Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
This month on "The Spark" the
theme is quality of life.
We'll sit down with a healthcare
organization that has been
leading innovation and
redefining community outreach
and wellness for more than a
century, a non-profit that
enhances the lives of people
with disabilities and one of the
nation's largest urban parks
complete with a playground
designed for discovery.
Have you ever been excited by a
new idea?
Inspired by watching someone
lead by example?
When we talk about creating
change, we start by sharing the
stories of everyday heroes who
are making a difference in their
own way so we can learn and do
the same.
This truth is the power behind
this show which is focused on
business and community leaders
who are leading by example to
give back, fuel change and
create new opportunities for the
Mid-South.
I'm Jeremy Park and this is "The
Spark."
Founded in 1962 by a group of
parents that wanted a safe
working environment for their
children with developmental
disabilities, SRVS has become
the family answer to
disabilities.
I'm here with the executive
director, Tyler Hampton.
Give us a little of a snapshot.
Obviously, 1962 to where we are
today with SRVS.
I know its employment.
It's clinical.
Its education and a learning
center.
You guys cover a very wide
spectrum but in your words, how
do you describe SRVS?
SRVS is a comprehensive provider
of services for people with
disabilities.
We have everything including
residential.
We have a day center.
We have employment services.
We have a nursing facility,
nursing home facility.
And we also have, you know,
everything from a fleet of 115
vehicles to, you know.
We do it all.
And to me, we'll kind of take
those in chunks.
So, let's start with where you
guys began which is SRVS
Industries.
So, a workshop.
And really amazing when you walk
through, the adults are going
through and it's very programmed
out so it's everything from kits
to putting labels on buckets and
paint cans to hamster bedding
and repackaging that.
So, pretty innovative but share
a little about just how
companies can plug in and use
SRVS Industries and how it
really is a benefit for both
sides, especially for the adults
with disabilities.
Right, we can work.
We work on contracts for people
doing things like packaging,
labeling, boxing, shrink-
wrapping, anything we can take.
Items that may have been
mistakenly packaged together and
break them down and repackage
them.
And so we can provide that added
value to whatever the product is
that we're working on.
We work with a wide variety of
customers.
Everyone from FedEx to Sherwin
Williams to Pentax which is the
one you were talking about.
We work with the Memphis school
systems doing school kits.
We just have a wide variety and
a wide ability to be able to
work on contracts for almost any
customer.
And you guys also have the
ability to go out and put the
workers in the actual employment
opportunities physically so
restaurants and different
business that are hiring the
adults.
And you guys train them so share
a little about that dynamic.
We have a program called
Community Employment Services.
And Community Employment
Services actually has job
coaches and job counselors who
can go in to a place of
employment, look at the work
that's being done by the typical
workers, find those spots within
that work product cycle that our
people could do and carve that
out so that our people could
make a bid on that job.
It's good to hire people with
disabilities in the community
but not all employers realize
that.
So, one of the things that SRVS
really needs is more employers
who are willing to work with us
to hire our folks and put them
in their place of employment.
And I know we had TLC's "The
Little Couple" recently in and
they were talking about, you
know, the loyalty factors that
those with disabilities are
extremely loyal and they're very
hard-working, etcetera.
Very interesting dynamic.
And one of the things you guys
are becoming famous for is the
Montessori approach in your
learning center.
And before we talk about that,
let's take a quick look at the
Montessori approach and a day in
the life at SRVS.
Let's give viewers a little bit
of a snapshot of what we're
talking about here.
♪♪♪
Here at SRVS we want to enhance
the lives of adults with
disabilities and provide peace
of mind to the families that we
serve.
We're one of the first
organizations of our kind to
implement the Montessori
teaching method.
It's a person-centered
philosophy where individuals
explore their environment at
their own pace and according to
their own interests and in
keeping with their cognitive and
motor skill development.
So, the skills that they learn
here at the learning center,
such as a model apartment, they
can transfer to their own homes.
We support people like Chris
who's here at the learning
center.
Chris used to live with his mom
but now he lives in his own
home.
So the more things he can learn
here at the learning center, he
can transfer those to his own
home.
So, we just saw a day in the
life at SRVS and especially the
Montessori approach.
How do you describe the
Montessori approach though?
