Business Innovators Radio - The Inspired Impact Podcast with Judy Carlson-Interview with Donna Scott, Founding Member of Womenade of Castle Rock

Episode Date: October 15, 2024

Donna Scott is a third-generation Colorado Native who has lived in Douglas County, Colorado since 1997. She has had a diverse career, including business ownership and executive management positions in both the private non-profit and public sectors. Donna recently retired from her mediation practice, mediating various disputes, including high-conflict domestic cases and employment issues.Donna is committed to volunteerism and philanthropy and has been active in the community she has lived in throughout her life. She has completed leadership programs and served on numerous boards of directors, holding leadership roles in several organizations including Board Chairman, at Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce; Board Chairman, at Douglas County Community Foundation; Elder, at New Hope Presbyterian Church, and Director at Castle Rock Bank. She is also a founding member of Womenade of Castle Rock, an organization that brings women together to help others in their community.In her free time, Donna enjoys traveling with her husband Bill, spending time with her grandchildren, and horseback riding (achieving a 40-year goal of riding after losing her leg in a car accident when she was 26).http://www.womenadecastlerock.com/https://www.facebook.com/WomenadeCastleRock/*********Judy is the CEO & Founder of the Judy Carlson Financial Group. She helps her clients design, build, and implement fully integrated and coordinated financial plans from today through life expectancy and legacy.She is an Independent Fiduciary and Comprehensive Financial Planner who specializes in Wealth Decumulation Strategies. Judy is a CPA, Investment Advisor Representative, Life and Health Insurance Licensed, and Long-Term Care Certified.Judy’s mission is to educate and empower her clients with an all-inclusive financial plan that encourages and motivates them to pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams.Learn More: https://judycarlson.com/Investment Adviser Representative of and advisory services offered through Royal Fund Management, LLC, an SEC Registered Adviser.The Inspired Impact Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-inspired-impact-podcast/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-inspired-impact-podcast-with-judy-carlson-interview-with-donna-scott-founding-member-of-womenade-of-castle-rock

Welcome to the Inspired Impact Podcast, where dedicated female professionals share how they inspire impact every day. Authentic stories, passionate commitment, lives transformed. I'm your host, Judy Carlson. Welcome to today's episode of the Inspired Impact Podcast. I cannot wait for you to meet my special friend, Donna Scott. She is filled with so many wonderful ways that she has made impacts on so many people's lives, and I'm so excited for you to learn from her.

So welcome, Donna. Thank you, Judy. You are so sweet. So I typically just start by saying, you know, tell me a bit about your journey, how you got started, what inspired you to pursue the path you're on, and how has it led you to the impacts you're making in people's lives today. a fascinating story and I can't wait to hear it. Okay. I think, you know, when people say tell it, your story, it's you, everyone has so many different

parts of your life that I guess always come together to help form us into who we've become and who we are. So I, I'm a Colorado native and grew up here in a family of faith. And my faith as a child was very important to me and gave me great strength and encouragement. And I say that to say that I just had a really, gratefully, I had a very easy relationship with God where I talked to him a lot. And so that's, that has helped me with all of my journey. as I as I you know as I grew up I went to college and greatly and my focus was always to help people I just like people

and so started at in social services kinds of businesses and I was the director of a group home for teenage girls who'd been taken out of the home because of abuse and incest and that was right after I got out of college. And it was an opportunity that just came. And I've also always just found that as opportunities come, you've just got to take that step. You've got to show up. You've got to work really hard.

And when you do, it's amazing how doors continue to open. So I was able to work my way into management at a pretty young age. and it was great and it was a nonprofit that I loved working for. And one of the things that happened was while I was the director of that group home, I was in the mountains interviewing a young woman to come to our home, to live with, at the group home. And on the way back, I was in a car accident. And I was a pedestrian.

I slipped up the side of the road in ice coming out, I was near Vale and another car slipped and hit me and I lost my leg and it was truly just an accident. It was a bright sunny day. It was just black ice. There wasn't alcohol involved. It was just an accident. But at that time, I was gratefully brought in by Flight for Life and I was surrounded by people who loved me and nurses who cared so much and friends.

And I guess I learned. I had some people say, you know, there are always people that will help you. And sometimes, sometimes you get to be the helper. But sometimes you have to be helped. And, you know, that was a pretty important part of my life to realize you've got to accept help when you need it. And so out of that, I was about 26 at that time, but I was able to continue to grow my career. And I continued in management, worked for county governments in human services, kinds of programs. And then I began to, I started my own business in mediation.

And I love that. had a mediation practice for about 20 years. And I did mostly domestic and high conflict kinds of mediation. And I think that what has been just a joy in all of the things I've done is finding connections with people. When I started my business, my mediation business, it was a little hard to get started. because I'm not an attorney. And in Colorado, you don't have to be an attorney to be a mediator.

But it's a little harder to get started. And so I was fortunate to get a contract with the EEOC and the post office because of all of my background in management and human resources. And I just found in all of that that when you connected and tried to network with people, people that it really paid off and it's a huge effort. And you know, you and I have talked about that. And I think especially, I don't know, I think, I think in 2020 and when everybody became working at home and we became a lot more isolated from each other, it just is harder.

