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Summer Speedos | Building Bridges With Kathy · Neighbourly: Real Stories of Care and Community

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  This is Journey with Care. Hey. We're taking 4 weeks of the summer
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  to keep it short or speedy. Let's just call these
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  summer speedos. Short action packed dives into the
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  incredible stories of everyday people using Care Portal to
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  build connection and change lives. Care Portal, for those
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  that haven't heard, is an amazing platform connecting churches,
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  families, and businesses with specific needs with some of the most
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  vulnerable in our communities. So as you soak up the sun this
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  summer and enjoy these summer remember, Journey with
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  Care is powered by Care Impact, a Canadian charity helping
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  strangers become good neighbours. To keep bringing you our podcast
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  and these stories, we rely on supporters like you.
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  So for the summer Speedo series, join our summer of 30.
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  We're looking for 30 amazing listeners to donate $30 in
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  the next 30 days. Every dollar helps us maintain our
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  equipment, update our software, and help us cover all the
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  expenses associated with bringing you these important stories.
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  So to join the summer 30, check the show notes for the link or visit
• 1:09
  journey with care dot ca slash 30. That's journey with care
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  dot ca slash 30. So go ahead,
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  pause it, and become 1 of the 30 right now. Alright.
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  Enough chit chat. Let's get on with the summer Speedos.
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  My name is Kathy Boschman. I'm an active care portal
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  responder and on the leadership team for Care Portal in Winnipeg.
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  Earlier this year, a care portal request came via
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  email to my inbox. The request was for a queen
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  mattress and a toddler bed for a single mom with 4 children
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  in the neighborhood very close to where I work. My husband
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  and I brought the mattresses over late 1 evening,
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  where we met the family and their friend who was there to help with getting
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  the mattresses up the stairs.
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  The kids were very excited. Mom wasn't feeling so
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  great, but she insisted that we leave the mattresses in the living
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  room and that they would manage.
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  Mom struck me as a very calm and skilled parent,
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  even while she was struggling with her health.
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  The initial connection was short and hurried, which was disappointing,
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  but not unusual for our first connection. I knew I'd be back
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  with the bed frame, so I had hope of a better connection the following
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  visit.
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  When I returned to the family's home the next week, with the help of my
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  friend, we were able to set up the beds and spend a little more time
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  with this young family. The bedding, frames, and
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  mattresses were donated through partnership with another church in our city that
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  uses Care Portal. That provision
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  was a huge help in getting the much needed resources for this family and
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  creating the opportunity too for continued support.
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  These items helped with transitioning a toddler out of a crib,
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  which no longer contained her, and gave the mom the much needed
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  rest. Watching mom soothe her baby
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  in the midst of all the action of setting up the beds, I was
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  impacted by her love and ability to attune to her baby's needs.
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  I shared by observation that she is a baby whisperer, which
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  she received with a smile. It meant so much to me that
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  she knows for a special connection with her children.
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  While we would all feel challenged in parenting for children
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  without a partner, she recognizes the gift that they are.
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  She truly inspires me. In my
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  continued interactions with this family, I have seen mom's resourcefulness.
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  She even invited me into an opportunity to care for someone in her
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  community who was suffering a tragic loss.
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  We teamed up to provide a couple of meals for them and activate a
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  church nearby to continue that support.
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  I am touched by her love, both for her children and for her community.
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  I'm humbled
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  around us who could use some support as we ourselves would like to
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  have it. Her ability to receive and give makes me
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  reflect on my own motivations and desires.
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  This beautiful young woman has inspired me with her courage and
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  her contentment. Her resilience and compassion for others led
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  me to action. She gives me hope for the communities
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  around me. As I think about the importance of
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  community support, I recognize that the first step towards
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  others can be the most challenging, and
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  that doing it is so much better together.
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  Truly, the benefit outweighs the risk.
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  I encourage people to keep their eyes and ears open at how they
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  can connect with their neighbors and show support. I
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  also invite people to check out Care Portal as a community responder,
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  small group, or even activating their whole church community.
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  Everyone can do something.
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  When I reflect on my connections in community because of Care
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  Portal, I'm reminded that as I open my heart and
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  my life to people in my neighborhood who may be in a hard
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  place, that together, we can be transformed
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  into the likeness of who we were created to be. There's
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  hope to be found in the beauty of compassion and loving kindness for
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  1 another. I
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  am grateful to be able to call this mom my friend, and knowing
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  that I will be reaching out and hearing about what
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  she is doing with her kids, and I can share with her what I'm doing
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  with my family. And I'm just really
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  impacted by who she is and so grateful for that
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  connection.
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  Thanks for listening to this summer's Speedo on the Journey with Care podcast. To
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  keep the stories
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  a make a difference. Visit journey with care dot c a slash
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  30. That's journey with care slash 30. Thanks for
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  being part of the journey.