Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hepner with my co-host, Leslie Hoskins and Timothy Kno. So life is happening. You know, we're in late summer, early fall, you know? Mm-hmm. Going on right now and. I recently and not too long ago, got my personal training certification, so I'm very excited about that.
It's been going well. That was like one of the hardest exams I've had
Leslie: to take. That's good. Congratulations.
Christina: Thanks. I thought college was hard. But that was like 10 years ago for me. So it was
Leslie: really hard to go back to school in study. So you thought, I'm super busy, I'm gonna add another job onto my plate.
Yeah. So you know, I just
Christina: have two jobs. Okay. But it's both things I love and I'm a part of the wellness committee at work, so it just kinda works out. Wow. So
Leslie: leader, I should have paid for the certification. I know. Look at that. Continuing your education. Okay. Well great. That's exciting [00:01:00] news. Yeah. Now we'll have somebody to go to with all of our fitness questions.
Yeah. Perfect. So
Christina: yeah. What about you guys? Timothy, what are
Leslie: you up, Tim? Well, uh,
Timothy: glacier and I just had our fourth anniversary being together
Leslie: as a team. Oh my God. Happy anniversary. It's flying
Timothy: by so fast. It is. I mean, she's six be six here soon, so, oh my goodness. I'm already telling her to stop growing.
It's time to slow down. It's going by so
Leslie: fast. That has gone by really fast. Yes. From my perspective as well. Well, that's exciting. Four years, that's a big accomplishment. And you guys are both doing so well.
Timothy: Yeah. I mean, I got her right before the coronavirus hit, like mm-hmm. Four months. So we all went, like other people had to go through that.
We couldn't get out and go anywhere and thankful that she was able to keep her her skills and it was a struggle, but we got through it.
Leslie: That's good. Yeah, that was such a challenging time. You know, so many people had a hard time getting out. Obviously, maintaining their skills, keeping the work up so that you know, really does show to your dedication and how [00:02:00] much it meant to you to continue to get out there and maintain her skills and your skills.
Timothy: What about you, Leslie? What are your big
Leslie: news? Well, speaking of anniversaries, my husband and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary. Wow. I was, was so young when you, oh my gosh, Christina. Yeah. You knew that was coming. I know. We are celebrating 10 years of being married and almost like. 15 years of dating, congratulations.
Or like being together. Oh my gosh,
Christina: yes. That, that's like a huge commitment in life.
Leslie: You know what? Yes. Yes, it is. Christina. Uh, yeah. I'm so, so lucky and so happy. Um, we've built a beautiful little family together and he's still my favorite person, so that feels pretty lucky. Yeah. That's great. Yeah, so that's what we've been up to.
So that's a big anniversary. It is a big life. Decade. Yeah. Decade of your life. We're gonna try to take a little like weekend trip and go do something to celebrate. Um, [00:03:00] little time away. There you go. That's very nice. Yeah, I'm excited. So we've got lots of good things going on. Uh, but today even better than all of that, we have a wonderful guest who is a leader dog team member who has been with the organization for over 40 years.
Christina: Yes, Sharon is the manager of residential and food services, and she's an integral part of making sure our clients feel at home while they're on campus. She's such a huge part of the client experience cause our clients always talk about the food and the resident area when they're there. So we're so lucky that she decided to join us on today's episode.
Timothy: Sharon, it's great to have you. You're one of the most important people there cuz you feed, feed me when I'm there, so I want to thank
Sharon: you.
Timothy: So let's go way back. What brought you back to Leader Dog when you first
Sharon: started there? Well, hi Timothy. Um, so I was newly married and looking for a job. Um, I knew a leader dog from growing up in the area and I was [00:04:00] familiar with the Lions Club.
Um, my in-laws were very active in their club, and, um, before I knew it, I applied. I was hired in the kitchen as a food service aide. I had no idea when I started over 40 year ago. 40 years ago, my lifelong career had
Leslie: begun. That's awesome. So you started out as a food service aid. So how did your career progress then?
Because now you kind of run the whole show down there. How did you get to that point?
Sharon: Well, I was a food service aid and I trained with one of our, um, very knowledgeable cooks for several years. Um, then I started working as a cook and years later as the food service supervisor. Um, and then before I knew it, I was in charge of the residents and the food service team.
Um, and that's where I'm at right now.
Timothy: You've been there for [00:05:00] 40 years, you have seen the biggest changes with Leader Dog. What was it like back in the 40 years ago to now? What's the difference?
