The Lion's Roundtable (Guest: Jodee Hoover)
Download MP3Good day. This is Amber Narro on ninety point nine FM, The Lion. I'm here at the Lion's roundtable with my friend, your friend, Jodee Hoover. She is here to talk a little bit about ham and barbecue as well as a little bit about hospice and Richard Murphy hospice that is, and sharing with all things that we are doing to help the community and those who are grieving or who who are in stages of life, and we're gonna talk very real about that but at the same time very delicately. So thanks so much for joining us Jody, glad
Jodee Hoover:Thank to have you for having me, good morning. I love coming on here with you, you know that. Am. I had make sure I get the right place though, but it's
Dr. Amber Narro:so nice in here. That's alright. Jody's talking about me being over at North Shore Broadcasting for a couple of years and and well, almost three years, really. They hosted me and miss Rosa's show in that space while we were kinda redesigning. Yeah.
Dr. Amber Narro:Definitely. Me too. She was a dear dear heart to our community. Anytime I can talk about her, do miss Rosa Dunn who started this show in about 1987, think, somewhere around there. I gotta get the real date of that though because I think we're getting close to a pretty important
Jodee Hoover:And you know, I think we were Celebration. We came on like with her, you know, back when and talk about Richard Murphy Hospice. Yeah. She's very close to our family because Ashley, her daughter and Joelle, my sister, were best friends growing up. So we always had that special bond right now.
Dr. Amber Narro:I did not know
Jodee Hoover:that. They're still good friends and everything.
Dr. Amber Narro:Oh, that's something I learned today. So yep, I drop her name as many times as I can because she's way better than I am or anybody else in this community. She's amazing, You
Jodee Hoover:are just as amazing as her.
Dr. Amber Narro:I beg to differ but I'm very honored to have taken her spot on this show and definitely will protect this show as long as I can. And to your point, Brian Chiry over at North Shore Broadcasting was a big part of that and making sure that this show continued even as KSLU was off the air for a little while. This show didn't miss a beat. We went from one one show on KSLU, literally the next week started at North Shore Broadcasting. That's amazing.
Dr. Amber Narro:And when KSLU said, hey, we're ready to have you back and we can do some live programming again, I said, I'm ready to come back and and I didn't miss a beat going from North Shore Broadcasting back over here. So there has never been Wow. A downtime for this show.
Jodee Hoover:Crying for this show. Are so good. I mean, they're so good to Richard Murphy Hospice. I mean, they're so good, you know, with the barbecue because they were running pretty much the barbecue being a part of it as you for years, what, like twenty four so years. And so they are always willing to support us and we're happy to be a part of the team now barbecue and everything.
Jodee Hoover:And
Dr. Amber Narro:I've worked with them for about ten years, I guess. It's like longer for you
Jodee Hoover:because seems like you and Eric and Hart and Brian are just like the gurus over there.
Dr. Amber Narro:Yeah. Well, I think we all had our own space. You know? Like, this is what I do and this is what you do and we're good. Right?
Dr. Amber Narro:Yeah. So that's and it it always works that way when you got a good little team going. It does. But you are taking over that team with and coming in guns ablazes. So let's talk about him and barbecue and how this event that is over twenty years old has changed has changed hands and is coming over into Rich's Murphy Hospice to support a very beloved organization in our area.
Jodee Hoover:Yeah, exactly. You know, we've always had a part in it. We've always did our little part over the years and then about three years ago Brian and Hart sat down with us and said, you know, what do y'all think about coming in and helping run it and taking control? We're not going leave y'all. Y'all will be in the front seat, we'll be in the vet seat, vice versa, we'll watch y'all.
Jodee Hoover:And we said absolutely, and of course it's not just for Richard Murphy Hospice, we want other non profits that we want them to be involved and we want them to have the benefits just like us. But it's been a learning process, there's a lot to go in it. Mean, course, with the Gala every year now, in mode now with the Richard Murphy Hospice Gala, know what to do. But with the barbecue it was coming in after y'all have just put this thing into motion, it's superb and everything and trying to make sure that we don't do something that's totally gonna be wrong but we wanna help make it better. And so yeah, I mean it benefits the Richard Murphy Hospice House.
