May 21, 2025 • 30 mins
Susanne Cole, President & CEO of Pressley Ridge, has devoted over 35 years to helping vulnerable children and families thrive. Adopted at birth, her personal story fuels her passion. Under her leadership, the nonprofit has grown significantly, serving 8,000+ annually with innovative, community-based child welfare programs across seven states. https://www.pressleyridge.org/
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
And welcome in. This is a public affairs program shedding
the light on the interest and issues and concerns of
the greater Pittsburgh Aaria, Good morning. My name is Johnny Hert,
Well your host. Let's say hello to Suzanne Cole and
Matt Millett of the nonprofit Presley Rich. Thank you for
being with me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
So tell us everything we need to know about your organization.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well Pressle Ridge is a large organization that serves children
and families across seven states, and we're headquartered right here
in Pittsburgh. And so really our mission is to do
whatever it takes to create success for kids and families.
And all that means is that we have lots of
kids and families in our communities every day that face
some significant challenges in their lives, and we're here to
support them and help them however we can.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
And how do you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
We have over seventy different programs we really try to
work with keeping kids and families in their home. So
think about like coming into someone's home and just trying
to address any challenges through counseling or supports, linking them
to services. If kids and families can't together we do
foster care services and adoption, but our goal was really
to keep kids and families together. We also have some
(01:06):
hoghly specialized services for children that need a little bit
more support. We run some private academic license schools, and
we have some specialized residential programs for kids and families.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
And you have a big event coming up. Tell us
a little more about that.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Matt, Yeah, we're really excited. We have partnered with Permanny Brothers.
On June thirteenth, out at the Harmerville location, we're going
to have a drive box there where fans can come
out either of the morning show and try their chance
at a closest to the pen contest, and they can
win tickets to the Trophy Club over at Oakmont on Sunday.
(01:42):
So we're really looking forward to that not only exposing
people to Primanny's great food, but also to the important
needs that you know, Presley Ridge fundraises for.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Now, if somebody wants more information on the organization or
the event that's happening at tech Primanny's, what's.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Your website dot org?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
All right, so let me dig a little deeper into
your story, because I think that's a good way to start.
Is you have a fascinating story, so tell us a
little bit more.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Well, I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. I was
adopted at a very young age by two parents. One is,
you know, a school teacher, the other was a manager
of a shoe store. And so growing up, I mean,
my parents always just kind of instilled the values in
me that get a good education and try to give
back to the community. And so over the years, I thought, well,
(02:33):
I'm not sure what I want to do with my life,
although my mother was really pushing you've got to go
to college, and so I did. When I was in school,
I thought I wanted to go into federal law enforcement,
and so I got a criminal justice degree. And then,
like every other kid, when you get out of school,
you think, uh oh, I got to.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Get a job.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
And so Presley Ridge was hiring, and I thought, you know,
I like kids. This is kind of a little bit
like law enforcement. Kids were court ordered to a residential
facility in West Virginia. They needed some treatment services and
we need to really kind of help them be able
to manage behaviors and then get back home. So I interviewed,
(03:12):
I got the job. I really liked it. It was difficult.
I didn't think that I would stay there. I thought
that I would really go back to law enforcement. But
what ended up happening was I ended up being a
supervisor there, getting promoted running that program, went back to school,
got my master's degree in special education, thought maybe I'll
(03:36):
stick it out a little bit longer, and then eventually
became the executive director over all of our services in
West Virginia and moved on up the chain, became the
CEO in twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
So you really started from the bottom and worked your
way all the way to the top of as a CEO.
So how is that How has that helped you with
your management style?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah? You know, I think that by working in the
direct care position and really working directly with the kids
and working in lots of different environments. So I worked
in you know, what's called residential services where kids live
in a facility for twenty four hours a day and
get treatment. And then I worked in foster care services,
and then I worked with families in their homes, and
(04:22):
then I worked in the community doing things, and then
oversaw some of our schools. I think being able to
see all these different aspects of different service delivery has
really helped me be able to get a perspective of
what employees face on a daily basis. You know, this
is challenging. I mean, kids and families are hurting. Kids
and families are trying to find ways to help themselves
(04:45):
and overcome these challenges. But a lot of times that
comes out in behaviors that we don't like to see
and that we're trying to correct, and so staff have
to really help the kids and families work through the
trauma that they've experience in their life. And therefore staff
are exposed to a lot of trauma. And so I
think by me doing that work, myself understood the feelings
(05:08):
and emotions that I had going through all of that
at work, taking work home, trying to separate work from
personal life, and just really realizing the stress that it
puts on everybody. When you're trying to help someone in
a challenging situation, you.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Know exactly what the frontline troops are facing, and so
you have a little bit more of a perspective of
what they need to do.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, now, I'll ever want to forget that. I mean,
I think that's the one thing that as a good
leader and as a strong leader. That I always want
to keep in perspective is, you know, as leaders, we
have to make management decisions, we have to make business decisions.
But at the end of the day, this is about
the kids and families that we're serving, and it's about
our staff who are sacrificing each and every moment to
(05:52):
help somebody else. And it's challenging. So I never want
to forget that.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
You when you were talking about the different positions that
you held at Presley Ridge, it kind of shine the
light of how many things your organization really does. So
let's dig a little deeper. Can you can you tell
us a little bit more about what Presley Ridge does
from a you know, from a from a not just
(06:17):
a you know, a big picture, but the micro vision
of what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Sure, so, kids and families get referred to us from
the Department of Social Services in various states or juvenile probation.
