Roberts Family Development Center Marks 25 Years of Impact

Derrell Roberts: [00:00:00] Education was the great equalizer. So we use that even today as a way to connect our kids and our families, 'cause I can get parents to understand the importance of education, no matter how well they did or didn't do in school. Let's look at your children and try to emphasize that first, then build off of that everything else.

Values, morals, talents, gifts, all those things will come with education being part of that foundation

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Scott Thomas: For 25 years, Roberts Family Development Center has been doing 

Jeff Holden: [00:02:00] exactly what its name promises, strengthening families by surrounding children and parents with education, opportunity, resources, and a genuine sense of belonging.

In this episode, I'm joined by co-founder and CEO Daryl Roberts, and Bryant Wyatt, who leads the organization's family support services. We talk about how Daryl and his wife, Tina, built the organization around the extended family support they experienced growing up, and how that philosophy still shapes everything Roberts Family Development Center does today.

From year-round afterschool programming and the highly sought-after Freedom School to mentoring, mental health services, housing assistance, and parent education, the organization uses young people as the entry point for supporting the entire family. Its work now reaches seven sites, serving hundreds of young people while employing dozens of full-time staff members and college students.

We also look toward the organization's future, including plans for a new technology center [00:03:00] that will give young people practical exposure to the skills and careers shaping tomorrow. This is a conversation about family, education, leadership, succession, and the determination required to serve a community for a quarter century.

Most of all, it's about making sure every family that encounters Roberts Family Development Center knows one thing: 

Scott Thomas: somebody cares. 

Jeff Holden: Daryl Roberts, Bryant Wyatt, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Derrell Roberts: Thank you for having us, Jack. Thank you for having me. 

Jeff Holden: And it has taken us a little while, hasn't it, Daryl?

It has. I'm thrilled to have you both in here. 

Derrell Roberts: I know. We're happy to be here. 

Jeff Holden: The organization is now 25 years old. Congratulations. 

Derrell Roberts: Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: And you co-founded it with your wife, Tina. Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: Yep. 

Jeff Holden: Very recognizable names in the community. Mm-hmm. Tell us a little bit about what it was about family, the Roberts Family Development Center- Mm-hmm

that, that got you started. 

Derrell Roberts: Thanks, yeah. First of all, appreciate you [00:04:00] inviting us. It took us a long time, because in some ways I'm always busy. Today, you know, I had let... I was fortunate to have Bryant come, because originally the wife was gonna be here, and she had something she forgot on her calendar. So, uh- 

Jeff Holden: I, 

Derrell Roberts: I really 

Jeff Holden: appreciate it

Derrell Roberts: I'm representing Tina Roberts as 

Jeff Holden: well. And interesting- 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: interestingly, I j- I just met Bryant for an event. 

Derrell Roberts: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: It was good to see him, and next thing I know, he's sitting in my studio. 

Derrell Roberts: There you 

Jeff Holden: go. I meet him and, and two days later he's here. I've known you for 30 years. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, it takes a, 

Jeff Holden: took a little while.

It's taken us a little while to get here. 

Derrell Roberts: Well, we, we were together two weeks ago. 

Jeff Holden: That's right. 

Derrell Roberts: There you go, at an ALF event. 

Jeff Holden: That's right. 

Derrell Roberts: That, that's our common bond is- 

Jeff Holden: There we go ... 

Derrell Roberts: we're great class 10. 

Jeff Holden: So- Dale, you just said the great class of '10- I 

Derrell Roberts: did ... 

Jeff Holden: to, to the great class of '30? 

Derrell Roberts: I know, I know. Class X.

Jeff Holden: Triple X. 

Derrell Roberts: Triple X. 

Jeff Holden: Ain't nothing. That's it. Hey, there we go. We have another thing in common. In 

Derrell Roberts: common, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: So tell, tell us about the organization. What, what brought it here? 

Derrell Roberts: So I think it, everything has to do with the families who raised us, and I have to say families with an S, 'cause both Tina [00:05:00] and I come from a background where multiple families raised us.

For her, it was her biological mom in Columbus, Georgia, to her dad, who relocated her and her older brother to, uh, North Carolina, then to, to Pennsylvania, where she, through her, her second mom, Ms. Alice. Mm-hmm. Ms. Alice became the Kool-Aid house, and she was that parent for the neighbors. And I came from this housing projects in New Orleans, where first of all, New Orleans itself is a family town, and I have grandparents who had 12 kids, who three or four of them stayed in New Orleans, and they became the extended family, aunts and uncles and cousins who I grew up with.

And because of that relationship, my grandparents played a pivotal role in, in my coming to Los Angeles. So I go from there to New Orleans to Los Angeles. Los Angeles is where I went to [00:06:00] college at Chapman. Chapman, and every step was family related. My s- my sister-in-law, Kathy, went to Chapman College, so I went to Chapman.

I had cousins who were at USC, so I went to graduate school at USC, and I went to DC, where I had family there. Came to Sacramento. Now Sacramento, interesting enough, had no family, but now I have family here. Roberts Family Development Center really, really sprouted out of the concept of f- extended and biological family that helped you along the way.

So the joke is that it actually was called the Edmund St. Cyr Roney Howard Family Development Center. It really was. Go to the secretary of state, and a little lady behind the counter literally looked at me and said, "Oh baby, that name's too long." Kept going to them, you know, to put the name in as our nonprofit.

She said, "What's your name?" I said, "My last name's Roberts." She said, "Okay, we're gonna call this Roberts Family Development Center." "Well, no ma'am, you can't do that 'cause [00:07:00] people are gonna think it's a ego trip." "Baby, people gonna think that anyway, so we're not gonna worry about people." And it was literally, that's how we started, and it really became the idea of creating an environment where families feel comfortable, and today that's our, I think that's our stick.

People feel comfortable, feel a part of what we do, and we probably feel a little different than other people. No matter what we're doing at whatever site we're at, it's the thought of family 

Jeff Holden: And we're gonna get into that too. Mm-hmm. That's an interesting story that I'll bet a lot of people don't know- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah

Jeff Holden: how it got to be Roberts- 

Derrell Roberts: Roberts 

Jeff Holden: Family Development ... Family Development. Yeah. So it, it preexisted as a different- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: organization. 

Derrell Roberts: Well, by vision it w- the name was gonna be Edmond St. Cyr, Ronnie Howard. Edmond St. Cyr, my grandfather out of Los Angeles. Ah, ah. Ronnie Howard, my wife's grandmother out of Georgia.

That's we're gonna honor, Roberts- 

Jeff Holden: As you saw 

Derrell Roberts: it. Yeah. Edmond St. Cyr, Ronnie Howard Family. Everyone said I even had initial ESA RH Family Development Center, 'cause the family meant everything to me. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: And th- and when we got [00:08:00] together, Tina and I recognized the importance that family would play in our lives.