Jodee Hoover:I mean we're a non profit, five zero one(three). We don't receive any funding from federal, state, government or any kind of medical reimbursement. So it's things like the barbecue, it's things like our gala every year, our community which is the heart and soul of the Richard Murphy Hospice House that helps us survive every day.
Dr. Amber Narro:And you guys are super tied in with Southeastern, right? Yes. For everything that you do. Number one, your daughter is here as a student. Love Reagan, love having her on campus, With very active and
Jodee Hoover:the Richard Murphy Hospice House. So she's seen it firsthand of what this house does for people. I mean we had my grandmother in there so she got to see it firsthand And from that point then with Laura's class. Indeed. Laura's class is amazing.
Jodee Hoover:I mean, every year they come in and they wanna learn and they wanna get out there and they wanna help and we are so appreciative. We couldn't do Gala without them either. I mean, they're a large part of it and Laura Demetea, mean, she's amazing. Mean, she's been with us from years now.
Dr. Amber Narro:I've got a meeting with her right after this to talk about our assessment for communication.
Jodee Hoover:Oh, she's great. Y'all have a perfect team. Indeed. Y'all really do.
Dr. Amber Narro:Indeed. Now, we're working together a little bit to try to get some volunteers there to support the Honors Program as well and I think this is gonna be a beautiful synergy hopefully so that we can all help each other and support each other.
Jodee Hoover:Absolutely, we wanna help them. And like I just said, it's not just Richard Murphy Hospice, We want other nonprofits. We want other people out there in the honors program. We wanna help them
Dr. Amber Narro:and everything. So let's talk about that a little bit. So all of our our nonprofit student organizations are probably listening right now. Is there an opportunity for them to participate
Jodee Hoover:in Absolutely. We want them to come out. There's no fee for the nonprofit, so we don't charge that. We don't charge a booth fee for them. So the main thing is to get with you if they feel comfortable coming to you or they can call me and talk about it and we can discuss about maybe what they wanna sell, but all the proceeds go back to them.
Jodee Hoover:And what great advertisement too out there. I mean those two A's downtown Hammond, everybody's out there, perfect spot location, perfect PR for them, and they get to keep all the proceeds.
Dr. Amber Narro:Indeed. And there is a there's a return on that. So what you have to do is put $50 down to save your your space. That's it. Right?
Dr. Amber Narro:And as soon as it's over with, we give you that $50 back to make sure that you are that you're there. We just wanna make sure you show up. You got a little skin in the game and
Jodee Hoover:we don't know, have
Dr. Amber Narro:all Save these other five people for you.
Jodee Hoover:That might wanna participate and then we might be full and then you don't show up and it's like,
Dr. Amber Narro:you know?
Jodee Hoover:But we have like Hammond High School's coming back out again. Love it. We have the Hammond, I mean the Holy Ghost Dads Club. They're gonna come over. We have Sacred Heart coming.
Jodee Hoover:They are a non profit that's starting up in Bogalosa. They want to build a hospice house. So they wanna come out and participate also. Of course, the honors, we're hoping that everything will be good with that to go. Working with
Dr. Amber Narro:that right now, we're working with our student organization.
Jodee Hoover:And of course your craft vendors are amazing. Yeah.
Dr. Amber Narro:Yeah. They come out, they love it. And you know, it's it's funny, like, we moved from the spot right across from like Brady's in that area over to where Guy's Grocery used to be in kind of in that little part of the neighborhood downtown. And every one of my vendors, I was a little nervous because I set them up last year, and then I have to go to the Southern Regional Honors Conference. It happens the fourth week in March.
Dr. Amber Narro:So I'm I'm with my honors crew going over that way, and that's that's our struggle right now. Who's gonna be able to work both the booth here while the rest of them go over to honors conference? But I've I've sent the email out, so I didn't know how they did Mhmm. Last year. So I sent the email out and said, look, y'all, we're still in the same space
Jodee Hoover:Yeah.
Dr. Amber Narro:As we were last year. What do you think? And they were like, no. We're all in. Come on.