I think it's really fascinating
when you look at how it breaks
down and how they're able to
learn by themselves and
everything is very packaged
neatly.
That's my version but what's the
real version of the Montessori
approach?
Well, the Montessori approach is
unique to people with
intellectual disabilities.
It's never been used before as a
method of teaching or a method
of providing activities for
people.
We take that Montessori approach
and it is self-directing so the
individuals can actually choose
the activities they want to work
on rather than having something
put in front of them.
It engages the instructor
because the instructor has to
show them how to do that
activity the correct way.
And then, it engages the
individual because the
individual has this self-
contained activity that is self-
correcting so that they know
when it's done wrong, how it's
done wrong and the instructor
can show them how to do it
correctly.
One of the things in the
learning center is you guys
have, you have a rhythmic
section where they're learning
on percussions.
You have a sensory room.
You have a kitchen.
You have even a almost like a
bedroom and dormitory where you
guys can teach them how to make
the bed, how to live a normal
life.
And I think that's really
fascinating when you do a walk-
through which I have to say
personally, it's one of the-
Everyone needs to go walk
through and take a tour because
you can't walk out of there
without being hugged and loved
on.
You walk out with a huge smile
on your face.
But share a little above and
beyond the Montessori approach,
what you guys are doing for
quality of life because I think
this is impressive.
You're really giving them a very
high quality of life.
Well for instance, the
apartment, the model apartment
you were talking about.
The purpose of that model
apartment is actually to help
people understand what's
required to keep their own home.
So, it teaches people how to.
Everything from how to set the
table to how to make a bed, how
to clean the floors.
Just teaches them those skills
of everyday living that everyone
needs to learn.
The model kitchen, we bring in
people from outside to teach
nutritional cooking, nutritional
meals.
We have an art center what we do
in the art center is actually
work with people to understand
how art can open up their
understanding of their own
abilities.
And we've really seen people
blossom in all of these areas as
they worked through these
activities.
So you guys budget 30 million,
economic impact 97 million here
in the Mid-South.
Helping 800.
Obviously there's a very long
waiting list.
What's next for SRVS?
We are anticipating opening some
satellite learning centers out
east.
It's one of the things that our
board is really excited about.
We want to open to people who
may not be able to qualify off
the waiting list but could
afford to pay for services on
some level themselves and
provide the same type of quality
that we have in our learning
center to people all across
Shelby County.
Well I definitely love the work
you guys are doing.
Definitely encourage people to
go take a tour of the facility.
And really, when you look at
across the board everything from
the employment to the learning
center, the clinical, the
residential, you guys do an
amazing job so thank you very
much for coming on the show.
Thank you.
♪♪♪
With the central theme of
quality of life, health and
wellbeing, I can't think of
anymore appropriate guest to
have on this show than Baptist
Memorial Healthcare Corporation,
recently ranked as one of the
top ten in the nation for the
Charitable Services Healthcare
Organization.
I'm here with the executive vice
president.
He's the Chief Operating Officer
Jason Little.
And give us-
You know, we talk about Baptist.
You guys are a household name
here in the Mid-South but give
us a little bit of the history
and where we are today with
Baptist.
Yeah, thanks for having us,
Jeremy.
You know, it all started in 1912
when a group of preachers and
people felt the need to have a
hospital to serve the people of
the Mid-South.
And from that seven story
building, we grew it one time to
be the largest private hospital
in the world but now in to a
regional healthcare system with
14 hospitals in northern
Mississippi, eastern Arkansas
and western Tennessee, 4500
physicians, over 14 thousand
employees.
And so, really one of the
largest not for profit
healthcare systems in the
country and it really is a
privilege to be a part of it.
And share your mission.
I love your mission.
Yeah, our mission from day one
has mirrored the threefold
ministry of Christ of healing,
preaching and teaching.
The teaching comes in.
We have a college downtown that
prepares over a thousand
bachelor students for a field in
healthcare.
And of course, preaching and
healing is such an important
part of what we do taking care
of people at their most
vulnerable time.
And one of the things with "The
Spark" that we love showcasing
is the community engagement,
leading by example.
And you guys do a tremendous job
with this with Baptist Operation
Outreach.
Describe Baptist Operation
Outreach and how it's really,
it's reshaping taking care of
the homeless.
I mean, over 3000 yearly.
