Enhancing Community Services for Rural Resilience

In this episode, Tressa and Myra chat with Stacey Aughe, Union's Chief Administrative and Information Officer and Treasurer of the Linda K Woody Foundation. Stacey played a crucial role in establishing childcare services in Bridger Valley and now aims to create a community center. She shares her vision and the potential benefits it could bring to the community, showcasing her dedication and leadership.

Transcript

Authentic Wyoming

Stacey Aughe

This transcript was generated automatically using speech-to-text technology. The accuracy may vary in spots.

This episode first aired on April 09, 2024

Hi, I'm Myra. 

And I'm Tressa. 

We are fancy marketing people with Union. A Wyoming-based telecommunication company. Yes, Wyoming really does exist. We proudly serve the Rocky Mountain region. On this podcast, we will feature businesses, organizations, non-profits, and influential people from Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Our mission is to highlight those who inspire their communities daily. We believe this makes us truly authentic because a journey of a thousand miles always begins with a single step.

Borrowing somebody slate includes, I'd love to do that. 3 to 1. So Tressa today's year old people and listener land. When she realizes that the countdown is 3 to 1, not one, two, three. One, two, three. Works too. It's just a series of numbers. It's really the clap. It's the clock starts everything. The seals the door. It's like it's not even the numbers.

Exactly. That's funny. I think it's awesome. Yeah. Well, what have you done today? Well, I just got back from the vet. Yeah. Take my. I have a bulldog. It's kind of funny. When we originally got her, we named her Maggie, but we haven't called her Maggie since about six months in my husband. I was traveling somewhere, and he started calling her Crazy Louie.

She was quite wild. So we've just adopted the name Louie. And it's funny, when we go to the vet, the vet walks in and says, Hello, Maggie. And we're like, Who's Maggie? We don't know her. We don't know her. You're like, Turn it around. Maggie? Yeah. Maggie. Who is like, Who's that? That is so funny. She's still registered at the vet with Maggie.

Yeah. I haven't updated it because then she's not a female. Yeah. Then when I say Louie, everybody assumes boy that she's a boy. So it's complex naming with my bulldog. Yeah. Anyway, she has some skin issues and hopefully some ointment. I'll get her fixed up. She just turned eight the second, so she's getting up there. And you're hominids, you know, skinned.

We honestly have not had any issues. Like she's been completely healthy. She's had two little skin issues this year. So I hope I hope it's not something that's going to continue to happen. Yeah, but for Japan. for those that listen, really. And Jupiter was my brother's bulldog and little Jupiter, like, in his creases, like you have to keep them roll pointed up.

I don't even know what how we did a world moisture medicated little moisturizer and I was like lubricated. I don't like how that sounds, but that poor he got like little sun damage like the he's brindle but half his face is why. And then the other half is brindle and the little white said it's never been the same.

 Yeah. And they've done everything, you know, like they really. Matthew takes very good care of this. My he's very well taken care of and it's just one of those, one of those thing that I like the moisturizer that we should like make a line for bulldogs. Yeah. You know, moisturize your face. I don't know. Moisturize your folds, moisturize your cold, cold lubricated all year long.

 So I guess think about the advertising for that light massage and then the little folds and like watching it like shine and the way that their face like, moves with everything or jowls like the whole. They could do a slow motion like that, you know, What are we doing? Let's just leave. Yeah, I've got to leave to go start this.

Yeah, that's smart. We come up with the best ideas. I know. I got to write them down. I'm like, Gosh, you got my advertising campaign for you next year, and I've got a new side hustle, lubricated ointment, medicine, whatever for blog spaces. I won't. I got many condiments. Come in. yeah. We have shots of ketchup. Yeah. So everybody just look out for really rolling here.

 So I don't know, but yeah, it's really. I've never had a dog. Really have the skin. Yeah, things like a bulldog. But. Well, it's interesting because the vet tech that was helping us today, she's been at the vet for, I don't know, like 25, 30 years. And she was saying that when she first started. She said that they would rarely, rarely see skin issues in dogs.