Well. And it has. 

Jeff Holden: Thank goodness for somebody at the- Yeah ... you know, at the city to say- Yeah ... "That's not gonna work." 

Derrell Roberts: She said, "That's, that's a little long, baby." That's what it was. 

Jeff Holden: Well, that's wonderful. Yeah. And, and what a name you've created- Mm ... for yourself and the organization. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. Well, I think so. 

Jeff Holden: I look at the website and I see all the programs you offer.

Yeah. And the depth of those programs. 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Give us an overview- Mm ... so to speak, of, of what they look like, and then we'll get into a couple- We- ... of them more specifically. 

Derrell Roberts: We located in North Sacramento, where we purchased the old Bethel Lutheran Church building that later on was called the Sons of Norway.

So the Norwegians, families who lived in the area, bought the, bought the old church in the '60s from Bethel Lutheran Church, which it had been since before that, the '40s. And they bought it and they created an environment where their children were raised. So the Norwegian families used that community center as the hub for their neighbors and their [00:09:00] activities.

They had, had activities. They had lutefisk parties, you know, the d- the Norwegian delicacy that smell like stinky fish- Yes ... and kittens. It did. Dear Lord, that was the, the smell that we had in the old annex, our, our present computer cafe. But the old church was Bethel Lutheran, and the house that we have some of our administrative activities, that was the old pastor's home, and later the caretaker's home.

So over time, that area of town, we've used North Sacramento as our base to provide Roberts Family Development Center. Traditionally started off a- at education activities, because we both, Tina and I both believe that education is the foundation. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: And from where we came, in the South, education was the great equalizer.

So we use that even today as a way to connect our kids and our families. 'Cause if I can get parents to understand the importance of education, no matter how well they did or didn't do in school, let's look at your children and try to emphasize that first, then build off of [00:10:00] that everything else, values, morals, talents, gifts.

All those things will come with education being part of that foundation. 

Jeff Holden: And starting obviously with the child. 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: But the child is a part of that family. Yeah. And the more you can encompass the family- Mm ... into that process, the better that child tends to do as 

Derrell Roberts: well. And that's what it is, and we really saw that as the simple approach to what's what we saw growing up worked.

If we had parents engaged in whatever it was for kids, usually parents wanted the best for their kids. Every parent wants the best. 

Bryant Wyatt: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: Wants better for their kid than they got for themselves. So that being said, we went, went about the business of including the parent in whatever we're doing. Education, come on, we have a monthly parent meeting for, to make sure you know what's going on education-wise.

Not every parent uses that for that purpose, or we even do free dinner. You know, we say free dinner because we wanna make sure you don't have to cook that night when we have the parent meeting. 

Brad Squires: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: But use that as a way to connect you to what we're doing. Guest speakers, you know, including folks like Brian, who, uh, [00:11:00] handles our family support services, bring in what we offer for families within Roberts.

Those services that we provide, we offer that as information for that regular parent meeting, whether it goes from family support services to finance workshops. It goes to information on savings, information on investment, inform- in- information on mental health services that are available. All those things that we think people need to hear and see, we try to bring that to the table once a month for parents.

So that's, so we do that as well. 

Jeff Holden: Once a month? 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, because the whole idea is to get parents connected to what's happening to their kids. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. In- The element of doing all that- Mm. First of all, that's a lot of work once a month. 

Derrell Roberts: It is. 

Jeff Holden: How many people do you usually have attend? 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, you know, anywhere from 10, 15 folks, sometime as small as five, sometime as many as 20.

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Derrell Roberts: Depends on the topic, depends on how much effort we put into getting parents there. But some of it includes getting the staff committed to making that [00:12:00] work. 

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Derrell Roberts: And that's a different take on people with employment now. You know, I grew up in an era where doing extra was just part of life. 

Jeff Holden: Yep.

Derrell Roberts: Today's young em- employees looking at job a little different. 

Jeff Holden: I'm looking at Bryant over there going, "Yeah, maybe a little bit." So a- as one of those people- Mm-hmm ... Bryant, what do you think? 

Bryant Wyatt: Just back to that same question about connecting families, to answer the question regarding the importance of connected families, we know that we utilize youth as kind of the entry point to the family, right?

'Cause we li- believe in serving the whole family holistically. And so, you know, getting families to be a part of that setting is very important. It's how we make sure families are informed of resources that are offered, opportunities that are available in the community, keep them informed of what's happening politically in the community, things like that.

So those settings are very important to what we do overall as an organization. But to answer the question about my generation and those coming up, yeah, yeah, [00:13:00] there's a little bit of, uh, uh, I think a different idea of, you know, what we do. But, you know, I think one of the things that we always talk about, even in our, our staff meetings, is that this isn't just a job.

If you just want a job, this isn't the work for you. Mm-hmm. Like, this is hard work. This isn't about numbers and a paycheck. There's, that comes with it. Comes, sure. But, you know, there are lives and there's young people, there's families that are connected to the work that we do. Mm-hmm. So we have to be very intentional in the stuff that we do to make sure that our families receive the best from us.

Jeff Holden: And Daryl, in, in the programs- 

Bryant Wyatt: Mm-hmm 

Jeff Holden: What are the, what's the most popular? Tell us a little bit about Freedom School and- 

Derrell Roberts: So, so Freedom School probably that, that visible piece that people hear about, especially now. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Derrell Roberts: Summer months especially. But our after-school services are the services that most people get to know us first with.

Jeff Holden: All year long. 

Derrell Roberts: Whether it be all year round, so our after-school services are typically f- at our center, but we also go and have contracts with school districts to serve on school campuses. So in Robla we're at Main Avenue Elementary School, Taylor Street [00:14:00] Elementary School, and Glenwood. At Natomas School District, we're at H.

Allen Hight Elementary School District. And each of those might serve anywhere from 30, 40, 50 to 160 kids at H. Allen Hight. Your Grant High School, there's, uh, anywhere from 60 to 100 kids we touch every day, you know, in terms of after-school setting. But typically those same kids hang with us year round, so you find that those same kids are staying out of trouble, doing better in school, or seeing opportunities that they wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: The- tomorrow they're going to Folsom Cor- do- Folsom College. Last week they were at, uh, in San Francisco at the Valkyrie's Arena, and we had our, we had our Freedom School summer finale there, a day of social action. And Brian mentioned politics is an important part because Freedom School is really about this, the Freedom Riders era.

We take that and the vision of college students working with young people and working with the community, and we use that vision that was [00:15:00] created by Marian Wright Edelman with the Children Defense Fund, our national partnership, and we make that what our kids focus on. So today it happened to be the, uh, Maggie Carrill, the assemblywoman from- Yeah

uh, from our area. She was the read aloud guest this morning. Our read aloud guest at another's campus was Mr. Van Buren, the music director at Grant High School, the drum line, the internationally known Grant drum line. Then, you know, another h- another place is, uh, Dr. Williams, political scientist out of Sac State University.