So share a little about Baptist
Operation Outreach.
Yeah, thanks.
Well, this really started with a
shared vision between us and
Christ Community.
Christ Community itself started
with some support from Baptist
and some seed money in 1995.
And then together in 2003, we
opened Baptist Operation
Outreach recognizing that
homeless in our community, it
was difficult for them to come
to the hospital when they needed
it.
And we needed to carry care to
them at their point of need
where they were.
And so through the help of a
mobile clinic, we've become
frankly the primary medical home
for many who find themselves
homeless in our community
providing free primary care,
dental car through a partnership
with Bellevue Baptists Church,
vision care through a
partnership with the Southern
College of Optometry and Davis
Vision.
We provide glasses.
You know, it's hard to get a
job, apply for a job or go back
to school if you can't see.
So we operate four days a week.
You can find us in Mid-town on
the corner of Cleveland and
Jefferson.
On Mondays, we're at the Memphis
Union Mission.
But I'm excited to announce,
too, by the end of March, we're
opening a fifth day.
Five days a week.
And our fifth day will be at the
Salvation Army.
But maybe the most exciting
thing is currently in
production, we have a new van.
That's right.
New van and so we're going to
bring that to Baptists Operation
Outreach.
It'll come this summer so we're
looking forward to that.
Well, let's take a quick look at
when you talk about Operation
Outreach, Baptist Operation
Outreach.
Let's take a quick look at that
in action.
♪♪♪
Baptist Operation Outreach is a
program that we began in 2003 in
a partnership with Christ
Community Health Services.
The primary goal of Baptist
Operation Outreach is to provide
healthcare for the homeless at
no cost.
We see patients on a regular
basis of four days a week.
We provide them with healthcare.
We try to provide what they need
in enabling services, making the
connections that they've lost
sometimes with the case managers
in the community.
For somebody who is homeless,
hopeless and in complete
despair, most of the time
they've crossed over in to that
incomprehensible demoralization
where morals and values are
almost at an all-time low.
And then to come in and have
somebody treat you with the love
of God, to look down their nose
at you, to make you feel human
is priceless, absolutely
priceless.
One of the things that's
fascinating to me when you talk
about Baptist Operation Outreach
is, and we've talked about this
before in the past, is the face
of homelessness is changing.
And so, you're seeing a lot of
families and women.
And you guys do a very goo job,
especially with Baptist all the
way through from birth.
NICU units all the way through
hospice care, that quality of
life aspect is huge.
What's kind of take this in
threads is women.
You guys do a lot focused on
women.
Share a little about the
mammography clinics and the vans
that you guys have going out
there and taking care of women.
Well, sure.
It's our second van.
There's kind of a theme there
but we-
You know, one in eight women in
their lifetime is going to face
breast cancer.
And so, one of the things we
have through our mobile outreach
van for mammography is for women
who either can't afford a
mammogram or their insurance
doesn't pay for it.
We're able to take this mobile
screening out all throughout
Shelby County and parts of our
region and really through
thousands of free mammograms a
year are able to identify and
catch breast cancer early to
give women their best fighting
chance with the disease.
One of the things that makes you
guys unique is you have the
Baptist Trinity Hospice House.
Yeah.
Describe the Hospice House.
Well, I wish it's something
everybody could have an
opportunity to just come and see
and visit what's going on out
there.
The first residential Hospice
House of its kind in the Mid-
South opened and it really is
just a home-like environment
with art and fireplaces and, you
know, just the whole bit.
It really is a beautiful
facility that is aimed and
focused on taking care of
patients at the end of their
lifetime.
So those with terminal diseases,
we offer palliative care,
comfort meds for those with
chronic pain and really give
folks an opportunity at the end
of their life to have dignity
and control in some of their
final days.
I can't tell you how many
letters I receive personally and
all throughout the organization
from families that have come in
to contact and had a loved one
in the Trinity Hospice House.
It's a unique facility.
When they do go out, when the
viewers do, once again, you have
to go see it because it's like a
resort.
Camp Good Grief, you've got this
area there, the Kemmons Wilson
Center for Good Grief that it's
got the volcano room where kids
can get out their frustrations.
And amazing program built around
those that have lost a loved one
and help them get back in and
find balance with their life.
So all the way across, I love
what you guys are doing.
