I'm here again at Dustin's Place in Plymouth.

Now.

Viki Brown is the executive director of Viki.

The last time I was here.

It was this new building, but there was no furniture at all.

Yes.

So we figured we have to come back and actually see it with furniture now.

And how long has this been open now?

October 1st we moved in and long ago it was okay.

Yeah, yeah.

October 1st.

And you've got so many new things going on, including Mercedes, the therapy dog.

Hi.

Mercedes is probably the favorite thing going on right now, at least with the kids anyways.

And the community.

But yeah, since we moved in here, we've been able to double the programs that we can offer because we have a space.

We have a home now.

No, it's been absolutely amazing.

And I know that, like what you're you've been in existence now about six years.

Yes.

Yeah.

And so you started off kind of renting a space or having a space that was out of church.

And then now you moved to here, which is your own space that you opened on October 1st.

And as you mentioned, one of the number has been like, I mean, so you like your first year to even last year to now this year, I mean, it just keeps on I mean, it's in the thousands now that you're helping every this year project projected right.

Yeah.

Yeah it's incredible.

We because we just started that programing up at one roof in South Bend.

We were looking back at what was night one with Dustin's place because we had the night one in South Bend.

We had, like eight people a night, one here and up and south, and we had 12.

So you right.

The numbers are there.

But it's fun to see where you grow then.

One of the biggest numbers that we looked at is our first five years, we had, 903 people in our first five years combined.

Last year, in 2025, we had 823 people just in one year and one year.

And then we're projected this year to be close to 1600 wow individuals served.

And that's because of the community support.

Yeah, because of having a home now and because of recognizing the need.

It goes beyond just these walls.

And so you talk about starting a program in South Bend.

I know that we're here in Plymouth, and Marshall County has always been where the programs have been headquartered.

But as you mentioned that there is a huge need in Saint Joseph County.

And actually, you a lot of people coming from Saint Joseph County to your programs here, but that's also why you've expanded into the schools.

And then also, as you mentioned, that one roof at the community center, one roof, and you've you've expanded in there too, because the need is just so great in every community.

Right, exactly.

Yeah.

Marshall County has always been the heart.

Like they embraced us right away.

They loved us from the beginning.

But what we were seeing over the last couple of years is about 60% of our families were actually traveling from Saint Joe County to come to us.

And transportation can be a big barrier.

Yeah.

So offering that space up in South Bend in the evenings for families, we're in 27 community based groups as it is during the day, every week.

But we know that the most important part of a healthy grieving child is a healthy, grieving adult.

So bringing those family nights to South Bend was a crucial next step.

And, you know, for people that may not know, you started distance place after your husband Dustin, who passed away.

Yeah.

In a car accident.

Right?

Yes.

Yeah.

And so it's obviously a mission that's very close to your heart, but really you want to ensure that nobody grieves alone.

That's the whole point of Dustin's place.

Absolutely, absolutely.

And it's based on those barriers that I faced as that grieving wife and that grieving or that mom of grieving children.

No cost, no wait list.

Yeah.

Family shouldn't have to travel 45 minutes to come to us.

So really eliminating every barrier that we faced.

Yeah.

And providing that care that we needed.

Well, I know that it's you know, it's a big leap that you take when you do expand into different counties.

And I know that Stark County started to support you, too.

And, and there's all these communities because they need it.

But of course, you're 100% funded by local people.

And so that's obviously a big challenge to keep on saying yes, because expansion is all well and good.

But of course, when you expand, that comes with more costs and you just keep saying yes and then praying, it's like, yes, we'll start it.

And then just please, please help us donate.

But I know that you have different events like this year.

You're doing trivia for the first time.

Yes, which is going to be really fun.

So can you tell me a little bit about that?

Yeah, so we've always dabbled in those golf outings and everything, but what we found is the last two years it rained on the golf outing and you can't do weather dependent events.

Yeah.

Outside.

So this trivia night is something that I'm super excited about.

It's an evening that anyone can participate in.

I know nothing like I, I know not that I don't like.

I'm super educated.

I am not the person of useless trivia knowledge, but they're so fun.

You can come.

You can, eat food, enjoy an evening out and support Dustin's place in doing that.

Thursday, June 11th.

And so you're going to have this in South Bend this year, because I know a lot of the people watching will be around that area, and they might think, I can't go all the way to Plymouth, even though it's only 20 minutes down the road.

