00:00:10,500	Welcome to Bismarck Insights with Mayor Mike Schmitz, a transparent and engaging conversational dive into meaningful topics impacting local government and Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck Insights is dedicated to removing barriers between the city of Bismarck and the citizens we serve every day.

00:00:31,530	Welcome to Bismarck Insights. I'm Mayor Mike Schmitz, and today we're going to focus on a community partner Hope Manor. And with me is Megan Frankl-Mann Hopefully I have that correct. Nailed it. All right, so, Megan, first thing I'd like you to do is introduce yourself to our audience.

00:00:48,730	Because many people, I'm sure, do not know who you are. They probably don't even know who Hope Manor is. And so we'll try to introduce that organization as well. Absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me and credible privilege to be here with you this morning.

00:01:02,530	So Hope Manor, what we do is we are a 501 c3 nonprofit, and we started in 2014 with some sober living homes. And a few years ago we branched into a community recovery center as well.

00:01:26,800	So I got started with Hope Manor, actually as a resident there, I entered in May of 2014 to treat my own alcoholism and addiction, and at that time the founder, Judith Roberts. She had been a criminal defense attorney and she had been practicing, and she saw that a lot of her clients were coming to her and had charges due to alcohol and drug related things, and got to thinking of some different ways for rehabilitation

00:01:45,700	rather than lengthy prison terms and things like that. And by happenstance, she bumped into a gentleman from Southern California who had been running sober, living for 30 some years. And it was relatively a new concept here.

00:02:05,500	But she she went, she saw his home, she did some training with him and ended up mortgaging her own home so she could start a sober living home for women. And that opened in January of 2014. And I stumbled through the doors in May of that year. And, you know, I had come fresh from from a treatment center here in town.

00:02:22,770	I went to New Freedom Center, and I knew that I had to do something different if I was going to not return to what I had been doing before and drinking, and someone at this facility that I was at mentioned this sober living place. And I was like, well, you know, maybe, maybe we'll check it out.

00:02:38,900	And and that's where I decided to go. And I walked through those doors and immediately felt like I was at home. There was another part of me, the disease that was like, run, get out of here. This is bad, you know, overreacted. But it was it was the best decision of my life.

00:02:56,270	I think, you know, treatment helped to save my life. And then Hope Manor showed me what to do with it. The founder, Judith, had been, you know, doing everything on her own. And her plan was to return to practicing law full time, which didn't happen because of the demands of the House.

00:03:14,230	But I was there as a residence, and I became an assistant house leader and then a live in House leader. And then I started volunteering my time to help with some administrative tasks. And then I believe in 2017, 2018, I got hired part time and as an administrator, and then it became a full time position.

00:03:39,270	And in October of 2022, she retired and I took over as the director of the organization. So it's been kind of a wild ride. So besides the difficulties of going through the disease, dealing with the disease, and through your recovery process, which I know is an ongoing, ongoing thing. Did you have an opportunity to get any other education or.

00:04:05,070	I mean, what I mean, it's not just you just don't walk in and figure this out, right? I definitely am not that talented. I actually, you know, I graduate, I'm from Dickinson, I'm North Dakota native, grew up in western North Dakota, graduated high school, and then I pursued my undergraduate graduate degree at a huge bison fan.

00:04:29,200	I got my undergraduate degree in psychology, and then I got a master's degree there as well. In 2008, I actually moved to Florida to pursue my doctoral degree in clinical psychology. And that is when my alcoholism and addiction really took me down quickly.

00:04:53,130	I was away from some of the external confines that kind of helped keep me in check a little bit. Like seeing family from time to time. I was completely on my own, and the basically the wheels fell off and I was dismissed from that program. And I was, I think, 28 years old.

00:05:12,500	And like the one thing I had been holding on to that I wasn't an alcoholic. Right. Like, I'm educated, I'm going to be a doctor was gone along with my identity, and I had nowhere to go. And I went back to Dickinson, and I was just going to stay with my parents for a little bit.

