Full Circle with The Christi Reece Group

Western Colorado Community Foundation - Tedi Gillespie - Full Circle Podcast

Christi Reece Season 4 Episode 10

How are cell phones impacting our kids and our parenting? Christi sits down with Tedi Gillespie from the Western Colorado Community Foundation to discuss the Hold the Phone campaign with D51 schools, their brand new Heads Up Parenting initiative, and much more for this month's Full Circle Podcast!

Learn more about the Heads Up campaign at https://wc-cf.org/headsup/

If you prefer to watch your podcasts, head over to our YouTube page to check out this episode and more! 

Speaker 1:

<silence>

Speaker 2:

The Full Circle podcast, compelling interviews and incredible tales from Colorado's Western Slope, from the mountains to the desert. Christy Reese and her team here from the Movers Shakers, and characters of the Grand Valley and surrounding mountain towns that make the Western slope the place we all love. You'll learn, you'll laugh, you'll love with the full circle. Hello everyone and welcome to the Full Circle Podcast. I'm your host, Christy Reese. And today I am really excited to have here , uh, the director of Grants and community outreach from the Western Colorado Community Foundation, Teddy Gillespie. Welcome Teddy.

Speaker 3:

Thank you. Great to be here.

Speaker 2:

So glad to get to talk to you because you have a lot going on at the Community foundation. And I wanna start with a little background on the foundation so people know how long you've been in existence, what your role has been in the community, and how that has changed over the years. And I also want to hear about your building a little bit. 'cause I think that's an important part of your journey.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. Um , and, and that's a good way to look at it , um, because we are just , uh, just coming up on 27 years. Wow. Um, we started in 1996 with some community leaders who felt like they wanted a homegrown , um, community foundation Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> to both be able to raise funds in Western Colorado and meet needs Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, of our various communities through the Western Slope. So we had some phenomenal founders who really are, you know, the backbone and behind the success of our community foundation. Um, people like Dave Woods and Jane Quimbee, the original Jane Quimbee. Um, let's see. Oh, just lots. I'm like seeing the history wall in front of me, <laugh> and , um, Bruce Dixon and, and various people that were leaders in the community at the time. Um, Joe Princeton. Um, so, so these leaders wanted to establish the foundation, which they did. And community foundations are different. We say if you've met one community foundation, you've met one <laugh> , um, because I like it <laugh> . We are , um, we are very unique to our own communities, but essentially a community foundation versus , uh, an issues based foundation like a health foundation or a , um, you know, children's foundation, et cetera . We are, we don't focus on just one issue. We focus across the board , um, on the needs in the community. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And, you know, in terms of the changes over the years, well , certainly growth, and we can talk about those numbers. Yes . Because , um, I've been at the foundation , um, a little over 10 years, and I think we were celebrating 50 million in managed assets at that time. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um, we are well over 170 million.

Speaker 2:

That's amazing.

Speaker 3:

Um , yeah. So we've, you know, again, thanks to the generosity of donors and , um, all kinds of people through the community who recognize the kind of things that we're working on and the needs that we're meeting. Um, and they wanna be part of that. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . So , um, part of the change of that is we , um, we manage by far a lot of donor advised funds, and that means donors can direct their funding annually , um, based on, you know, the charities that they are interested in. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, they can have designated funds, which we have a lot of where they designate the organization or organizations that they want to , um, impact every year. And then we have field of interest funds, which donors can establish based on , uh, a sector Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> that they want to impact, like children's health or basic needs and , um, and the environment, different things like that. But , um, I would say that, you know, the biggest change that we see and where community foundations want to , um, grow to is to be able to have more discretionary funds. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um , and so being the folks that work like myself and my colleagues in , um, in the communities and see the needs on the day-to-day basis, and see the changing of needs, I think that's really where a community foundation , um, really excels. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> in terms of , um, being able to be flexible, what was once true of the needs in a community, you know, 10, 20 years from then would have certainly changed. Yes . And we've seen that. And so it, it's not, you know, me personally or our staff that's here now, it's kind of the mission of the community foundation that 20, 30, 40 years from now, we would be able to see the changing needs and address those , um, with, you know, the donor advised or whatever the funds Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> we

Speaker 2:

Have so , Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and , and focusing some discretionary funds, whether needed most, as opposed to just always having the same amounts go to different organizations. Correct. So you keep in touch with all of the nonprofits in the community. We do. Like you , that's a big job because we have a lot here, but keeping abreast of what they're facing is really important for the community foundation. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> .