 She said sugar, remember like too when you know, and she said, now they're so common. So I don't know, like allergy wise, if something's going on in the food that people are feeding them or I should start cooking. I know. Did you see there was an article about the oldest dog in the world and I want to say he was over 30 and his owner fed him human like made his food.

 He never ate dog food and he lived to over 30 now. So maybe there's something to that they're about to say, Yeah, crack the code of dog years or life or. Yeah, that's so interesting. When I moved back to the valley, I had a vet talk to me about, like the grain free fad. And I'm not educated enough listeners that don't come for me about the green free dog thing, but something she showed me like some studies that she introduced to me said, you know, kind of like human fads, like where we yeah, gluten free when there's real people that don't need gluten, like who says you really need to be dairy free or gluten free or plant based, you know, the whole nine yards. It's kind of the same theory with dogs and grain free. Like who said they needed to be grain free and it actually had negative side effects. The studies she presented to me. No, I don't. Again, not a dog expert, nutritionist person here, so don't quote me anyone, but just I have a golden retriever.

 So she was showing me the side effects in my golden retriever. And so I stopped doing the grain free At the time I had a malamute and it cleared. Like her stomach was so much better. And the other vets were telling me, do grain free to help her stomach. And it seemed to do the opposite. So I think it's just interesting.

 I wish I had time. I should cook their food. I should be better. Yeah. No, it's I could cook their food, but then it's hard enough to cook my own food. I know about the same. Like, my gosh, I don't even take care of myself. But, hey, you know, yeah, it's interesting the difference, even in how processed foods become.

 I mean, I know dog food is processed, but just how bad no one's safe these days. I know dogs, people, none of us. So. Yeah, so true. Well, we're excited to have Stacy, are you with us today is our guest. She's the treasurer for the Linda K Woody Foundation and so welcome to the podcast, Stacy. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

 Yeah, you bet. Do you want to just start out telling us a little bit of an overview of what Lee Linda Kay, what he does, I'm sure of the Kay Memorial Foundation was founded back in the late nineties. Mainly its purpose is to try to help the families and people here in Bridger Valley. That's its main purpose. One of our biggest accomplishments.

 We got the daycare center built back in, I don't know the date, the top of my head. What's it like, children earlier than that but I don't remember. I don't either. I look at the plaque every morning. I say 2009. I think. Yeah, yeah. Somewhere in that timeframe. Yeah. And if people are you know, you've been following us for a long time.

 If you go back a couple episodes when we interviewed Kendra, this is the same center and she talks about when it was started. So they have the facts, they can enlist the grill and they can put it together. Yeah, exactly. So what inspired the creation of it? It was my aunt. She passed away early. She was before she married my uncle.

 She was a struggling single mom and they wanted to do something to honor her memory. So. Okay. So like, she struggled, like with support, with child care and that type of thing. So, okay, So that this made a fit in her memory. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. It's such a huge resource. Like I said, we had that we had an episode around the development center and then the one in Evanston as well, and I've shared and expressed the difference that's made in my life because I, when I moved to the Valley and took the position with the Union, one of the things I was the most excited about was having a child care center is a need in the community and it's a great fulfillment. It's beyond fulfilling those needs, especially with the programs that they have. So to see that something sparked from Linda's experience and then to bring the center on and what it's turned into for the community is really cool. I think we've been building an endowment as well called the Early Childhood Scholarship Fund, which will go to mostly for tuition assistance because there's people that hit that niche where they make just too much to get state assistance or they get it's happened before where they get a raise right?

 But it's just over then they can't afford their child care anymore. Right. And so that's what the fund was established for. We've been building the endowment for the last few years. Hopefully we'll be able to start actually awarding money maybe in the next year or two. So. awesome. We're pretty excited about that. Yeah, that's just an interesting it's really cool that you're trying to help lessen that burden on others because there are so many people who toe that line and then they really need the assistance, but then they're not classified as being able to access state.

 And even in federal situations, you know, where they need that help and they're classified as the not. So that's cool that that you're helping alleviate that stress and help shift that burden off others who are probably freaking out a little bit, you know, when they cross over that what they're thinking, what the heck am I going to do with this?

 So is that so? Is it all based upon income? Yes, the fees that they pay. okay. Okay. That's wonderful. Well, the state assistance that you get is based off your income, too. So I think one case that we heard we're told about when we established the endowment fund, the girl was working and, you know, doing a good job, Right.