Sometimes the kids with with you know that have issues
and problems exactly right, exactly, and all of it usually
is just rooted in some trauma that has happened. Right,
we all experienced traumatic events, we all deal with those differently,
(06:43):
and so the kids and families that we serve have
had problems, and so what Pressley Ridge does is we
meet them where they are. We come in, we have
conversations with them, We look at what issues they're facing,
and then we create different types of treatment, plans and services.
Is to address those to really help them be successful
and to not have to have formal intervention like Presley
(07:07):
Ridge in the future, or to know how to get
it from their communities and through their natural supports. So
we're doing things like counseling, We're doing things like crisis
management and intervention, going in and making sure that when
things are out of control that we can settle it down,
help kids and families through the chaos and find better
ways to handle challenges that come their way. But really
(07:29):
our mission here is to keep kids and families together
and help them understand what a healthy family looks like
and to get the services and supports they need to
continue to be successful.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Without naming names, can you give us an example of
maybe how you've helped a child in their family.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Sure, so, you know, let's just take a situation where
and we had this we all know, we went through COVID.
It was a really challenging time really when was Yeah,
and so lots of stress on kids and families. You know,
we're not meant to be isolated from people, and so
when we're in these types of situations. We had, you know,
(08:05):
a family that mom was home, there were you know
a number of kids in the home. They were trying
to do school online. You know, think about that, remember
those days. We have three kids trying to use one
computer to get through school. Dad loses his job during
the process, creates a lot of stress. Kids are acting out,
(08:26):
kids getting involved in drinking and getting involved in problems
in the community. And so family is starting to really
experience a crisis, not know what to do, and at
that time, it's not like you can go somewhere. So
during that time, our staff we're still just like you know,
first responders, masking up and going into homes and trying
(08:48):
to help manage situations. So we would take a counselor
into a home versus you having to come to us.
We would sit down, we would go through what's happening
with your family, and then we would talk about what
are the things that we can do to try to
put things back together. So how do we help the
child deal with their feelings of isolation and depression and
(09:09):
not use drugs or alcohol. How do we help manage
the stress that mom's facing around trying to just manage
the household, put food on the table, get the kids
through school while she's dealing with her own depression. How
do we help dad, you know, not feel awful about
losing his job and get back into the job market
(09:30):
in the future. So really taking this holistic approach to
helping a family and not being judgmental and understanding that
we all have different challenges. And so that's just one
type of in home what we call a.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Thousand different kind of examples for that. How many individuals
do you generally help in any given year?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
About eight thousand?
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, And that's you know, I always say it's really
hard to measure this because those are really folks that
are people, kids that are referred to us. But we
really don't just work with the individual that's referred to us.
We work with the entire family. You can't just you know,
if a kid comes referred to Presley Ridge because they're
acting out, fighting at school, going out and you know,
(10:17):
being true at doing things they shouldn't be doing. We
can't just work with a kid. We need to be
able to work with the whole family situation that's happening,
and what's going on in the community. So that's just
the individuals, but I would tell you we touched tens
of thousands of people.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole Presley Ridge a special event
coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth at Primanni Brothers
Restaurant in Harmerville celebrating the US Open. If you want
more information, what is your website again.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
It is Presleyridge dot org.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
That's pretty easy, all right. So you talked about, you know,
the father and the mother in the and the child
and dealing with the family. Do you deal with stigma
quite a bit?
Speaker 4 (10:53):
We do.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
We do. I think that, you know, I think over
the years, mental health stigma has improved. We've seen athletes
come out and talk about it more openly. We've seen
artists come out and talk about it more openly. But
in the news still, when you hear about a situation
where a kid has done something in the community that
(11:15):
you know, can be pretty horrific. I mean, we hear
about kids taking guns to school, We hear about, you know, suicidality,
a lot we hear about all these different things that
are problems that are impacting our community, and I think
our initial reaction is to just blame somebody instantly and
to look at the problem, the behavior at the surface
of what's in front of us. And what we really
needed to do is to take a moment and take
(11:37):
a step back and really evaluate what got us to
this point. And if you go back and you look,
a lot of times what we'll find is significant trauma
in someone's past, you know, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional
abuse that has not been addressed at the right place
and time in that person's life that has caused them
(11:58):
to then you know, display behaviors that are just unacceptable
and are causing more challenges than anything else. But it's
not to excuse behavior, but to help people understand that
mental health is real and it is something that we
need to normalize talking about, and it's also a part
of our overall health and well being. So how we
feel mentally, you know, impacts us physically, how we feel
(12:22):
emotionally impacts us mentally. All of those things kind of
connect and I just wish that we would have more
conversation about or at least continue our conversation, increase our
conversation about mental health and wellness.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Right. I think as a community we need to be
more empathetic about what those situations. Now, you know, you
named a number of things that may be a little extreme,
but we all as individuals and families and loved ones,
we all face difficulties that may be as difficult as
the ones that you mentioned. But I think it's important
(12:55):
as a community that we empathize with individuals who are
going through this process because if they're coming to you,
they're looking for solutions, they're working to better their situation.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yes, yes, and I think too. Again, it's not to excuse.