Dr. Amber Narro:I was like, well, they must have done well because vendors will not come back if they didn't do well at the event.
Jodee Hoover:Because it was a different location. Yeah. We were like unsure We didn't know Right. It was gonna work out or not.
Dr. Amber Narro:And I wasn't there last year after it was over with to ask them how did it go Yeah. You know, to wonder if they would come back because I was at Southern Regional Honors Conference. So when they were all ready to come back, I said, okay. We did okay. So
Jodee Hoover:And they were great. I'm excited about it. I got coffee Saturday morning from a little coffee vendor and they are so cute and everything. So it was nice to have that coffee first thing in
Dr. Amber Narro:the Coffee's coming back. Snowballs are coming back. That is great. Yeah. The the calls, the whole nine yards.
Dr. Amber Narro:Wow. They they love the event. I don't know if they love each other or they love they love the money they made. It's probably a combination of both because I'm telling you, those vendors will not come back if they're not making cash. So I'm excited about that.
Dr. Amber Narro:That says a lot about the the event that there's people out there. They're having a good time. They're listening to some great music. And speaking of music, who do we have?
Jodee Hoover:Oh my goodness. We got a good lineup. And and what we did this year, of Star Equipment is one of our main sponsors, they have donated the stage again this year to us. Thank well as a tractor and ATV and Mr. Charlie, little Charlie and all of them over there, they're so gracious.
Jodee Hoover:Mean, what they do to my little doorbell going off, sorry about that. That's alright.
Dr. Amber Narro:Sound effect.
Jodee Hoover:That's probably Reagan leaving for school. Every year, I mean they step up. The past couple years we've been having the tractor pull that they put on every year the same weekend and they still they give, they give and give, and this year the tractor pull is gonna be a week before, so I'm excited because I get to go out and support them for that and everything because it's always been the same weekend. But we have All Pro Productions, which is our sound and lighting. They're coming in to help us.
Jodee Hoover:We use them for Gala and Eddie and his crew are great. And they'll be managing 3rd Street, which is going come on Friday night from five to nine I'm sorry, six to nine. We'll have music that Eddie and them are gonna play before that, so there will be like little radio music playing, like DJ music playing, and they'll play from six to nine, and then open range will start up on Saturday from eleven to two, and both local, both local bands and everything. Last year we had, I think, two on Friday night and then we had one on Saturday, but we're just making it, you know, just one on one. We'll have, like I said, some radio music and we have to close an hour early this year because of City of Hammond, but no problem with that.
Jodee Hoover:I mean, it will be closed at nine But Champagne Beverage is our beverage sponsor. We have Walmart that, you know, providing water and everything to us, Piggly Wiggly. Oh my goodness, there's so many I can like go down the list and help put this event on. Of course, y'all, of course, North Shore Media, Room On A Promo, Express Printing, think Gulf Coast Bank, First Garrany Bank, North Oates, Acadian Ambulance is going be out there. The City of Hammond, they're great.
Jodee Hoover:I mean, you call them and they just jump on board. Lamar with the billboard, going back to City Of Hammond, the train station, we correlate with them about our event to let them know they're working So you're rolling. Something Yeah, exactly. And we learned something new when we met with them a couple weeks ago that we thought they do slow the trains down, but they really don't because a lot of people, if they see a train slowing down, then they might try to beat it, but we make them aware that we do have an event there so they know to start, you know, blowing the horn, coming and stuff like that. So it was really interesting because I was like, I thought y'all just slowed the trains down.
Jodee Hoover:They're like, no, we don't do that and everything. But interesting facts, you know? But it's coming together. March is gonna be here before we know it. Hopefully we'll have beautiful weather.
Jodee Hoover:Last year was hit or miss. It rained a little bit in the morning, and then right when we were cleaning up, it stormed.
Dr. Amber Narro:Ugh.
Jodee Hoover:So, yeah, I'm hoping, like, it'll be beautiful weather. Knock on wood.
Dr. Amber Narro:It. Love it. Well, Jody, we're excited about that event coming back. And you guys have judges?
Jodee Hoover:Yes. We do have judges. And you can also go to our website www.hammanbbq.com. All our information is there. Our Facebook page is up and running now too with information and we have judges.
