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Achieve your highest potential in barber college with inside tips and mentorship from master barber Craig Charles, owner of Craig's Crown Cutz barbershop and Crown Cutz Academy of Barber & Style. On Barber College Success walks you through how to choose a barber college, how to make the most of your first three months, the differences between barbers and cosmetologists, and why barbering is such a huge business opportunity. Shared with love the Johnson City, TN way.
0:00:00 - (Kim Hale): Welcome to the Growing Stronger Together podcast. This is a podcast for people who care about children, and I am your host today. My name is Kim Hale, and I'm a faculty member at East Tennessee State University. For the people that listen to this podcast regularly, you know that I tend to focus on early literacy, everything to do with children, birth to five. But I have colleagues who also host, and their segments or episodes are related to older children, adolescents, moms, dads, grandparents, because our focus is strengthening families and strengthening our communities. And the way that we try to do that is we discuss topics on this podcast.
0:00:44 - (Kim Hale): We highlight resources and events, and we talk to people about what they're doing. And I have someone in the studio today who's a champion, and her name is Patti Woodby, and she serves as the mayor of Carter county. For those of you that are not in northeast Tennessee, you need to know that Carter county is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a beautiful, beautiful place. There's the Cherokee National Forest, the Appalachian Trail, the over mountain Victory National Historic Trail, which not many people know about. But that's an intriguing story.
0:01:19 - (Kim Hale): And then probably my favorite mayor would be is Watauga Lake. I refer to Mayor Woodby as a champion because I have witnessed over the last, I don't know, three, two, I don't know, three years, as many of us have in northeast Tennessee, that she is a determined person. She has a very strong desire to improve the quality of life for people in Carter county, but also in our region of northeast Tennessee.
0:01:53 - (Kim Hale): And her day to day work, her habits, her, her platforms, always consistently focus on what we can do to improve things for everybody. And of course, close to my heart is the work that she does with children and promoting early literacy. In my mind, a champion is a person who has a lot of courageous and that they use that courage to speak for and fight for others. And you definitely, mayor, would be our champion.
0:02:25 - (Kim Hale): And I am so grateful that when I ran into you, and you don't know me at all, I ran into you at lunch months ago, you were having lunch with someone and I interrupted you and said, would you be on a podcast? So welcome.
0:02:41 - (Patty Woodby): Thank you so much for that wonderful introduction. I almost feel like there's some celebrities standing behind me. But thank you so much. I really appreciate that. And I'm passionate about the work that you mentioned. Absolutely passionate.
0:02:55 - (Kim Hale): So, yes, and I've seen that. So I want to highlight things that you are involved in, in Carter county. And I know as the mayor, your day to day life. I mean, you're probably in budgets, you're probably in meetings, you probably have ceremonies and ribbon cuttings, and I'm sure there's a list of duties that mayors have to do. But I also see you do things that I'm like, I haven't seen other mayors do involved in a whole lot of things.
0:03:27 - (Kim Hale): So I'm going to name them, and then I want you to just take some time and talk to us about it. And of course, by the end of the podcast, I want you to talk about early literacy. And I know that you read a very special book at little milligan elementary back in the spring as it was closing, and you brought that book with you. I did, and I want you to share that with the audience.
0:03:51 - (Patty Woodby): It sounds wonderful.
0:03:52 - (Kim Hale): This is probably too long of a story to go into in this podcast, but the counties in northeast Tennessee received baby Doe money.
0:04:01 - (Patty Woodby): Correct?
0:04:02 - (Kim Hale): And there's been a decision made by several counties and several mayors and commissioners and to invest that money in a recovery center, regionally, that's located in Carter county. And the goal of that is really to help people who have substance abuse issues that have been incarcerated, for them to be able to change their ways, have a second chance, and have support in overcoming that addiction. And is it only for men?
0:04:43 - (Patty Woodby): You're correct on everything that you said, and it's not only for men. We also have a female facility.
0:04:48 - (Kim Hale): Okay.
0:04:48 - (Patty Woodby): That's located here in Washington county, in Johnson City.
0:04:51 - (Kim Hale): Okay.
0:04:51 - (Patty Woodby): So, yes, absolutely.
0:04:53 - (Kim Hale): So tell me a little bit more about that, like.
