Welcome everyone to Midday Magazine for this January 23rd, 2024, 3.30 on the clock
and you have your host, James, me and I love here and we are welcoming into the studio,
new executive director, Trisha Faulkner with us. Trisha, good to see you.
Yes, thanks for having me.
Thanks for being here. I want to talk about the Family Center. I want to get into some things
about the Family Center and some of the things going on there. But if you don't mind,
we haven't really had a chance for you and our audience to get to know each other very much.
Do you mind telling us a little bit of your origin story where you're from and some of that?
Yeah, absolutely. So I was born and raised here in Wisconsin Rapids. I have spent over 10 years,
previous to coming to the Family Center as the director of the Hannah Center in Marshfield.
So lots of good experience from there coming over here and I'm excited to be working in the
community where I was born and raised now and yeah, that's a little bit about me.
When it comes to doing choosing this career path without asking too many
truths of details or anything like that, what was it about this that made you want to dedicate
so much of your life if not your life to something like this?
Yeah, absolutely. So really as a single mother myself and just life experiences and things
like that as a little kid, I wanted to be a nurse and I started schooling for that and realized
that's not really what I wanted to do and ended up getting a criminal justice degree which I
really loved. However, I could see a lot of need outside of that degree and outside of what you're
allowed to do within the criminal justice world and then when the director position at the Hannah
Center came open, I dove into that a little bit in research and really found my passion and my
calling with helping people in crisis and helping people to learn and see the value within themselves
and to learn and see the life skills to teach life skills so that they are able to be
independent successfully and watching people grow and achieve the milestones that they want to in
their lives. Crisis is for a lot of people a lot of different things and now at the family center
working with domestic violence and sexual assault victims and really helping people to see their
worth and providing that safe shelter and seeing the successes as, you know, employment is gained
or their own apartment, things like that is just amazing and really what I feel I've just been
called to in my work for life. I appreciate that. We appreciate that as a community and I
appreciate the answer and the vulnerability in it in part because we're going to talk a little
bit about volunteering in a little while and I am positive that some of the things you said,
if not all the things you said are going to hit home to some people out there that may not realize
that they have that in them and they have the opportunity to put back into their community through
volunteering or other ways that you can help the family center. We'll wrap up and get to that
before we get too along here but I do want to talk about the and thank you again for sharing that.
About the family center and some of the things going on over at the family center and really in
the new year and what that entails not just for the family center but for us as a society.
Yeah absolutely so there's a lot of exciting things happening in 2024 at the family center
towards the end of 2023 the Board of Directors and I did a strategic planning program and that has
brought about a lot of cool changes that will be seen updates to mission or core values operating
commitments and things like that so those are things that will really ensure that we are
inclusive at the family center and encompassing all different dynamics of people that we do serve
at the family center and so I'm excited to bring that roll that out in 2024 and you can
be watching you know our website and Facebook and things like that as some of these changes come
about we've got a lot of new stuff happening in 2024 we have a new administrative development
and volunteer coordinator we have a new DV housing first coordinator and some of the ideas that
they are bringing to the table to enhance the programs that we already have are just amazing
and we're excited to roll those out in 2024 one of the things that we're really looking at is
enhancing our community involvement and diversifying our funding at the family center and things
like that so we are going to be having some new events some new fundraising events coming out in 2024
where there's talk of a golf outing in the summer and a few other different things so those things
are going to be exciting as we get details out I know that there has been some talk in the community
about men in the kitchen and what that might look like in the future and we are in conversation
about bringing that back for 2020 early 2025 so there's a lot of planning happening in early 2024
to bring a lot of new and exciting things oh that's all yeah yeah exactly that's sorry we don't
have like moments enough that's awesome that is so cool there's so many different things there
that we can touch on here and I think we could spend hours talking about almost every one of those
things just as a quick note getting a chance to be a part of the last men in the kitchen and
MC that was one of the greatest things I've ever done in my career I loved it I it was so amazing
it was something that I talk about and ramble about whenever I have a chance in part because
and you know this better than I do but we're in a time now where we're not having to hush our voices
anymore that we're finally at a place where we can talk about these things openly that this
conversation is something the world having and if not thinking in our heads but at the time
I was still new to some of that and learning some of that myself and I had never been to a family
center event and I went there and just to MC and I'm big fan of Sue and Deb and you know they
asked me to do it and they asked me to do anything and I'm gonna do it and I show up and the moment I
walk in there's Mayor Blazer there's there's there's our mayor right there there's the head of the
rafters at the time Andy Francis our river kings are there our head of police is there from the
rapids police department sheriff becker is there and I didn't even know Sean at the time and we got