I don't want you to hear me say that I'm
excusing criminal behavior or our behaviors that are unacceptable in
our communities. What we have to think about is what
are the services that we need to have in place
in our communities to prevent these things from happening in
the future.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Well, what kind of services and programs does Presley Redge provide?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
So you know, a lot of our services, like we
talked about our family preservation, so being able to catch
things early when we start to see families and kids
having challenges at a young age, being able to go
in when they're young and provide those services versus waiting
till they're fifteen so or sixteen or when things have
gotten completely out of control. A lot of times our
(13:52):
systems are challenging to get into or challenging to find
a resource. So really trying to help the word out
about what resources are available to kids and families, you know,
through whether it be your pediatrician's office or whether it
be through school systems. Because what Presorage offers are those
services that I mentioned earlier around you know, being able
(14:13):
to come in and do counseling, supports, crisis intervention, and
if there is a situation, because we do this as well,
where kids have been abused, we're neglected and have to
be removed from their homes, we get them out and
we get them in a family that can nurture them,
provide safety to them, provide counseling and supports, and then
(14:37):
we also can work with our biological family if that's
still an option for them to help return them back
home as long as there hasn't been severe abuse in neglect.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
And where do you find these families? Is it through
the local police, Is it through the doctors that through
schools or all the above.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
So kids and families are referred to us through the
Department of Social Services or Department of Human Services. States
call them different things, but they're always referred to us
through Department of Social Services. So could have been police intervention,
could have been child protective Services intervention, could have been
school intervention. But they can come to us through all
(15:13):
of those different mechanisms.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
All right, So if somebody is listening now and maybe
they're facing a family situation that they are looking for help,
how do they reach you? How do they contact you?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, I mean they can reach out to us on
our website at Pressiridge dot org. They can call our
office and even if Presley Ridge doesn't provide the service,
we can link them to other services or we can
link them to supports to help them get what they need.
We don't turn people away even if we can't provide
the service.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Tell us a little bit about the organization as far
as you're headquartered here in Pittsburgh, but you said seven
different states, So tell us about the organization itself.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Yeah, so we started here in Pittsburgh on the North Side.
I'm really proud of that history and We started as
an orphanage here and then you know, times changed and
we saw the needs of kids and families change. Pressorriage
evolved into this organization that provides a wide variety of
services that help kids and families. But we are headquartered
here in Pittsburgh. And then because of the good work
(16:14):
that we did and our outcomes, we started to see
referrals from other states to our programs here in Pittsburgh.
And what that led to was other states saying, well,
could you just come to our state and provide a
service so that we can keep our kids and families
close to home, because that is ideal, And so we
expanded into mostly east coast states West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Virginia,
(16:43):
and then most recently we have started this new venture
in Texas.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
So here.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
We are in deep East Texas border in Louisiana. We've
got a region in Texas of about fifteen counties in
which Presley Ridge actually acts as an extension of the
Department of Human Services there and we provide and taken
placement for children that are no longer in their homes,
(17:15):
so we take them into care and then we manage
a network of providers to help them get their needs
met through foster care or through residential care. And we
also do some what's called kinship, so going in and
supporting kids and families as well. It's a different type
of a service in Texas and it's actually a future
vision for Presley Ridge.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Well, that's my question is that because you've expanded in
different states, what do you do what does Presley Ridge?
What do you do as an organization that those other
states weren't providing? What do you do that is different
than what other states were providing for those situations?
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, I mean, we're really just trying to fill gaps
in services. So one of the things that we do
really well is come in and meet with our community
partners like the Department of Human Services, child Protective Services,
could be, the police, could be, the community whatever, and
think about, you know, what are the most challenging things
that are facing kids and families and what services do
you not have available to you, and then Press Ridge
(18:13):
will create them. We've been really innovative over the years
in trying to match the needs of the community with
what we can provide in the services to ensure that
kids and families are successful and so for us. We've
been very fortunate that Presley Ridge we have a strong foundation,
We have a lot of different expertise, and when there
(18:34):
are gaps and services that maybe other providers in the
community can't fulfill, we'll take that risk and will develop
a program or service and we will provide that if
the state or the community wants that service.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Okay, I do have other questions about funding, especially from
a local and the state wise, but let's bring matt
in back in talking about funding. Fundraising has to be
a priority for you guys as well.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yes, it's a major priority. We're in the midst of
a twenty five million dollar campaign called the we Are Campaign.
As Suzanne said, we have a lot of complicated programs
that are hard to understand sometimes, so the campaign serves
as twofold. It also allows us to define who we
(19:21):
are in terms of programs. We have a couple things
that Susanna's covered. We are foster care, We are trauma
in foreign programs in schools, which really help us to
find who we are as an organization as well.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Tell us a little bit more about the fundraiser that
is coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth. Can you
shed some light on Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
So we've partnered with Primani Brothers and we will be
out at their Harmerville location on June thirteenth and fourteenth
with a drive box setup, which is a golf simulator
and fans can come out and try their luck at
hitting golf balls closest to the pen and winners will
go over to the Trophy Club at Oakmont for the
(20:03):
final day of the US Open.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Now, for those who aren't familiar with the Trophy Club,
what is that?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
The Trophy Club is an indoor area right on the
famous third hole, which is the Church Pews. So you
know anybody that's played it or seen it on TV.
It's a famous hole nicknamed the Church Pews I think
by Arnold Palmer. So we're really excited about giving.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Any chance of a meeting or seeing some celebrities at the.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
You never know, you know, I know, the US Open
brings out tons of people to the Pittsburgh area, So
we're just excited to be partnered with not only Permonny's
and showcase all the great programs that Presley Ridge has.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
So got the Pittsburgh Classic food and you help out
a great worthy cause.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Absolutely, and for more information, on that. You could go
to Presley Ridge dot org slash open to learn more.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole and Matt Millett of the
nonprofit Presley Ridge. When Matt was talking, it occurred to
me that you do so many things. Do you have
difficulty explaining to people what Presley Ridge does because you
have so many programs and so many services.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
It's the biggest challenge that we have, and honestly, we're
working on that. As an organization. We kind of bucket
our services into four or five categories and those are
ones that I've mentioned, kind of family preservation, residential care,
foster care, adoption, and then some transition age services, just.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Small little programs that you know that.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Yeah, but we are trying to really kind of get
a better way to discuss in detail what we do,
in streamline our language so that people in the simplest
of terms, we help kids and families who face challenges.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
So tell a little bit about the background, because you
started out as an adopted agency and how long have
you been CEO.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I've been CEO since twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Okay, so you've been there a while. What has been
your mission or vision for Presley Ridge?