Speaker 3:

Yeah. And , um, we really consider ourselves and our nonprofits partners. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, it's definitely a partnership. You know, they, we provide funding, but they're doing the work. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And , um, we would not be able to do what we do and address the issues that we are without those nonprofits on, on the front lines. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> providing the services.

Speaker 2:

So I think that most people know kind of how a community foundation is structured or organized, but for those people that don't, and maybe there's some listeners or watchers out there who are thinking, you know, I, I have the charities that I like to give to, and I write them a check directly, why should I give money to the Community Foundation instead?

Speaker 3:

Right. We , um, address that question a lot. It's a very good one. Um, we don't want to replace, if a donor wants to give directly to a charity, that's great. Um, what we feel we , um, bring to the community is not only our community foundation and not all community foundations focus on , um, endowments like we do. Um, and so we work with a lot of folks who want their funding invested. Um, and that's what we do. And so it grows over time. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and it's there for good for the community. Um, and I often share with people that, you know, again , uh, welcome and we support , um, when folks wanna write that check directly. Um, but with us, you know, the donor has the benefit of not only the ability to invest in a pool , um, with great returns. Um, that is part of how we've grown over the years Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , In addition to more and more donors. Um, we have a great investment strategy and returns on those investments so that , um, for a , a given organization, a donor could establish a , um, a legacy fund, an endowment fund that will support that organization over the long term . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and that's, that's a little different from writing a check. We kind of, you know, we also talk about the United Way, which is a great organization and partners of ours. And , um, kind of the difference there where, you know, they raise money and then , um, distribute it annually. So we think of that kind of like the checkbook of the community , uh, and , um, we think of ourselves more as the savings account. Oh . So I like that . Yeah . So the money is there and it's invested. And , um, one of the things that I've spoken with some of our funds about is , um, the fact that our staff can be those eyes and ears on the ground. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, and not that our nonprofits , um, partners need monitoring, but things happen over time and we kind of have our fingers on the pulse of , you know , um, this organization might be going through , um, you know, some transition Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, they may need different things than what a donor may perceive that they need. So we can really work to be that broker between the donor and the organization for the best benefits. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, for the

Speaker 2:

Community. And there's also advantage to donors for the community foundation if they don't have a charity that they really , um, like giving to on a, on a consistent basis to say, here's some money and let's put it to the best. Good. You , you let me know. Community foundation, where this can be used , uh, where it's needed most right now. Mm-Hmm.

Speaker 3:

<affirmative>, we work with a lot of donors in that respect. Um, we, we do, you know, everything is really person to person , um, custom to the donor's needs and their charitable intent. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . So , um, whether you are talking to one of our donor relations specialists or our program folks, you know, with really the expertise on the program side, put that donor intent together with, you know, the program expertise and, and we think it yields best results for the community.

Speaker 2:

So for a a , a nonprofit organization that is needing help, do they come and apply with you if they need a special , um, you know, they've got a special project going on that they need funds for? Is that how that works?

Speaker 3:

Yes, indeed. Um, we have both , um, competitive grant processes. So , um, lot , lots of committees that , um, work with those competitive grant processes, whether it's the Bronson Memorial Fund, you know, for substance use prevention and treatment , um, or our C community grants fund that we do across the seven counties that we serve in the region. And so those organizations are applying, and it is a competitive process, so there's always more need than there is funding. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, but , um, that is one way that organizations can, you know, access the different , um, different funds that we manage, but also because of the donor directed, donor advised funds and the number of those that we manage. We have what we call a , a request for funding process. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, and that is , um, more of a submission to let us know about the needs so that we can , um, potentially match that with donor interest. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And so that's not necessarily a grant process where it's like we have funding for, you know, substance use prevention right now. This is kind of an open call for letters of interest. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, is another way to put it. And , um, and so that's year round . Nonprofits can , um, submit through that and we review them quarterly. Um, but also we have relationships where I'm pretty sure every nonprofit in Mesa County, <laugh> and most nonprofits across the Western Slope , um, have either my office or my cell phone number Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . So, and they can call me directly and let me know what's going on.