00:05:28,200	And I ended up being there for about three and a half years, infecting them with the family disease of alcoholism. So I was able to hold it together to, to some extent, right, and get an education that I was very passionate about. But it's ended in, in not the greatest way. Sure.

00:05:48,900	And so let's talk about what Hope Manor is and, and the services that are being provided, which I think are critical, having witnessed some of this in in close friends and extended family members, just the treatment process and recovery process and ongoing recovery process.

00:06:15,970	So what is it that Hope Manor does that is maybe a little different than regular treatment facility? Yeah. So we're a social model based program, meaning we don't provide clinical services within the home. We're residential homes, a group of individuals living together as a family unit for social and therapeutic support in recovery of their alcoholism. Alcoholism tends to be a disease and addiction of isolation and separation.

00:06:40,370	Right? You find yourself alone with your thinking in the bottle or whatever the chemical is, and being able to be with like minded people who have the same disease, but more importantly, are engaged in the same solution. So what we do is we funnel people into 12 step recovery. We're a highly structured program.

00:07:00,330	A lot of people attend individual therapy, outpatient treatment, all kinds of different services like peer support, that kind of thing outside of the home. And then we require this 12 step component. And the reason that we do that is that number one, it's very effective. And it has been for 90 some years.

00:07:20,870	Number two, the population we serve is what we consider to be very low bottom, meaning they've been dealing with this disease for a while. It's usually not their first attempt at recovery. And they don't have a whole lot of support either financial or social. So we don't, you know, charge for 12 step recovery.

00:07:40,700	So an individual comes in and they're required to get a little part time job, the required to go to a lot of 12 step meetings, get a sponsor, go through the steps, meet with that individual weekly. We have to show that we're doing something to treat that disease and gauge that.

00:07:57,600	And then they're of service of each other. So when someone first comes in there on a pretty restrictive phase, they can't leave the house by themselves. They need to be submitting job apps, getting their meetings in.

00:08:14,100	So the senior members are stepping up and helping them with that, which then gets them out of themselves a little bit and being of service to help this new individual coming in who's really probably struggling at the moment. We're a long term program. We recommend nine months to a year. People don't have to stay that amount of time.

00:08:31,330	But what we have found is that, statistically speaking, when individuals stay nine months or more, they have about an 88% chance of remaining continuously sober. And that's kind of astronomical, really, when you think about it. Last I read, I think that, you know, doing like a 28 day treatment or so, the odds of staying sober for 120 days are 3 to 10%.

00:08:52,970	Right? So time is a is a big component. But I also believe that because I spent a lot of time thinking about this right, with my degree and, you know, liking like to study these kinds of things.

00:09:04,900	And I used to think that maybe it was because if you stay a year, you go through a lot of your first. Right? First. You know, for me, a Super Bowl was a big one. I'm a huge football fan, right? Maybe your first breakup, maybe your first loss of a job or promotion or stress, rebuilding those family ties, cleaning up legal issues, all those things.

00:09:21,330	And I do believe that's a big component of it. But what I really think it is is that usually people, once they've been with us 6 or 7 months or so, they've probably gained all they're going to gain right there, probably through the steps. They're probably being of service, working with others.

00:09:37,200	They've got a job, they've probably been promoted. They have social support, relationships with their family rebuilt. And those individuals who say, hey, I'm going to stay here for that additional two months that I committed to or whatever it may have been, they're doing so solely for the reason to give back.

00:09:56,700	They're doing so solely for the reason to help the next person coming in. And service is a huge part of recovery. And I really think that that's what the difference maker is. I was wondering if that you maybe didn't think that as part of that recovery is is truly giving back, but being involved is that that mentor almost. Yeah.

00:10:16,100	Because it helps keep just no different than anything else we do. I mean, I think it helps to keep you on track, whatever the task might be or the the recovery or health situation might be. Absolutely. I do think that that helps.