 So she got a raise and it put her above such she dollars to assistance and she couldn't afford child care anymore. And that's such a struggle. Yeah. You're working towards improving your life and gaining. Yeah, but yeah. And you're doing good. Exactly. And then it punishes you, right? Yeah, In other ways. Yeah. That's the vicious cycle over the funding of the government.

 Well, yes. To cut it off so. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. You know, it just leaves this kind of there's definitely a hole that needs filled somewhere. Yeah. So there's that transitional gap. Yeah. Like there needs to be a grace period or something. Yeah. That or something. You know what I mean. Yeah, definitely. Well, I'm glad that you guys are working on that.

 That's something I didn't realize you were doing. Yeah, I think a lot of people don't really realize that we're doing it. We probably should advertise it more. Well, you know, it goes, Yeah. How do you how do you raise funds for that? Through our fundraisers. we have had some private donations too, as well from, like, you went to bank and gotten a couple others and some private people that are trying to help the same thing, you know.

 So John what he's done a few donations and that's cool. Yeah. Yeah. So what types of fundraisers does Linda. Q What do you foundation do? We have two big ones. One is our walk run that we do every 4th of July was it started out as a traditional walk run and then we made it into a color run and next year we're thinking about maybe doing a bubble run.

 So I don't know if we'll do it for sure. Kind of looking to see what it will take if we're going to do that. But just to mix it up a little bit, you know, breathe a little new life into it, and then the haunted house, which we just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, that's always a lot of fun.

 Yeah, it was a little cessful this year. It was successful. Yeah. Yeah. We probably had 150 people. Wow. Just not as good as some years. But it's always the worse. The further you are away from the weekend. Halloween is for the weekend. I don't know. For whatever reason, we get fewer people. And then, yeah, I mean, 50 is not bad at all.

 So yeah, that's not bad. What's a bubble run like you blowing bubbles like, I'm sorry. I'm not sure yet. You make, like, these walls of bubbles that people can run through. And I was thinking about letting them have a bubble wand and they could, you know, each station, like, run with. okay, spread bubbles. I thought that might be kind of fun, but I love that.

 Yeah, Yeah, I love that. It's very cheerful. They're in a stressful situation for some run or. Yeah, yeah, I'll just be walking on. Yeah, yeah. Bubbles and jump through it Like you can make it like a, like hurdles but just the bubble. Well people bring their kids to and I thought it'd be kind of fun for them to.

 Well I think it's Yeah. Kids and adults right I mean adults just don't have fun like they need to. I think it's a good outlet for them as well. That's right. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'll have to go do it all by myself or I'll be too busy arranging everything. Yeah, I know how that goes when you're behind the scenes trying to coordinate these events and you're like, this sounds like fun.

 You can't do it. You don't get to do it. Yeah, watch it. You just get to watch everyone else enjoy it. That's the reward, Do you little what he finally should have anything coming up like that you're wanting to do for the community or any type of. Yeah, we're starting to look at maybe building a community center. I have a vision.

 It's just big, grand vision for any center in the valley. I'd like to see something that, you know, it's beyond, like, a rec center. Yeah, probably. Maybe we'll do some, I don't know, maybe some courts or whatever. But really, I'd like to see a teen center in there so that we've got something like the youth Club over and Evanston have a space where people could have events, have a stage so we could do community theater and sliding scale classes for people and whatever.

 We can get people to teach, see if we can have events there. Like, you know, a lot of these bands and performers go to different colleges, you know, right off the interstate. We'll get some of them to come and spend the day here, you know, just bring something new to the valley. Yeah, that vision I do, too. When I moved away from camera, I really thought it was neat.

 Camera had an event center for it to be such a small community. And I do know the event centers and things have been funded over the years, but I think that would be so beneficial for the Bridger Valley community because having that event center or having like you hit on it to having the A stage for like a community choir theater to come and to have after school activities and do pre performing arts or like the performing arts center in Pinedale.

