have you, that he shows up. And I would be afraid to sit here now and say, well, in 10 years, I would like to do this, or I would like to serve this number of people because I don't want to get caught up into the ego deal where it becomes about numbers. Yeah, I can judge because then I'm I'm more focused on that rather than just you know blindly walking in what I know that God has called me to do now. And that, you know, I'm sort of hoping that maybe I won't find myself in that situation. I remember when when I stepped forward to share with the community about establishing the foundation, that was such a scary moment in my life.

SPEAKER_02 35:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:54

Because you know, when you publicly step out and say, the Lord has laid on my heart, people that are not real believers and don't understand that they're like, okay, she's a little weird. She's a little cuckoo. And it but then God was so faithful. And then I thought, oh wow, I'll never find myself in a situation like that again. Well, in 2016, here we go. Yeah, you know, and so then, until that time, Brad, it just laid on my heart that it's time to expand. But I was not given any direction how that was gonna look. And so from time to time the media would call after I had publicly stated that we would be expanding the mission. And so then they would say, Are you ready to talk about what this new? And I'd go, No, the Lord hasn't really, you know, clarified that for me yet. And they're like, Okay.

SPEAKER_02 36:53

Yeah, and so what I wait, yeah, and so I waited on him.

SPEAKER_00 36:57

I was like, I don't know, because God, this wasn't my idea, it's yours. I know I heard your voice, so you need to clarify for me what this mission will be. And I'll never forget one day I was in the shower and the words hands up to succeed came to me and I was like, hands up to succeed. And on the wall of my shower, I wrote the first letter of each word. And it's like huts. Okay, and I remember calling my close friends. I was like, I got it, I got it, I got it. You got what? Girl, what are you talking about? And I said, I know, I know now what God is calling us to do, what it's gonna be called, and yada yada. And I said, It's Huts. And so here we are, nine years and and three months later, and and soon to be 100 families have been blessed. So that's my proof that I wouldn't dare step out there and say, now this is what I would like to see us do, because it's never been about what my vision was, other than to just do God's will.

Legacy Without Judgment

SPEAKER_03 38:11

Yeah, no, that's awesome, and that's something you don't really hear about from a lot of nonprofits and for just been honest. But you know, we talked about past, we talked about present, we talked about God working in life. Uh when it's all said and done, this is a little more of a morbid question, I guess. But how do you want people to remember me?

SPEAKER_00 38:26

I want them to remember me as someone who was never ashamed to share her own childhood experiences that were often embarrassed, embarrassing moments, but that I was uh was willing to allow God to use me to be a voice for those families that are going down the same road that that I once traveled, and but in doing so, that I never lost focus on who I was truly working for and whose vision was truly leading me into what I was doing. That from day one it's been about him. And when I take my last breath, as imperfect as I am, I want I want everything that I've done with this foundation and that our board of directors and volunteers that it's it's been about him. We're based on Matthew 25 and 40, I believe it is, where Jesus said I was was naked and you clothed me not, I was hungry. And when did we see you naked and hungry and yada da da da da da? It's what you've done to the least of my little ones, you've done unto me.

SPEAKER_02 39:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

And so that's been my that's been my motivation, and I want to be remembered in that way.

SPEAKER_02 39:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

Not by the numbers, but the fact that I was willing to walk in blind faith and just let God lead me. Yeah, and walk with people where they're at, which is yeah, and where they are, not non-j, you know, a lot of times people will say, well, that lady had two kids or four kids or whatever. Well, what was she thinking about? Well, I I wasn't called to sit in judgment of of others right or wrong, you know, is that if the need exists and that person is now trying to work themselves out of the situation that they're in, and this foundation can give them a hand up and enhance the quality of life for that family. That's what we're called to do.

Rapid Fire Owensboro Favorites

SPEAKER_03 40:40

Yeah, well, that's awesome. And well, I I love what you're doing, I think it's great. Uh, so we're gonna we're gonna move into 270 seconds of rapid fire. Uh so this is like uh don't think, just answer. Uh and it's a lot of it's about Owensboro. So we'll get to know about you, about where you like what you like to do in Owensboro. Are you ready, Miss Alma?