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Well, it's really kind of where we're headed right now
with our expansion in Texas and when we just started.
But the vision for us would be that we can
create a system that is a lot more for lack
of a better word, us your family user friendly for
kids and families that we can start with earlier intervention.
We can get in and offer those supports at the
(22:26):
right time for kids and families so that that we
don't have these kids and families lingering in the system
for longer than what they need to that we.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Can Why is it, Why does that happen?
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah? I think it's just the way that government systems
are structured sometimes that you know, we have to prove
that we've tried all these other things before we get
the service that we need. And I think it's just,
I mean, it's it's a failure on our part to
really look at how we individualize services for kids and
(23:01):
families that are facing challenges. Not everybody can fit into,
you know, the same bucket. Just because I have depression
and you might have depression, it doesn't mean it's displayed
the same way, and it doesn't mean we need the
same service, And so that can be challenging me. It's
a complicated issue that you know, we have to face.
And let's face it, we all have different access to means.
(23:21):
Some people may be able to afford private insurance and
can get connected with accounselor very quickly. Other people may
not have that type of a resource and they're just
worried about putting food on a table and so for
me to try to find money to go see a
counselor is not going to happen. I need to feed
my kids and so, you know, I think we have
to understand that to your point earlier, funding and how
(23:45):
people get access to services can be very complicated.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
So what is your biggest challenge?
Speaker 2 (23:54):
My biggest challenge is it's always going to be there
is a need for services and how do we fund them?
That's always our biggest challenge. And then the other challenge
is sometimes we have to say no, and that is hard.
We can't be all things to all people and we
have to keep a healthy organization moving forward so that
(24:15):
we can serve as many people as we possibly can,
and so that can be challenging for me at times.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
How can we help as a community help Presleybridge?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, I think if the community starts to get involved
and understand that. You know, government funding and that's how
pressor Ridge is funded. We have government contracts, whether they
be state or county contracts that fund a particular service,
and usually it funds the treatment service or the education service.
What it doesn't fund are all the ancillary things, like
(24:44):
sometimes kids and families just need help with maybe getting
a new bed in their house, or maybe help with transportation,
or help with if somebody could just you know, if
I could just get an additional few hundred dollars to
pay for groceries for this month, then I'll be okay
next month and I won't be teetering on this line
(25:05):
of you know, being stressed out about not having money,
and so through donations and through support like that, and
by really just understanding that sometimes a little bit goes
a long way. If a community can wrap themselves around
an organization or a cause, that's helpful to us. So
we do take donations, and it's helpful if they are unrestricted,
(25:28):
because then we can put the money where it needs
to go for whatever situation that we have with a
kid and family.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
You need help in recruiting quality employees.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Always need help in recruiting employees because it's a challenging field,
it's a challenging feel, it's high stress, and so we
need people that you know, are interested in working with
kids and families, who understand mental health challenges, who understand that,
you know, helping others is probably the greatest gift that
somebody can do, even though it's really challenging at times,
(25:59):
and so recruitment of staff is absolutely an area that
we need help them. How about volunteers, Yeah, we do
use volunteers and our development department does a great job
with that. There's lots of different activities to get involved in.
You know, I think everybody focuses on the holidays. People
want to give during you know, Thanksgiving and Christmas and
all of those things, but we need help year round
(26:19):
and it can be all different kinds of help. We
have campuses where we do planting of flowers or cleanups,
we do activities with kids and families, and just coming
out and helping us with those is you know, always
a good time. We do fundraising events where we need
volunteers to help us at the fundraising events. So all
of those ways are you know, fantastic help for us.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
And what is the one thing, the one thing you
want people to know about Presley Ridge.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
I want people to know that we're here to help
that when you're in a time where you feel hopeless,
Presley Ridge can help you. I mean, we can help you.
I don't want anybody to ever feel hopeless. And so
for us, if you are struggling, just give us a call,
reach out to us. And again, if we can't help,
we will help get you help.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
And I'm gonna leave it with Matt. Matt has the
fundraiser that is coming up in just a few days,
so tell us everything we need to know.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, once again, we're really excited to be partnered with
Permanni Brothers. We'll be out at the Harmerville location on
June thirteenth and fourteenth with an opportunity to support these
great programs that Presley Ridge provides. For more information, Presley
Ridge dot org, slash open.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Very good Suzanne, Matt. It's been a pleasure and I
wish you all the luck with your event and good
luck in the future. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Thank you for having us. We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
And as always, if you have any comments, concerns, or
an idea for a future program, please email us from
this radio station's website. Johnny Heartwell, thank you so much
for listening.
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ad counsel
And welcome in. This is a public affairs program shedding
the light on the interest and issues and concerns of
the greater Pittsburgh Aaria, Good morning. My name is Johnny Hert,
Well your host. Let's say hello to Suzanne Cole and
Matt Millett of the nonprofit Presley Rich. Thank you for
being with me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
So tell us everything we need to know about your organization.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well Pressle Ridge is a large organization that serves children
and families across seven states, and we're headquartered right here
in Pittsburgh. And so really our mission is to do
whatever it takes to create success for kids and families.