Speaker 2:

And it is the Western Colorado Community Foundation. So what region do you feel that you serve?

Speaker 3:

Um, sure. We serve seven counties. Um, so that's Eagle, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Mesa County, Delta, Montrose, and ure . So that's the seven that we serve.

Speaker 2:

And do you have offices in all of those locations?

Speaker 3:

We don't have offices, but , um, we travel a lot. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , uh, and we did just add a regional outreach director , um, RIE Hall, who is our newest staff person, and she's located in <inaudible> . Wonderful. So that will go a long way towards helping our outreach, whether it's with donors or nonprofits or both. Right . In our southern counties.

Speaker 2:

And when people donate, are they typically donating to keep the money in the community where they live?

Speaker 3:

Sometimes. Um, I mean, for the most part, yes. The majority of our donors are by far place-based and wanting to impact Western Colorado. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, it doesn't mean that they can't ask for a grant to go to victims of Helene Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> in North Carolina. Um, we don't do a lot of , um, I would say we don't do any outside of the United States, except through international organizations that are based, but also even within our community foundation in our regions , um, we have established what we call local community funds. So that's really hyper-local where Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , those folks , um, those leaders want to impact that ear area. Yes. Um, and not necessarily even the whole county. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, for example, in Delta we have three different local community funds , um, and that includes the Surface Creek Community Fund, the West EL Community Fund, and the town of Delta Proper. So , wow . Um, that's really where people want to both raise the money and impact the issues. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> ,

Speaker 2:

That's a lot to know. That's , um, that's great. Well, obviously it's a really vital part of our community, and I wanna just highlight some numbers from the 2023 annual report. So $6 million in new donations and legacy gifts last year, 14 new donor funds established $6.6 million in grants and scholarships distributed. Amazing. And as you said before , $170 million in total assets. That's really incredible. And I wonder how that compares to other foundations of our size. 'cause that's seems like a , an amazing number.

Speaker 3:

Um, we , we feel pretty good <laugh> . Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um, especially because it just continues. It's not like even during Covid that we had, you know, flat years Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, there's just a lot of generous people here on the Western slope, and we're very thankful and grateful , um, for those folks who are so generous Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and want to impact the community. Um, you know, I can't, I don't have the size of kind of , um, uh, you know, similar organizations, but I would say that Telluride Foundation, for example , um, they, they do not do endowments. So they really specialize in specific areas of issues , um, and also kind of more of that money in money out the door. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, the Aspen Community Foundation is only for one county. Um, and they, they tend to focus on specific issues as well. Um, and I , I , I don't think they do endowments. I don't think they specialize in that. Um, and we work with all of these community foundations Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , they're , you know, partners in Yes . In improving the life, you know, us for everyone

Speaker 2:

On the Western , Western Slope. Right. Yeah . West Slope Best slope , right? Yes. Yes, yes.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Um, and part of the journey of the foundation is that you acquired a new building in 2023. Is that, was that 2023 or 2024?

Speaker 3:

Um, 20 and 23 mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, we moved in in February. And , um, it's interesting because we celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2022 and having our own building , um, was part of our five year strategy. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, our , our five year plan, strategic plan. And so we started , um, with , you know, it was all themed dreaming forward , um, and part of our dreaming forward was dreaming about having our own building, not just for our growing staff, but also to establish a Center for philanthropy. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, in, on the Western Slope. Um, a place where we could hold educational trainings for nonprofits , um, donor education meetings , uh, host nonprofits for their meetings. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, all of which we've done. So it was amazing to us , um, that we sort of pictured this, and it happened as quickly as it did. Uh , and we had been office for a long time in the Alpine Bank building. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And , um, we moved diagonally across the

Speaker 2:

Street. <laugh> Yeah . Half a block

Speaker 3:

To our building. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, yeah. It was a big move for those moving trucks, but <laugh> , they tell us it's , um, it's just as , it's , it's just as big if not worse, as moving across the street, which you probably know from I