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Uh we'll see. You're okay. Stay with Palma. That's what you're gonna think. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 41:03

Uh so when it comes to Owensboro, are you a moonlight or an old big burger?

SPEAKER_00 41:08

Moonlight.

SPEAKER_03 41:08

Okay. All right, what's your what's your favorite Owensboro restaurant?

SPEAKER_00 41:14

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_03 41:17

Uh the lure and comes. Okay, I had we had the lure uh burger today. Yeah, did you? Uh all right. So, what's your favorite spot on the riverfront?

SPEAKER_00 41:30

Oh, my favorite spot is right on the riverfront where they have um the benches that you can just set uh, you know, with your back turned to everything else. That's solitude for me. I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 41:47

Yeah. All right. Uh outside of your your gala, what is what is the best electronic each year?

SPEAKER_00 41:56

Oh wow. I think for me, I went to the uh to the nutcracker.

SPEAKER_03 42:03

Okay. I've heard, I mean, I've been here five years.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

Oh, yeah. I love, love, love Joy. She's a dear friend, but I had never been, and I I really enjoyed that. I I told my husband, I said, we need to include this as part of our Christmas tradition. Yeah, it's not a new tradition.

SPEAKER_03 42:22

Yeah, that's really neat. Uh, what's your favorite, or who is your favorite owner of a small business?

SPEAKER_00 42:28

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_03 42:29

And again, again, again, D.

SPEAKER_00 42:31

Oh, again, D. What was it?

SPEAKER_03 42:40

It's under. I know here. Uh if you could find if you could shout out one Owen's girl person, it quietly makes the city quietly makes the city better.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

It quietly makes it better. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 43:05

Okay, it's fine. It's fine. We got some easier once we want to buy it. Are you coffee or sweet tea?

SPEAKER_00 43:09

Coffee.

SPEAKER_03 43:10

Coffee, okay. Uh, what's your favorite Owens Girl memory?

SPEAKER_00 43:18

Probably the first the first um fundraising event that we had for the foundation.

SPEAKER_03 43:24

All right. Uh a place in Owens Girl that feels like coming to you. I don't know, these are one place. I think it's easy. They're pretty hard. Uh so for you, is it Owensville barbecue at the festival or is it burger week? Or do you have a preference?

SPEAKER_00 43:50

You know, I've never pr I'm ashamed to say I've never participated in Burger Week.

SPEAKER_03 43:54

Okay, that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 43:55

Uh heard about it. Um Don't do the barbecue.

SPEAKER_03 44:01

No, you're fine, you're fine. Well, Burger Week is this week. Yeah, so maybe I need to get it together. All right. Uh let's see. So uh we have lots of festivals here in Owensboro. Uh, which one's your favorite?

SPEAKER_00 44:19

I wouldn't be able to answer that one. Okay. All right, that's fine.

SPEAKER_03 44:22

All right, let's do the next one. Uh what's uh if someone had two hours in Owensboro, where would you take them? I think a personal tour with your your foundation would be a good place to start. Absolutely. That would be tough.

SPEAKER_00 44:36

I hate to keep scammer funding, but I think um yeah, it's a personal tour of foundation, what we do, and then probably um downtown. I when we have guests, then um, you know, we we'd like to do that.

SPEAKER_03 44:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that downtown's really special. Um, what is one thing Owensville does better than bigger cities?

SPEAKER_00 45:02

I think I I could be a little uh prejudiced on this, but I think that uh we just do an excellent job of supporting our nonprofits.