Sharon: I. Um, 40 years ago to now. I, I feel like when I first started on, it was kinda like a ma and pa organization and, um, it's really, really became more, you know, we didn't even have an HR team back then.
Oh my gosh. So now it's, it's more like a business in some ways. Um, but then we still, you know, have that connection with, with all of our clients and, and our mission. You know, I feel like it's just gotten better and better over time.
Christina: I don't think sometimes people realize, I mean, I know when I started over two years ago now, I.
Wow. Long time. Um, just kidding. Not compared to everybody else. Um, but, uh, I didn't realize how big the [00:06:00] residence was and how many clients actually come and stay on campus. I really didn't understand that part. So, Sharon, could you walk us through a little bit about like, what happens in the residence and you know, how that all works down there?
Sharon: Well, I think, you know, a big difference too right now is that, you know, when I first started we had just guide dog clients. Um, and we have developed that orientation and mobility portion. Um, and so now we've got people in and out of the residence all the time. Um, we have our, our guide dog classes that are going on.
Um, they're the three week classes. We've got o and m clients coming in and out. Of the residents each week. Um, we have other guests that stay on campus that are here to, to work with our veterinarian team or our o and m team. So it, it's really busy down here. People are coming and going. Um, But you know, never a dull moment and a lot of really awesome people to
Leslie: [00:07:00] meet.
Right. Like you're talking about, people are coming and going all the time. What it takes to flip a room there. And also, one thing real quick, we keep saying down there, because our offices are upstairs above the residence. Yes. So it's not like the resident is in a basement or that we just keep saying down there cuz it's below where our offices are.
We're on the second floor. But the room change is insane. Like the, the cleaning that goes into this building and specifically the residents, our, you know, our team does an amazing job, but they are scrubbing the walls. They're scrubbing, you know, the remotes, everything that anybody would possibly touch in those rooms is getting cleaned.
So when we're flipping a room, It is an all hands on deck. It is a crazy process. So like Sharon's saying, people are coming and going all the time. That it's, it's just so much work. So how do you keep your team, you know, super excited and motivated because they're putting in, you know, long hours and, and hard work.
Sharon: Well, we're really fortunate to have an awesome facility team, um, and we work hand in hand with [00:08:00] them. Um, in the process of people coming and going. We've got a really good system down. Um, and everybody, everybody that works here. I think the important thing is that, um, They care about what they're doing.
They're dedicated to our clients. You know why they're on campus and everybody has that at front and center. So we're all just working together. It, it doesn't feel like there's anything to coordinate cause everybody just jumps in and does what needs to be done. About how many people's on your
Timothy: team, Sharon?
Sharon: Well, the food service staff, we're fortunate to have now a supervisor over there that reports directly to me. Um, so our kitchen staff is made up of approximately seven people, and then we have, um, another. Nine people over here in the residence. So, and we all [00:09:00] just work together, um, so smoothly. The RAs are always, which are our resident assistants, are always ready to jump in and go over and help at meal times with the food service staff.
Um, they, we have a really good system in place. Yeah.
Christina: I will have to say, Sharon, your team is always so up. Be too. I was talking to a couple clients last week who, um, they were coming, they were return graduates, so coming for their second dog and the, um, one of 'em, he was like, oh my gosh. He was like, when I got here, the RA like remembered me.
So I think that is such a. Great feeling for our clients who come back for another dog that, like your staff really does put in that time to get to know them and remembers them when they return. He was like, I was younger when I was here and we caused a little bit of trouble, so they made a joke with me about causing some trouble.
So I just think it's so great how personable and how individualized they are to each person's needs. [00:10:00] Well,
Timothy: while I was there, I was able to go into the RA office and you could just sit there and chat with them. I mean, they're very open, friendly. There's a coffee machine right there, free coffee. What? How good could that be?
And you can just sit there and you can talk about anything. And they're always interested in your life and how your experience is going there at Leader Dog is and how it's going. So they're always welcome in there.
Leslie: Yeah. And speaking to like being unique to everybody's individual needs, one of the biggest things that we talk about is um, the food, right?
It's absolutely delicious. People never wanna leave. People always also think like, oh, I'm gonna lose weight cause I'm gonna be walking so much and stuff. But joke is on us and them because. The kitchen team always has the dessert sitting out first. So when you get to the table, I think this is, you know, a mind game, it's a trick.