0:04:55 - (Patty Woodby): So, in a synopsis. That's exactly what happened. The biggest piece of this is we turned a decommissioned prison into this facility. That is what a lot of the funding went towards, and we done it in a record amount of time. We had to get the governor to come on board to allow us to take that property because it was owned by the state of Tennessee, and they really just wanted to sell it and kind of get it off the books because it had become a budgetary concern that the budget wasn't there to support it anymore.
0:05:22 - (Patty Woodby): So they moved those inmates to a larger facility and decommissioned the facility. And when that happened, of course, it's located in the Rhone Mountain part of Carter county. Some phenomenal group of judges that have. This has been their passion. We have the outpatient program already. It's called the recovery courts. It's been going on for about eight years now. Very successful in the first, second, and third judicial districts. That's the judges from the criminal courts who oversight those programs, and they have been champions for this program.
0:05:51 - (Patty Woodby): And their goal from this outpatient treatment program has always been to have an inpatient treatment program where we can truly try to really make a difference while having them in recovery and basically plucking them up out of the community and not allowing all those vices that would interfere with their programming and treatment to have them relapse. So that was a dream. And when this facility came open, they put together a team and approached me to be part of that team, and which I welcomed wholeheartedly. And the pitch was to go to the governor to see if he would support us in this.
0:06:26 - (Patty Woodby): We also made our rounds to county commissions, city council, any municipality looking to get a portion of some or all of the baby Doe money, because that money did not have any restrictions on it. It should have been just restricted to opioid abatement, but it was not. Counties and municipalities could have used that money for anything, whether it be to purchase school buses, to put roofs on facilities, to pay roads. I mean, there's so many needs in our rural counties, but all nine northeast Tennessee counties and municipalities chose, after we made what I call the road show, that these judges went on through every county, I was blessed to be able to attend some of those with them.
0:07:07 - (Patty Woodby): But Carter county was the first to come on board with $1.8 million, which was every bit of the money that we received to dedicate to getting this program off of its fee. And then Sullivan county and then kind of on down the line. Each county came on with some, even our smaller counties. Unicoy and Johnson county, who received a small amount, gave 50,000. Just to be a part of something that can make a difference in so many communities that are struggling right now, it's affecting every aspect of your community. Absolutely.
0:07:37 - (Patty Woodby): We made that happen. We accumulated $10.4 million. We put it into a bank account. We had to create a board, which all the mayors from the counties who participated in this are members of the board. They represent their county. I have chaired the board for the past two years. I think I need to give it up at some point in time, but I don't know if anybody wants to take it. But I've become very passionate about being very.
0:08:01 - (Patty Woodby): Being a part of what's happening in these facilities. So the male facility is at the prison in Rome Mountain, which used to be the northeast Tennessee work complex. And it was kind of where the inmates were in a minimum security. They would come out to the communities and kind of do some type of work. So that's where the males are. The females are located in a house here in Johnson City that was remodeled, has twelve bedrooms in it, and it's currently full with twelve female who are living in a home locked setting where they're able to get their children, they're cooking meals together, they're doing all these things and depending on each other, and they're being very successful in that program also.
0:08:38 - (Patty Woodby): The male facility can house up to 45. We are at 21 at this point. There's a good conglomerate from each county in there. So we are in to will be a year in the program. In October will be a year for most of them. And we hope to see some graduates start coming out by the end of the year of the program, actually graduating the program. But one of the partnerships that I've been very proud of creating with this entire program is the TCAT Northeast partnership at the time, both presidents. Once again, in my little world, if I just call them up and they just show up is what they say.
0:09:19 - (Patty Woodby): Trusted me enough to go to these facilities and implement educational opportunities, whether it's getting their high school diplomas, workforce development certifications to enter into the industry. OSHA three m all of the certifications that most of our industries require just your normal employee to have. We now have 26 inpatient members who have achieved five different workforce certifications and who are now college grads.
0:09:46 - (Patty Woodby): They graduated three weeks ago. We did a graduation at each facility. We did a cap and gown. We done the full on. And I requested. Senator Crow did a letter and came and the governor wrote a letter. Senator Haggerty wrote a letter in support of what they've done, each mentor to each name. I mean, dear Samantha, dear John. And it was to them on what they had achieved personally. And so that just goes to show some of the partnerships I've been able to create in the trust. It was easy for me, for me to ask them to help me support this program.
0:10:19 - (Patty Woodby): And you're going to see this is a game changer for northeast Tennessee.
0:10:22 - (Kim Hale): Yes. Well, and actually, I mean, what a.
