What does it feel to be called to service? How many people out there are currently in need of saving? In this episode of Wisdom of Ages, host Ayn Cates Sullivan and guest Mark Redmond discuss caring for the homeless and youth at risk. Mark is the leader of the Spectrum Youth. He has worked for over 40 years in managing people in need, especially those from broken homes until they are ready to start their lives again. Listen in and join Ayn and Mark as they talk about despair, breaking down, and finding hope and change with the help of other people.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

Welcome, friends and mystical travelers. This is Ayn Cates Sullivan, host of Wisdom of the Ages, where we invite the sacred into modern-day reality. Each week I offer stories, interviews, and spiritual monologues to inspire, heal, and uplift the soul. Today’s episode, Called to Service, is truly uplifting. If you feel called, you can listen to many more spiritual episodes on superpowerexperts.com/wisdom-of-the-ages, and you can find more uplifting books and audiobooks on infinitelightpublishing.com.

Many of us might ask ourselves how we can save the world. That will be one of the questions I will ask my superhero guest today, Mark Redmond, who’s Executive Director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Burlington, Vermont. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Spectrum Youth and was truly touched by the way in which Mark Redmond and his team show up for young people, and many members are actually touched. It’s the young, but so many people are touched by what’s going on there. The buildings are clean. I saw medical and dental assistants on site. I saw really lovely dorm rooms, and I met many bright people who were grateful to be at Spectrum Youth.

We might think that someone who has food and a roof over their head, that that’s enough, that’s all we need to do. But listening to Mark Redmond’s new book, an audiobook, I listened to it on Audible, and it’s called, Called, so easy to remember. I would just go ahead and download it. It’s so inspiring. Anyway, listening to it, I began to get a glimpse of how challenging this work really is, and this is affecting everybody globally now. It’s an important book.

In this Wisdom of the Ages episode, we’ll talk about what it is to be called to service, and then the reality of what it takes to help people who have come from broken homes get sober and start their lives again. Another thing that really touched me was the way Mark Redmond and his team at Spectrum Youth prepare people for the workforce and that youth often need support well into their 20s. I think there’s some serious messages in here that we all need to know about. Now, let me introduce my guest, Mark Redmond, who has worked selflessly in the field of caring for the homeless and at-risk youth for over 40 years. Welcome, Mark.

Mark Redmond:

Even my mother said that.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

Oh my goodness.

Mark Redmond:

I sent it to her, and she was like, “I can’t believe what you went through in Brooklyn. I can’t believe what you went through when you were trying to start that charter school.” I was like, “Yeah, Mom, I kept you in the dark. I didn’t want you to know.”

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

It might’ve been better. Times Square, too, oh my goodness.

Mark Redmond:

Oh, yeah, ugly, ugly, I know.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

Wow, some serious stuff. But then at the end, you get to hear the success story. That was the plan. I got to the end there, because I was like, “Oh, I hope there’s some good news here.” Pretty soon I have to stop for an ad break, but just really quickly right before we do this, is there hope?

Mark Redmond:

Is there hope? Yes, there’s definitely hope. There’s tremendous hope out there. I was a big fan of the late John Lewis, and he used to say, “As much as oppression is out there and racism and prejudice, there’s still so much more goodness in people and so much more hope that’s out there.” I really believe that. That’s why I wrote this book, and that’s why I tell stories. I’ve been on The Moth and other podcasts, and I had a show on Broadway one night. That’s part of my message that, as dire as things can be for people, there is always hope. Sometimes we have to cling to that hope. A lot of my work and the people I work with are to encourage young people who are close to despair, and encourage them that they can move ahead in their lives and make a difference in the world.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

You really do that. You are a superhero. I totally believe that. Where can people find your audiobook?

Mark Redmond:

It’s on markredmondbooks.com. You go in there, and there are 10, 12 different ways to read or listen to that book, but it’s also, Audible is the most popular version. Audible, Mark Redmond, Called, very easy title to remember, Called.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

Called.

Mark Redmond:

I wanted one word, so there. It’s also Barnes and Noble, Amazon. It’s on everything. Yeah, you should be able to find it pretty easily.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

Okay. Wonderful, wonderful. If people want to find out about Spectrum Youth and Family Services, where do they go?

Mark Redmond:

Spectrumvt.org, also pretty easy. You’ll see our website, a beautiful website, listing all the different things that we do to help young people who are struggling.

Ayn Cates Sullivan:

Okay. That’s beautiful. Stay tuned. We’ll be right back.

Mark Redmond:

Great.

To listen to the entire show click on the player above or go to the SuperPower Up! podcast on iTunes.