Speaker 2:

Believe it. Yes. Real

Speaker 3:

Estate. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . But , um, in any case, you know , uh, the people, most people know the , um, the Roper Music building. Yes. Um, as just that , uh, the building's been there for a hundred years. It was originally the odd Fellows building. Um, uh, the gentleman that bought it was a developer that specializes in historic buildings. And so we have the benefit of purchasing a building that is magnificently restored. Yes. Um, historically, you know, kept these beautiful features and it couldn't be more perfect for us. So yeah . We're very happy to be in that space. And it, it has been well utilized by our community right off the bat.

Speaker 2:

Good. I'm glad to hear it. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . So if people want to get in touch with the Community Foundation, and we'll go over this at the end too, I always like to end with this, but if people want to have a meeting or talk to you about , um, the services that you offer, how do they get in touch with you? Teddy,

Speaker 3:

They can call our office at nine seven zero two four three , um, 3 7 6 7. They can also go on our website at WC dash CF as in community foundation.org. And there's actually a form on our website where folks can fill out for interest in reserving the space. Okay. Wonderful. We have like four or five different spaces. Nice. And folks can from, you know, medium sized to large sized conference rooms to large , um, basement. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, kind of hightech area. And

Speaker 2:

We're very familiar with the building. 'cause we actually, that's lease space in that building at one point. And then there was a , there was a lender next door and there was a title company upstairs. So it was all real estate for a while , and we were all over the place in that building. So I know how beautiful it is, and it's, it's a , I'm just thrilled for you all. It's a great home for you. Thank

Speaker 3:

You. Yes, that is right. Thank you for reminding me. <laugh> , actually, yeah. Help sign my daughter's mortgage there. Lots of us have memories of , um, doing those kinds of transactions as well as the Roper music building concerts or Yes. Lessons or what have you.

Speaker 2:

I heard from Brian, who's the one that remodeled the building that when they , uh, looked at the flooring upstairs , um, someone said, I think everybody should , uh, get off this floor right now because it's not stable and someone might fall through. And it just kind of gave you heart failure thinking about all the events that had happened on that second floor of that building with an old floor. But anyway, he , he did it just in time, so

Speaker 3:

Yes, he did.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Um, so one of the things that you are doing now, and I don't know if this is a new thing for the foundation, but you're, you're doing some community outreach programs, and the first one I wanna talk about is the , um, hold the phone campaign. Yes . So how did the community foundation get involved in this and decide to kind of take the lead?

Speaker 3:

Um, well, you know, we have been working in youth mental health for , um, about at least seven or eight years. Um, as a, as part of my program responsibilities. That's something that was near, is near and dear to my heart. Um, and so, you know, with our community going through some significant struggles with youth mental health and , um, our suicide rate is higher than, you know, anywhere else in Colorado. We're getting stabilized with that, thank goodness. But , um, our youth are struggling and they have been. And so that was sort of the entry point of , um, our community foundation starting to work with a local therapist, Elizabeth Clark, who is , um, a specialist in youth mental health, but specifically in kind of the impacts of the internet Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> that we were just starting to see, you know, maybe 10 years ago and now 20 years into the smartphone and devices. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , we are really seeing the impacts on our youth and ourselves. Well, and the pandemic just intensified that exacerbated Yes . Many things. Yes . Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um, and so, you know, sort of around 20 17, 18, we started partnering with Elizabeth Clark, our school district , um, the Mesa County Libraries and Hilltop, and offering , um, presentations for families and youth just to be smarter , um, to stay powerful online. Um, right. Because we were starting to recognize all of the dark places and , um, places kids could go on the internet Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and all of the things that, that was sort of doing. And so that was really our foray into this area. Um, we also were working deeply in children's hunger, and we continue to do that. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . So that's another issue-based focus that , um, we have had for quite some time. And people usually know us by our lunch lizard <laugh> partnership with the school district. Um, and so with Cyberstorm, that was sort of the entree into, you know, this whole world where we're starting to recognize, not, not that we want to go back. I mean, the internet and where we're at with technology now is certainly , um, you know, tremendous benefits to society. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . But we have sort of gone through this time without stopping to recognize, hey , um, it's a powerful tool. Maybe we should have some guardrails on this, or at least think about our children. Yeah . Um, when we are using these devices and , um, really as an extension of ourselves at this point, we have all kind of live with and on our devices. Well,