Final Ask And Dates To Remember

SPEAKER_03 45:14

I think you said we do, yeah. Yeah, I would say we've had a lot of nonprofits on it, but I would say that for sure. Uh so if you had a play, well you kind of mentioned earlier on the rear front of the benches. This is places relax and once bro, we'll skip that one. Uh let's see. What I don't know, we're gonna sit these slides. My other question is for you. Uh are you do you like uh do you like pathan pie or or peach powder? Both. Both, yeah. Both are good. I like them both with ice cream. They're more than I can on them. Yes, only way to eat them. Yeah, yeah. All right, Ms. You passed. Uh did I pass? Yeah, that's it, that's it. Uh so I always ask this, and I don't need to put it on the questions because uh I believe this is kind of goal, this is like a goal. If you're like, so if someone's listening to this episode, and it was it's it's a great episode, uh, but if someone was listening to the episode and they walked away not remembering something, or maybe they didn't really think about it. What is like one thing that you want to leave the audience with? Like, like if you're like, hey, if you don't remember anything else, this is what I want you to remember.

SPEAKER_00 46:16

I would want them to remember Alma Randolph Turtle Foundation.org.

SPEAKER_03 46:20

There you go. All right, and that would be the show notes. Yes. So don't check it out. We'll we'll put our website in the show notes, we'll put your Facebook in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 46:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:26

And so make sure to go check them out. Again, they can use the volunteers. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 46:30

We can use the volunteers, we can use donations. We're nonprofit Bible 1c3, so any monetary donations are appreciated, uh, whatever the amount may be, and are tax deductible.

SPEAKER_03 46:46

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_00 46:47

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:48

All right, cool. And in your gala, so there's one that we're up.

SPEAKER_00 46:51

So there's uh yes, the uh black and white uh gala will be at the Orangeboro Convention Center. Okay, and it's Saturday, August the 29th.

SPEAKER_03 47:00

All right, so we'll we're looking for that, but put it on the calendar now.

SPEAKER_00 47:04

And then March the 27th, we are celebrating the 100th Hutz home. And it's going to be quite spectacular celebration, followed by the family being escorted to their home.

SPEAKER_03 47:23

Oh, they come to celebrate. Well, somebody wanted to be involved with that on the 27th of March. Uh-huh. How did they reach out to you or reach out to me and what's going on?

SPEAKER_00 47:30

They could reach out. We pretty much have all the volunteers. Okay. Everything's set up now. Our sponsors, the the major sponsor is Bell Bank Mortgage. Okay. And the host sponsor is the Green River Community Foundation. Okay. And so we will be together. Uh the local dignitaries and others have been invited.

SPEAKER_02 47:53

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

Um, certainly we're going to invite your team to be there for that that special day.

SPEAKER_03 48:00

All right, so March 27 put that on your counter. 11 o'clock. Go check it out. You know, 11 o'clock. You like I said, go reach out to this album on that. And then also her galley's coming up in August. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 48:11

Fun night. Yeah, it's a fun night.

SPEAKER_03 48:13

I've seen lots of pictures. I need to go to it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:16

We haven't gotten a chance to be there yet. We need to get to as one of our servers.

SPEAKER_03 48:20

I know, I need to do that.

SPEAKER_00 48:21

She travels here.

SPEAKER_03 48:22

I gotta get on here. Uh but yeah, no, that's just so March 27th, August 29th, put those on your calendar and go out with Miss Alma and her and her foundation. She's doing a great job, but she said 18,000 kids that she has served, 100 houses and huts. Uh, that's unbelievable. And the fact that she gives all the board to God's really cool too. And so thank you, Miss Alma, for coming on. Thank you. And again, if you want to if you want to find ways to help, we'll put it in the show notes. Reach out to her. She's always looking for help. Uh, that's not a bad thing. Uh, they have a lot of things going on and they need some hands. So you can give up an hour or two a month to do it. It's okay. You can stop watching Bass Thinger for that. Yeah. But until next time, uh, this is All Things Owensboro. Thank you, Miss Allah. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for tuning in to All Things Owensboro, where we celebrate the stories, people, and places that make our city special. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves this town as much as you do. Until next time, Owensboro, keep loving local, supporting one another, and making Owensboro a place we're all proud to call home.