I know it's not far, it's just mentally far away.

Okay, but it's not actually far away.

But yeah, you're going to have it in South Bend.

I'm sure all the details will be on your website at Dustin's place.org, right.

Absolutely.

But yeah.

So June 11th is trivia night.

I know you're going to have a theme for it.

So yes, the theme this year is movies.

Yeah.

And so you can grab your movie ticket and come join us that evening to share what you know about it, because what we found, you found actually, June 11th is the day that E.T was released.

Yeah.

So there you go.

What better way to celebrate.

Exactly.

And I was going to think of a pun there about it.

Go for go home.

But anyway, I'm just gonna leave it there for now.

But yeah.

So June 11th.

So yeah, if you're watching and you think you'd like to support Dustin's place, then of course, June 11th.

I mean, I know in November you have your annual gala as well that goes on.

So there's lots of opportunities for people to get involved.

Absolutely.

And they can always support us, with our Amazon wish list.

We've got that, camp coming up.

There's program nights.

There's lots of ways to do that too.

I think it's really cute, even on the, you know, the, the smaller end of support, even though it's so important like you're in is a 37 school, 27, 27 schools.

But hundreds of kids that you help every week.

So you're in 27 schools every week across the area, and they need snacks.

Yeah.

So sometimes I've noticed on your Facebook, you'll ask people just for snacks.

And I think it's so nice that if you think of a kid that's in school that might be grieving and they're in one of these classes, just that they have snacks, you just bring comfort.

So like, support doesn't always have to be $1 million.

It could just be snacks.

Yeah.

I mean, we'll accept $1 million, but snacks are huge.

I mean, even just I mean, think about googly eyes.

Kids love to put googly eyes on everything they own.

So those little things, those really make an impact.

Yeah.

And I know talking about those school school groups because again, that's such a kind of an unseen thing that you're doing every day.

And it's just the amount of hours it takes and manpower and all the people that you have volunteering and working for you in 27 schools.

I know that you just finished a ten week course in some of the schools, right?

Are ten week.

Yes, it's a ten week program.

How did that go?

Like what was the difference that you could see in some of the kids?

It's it's really incredible to watch the way that they transform during those ten weeks.

They come in so hesitant, uncertain of who's in the group with them.

And then they gain that trust.

Yeah.

It takes about 2 or 3 weeks, a little bit more for some of the kiddos.

And by the end, they're sharing some pretty intimate details about how they're feeling and what they, what they are hoping for.

Well, I mean, that's great because obviously you can't get rid of children's grief, nor would you try, but just to be able to let them know that there is a healthy life ahead of them that they can have if they learn how to kind of have a healthy outlet in which to, like, share that grief.

Right?

Absolutely.

That's where you want.

And they're not alone.

There's other kids in the school.

Yeah.

Walking through the same thing and talking about walking.

I mean, I do want to see all the furniture put in here because last time it was just carpet and it still look great.

But.

So tell me about some of these rooms.

I know you have an art room.

We do.

So we have our grief expression rooms.

We have the, art studio where kids are able to use their creative outlets, whether that's through paint or through, a puppet show, through our sensory table, a space where they don't have the words to say.

Yeah, they can create it.

Nice.

Because of course, kids are not just going to sit down with a therapist and chat.

Not no, not not usually anyways.

And so there's all these different rooms.

And so I know there's one room that I really like which is tell me the room where you're allowed to go in and just go absolutely kind of crazy.

And yeah, so that's the Volcano Room.

That is for those moments where our grief erupts like a volcano, and it just needs to come out of us.

All right, I want to see this.

We recognize that all emotions are healthy, and so letting kids, let that out in a safe way.

Yeah.

So they've got the padded walls and the padded floors and all kinds of things that they can throw, hit, jump on.

I mean, I have a six week old at home, a two and a half year old and a wife.

I feel like I need one of these rooms in my house.

Just you just hear me go in and just be like, just for ten minutes and be like, hey, it's nice to see you again, family.

But now I thought you were going to say Christine would be that having to deal with you and the two girls.

Oh, she absolutely needs it.

Just dealing with me.

She said yesterday she has three kids, which was very nice of her, so.

But, yeah, I just love what you've done.

This place is awesome.

You took a leap after something dreadful happened to you and your family, and turning that into something that's now going to help 1600 families, our kids and adults this year.

That's awesome.

Thank you.

And we're very excited and blessed for sure.

So go to our trivia.