Speaker 2:

And it's really the time to dive deep into this conversation, because someone my age, we didn't have this when we were younger, but we do now, but we're raising our kids in this, and, and my kids, you know, they had a few years without any knowledge , uh, before we had cell phones and access to so much data. Um, but the kids being born in the last 14 years Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . I mean, it's their, it's all they know.

Speaker 3:

Right. It's their world. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And again, you know, we are not in , uh, in this issue and, and doing these campaigns at all with the thought of , um, put your phones down completely, and, you know, let's go back to the 1970s <laugh> , um, with phones, you know, with coils and attached to them and all of that. Um, we're simply trying to share with folks that we need to be more mindful. Um, and so, you know, sort of , um, we evolved with that work with Elizabeth Clark and our school district and community leaders having conversations to the point where , um, you know, this, in this past year, the school district had looked at , um, implementing a cell phone policy, a no cell phone policy , um, for middle schools and high schools. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And they had a cell phone policy, but as Dr. Hill would explain , um, it , I mean, that had been on the books for 10, 15 years. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . But it was, it was hard to enforce. And , um, it was sporadically, you know, enforced. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and goodness knows teachers have enough to do in trying to teach and, and help our kids and everything else. And so enforcing a cell phone policy when, you know , this one has one, this one doesn't , you know, that kind of thing. And so when they dove deep into it this year, and the school board passed the cell phone policy that was updated, our community foundation reached out, and we wanted to support that. Um, not the enforcement of it. Certainly that was the school district's job, but how could we support the teachers who have enough to do in the classrooms Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , how could we support, you know, sort of the environment to , um, say this is okay. And what we started hearing from kids is that , um, you know, it wasn't so much that they wanted to be on their phone all the time, but they had that fear of missing out. If they were gonna put their phone down, what were they missing? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. But if everybody didn't have access to their phone , um, they didn't have that .

Speaker 2:

So it took away so much , took away that

Speaker 3:

Argument. It took away that , um, so what we did is , um, we talked to our donors and the community and held a campaign. We called, you know, hold the phone. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, and , uh, it was to purchase these cell phone holders , um, three different kinds. One more that , uh, shoe

Speaker 2:

Shoe holder , like a shoe holder ,

Speaker 3:

Uhhuh <affirmative> type of thing. Uh, over the doorway. One was

Speaker 2:

A , one was like a little box,

Speaker 3:

One's a box. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> you could open up and put a lock on. Another was more of a cubby Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, an open cubby. And , um, the school district pulled all of the middle school and high school teachers. The, the most expensive one is called a yonder. And it's actually

Speaker 2:

A , a little pouch.

Speaker 3:

A pouch. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> that opens , um, with a magnet. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> you have to attach it to. And that's been used for concerts and different things for a long time , um, where the artist doesn't want people recording. So , um, so that was on the more expensive side, but whatever teachers classrooms wanted that we, you know , wanted to provide it. So , um,

Speaker 2:

So each teacher got to choose their own method. They did their own device holder.

Speaker 3:

They did Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> what they thought would work best for their classroom. And , um, and so the school district had let us know that they estimated that purchase at about a hundred thousand dollars. Um, and that's what we were able to raise. We raised a hundred thousand $900. Fantastic. Um , to support. Yeah. Those , um, those different holders for the teachers. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And result wise , um, I mean , Dr. Hill has been sharing with us, there wasn't , um, nearly the amount of pushback , uh, that the district thought they would have. Um, you know, we've, we've actually gotten some amazing reports from the kids themselves Yeah . About how they feel, how much more time they feel , um, free enough to have conversations with friends, to play games, to focus on their schoolwork, which of course is the ultimate goal. Yes. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um, but also just, you know, socially Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, the fact that , um, kids are looking each other in the eye, talking to each other, having conversations, regaining some of those skills. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, and again, it's no knock on, you know , how our kids are growing up. It's, it's where we all are at this point with technology.