It just takes extra effort to get involved with the Chamber of Commerce. to get involved with a networking group. But I just believe that people are genuinely wired to help each other. And when they do, they find joy. And when you're joyful, I think then you give back more. So that's that's kind of my my story. And part of then with my mediation practice and my husband and I live in Castorot, Colorado and we moved down here so that he could start a fly fishing shop. And so I also had the joy of, you know, being a small business owner in retail.

And then again there, you know, find. finding ways to get connected with the Chamber of Commerce in a small town was just such an important thing. And so whether it's, you know, your kids' school or a church group or, you know, some kind of affinity or a hobby that you might have, I think that women having support systems outside of their family is super critical. and I know for me it's it's made a huge difference. And so one of the things,

I can stop and take a breath and you can ask me another question if you want me to, but I think one of the ways we were connected is it was called WomenAid of Castle Rock. Yeah. And this was womenade started about 20 years ago. And there were, were five women who wanted to do something to help a friend of theirs, whose husband had been diagnosed with cancer. And these, the five of us that founded it all knew each other one way or another. We weren't all, I mean, I didn't know every single one of the women that were in the beginning

really, really well. I just knew one or two of them and that they knew one or two more. Right. And Jamie, who was one of the founders, had read an article in Real Simple about a doctor, actually, back east, a female doctor who kept wanting to help her patients. And she'd give them $10 and $5 and $30 and then she was with her friends and said, I'm going to go broke. I just can't, you know, keep doing this. And her friend said, well, why don't we get together? And we'll all contribute. We'll invite our friends and we'll have, you know, a potluck dinner.

And that's how WomenAid began back east. Really? So it was called WomenAid back east too. Yes. Yep. In fact, there are womenades all over the country. I think maybe from that real simple magazine. And they're all a little bit different.

But the concept is the same, which is the concept is a giving circle. that you women or people come together and you contribute some amount of money that you decide and it can be a little or a lot. And then the group sort of decides how to donate that or what to do with it. At our vision 20 years ago was to make sure it was very simple, that we didn't make things too complicated. We're actually not a 501c3. we ask a very small donation, we ask for $25.

And because we give it directly to a neighbor or a friend, someone in our community who has a need that kind of goes under the radar. So our nominations come from the people that are in our group. Because of that, it doesn't qualify as a non-profit or 501 C3. there are some women aides who do it and raise money and then give it to a nonprofit.

And then there's typically a tax deduction. But they may raise money for breast cancer or some cause like that. For us, this just worked as a way to bring people

together. And WomenAid is Castle Rock is a community that is just grown exponentially in the last 20 years. And so this was a really great way that new women come to meet other people. And we meet three times a year, we used to meet four. we often usually someone offers their home. Sometimes we meet in a clubhouse and people bring, you know, a dish to share, $25 and the board pays for wine.

And we have wine. And it's just this simple way to give to your community to somebody you actually have heard about, I mean, you know, we share who the recipient is. Our recipient this last time is a woman who lost her husband in a motorcycle accident. So we don't raise a ton, ton of money in each one of our events. But what we always hear, like we'll raise about a little over $3,500 this time. Wow. That's still, it means so much.

to the people who receive it. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, we, over the 20 years, we have raised over $150,000. Oh, my gosh. Wow. Yeah, we're able to give that right back to the community because we don't have any overhead at all. And it's just such a simple concept that I, you know, I hope other women will think about that and in a way to start it in their own community. We had, yeah, we had lots of meetings where, you know, it was maybe 10 or 15 people who came.

Sure. But, you know, we don't make people our SVP. We just try to make it just as open and welcome and no pressure as possible. Right. And it's just been an absolute joy to just know the stories of the people that have, been helped. Yeah. Well, I'm glad that my neighbor across the street who was on the board for quite a long time, Carla.

Right, right. Shortly after I moved in, she said, Judy, I think you're really going to like Women Aid. And I immediately was blessed by the women and the group and the warmth and genuine. that I felt with the group and then also, you know, with you board members sharing about how WomenAid got started and what the purpose is and sharing some things about the recipient. And I do like it now that it's a little more open about the recipient. In fact, I don't know if you want to share a specific story of someone. that stands out in your mind of someone that was a recipient

with the audience today? Yeah. There have been so many, I will tell you one of my honest favorite ones. This was a, one of the ladies who attended Women Aid was the audiologist for a school. And there was a family, and they had like three kids. And one of the children had, was, yeah, but he had digital hearing aids that helped him immensely.

And he was in elementary school. And their dog ate his hearing aid. Oh, no. You know how I've had my dogs eat my glasses. You know what spells like you? fake. Right. The insurance company would not replace them.

Because it had been too soon. And this family had two or three other kids and they just couldn't afford the very expensive hearing aids that he had, which were digital and some other. So when he went to school, she had a pair of hearing aid she could let him use in school, but she had to take them back at the end of the day, which broke her heart. So she came to Lemonade and said, I can get his hearing aids at cost. I'll fit them.