Those are the people we put in front of our kids 'cause we want them to be exposed. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna tell you, one of the things that people don't realize is many communities that are considered at risk and under-resourced are those that don't have exposure to the things that we just take for granted when we don't live in those neighborhoods.

"Heck, why you worried about that? That's not a problem for us. Our park's always kept nice. Our park is always... Our schools are always kept up to date." Well, if you grew up in [00:16:00] a neighborhood where you're at a older school, renovation at, at, at Twin Rivers, man, is a big thing. And to the credit of the outgoing superintendent, Steve Martinez, that's what's been happening at, at Twin Rivers for the last five years, updating p- facilities, building new facilities, building spaces for our kids, exposure opportunities to quality resources for our kids.

All those things matter. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and it makes a statement to not only the kids, but the community at large too. 

Derrell Roberts: It does. It does. 

Jeff Holden: Okay, somebody cares. 

Derrell Roberts: Yes. Somebody cares about that person or that community, so you too should be an investor. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Derrell Roberts: See, people don't realize many c- many things that happen in our city happen when people look at, "Where do I wanna invest next?

Where do I wanna, not just make money," but making money of course. They said, "Where do I wanna enhance what's happening?" 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: Downtown Rail Yards, you look at it, trust me. E- it's gonna start coming down Del Paso Boulevard. So people there, we often tell them, "Hold onto your co- uh, hold onto your property for a few minutes, so that when you sell it, it's [00:17:00] worth something."

'Cause it is worth something. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: But also s- start looking at the, the re- And it does not have to be simply apartment complexes, but apartment complexes throughout our city are popping up. West Sac, Natomas, you name it, apartment complexes are popping up, and if you don't believe me, all you gotta do is go down...

What's the, what's the street, uh, Brian, um, Silver Eagle runs into? Tr- is that Truckee or San Juan? San Juan. San Juan. Yeah. Go out San Juan, old San Juan to, towards the, tow- going like you're going towards the airport, and look to your right and your left, and see all the apartment complexes. 

Jeff Holden: Everywhere. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah.

Yeah. So you know, that's just what's happening. That's because of the need for housing and the fact that not as many young people can afford to move into new homes the way we once did. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and the beauty of that too, it creates jobs. 

Derrell Roberts: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: It creates opportunities. Yes. And back to your point of the children seeing the people engaged- Yep

that they can do this too. 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Because the people look like them. Mm-hmm. They speak like them. Mm-hmm. They came from communities like them. Yep. And they say, "Hey, I never knew that was- 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: an [00:18:00] opportunity for me." 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, we make sure that our st- our kids see staff that looks like them. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: That came from not just their neighbors, from other neighbors, and chose to come back home.

Brian went to, where'd you go to school? 

Bryant Wyatt: Chico State. CSU Chico. 

Derrell Roberts: Oh. 

Bryant Wyatt: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: Left, came back. You know, his son goes to- 

Bryant Wyatt: Alabama A&M. 

Derrell Roberts: Now, he may ne- son may not ever come back. But we have Alabama A&M graduates- Mm ... who've come back to Robert Flynn Development Center after being exposed, after seeing other things.

They now help us lead Roberts. 

Jeff Holden: Seven sites. You're on seven different sites? 

Derrell Roberts: Right now, we're at seven different sites. Might be an eight site if the Washington School District superintendent's listening. Superintendent, we're looking forward to working, continuing our partnership with you after this summer.

Jeff Holden: That was a shout-out. 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Derrell Roberts: Definitely. Absolutely. Def- Dr. Hildred's doing an exceptional job, and we'd love to stay as a partner year-round there, we would. 

Jeff Holden: And we do appreciate Dr. Hildred. By the way, class 30 ALS. He 

Derrell Roberts: sure- [00:19:00] I'm gonna have to remind, remind myself. That's another entry. Uh-huh. Another reason to say, "Hey, class triple X?"

Jeff Holden: That's right. 

Derrell Roberts: Triple X. All right. 

Jeff Holden: Is there a program that you would say has the greatest demand on it? Is it the after-school program? What might you say is, is the one that you see the most influence from the community on? 

Bryant Wyatt: I think that, I mean, absolutely our expanded learning programming. Freedom School, high-demand program.

We usually have a long wait list- Mm ... after we complete enrollment. I primarily spend my time on the family support side. So what we're also seeing is an increase of folks who need financial assistance, so we do have some programs to kinda help. Mm-hmm. Especially around homelessness and, and housing, trying to avoid homelessness.

We're seeing a lot of demand there as well, so we have some programming that's able to assist there. And then a- another one that I'd say I'm seeing an increase in demand on is for mentorship. 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm. Mm. 

Bryant Wyatt: A lot of families are express- expressing need for, uh, for mentorship for the young people. Just that additional support, just have another person to kinda, again, get exposing [00:20:00] them to, you know, some different folks.

Marian Wright Edelman said, uh, "You can't be what you can't see." 

Derrell Roberts: Yep. 

Bryant Wyatt: We're trying to, again, going back to that thing of exposure- Mm-hmm ... trying to expose our kids to some, you know, people that they can aspire to be like. So I think that's, those things are important, and those are in high demand right now.

Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: And you have a threshold. I mean, there's only so many people you can serve. You can't, it's not unlimited. We, 

Derrell Roberts: it's unlimited if it turn, if you're saying the, the amount of funding. So it is l- it is limited by amount of funding. Correct. But the reality is even Freedom School and our after-school services, others can do it.

If you're willing to commit what we commit and do the work to where we're willing to do it, because our Freedom School is our culture. You know, we do families. That's what Freedom School's about. Freedom School's about, you know, not making your kids, uh, robots, but instead giving them an opportunity to think freely.

So others can do that. You just have to be willing to- Mm-hmm ... to go through the process and make that commitment. We don't do 1 to 20. So most after-school summer program do 1 to 20. We're 1 to 10. So if you're willing to- Oh, wow ... fight for the [00:21:00] funding to be able to do that or take funding that you might have put to something else, put it toward that, then you can do that.

You just gotta be willing to make that sacrifice. Same thing we ask for kids. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, that's, that's better than a classroom- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: you 

Derrell Roberts: know, at, at a free of school. Well, you know, during the summer, we're talking about a college student or, you know, a sophomore in college. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: Put 20 kids in front of him, it's just babysitting at best.

Right, right. So we just don't want that. We wanna train them how to connect with our kids. You know, 10 students that you're working with during the summer, during the f- during the school year it might be 15. But also know that we ha- we have processes and we have ways to bring high schoolers in to help.