Jodee Hoover:The judging is almost full so we might have to kinda hold off on adding any more but as we get more applicants, registrants for the barbecue, we'll probably hook it back on. And they're great, they come back every year.
Dr. Amber Narro:And you still have room for people to register for the Yes,
Jodee Hoover:yes, we have slots for registration, 175. And also champagne beverage this year is gonna give best decorations for first and second place. So they have some nice prizes for that and everything because they do come out and decorate, especially Atmos. I don't know if you remember that, a couple years ago they had the chicken suit and everything walking Oh around yeah. And of course we do the tip for taste, you know, where you can walk around and sample all the team's barbecue and kind of put money in there and then they win like, best category for that and it's so much fun.
Jodee Hoover:And Reagan is a judge, of course. She likes going home with her little doggy bag and everything. And Nick Gagliano and Dana helped her a couple years ago with it and now she just wants to come back and hang out with them.
Dr. Amber Narro:Love it.
Jodee Hoover:I know. It's fun. It's a lot of fun and we have a great team, you, Hart, Brian, myself, Donna, Olivia that runs the hospice house, Ross, we're all coming back. Again, wish we could get G back,
Dr. Amber Narro:He done moved. Moved he was He I last
Jodee Hoover:know, right? Jeff Wright coming in providing garbage cans and dumpster and porta potties
Dr. Amber Narro:Love it.
Jodee Hoover:It's so much to put together and but it's a good thing, you know?
Dr. Amber Narro:It is. It is. Jody, one of the great things about working in this community is that everybody just kinda comes together for these sorts of And we have a lot of people who are invested in this. I miss it now. I'm sorry I gotta be with my honor students all that weekend.
Dr. Amber Narro:I can't I can't experience the event because it was so much fun. I used to get like 25,000 steps in during the day while I going
Jodee Hoover:You do work your little butt off.
Dr. Amber Narro:Yes. And I'm part of cleanup crew, so I would always come in, like, they set up because I was always in class on Thursday when they started setting up the event. Right? And and my pay my payment for that is that I needed to stay and clean up, so we we kinda split it that way. And I miss being able to be there and help clean up And it cleaned this up
Jodee Hoover:your so fast
Dr. Amber Narro:I was so sad.
Jodee Hoover:It's like so fast now. We're like
Dr. Amber Narro:I'm we get I'm hoping we get close, like, we get closer for the Southern Regional Honors Conference so I can come home and help clean up. Ain't that terrible? No. Love that. But that was my thing.
Dr. Amber Narro:I felt like I was not doing my job last year when I was still on the road coming home from Chattanooga.
Jodee Hoover:Well, you're so used to it. You're so
Dr. Amber Narro:used to that
Jodee Hoover:routine and you kinda like, you know.
Dr. Amber Narro:I felt like they could do it without me. What do you mean?
Jodee Hoover:No. We can never do anything without But
Dr. Amber Narro:it cleaned and it got cleaned up without me. You know, I
Jodee Hoover:hate cleaning but Yeah. I did miss you but
Dr. Amber Narro:Well, that's like my workout for the week, you know.
Jodee Hoover:Like Ross and his whole group are great. I mean, he's
Dr. Amber Narro:I know. I miss my Ross.
Jodee Hoover:He's great and he's getting some pulling some people, you know, I think from the community too that are gonna help him. And it's it's just like really neat. Guy Ricotta. And he's gonna run the beer booth for me and get volunteers signed up. I'm gonna make his little sign up and he's gonna get all because he gets so many, know, so many and that's another thing, you know, high school students, if y'all need service hours, if you want to come help set up.
Dr. Amber Narro:You can't work the beer booth, but you Can't can work work out the beer booth,
Jodee Hoover:I'm sorry about that, but you can come help set up and be runners for us. That's a good way to get some easy service hours and wear your school t shirt and everything and people will talk to you left and right there. Like you said, our community is wonderful.
Dr. Amber Narro:Absolutely. We even have helped vendors set up and things like that. So there's opportunities for people to do stuff. Come on out. You'll be busy.
