The Winners’ Camp Foundation w/ Delorese Gregoire

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Interview Transcription

ATTILIO:
Well, hey, Dorese, welcome to the show.

ADRIENNE:
We have an intro.

ATTILIO:
We have an intro. Yes. Oh, I forgot the intro.

ADRIENNE:
Yes. Let’s give her the intro.

ATTILIO:
Did you Did you read the first part?

ADRIENNE:
Our guests today has a rich history of working with teenagers and their families as president and founder of the Hawaii study tours, which brought students from around the world to study in Hawaii. In 1985, she directed a team of enthusiastic educators and created winners camp Foundation, and it continues to be her driving focus.

ATTILIO:
Please welcome our guests, the founding director of winters camp foundation. I’m saying like dello deliveries. I’m saying Delorese, galleries gallery that’s like it that’s happens when your brain sees something and thinks something else. Delorese. Delorese, how do you say your last name?

DELORESE:
Gregoire.

ATTILIO:
Wha is that French?

DELORESE:
Gregoire.

ATTILIO:
Okay. So we were, we talked about it. Yeah. We talked about it in the beginning of the show how was important to get these kids off of this technology and into a camp where they can disconnect. Tell us about how did you? How did you end up in Hawaii? And why did you start this camp?

DELORESE:
Oh, okay, making a long story short, I saw I took Godfrey, you’re too young to know who he is. But think about Oprah Winfrey of the 50s. But filming in Hawaii. And I said, I was living in a foster home in the East Coast. And I said when I grow up, I’m going to go live in Hawaii. And so I work three jobs and save all the money I could because then can you imagine in the 60s $980 was a lot of money. And so I I worked and saved it. And when I was 18 I landed here. I got a job right away at the Houston lanai. And my life has been wonderful ever since.

ATTILIO:
And, and you said Arthur was playing like a ukulele?

DELORESE:
Yeah, I think Godfrey playing the oboe Lily and Harry who had dances on it. So it was pretty spectacular in those days. Now it’s kind of common, was in those it was can you imagine a little girl from I was only eight years old and watching TV and seeing the islands and noise making. That’s why I know the power of setting goals. I set a goal when I was eight years old to get here. And at 18. I landed here.

ADRIENNE:
And you’ve been here and you’ve been here ever since. Now in 1985 when you decided to start winners camp. Tell us a little bit about that story. What was that driving force to get that started?

DELORESE:
Well, I was in a seminar on being put on by Moscow server, who was a protege of Mr. Fuller, Buckminster Fuller was considered the planet friendly genus. And he cooked at night, he invented the geodesic stones and all kinds of stuff. But for those who don’t know him, just think of him as in the planet certainly seeing this and moving forward to what does it mean to be a human being? And how are you showing up in the game of life? Are you a giver? Are you a taker? And what do you want to be? And I knew I always wanted to be a giver.

ADRIENNE:
So that so going through that, that training, and that experience that sparked the idea to give back to the community through mentoring these these teams.

DELORESE:
Yeah. So think about this, if you’re in your 30s, and you have an epiphany, but if you have an epiphany when you’re 13. And you know, you want to be a human being that contributes to the success of the planet, can you imagine how cool your teenage years would be instead of just, you know, you know, it’s just an amazing thing for teenagers to go through. It gives them a sense of purpose, a place at the table, and something to be proactive.

ATTILIO:
Yeah, I would say that you’re like the Willy Wonka with the chocolate factory, because when the kids go up the hill, by the way, your camps located at the top of the coal allows, right so when they go, when they go up the hill, they’re like verruca salt. Remember verruca with the bubble goes like Daddy, I want that everything was Daddy, I want that. And when they come back down the hill, they’re more like Charlie. And Charlie, Charlie got the factory because he gave back what he was told to steal and he gave it back. And Willy Wonka said you Get the fat.

DELORESE:
You don’t know what a great metaphor Do you know, we have something called the is the event that called that chocolate, you know. And so in an hour all the kids have to get across the this chocolate river and then get on this side by and how the only way they can get there is by all working together. Yes. So really good

ATTILIO:
demo Wonka bar at the end if they make it.

DELORESE:
That was really

ADRIENNE:
so glad that you brought that up the other e C’s physical activities that they do. Now we had you on our Friday live yesterday. And you know, we talked a little bit about the different aspects of of the camp and what the campers will expect to learn with their time, you know, their time with you. So let’s talk a little bit about that the physical aspect, what will they do?