We have ways to get other college students through work study and other ways to help. The, both the CSU schools, the UC system, as well as the community college system have fellowship programs now. Mm-hmm. So we take some of those fellows and put them with our staff, and they learn to work with our kids. We have mentors, B- Brian mentioned that, outside, and also paid mentors.

We hire college students to come in as paid [00:22:00] mentors. See, we recognize you people are not maybe c- maybe don't have the same reasons for doing things as we once did, but we know it still needs to be done, so everybody needs a mentor. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. That's great to hear. Mm-hmm. And that's a perfect segue to the next question.

Mm-hmm. The relationships in the community that you have with other- Yeah ... organizations collaboratively. You've, you don't survive 25 years- No ... without- 

Derrell Roberts: Without having- Deep, deep- Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: collaborative connections. Well, 

Derrell Roberts: I think part of what we have had at different times, let's just so the last five years. Last five years, Golden 1 as a fiscal partner has helped us become a better community partner.

Mm-hmm. 

What I mean by that is is, has we've been able to put aside dollars, some of the dollars that Golden 1 gives us, and it's allowed us to sponsor children events, sponsor the drum line at Grant, sponsor and help our football program become better. Our Junior Pacers or our Sacramento Saints football program, or our, or our cheerleader program, or our Pacerettes.

Those are things that we're able to support as a [00:23:00] partner. We are looked on and, and, and, and to be honest with you, it's not, it's not always the best place to be at as a nonprofit because, you know, people give us dollars and they have to believe that we're doing it for the right reasons. They trust us that if we're spending money at, with the football program, there's a reason we're doing that.

It's because we're trying to save as many of our kids, even the ones that are not gonna be division one, division two football players. Right. We still want them to think about the importance of education. So our supporting that program says to the kids, the community, that Roberts cares. 

Bryant Wyatt: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: And we're part of their bigger extended family.

Mm-hmm. So that's who we are. And that's what we have become. Partnerships include the Sacramento Urban League, Mutual Assistance Network, Stanford Settlement- 

Bryant Wyatt: Neighborhood Wellness ... 

Derrell Roberts: Neighborhood Wellness. Mm-hmm. Those are just the organizations that, through Golden One, that partnership has e- allowed us to become stronger as partners.

We're still working on it, too. I understand. 

Jeff Holden: And I know Golden One made a huge commitment to that- Yep ... Del Paso Heights area. 

Derrell Roberts: They did. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. With, literally that's pretty much- 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: that [00:24:00] is their commitment for Sacramento. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It all went there. 

Derrell Roberts: Their CRA commitment. 

Jeff Holden: Yep. 

Derrell Roberts: And to be honest with you, that has made others more sensitive to our neighborhood.

The Regional Foundation has begun helping. Brian mentioned our, our work around homeless, our work about parents who have emergency needs. Uh, we've had, we've had anonymous donors come from, through the Regional Foundation and say, "Del Paso Heights matters." Yeah. "North Sac matters. We have three or four organization that we see you doing the work.

Here's some additional funding. Here's $10,000," and for a nonprofit to have $10,000 that you can put to something- Unrestricted ... that's important, and, and, or if the, if it's restricted, it's to an area that you have as a need. They don't tell you how to spend it, but just spend it in that area. So whether it's food or, or facility, and, uh, you know, rent, rental assistance- Yep

or something like that, you have it for that purpose. Problem is that is, that's limited. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: So it runs out, and unfortunately, people have more needs than we often have money- 

Jeff Holden: Right ... 

Derrell Roberts: uh, to give to them. 

Jeff Holden: Well, you're doing a great job of just leading right [00:25:00] into- We're trying ... the next question, which is funding.

We'll continue the conversation with Daryl Roberts and Brian Wyatt of the Roberts Family Development Center right after a few brief messages from those who make our program possible. 

James Beckwith: I'm James Beckwith, president and CEO of Five Star Bank. We're dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations who advocate for the strength, resilience, and vitality of those they serve.

When nonprofit organizations thrive, our community does too. By supporting the Nonprofit Podcast Network, Five Star Bank is amplifying the voices and meaningful impact of our nonprofit community. We're Five Star Bank, a trusted nonprofit partner. How can we help you? 

Darrell Teat: We are really excited to be part of the family and contribute to the work that you all are doing.

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Jeff Holden: How is the organization funded? 

Derrell Roberts: $6.5 million budget this year coming up, $7 million budget. Congratulations. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. That [00:29:00] 

Derrell Roberts: is a huge amount of money. You know, 

Jeff Holden: we employ 

Derrell Roberts: 40-plus staff members that are full-time. We employ another 50 to 60 part-time college students typically that work with our kids in the after-school setting.

But as an economic partner in the, in our region, we try to look at ourselves as a business that employs and serves- Mm-hmm ... and provides support to our community. Our track record of success has been rewarded by contracts with the school districts. Our track record of success has been rewarded- So basically 

Jeff Holden: fee 

Derrell Roberts: for service.

Partner- yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And it's- So you're not liable, some of this federal grant money- Yeah ... which I'm sure there's a 

Derrell Roberts: little bit of it. We, well, we have some, we've had some challenges, but not, not as many as others. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, that's great to 

Derrell Roberts: hear. And I think it's fortunate that we have, we have had those relationships with the school districts, hoping that it continues.

But more importantly, so we need to just stay successful. That's the partnership when talking to these college students. Yeah. "Look, show up to work. Be on time. Do the things that need to be done," because we are expected to make sure our co- [00:30:00] kids are doing well, our kids stay engaged in school. Some kids come to school just to see their after-school co- team leader.

I mean, it may sound crazy, but they do that, and if that's the reason they come to school, so be it. 

Jeff Holden: It's better than some options that they might choose. Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: Is that it? 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Otherwise. So Bryant, from your perspective, four years you've been with the organization now? 

Derrell Roberts: Four years, yeah. Four 

Jeff Holden: years. Versus 25, and I wanna come back to you in a second.

Oh, yeah. Four is relatively new, so you see it in this iteration. What do you feel s- from the community? What do you f- and I mean, I mean it re- really from a, a visceral feeling standpoint, not some just, "Yeah, we see this," but what's coming back from the community about the programs that you've got? 

Bryant Wyatt: See, I just happen to, to live in the community that I serve in, so I live in the Del Paso Heights community as well.

And so for me, it's nice to, you know, again, working on the family support services side, assisting families with things like, uh, mental health services, again, connecting to, uh, utility support, other financial supports, case management, things like that. [00:31:00] And so for me, it's always nice when I go to the... You know, I encounter our community members at the store, and then they have great things to say.

They're always, you know, waving at me, saying hi and things like that. That's always good just to know that we're making an impact to where when they see me in public, it's a positive, uh, interaction where they're thankful. And I think that, you know I have been with Roberts Family Development Center for four years, but I'm familiar with Roberts Family Development Center for at least 22 of the 25 years.