00:10:32,400	I can appreciate the longer term because I've witnessed it pretty close hand with with individual work, close with as a family. And you know, he I think he's doing well now. But he's been through a number of programs. And I think it was finally the more sober, a longer term sober living arrangement that has probably helped him. But, you know, it's a continuous struggle.

00:10:51,100	Yes. Every day and being close to it, I mean, putting yourself around people who have similar issues, I think sometimes who are working on it can be helpful. I mean, not always, I don't think. But one of the biggest things I've heard from individuals who maybe they've been in the House doing well, transition out.

00:11:08,800	And if they if they do relapse is I forgot, I forgot how bad it is, I forgot I can't stop on my own. I forgot how painful it gets. And when you're in an environment like that, whether it's in sober living or continuing to participate in 12 step recovery or other ways of recovery

00:11:27,430	and involvement in that, it's really hard to forget, right? Because you're seeing those new people come in, you're seeing the struggle and you're remembering where you were at. So think back when you first said you're going to go into mental health, behavioral health as a profession.

00:11:48,670	Did you ever think this is where I land? No, not in a million years. My passion was actually neuropsychology, and I did a lot of work with Alzheimer's and dementia. And that was something that to this day I'm passionate about. But never in my life that I think that I would be running a nonprofit organization.

00:12:08,400	Never in my life did I think that my alcoholism would lead me here. I was in denial for a really long time. I kept thinking, when this happens, I'll stop right when I get married. I'll stop when I have kids, I'll stop. When I get the degree, I'll stop right? But those things never happened.

00:12:24,670	And the disease progresses and it does so in a very insidious way. So no, I did not see myself here, but I'm so incredibly grateful that I am. Well. And it is it's it's an incredible organization. And, you know, you're serving people who are some of the most vulnerable states there ever going to be at.

00:12:44,030	And, you know, it probably has caused not only the disease of of alcohol or substance abuse. We'll just keep it at that because I think it's more than just alcoholism. But, you know, how do they how do they get past that.

00:13:03,730	And it's probably caused them to be homeless, potentially, maybe likely even knowing that that's a big component of what comes with not being able to keep life in order, I think. But what does it mean? What does it mean to you because you've been through it from a stability standpoint, and because I have to assume that your your residents find the same thing. Yeah.

00:13:19,130	Well, I think it helps in the, in the position that I'm in that I've also been in the position that they're in. Right. And I can I can sit across the table and I can say, hey, I've been exactly where you're at. I know how you're feeling, and I know that money is the big issue right now.

00:13:32,530	I know you want your own place. I know you need a job. I know you want your kids back, but right here, right now, what we need to do is stabilize. We need to focus on on your recovery. Because if you can lay that foundation, you don't ever have to go back to what you're feeling right now.

00:13:46,500	You don't ever have to worry about being in the position that you are today. So I think that that helps a lot. But really, most of the people we serve, like I said, they're very, very low bottom and they are coming to us from jails, institutions, treatment centers, homelessness, couch surfing.

00:14:08,170	Very rarely do they have an apartment or a home of their own. Sometimes family might allow them to stay with them for a limited period of time, but the ability to we're not a housing program, we're a recovery program. But for the individuals who choose to participate, they do get that perk of housing as well.

00:14:25,530	And the thing about the housing is that it's safe and sober, right? They don't have to worry about going home to a roommate who's drinking or using drugs. They don't have to worry about going into the same environment in which they got sick.

00:14:44,730	You know, we do the best we can to make sure that our homes are peaceful, that we are addressing any conflict, any issues like that, because things like gossip and making someone uncomfortable can literally push them out. And we're the last house on the block for them.

00:15:05,970	So what we look at is trying to do the best we can to provide this safe, sober, structured and supportive environment where their recovery is the number one priority. And as a byproduct of that, other things start to happen, right? I mentioned they are required to get a little part time job. They do. They can incrementally increase those work hours. And, you know, we teach people to suit up and show up.

00:15:23,700	A lot of times they're going early, stay in late. Doing what needs to be needs to be done. They get promoted. We have several individuals who are starting school this fall. College. We have some people who were helping get their GED or driver's license. Right.