0:10:24 - (Patty Woodby): Model for our, and we want it to need for the model for the region, not just for the region and the state, for the country, because as of right now, what research we've done, there's nothing like it in the country, what we're trying to do. And you're going to have wrap around services with these individuals even a year to 18 months when they come out of the programs to making sure that they are successful.
0:10:46 - (Patty Woodby): And so coming out of this program still is dependent on leaders such as myself and the other mayors for housing, for education, for transportation. Those are still barriers that we're dealing with just for our community members, not just success out of treatment facilities. So we need those partnerships, and we need to work together to make that successful and that a successful model, because when those individuals are out being successful in our communities, they're not inside our jails for the taxpayers to be contributing money to pay for that burden, when we can be putting that money towards education and roads and things that our children need instead of paying for medical and housing.
0:11:25 - (Patty Woodby): Right now, these 26 individuals are not a burden to the taxpayers of our counties, of the nine northeast Tennessee counties because they're actually trying to change their lives. And it's hard work.
0:11:36 - (Kim Hale): It is hard work.
0:11:37 - (Patty Woodby): And I am impressed daily by each one of them. I'm a big supporter. At Christmas, I did take each female and each male a devotional. I purchased and had their names engraved on those so they could kind of draw about how they're dealing with everything each day in a journal, so they could journal a little bit. But I want them to know that even in my role, I'm a big fan. And I tell them that every time I speak at the graduations, I am a fan.
0:12:00 - (Patty Woodby): And once you're finished here, and if you ever need me or any of these mayors to help you or these judges, we're gonna be there. These are the people you want in your corner. And I think that's confidence. It builds confidence. Oh, it creates, you know, I don't want to let these people down. They're doing big things for me. So it's a two way street, and that's where leaders like us play the enroll. Just being an encourager, it doesn't take, it doesn't cost me anything to show up and lend a hand or lend a few words to someone who is battling something much bigger than I'm aware of.
0:12:35 - (Kim Hale): Yes.
0:12:35 - (Patty Woodby): So that's kind of why I feel like it's important. I think these roles should be, you know, there's the daily mayor, things like you said we can do, but these are the things that matter, and these are the things that matter to community members, because everybody has had somebody that's touched by addiction.
0:12:51 - (Kim Hale): Exactly.
0:12:52 - (Patty Woodby): And everybody deserves the same, and I'm a true believer if everybody deserves a second chance, and everybody deserves a chance because like I told you earlier, somebody probably somewhere gave me one. Oh, so I'm a big returner of that favor.
0:13:05 - (Kim Hale): Yes, absolutely.
0:13:07 - (Patty Woodby): Yeah.
0:13:08 - (Kim Hale): We've all stood on somebody else's shoulders.
0:13:10 - (Patty Woodby): Right. And I'll kind of conclude that topic up for you. But if we talk about regionalism a lot in northeast Tennessee and how we get everybody on board. This project is the biggest example of regionalism, because you've got every branch, judicial, legislative, and executive branch, from the lowest governments of county commissions to city council to the governor on board to support this project. So we didn't have to do a lot of getting support from the bottom up. We got the support from the top down.
0:13:37 - (Patty Woodby): And that was what was amazing, to see people just kind of taking off that coat of armor, what they do daily, and just stepping in and saying, how can I lend a hand? And so that's what makes a difference in projects like this. You could take that model of what we did for this treatment facility and put it in any type of project, and it will work. It just takes people coming together, creating those partnerships, and trusting someone. If I call on you and say, I need your help, you know, I trust that I'm gonna show up for someone if they call me.
0:14:08 - (Patty Woodby): I have a good friend, Senator John Lindbergh, who's currently in a race of his own right now, but I could not speak. Just a wonderful man, and I laugh when I call him. He'll answer the phone and say, mayor, what good things are we gonna do today? And he says he loves it when I call him because he says, it's not your normal phone call. He said, I get phone calls from constituents who, and he's a senator at the state level, that are worried about why my trash is not being picked up or, you know, certain things. And I think, you know, that's.
0:14:37 - (Patty Woodby): Let me get you. You know, he said, but when you call, I know. I'm like, I've got to get her phone call. What exciting things is she going to ask me to do today? I appreciate that so much. So that just kind of goes to show how important it is to just be honest and do what you say you're going to do.
0:14:55 - (Kim Hale): You're a champion. You are a champ.
0:14:56 - (Patty Woodby): That's why I enjoy it. I love it. I love it.