Mm-hmm. Just through connection that Mr. Roberts has with my, uh, with my father and things like that. And so RFDC, you know, has been, I think will continue to be for ages to be a pillar in the community. Sure. Because again, it's all about the family. It's all about serving the family, connecting family resources, connecting family to education, and just really just trying to wrap around and support the families in our community.

Derrell Roberts: And you know, it's funny, I've been here long enough to be able to hear Brian say, "Man, I've known you 20-plus years." And I have, through his dad. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Derrell Roberts: So, you know, and I have relationships like that because I've been [00:32:00] here in Sacramento for 40 years. But came here because of graduate school, never left. But those relationship, whether it be at the capital, whether it be in Oak Park, whether it be through basketball, through education, those opportunities were things that I was afforded in my own development.

So for me it becomes natural to happily say, "Ooh, I got Brian Wyatt." You know, there, there is a, there is an understanding that he gets it. And I la- jokingly said to him, "He's a PK, preacher's kid." Right. Well, there's a, there, there's a real good side to that because there's no question he knows what we're trying to do at the heart of what we do.

So, and that's the part where for us trying to get young people to, as the new leaders, 'cause I'm not just talking about young people, I'm talking about future leaders. The 

Jeff Holden: right people. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. And it's future leaders because we have, you know, right now at our s- at our place, we have at least five to eight staff members who are former legacy kids.

They were, been with [00:33:00] us since elementary school, junior high school. And then 25, 30 graduated from college, still graduating from college. They're now in leadership roles. So they get us from that, from that t- you know, 10, 15 years ago this morning while Maggie Krell is, is, uh, reading to the kids, there's a little girl who was up in the front.

Her dad was one of the first 13 kids to ever participate with Freedom- with, uh. Wow ... Roberts Family Development Center 25 years ago. There is, uh, Santana Moody, there's his d- his baby girl up front, and Brian's baby girl is, is there at another site. And it's just that, and it's recognizing that that's the family that we always talked about being to others, the extended family.

So that there is a common value, common understanding, common language we use. We don't do a whole lot of cussing. Yeah. We don't do a whole lot of yelling, 'cause it's not necessary to communicate. 

Jeff Holden: Let me ask you something. Over the course of the 25 years- Mm-hmm ... of the organization- Different from- Mm-hmm

Brian's [00:34:00] perspective, what have you seen? What's changed in the community to where it is today? Well, 

Derrell Roberts: you know, it's interesting. Every five or 10 years organizationally we've had to change because our community's changed. The needs might have increased, so we had to up our game, or we had to be more consistent providers of services.

We had to be ready to pivot when COVID came along. We had to be ready to expand when No Child Left Behind came along. Mm-hmm. 10 years before that, Obama. That's right. Each of those steps gave us an ability as an organization to improve based on the needs of not just the community, but the organizations that we're partnering with.

Certainly school districts are looking for c- partners to work with when, uh, the feds said, "Oh, well, no, we're gonna give you all that money back, but now you need to make sure that you're doing the job that teachers don't wanna do, after school programs, summer programs." So we stand in the, in, in that space where the need is.

So we've [00:35:00] been p- we've been ready to do that, but I'll also tell you, even the darkest days, we had to learn from tough times. So you go back five years ago, we got beat up. Part, some of it was political, 'cause, you know, we were due for looking for the city to, to, uh, spend money on youth development, and I still will argue with that, that's the way to go.

Developing more p- in- investing more in our young people. 

Jeff Holden: In 

Derrell Roberts: children, yes. Yeah. In general, just what's needed. Because prevention is key. It's s- all the, the dollars you spent after the fact is just that, after the fact dollars. If you can prevent some of the challenges, some of the ills that we, that we talk about having to deal with, you know, in family support services and others, if we can do that upfront and deal with them and make sure that our kids are ready, our families are ready, our communities are ready, that to me is the better approach.

Now, when we were once attacked five years ago, one of the things we had to do was just admit the fact we had to strengthen our back of the house. So we have a full-time director of finance now, and a part-time staff member to work with her. As an organization, as you [00:36:00] grow, not just the community, not just the services, but the organization itself- Mm-hmm

needs to grow. For in order for us to keep quality people, we have to pay more money It's a business ... those are, it's a business. You know, you want- Mm-hmm ... quality folks to stay with you. We want Brian to stay another six years or that 10 years down the line, whether I'm there or Ms. Robinson, and we won't be there.

You know, we really, we won't. I wouldn't know three years from now- Looking at you 

Jeff Holden: at 

Derrell Roberts: 10 years- ... 

Jeff Holden: 10 

Derrell Roberts: years ... yeah, you still got it 

Jeff Holden: in 

Derrell Roberts: you. Well, no. No, no, no. It's not about me having it in me. I think it's about time for somebody else to take that to the next level. 

Jeff Holden: Different perspective. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, and that's it. 

Jeff Holden: Yep.

Derrell Roberts: And it has to be that, because, you know, you gotta remember, if I am 20 years plus older than Brian, that means I'm there, I'm 40 years older- Yes ... youngest staff member. Yep. And sometimes 50 years older than the high schoolers. 

Jeff Holden: Yep. 

Derrell Roberts: So at what point do you recognize your ability to be as effective as you once were, it's time for somebody else to take on that?

Jeff Holden: I applaud you for that too. Yeah. Because many times, you know, I walk into a board meeting and I look around- Yeah ... and too [00:37:00] many people look like me. Yeah. And I don't, I don't mean by color- 

Derrell Roberts: I get you ... 

Jeff Holden: but I mean gray hair. 

Derrell Roberts: I get you. You know? No, I understand. 

Jeff Holden: It's too old. 

Derrell Roberts: L- let's be honest, though. Part of it is many of the people who do this work really didn't do it for financial reasons, but as you get older, financial reasons are the reason you have to stay around longer.

How do you make it so that when I retire, that my wife doesn't say, "Well, I can't hang out with you anymore 'cause you can't afford to- Right, right ... to go and do some things that we wanna do"? 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: So I gotta figure out a way to do that. That becomes the extra reasons why you see many people stay longer. Um- Yeah, 

Jeff Holden: and I, I was actually not so much- 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm

Jeff Holden: leadership in operation- Yes, mm-hmm ... but, but board. 

Derrell Roberts: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: You know? Oh, yeah. To where those boards are, are not relevant to the community- That's relevant ... that they're serving any longer. Mm-hmm. And in many cases, sometimes not relevant to the community anyhow. 