So you get to the table, you're so hungry that dessert's already sitting there and you're, you know, diving right in. At least that's my strategy. Got, oh my gosh, this Scotch aous. Um, but dietary restrictions and [00:11:00] food allergies are a really big thing. So many people have them. How does your team possibly accommodate everybody's needs when you have a large group of people that you're, uh, you know, tending to,
Sharon: you know, we try really well or really hard to make sure we have everything charted, so, Elizabeth now is reaching out to clients that, you know, have special dietary needs.
Having those conversations be before they even get on campus. So that helps to keep us, you know, organized so that the cooks have all the information they need ahead of time. To be able to make sure that clients are getting what they're supposed to have. Um, the food service aid and the cook are communicating throughout the meal, and they're working together to make sure that all the right plates are going out to all the right people.
You know, times have changed and I feel like since when I started here, There wasn't all these special [00:12:00] diets and all the, everybody that had all these special dietary needs, I never heard of gluten-free 40
Leslie: years ago. So
Sharon: there's, it's just trying to work with everybody and if we, we reach out to all of them beforehand, before they get here.
It helps us to make sure that we're prepared when they actually arrive on campus to be able to provide them with everything they need for their meals because, We don't want them thinking about their food. We want them being able to focus on what they came for, train, whether they're here to train with their dog or they're here for, uh, orientation, mobility.
We just want them to be successful.
Leslie: I love that cuz I say that all the time and I think like your team is the one that actually makes it happen, right? Like I talk about all the time, how we want people to just focus on their training while they're here. So we wanna make everything else as easy as possible, as relaxing as possible.
We talk about how the meals, it's like going to a restaurant where you go in, you [00:13:00] sit down, the meals brought to you. When you're done, you get up and leave. So you don't have to worry about, you know, finagling and tray walking through a line with a dog or a cane. And you don't have to worry about, oh, if there's, you know, if you're diabetic, how many carbs and different things.
You don't have to worry about all that cuz the kitchen team is communicating with you the whole time, letting you know, keeping you informed if you're gluten free, making sure that your meals are gluten free. And your team just is very dedicated. They take it so seriously. And I personally wanna thank you for that because it is such a relief to clients when they come here to know that they're gonna be taken care of, um, and that their needs are going to be met individually.
So thank you, uh, for what you do and keeping that on track and for the dedication that your team has. Well,
Sharon: thank you. I'd like to take credit, but it's all them. You know,
Leslie: I feel like they just, I think you can take a lot of credit. Well, you created that beautiful atmosphere that's down there. Yes. So you definitely deserve, uh, some credit anyways.
Maybe [00:14:00] not all of it, but we'll give you quite a bit of it. Well, thank you. Yeah,
Christina: so I know, um, the first time I went down into our residence, there's a lot of different things that you wouldn't see in a normal, I guess, like hotel or residence area. And, you know, we always talk about accessibility. So I know we've done some updates and there's different features in our residence.
If someone were to go down there, um, could you talk a little bit about, you know, the things that someone would see if they were, you know, going down to our residence area that make it accessible for our clients?
Sharon: Um, well, I think one of the nice things that they recently have done is our lighting's all been updated.
So in each individual person's room they have a dimmable light switch, which is really nice cuz it helps our clients. You know, some clients prefer to have more lights, some prefer to have less light, and so they can use a dimable switch to, to, um, change their overhead lighting to what works best for them.
Um, We [00:15:00] have, uh, new headboards in the rooms. Um, so now with the headboards, it is a flat surface, a soft flat surface, and not like, um, like a bookshelf type bed board. Um, we have some slimmer box springs on the mattresses that have actually lowered the mattresses, making it a little bit easier for people to get in and out of the bed cuz they were kind of high before.
Um, we have some new nightstands in the rooms. Um, they have some additional outlets, which is great for people that are plugging everything in these days. Everybody's bringing electronics with them. Um, and there's recliners in the room. So I think that was one of the best things that could have been added into our rooms is people can, you know, at the end of the day, if their feet are tired, if they've had a long day and they just wanna kick up their feet and relax, um, it's perfect.
So we have Alexas [00:16:00] in the rooms, um, and we also have, um, Comcast, um, which is cable tv. And, um, we have some large button remotes with that voice control, which people find, you know, to be really beneficial as well.
Timothy: Wow. Sign me up. I'm moving in.
Leslie: That's the thing. People never wanna leave. Yeah. Like people come and it's the, it's their second home. They love being on campus. Right? You've got the support of other clients going through similar things where you can network and talk about resources and build friendships, but then also like all your needs are met.