 They get bands that come in or they get acts or they've had all sorts of people that I've been like, Wow, this is so cool. And bringing that culture into the Bridger Valley community, I think would just make a difference in one keeping people here, you know, to put the money back into the community and to want to put on that shows and things that engage the people that live here and want to be here.

 And it drives people to visit the valley because we're lacking things like that. Yeah, I'd love to like get the senior center involved too, you know, like maybe let them teach classes and things and stuff that they know how to do that you know, people don't know how to do, like go camping or crochet or whatever, you know, even maybe teach a class on history or maybe get some vets to come talk about things.

 I don't know what lots of ideas. I don't know how good all of them are, but just a real community hub kind of place where, you know, you can learn stuff or go to, you know, see things, arts and whatever else we can bring in, maybe. Yeah. I mean, it would be so wonderful for the youth here to have a space like that, especially for those kids who maybe aren't as involved in some of the school activities that are offered.

 Right. It gives them a space. And I love the idea of possibly partnering with the senior center. So they're like teaching the younger generation different arts and things that they know how to do, like canning or I think about crocheting, you know, how many people today know how to crochet. Those are kind of things that are going to be lost if we don't teach other gen the lower the youth generations, those types of young people, those young people.

How about to say I know one crochet or and that's my sister in law and she's kind of a batty. She's good like, yeah, she's I know how to change stitch this She can do like unbelievable things, like without even looking. And I'm over here like, barely like clock clap, you know. Yeah, I think I learned how to change that.

 Yeah. And that was from my grandmother. And then I haven't done it in so long. I don't know if I could pick it back up, but. Yeah, yeah, I just got a crocheted quilt from one of my aunts, and it is like this. So cool. Like, I love that. And it's such a, I don't know, it's a cool piece of history for my family now.

 So it's the heirloom. Yeah, there is that We're not really making any more. You're bringing like breathing life back into that and teaching those skills so that the youth can pass those skills down and to keep it going. Because if they're not learning, then who's passing it on, you know? And I just had a had a baby shower and one of our coworkers, his wife, made me a quilt.

 And I think we were all just sitting there, like in all we're like, wow, you know? And that shouldn't it was it's funny because, I mean, one, she's amazing. She's just a master quilter. She really is. And so we are admiring her work, but we're also thinking, I'm thinking in my head, why don't I know how to do this?

 Like I should be able to do this. Like, this shouldn't be such a it's such a like request. Now you have to find people who can quilt or find people who can dive into these forms of art that really aren't being done right now, you know? Yeah, I think it would be cool to have, you know, maybe eventually build on a greenhouse like community garden.

 And I know I have all these ideas. So how do we get this started? Yeah, like, seriously, like, what are the big things that have to happen and how can people probably get it? Well, we're going to need somewhere to put it. And that's going to be probably the first hurdle, right? Is getting it built. There's grants out there.

 I mean, it will take a lot of work to get the grants to build it. The big thing is going to be able to have to build. We're going to have to build an endowment or something to run it. Right. It's to keep it is operating. Yeah, it's operational cost are some of the hard things, especially with bringing I've heard talk of rec centers and things like that in the valley and usually it's the operational cost to help people back from bringing these and I think great centers are great.

 But you know, we have a nice gym and there's the schools and I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We have a lot of things for people that are into athletics, but there isn't a lot for the arts, you know, And I'm not saying that the center shouldn't have some of that as well because it should. I mean, that's important as well.

 Mind and body are both important, you know. Yeah, but I don't know. There's some great mental health, you know, benefits too of something like a community center because, you know, loneliness, especially in the winter, can be very bad. And having somewhere where people can go and, you know, be engaged to meet people and realize they're not alone is, I think, important.

 Yeah, I agree. We are. We're meant to be connected as human beings. Right? And so to offer a space like that I think is a valuable and you're right. I mean, there's several gyms here that kind of cover some of that and then the schools. So that is a big missing piece to the valley. So yeah, I love that it's the idea of a hub because we I think about when we're looking for places to go, if we're trying to hold a class or we're trying to hold an event or where are we going, we're separating ourselves so much and not that those other spaces aren't great because they do provide for us, and I'm grateful to have those spaces. yeah. But I love that idea of the hub, like the center, the center of the community, the one place that you're going to go where you can share hobbies and skills and conversations and meet people and make friends, because that's something that, like with me moving to the valley, if I didn't work for union, I wouldn't.