And all that means is that we have lots of
kids and families in our communities every day that face
some significant challenges in their lives, and we're here to
support them and help them however we can.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
And how do you do that?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
We have over seventy different programs we really try to
work with keeping kids and families in their home. So
think about like coming into someone's home and just trying
to address any challenges through counseling or supports, linking them
to services. If kids and families can't together we do
foster care services and adoption, but our goal was really
to keep kids and families together. We also have some
(01:06):
hoghly specialized services for children that need a little bit
more support. We run some private academic license schools, and
we have some specialized residential programs for kids and families.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
And you have a big event coming up. Tell us
a little more about that.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Matt, Yeah, we're really excited. We have partnered with Permanny Brothers.
On June thirteenth, out at the Harmerville location, we're going
to have a drive box there where fans can come
out either of the morning show and try their chance
at a closest to the pen contest, and they can
win tickets to the Trophy Club over at Oakmont on Sunday.
(01:42):
So we're really looking forward to that not only exposing
people to Primanny's great food, but also to the important
needs that you know, Presley Ridge fundraises for.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Now, if somebody wants more information on the organization or
the event that's happening at tech Primanny's, what's.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Your website dot org?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
All right, so let me dig a little deeper into
your story, because I think that's a good way to start.
Is you have a fascinating story, so tell us a
little bit more.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Well, I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. I was
adopted at a very young age by two parents. One is,
you know, a school teacher, the other was a manager
of a shoe store. And so growing up, I mean,
my parents always just kind of instilled the values in
me that get a good education and try to give
back to the community. And so over the years, I thought, well,
(02:33):
I'm not sure what I want to do with my life,
although my mother was really pushing you've got to go
to college, and so I did. When I was in school,
I thought I wanted to go into federal law enforcement,
and so I got a criminal justice degree. And then,
like every other kid, when you get out of school,
you think, uh oh, I got to.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Get a job.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
And so Presley Ridge was hiring, and I thought, you know,
I like kids. This is kind of a little bit
like law enforcement. Kids were court ordered to a residential
facility in West Virginia. They needed some treatment services and
we need to really kind of help them be able
to manage behaviors and then get back home. So I interviewed,
(03:12):
I got the job. I really liked it. It was difficult.
I didn't think that I would stay there. I thought
that I would really go back to law enforcement. But
what ended up happening was I ended up being a
supervisor there, getting promoted running that program, went back to school,
got my master's degree in special education, thought maybe I'll
(03:36):
stick it out a little bit longer, and then eventually
became the executive director over all of our services in
West Virginia and moved on up the chain, became the
CEO in twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
So you really started from the bottom and worked your
way all the way to the top of as a CEO.
So how is that How has that helped you with
your management style?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah? You know, I think that by working in the
direct care position and really working directly with the kids
and working in lots of different environments. So I worked
in you know, what's called residential services where kids live
in a facility for twenty four hours a day and
get treatment. And then I worked in foster care services,
and then I worked with families in their homes, and
(04:22):
then I worked in the community doing things, and then
oversaw some of our schools. I think being able to
see all these different aspects of different service delivery has
really helped me be able to get a perspective of
what employees face on a daily basis. You know, this
is challenging. I mean, kids and families are hurting. Kids
and families are trying to find ways to help themselves
(04:45):
and overcome these challenges. But a lot of times that
comes out in behaviors that we don't like to see
and that we're trying to correct, and so staff have
to really help the kids and families work through the
trauma that they've experience in their life. And therefore staff
are exposed to a lot of trauma. And so I
think by me doing that work, myself understood the feelings
(05:08):
and emotions that I had going through all of that
at work, taking work home, trying to separate work from
personal life, and just really realizing the stress that it
puts on everybody. When you're trying to help someone in
a challenging situation, you.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Know exactly what the frontline troops are facing, and so
you have a little bit more of a perspective of
what they need to do.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, now, I'll ever want to forget that. I mean,
I think that's the one thing that as a good
leader and as a strong leader. That I always want
to keep in perspective is, you know, as leaders, we
have to make management decisions, we have to make business decisions.
But at the end of the day, this is about
the kids and families that we're serving, and it's about
our staff who are sacrificing each and every moment to
(05:52):
help somebody else. And it's challenging. So I never want
to forget that.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
You when you were talking about the different positions that
you held at Presley Ridge, it kind of shine the
light of how many things your organization really does. So
let's dig a little deeper. Can you can you tell
us a little bit more about what Presley Ridge does
from a you know, from a from a not just
(06:17):
a you know, a big picture, but the micro vision
of what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Sure, so, kids and families get referred to us from
the Department of Social Services in various states or juvenile probation.
Sometimes the kids with with you know that have issues
and problems exactly right, exactly, and all of it usually
is just rooted in some trauma that has happened. Right,
we all experienced traumatic events, we all deal with those differently,
(06:43):
and so the kids and families that we serve have
had problems, and so what Pressley Ridge does is we
meet them where they are. We come in, we have
conversations with them, We look at what issues they're facing,
and then we create different types of treatment, plans and services.
Is to address those to really help them be successful
and to not have to have formal intervention like Presley
(07:07):
Ridge in the future, or to know how to get
it from their communities and through their natural supports. So
we're doing things like counseling, We're doing things like crisis
management and intervention, going in and making sure that when
things are out of control that we can settle it down,
help kids and families through the chaos and find better
ways to handle challenges that come their way. But really
(07:29):
our mission here is to keep kids and families together
and help them understand what a healthy family looks like
and to get the services and supports they need to
continue to be successful.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Without naming names, can you give us an example of
maybe how you've helped a child in their family.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Sure, so, you know, let's just take a situation where
and we had this we all know, we went through COVID.
