Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: One of my dearest friends is in the studio with me, Portia Lockett. Portia, we go way back in the radio days, but you have done so much more that people may or may not know about. And a couple years ago, we talked about an organization that you have put together, and you have been helping and healing people all over the place from this. The name of the organization is the.
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Azelle Binet Lockett foundation.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: That was your son's name.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. And we're here to help you heal, offer you hope, and hold your heart as you're going through any type of grieving journey.
[00:00:37] Speaker A: Grieving journey is something.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:00:40] Speaker A: We have talked about that in the past, and even on the phone or on text, we all have to go through it.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:48] Speaker A: You know, if we're living, we're gonna have to go through it. And there are steps, but beyond those steps, you have put together a group of people who walk people through what you may not expect.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: You know, there are so many different components, so many different layers, you know, to grief. And the one thing I want to add, too, is that, you know, grief is not just all about the loss of a loved one. It could be the loss of anything that was important and dear to you or something that causes you to respond in a grief mode where it brings you sad may take you to a depressed mode, you know, so you can have grief from the loss of a pet, not having your job anymore, you know, or being diagnosed with a chronic illness. There's so many different types of loss, and so we're there to support those individuals as they're traveling that journey. You know, grief is a. Is not a destination. It's a journey. Just like life is a journey.
[00:01:44] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, something great is coming from this. You all are celebrating your second anniversary.
[00:01:51] Speaker B: Your second anniversary. Yes.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: It's been two years.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: It's been two years. It's hard to believe, but, yes, we started September 9, which was my son's birthday of 2022. And now here we are on September 7, we're going to be celebrating two years of the Azelle Bernie Lockett foundation at a prayer breakfast that's going to take place at the Wayne County Community College District Northwest campus. And we're going to have phenomenal program set for those individuals who want to attend. This is our annual fundraiser. The only way that we can continue to do the work is to provide in support via funds or via volunteer opportunities.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: Right. I know that some of your permission to grieve and all of those were supported by people who did it for the love of doing it. But it takes money to be able to make sure that this keeps going.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: Is that important?
[00:02:48] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely, it's important. You know, you think about those individuals who have insurance. You know, if they need counseling or therapy, some of the companies provide it. Some people don't. Some people are unemployed or self employed, and they don't have the means to be able to get the support. So if you call the foundation, guess what? They will partner you up with some vetted mental health experts that can help you on whatever type of journey that you may be experiencing. And if you don't have the financial bandwidth to be able to do that yourself or the support that you need from your employer, then we will help to underwrite the cost of that. If someone reaches out to us and say, you know what, I had a loved one, you know, who just transitioned, and we don't have a policy in place, a life insurance policy, then what the able foundation will do is to help to underwrite a portion of the cost of that service. Or if someone has, you know, been diagnosed with a chronic illness and they can't go to work as long as the funds are still there, we'll be able to help to underwrite the cost of a few of their bills. We can't do everything. Cause we're just starting out. We're just getting this healing party started. So every time someone comes and donates to us or we have a sponsor, it helps us to underwrite the cost of the services that we provide to.
[00:03:56] Speaker A: I love this because there are so many people who are listening right now who could be a partner with you.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: Yes. If there's an individual that wants to partner with us, we accept it.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:04:07] Speaker B: If there is a company that wants to partner with us, we accept it as well.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: And then how do they attend the prayer breakfast?
[00:04:14] Speaker B: Yes, they can go right to eventbrite and type in Azelle Benet Locket foundation, where azelle is a z a l. Binet. B e n n e. Lockett. L o c k e t t. Foundation breakfast. And they can get their tickets right there. The tickets are dollar 75. Now we have the dollar 100 vip's, and you get a swag bag. I do believe we, we have a few of those that are still left, yes. Yeah. And of course, if you're a sponsor, tickets come along with your sponsorship package.
[00:04:38] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:38] Speaker B: And you can also go to our page, azellebeneidlocketfoundation.org, to find out more additional information about the foundation and how you can partner with us even after the prayer breakfast. But if you want to purchase a ticket, you can go directly to our website, azalebenelocketfoundation.org. or you can go right to eventbrite and type in Azelle Benailockett foundation prayer breakfast.
[00:04:59] Speaker A: Portia, you know, every time I talk to you, it doesn't have to be on the air, of course, but every time I talk to you, I just get a sense of calm, you know, you've walked me through a few things, you know, and I appreciate you, and I appreciate your time stopping by and giving people this information that is so important.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: Amen. Well, thank you so much. One of my mottos is peace over pain.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: And when I lost my son, who we started the foundation after, that's what I received from God, I'm going to give you peace over your pain. And I added something onto it, purpose driven grief. And so I'm taking purpose and putting it into my grief to be able to be specifically intentionally helping others heal, offering them hope and holding their hearts. And I could not do this without our sponsors and definitely could not do this without the board that we have that serves with us, as well as the volunteers who help us out every time we have an event.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much, my sister.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Thank you, my sister.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: I love you.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: I love.