My labor will be free. I'll do everything, but we just need the money to buy them at cost. And so that was our recipients for that month. And that was just such joy. I'm like, you know, those are the kind of things. You just, they go under the radar. But if you have neighbors or friends,

and because she'd been to women aid and she knew this group was available, you know, she could come and say, what do you guys think about this? Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So that was just, I think that's one of my very favorites, because it just, it helped this little boy, it helped his family, you know, just have a little bit better life.

Right. I mean, what a testimony to the goodness of the women who donated for this little guy. I mean, he can't help his situation or the fact that the dog ate him. Right. Exactly. Help that. Right. Wow.

Yeah. Yeah. And so sometimes I have a really favorite saying that I want to share. Yeah. Because I think the other thing is about, you know, I think when you're together doing good, you get joy. And I honestly think that lots of things happen in our lives. But we can choose joy. And this saying that I had heard was that when you choose joy, you feel good. When you feel good, you do good.

when you do good, it reminds others of what joy feels like, and it just might inspire them to do the same. Okay, I got goosebumps again. I think that that's sort of how Women Aid works. It does. We come together and it's just always a really joyful night. It is very fun, very fun. And it's very simple. But, yeah, we, over the 20 years,

you know, when sometimes we don't have as big of crowds as other times and we think, well, maybe it's time for this to end. Maybe we shouldn't do this anymore. And especially, you know, we made it through 2020, even though we couldn't get together. We did some virtual meetings. And also because of GoFundVee, we started before GoFundVee was the thing. I know. That's kind of crazy. But then when GoFundMe came around, we thought, well, people could help their neighbors that way.

Yeah. But, and they certainly can't. But, but, but these are, are much smaller needs. And more importantly, though, when you go online and get a gift, you're not connecting with other people. And I do think there's, there's joy, like I talked about in networking and being with other people who you have a like mind with. And it, it just gives strength.

Right. And it's interesting at this last one I attended, I ended up speaking with and sitting next to a former recipient of a gift from Women Aid. And what a blessing to, you know, she could then share the gift and how what it meant to her family. So what comes around goes around and comes right back. And that's just amazing. And it's so amazing because very often we will have recipients come back and participate as, you know, as they're able or as this time. Yeah. And that's also, yeah, just a great feeling.

It's wonderful to have them back. I mean, I just see this common thread all the way back, you know, when you started college and wanting to help people. And I mean, I'm not going to try and guess how many years later it is today. But that thread, you know, has been a very strong thread of leading in every facet of your life all the way to the present. And I know you mentioned to me that now you're retired and most of your time is spent volunteering. And I now understand that your horseback riding, Donna. Yes. That's right.

Nothing stopping you, girl. I am so excited to be doing that. I started about four years ago. I actually, when I lost my leg, I was 26 and I had ridden before. And I had asked people, are there any programs around? Because I do there were ski programs, but I didn't really want to be cold. I wasn't that good of a skier. Sure.

And so then I never, I never really, I was aware of horseback riding programs, but I never got back to checking it out. Okay. It was pretty focused on my career and family, you know, just in other things. And I don't know if I shared with you why I connected again to deciding to horseback ride, but my husband and I, Bill, take our grandkids camping. And Bill would always take them. we took them fishing and all kinds of things, but Bill would take them horseback riding on trail rides. And I would wait in the barn.

And the last time, it was about four years ago that they all left, and I sat there and thought, I'm not waiting this barn again. I know that there's programs out there. I'm going to learn to ride a horse. And I'm scared, but I'm going to learn to ride a horse. And so I did. I contacted one of the nonprofits here in that's a therapeutic writing. And currently it's called Affinity Ranch and had a wonderful woman who has been with my instructor for four years.

And they helped me from, you know, where I, she'd have to remind me to breathe because I was so afraid. To where, you know, I can now trot to do a few other things. And I go on trail rides with the grandkids. There you go. Yeah. It's been really a very fun thing and definitely got me out of a comfort zone, but my comfort zone. But I'm thrilled that I do it.

Yep. You just keep knocking on those doors, right, Donna? Yeah, just keep going. Wow. Well, this has been an absolute pleasure. Do you want to share anything about people? how people could get connected with any of the things that you're involved in now? Absolutely.

So WomenAid, we have a Facebook page. We have a website, Women Aid of Castle Rock. And on that, all of the board members' contact information is there. And we post when our next meeting is going to be. But you're welcome to reach out to any of the board members and ask questions about any of it. That's wonderful. you is so gifted in a unique way. And that's, I think, another thing that really brings the joy and the genuineness to Women Aid. Yeah, it is a, the board is just wonderful. We work together,

but we're all very different people. And that has just really has blessed the organization. Yeah. All right. I would love to hear some of your listeners decide to start a women aid. I think that your podcast is a great idea. Oh, thank you. So I I just, I hope that it just continues and you have more and more listeners and more people to be on your podcast. Oh, well, thank you. I appreciate that. It's been a joy for me too as well.

So, all right. Well, thank you so much, Donna, and we'll get this wrapped up. All right. Okay. Well, thank you so much, and you have a great afternoon. Thanks. Thanks so much for joining us for the inspired Impact Podcast.

To listen to past episodes, please visit the inspiredimpactpodcast.com.