Speaker 2:

I think we feel as adults and we wanna impart to our kids that having , um, social media relationship with someone is not really having a relationship. A a real relationship, I mean, in person is always gonna be more significant. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and more impactful.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. And I, I think Dr. Hill actually is , has called the whole campaign , um, more social, less media. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . So kind of a , a play on that, but it's really true. Um, we were just , um, Dr. Hill and Elizabeth Clark were sharing some lessons learned. And , um, the whole process the district went through to implement this policy at our local Department of Human Service summit last week. And as a part of a , the panel , um, there was a professor who is in charge of , um, the Masters of Social Work Program at CMU, and she was sharing with us that what they're seeing is students coming in from the high schools , um, into that program, or even from the BA program. Um, one of the first things they have to teach and go over is a lot of the skills that have kind of been lost Yeah . In , in our, you know, in our deployment of so much tech Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and less in person . So kind of how to have a conversation, how to , um, you know, have these very social face-to-face interactions that are, are kind of lost as part of this process. So that's been an interesting,

Speaker 2:

Yeah. I , um, I'll share that. When I was in college, I spent a summer in Europe , uh, mostly, mostly in youth hostels, staying in youth hostels with my cousin. And , uh, what a great experience. And we met so many other travelers along the way, and , uh, took my kids back to Europe a few years ago, and I noticed such a change, you know, with people on their devices that just weren't having conversations with other travelers as much. And I thought, oh , that's such a shame. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , I was such a , something that I treasured so much, and I see. So same situation in schools, right? Right. Like, if you're always on your device, you're not having conversations. Right.

Speaker 3:

It's interesting because one of the , um, and well , we'll , uh, we can jump into our next campaign. Yes. And this has to do with it is , um, you know, as we looked at, and we were actually partnering with Rocky Mountain PBS to produce a PSA in collaboration with Elizabeth , uh, Clark, and we talked about, and the focus of that was kind of just look up. Right. Um, and, you know, the messaging behind it was about, you know, the, the world is at our fingertips. Um, it literally is with the phone, except what we're saying with the kiddos is that their world is in your eyes as a parent. So, you know, we can have all the access in the world to the whole world , um, but if we're losing the interaction with each other, we're losing a lot. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um , so,

Speaker 2:

So, so the new campaign is Heads Up Parenting. Correct. And how , how long ago did this start?

Speaker 3:

Well, we just launched it on October 1st. Okay , great . So brand new . Um , and , but we've been working on it for a long time. So this as well came in that evolution of the different , um, the different impacts of technology that we've been looking at. And , um, what we started to realize is that, yes, there's mental health and youth mental health and kids on their devices and all of that, but really when you go upstream of that, we are looking at what are, what are we doing now as parents? How are we raising our kids? And what is the impact of our device use when we have infants and children and toddlers, and we have lost that ability to , um, only focus on them. Yeah . Now our phones are in the room, literally right there with us the whole time. What we're starting to see is , um, that distraction of a parent with an infant in those zero to three years, really can have an impact on their development. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, and so we started with a PSA , um, that Rocky Mountain Public Media produced, and , um, we sort of call it eye to eye . So babies thrive. Right. And so, looking at that and recognizing that even when you think your infant is not paying attention, they, this is 80% of their brain development is happening between zero to three mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . So all of their, both verbal and nonverbal cues are coming from us, the parents, the caregivers, and we just don't realize how precious those moments are in terms of building your child's best ability. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, in terms of development. And so, w we all recognize that. We think if you ask me, you know, how long do you think you're on your phone every day , Teddy? Oh boy. It would be like , uh, I think 20 minutes <laugh> , you know , I'm looking at it before I go to sleep or whatever. Well, if you had a tracking device that would actually look more like four hours Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> total. Right. And I think that's the thing that we all don't recognize is that it just slips by Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um , and we're cognizant of it. And so this campaign heads up parenting. We're just trying to raise awareness and , um, you know , and share with each other that those moments are precious, they're critical for baby's development, and we really need that eye to eye focus as much as possible during those critical years. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . So that's not to say, and goodness knows, parents , um, you know, there's, you're using your technology to both get critical information that you want to have, right? You're a new parent, like, oh my gosh, they're doing this. What should I do? We're not saying at all that don't use your cell phones or your devices or your, you know , whatever. Um, we're just saying be more cognizant and turn off those notifications. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , when you, you know, when you can certainly turn off non-human notifications. Yes . That bing, bing, bing. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> all the time that you don't need to email your Yeah . And actually, part of what we've done with this campaign is using a series of kind of, well-recognized nursery rhymes and , um, you know, things from our childhoods like baba black sheep, and so baba black sheep, mommy's on her phone, or , um, you know, the parents on the bus scroll on and on. Um, but with the message that, you know, your phone doesn't need you, they do, as in the infant needs your attention. Yeah . Infants can actually sense when they're being ignored. And it's sort of like , um, if everything they're doing is not getting your attention, what's the message we're sending Yeah . To that infant? So

