Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Hello there, and welcome back to another episode of Just say Something podcast. My name is Phil Clark, CEO here at Just say Something, and we have a featured guest today.
Just say Something has been going through some changes. We've been growing. And so today I have the privilege of introducing Cheryl Cromartie, who is new to our staff. And up until this time, we've. Everybody's called her Captain Cromartie. And she is coming to us after 32amazing years with Greenville County Sheriff's Office.
So from me to you, Cheryl, I want to say welcome.
[00:00:58] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
[00:01:01] Speaker B: And I'm really excited about having you here. Just say something. To be part of our team. And so if you could just give our listeners a little bit of a background of who Cheryl Cromartie is and how we ended up with you here today.
[00:01:17] Speaker A: So my background of 32, and I say 32 and a half, maybe 33 years in law enforcement, retired as a commander, Community Services Division within the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. And within that division, it entailed quite a few units, I must say, units that we focused on community engagement interaction.
We focus on building positive relationships with the community as well as housed within that division is our homeless response unit.
We have our crime prevention units, of course, and our community engagement unit. And there were several more. But our job was to basically get out there to form or grab partnerships, to form a positive relationship, bond with the community, spend time out in the community, interacting and engaging more in a positive light.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: Okay. All right. And so here you are. Just say something. This is week number six, I think, five or six. We're having so much fun.
[00:02:32] Speaker A: I know, I know.
[00:02:33] Speaker B: We lose count. So share with our listeners a little bit of what you're working on here. And.
And then we'll just kind of go from there. I'm really excited about this.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: I'm excited.
So I'm working on. And by the way, I got to know Phil. I've been knowing him for a while, but mostly we've worked together in our partnership of Just say something partnership with the sheriff's office during many ventures.
But that's how I come into contact with Phil, got to know him. Love the work that Just say Something does because they are a big participant in the community.
And. And so that partnership worked out.
However, I'm here now. And so a part of my job description is. Well, part of my job. I wouldn't say job description, but a part of my job is working on Camp Mariposa, which. Camp Mariposa is a camp ages for ages youth ages 9 to 17.
You have two specific groups, 9 to 12, and then of course, you have your 13 to 17.
But this camp is a national known camp with Aluna Network, and they're across the state. And so we're lucky to have this Camp Mariposa within our home state of South Carolina. And so what Camp Mariposa is, is a trauma informed prevention and mentoring program camp designed for children that's impacted by parental or family substance abuse.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: Okay.
So I know we've been talking about bringing Camp Mariposa to the upstate.
And so Clemson University reached out to us and was like, hey, we have this great opportunity. And so the more I learned about it, the more I'm like, you know, this fits into the prevention world of what we're trying to do here in our community.
Because this program was built for those kids that maybe have a foot in the system.
And knowing that our return on investment for prevention is much greater than incarceration, this was kind of a next step for us to move down this road.
Then I found out that Cheryl was retiring from the sheriff's office, and I just like, ding, ding, ding, ding.
What a great person to come and run this program for us.
So as we're looking at Camp Mariposa, what are some of the things that we're or that you're planning as far as that camp goes?
[00:05:27] Speaker A: So as far as the camp goes and what the plans are, we are in the beginning stages of getting the camp up, up and running. Right now we have three camp session dates that we have in mind when the camp will take place.
We have a date for the May, which is our first session camp.
This is a weekend camp, and it's free for kids and youths to participate.
So then there is a second session date that's scheduled for August, and then the third session date scheduled. Scheduled for September. And so soon we will get our additional information regarding the camp, the ages of children that we're looking for, the ages of youth that we're looking for.
In particular, we're going to need counselors and other volunteers that can help us with this camp also, as well as that, the camp will take place our first two sessions, which is May and then August. Those camps will take place at Clemson Outdoor Lab, with the third session ending in September. And that camp will take place at Pleasant Ridge in Marietta, South Carolina.
So again, we will definitely get out additional information regarding the camp, the kids that we're looking to recruit, counselors that we're looking for and any of additional information that you all may have, questions and concerns, we'll be able to get that out to you soon.
[00:07:08] Speaker B: Yeah, we're working with the Luna foundation folk now as we are getting the paperwork ready and we'll be able to accept recommendations or referrals for kids in those age ranges to attend this program.
The camp, as Cheryl mentioned, is over a three day weekend. The camp will happen three times in 2026 and so it'll be the same kids, all three camps. Our goal is that we receive additional funding so we can start additional cycles of this camp as well.
Right now it doesn't have a parent component but I know that's something that we've talked about internally of potentially adding a parent component of this as well.
[00:08:02] Speaker A: Yes, we would like the parents involved so that's sometime down the line. Not too far down, not too far. But we would like, we would love to have at a parent component to be. For the parents to be there with their kids that's going, that's experiencing or going through this camp with us. And so we're looking forward to hosting this camp and should be a lot of fun.
[00:08:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And part of our goal to work with the parents in this is that's great. We can work with these kids, especially the younger ones, but if we send them back to that same environment that they came out of, what's going to change? So part of our goal is to also incorporate the family unit as a whole within this camp at again some particular time.
So I just wanted to bring Cheryl. I keep wanting to say captain but I know that's not right.
Wanted to bring Cheryl on for a few minutes one introduce her to our audience. I know I've made some introductions via email email of my excitement and joy of having her with us and having her join our team and bringing her knowledge of resources and opportunities within the community that we connect our young folk with. So welcome.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: Well, thank you. He knows that I'm shy so he kind of like cornered me for a sec, got me here. But I, I am happy to be here and I just love the organization. Just say passionate about the community and helping the community in any way I can, especially building those positive family bonds and relationships.
So partnerships as is we that as they come to us and so just the community, my work for the community, that's a passion for me is to stay involved, help as much as possible possible.
[00:10:10] Speaker B: Well and I'm grateful to have you on our team. So welcome. All right folks, that's another episode of Just say Something weekly podcast. I am Philip Clark, your host and CEO here at Just say Something.
Be sure to like share and subscribe if you haven't yet and share this information with your network.
Until then, we will see you later. Have a great day and stay safe.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Sam.
