Dave and I are excited to kick off a new season of the Beyond the Box podcast, where we aim to open a dialogue that challenges stigma and social norms, open our minds to view the world from a new perspective, and provide resources that will help you improve your life in 2024. It is the first week of January, and we know that you are working to make this year your best yet.
In the year and a half that we have been hosting Beyond the Box we have met some incredible members of our community through our interviews who have provided us with a lot of useful resources. So if your goals in the new year involve improving your health and fitness or financial health, volunteering in your community, better managing stress and anxiety, or improving your nutrition I encourage you to check out some of our past podcasts to find some useful resources.
Last year we talked fitness, nutrition, and New Year's resolutions with Bridgette Havens, group fitness instructor and nutrition coach. If improving your fitness in 2024 is one of your goals, then take some time to listen to her podcast. You'll be inspired and will learn more about the services that Bridgette offers as well as about the group fitness classes that are offered in our community.
We also know the new year can be a difficult time for many of us. We've just been through the holidays, it is cold and dark, and many of us are feeling the financial strain after Christmas. Dave and I visited Karen Easter, the Executive Director of REACHOUT of St. Lawrence County. Karen has devoted more than forty years of her life to making these services available to residents of St. Lawrence County, and she has traveled all over to help educate and train others on the topic of suicide intervention. Her son, Hollis, shares that same passion and has followed in Karen's footsteps, working toward the same mission. I expected an informative interview, which we certainly got from Karen, but what I didn't expect were the emotions that came along with that. We spoke about how many of us are affected by suicide, and I was unexpectedly reminded of the ways that suicide has impacted my own life. If you are in crisis, or just need to talk, then you can find all of the information for REACHOUT of St. Lawrence County on our podcast.
With the temperatures dropping and the cold weather settling in, we have been receiving more messages than ever from people in need of assistance with housing in our county. In this episode of Beyond the Box we met with Lindsay Best, Deputy Director of Community Services for St. Lawrence County. Lindsay discusses the different programs and agencies in St. Lawrence County that can assist with finding housing, receiving financial assistance, and accessing wrap-around services. I encourage you to reach out to Lindsay if this is something you are struggling with. The list of resources as well as her contact information can be found in this podcast.
We are very grateful to be receiving so much support, and I am regularly receiving messages from our community members asking how they can help. S.T.E.P. by S.T.E.P., Inc. will be hosting an event on Thursday, January 25th called Homeless No More, and we need your help - we need your voice! We will be announcing the details of the event and how you can help next week, but mark your calendars and save that date - with your participation we can help reduce homelessness in our community. This is how you can become involved and help us advocate for housing in county.
And if you can’t be there, but would like to provide a monetary donation to help support our cause, then you can follow the link below.
We were able to connect with many people over the time that we have been hosting the Beyond the Box podcast, who have provided us with so many useful resources. I've touched on only a few here, but if you haven't had a chance to check out our previous episodes and are looking for some inspiring and information podcasts to help make 2024 you best year yet then I encourage you to do so.
In today’s episode Dave and I sat down and recapped a few more of our past interviews and the resources they provided, and wrapped up our conversation with some of the exciting things that we have planned for 2024.
We wish you much health and happiness in 2024!
Carrie Woodcock
Director of Wellness and Recovery Services
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