So I did my internship at Leader Dog, so I lived there for three months. Back yonder actually 10 years ago. Um, because I was doing my internship. And completed it actually one week before I got married. And so, I stayed on campus for three months and I didn't know what to do when I left, right? Because all of my meals have been [00:17:00] prepared for me.
They would go so far as like pick the grapes off the vine and put 'em in the little bowl. I also like had to eat right at seven 30, noon and five 30 if I wasn't eating at those times and forget it. I also then had to do dishes when I left and got back into the real world, like it's just this wonderful little magnificent bubble.
It was hard to leave. I get it. I understand what clients go through, uh, on that sense of, of staying in the residence. It's just, it's just a wonderful experience. I also, uh, was really focusing on trying to lose weight during that time, getting ready for the wedding. Oh, yeah. And so I asked for no desserts, but those scotcheroos, I'll tell you what, I will always break for those, which brings me to the menu.
So the food is delicious. We talk about that all the time. How did the team. Come up with all of the, the menu items and the choices and the Leader Dog cookbook. Where did those come from?
Sharon: Well, our menus changed over the years, um, as we've seen more special [00:18:00] diets coming in and out of our, um, facility. Um, You know, we're looking to try to provide those healthier options.
Um, so Elizabeth, our Elizabeth Schultz, our food service supervisor, um, she's added some really nice twist onto the menu. Um, and her team does a great job, um, brainstorming and working together to provide that variety of meals. Um, we, we, I'd like to say, I know who came up with the idea for the cookbook, but I don't have any idea.
All I know is the suggestion was made and the kitchen team just ran with it and started going, oh, let's put this recipe in there. Let's put that recipe in there. Um, they pulled all the, the client's favorite meals that we had served over the years, and, and that's where our cookbook came from. Well, I
Leslie: have the cookbook and I often actually use it at home.
I just pulled it out the other day. Somebody had asked for a leader dog [00:19:00] recipe and I think I did send them the scotch aoo recipe. Which Sharon, do you mind telling everybody what the scotcheroos are? Cuz now we've talked about 'em too many times. We're gonna get questions about it. I know.
Sharon: You know, it's such a nice little dessert.
It, it's got a rice crispy base. And, um, it's got a, a fudge topping, so it's butterscotch chips. Um, there's peanut butter in there, there's chocolate. It's like all those wonderful tastes all rolled up into one. So they, they press their, uh, rice crispy base in the bottom, and then they pour that fudge topping over the top.
That fudge hardens just enough. It's still soft. Just enough so that you can cut it. They're, they're delightful.
Christina: Alright, not be near that kitchen. If those are being made, they're so
Leslie: away. They're so, so good. I've tried making 'em at home. They're just not the same. Well, I follow the rest of them. Well, [00:20:00] Leslie, Ashley and
Christina: I's office is, is like above the residence, but when you get it in the morning, you can smell the food or when they're making food and it kills me.
Every morning I walk by those stairs. I go down to the residence and I'm like, oh my gosh. It smells
Leslie: so good. Especially if there's bacon. You can smell bacon throughout that entire building. Everybody's always coming, running for some bacon. I'm not kidding you. It's so. Uh, it's so crispy. I just don't understand.
People are running for bacon. Sharon, do people come? People like come running for bacon when they smell it. You know, you
Sharon: can smell it in the parking lot like you get outta your car and you can say, oh, there's bacon today. And they do. They smell it. Just you cook bacon and people will come.
Leslie: I have not seen that before.
Okay. Well, it, it's a different side. When you're in training, things are just different. Okay. Right. Like you're down there all the time. You're way too comfortable with all the RAs and the kitchen. Everybody knows each other. It's just, it's kind of a different world and it's [00:21:00] so much fun, but they're fantastic.
Another interesting thing that you guys do is the Chilian donut. It's for Lion's clubs. That's kind of like their thing when they come. They always have chili and donuts, and I think the donuts are another one of those bacon things. Everybody knows when donuts are being made on campus.
Sharon: You know, 40 years ago when I started the chili and donuts, I thought, why in the world would anybody put chili and donuts together on a menu?
Um, but you know what, it's funny, our lions. They, they, they talk about it. They, they look forward to it. It's such a tradition for them to come here for our lion's visits and have that Chilian donuts. Um, the donut recipe is as wonderful, older recipe has got buttermilk in it and their, you know, their yeast on it.
We let 'em rise and we, we cut 'em and we, you know, uh, Cook, cook 'em up in [00:22:00] our deep fryer and then we dip 'em in the spinella glaze. And, um, everybody, everybody just really loves 'em and. Even the donut holes, people feel like, you know, I can eat a few more of those because they're the holes, right? There's no sale.