Speaker 2:

There's a lot of research going on in this area, and I I was really interested to read , uh, about it online , um, on your , uh, website. But talking about , um, you know, periods of time during the day when you could turn the phone off, also having phone free zones in your home. Um, what are some of the other techniques that you're encouraging?

Speaker 3:

Um, uh, those are two of my top two favorites is just turning off the notifications, designating phone free zones, like , um, you know, when you're with baby and that critical feeding time, that interaction time, like you can make the kitchen a phone free zone. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, lots of people these days are talking about leaving their phones outside the bedroom. I mean, this is just for any person in these days, just for sanity alone and to recognize, Hey, this is impacting my sleep. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, you know, I don't want to be tied to the next, you know, yeah . Um, tweet that comes over my phone, et cetera. Um, and so those, those free zones are great. The other thing is just to think about , um, replacing that time with real interaction engagement with your baby. So, you know, just playing those games, I mean, you think of things from childhood like Patty Cake and Peekaboo and all of those things. Those are actually really important development techniques that babies emulate. And, and that's how their brain grows. So

Speaker 2:

I was listening to something on NPR just , uh, earlier today , uh, just caught the tail end of some interview, but gentleman was saying, you know, cell phone is, is a misnomer for what This is <laugh> , right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , it is a supercomputer that we each carry around with us. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And it has the power to , um, to do so many things, but also to distract us to no end. Right ? It's not, maybe we need to stop calling it a phone. And maybe that will help people realize , uh, how much we rely on it in so many ways and put it, we need to put it down a little more. Right . Because you

Speaker 3:

Think Right . It's a distraction we've never had in our lives. So we don't know. Um, and I , I know it sounds kind of, I I think almost , um, you know, childish, but I always think of it like we don't know what we don't know. And now that we've started to see the research that we're learning, just how impactful this is, you know, to take two minutes and stop and think about it and say, yeah, why, why am I giving this in my hand more attention than I am my baby even, or, you know, my family at the dinner table Yeah . Or whatever. But it is all of us. So, you know, in this campaign, your phone doesn't need you. They do. Um, just sort of raise that awareness and think about it , um, because we're all there. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , it's not, you know, oh , you are doing this and it's doing it badly. Um, Elizabeth Clark, when we first started into this , um, journey with her, often would talk about in the presentations that it's similar to the automobile. So with the , um, you know, development of the automobile, one of the greatest, you know, technology advances, right? Yeah . That really changed our worlds , um, and brought us access to places, you know , far away and all of that. But when, when it happened and we all got automobiles , um, we didn't have stop signs, we didn't have traffic lights, we didn't have, you know, sidewalks Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um, and so there were all kinds of unintended consequences. And, and so similar with technology , um, we don't, we wanna be cognizant of the unintended consequences. What is this doing to us as our humanity? Um, and we just wanna do a better job. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> with that,

Speaker 2:

So people can find out more about the , um, heads up parenting campaign at your website, wc cf.org/headsup. But if you just go to wcf or type in Western Colorado Community Foundation, you'll get to the website and find more information. I would encourage our listeners , uh, to, to go read some of the information there, because the studies are really powerful and kind of give you goosebumps about, you know, the changes that we need to make Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and , and encouraging young, or not even young parents, but new parents to really pay attention to this information. Mm ,