to know each other from that event in some ways like I didn't just see community members standing
up I didn't see just community members being on the right side of history I saw men in there doing
that and that to me is not only the not the biggest part of this but it matters it it shows
something that we're standing on this we're standing by this and everything and having events
like that in our community and having the family center in our community at these of having more
events hosting more events it brings the topic up more it makes it much more just even more and more
like uh it's always been okay in our heads but making it more and more okay for people to say out
loud yeah that's one of the things that I look forward to so much is seeing the community stand
up and get involved seeing the community take a stand against domestic violence and sexual assault
and us being out in the community and you know maybe we have something at lunch by the river or whatever
it is for people to come and talk with the family center to whether that's for education to learn more
about what does it mean what is domestic violence what is sexual assault or if it's to find out how
they can get involved or what they can do to make an impact in our community and so looking for
many different ways through our fundraising events and all that but other community events as
well we would love to come and share our mission share what we're doing educate the community because
with without those education pieces we we don't know what we don't know we don't know what we're not
taught and so being in a position to be able to teach the community um about these things and
about what they can do to take a stand against domestic violence and sexual assault you mentioned
some new positions over at the family center what brought about those positions and how are they
going to help you when your team do the work you do over there yeah absolutely so our Amy Shite is
our administrative development and volunteer coordinator and so she is going to be the face when
you come in to make a donation or whatever that might be she will be the person that greets you at
the door and and really looking with my me coming in as the new executive director making our team
based on our strengths so fitting the team to meet the strengths of everybody involved and then Amy is
also the volunteer coordinator and she's an amazing people person she loves people and I just
excited to see her shine in that role we she will be working very hard in these first few months
of 2024 to roll out a new volunteer program we have for safety reasons background checks and
things like that that we need our volunteers to go through and so she's really going to be rolling
out some good training opportunities and then coming up with new new ways um for volunteers to
get involved um we are facing some significant funding cuts at the state and federal level in 2024
and volunteers will be more important than ever and taking on different roles and what what is it
that in your heart you want to do and and how can we meet that need um within the family center
to get the community involved and to get volunteers more involved so I'm really looking forward to that
with um with our administrative development and volunteer coordinator it's going to be a really
new kind of fresh program for volunteers so that's really exciting if I can just for a second the
fact that we are losing funding in a category that we all seen the stats coming into this year of
last year with the demise of domestic violence acts and some of these things and the fact that
funding is being cut is is the definition of idiotic and ridiculous and it is a failure on our
government and a failure on the people that we vote into office when those things kind of things
happen that's why in 2024 in an election year it is so vital to understand who you are voting for
and where they stand on these issues I will get off my soapbox now um you can bring up Amy we love
Amy we appreciate Amy so much and all the good work that she does and in a position like that I
kind of think that we might see some some things rise up a little bit here and everything I'm very
excited that's very cool and and I appreciate so much something that you said there Trisha with um
your your your teams skills and their their their strengths and leaning into those um we need more
of that management like certainly at the family center but really ever business could use more of
that of seeing your employees as human beings and seeing their skill sets and and and leaning
into those I admire that a lot I like that a lot I think that that only enhances the work that
you guys are going to do over there and the what you can do for our community yeah absolutely that's
one of the things um since coming on to the team that I've really been focused on is our team
and our family at the family center um we've been doing just some fun kind of pop up you know
having we had a frozen Friday where we had ice cream Sundays and things like that just really
working on that team building um I cannot appreciate our advocates and all of the administrative
staff everybody that works at the family center enough and the amazing work that they do it isn't
easy um the things that they see and do every day are very difficult and so the more that we can
ensure that their skills and what their their strengths are are what they're using um in their roles
the better and the more that we can do team building and have some of that downtime together um
we're just better as an organization and we're better able to serve the survivors that we're serving
in our community very well said um another thing that I appreciate about these events um that you
know when we're able to do community events oftentimes uh like touch a truck or even men in the
kitchen some of these events from past or the ones we've done in the recent future involve our
police departments or sheriff's departments uh and that and while uh that's there's a lot of
layers to that of why that is fantastic to see and to see that the family center and our police
departments uh standing side by side we we see them together we see them as one in many ways and I
think that's in vital important um with domestic violence in general but also uh it has this added