Dr. Amber Narro:It's a big event. It's a big event. Jodi, how do we get more information on this? You know, let's run down the list of how we can participate. We've got vendors and and and in the competition, corporate sponsorships.
Jodee Hoover:Yeah. Is on our website, www.hamonbbq.com or you can call me. I mean, everybody knows my number by now. Being with Richard Murphy is kinda like, you know, that's a number. (985) 507-2629.
Jodee Hoover:They can call me,
Dr. Amber Narro:of
Jodee Hoover:course, and everything and I can get you to the right person. If you're a craft vendor, I can get you over to Amber and get more information about that. But yeah, just check out Facebook, check out the website or call me and I can give you information about being a corporate sponsor. We have different levels. And our just backyard, 175.
Jodee Hoover:And just, yeah, just reach out to me, reach out to the website.
Dr. Amber Narro:Love it, love it. Thank you, Jody. We appreciate everything that you do. You for having me. I appreciate Indeed, as we're coming out, let's just kinda remind people about Richard Murphy Hospice and the services you provide to the community and talk a little bit about your organization.
Dr. Amber Narro:You're the executive director of that organization and have run it for many years now. How long have you been?
Jodee Hoover:It's going on nine years. Yeah. I know. I can't believe that. Wow.
Dr. Amber Narro:And tell me a little bit about that, what we will be supporting through supporting the Hammond barbecue.
Jodee Hoover:Yeah, and as I mentioned earlier, Richard Murphy Hospice is a non profit. We're a three bedroom home in Hammond and we don't receive the funding from, like I said, federal or state government or any kind of medical reimbursement. It's from our events, it's from the community, it's from our donors and we don't charge anything to the patient coming to us.
Dr. Amber Narro:What is hospice?
Jodee Hoover:Hospice? Wait, you said What is hospice? Oh, I'm sorry, was like Well hospice, okay, when people are entering kind of like the last stages of their life, when everything has been done that can be done. They might approach it first about a year from now that we need to put you in a hospice, which are, let me go back, there are things that can be done but when you're ready for us, it's when you have totally just used everything that can be done.
Dr. Amber Narro:Decided to stop life saving care. Life saving care. We talk about this sometimes that most of the time when people go into hospice, that's their end stage of life.
Jodee Hoover:There are people who go into hospice care who Who are there for like years and everything. It doesn't mean that but Or who leave Exactly. Hospice We've had people graduate and they're like, we don't wanna leave y'all. We love y'all. Know?
Dr. Amber Narro:Yeah. Like, sorry, you're gonna live. You gotta go.
Jodee Hoover:Exactly. The that people think of, it's dark, it's death, but at Richard Murphy Hospice, it's not like that. You walk in, it looks like a regular house. Every room has, we have three rooms, it's a suite and they have their own bathroom. We encourage the family members to stay with their loved one, they can visit.
Jodee Hoover:We have like a little serving heating kitchen that they can go heat something up. We have a prayer garden where we have memorial brits out there in memory of your loved one that can be placed and people can be rolled out there in a wheelchair, we have a gathering like a big living room, we have a library, so it looks just like a regular house and that's what we want it to seem like. We want it to seem like you're going home because this is your home. Because people come to us where they don't wanna be a burden on their family, they don't have the financial means or they don't have anywhere to go. And that's where we come in.
Jodee Hoover:But like I said, we've had people there that have turned the corner and they're like, we're like, okay, you get to leave and they're like, but no, y'all are like my family, you know? And Donna is an RN, she's there. We have sitters and they're twenty four seven and Donna administers the medication. What happens is the hospice company that the patient does sign up with, they will come every day and they will draw up the medications and they will do the vitals and the baths and everything, so they will check on the patient too. But we have twenty four hour care, we're always there, we're always taking care of the patients and it's just, I don't know what our community would do without it.
Dr. Amber Narro:Right, and it's comfort care It is. As This is not aggressive in any form. The patient is very much involved in the conversation. The house can feel celebratory, it can feel somber, it can feel whatever that individual wants because it is that home space. So you create the space for that individual and kinda match them where they are.