0:14:59 - (Kim Hale): Well, you mentioned the governor, so I want to bring something else up. We have a walking, running biking path here that's been developed on an old railroad pathway, or whatever you want to.
0:15:12 - (Patty Woodby): Call it.
0:15:15 - (Kim Hale): And we call it the tweetsie trail. Right? And lo and behold, if Carter county did not get, like, $6.3 million from the governor to expand that we did. You know, one of the things that I am concerned about having children and grandchildren and being with children, it's our diet, our lack of exercise, our quality of life, quality of life. And we live in such a beautiful place in the country, so special that it is just phenomenal to me. May or would be that the governor recognizes the importance of providing for our citizens a place to be outside, a place that's safe, a place that allows you to walk, run, bike, hike, picnic, and 6.3 million.
0:16:17 - (Patty Woodby): Exactly. I know a lot of money. I was as shocked as you are. So.
0:16:22 - (Kim Hale): Really?
0:16:22 - (Patty Woodby): Yes. Yeah. So that project touching on tourism and how I could help bring another revenue stream to Carter county. We already have an existing piece of the Tweetsie trail. It's very popular, but that trail can run all the way up on the original railroad bed of the tweetsie, all the way up to North Carolina. So, you know, we had this small group of a park and rec group that, you know, had been pushing this project for a couple of years, but, you know, trying to ask for local funding for something like this would be years and years.
0:16:52 - (Patty Woodby): And during that time, I was initially in my role probably six months or eight months, and I had already hit the ground running, developing in a relationship with the gavin. I just. I think he's a wonderful man, and I think he's not your typical politician. I think he understands rural Tennessee, rural areas of northeast Tennessee probably better than any other leader I've seen at this point. And I connected with him on that.
0:17:14 - (Kim Hale): I saw pictures of him in the newspaper of, like, riding with you in this.
0:17:18 - (Patty Woodby): He did. He did.
0:17:21 - (Kim Hale): Like, doing. That was maintenance area that I'm not even sure there was much of a trail.
0:17:26 - (Patty Woodby): There wasn't. And that's a story. And another story, getting the governor on a trail that wasn't even there, and talk about THP losing their mind, and they're like, oh, I bet we have never seen a mayor bring the governor. And do I? Yeah, well, he's what we're doing. So the best part about that, we put together another team, myself and four others, and they knew I had a good, decent relationship with the governor. And I said, let's do this. Let's just ask him for it. You know, what's he gonna say? No, you can't.
0:17:53 - (Patty Woodby): So we done a PowerPoint. I contacted Senator Crow, which is a huge, huge supporter of northeast Tennessee. Wonderful senator. One of our longer sitting senators at the legislator and the general assembly once again says, patty, if you want to do it, we'll do it. And just having that support. So we went down. I met with the governor's team, and I launched the PowerPoint, and we'd done a wonderful presentation from some of the other members.
0:18:16 - (Patty Woodby): That was the first kind of budgetary area, the first time he had done his budget. We didn't make it that time. I didn't give up. So his finance director switched, and it came into Commissioner Brossen, who's over financed now. He came from park and Rec, which I had pitched the project before with him, the commissioner. Now, he was the money man, and I thought, oh, this is working wonderfully for me. I said, zoom set me up. So they set me up at Zoom with Jim, and I've done the PowerPoint again with him, again as the finance commissioner. Of course, he loves it. He loved it then, and the passion to keep pushing and asking. And I said, you know, it's $6.3 million to get this trail and mountain biking trails also. It's included in that. So it will put it from a local attraction to a tourist destination. Okay, perfect.
0:19:01 - (Patty Woodby): But Jim was just passionate, too, about the project, and he was more so supportive of it because of our passion behind it. And having someone who's going to do what they say they're going to do with the money, I think went a long ways. Also, I'll never forget getting the phone call at 10:00 at night one night from a commissioner that was on that little committee with me, said, you're not going to believe it. He has listed it. The governor has listed that appropriation in his budget for Carter county, in his own budget.
0:19:26 - (Patty Woodby): And I remember saying, if you're lying to me right now, I'm not going. I'm like, I've got to call you back and gain myself together here. But that was probably my first large achievement of creating a partnership and allowing money to be invested into our county. And it was a direct appropriation to us as a grant. There's no match. It was given to Carter county. You've got five years. Build the trail.