00:15:41,730	So once that critical stability phase is kind of gone through, then we can look at, hey, what do you want to do with your life? Because guess what, you can have one now. Yeah. So let's talk a little bit more about how many facilities you have with Hope Manor.

00:16:00,200	And it's more than just a sober living for say that you you're providing for these people some of the other services. Yeah. So we have one home here in Bismarck for women and we have one home for men. Our women's home was the first one that opened in 2014.

00:16:18,630	And, you know, the community was saying, hey, what are you going to do for our sons, our brothers or fathers? And blessed Judith, I was I did not want to do a men's home. If someone drinks or uses, they need to leave the home, because otherwise that's going to jeopardize everyone else who's in there.

00:16:34,700	And a lot of times my job was to have to go and talk with them and help them get out and go somewhere safe. And and I'm thinking, oh, man, I'm gonna have to go over and somebody's going to be intoxicated. And are they some big old guy going to take a swing at me? Which is never been the case, by the way. Our men are amazing.

00:16:49,800	They're they're really a band of brothers. But I didn't, you know, we did women and we did it really well. Right. And I didn't know how that would go, but we opened that in October of 2016, and I loved being wrong. It was the best thing. Watching those men come alive alongside our women is so beautiful.

00:17:08,400	But we have the two homes and they're an individual's journey doesn't have to end when they exit the program. In fact, I believe it really starts. We have an alumni association that started a couple of years ago, where we try and keep people close and involved, giving them opportunities to whether it's going back into

00:17:26,630	the houses to do fun social things with the residents, whether it is coming down to our community connection and recovery center, the hub, if someone comes in and they need someone to to talk to and I know, hey, this would be perfect for them, we can call them and come in and give them those service opportunities.

00:17:45,930	But it really we like to say it's family for life. Like once you enter Hope Manor, you're kind of stuck with us. We're kind of like the Mafia. You can't get out, but as long as an individual is is willing to allow us to walk with them, we like to keep them as close as we can.

00:18:01,070	We have a monthly alumni night where it's open to anyone in the community. It is always the last Thursday of every month at 530 down at the hub 321 South First Street. Anyone is welcome to come check it out and experience a little bit of the magic of Hope Manor. But we have an alumni speaker.

00:18:19,970	We celebrate sobriety recognitions. We catch up on some happenings, maybe announce some different recovery events and things coming up. But the goal is really to continue to walk with people and support them in this lifelong journey of recovery, because it is it's a lifelong journey. You mentioned the Hub.

00:18:40,800	So what is the hub? Let's describe that for our audience. Absolutely. So the hub is an open community center. It is open to to anyone to utilize. It came about in a couple of ways really.

00:18:57,600	Number one, I mentioned our alumni night we had at our men's house, a detached garage that we kind of converted into like a meeting hall and a place to have our house meetings because we get both homes together and have what we call mandatory fun, or we would have like a New Year's party or Super Bowl or 4th of July.

00:19:16,570	And we were outgrowing our space, you know, thankfully people were coming in and they were staying, keeping that commitment. And we were seeing long term sobriety. And we're seeing families continue to come back to support their loved ones. We're seeing parole and probation officers come and listen to maybe someone they're supervising and sharing their story. And we just we needed a bigger space where we could get everyone together.

00:19:37,400	And in addition, a lack of social support is amongst the top three factors why people tend to report any way that they relapse. So being able to have a large space where we could get people together in a sober atmosphere, free of drugs and alcohol to do, you know, sober dances, game nights, movie nights,

00:19:57,170	and then also to have our alumni night, our house meeting, our Hope Manor offices are also located in the hub. And at the time, we were also working on launching a family program to support families who have someone they love with alcoholism or drug addiction.

00:20:15,700	And we're looking to rent a space for seven weeks on a Wednesday night. And what we were finding is that we just couldn't afford it. So we also got to thinking the community of Bismarck Mandan has embraced us. Without their support, we would not be here. Thank you.