Speaker 3:

Yes. Thank you. Um, you can also just type in heads up parenting.org that'll get you right to that page. Um, and, you know, part of our campaign, our outreach is to talk to pediatricians and providers and primary care and , um, you know, caregivers, childcare centers just to help spread this word. Um, and I know that everyone I've talked to since we've begun , um, this campaign is just like, oh, you know, hit yourself in the forehead. Of course this makes sense. Yes. We should think about this more. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And maybe if we all just thought a little bit more about it, we could do things differently. Um, I, I share a story about , uh, Elizabeth and I being at , um, uh, some kind of an event, I think it was at Rocky Mountain, PBS, and , uh, talking about the kinds of things that we were doing together and , um, with a mom that was, you know, due in two months, I think. And so we were explaining what we do and , um, about the PSA that we had produced with them, and she just got goosebumps and literally got so emotional and said, I feel like you've just changed the trajectory of my kids' life. Wow . Because she said, I never would've thought about this stuff, but now I won't stop thinking about it. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . So it's really kind of poignant. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> as far as ,

Speaker 2:

Uh , are you looking for more funds for this project? Of

Speaker 3:

Course, yes. Okay . Thank you for asking. Mm-Hmm.

Speaker 2:

<affirmative> <laugh> . So it's not just about information, but if you want to , if, if this topic is important to you, go donate to the Western Colorado Community Foundation to help this project.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. Thank you. We're always happy to talk to folks that want to be part of our work. And , um, we've had some generous donors supporting this, but we have already seen , um, you know, a media campaign , uh, done well , um, does take a lot of funds. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And we, we do not want to do a three month , six month campaign and just be done with it. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , we're on a journey here , um, starting with the , you know , um, cell phones and supporting the schools. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um , we are piloting a lot of this stuff in Mesa County, but we've got seven counties , um, yes . That are all struggling with the same issues. And we would just love to continue , um, this work and , uh, and we're learning even as we're just un mm-Hmm . Unveiling it. Um, different things that we can do and grow into supporting to , um, to really support our communities in this journey that all of us are on. Yes . In trying to do better.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. You brought some of the materials for the campaign. Love to hold some up to the camera and show what you were talking about with the nursery rhymes. Sure.

Speaker 3:

Do I need to be, well,

Speaker 2:

So let me read one or two of them . You have one that is , uh, it's raining, it's pouring, and daddy keeps scrolling. Your phone doesn't need you. They do. That's great. And this one is blah blah , black sheep . Mommy's on her phone.

Speaker 3:

Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Yep . And , um, I've got the itsy bitsy spider felt ignored again. And on the back of all of these materials , um, what we do is have, you know, three simple , um, how to actually reduce your, your screen time and including the ones you mentioned, Christie would turn off your non-human notifications and maybe all of them. Um, and then create device free zones, especially starting with the baby's room. Um, and then use screen time limits. Um, you can set , um, things so that you're actually aware, oh wow, that 30 minutes just went fast. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> all I've been doing is scrolling or checking my messages or what have you. So these are the kinds of materials, and we have them in English and Spanish, and we , um, we have , uh, these to have, you know, the information we'll be able to share with, as I said, providers and out there in the community , um, and , uh, on our website. Um, you'll be able to say, I want to be in touch. I want some of these materials for my office or my school, or what have you. So that's, that's what we're committed to

Speaker 2:

Doing. Wonderful. Well, thank you for the work of the Community foundation , um, dedicated to the health of the children in our community and around Western Colorado. It's really amazing.

Speaker 3:

Well , thanks for helping us share that message. Yes.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for being with us today, Teddy. I really appreciate your time. And , um, again, it it for our listeners and our viewers, if you want to learn more about the community foundation, please go to their website. Um, they always need , uh, funds for all kinds of things, but you can, it just donate to the general fund and , um, do a lot of good around Western Colorado. So yes.

Speaker 3:

Thank

Speaker 2:

You. Thank you. All right everybody. We'll see you next time on the Full Circle Podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a great day. Bye. Thanks for listening. This is Kristy Reese signing out from the Full Circle Podcast.