 I don't know how I would have met people right away, you know, because not everybody joins into like a church community or they don't join in to the gym or whatever, or they might not have kids. So they're not in that school community. So I love that idea that this gives people a place to just get together and connect.

 Yeah, I love it. Is there any way you specifically measure the success of Linda Kingery in the community? Feel like the child care center has been a success Just because people are using it and it's, you know, they're full up most of the time. So I feel like there must have been a need because people are using it.

 Right. You know, as far as the endowment, I think it'll be successful once we are able to start actually awarding the scholarships community center. I guess if people use it, that make it successful, right? Yeah, Yeah. The participation, right? Yeah, Yeah. yeah. I'm sure that be huge participation in something like that. I think so. Yeah, I hope so.

 So we kind of I was going to ask you about the future like, like, like, but that's kind of it, right? The community center is kind of the future of the endowment. We're able to give scholarships and yeah, looking at maybe the community center are you thinking of any other additional, maybe larger fundraisers other than the two that you mentioned?

 We may do some escape rooms this winter. We've talked about doing that and we'll have to find a space to do with it, you know, set up and stuff for some of those things can be kind of big, so I'll have to figure that out. But I like that. Yeah, I find it really neat that a lot of the fundraisers of antiquity are these like community based and like engagement activities and like, what am I trying to say here?

 I love that there are activities. So you're thinking of things that we don't have. So like, you're wanting to do this cape room in the winter when we're all home alone and we're bored. And yes, it does raise money for the foundation and yes, it does help move things forward, but it also provides an activity, something fun, something that people can do alone or bring their friends with or their children or whatever, because we do like a lot of social activities in the winter time in this community, unless it's a craft fair.

 Yeah, you can only get so much or unless you're sledding or you like snowmobiling or whatever, you know people do. Here we had a community center we could do, you know, like sliding scale classes on how to make candles or, you know, I don't know, paint or whatever, but I think there would be a lot of fun. Yeah.

 Have you ever thought about I mean, it sounds like you're thinking about it because you're wanting to do the escape rooms in the winter. Have you thought about still hosting similar classes, like the sliding scale classes to help raise the money and raise the awareness of why having the hub would be so beneficial? it's not something we've thought of in the past, but it's a good idea.

 Yeah, I think that would be really neat having because we are very fortunate to have the Bridger Valley Learning Center here and they do offer classes and things, but I totally like to partner with them. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we are, we are lucky. But having I think or hosting some of the ideas that you have like the candle making class, like, I think that's great.

 I mean, I just kind of do it anyways. Yeah. And I might go over here like, well, we can keep pushing this on her, you know, and she'll accept it. But I think that would be great because then you're raising money, it's circling back, but then you're also building awareness of what could be the potential of this. And you're still giving the needs of the community or giving back to the community for the things that they need without having the physical building.

 Yeah, that's a great idea. Yeah, well, I'll try to find some space. You know where I'm at. Yeah, You know, we're married through all my spare time to stay. We'll have that done lickety split. Yeah, that's just like. Yeah, good. In theory. No, it's a great idea. Just find the time. Yeah. So you said you wanted to possibly partner with, like, the senior citizen center and the outreach and the learning programs.

 Is there any other partnerships that you've already formed that you want to discuss? No, I've done a little talking with, Holly West. okay. Yeah. She's given me some tips and talked about some of the things that she's done. And, you know, maybe we can partner with her and is there I mean, anybody can donate at any time, right?

 They can just go to Lynda Carter or Dream World. It's l kw MF thought so. Okay, well, we'll add it into the transcript also. Yeah, we could. Yes, this, but okay. Well, that wraps up our time today. Yeah. We just have one last question for you. Sure. So how do you stay authentic? How do I stay authentic?

 I just try to be who I am every day. And I guess by not trying to be something that I'm not because I'm never any good at it anyway, this sure hard does not live here. Yeah. that's awesome. That's great. Great. Well, thanks so much. They seem really appreciate it. All right. Thanks, ladies. Yeah. Until next time, stay authentic.