DELORESE:
It’s not about sitting down in tears and listening. It’s about participation. So when we talk about trust, we don’t just say, oh, you know, you need to be a trustworthy human being, because that just goes in one ear and out the other. But if they do an activity, like that trust fall, where everybody has to trust each other to protect each other, then that real demonstration of trust, it’s not just the word spoken, but it’s the activity. And you know, keeping your word to be a trustworthy man, a trustworthy woman. That’s just one thing. Then there’s the seven habits of highly effective teenagers, you know, doing First things first, and the very first thing everybody should do is what? make their bed.

ADRIENNE:
I love that. That’s a good way to start.

ATTILIO:
Commander in the Navy, or some high ranking official, it became a very famous YouTube video, why do we make our service people make their beds in the morning, because they they start the day having completed a task,

ADRIENNE:
I’d have a sense of accomplishment.

DELORESE:
And they get home at and when they get home at night they get home to peace and harmony instead of chaos tumbled back? Yes. So I was, I was still joyful to have this amazing person in charge of so many chemical markers. That’s one of the main things that they advocate they advocate is like You bet.

ATTILIO:
Well, here’s what we do know how you do the small things is how you do the big things. And guess what all the big things are made up of small things. Make your bed.

DELORESE:
And you know that from being in real estate, you know, that just you listen to people. And you really are there for them and not just have already set in your mind what they think they want. But you listen to them. The very first step, the smallest step ever, is just to look in their eyes and open your ears.

ADRIENNE:
And I love that you brought that up because that is something that you help these kids learn and practice because a lot of them are so used to just communicating over their Instagram or text message and there. Yeah, I’m talking.

ATTILIO:
I’m trying to delivery. So I’m trying to start this new app. You click on it, and then these words pop up. You don’t wanna you don’t want to know what the words say. Look up.

DELORESE:
Yeah, that’s amazing. Look at me looks up at me. Yeah, I know. Everybody just see the tops of their heads. Yeah. And that’s what’s so wonderful about when it’s the things they don’t even come up the mountain. And these kids for the first time in their lives. They’re looking at each other. They’re opening their hearts and their souls to each other. And they’re communicating the way that that really connects them as human beings and not just robots on their little, some, some some.

ATTILIO:
Yeah, yeah, kids today, they have like, their legs are weak, but they have massive thumbs.

DELORESE:
You tell your kids when, you know if you were there with parent day, it’s amazing. Kids. Some parents say My son has been looked me in the eye since he was 10 years old. And now he’s he’s 15. And I’m in tears. I’m a grown man in tears about my son and I are talking to each other and looking at each other. And yeah, isn’t that a beautiful thing?

ATTILIO:
Yes. And I tell you it’s a huge battle. We talked about it in the beginning of the show and social dilemmas, the documentary that you know, there’s billions and billions of dollars and coders and all this technology that parents are up against now. We didn’t have that Back in the day, you know what you’re up against, get out of the house and go play. Tearing up your clothes because he was playing on the street. Now it’s like, it’s the competition with this technology is fierce and it’s a battle. So that’s going to be the tagline send them send verruca up the hill and bring Charlie down the hill.

ADRIENNE:
And the summer camp, it takes place in, in July 8, July, there’s a camper and there’s leadership, tell us about those dates.

DELORESE:
Okay, so July 17, to the 23rd. For the campers, that means people who haven’t been to camp at all. And then July 14 to the 23rd are kids who have been to camp, and there’s somebody there setting camp on there called Junior meters. And then after that, you become a senior leader, and then a team leader, and then, you know, I’m still a kid, so you can be with me, and when is count for about 12 years. And kids go all the way through college, they come every back every summer. And they they’re leaders at camp and it’s just parents and their kids day is it really opens the doors to them being together again and being a family.

ATTILIO:
I think that’s important, because we’ve lost touch with that. Yeah.

ADRIENNE:
And then with your, with your camp being closed down during COVID.

ATTILIO:
I know that there was a lot of pent up demand. Yeah. So

ADRIENNE:
tell us, is there anything that’s new, that we should know about? That’s happening with winners camp since the reopening?