0:19:50 - (Patty Woodby): Once he had proved that, we did, like, a ribbon cutting, and I tried to get the governor to come up and do that with us. His schedule was busy, so I had several other commissioners come. Commissioner Ezell, the ECD commissioner, was a fit. Five come up to Carter county, and we did, like, a soft cutting to kind of do a groundbreaking of what we're going to do. I showed them all things Carter County. I took them back to the conference room. Their only request was, we want to have piles for lunch, please.
0:20:17 - (Patty Woodby): So we had big piles and milkshakes for all the commissioners. I have photos, and it was a wonderful moment for Carter county. So I take them back to the airport in Elizabethton. We have an airport there, right? I know where I get out of the parking lot, and my assistant's calling me, saying, the governor's office just called here. He'll need to come up here to tour that trail Friday. And I said, what if I didn't come with the group? And I assume one of them got back on the plane and said, you have got to come up here and see what they are doing.
0:20:45 - (Patty Woodby): So that following Friday, I had to have ATV's come in. THP called me and said, we've got to scout this out. We've got to do all the things. And so the one entrance that we first started that I wanted to take him in, it meant we were going to have to go across the old highway bridge was kind of falling apart. You know, we had blocked it off, and THP was like, no, we cannot do this. We're not taking the governor. I said, okay, we've got one final interest. We can go in a back way.
0:21:09 - (Patty Woodby): So we went that way. And they were okay. So I had it cleared out so we could get the ATV's back through there. He shows up, we get on the ATV's with him, and there's the original tweetsie tunnel. Of course, it's dark, and, you know, there's not. It could have. So we're in there, and here we are with my cell phone, holding it above the governor's head so he can walk through this tunnel, and we get to the backside.
0:21:30 - (Patty Woodby): And, of course, I didn't clear anything off for that part, because they only wanted to take him through the tunnel, look it over, kind of get the scape of it, you know? Well, that old highway bridge was down there. And he turned around, and I'm standing behind him. We're on jeans and t shirt. And it's just a fabulous moment for me because I've got the governor down here. And I just walked the governor through some dark tunnel, and now he's looking out, and he said, patty, have you walked on that bridge? And I said, yeah, my son and I came down here the night before and kind of trekked around and made sure everything looked okay. And I said, but they're not really. They really don't want you going outside the mountain. He said, we're going.
0:22:05 - (Patty Woodby): The THP guys were like, panic mode. But here he goes. He treks down through the briars and all the madness to get to this bridge. And we stand on that overlooking the Doe river. Magical and natural beauty.
0:22:19 - (Kim Hale): Magical.
0:22:20 - (Patty Woodby): Of that county and him seeing that, that was it. He knew that investment, and he knew that I was going to see it through. That's all it took. So that's probably going to be one of my most phenomenal memories as far as. Who knew that was gonna bring the governor in on a. On a trail? We hadn't even gotten started. It's not even. We had to cut the. Clear it out through a dark tunnel on a bridge that could fall down at any point in time. Here he was standing on it, and I thought the THP officers were gonna have a panic attack, but he did it. And that's what makes him such a phenomenal person.
0:22:53 - (Kim Hale): Yes.
0:22:54 - (Patty Woodby): That.
0:22:54 - (Kim Hale): Another champion right there.
0:22:55 - (Patty Woodby): Yeah. I mean, just taking the opportunity to come spend that time with me and some of my community members and get on that trail and see the beauty of Carter county. Phenomenal. So that was. That was an opportunity in a lifetime. He came, we took him in, and he knew that he invested. He made the right decision with that money. So therefore, was another stepping stone for Carter county to look and ask for any other opportunities that may come around. And the trust was there. That trust was laid, so.
0:23:25 - (Kim Hale): Well, I'm looking forward to that.
0:23:26 - (Patty Woodby): We're very excited. Quality of life and being able to get our kids off of these electronics. And also, what I want to see some of the school systems do, because it's going to be located, is to get on field trips, get the kids out on this trail, utilize it. Just quality of life. And offer not just for tourism, but really for our local citizens. I really want to see us use it and be admirable of what our natural beauty has in Carter county and northeast Tennessee, because Washington county is trying to do the same thing as, you know, they followed that playbook. So, of course, Patty goes and asks for it, we're going to go ask for it. And they got it. So how neat is it going to be to have a trail that runs from the oldest town through the oldest settlement, which is Sycamore shoals?
0:24:13 - (Kim Hale): That's neat.