00:20:33,400	So we also wanted to, in a way, provide a space that's beautiful on the inside that anyone can utilize. And if people have events or if other nonprofits or community service agencies or a board meeting or anything needs a nice, beautiful, clean space for meetings and events, we can provide that at a much discounted rate. Sure.

00:20:53,430	So I'm going to take you to a bit of an emotional event. Okay. You were recently a recipient of the Humanitarian Award. Yes. And there was a person who nominated you that I mean, I wasn't able to be in the room at the time I was online participating, but it was certainly emotional,

00:21:13,230	you know, because of what what the person shared about the experience her son had. How did I mean, that's got to be rewarding, but how did that impact you or how does it impact your your team? Yeah. One of the, the biggest privileges I think, that we get to do is walk with families.

00:21:35,630	And, and for me, that's really important because of what I did to my own. Right. Like I said, I infected them with this. It's a family disease. This isn't a spectator sport, right? Everyone's called into the game at some point. And the thing is, is that for the alcoholic or the individual using substances.

00:21:52,730	Oh, we get to numb out. The family doesn't. Right. And it's like they're watching a train wreck in slow motion. And my heart just absolutely breaks for, for these individuals. So a lot of times, you know, we'll have family members call. Just ask what can we do? I don't know what to do.

00:22:09,870	Do I continue to give them a roof over my head? Do I cut them off? What do we do? And I don't know the answer to that. I can't tell anyone what's right or what's wrong, but I can share some experience.

00:22:25,930	And a lot of times we might not even meet the individual that needs us, but we might be able to walk with the family. And in this situation, this individual son did apply. I got to meet with him several times. Sometimes there would be like this flicker of willingness. And the thing is, is that you got to act fast on that because it can. That window of opportunity can close really quick.

00:22:44,900	Sometimes it was a lack of availability. Sometimes you just, you know, wasn't willing to show up. And but it was someone that that crossed my mind frequently. And I would just randomly reach out. Regardless of whether or not someone comes to Hope Manor.

00:23:03,330	There's other solutions, right? And there's things that that we can offer, whether it's hooking up someone with a sponsor or someone who's similar that they can talk with, suggesting meetings, treatment facilities, other programs in town, other sober Living's open to all of that. I just want people to find help.

00:23:22,330	And I would reach out to this individual every once in a while, and sometimes he would reply, and sometimes he wouldn't. But for whatever reason, the entire situation, as a lot of them do, kind of left an imprint on my heart, and his mom would check in every once in a while. Unfortunately, he ended up losing and paying the supreme price his life due to his his addiction.

00:23:41,230	And, you know, his his mother had called me and, you know, my my heart just broke for her. And we did the best we could to try and walk with her through that.

00:24:03,400	And unfortunately, you know, we've had residents who have left the house and, and then we've been going to their funerals and doing the best we can to try to support their families as well, because I can only imagine the pain.

00:24:18,870	It's been painful for me to go to the funerals of some of my best friends, people I was very close to that I have there lived in the house with, or maybe they were a part of our House leader team and and now they're gone. And I think that the best way to honor them is a to continue our own individual recoveries, but be to continue to support their families and others like them. Very difficult.

00:24:36,530	To have to go through those emotions and deal with that. And it certainly leads to, you know, the resiliency you're having for yourself and other members who are practicing continually their recovery and helping.

00:24:58,830	So, like, what helps you stay grounded and what helps you know from your perspective, maybe that'll help others find a path that helps them stay grounded. Yeah. Well, I think first and foremost, I try to practice what I teach our residents.

00:25:18,330	I'm active in in 12 step recovery, going to community meetings, trying to work with others, staying spiritually fit and grounded in that way, knowing as well that I don't have to carry all of this. I can't, and reaching out for support and all of that, whether it be a sponsor or a board member or someone who has been within the organization, a close friend. But that community aspect, right, that we're in this together is always really helpful.