It was a really challenging time really when was Yeah,
and so lots of stress on kids and families. You know,
we're not meant to be isolated from people, and so
when we're in these types of situations. We had, you know,
(08:05):
a family that mom was home, there were you know
a number of kids in the home. They were trying
to do school online. You know, think about that, remember
those days. We have three kids trying to use one
computer to get through school. Dad loses his job during
the process, creates a lot of stress. Kids are acting out,
(08:26):
kids getting involved in drinking and getting involved in problems
in the community. And so family is starting to really
experience a crisis, not know what to do, and at
that time, it's not like you can go somewhere. So
during that time, our staff we're still just like you know,
first responders, masking up and going into homes and trying
(08:48):
to help manage situations. So we would take a counselor
into a home versus you having to come to us.
We would sit down, we would go through what's happening
with your family, and then we would talk about what
are the things that we can do to try to
put things back together. So how do we help the
child deal with their feelings of isolation and depression and
(09:09):
not use drugs or alcohol. How do we help manage
the stress that mom's facing around trying to just manage
the household, put food on the table, get the kids
through school while she's dealing with her own depression. How
do we help dad, you know, not feel awful about
losing his job and get back into the job market
(09:30):
in the future. So really taking this holistic approach to
helping a family and not being judgmental and understanding that
we all have different challenges. And so that's just one
type of in home what we call a.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Thousand different kind of examples for that. How many individuals
do you generally help in any given year?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
About eight thousand?
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, And that's you know, I always say it's really
hard to measure this because those are really folks that
are people, kids that are referred to us. But we
really don't just work with the individual that's referred to us.
We work with the entire family. You can't just you know,
if a kid comes referred to Presley Ridge because they're
acting out, fighting at school, going out and you know,
(10:17):
being true at doing things they shouldn't be doing. We
can't just work with a kid. We need to be
able to work with the whole family situation that's happening,
and what's going on in the community. So that's just
the individuals, but I would tell you we touched tens
of thousands of people.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole Presley Ridge a special event
coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth at Primanni Brothers
Restaurant in Harmerville celebrating the US Open. If you want
more information, what is your website again.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
It is Presleyridge dot org.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
That's pretty easy, all right. So you talked about, you know,
the father and the mother in the and the child
and dealing with the family. Do you deal with stigma
quite a bit?
Speaker 4 (10:53):
We do.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
We do. I think that, you know, I think over
the years, mental health stigma has improved. We've seen athletes
come out and talk about it more openly. We've seen
artists come out and talk about it more openly. But
in the news still, when you hear about a situation
where a kid has done something in the community that
(11:15):
you know, can be pretty horrific. I mean, we hear
about kids taking guns to school, We hear about, you know, suicidality,
a lot we hear about all these different things that
are problems that are impacting our community, and I think
our initial reaction is to just blame somebody instantly and
to look at the problem, the behavior at the surface
of what's in front of us. And what we really
needed to do is to take a moment and take
(11:37):
a step back and really evaluate what got us to
this point. And if you go back and you look,
a lot of times what we'll find is significant trauma
in someone's past, you know, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional
abuse that has not been addressed at the right place
and time in that person's life that has caused them
(11:58):
to then you know, display behaviors that are just unacceptable
and are causing more challenges than anything else. But it's
not to excuse behavior, but to help people understand that
mental health is real and it is something that we
need to normalize talking about, and it's also a part
of our overall health and well being. So how we
feel mentally, you know, impacts us physically, how we feel
(12:22):
emotionally impacts us mentally. All of those things kind of
connect and I just wish that we would have more
conversation about or at least continue our conversation, increase our
conversation about mental health and wellness.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Right. I think as a community we need to be
more empathetic about what those situations. Now, you know, you
named a number of things that may be a little extreme,
but we all as individuals and families and loved ones,
we all face difficulties that may be as difficult as
the ones that you mentioned. But I think it's important
(12:55):
as a community that we empathize with individuals who are
going through this process because if they're coming to you,
they're looking for solutions, they're working to better their situation.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yes, yes, and I think too. Again, it's not to excuse.
I don't want you to hear me say that I'm
excusing criminal behavior or our behaviors that are unacceptable in
our communities. What we have to think about is what
are the services that we need to have in place
in our communities to prevent these things from happening in
the future.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Well, what kind of services and programs does Presley Redge provide?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
So you know, a lot of our services, like we
talked about our family preservation, so being able to catch
things early when we start to see families and kids
having challenges at a young age, being able to go
in when they're young and provide those services versus waiting
till they're fifteen so or sixteen or when things have
gotten completely out of control. A lot of times our
(13:52):
systems are challenging to get into or challenging to find
a resource. So really trying to help the word out
about what resources are available to kids and families, you know,
through whether it be your pediatrician's office or whether it
be through school systems. Because what Presorage offers are those
services that I mentioned earlier around you know, being able
(14:13):
to come in and do counseling, supports, crisis intervention, and
if there is a situation, because we do this as well,
where kids have been abused, we're neglected and have to
be removed from their homes, we get them out and
we get them in a family that can nurture them,
provide safety to them, provide counseling and supports, and then
(14:37):
we also can work with our biological family if that's
still an option for them to help return them back
home as long as there hasn't been severe abuse in neglect.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
And where do you find these families? Is it through
the local police, Is it through the doctors that through
schools or all the above.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
So kids and families are referred to us through the
Department of Social Services or Department of Human Services. States
call them different things, but they're always referred to us
through Department of Social Services. So could have been police intervention,
could have been child protective Services intervention, could have been
school intervention. But they can come to us through all
(15:13):
of those different mechanisms.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
All right, So if somebody is listening now and maybe
they're facing a family situation that they are looking for help,
how do they reach you? How do they contact you?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, I mean they can reach out to us on
our website at Pressiridge dot org. They can call our
office and even if Presley Ridge doesn't provide the service,
we can link them to other services or we can
link them to supports to help them get what they need.