0:24:13 - (Patty Woodby): Phenomenal piece of history. Phenomenal opportunity. A day to spend with your family. Retail food. Gorgeous. So it checks off all the boxes for tourism, for and just for our local residents. So it's a project we're very excited about. It's moving. We just approved last night in the county commission to start developing the master plan. So we're in the first stages of it, but it's moving. I'm excited.
0:24:37 - (Kim Hale): That's exciting.
0:24:37 - (Patty Woodby): Yeah.
0:24:38 - (Kim Hale): And related to that, now we're moving into the early literacy part. There is a storybook trail. Right. So I know. Again, I'll tell you what I know, and then you fill in the gaps. We have two lovely people in this community, Flora and Henry Joy.
0:24:58 - (Patty Woodby): Yes, absolutely.
0:24:59 - (Kim Hale): And Flora, I think, was a teacher. And did she grow up in Carter county?
0:25:05 - (Patty Woodby): Yes. And they both are current residents in Carter county also.
0:25:08 - (Kim Hale): And she was a professor. I think she's an author. I think she's written books.
0:25:13 - (Patty Woodby): She has written a few children's books.
0:25:15 - (Kim Hale): Okay. And so one of the things that we've been doing in Tennessee and in other places is to provide these panels that are at the height of a child, like a page out of a book large, that as you walk this short path, you can look at and read the book, share the book.
0:25:34 - (Patty Woodby): Right.
0:25:34 - (Kim Hale): I try to use all of those verbs because some parents do not have enough confidence to see themselves as a reader, and they shy away from, like, I'm not really gonna read that book, but they'll look at it or talk about it or. And so Flora and Henry have come forth and said, mayor, would be. We would be glad to give you the funds to have a storybook trail on the Tweetsy trail on Carter.
0:25:59 - (Patty Woodby): Absolutely, yes.
0:26:00 - (Kim Hale): Do I have my details right?
0:26:02 - (Patty Woodby): You nailed it. And they are absolutely two extraordinary individuals. My introduction was with them through Nancy Dishner, which is another huge champion for early literacy. She's phenomenal in her own arena, but yes. So the storybook trail, long story short, they came to me, wanted my help. I took the bull by the horns, and that part of the trail is actually owned by the city of Johnson City. We went to the city council, met with them, done the preview of what it would look like and what all it would entail.
0:26:31 - (Patty Woodby): They approved it immediately, and it's a go. And that first storybook will be one of Flora's because it's located in Carter county. Okay. And she's a resident, so it's going to be her book that's going to be showcased on the storybook trail. So another opportunity for parents to get out and spend quality time with their children, whether you're driving by on the bicycle or you're walking your dog.
0:26:52 - (Kim Hale): Yes.
0:26:53 - (Patty Woodby): Literacy and reading and just being able to be in the outdoors for quality of life, I think that's become so important since COVID too. I think we've understanding now the importance of outdoor rec and those opportunities more so than anything. And what a better way to intertwine early reading and early literacy with the outdoors. Yes. Perfect.
0:27:13 - (Kim Hale): And for parents, you know, I say on this podcast all the time, listeners will know the most important thing you can do is to talk with your child.
0:27:21 - (Patty Woodby): It is.
0:27:22 - (Kim Hale): And if you can use a book to help, you know, steer that along and offer new vocabulary words and new concepts, and all of that helps make them better readers.
0:27:34 - (Patty Woodby): Better readers. And you're creating confidence and self love, too, with children who are coming up. And it's just. It's important. And I wish more and more leaders would do it. Think we're seeing some of those barriers come down with leaders kind of coming out of their shell in arenas. I drag a lot of leaders with me to do, to do many things. I mean, so I find that is another area that I want to share with other leaders, and I want them to be a part of anything that I'm doing.
0:28:00 - (Patty Woodby): I want other leaders to be a part of so they can take it back or. Or have me be a part of anything that I can do to promote anything that's going to help northeast Tennessee and Tennessee be better than what we are is absolutely what I'm here for.
0:28:13 - (Kim Hale): That's what we need to do. I also know that you've been involved with the read and play Brookbus, which is of ETSU pediatrics, governor's early literacy foundation. It's really a trailer.
0:28:24 - (Patty Woodby): It is.
0:28:25 - (Kim Hale): And it's like the bookmobile kind of thing. And traveling around and giving families the opportunity to interact with books and people and medical residents, you know, talking about being healthy and playing in good nutrition and reading. Yes, but the thing I really want to hear about two things, actually. I know that a very hard decision was made in Carter county last spring in that you have an elementary school called Little Milligan.