layer this added bonus to it as well of you know um making them human uh I talk with Sheriff Becker a
lot about this that uh it's very important for us going forward as a society to understand the
you know looking at not just the badge but the human being behind that and and knowing that
you know there's nobody that hates bad cops more than Sheriff Becker more more than good cops more
than good people and stuff and and we have a chance with these events to build that bridge better
to make that bridge stronger which may not you may not think applies directly to the family center
but it does uh if a little if a little kid feels that they can trust an officer and that's somebody
they can go to you know god willing they never have to but if they do especially in a domestic
violent situation that bond matters those connections matter if I'm a person struggling with domestic
violence in this community and I see that I that the police department is hand in hand with the
family center I'm going to trust going to the police department because it can't be forgotten to
people I'm not talking about our community but in communities in this world and not just in
America in this world that was a big catch that was something that held people back from reporting
on domestic violence oftentimes was not knowing if the police department they could trust them
yeah yeah I mean yeah and our relationships and the work that we do together is vital we couldn't
do what what we do without the police department and the Sheriff's Department's support we truly
couldn't um the Sheriff's Department has office hours where a deputy comes in and has office
hours at the family center whether that's for sheltered clients or walking clients can come in
and talk to an officer if they choose in a safe environment um and and having them at our events
and one of the things that I love the most is you could go to Sheriff Becker and ask him about
the family center and he would be able to educate you in what we do and that is that speaks volumes
because that is not the norm I guess in a lot of communities where the Sheriff would be able to
speak to the resources and things like that within the community so we appreciate those relationships
so much I don't want his ears to burn off from us talking about too much or anything he needs those
ears he's got glasses but we are fortunate in this community have a sheriff like that and it's
no worthy I appreciate that that what he does and in the work that's going on here with you guys
and the Sheriff's Department it's it's vital going forward yeah um I want to I want to talk about
a couple of other things with the family center and volunteering but I can't help taking the
opportunity we never get a chance to talk about the Hannah Center yeah and if you don't mind I
wouldn't mind taking a minute or two just touching on that and the work that goes on at the Hannah
Center if you don't mind yeah absolutely yeah the Hannah Center is a wonderful um non-profit
organization and um currently in Wisconsin Rapids they now have a location here are working on
renovations um and it's a longer term program um where the focus is on life skills and teaching
women in crisis the life skills that they need to live successfully independently uh we are so
looking forward to the relationship between the family center and the Hannah Center um the family
center offers a safe and secure environment when a person's safety is at risk because of domestic
violence or sexual assault what we see a lot of times is um people coming out of those environments
who now don't necessarily have the skills that they need to live successfully independently because
of the relationship that they were in and because of the isolation and all of the many many factors
that take place within uh a domestic violent relationship and so um this will enhance the work
that we do so much um by being able to once there's no longer a threat to a person's safety
refer that person to the Hannah Center if it's appropriate where they can then go into a long-term
program and work on life skills and things like that um I have a great relationship with
Christine Evanski the director here in Wisconsin Rapids um and in my work in Marshfield the family
center and the Hannah Center it made referrals back and forth even then when when we were only in
Marshfield when the Hannah Center was only in Marshfield so really excited to have a location here um
and then Mary's place too and um to be able to again same thing right make referrals back and
forth ensure that the people in our community are safe and have the resources and the connections
that they need we all need a community of people around us none of us can do life without a community
of people and the new things that are coming to Wisconsin Rapids are going to make that just so
much better um for the people in need in our community we uh we're fortunate here we're really
close with our United Way and uh we have our the CEO United Way Terry Johns on with us all the time
she's like a big sister to me and puts up with me don't tell her I said any of that but um one of the
things I noted from Terry and working with her on air off air and talking with her a lot is how
much this community has grown when it comes to nonprofits being crabs in a barrel and everybody
reaching for that one dollar and pulling each other down that's not this community anymore
we're stronger together and when I think of the way that the United Way works with other non-profits
I think of how how much that strengthens things and makes things better uh and if I can on this level
when we're talking about the family center and Mary's place the Hannah center uh the these groups
working together that's the definition of this that is true strength that is true power right there
combining those forces and working together um we we can't have enough all hands on all hands on
deck with the situation with this topic and so we're better suited that way we're stronger from that
yeah and it's amazing to see the leaders in these organizations we've had some meetings over at
love ink and um gathering some information and getting some classes going specifically for um
clients at these places and so to to come to a table with the leaders in all these organizations