Oh. But the donuts are nice and big and um, you know, it's just something we've done for, I don't even know what year they started doing that, but 41 years ago when I started, they were making chili and donuts.
Christina: Oh man. All this talk about
Leslie: food.
Christina: Well, Sharon, I mean, what is something that you're, you know, The food, we've been talking about the food for forever, but what is something you're most proud of, um, you know, during your career?
You
Sharon: know, I really am proud of where I work. I mean, when people ask me, um, about Leader Dog, I find myself just going on and on about what an amazing place it is. And, and after 40 years, I, I do believe, [00:23:00] That, um, you know, I feel the same way. I'm proud of being something bigger than myself. Um, being part of an organization whose main role is to help others and to change lives.
I mean, it really doesn't get any better than that. I mean, what a great career, you know, to be able to, to have that. Your whole,
Leslie: a whole career. Yeah. And, and that's just it. You are such a huge piece of that puzzle and, and providing this experience for clients when they're there and cause right, like people are getting on a plane and sometimes have no idea anybody at Leader Dog, it's a huge step to come someplace you've never been where you don't know anybody.
It can be very, very stressful and your team and you. Make it so comfortable. You, you put people at ease right away. As soon as they walk in the door, you show them around, make sure everybody's comfortable, make sure all of their needs are met, providing 24 hour support. The RAs are there throughout the entire night in case somebody were to [00:24:00] need something or need assistance with something.
Um, and you guys just do such a great job and do it not only because it's your job, but because you love it. You know, when we talk about the RAs, People really do build these friendships because like Timothy mentioned, people are hanging out in there, they're chatting, getting to know one another. And I just think it's such an important piece and you guys do such a wonderful job, so I'm so glad we were able to highlight that here today.
But not only do you help out the the clients, but you guys also help with so many other events. So like mentioned like Lion's Club, so when they're doing their summer visits, you guys are making all the chili, the donuts, you're putting out the breakfast. Same with any harness. The power of leaderships that are happening on campus, you're putting out those breakfasts.
Another main thing that you guys do is camp. Camp is once a year. I know. Christina loves it when I talk about camp, cuz I can go on and on. But camp is huge for your team. Not only do they have to flip the entire residence to get ready for these campers to take over because nobody else is allowed on campus during this time, but they also have to accommodate all of [00:25:00] the meals.
And then we, we go crazy with camp, right? We switch up the meal times. So that's different for your team. They're packing sack lunches for so many of the days and then they provide endless snacks and kid food. You guys also do a make your own pizza night where you let the kids come into the kitchen and, you know, make their dough or put their dough together and all their toppings and really just make a mess out of your space.
Um, how do you guys get ready mentally, I think, for camp and prepare for that? Is that something your team enjoys? Oh, you know
Sharon: what, they love, love when camp campers are here because, It's, it's a different feeling when you get a bunch of kids together and they're all talking about, you know, what they're gonna do or their new friends they made, or it's just a different energy, I guess is the right word.
And, and we just, we know the routine and there's always somebody spearheading, um, The, the camp [00:26:00] experience up in our orientation mobility team. And so we do a lot of preparation ahead of time and it's all about, you know, knowing before the kids get here, you know, what kind of special diets we have, you know, what activities are going on and what we need to order.
So there's a lot of. Pre-prep that's done prior to them even getting on campus, just like there is for the whole team. They, they've got it all planned out and the more organized you are, the smoother everything runs and you really just get to spend that time enjoying the kids and, and, you know, decorating cookies and helping make pizzas.
It's, some of the kids have never done. That type of thing before, and so they really enjoy having that experience while they're here.
Leslie: Absolutely. It's, it's absolutely just so much fun. And I think you said it well-oiled machine. You guys really are with all tasks. Nobody really ever has to worry about the residents or kitchen, cuz we know it's completely under control.
So thank you again [00:27:00] and thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today, Sharon. I think it's such a great time for everybody to learn about all the work and dedication that your team puts into what they do in providing a nice experience for our clients.
Sharon: Well, you're very welcome. Thank you for inviting
Leslie: me.
And thank you so much for listening to the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Cuno and Christina Hapner. We hope you enjoyed learning about Sharon and the critical role her and her team play in the client experience. Please join us next time as we continue to dive into the world of blindness.
And if
Christina: you'd like to learn more about applying to Leader Dog for our services, you can head to leader dog.org or call us at (888) 777-5332. And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or ideas. If you'd like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever Podcast Street.