00:25:40,130	And I have to hold on to the miracles, right? And we see a lot of them. In fact, I think I see so many that I become immune to them. Right? Somebody gets their kids back, somebody start in college, somebody is now working in the treatment industry, somebody running their own sober living. Somebody got married.

00:25:54,400	They're having kids. They get these big, beautiful lives, business owners, home owners. And we see so many of them that to me it can become commonplace. And I forget how absolutely miraculous that is, considering that they came in to the house with a garbage bag full of, you know, two t shirts.

00:26:14,030	Right? So I have to hold on to those things, especially during during the trying times. And, you know, if if one person, right is is helped and benefited from, one family is reunited. If one person leaves the house in a much better position, not just with their recovery, but financially career wise, then it's worth it.

00:26:34,600	But really holding on to those miraculous moments and not losing the beauty in that, and also remembering that it's not cookie cutter, right? We deal with individuals with unique challenges. And, you know, it always seems like there's a ton of things on on my plate.

00:26:51,730	I'm sure you can relate, but being able to really take that time to connect on a one on one level with the individuals and our alumni. It's an honor to be able to be included in their lives, and I don't ever want to take that for granted. Well, that's awesome and amazing.

00:27:06,800	And I do think you have to always remember that when we impact one person positively, it's actually a multiplying effect. And it's, you know, you really can't put a number on that. And of people, relationships that are positively impacted, no different than the unfortunate situations. But I do think that that's that's got to be the continual thing that keeps you going.

00:27:28,700	Yeah. That's and that's a beautiful way of putting it. And we often talk about, you know, this ripple effect that occurs when someone gets sober because there was a ripple effect in our addiction and alcoholism too. Right. We're not just hurting ourselves, maybe hurting our family, our employers, if we have one, the community in general.

00:27:44,770	But when an individual gets sober, right, they start paying their taxes. They start cleaning up the legal issues. If children were in foster care, there's the ability to have them back in the home. The family unit heals.

00:28:03,570	A lot of people then decide, you know, maybe I'm going to go to school or somehow use this experience to help others. Either working in recovery in some way, shape or form, and it just ripples on and on and on. A lot of our individuals volunteer in the community in a multiple multitude of ways. We've had people, alumni or residents start 12 step meetings, recovery conferences, their own businesses.

00:28:23,730	It's just it's a beautiful thing to watch. And it just it keeps it's like the Energizer bunny, right? It just keeps going and going and going. So as we look to the future for Hope Manor and and what recovery is and how we can do things, what are some things that you see as opportunities or hopes

00:28:41,530	and maybe some challenges for for Hope Manor? And then lastly, tell us how we can help support. How do we how do we get people involved in in supporting Home Manor? Absolutely. So, you know, going forward, you know, one thing that we find frequently is that a lot of our individuals have criminal records.

00:29:01,070	They may be coming to us with multiple felonies, they may be on federal pretrial release, and they do really well in the home. And they take time with their transition, but they have a very hard time finding a place that will rent to them with their background.

00:29:17,370	So one thing that I think would be amazing is what I call it, like phase two housing. But being able to do whether it would be townhomes, condos, an apartment complex where it would be under Hope Manor and they would be required to engage in recovery activities and testing and all of that,

00:29:38,830	but it would be like a step down, right? It would be a step between the sober living home and having your own place while they're working to build their credit and or maybe put more time between that criminal offense and the ability to rent or own a home.

00:29:55,970	So I think that that is where I would I would love to, to see us go. Logistically speaking, it's a lot. We have a very small staff. It is myself and our administrator, and then we have an individual who helps part time so that I'm not on call 24 over seven like I use it to be.

00:30:18,400	So, you know, logistically speaking, there's I don't there's no way we could do it with two and a half individuals and then financially speaking as well, to be able to to purchase something like this or find the right unit. And, and it is really location is super important.

00:30:35,270	Hopefully by the time you know someone is transitioning out of the home, they've got a driver's license in a car. But when you know when they come in, they often don't, right? So being near meetings, being near employment opportunities is super important. So location of things is always a very pivotal thing. But I would really like to find some way to relieve some of that burden.