to work for the better good for the people that we serve it's humbling it's a humbling process
to be a part of and it's so exciting um and sometimes we want to shout things from the rooftops um
but some of these things that we do are more behind closed doors for the safety and security of our
participants um but it's exciting and it's so good to see like you said that's not always how it's
been where everybody's working together for the greater good and and that's truly what I'm seeing
in Wisconsin rapids and and within from the united way to us and love ink and all of the
different organizations really working together um as well wrapping up got a couple of minutes left
is there anything else you wanted the touch on a way to never chance to um yeah one of the things
that I just thought of uh another exciting piece that we've been doing so for quite a while our
sexual assault advocates and one of our prevention advocates have been in the middle and high
school levels um so really talking with teens about healthy relationships and doing support groups
and um our among advocates in the middle and high school levels and new in 2024 actually just this
week um our child and youth advocate had her first um class at one of the elementary schools
so starting to teach children i think it was a second grade class was her first one
so really starting to teach kids from a very young age um about healthy
friendships you know we start with healthy friendships what does it mean to be a healthy friend
what does it mean to be what does it mean to show kindness to our friends and those types of
things and what do you do in a hard situation where maybe somebody isn't kind to you and so um
Elizabeth is our child and youth um services coordinator and she has worked really hard to get into
some of the elementary schools um just really excited to watch that expand because i think we all
know that the younger we can teach these skills and what a healthy relationship is and how to identify
healthy relationships or red flags in a friendship or any of those things the better we're going to be
as a community um in in generations to come so that's really exciting and i'm excited to see that
grow in 2024 as well thank you so much for sharing that that is fantastic yeah that's wonderful to
one of the wrap up uh talking a little volunteering and encourage people to volunteer and what it
means to volunteer at the family center i think uh for some of years past when i've brought this up
sometimes they well i'm not comfortable with this or i'm not comfortable with that there is
opportunities you know with the family center to do some kind of hands-on work if you will but
the family center is also looking for volunteers do you know how to shovel do you know how to
mow like i have you painted before like there's things like that that you can do yes please come
and help um and and not to be to it's nothing that's taken lightly either because it may you
may not think well it's just uh i'm just mowing the lawn i'm not doing anything that big yes you are
the more things we can do like that the more that you and your team are free to to do the vital
work that you're needed yeah that's that's exactly the truth of it and we have just like you said
everything from lawnmowering and shoveling to answering the crisis line if if you feel skilled in
that area and of course we provide training and all that so you can get hands-on within in inside
the family center or painting you know we have a hallway that looks atrocious and really needs to
be painted and so come in and paint for us um we have we're going to have a lot of needs as we come
through we have a donation center so we have donation volunteers that come in and we need more
donation volunteers to sort the donations um they're filling for our outreach clients filling the
from the food pantry and getting those out into the community um and there's just going to be
so many things um again as we're facing some of these funding cuts and things our volunteers are
going to be more vital um than ever to allow our advocates and our staff to be boots on the ground
out in the community doing the work that we need to do um and if you're not sure if you don't know
if the family center is a good fit for you with the skills that you have or what you're interested in
doing give us a call ask for Amy and she will be happy to talk with you about some of the opportunities
we have and the other thing I'm excited about is Amy is going to be excellent at looking and seeing
okay this person wants to do this we don't necessarily have a volunteer role for that right now but
we could really use this and creating new things so we're very very open um if you're at all
interested or curious give us a call and we'd be happy to talk to you about what that looks like
yeah um the uh this this falls on all of us uh it isn't just the members of the family center uh
this this is a topic that affects all of us it falls on all of us and history will judge all of us
so show where you are on the right side of history the family center for for a very long time for
many years has had this communities back let's show them that we have theirs uh by volunteering
by helping out uh it is a great way to be able to put back into things and they are amazing people
did you get to be around uh so that part is a fun added bonus to all of it uh and I do want to
remind everybody before we wrap up uh Trisha that uh 715 421 1511 that is the family center's
crisis line that line is available 247 if you are in need please do not hesitate 421 1511 is the number
if people do want to find out more about some of the things we talked about or volunteering how can
they get in touch with you yeah so we have a Facebook page you can follow us on social media
and shoot us a message um through our Facebook page you can go to our website which is family
center dot org um or you can give us a call anytime um and we'd be happy to chat with you and get
see how we can bring you in and get you involved Trisha Faulkner joining us in the only way
I'm ever gonna get your name right is if you come in more and more yeah great just gonna have to
come in more yeah excellent that's the only way it's gonna work thank you so much i appreciate you
we'll be back with more midday magazine tomorrow right here on wfhr locally grown radio