0:28:55 - (Kim Hale): It had very few children. Like less than, I'm thinking less than 75.
0:28:59 - (Patty Woodby): Yeah, 60.
0:29:01 - (Kim Hale): Okay, so the expense of running that school for just 60 children, it was a lot.
0:29:08 - (Patty Woodby): Yes, it was a lot. And then a combination of some of the children were from the neighboring county of Johnson county. So that's where things kind of got convoluted a little bit, especially with the funding and the way that happens. But either way, the expense became very astronomical for the school system. So they had to make a tough decision. And rightfully slow in this day and time, inflation has just about.
0:29:31 - (Patty Woodby): The rural schools are unfortunately disappearing due to Badland budgetary constraints. So, yes, that decision was made in our county. It was a tough decision.
0:29:39 - (Kim Hale): And you went to school there.
0:29:40 - (Patty Woodby): It was a school that I went to. It was a school that I attended all the way and graduated 8th grade from so it was my elementary school in a very, very poor, rural part of Carter county. Probably the most rural, poorest part of Carter county is where I grew up, and that is the school that honestly shaped who I am today. It rallied around me and my family when we needed it the most, which.
0:30:02 - (Kim Hale): Is something that I think in our focus in this country on standards and test scores. And we have forgotten as a society, this nest that a school is for families and children, like a very safe place of support and harboring and learning. And there's so much more to a school besides just the test scores and the letter grade and the. Right.
0:30:29 - (Patty Woodby): That's exactly what little melody was to that community. Yes. Just a school. It was a community center. It was where they had their birthday parties. It was where parents and the principals and the teachers, they knew everything about every child and what their needs were. And there's so many needs. There's needs all over our county, but there are small nooks of every county that the need is dire. And these teachers and principals would go to the homes if the child wasn't at school to check and see and sending food home with them for the summertime.
0:30:58 - (Patty Woodby): We've had a principal up there who would you set up a food bank? And in the summertime, the food bank would be up at the school for family members to come by and get water or cereals or anything that they can utilize for the children to get through the summer until they got back. Because, as you know, some of our children, the only meals they're receiving is during the school year.
0:31:17 - (Kim Hale): Yes.
0:31:18 - (Patty Woodby): And children cannot learn when they're hungry. And so that's another issue that rural counties are continuously fighting with, with all these programs. And we, as a county, in Carter county, we do donate a lot of money to. We do funding to a lot of nonprofits that are returning that for hot meals and food services for the community. So it's kind of a two way street. You have to help feed the community in order to help educate the community so it works hand in hand.
0:31:44 - (Patty Woodby): I don't know what the answer is to ever get above or beyond it, but I think we're doing things right in Carter county in northeast Tennessee. But that school, it was a loss to that community. It was heartbreaking to me. Had several phone calls reaching out to me about the concerns. So on the last day of the school being open, I thought, you know, what a better way for me to get back to the school that taught me so much and taught me how to read than for me to go up and read to that school. So. And that's what I did.
0:32:17 - (Patty Woodby): I did. This is a children's book that was written by two wonderful friends of mine. It's called Live like grunt, okay? And it is a story about a dog and life lessons. And so it was wonderful for me to read. I read. Read to first through fifth grade, okay? They all were in the gym, and I read, and I can barely make it through, honestly, I had to hold the book up over my face to compose myself.
0:32:41 - (Kim Hale): Do you think you could read it on this podcast?
0:32:43 - (Patty Woodby): I do.
0:32:43 - (Kim Hale): Okay.
0:32:44 - (Patty Woodby): I would love to. Mitch, do we have time?
0:32:46 - (Kim Hale): Okay. So, as mayor, Patty would be reading live like grunts, written by Nikki.
0:32:54 - (Patty Woodby): Nikki Burdine and Miles Burdine. That's a father daughter combination, and they are two extremely wonderfully talented individuals, okay? And I am so proud to call them friends because Miles has been just. He's almost been a wonderful mentor to me. So I want to return this favor by reading a book that he and his daughter wrote.
0:33:14 - (Kim Hale): Okay?
0:33:14 - (Patty Woodby): So I haven't heard it before. Oh, well, I'm gonna enjoy. So when you're happy, dance around and wag your tail. If you want friends, wag your tail, not your tongue. No matter how often you're scolded, don't pout and feel sorry for yourself. Run right back and make friends. Be kind to everyone, because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. Be loyal. Regardless of how stupid the words of a friend or family member may sound. Look at them as if it's the most amazing thing you've ever heard of.