We don't turn people away even if we can't provide
the service.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Tell us a little bit about the organization as far
as you're headquartered here in Pittsburgh, but you said seven
different states, So tell us about the organization itself.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Yeah, so we started here in Pittsburgh on the North Side.
I'm really proud of that history and We started as
an orphanage here and then you know, times changed and
we saw the needs of kids and families change. Pressorriage
evolved into this organization that provides a wide variety of
services that help kids and families. But we are headquartered
here in Pittsburgh. And then because of the good work
(16:14):
that we did and our outcomes, we started to see
referrals from other states to our programs here in Pittsburgh.
And what that led to was other states saying, well,
could you just come to our state and provide a
service so that we can keep our kids and families
close to home, because that is ideal, And so we
expanded into mostly east coast states West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Virginia,
(16:43):
and then most recently we have started this new venture
in Texas.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
So here.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
We are in deep East Texas border in Louisiana. We've
got a region in Texas of about fifteen counties in
which Presley Ridge actually acts as an extension of the
Department of Human Services there and we provide and taken
placement for children that are no longer in their homes,
(17:15):
so we take them into care and then we manage
a network of providers to help them get their needs
met through foster care or through residential care. And we
also do some what's called kinship, so going in and
supporting kids and families as well. It's a different type
of a service in Texas and it's actually a future
vision for Presley Ridge.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Well, that's my question is that because you've expanded in
different states, what do you do what does Presley Ridge?
What do you do as an organization that those other
states weren't providing? What do you do that is different
than what other states were providing for those situations?
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, I mean, we're really just trying to fill gaps
in services. So one of the things that we do
really well is come in and meet with our community
partners like the Department of Human Services, child Protective Services,
could be, the police, could be, the community whatever, and
think about, you know, what are the most challenging things
that are facing kids and families and what services do
you not have available to you, and then Press Ridge
(18:13):
will create them. We've been really innovative over the years
in trying to match the needs of the community with
what we can provide in the services to ensure that
kids and families are successful and so for us. We've
been very fortunate that Presley Ridge we have a strong foundation,
We have a lot of different expertise, and when there
(18:34):
are gaps and services that maybe other providers in the
community can't fulfill, we'll take that risk and will develop
a program or service and we will provide that if
the state or the community wants that service.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Okay, I do have other questions about funding, especially from
a local and the state wise, but let's bring matt
in back in talking about funding. Fundraising has to be
a priority for you guys as well.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yes, it's a major priority. We're in the midst of
a twenty five million dollar campaign called the we Are Campaign.
As Suzanne said, we have a lot of complicated programs
that are hard to understand sometimes, so the campaign serves
as twofold. It also allows us to define who we
(19:21):
are in terms of programs. We have a couple things
that Susanna's covered. We are foster care, We are trauma
in foreign programs in schools, which really help us to
find who we are as an organization as well.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Tell us a little bit more about the fundraiser that
is coming up on June thirteenth and fourteenth. Can you
shed some light on Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
So we've partnered with Primani Brothers and we will be
out at their Harmerville location on June thirteenth and fourteenth
with a drive box setup, which is a golf simulator
and fans can come out and try their luck at
hitting golf balls closest to the pen and winners will
go over to the Trophy Club at Oakmont for the
(20:03):
final day of the US Open.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Now, for those who aren't familiar with the Trophy Club,
what is that?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
The Trophy Club is an indoor area right on the
famous third hole, which is the Church Pews. So you
know anybody that's played it or seen it on TV.
It's a famous hole nicknamed the Church Pews I think
by Arnold Palmer. So we're really excited about giving.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Any chance of a meeting or seeing some celebrities at the.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
You never know, you know, I know, the US Open
brings out tons of people to the Pittsburgh area, So
we're just excited to be partnered with not only Permonny's
and showcase all the great programs that Presley Ridge has.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
So got the Pittsburgh Classic food and you help out
a great worthy cause.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Absolutely, and for more information, on that. You could go
to Presley Ridge dot org slash open to learn more.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
We're talking with Suzanne Cole and Matt Millett of the
nonprofit Presley Ridge. When Matt was talking, it occurred to
me that you do so many things. Do you have
difficulty explaining to people what Presley Ridge does because you
have so many programs and so many services.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
It's the biggest challenge that we have, and honestly, we're
working on that. As an organization. We kind of bucket
our services into four or five categories and those are
ones that I've mentioned, kind of family preservation, residential care,
foster care, adoption, and then some transition age services, just.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Small little programs that you know that.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Yeah, but we are trying to really kind of get
a better way to discuss in detail what we do,
in streamline our language so that people in the simplest
of terms, we help kids and families who face challenges.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
So tell a little bit about the background, because you
started out as an adopted agency and how long have
you been CEO.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I've been CEO since twenty eleven.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Okay, so you've been there a while. What has been
your mission or vision for Presley Ridge?
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Well, it's really kind of where we're headed right now
with our expansion in Texas and when we just started.
But the vision for us would be that we can
create a system that is a lot more for lack
of a better word, us your family user friendly for
kids and families that we can start with earlier intervention.
We can get in and offer those supports at the
(22:26):
right time for kids and families so that that we
don't have these kids and families lingering in the system
for longer than what they need to that we.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Can Why is it, Why does that happen?