Jodee Hoover:Exactly, I mean, when my grandmother came to us and the McWilliams have such a large family and when she was getting to that stage where she was about to pass, she looked at me and she said thank you for taking me to your house. And I'll never forget that, you know those words and it's just so great. Thank you Jody
Dr. Amber Narro:I for sharing that with
Jodee Hoover:mean appreciate everybody it. Has a story that comes in and we love talking and celebrating those stories and that person. And Donna is amazing. I mean, she's amazing. I mean, she's been there, oh gosh, let's see, the house is going on like sixteen years.
Dr. Amber Narro:And y'all brought animals there before, right? Oh yeah,
Jodee Hoover:oh yeah, if you have a dog or a cat, we can make arrangements for that to come in. That's some people's family, I mean, my Belle is my family, you know, and they miss that, you know, but also I want people to know it's not just for the elderly, we've had babies, we've had four year olds, we've had 17 year olds that have come across into the hospice house, we've had 100 year olds. So age is not a discrepancy at all. I mean, any age we want to be there with a four year old that was involved in an accident, a motor vehicle accident. We went out and bought little things for him to have like blankets and like his little Paw Patrol just to make him comfortable.
Jodee Hoover:I mean he did pass with us but it was just that comfort for him that we were giving him too because he's four year old. The baby, we've had a 100 year old that was there that was rocking the baby for us. The house is amazing, it's amazing and it all goes back to our community. I mean what they help us every day and every year, they keep coming back and supporting, especially during COVID when we didn't have a gala. I called all the sponsors and I said we can't have a gala this year, I can refund your money, they said keep it.
Dr. Amber Narro:That tells you the impact that you're having on the community. When people wanna come back, right? They do. Like very early we talked about the impact of barbecue and that the vendors wanna come back. The the barbecuers wanna come back.
Dr. Amber Narro:People want to do this event again. So we appreciate all the work that you're doing in this community. Continue this event because obviously our community likes it.
Jodee Hoover:Well, thank you for all your help and everything too. Like I said, we have a great team for the barbecue. You, Hart, Brian, Eric, you know, Ross, Donna, I mean, Guy, we have all other volunteers that come up and help. And remember, it provides for the non profits in our area. Indeed, thank you.
Dr. Amber Narro:Thank Thank you so much. Alright. And thank you for listening here at the ninety point nine FM, the Lion. This event is coming to Hammond the last weekend in March this time. It'll be the fourth weekend in March every year, but it's the twenty seventh and twenty eighth here.
Dr. Amber Narro:We're gonna start with at 05:00 on Friday with some music and getting it pumped up, 06:00 with the bands, all on Saturday up until about three or 04:00 when we yeah. We do the awards. Award the
Jodee Hoover:the teams. Brian made me I'm sorry. No. Hart made me go do that last year, get on stage and do the awards.
Dr. Amber Narro:It's your turn. We're turning
Jodee Hoover:it over. I told Donna it's her turn this year. She's like, no. You did such a good time that year. We're we're you're doing it again this year.
Dr. Amber Narro:Like Indeed. Yeah. It'll be fine. I'll let y'all fight that out. But definitely come to the barbecue this year.
Dr. Amber Narro:If you're wanting to register a team, it's a $175. Get on hamandbbq.com online and definitely sign up for that today. Also, if you have any any need to vend at the event, certainly go on there, fill that out as well. Judging is getting a little tight, but we are looking for corporate sponsorships.
Jodee Hoover:Yes. Corporate sponsorships. Remember that was going to help. So please, and you get to participate too. Indeed.
Jodee Hoover:And get your name on signage and
Dr. Amber Narro:And you mentioned just a second ago that nonprofit's set up free, so make sure that you go ahead and apply as a nonprofit so that we save your spot for you and get that together for you. Thank you, Joan. You so
Jodee Hoover:much for having me.
Dr. Amber Narro:Thank you for listening here at ninety point nine The Lion. We have been at the Lion's Roundtable with my friend Jody Hoover and your friend, and we welcome all of you to continue listening on Thursdays and Fridays at 9AM right here on KSLU. I'm Amber Narrow. Y'all have a great day.
Jodee Hoover:Yay. I love that.