0:33:46 - (Patty Woodby): It's important to be a good listener when someone is having a bad day. Be silent. Sit close to them and nuzzle and cuddle them gently. Always let your family know that you love them. Even when you're mad. Never stop learning. No matter your age, always be yourself. You're the only one out there. Delight in the simple things in life. Be persistent and never give up on your dreams. Eventually, they will drop food.
0:34:16 - (Patty Woodby): Patience is a virtue. Follow your instincts and knows if you smell it, it's there. Eat with enthusiasm. Stalk when you've had enough. Love is like bacon. There's no such thing as too much time with your loved ones is better than any toy. Never underestimate the comfort of a cold, wet nose. Face challenges head on. Actions speak louder than words. Do something every day that challenges and scares you.
0:34:50 - (Patty Woodby): Remember to stretch before rising. If you want what lies buried, dig until you find it. On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass. Don't judge others who look different. Remember, it's what's inside that counts. Don't bite when a growl will do. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride at all costs, regardless of the risk. Protect your family. And that's the end. And it's a story about Miles daughter's dog. And when he was in the service, he would send them emails that talked about he wanted to put it to them at life lessons, but wanted to put it through the eyes of their dog so they would reiterate with it even more.
0:35:38 - (Patty Woodby): So that's what they wrote it about. And it is phenomenal.
0:35:41 - (Kim Hale): Oh, Patty, I love it. I have to buy that.
0:35:43 - (Patty Woodby): Yeah, no, I'll get you a coffee.
0:35:45 - (Kim Hale): You'll get me a coffee?
0:35:46 - (Patty Woodby): Yes, I will get you a coffee. I promise I will get a coffee.
0:35:48 - (Kim Hale): Thank you.
0:35:49 - (Patty Woodby): You're welcome.
0:35:50 - (Kim Hale): And thank you for being such a channel.
0:35:51 - (Patty Woodby): Thank you for having me and thank you for the support in these roles. You know, just the other day, and I know we're wrapping up, I had someone just out of the blue send me just a text. All it said was thank you. And I was like, okay, I think.
0:36:04 - (Kim Hale): They'Ve sent this to.
0:36:04 - (Patty Woodby): So I reply back, do you mean to send this to me? And they're like, yes. I just. So sometimes those appreciations go a long ways to our leaders. We don't hear it very often. So when community members just reach out and say, thank you, we appreciate what you do. It's inspiring and it helps us get through and do more. So I'm very appreciative of any support that I get. Cause sometimes these roles are lonely.
0:36:25 - (Kim Hale): So, yeah, I mean, you are doing a lot, and I have noticed, a lot of notice. And I am thrilled that you spent a half hour or so today.
0:36:32 - (Patty Woodby): Well, you. Absolutely. I like it. I appreciate it.
0:36:35 - (Kim Hale): And I am going to take your challenge of having the other mayors come and talk about their devotion to early literacy and the citizens and maybe ask them to bring their favorite.
0:36:49 - (Patty Woodby): I think that's a wonderful idea.
0:36:51 - (Kim Hale): If I tell them that, you can.
0:36:52 - (Patty Woodby): Tell them that I had patty on here and she suggested that I reach out to you next.
0:36:56 - (Kim Hale): And they'll do it.
0:36:57 - (Patty Woodby): They're going to say, if she did, I will.
0:37:00 - (Kim Hale): Thank you so much.
0:37:02 - (Patty Woodby): You're welcome.
0:37:03 - (Kim Hale): I'm just so impressed and so supported and thank you.
0:37:07 - (Patty Woodby): Thank you.
0:37:07 - (Kim Hale): Thank you. As a person who really cares about children and families. Thank you all for listening today. This has been another episode of Growing Stronger Together, a podcast for people who care about children. This podcast was developed by faculty at East Tennessee State University, including people from the health department of Pediatrics, or ETSU Health Department of Pediatrics, the center of Excellence in Early Childhood learning and development, and the EtSU Child and Family health institutes.
0:37:37 - (Kim Hale): ETSU is located in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, and we appreciate the financial support provided through a community health improvement site, investment from Ballot Health's Department of population health. Thank you for listening, and I hope you join me again next time for another episode of growing Stronger. Together. We want to help you raise healthy children.