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Yeah? I think it's just the way that government systems
are structured sometimes that you know, we have to prove
that we've tried all these other things before we get
the service that we need. And I think it's just,
I mean, it's it's a failure on our part to
really look at how we individualize services for kids and
(23:01):
families that are facing challenges. Not everybody can fit into,
you know, the same bucket. Just because I have depression
and you might have depression, it doesn't mean it's displayed
the same way, and it doesn't mean we need the
same service, And so that can be challenging me. It's
a complicated issue that you know, we have to face.
And let's face it, we all have different access to means.
(23:21):
Some people may be able to afford private insurance and
can get connected with accounselor very quickly. Other people may
not have that type of a resource and they're just
worried about putting food on a table and so for
me to try to find money to go see a
counselor is not going to happen. I need to feed
my kids and so, you know, I think we have
to understand that to your point earlier, funding and how
(23:45):
people get access to services can be very complicated.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
So what is your biggest challenge?
Speaker 2 (23:54):
My biggest challenge is it's always going to be there
is a need for services and how do we fund them?
That's always our biggest challenge. And then the other challenge
is sometimes we have to say no, and that is hard.
We can't be all things to all people and we
have to keep a healthy organization moving forward so that
(24:15):
we can serve as many people as we possibly can,
and so that can be challenging for me at times.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
How can we help as a community help Presleybridge?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah, I think if the community starts to get involved
and understand that. You know, government funding and that's how
pressor Ridge is funded. We have government contracts, whether they
be state or county contracts that fund a particular service,
and usually it funds the treatment service or the education service.
What it doesn't fund are all the ancillary things, like
(24:44):
sometimes kids and families just need help with maybe getting
a new bed in their house, or maybe help with transportation,
or help with if somebody could just you know, if
I could just get an additional few hundred dollars to
pay for groceries for this month, then I'll be okay
next month and I won't be teetering on this line
(25:05):
of you know, being stressed out about not having money,
and so through donations and through support like that, and
by really just understanding that sometimes a little bit goes
a long way. If a community can wrap themselves around
an organization or a cause, that's helpful to us. So
we do take donations, and it's helpful if they are unrestricted,
(25:28):
because then we can put the money where it needs
to go for whatever situation that we have with a
kid and family.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
You need help in recruiting quality employees.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Always need help in recruiting employees because it's a challenging field,
it's a challenging feel, it's high stress, and so we
need people that you know, are interested in working with
kids and families, who understand mental health challenges, who understand that,
you know, helping others is probably the greatest gift that
somebody can do, even though it's really challenging at times,
(25:59):
and so recruitment of staff is absolutely an area that
we need help them. How about volunteers, Yeah, we do
use volunteers and our development department does a great job
with that. There's lots of different activities to get involved in.
You know, I think everybody focuses on the holidays. People
want to give during you know, Thanksgiving and Christmas and
all of those things, but we need help year round
(26:19):
and it can be all different kinds of help. We
have campuses where we do planting of flowers or cleanups,
we do activities with kids and families, and just coming
out and helping us with those is you know, always
a good time. We do fundraising events where we need
volunteers to help us at the fundraising events. So all
of those ways are you know, fantastic help for us.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
And what is the one thing, the one thing you
want people to know about Presley Ridge.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
I want people to know that we're here to help
that when you're in a time where you feel hopeless,
Presley Ridge can help you. I mean, we can help you.
I don't want anybody to ever feel hopeless. And so
for us, if you are struggling, just give us a call,
reach out to us. And again, if we can't help,
we will help get you help.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
And I'm gonna leave it with Matt. Matt has the
fundraiser that is coming up in just a few days,
so tell us everything we need to know.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
Yeah, once again, we're really excited to be partnered with
Permanni Brothers. We'll be out at the Harmerville location on
June thirteenth and fourteenth with an opportunity to support these
great programs that Presley Ridge provides. For more information, Presley
Ridge dot org, slash open.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Very good Suzanne, Matt. It's been a pleasure and I
wish you all the luck with your event and good
luck in the future. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Thank you for having us. We appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
And as always, if you have any comments, concerns, or
an idea for a future program, please email us from
this radio station's website. Johnny Heartwell, thank you so much
for listening.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
You can escape a traffic jam no one else. You
can't escape seasonal allergies, and you might think you can
avoid that coffee stain until well, really you can't escape
a lot of things in life, but you can escape
(28:20):
pre diabetes. Pre Diabetes captures one in three adults. There
are usually no signs of pre diabetes. In fact, most
people don't even know they have it. But with early
diagnosis you can change the outcome and prevent or delay
type two diabetes. Take action by taking the one minute
risk test at do I Have Prediabetes dot Org. You
(28:43):
might not be able to escape having this song stuck
in your head, but you can escape pre diabetes. Go
to do I Have Prediabetes dot Org Today brought to
you by the AD Council and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Hi.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
I'm Ryan Blaney, a third generational race car driver, and
we dedicate a lot of our time to going as
fast as possible. My Grandpa lou is the reason why
my dad and I started racing, and I'm really proud
to follow on his tracks. But when my grandpa was
diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It was a very unexpected bump in
the road for us. I've learned a lot on this
journey with my grandpa Lou and the memories of my
grandpa will always be with me. It's important to notice
(29:21):
if older family members are acting differently, experiencing problems with
their memory, or having trouble with routine tasks. Talking about
Alzheimer's can be really tough, but if you notice something,
have a conversation with your loved one, encourage them to
see a doctor or offer to go with them. Early
detection of Alzheimer's can give your family time to explore
support services, make a plan for the future, and access
available treatments. The Alzheimer's Association provides care, support and research
(29:44):
to help you take control of the situation with your
family and manage the disease together. If you or your
family are noticing changes it could be Alzheimer's. Talk about
seeing a doctor together. Visit alz dot org, slash time
to talk a message from the Alzheimer's Association, and they
ad counsel
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