00:30:54,930	While I do believe that when people leave us, when they stay that amount of time, they have the tools to remain continuously sober regardless of where they're living. But when you put individuals back in maybe some neighborhoods in which they were using before, they have those connections or maybe aren't as safe, the opportunity, right.

00:31:16,070	And the stress and it being right around the corner absolutely can can lead to, to relapse and and even worse. So being able to serve our residents or individuals who maybe they just aren't quite suited to be able to stay within the home but need some type of structure as well.

00:31:37,030	So that's one direction that I would really like to see us go at some point in time. If anyone needs more information, if anyone has maybe a loved one or yourself looking to apply or just get more information, Hope Manor endorse or I'm sorry we took the end out is our website, our application, our house guidelines. Everything is is on there.

00:32:00,400	We want to be real upfront with what we're asking people to do. They fill out that application. It comes right to our email. We usually turn that around in 48 business hours max to get in contact with them.

00:32:15,170	Then we have them come in or talk with them over the phone to go through those guidelines and talk next steps, gather information and answer their questions. So as long as we have available, that turnaround can be pretty quick between someone applying and someone coming to the house. As far as supporting hope. There's a multitude of ways that individuals can do so.

00:32:33,300	One is I mentioned were a 501 C3 nonprofit. We always take any type of donations, whether it be hygiene products. A lot of our people come to us with nothing. So we're supplying clothes, work, shoes, hygiene things, food.

00:32:55,300	Especially in the beginning, we carry a lot of our residents for a period of time until they can get on their feet financially, and there's always a gap between our operating expenses and revenue that comes in. Right. Another way would be we do have our yearly fundraiser. We have a we do a chocolate extravaganza.

00:33:17,030	We have local restaurants competing in a challenge to create the best chocolate dessert that is on Saturday, September 26th from 7 to 9 at The Hub. It's a great way to come down and check out what Hope Manor does, and to support some local businesses that are competing. We've got pierogi, Jomo House, Exotic Creations of epitome.

00:33:38,070	We have all kinds of amazing restaurants participating this year, and we also do a little challenge between our women's house and our men's house, and they create a dessert and serve it as well, which is always super fun. They get really competitive. We give them a little prize, but it's a neat way to also be able to interact with the individuals they serve.

00:33:51,900	We have a lot of alumni come and help out at the event. It's a wonderful night so individuals can come to that. Tickets are $25. They can be purchased online. We have a Facebook event, or you can call (701) 751-4005.

00:34:12,130	In addition to that, if you need a space for a birthday party, a board meeting, or anything in between, come check out the hub. All of the revenue generated there as well goes into the 5013 to help support all of our services. And I'm certain someone can just write you a check as well. If someone can just write us a check to we never turn that down.

00:34:28,100	Well, Megan, thank you for being here and sharing a your experience. I think that's that's I mean, it's got to be difficult, but I appreciate you sharing that because I think it is a part of the recovery for for others to understand that they're not in it alone. And and thank you for sharing about Hope Manor.

00:34:47,200	It is a truly a great partner in the community, and it allows individuals to reenter society in a in a manner that is respectful and dignified for them, and very supportive of what happens in the community down the road. Thank you.

00:35:04,470	Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here, and thank you for all that you do for our community. Thank you.

00:35:18,570	Thank you for watching Bismarck Insights with Mayor Mike Schmitz. If you have specific topics or questions you'd like addressed in future episodes, email mschmitz@bismarcknd.

00:35:32,100	gov or call the City of Bismarck at (701) 355-1300. To learn more about the City of Bismarck, visit BismarckND.gov. Or follow us on a variety of social media channels by searching Bismarck NDgov Bismarck Insights is a collaboration between Dakota Media Access and the City of Bismarck.

00:35:53,000	You may find Bismarck Insights episodes on Government Access channels two and 602, as well as on Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV devices on Radio Access 102.5 FM and on demand at FreeTV.org.