Derrell Roberts: So you get the NELP, the ELPS, you get the, um, NELP, the, uh- 

Jeff Holden: Yes

Derrell Roberts: the, the- 

Jeff Holden: NMI 

Derrell Roberts: Emerging Leaders Program ... NMI. Thank you, and others like that, that is preparing young- Yes ... leaders to do that. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Derrell Roberts: So what we have to do is [00:38:00] recognize that they are being prepared, but they also have to be unwilling, unafraid to say, "Hey, I'm here." 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. "

Derrell Roberts: I wanna help." I think that's 

Jeff Holden: important. Back, back to a funding question.

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: If budget was not an option, if somebody says, "Hey, I wanna see you take off- 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: North Sacramento, Del Paso Heights. Right. Here's a blank check, Daryl. Tell me what you would do with it." 

Derrell Roberts: We wanna build a tech hub, tech center. The future is technology and our kids need to understand it and be able to embrace it through actual practical experience.

So we are, uh, we pr- recently bought a, the property next door to the warehouse that we've been parking our vans at, and we're gonna take that and make that a 12,000 to 11 to 12,000 square foot tech center. We have some seed money that we got from the federal government through, uh, Congressman Ami Bera.

We're looking at funding from a few sources to be able to raise up to $12 million over the next three years to build that, and that again becomes part of my I'm [00:39:00] outta here project. I just heard 

Jeff Holden: that 

Derrell Roberts: three years 

Jeff Holden: sta- Yeah ... get 

Derrell Roberts: tied together 

Jeff Holden: there, Brian. Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: I think now, now I see. There's a reason. Well, there's a reason.

And part of, part of what it is understanding, not just for myself, but for everybody else, that it is important that we talk about the future and who's gonna lead our organization in the future. Can't be me. Can't be my wife. We, we, we brought it to this space, now we need the Brians and the others that are there to decide this is what I wanna do.

Jeff Holden: Correct. '

Derrell Roberts: Cause this is what I wanna do, but it ain't easy. 

Jeff Holden: No. 

Derrell Roberts: It, it ain't easy. You know, every ti- every five years that I'm telling you about, five years I had to grow my behind up as a leader, as a, as a man, as a person, as a believer, as a, uh, a- as a day-to-day operator of real stuff I c- I couldn't take, I c- I couldn't be about bullshit.

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Derrell Roberts: Couldn't. I had to be real. 

Jeff Holden: And, and, and for real. 

Derrell Roberts: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: For real, 'cause it's serious. 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, no. And people had to see that. And people, whether they unders- whether they stan- understand me, it's fine, but they have to say, "He's serious about it." 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. "

Derrell Roberts: The w- whatever he's doing, I don't know what they're doing [00:40:00] exactly, but they've been doing it for 25 years."

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Derrell Roberts: And except for that one time, they have no other knocks against them that says they don't know what they're doing. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Derrell Roberts: And we learned. You know, each step we learned. Well, 

Jeff Holden: that's back to that get serious 

Derrell Roberts: part. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But you also have to bring people around you who are serious about the work.

Right. Educated, uh, hardworking, understanding. You know, it's not a nine to five. 

Jeff Holden: So you're on your way with this tech center already. 

Derrell Roberts: Oh, yeah. Yeah, we, we closed the property deal, uh, Golden- through Golden One. Mm. A partnership that we have with them. We closed the property deal. We have architects lined up.

We're doing the survey- the property surveilla- surveillance right now. 

Jeff Holden: Yep. 

Derrell Roberts: We're about to tear down the fence, or part of the fence. We won't tear the whole fence down, but we tear part of the fence down to begin having access to the lot. And we even were looking at the apartment complex next to it and saying maybe we can buy that at some point as well.

But those are the things that f- will keep me excited for the next three years. 

Jeff Holden: And that's where those- Yeah ... collaborative partnerships come in- Yes ... too, where somebody says, "Hey, we'll, we'll work with you on the apartment building- Yep ... 'cause that's what we do well." 

Derrell Roberts: That's what we 

Jeff Holden: do. 

Derrell Roberts: Yep. 

Jeff Holden: [00:41:00] Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: And it becomes that.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: Um, and as you ask us about partnerships, I think we have been blessed to have financial partners. We've been blessed to have school district partners. We've been blessed to have church partners. We have been blessed to have thought partners. 

Bryant Wyatt: Mm-hmm. 

Derrell Roberts: And it's been quite a ride. But, uh, it's been one that I really have felt good about.

Some sleep is nice, but there are a lot of times- Yeah ... when, you know, when you in a place and somebody says, "Mr. Roberts, this is my, my baby girl. I was telling her about the time I played basketball at the Salvation Army, or the time you took us to San Francisco and, or took us down to Chapman College or to a Dodger game or Angels game."

And you start going back and saying, "Ooh, that was a long time ago." 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. And saying, realize, man, that was 30 years ago we did that. Or, you know, you have a kid at the Asian Sports Association who's running it now who says, "Mr. Roberts, I started this with you at the Salvation Army." Okay. You know? And we 

Jeff Holden: realized- Yeah.

Aren't those rewarding? Yeah. Aren't those some of the [00:42:00] most rewarding- Yeah, mm-hmm ... things? And, and I'm sure even today, Brian- Mm-hmm ... you see some of it in four years, but you s- you don't see a generation of it yet. 

Derrell Roberts: No, not yet. Not yet. 

Jeff Holden: Which is, is really the neat part of it. I 

Derrell Roberts: mean, I go back to COVID, 'cause I think about the number of folks who didn't o- keep their doors open during that y- year, year and a half.

And everybody said, "You guys kept your doors open." I didn't know how to close the door. Right. 'Cause I was afraid if we had closed the doors, what would happen then? 

Jeff Holden: They'd never open up again. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, you know, literally thought like that. Yeah. So that was my, my thoughts at that moment. So today, as we look at whatever we're doing, including the tech lab, put a tech hub in, uh, North Sacramento, it's gonna happen.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: How's it gonna happen? I'm not sure right now, but I know we have a strategy, a plan. But it's the same strategy and plan 25 years ago when we started the center. A lot of that thought, the names that I had on a piece of paper, only two or three of them really got involved with it. But we're still here.

So the names I have on the paper today about a tech hub or a tech lab, they may be the people that [00:43:00] pull us through. But I can tell you one thing, we're gonna do it. And three years from now, we're gonna do it. 

Jeff Holden: And there are so many business successes, and I'm, I equate nonprofits to businesses. Yeah, 

Derrell Roberts: they are 

Jeff Holden: businesses.

Just a different sta- tax status. Yep. 

Derrell Roberts: That's it. As always. 

Jeff Holden: And you look and they go, "I didn't know how I was gonna make it. I just knew I was gonna make it work." I'll make it. "I figured- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: I had the right pieces in place." 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Brian, from your perspective, what does that look like when you hear Darryl talking like that and you're going, "Well, wait a minute.

What do you mean you're not quite sure how it's gonna happen?" How does that sound to you in terms of confidence going forward? 