One of the next guests on is
Shelby Farms Park Conservancy
and you guys have a unique
partnership with them with the
Shelby Fit app.
Describe this app
Well, I love Shelby Farms and
this is an opportunity for us to
partner with them and what
they're doing in the unique spot
that they fill in our community
to develop an app for the iPhone
where it helps you with your
health, helps you manage your
health.
So, you can go in and utilize
the app and it will tell you,
help you with your exercise work
out, help moniter your BMI, your
body mass index, tell you about
some of the current events that
are going on at the park, maybe
where in the park you need to go
to focus on the exercise routine
that you're working on.
Just a whole host of weekly kind
of health advice, health tips
and articles you find on the
app, too.
Had already thousands of people
who have downloaded this and
we're really excited about the
partnership with the park.
Well, that's a great, great
segue in to having Laura on
after you.
And just everything you guys do
in the community, I can't thank
you enough for the blessing you
provide here in the Mid-South.
So, thank you very much.
It's a real privilege.
Thank you for having us.
♪♪♪
We teased it at the onset but we
have one of the nation's largest
urban parks right here in our
own backyard with Shelby Farms
Park Conservancy.
We're here with the executive
director, Laura Adams.
And 4500 acres, 6.2 miles or
something.
I mean, it's ridiculous.
How do you describe Shelby Farms
Park?
It's big.
It's a big bold place and it's a
big bold vision that we had for
it.
We are, in fact, perhaps the
largest Metropolitan park in
North America and people are
talking about us now all over
the world.
We're getting calls from the
Wall Street Journal and the New
York Times.
And really, I mean, you know,
city -
Where Shelby Farms fits in is
that a city has to take stock of
what its great assets are.
And we have, you know, a
beautiful riverfront.
We have a great children's
museum and a wonderful zoo and
The Orpheum and all of these
wonderful things.
And then we have right at the
geographic heart of our
community, we have the largest
metropolitan park in North
America.
And to me, I mean, it's Buffalo.
It's trials, its jogging, it's
5ks.
It's the lakes, the picnic
areas, horseback riding.
You guys have so much out there.
You know, and talk about from a
sustainability effort but also
to Knowledge Workers.
That's where every city is
talking about Knowledge Workers
and the creative class and
bringing them in.
And they're looking for places
to take their family, places to
go and exercise and see the blue
sky and the clean air.
And that's Shelby Farms.
Shelby Farms is a huge
attractor.
We know it's true.
We talk to employers all of the
time.
We talk to people in the park.
If I had a nickel for everybody
told me they couldn't live in
Memphis if it weren't for Shelby
Farms, I could retire.
I mean, it's absolutely true.
The economic indicators are
there.
People are looking for these
kinds of facilities.
When you think about great
cities across the board, across
the United States, you know,
each one has its signature park.
In New York City, it's Central
Park.
In Saint Louis, it's Forrest
Park.
And in Atlanta, it's Piedmont
Park.
And in Memphis, it's Shelby
Farms Park.
And the studies are being done.
I mean, we know the economic
impact that it has even on the
edges of the park on the edges
of the Shelby Farms Greenline
which we also manage.
And then you can see there's new
businesses that spring up.
There's new communities and a
sense of community that comes up
out of it, property values.
I mean, all around, it's great
for Memphis.
And I want to add teaser a
little bit but you've got
something very unique with the
Woodland Discovery Playground.
And it's amazing but we'll give
viewers a little bit of a
snapshot of their own.
♪♪♪
I think if I were to stumble
upon a playground like ours, I
would be excited and surprised.
It's not what you expect but
it's beautiful and tells a
story.
People may not realize but the
playground is actually one of
the only sights in the world
certified by the sustainable
sites initiative which is like
lead certification but for
outdoor spaces.
So, you know, the steel arbor in
the playground is all recycled
and the chairs that are in the
playground are made from
recycles milk jugs.
And the surfacing is recycles
sneakers.
So, it's a very creative and
interesting space.
It's really built with the fun
and fitness and creative
development in mind.
But most importantly, it's just
awesome.
Kid's love it.
♪♪♪
So, we just saw a little about
the Woodland Discovery
Playground at Shelby Farms Park
Conservancy.
Let's hear from you though.
What is your version?
I look at it as it's nature
infused with learning, infused
with play.