DELORESE:
Okay, so I think, okay, no, I think I’m positively telling you, and letting everybody listen, that the most important thing we will be working with this first camp is getting kids back in touch with their heart space, and in touch with being with each other, they have been so isolated, and so alone, and it’s amazing how happy they are. Just to hug each other again, just to especially that parent, you know, the parents dropped them off, and it’s a little pat on the back. And then when they when they come back, and they’re just hugging them and crying and looking at each other is awesome. It’s going to be especially, especially healing, this will be a healing town. So many kids have been isolated and alone, and don’t even know how to be with their parents anymore.

ATTILIO:
You know, and one of the things that you know, Adrienne was telling me a story, she’s talking with her daughter and her friends were like, well, how much is it? And she says the price. And I looked at AJ and I said, you know, parents, you spending more money on an iPhone than what this can costs? Are you kidding me? Go to my website, there is a finance plan. It’s on my website. It’s called figured out.com. And the finance plan is located there on that website, figure it out.com Figure

ADRIENNE:
out a way to get your kids to winner’s camp. It’s a it’s a life changing experience for them. We never

DELORESE:
turn anyone away. Okay, so you know that one away, so we’ll always make sure, somehow or other there’s somebody out there listening right now that maybe has somebody mentors them when they were lost and isolated. And now this is your time to give back? Yes.

ADRIENNE:
Now, I know that when when my kids had attended winners camp in the past, there was you know, you had foster children. You had kids from, you know, very affluent private schools and everything in between. So I mean, just, you know, they had the opportunity to bond and get to know each other and just be kids.

DELORESE:
It’s really amazing. So the kids that have had everything given to them, realize that not everyone has a roof over their head has has meals every day. So they become more empathetic to the other beings on the planet. And then the kids who have those challenges, look at the kids that are successful and say, someday I’m going to be like that and I will achieve that success. So it works so well. Both both ends of the spectrum get to meet and get to to be with each other in a way that never has happened ever before. And I just love it.

ATTILIO:
And you know what the commonality between the the well to do kids and the kids that are not well to do and the ones that are outgoing and the ones that are introverted. You know what the commonality is? They got to make their bed in them Morning. That’s right.

DELORESE:
That’s so wonderful. What a way to wrap this up.

ADRIENNE:
Do you still have room for for more campers? Yeah. And what’s the deadlines to get signed up more

ATTILIO:
room for some more? verrucas?

DELORESE:
Yes, of course, always. There’s always room we never turn anyone away. Well, everybody, the last day, we will make it happen like that we have. We have so many people that have been to camp and they have been for so many years, they haven’t been able to get back and they’re so excited to come back as the leaders. So we have the best best team of leaders ever.

ATTILIO:
I think I think you know, you’re so compelling in your story, and we love you so much. Oh, how tall are you? Galleries? How tall are you?

DELORESE:
Fairly five feet.

ATTILIO:
And the reason why I asked that is folks, this lady is barely five feet tall. But in our minds and hearts. She’s 10 feet tall with what she’s doing in our community. So I think Adrienne and I will talk about it after the show. But I think you got me you know, Adrian, what do you think? Do you think they have some scholarship money coming from Team Lally? Yes.

ADRIENNE:
Actually, there’s some scholarship money coming from Team Lally. For any of the families in need.

ATTILIO:
Yeah, yeah. So we’ll provide you an amount you can use that any way you want to spread it around. Yeah.

DELORESE:
You’ve always been so kind and generous, and especially giving me this opportunity to let the general population know about us. And thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being next. Any anything that anybody can contribute to let these kids go? And let them know. When when you don’t? Do you know how many kids that come to camp that they’ve said they never had a home cooked meal? Wow. Isn’t that amazing? So this is the wonder of camp, because we have these parents like yourself who come up and they don’t cook. You know, like, what’s that meal with the mashed potatoes and the hamburger and the gravy. And it’s just, it was used to be called Tiny pie or something. But

ATTILIO:
that’s fine. That’s appropriate because you are shepherding these kids away from technology and into being little human beings.

DELORESE:
I knew you would somehow rather tie that in Okay, thank you so much for having me. Thank you for having you. Join us and I’m looking forward them to them being latest. I’m looking forward to you guys coming up and telling kids about how you can start your own TV show.

ATTILIO:
That’s it. You know, we’re gonna we’re gonna we’re gonna

ADRIENNE:
come out and speak and inspire. Yes,

ATTILIO:
I will be giving them all the three main points of how to be successful in life and I’ll be covering those points from my website. Figure it out.com No point we’re gonna give them the real. We give them the real

DELORESE:
deal. I love I love it. Love you guys. Thanks for everything you do.

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