Bryant Wyatt: You know, I'm a person of, of faith. That's one thing. I've seen the work that we do. I've seen its effectiveness, and I just believe that's gonna continue. And then also I've seen, you know, I've seen Mr.

Robert's work and just how, you know, intentional he is in the work that he does and how, like, tireless he is. Like, I don't, I don't understand or know how he finds the strength to do all that he does, but he does. But yeah, I'm just, I believe that it's going to [00:44:00] happen. We're gonna continue the work, and we're gonna get better.

We're gonna continue to grow. That's what I 

Jeff Holden: believe. Darryl, you got the right guy sitting across from you. Oh, 

Derrell Roberts: yeah. Well, you know, the part of it, though, honestly, Brian- 

Jeff Holden: That, that, that was an answer I was- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: hoping to hear. 

Derrell Roberts: Brian is one of them gets it. You know, when enough people say we- 

Jeff Holden: Gets it ... yeah. It's such a key 

Derrell Roberts: two words.

Right When we, when we are at it, when we gonna make it work, when they own that, man, it's so much easier. 

Jeff Holden: It works. Yeah. You figure it out. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You know. You figure it out. 

Derrell Roberts: Well, that, that's all you need, a bunch of people who, who are willing to b- put in and make it we. Because if we can do it, oh yeah, 

Jeff Holden: it's doable.

Give me a, a story. You've kind of aligned a few throughout the conversation- Mm-hmm ... of, of maybe an individual that you saw come through the program, maybe even a little more challenged in their lifestyle, and here they are today, somebody of significance, uh, whether in the community or just leadership somewhere else.

Derrell Roberts: You know, I've been at it so long and so many years, there's [00:45:00] so many people and individuals that I can say that about who are leading the city, leading the county, who are leading nonprofits, and I mean that. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Derrell Roberts: Who are leading significant movements right now, that there's not just one person. There are a lot of folks who I can tell you have showed me that it's doable.

I can show you families who... I'm gonna have one kid I think about right now, Mahari Paul, good example. And I say Mahari Paul as he's still growing, going through tough times right this moment. But what it was, I met him at eigh- in eighth grade at ML King. The first time I ha- I realized who he was, I think for two days in a row I'd been bothering him about the footwear, and I was always telling kids, "The reason I tell you about your footwear is because if something were to happen and you were in flip-flops," the famous, the, that, that famous shoe wear back in those days, "you could turn and hurt yourself.

Or you can, you know, you could be s- s- [00:46:00] Slip off of them ... get ran o- get ran over 'cause if something were to happen. Uh, anything, or also liability." So I'm having all these reasons I'm telling him not to wear it. Well, one day he, uh, comes in one morning, I'm tired of it, and now at this moment I have to make a, the, I gotta make a statement.

The statement was, "Give me those things." I took them and I put them on the, on the side. So now I get a, about 10 minutes later I get a lady coming to the library at Martin Luther King Junior High School. "Who is Mr. Roberts?" She lets me know. "Who is Mr. Roberts?" This is probably 10 years ago. And I said, "Well, well, I am, but you give me a second 'cause I'm talking to kids.

As soon as I'm finished, well, I go outside," and she said, "Well, you took my kid's slippers. How dare you take my kid's slippers?" And, you know, she was rather angry. But at that moment, her boyfriend, he said, "Wait a minute. He took what, those flip-flops I told him not to take back to school?" And she said, "Yeah. He said, 'That's okay, sir.

Don't worry about it. Baby, we just gonna leave here,' because he wasn't supposed to bring those flip-flops anyway." It just [00:47:00] told me sometimes if you are consistently who you say you are and you're willing to go through the tough time, the community will support you, and that's the way it's been for me.

Mm-hmm. And that's the part, no matter what it's been, each step of the way, whether it be COVID, we had More Than Enough pop in and, and the governor supporting More Than Enough to do food distribution program. Or the school district to say, "You guy- we heard you're gonna stay open. Well, we need some places where our kids can go.

They can't go in person, but we heard you actually are trying to do Zoom. We'll work with you." That's how it's been. It's been that way when, when federal cuts came along. People said, "Are you impacted by federal cuts?" "Just a little bit." "Well, we'll help you in the little bit you are, but in the meantime, tell us how to help."

Mm-hmm. And it's been that way, and you look at the last, you know, assembly woman names us Nonprofit of the Year. We have another honor coming. Congratulations, by the way. Thank you. We having another honor in about two weeks. I'll be able to come back and tell you more about it. It's, it's one of those [00:48:00] significant moments when you realize what you're doing has paid off.

So those are the reason I can say to you, in three years, yeah, not only will I, will Tina and I move to the side, but also we're gonna give the keys to a new t- computer technology center to the, the, the organizational leaders who will take it into the next, and the board members who will make it, make it happen from then.

So that's the way I look at this stuff. That's how I mo- I move. 

Jeff Holden: And I think the testament is 25 years. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You're here. 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You're still here. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And, and you're not going anywhere. 

Derrell Roberts: No. 

Jeff Holden: You're growing. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. Organizationally, we like to think we have figured, we've figured out how to change when need be, how to pull back when necessary, how to give others an opportunity to lead.

That's the ps- the true piece for me of leadership. Look at the number of organizations and individuals who used to be with Robert who are now leading activities around the city and within the region. I'm happy. I'm proud. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That, that's gotta be moving just to see- 

Derrell Roberts: Mm-hmm ... [00:49:00] 

Jeff Holden: people who have come through the school in some way, shape, or form- 

Derrell Roberts: Yep, mm-hmm

Jeff Holden: through the development center- 

Derrell Roberts: Yep ... 

Jeff Holden: and see the families engage- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: in their community So as a nonprofit executive, you carry it with you all the time. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: It never goes away. But there are some- 

Derrell Roberts: When I go to Monterey Jazz Festival, I'm actually allowed to be a jazz lover. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, you just gave me one of my questions.

So I, uh, there you go. There you go. 'Cause we're about to go beyond the mission for a second- Yeah ... to learn a little bit more about Darryl Roberts. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And, and Brian's gonna take notes on these because- ... I'm sure some of these he doesn't know. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: But now we know one. Yeah. Monterey Jazz Festival. Oh, 

Derrell Roberts: yeah.

Jeff Holden: I love it. That's, that's what... 

Derrell Roberts: My 

Jeff Holden: wife loves 

Derrell Roberts: Monterey. I love Monterey. I love jazz. You know, I grew up in New Orleans. I played music- 

Jeff Holden: Yeah ... 

Derrell Roberts: there. I gave it up when I came to California, but I still have, have a love for jazz. I have a love for music. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: I'm a horrible golfer and I love the game, and I hated every other stroke, so you know.