It's kind of age-appropriate,
too.
And there's a lot going on there
but what's your version of the
Woodland Playground Discovery?
Well, I mean it's just a
remarkable play space.
There's really nothing like it
in the United States.
In fact, when we were in our
early planning stages for it,
which was early 2009, we
wouldn't even allow it to be
called a playground because, you
know, your mind just
automatically goes to -
You know, playground, you think
about the orange and the blue
and the yellow and the plastic
and the slides.
And it just was so far in the
box and we knew that we wanted
to create something that was
unique and special that could
get children and families
outdoors and playing naturally.
Leave the ipods and ipads at
home, right?
Exactly!
You know, that they could learn
about sustainability, that they
could feel like they were
risking because risk is so
important to childhood
development.
Even though it's completely
safe, it has that sense of
adventure and discovery and
risk.
So, you know, we looked in the
United States and at that time,
there was nothing interesting
going on.
So, we looked across the globe.
And we studied playgrounds in
Germany and the UK and the
Netherlands.
We talked to experts.
We brought in all the right
people, our designer for Shelby
Farms, play theorists,
psychologists, teachers,
artists, families that were
currently using Shelby Farms
Park, families that had never
been to Shelby Farms Park
before.
And we sent them through this
series of very planned workshops
where we were able to give them
tasks and talk to them about
play and film them and watch
them, most of all, observe them
and take all of that
information, synthesize it and
give it back to our designer of
field operation.
And then we came up with
Woodland Discovery Playground.
And it exceeded all of our
expectations.
And now, cities around the
country are calling us to want
to copy our playground.
I love that.
And talk about when you look at
it, you guys have a big
initiative, the million trees,
planting those.
You guys have a number of
partnerships, very collaborative
on your end.
But describe kind of some of
those sustainability efforts and
where that's leading us to
tomorrow.
Yeah, well, you know, at the
heart of what we do is
environmental sustainability.
It's part of our DNA.
So, as we look around the park
and we have to privilege the
natural environment and the
ecosystem.
So, planting a million trees is
really part of that.
We planted several thousand,
five or six thousand already.
We have an upcoming partnership
with the Wolf River Conservancy
that will be planting probably a
thousand more.
We're working on very early
stages.
I'm working on a major
restoration, bottomland forest
restoration along the Wolf River
which would be remarkable.
I can't tell you too much about
it yet but it's, you know, it's
really it's all good.
And it's, you know, improving
the space.
And one of the things we talk
about, we talk about the Shelby
Greenline and everything you
guys are doing with the park and
the conservancy.
Most people don't know that
you're membership driven.
So, when you look at a big part
of your efforts and your
sustainability efforts are tied
to memberships and going out
there, big things like Earth
Week.
Describe some of the events.
Not only do you guys have summer
camps and programs as well but
describe some of those things
between membership and the
events that really allow people
to come in, plug in, enjoy the
park but also to help you guys
in your efforts.
You know, everything we do is in
partner with Shelby County
government which is a great
partner.
And your budget this year is two
and a half million dollars.
And of that, we raised $2
million privately.
And your events are, you know,
part of it is outreach but part
of it is it's part of our
business plans.
So, we produce Starry Nights
which is wonderful for the
community but its also good for
helping us to be economically
sustainable at the park.
We do a large Earth Week
celebration.
We do events around the
anniversary of the Greenline.
We have a very vibrant
membership program which allows
us to communicate with our
audiences and our customers and
allows us to learn from them.
Well, I can't say enough but the
things you guys are doing around
here.
I mean, I'm truly excited.
I love going out to the events,
too.
It's a great way to plug in and
enjoy the beautiful weather and
Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.
So, thank you very much for
coming on the show.
Thank you.
♪♪♪
Quality of life references the
importance of physical and
mental health, recreation and
leisure time, and social
belonging.
These are key balancing points
between our family and friends,
careers and environment.
Indeed, there is no better time
than no to focus on your health,
enjoy time outside with your
family and help others in need,
realizing we all have the same
basic goals in life.
Thank you for watching "The
Spark."
To learn more about each of the
guests and interact with your
stories others leading by
example, visit thesparktv-dot-
org.
We look forward to seeing you
next month and hopefully you'll
join with us in creating a spark
for the Mid-South.
♪♪♪