It's, but it's what I like to do because I don't... I can... First of all, I only hang out with people I w- I like. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: That's the one thing [00:50:00] about me and golf. I do not play with anybody that I don't wanna have a relationship with, whatever it is. So if we're playing golf, you know I really have decided you all right, 'cause I'm spending four hours with you.

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Derrell Roberts: Right. You know? It's five, six hours sometime. If you don't like somebody, that's not a good 

Jeff Holden: feeling. E- especially if you're not a great golfer. 

Derrell Roberts: No. I don't care how good I am, I'm just a... Well, you know, if I was a good golfer it wouldn't matter, but because I'm not a good golfer it has to matter. 

Jeff Holden: I better enjoy myself some way, shape, or form.

I better... Yes, sir. Yes. Right? I can relate to that. 

Derrell Roberts: I can laugh with folks. Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Okay, so we're gonna go through some of these fast. 

Derrell Roberts: Cool. 

Jeff Holden: Early bird or night owl? 

Derrell Roberts: Night owl. 

Jeff Holden: Favorite color? 

Derrell Roberts: Blue-brown. 

Jeff Holden: What's one local place you wish more people knew about? 

Derrell Roberts: Huh. Everybody knows about Mulvaney's, so I can't choose.

1227? Food. Okay. I like food. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Totally. 

Derrell Roberts: Restaurants. Yep. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. When you were a kid growing up in New Orleans, what'd you wanna be? 

Derrell Roberts: Policeman, [00:51:00] journalist, and a superhero. Gotta know. 

Jeff Holden: Interesting. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Daily or weekly habit that keeps you sane? I know it's not golf. 

Derrell Roberts: Huh. You know, hanging out with my wife.

Jeff Holden: Love it. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, I think, I think I'm real fortunate. I have somebody who seems to like me, and I like her a lot. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That just got you big points. Tina's loving this. Yeah. You know. We're gonna, we're gonna cut this out just for you. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Who is somebody that helped shape how you lead? We were just talking about that.

Derrell Roberts: Ooh. Oh, man. Again, says, ooh, man, there's so many. I am serious. I'm looking at my grandfather, Edmond St. Cyr. I'm looking at my dad in his later years, 'cause the first, first mar- first two marriages, he was horrible at it. The last marriage- Figured it out ... oh, man. Third 

Jeff Holden: time's a charm. 

Derrell Roberts: Well, you know, and he had God in his life.

So you start realizing, you know, there's a way that, to make this work. 

Jeff Holden: [00:52:00] Yeah. 

Derrell Roberts: You know, and you can still be a nice guy, fun-loving and all those things, but you focus in a different way, and he was, uh, he was that way. You know, politically, huh, Grantland Johnson. Grantland was really interesting, 'cause funny thing I always learned about Grantland, be- was late at everything, but he was always was on time when he got there.

He took care of business, so when he got there, people expected him to get, to do whatever he g- agreed to do. Mm. So I find that as being really as important. When you show up, show up. 

Jeff Holden: Show up. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, show up. 

Jeff Holden: What do you hope people feel after spending some time with you or the organization? What do they take away?

Derrell Roberts: That we care. Yeah, that we care. I mean, I, that to me means more than anything else. Sometime I, I get challenged by people who don't understand that's the simple stuff. It doesn't take a whole hell of a lot. Sometime it just takes to understand what the person is going through, and I recognize for me to have all these rules, [00:53:00] and I can't do this or I can't do that, when all a person really needs me to be able to say is, "You know, I care about what you're trying to say, what you're trying to do.

Let me see if I can help you." 

Jeff Holden: And then last one, what are you grateful for today? 

Derrell Roberts: I am grateful that I came from an environment that many people didn't think is possible to do well from. And through each step, and again, g- it goes to family, through people, extended and biological family members helping me along the way.

And it's made it really easy for me to be willing to help people along the way because the example was there, so having those examples of what it's like to be helped. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I'm grateful for that. I really am. Thank you. I'm really grateful. 

Jeff Holden: Now, if somebody wants to support the organization, what's the best way for them to, to either get in touch or learn more?

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. You can go robertfdc.org, www.robertsfdc.org. If you really wanna do it, [00:54:00] robertsfdc.o- .org/donate. And, you know, 'cause that's the part that people don't get. Whatever you hear me talking about, it cost. It costs to serve. It costs to provide mental health services. Mm-hmm. It costs to provide food. It- 

Jeff Holden: Great employees.

Derrell Roberts: Yeah. It costs to have- Oh, hell. I mean, it's, you know, to keep quality people. 

Jeff Holden: Yep. 

Derrell Roberts: And that's key. So for me, I would rather... And you know, I talk to anybody who's thinking that they'd rather go someplace else, one, I'm gonna tell you the truth. Very few places g- you're ever gonna meet where persons care about you as a person, and we will tell you we care about the people who work with us.

Not work for us, work with us, because that's what it's about. Once they get to that point they're working with us- Mm-hmm ... it's, it's that. So finances, you know, my wife and I laughed about that. You know, that's what people hear from us. They say, "You always begging." Let me tell you what I am. I'm a professional mendicant.

Patrick Mulvaney's dad, Jim Mulvaney, used to jokingly say to me, "Being a biblical m- beggar, a, a mendicant, [00:55:00] being a biblical beggar was the one thing about me that he liked." He said, "Because when you approached me about funding support, it was for all the right reasons, and you never said anything about you."

I said, "Well, I didn't think I was supposed to say anything about me." It was about who we were serving. So for me, that's what it becomes is somebody say, "Oh, you'd be a great salesman." Nah, I couldn't sell anything to anybody. And you know, but when it comes down to this work, it's easier for me to explain to people why it matters.

Jeff Holden: Yeah, it's a belief. Why it's important. It's not a sales- 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, no ... 

Jeff Holden: sales pitch. 

Derrell Roberts: No, no. 

Jeff Holden: I have to say, you know, thank you for what you and Tina started 25 years ago. Thank you. What it means to the community, what it has caused to happen to the benefit of the community is significant. You are changing lives for families one child at a time- Mm-hmm

by variety of programs that you've got in so many different ways. So thank you. Thank you to your entire team of 40 plus- Mm-hmm ... who are, are making it happen. Bryant, thank you for being [00:56:00] here and being a part of this conversation too because you are the future of the organization. Mm-hmm. And it's people like you who are gonna take these things to the next level to continue to serve the community- Yes

in the way that it's been served- Mm-hmm ... in whatever that contemporary fashion's gonna look like- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm ... two, three, four, five years from now. We know it'll be AI influenced at least in some way. 

Derrell Roberts: Yeah, it will be. Yeah, it will be. 

Jeff Holden: So I, I appreciate you both coming in today. 

Derrell Roberts: Well, thank you. 

Jeff Holden: And let's go make something better.

Derrell Roberts: Thank you. 

Scott Thomas: Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

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