* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Houston Furniture Bank's #NoKidsOnTheFloor Campaign"] [00:00:18] WE'VE GOT, WE KIND OF GATHERED TODAY TO TRY TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT OUR EFFORT NOW OF ALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE HOUSTON AND FURNITURE BANK. AND, LIKE ONLY SAYS EVERY DAY IS EARTH DAY AT THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK, BECAUSE WE'RE KEEPING FURNITURE FROM, COME, FROM GOING TO THE LANDFILL. AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE'RE KEEPING MATTRESSES FROM GOING TO THE LANDFILL. SO I WANT TO JUST SAY, UH, QUICKLY, WE, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE. OF COURSE, UH, OUR LUSTERS MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER IS HERE. UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE HIM HELP HELPING US AND OUR COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER, JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, AND, UH, EXCUSE ME, SENATOR CAROL ALVARADO, AND REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINA MORALES. AND THEN, UH, CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN, UH, ALSO HAS A REPRESENTATIVE HERE. AND THEN VERY QUICKLY, THE, THERE'S SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS HERE WITH THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK. HAL LEND IS OUR, UH, VICE VICE CHAIRMAN, AND THEN WE HAVE PAT DUFFY, BILL WARD, FRANK MONTICELLI, THAT ARE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HERE. AND THEN OLI MUHAMMAD, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JEFF TAYLOR, OUR OPERATIONS MANAGER, SOMEWHERE THERE HE IS. AND THEN JUDY MORRIS, WHO TAKES CARE OF OUR GRANTS. CHRIS MARTINEZ, JEFF, HER HERNANDEZ. CHRIS HERNANDEZ THEN IS OUR OUTSOURCED, UH, IN, UH, LEADER FOR ALL OF OUR AGENCIES THAT, THAT, UH, COME TO THE FURNITURE BANK TO. SO, 2023 WAS A GREAT YEAR. WE SERVICED OVER A LITTLE, OVER 1300 FAMILIES IN THE HOUSTON AREA, AND DISTRIBUTED A LITTLE MORE THAN 14,000 PIECES OF FURNITURE. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT TAKES A BIG FACILITY. WE'RE MOVING THINGS IN AND OUT ALL DAY LONG. SEVEN, EIGHT APPOINTMENTS BOTH HERE AND AT OUR STAFFORD LOCATION NOW. SO WE HAVE TWO LOCATIONS. WE, LAST YEAR WE SERVED OVER 2300 CHILDREN, GOT MATTRESSES THAT ARE NO LONGER SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR. IT'S A BIG PART OF OUR PROGRAM. AND SO EVERY YEAR, A LITTLE OVER 700,000 MATTRESSES HIT THE LANDFILLS IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED THAT WE DO HERE AT THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK, IS RECYCLE OUR UPCYCLE MATTRESS. UPCYCLE MEANS A MATTRESS COMES IN, IT MAY BE JUST NEEDS TO BE CLEANED, AND IT'S CLEANED AND GOES OUT THE DOOR. IT MAY NOT EVEN NEED TO BE CLEANED. IT'S A, IT WAS A, UH, IT WAS A MODEL IN A, UH, IN A FURNITURE STORE THAT THEY CAN'T USE TO SELL. SO WE DO A LOT OF THAT HERE. IT TAKES, UH, TAKES A PRETTY GOOD GROUP OF EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE ALMOST 50 EMPLOYEES AT THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK. WE UTILIZE A LOT OF, OF EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE CHALLENGES IN GETTING JOBS THAT FORMER, UH, INMATES COME TO US. WE GET 'EM STARTED DOWN THE ROAD, GET 'EM A STEADY JOB. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M REALLY PROUD THAT WE DO. IT. IT'S A REAL BIG IMPACT WHEN YOU COME TO THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK. I'VE, I'VE DONE THIS MYSELF. WHAT, WHAT GAVE REALLY SANK MY HEART. THE MAYOR TALKS ABOUT HEART. MY HEART REALLY WENT TO THE FURNITURE BANK. I WENT TO MY DAUGHTER, BROUGHT ME HERE. SHE WAS A CASEWORKER. SHE SAID, DAD, I NEED YOUR HELP. I GRABBED A TRAILER, WENT UP TO, UH, UP TO, UM, THE NORTH SIDE OF HOUSTON, WALKED INTO A, AN APARTMENT. THERE WAS A MOM AND A CHILD, A LITTLE 2-YEAR-OLD GIRL, AND A PILLOW AND A BLANKET. THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT WAS IN THE APARTMENT. WHEN WE LEFT THE APARTMENT. MOM HAD A PLACE TO SLEEP. THE BABY HAD A BED, THERE WAS A COUCH, THERE WAS A TABLE AND CHAIRS. SO WE MAKE EMPTY HOUSES, HOMES, AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT HERE AT THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY GAVE MY HEART TO THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK. UH, I REALLY DO. UH, AFTER 17 YEARS ON THIS BOARD, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO BE HERE EVERY DAY. [00:05:01] SO, UM, MAYOR, UH, WHITMEYER, YOU, YOU'VE GOT A CHANCE TO, UH, UH, SEE WHAT WE DO HERE AND, AND, UH, KIND OF GIVE A CONCEPT OF, OF YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT RECYCLING IN THE, IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, UH, DIRECTOR, THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD, THE WORKERS, YAY. HERE FOR THE WORKERS. UH, LET ME JUST SAY, WE NEED DAYS LIKE TODAY. MOST OF US, CERTAINLY MY COLLEAGUES, STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINE MORALES, MY SENATE COLLEAGUE CAROL, I, AND CERTAINLY JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. WE DEAL WITH PROBLEMS EVERY DAY. THAT'S ALL WE DID BEFORE WE CAME HERE. TODAY, WE'RE WORKING ON PROBLEMS, AND THEN WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE AND SEE SOMETHING THAT'S WORKING SO WELL. IT ALLOW, IT ALLOWS US THE ENERGY, THE MOTIVATION TO KEEP WORKING. AND LET ME JUST DECLARE, THE FURNITURE BANK WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AFTER OUR VISIT TODAY. THE FOOD BANK WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. WE WILL GET YOU CONTRIBUTIONS. WE WILL TAKE IT TO THE STATE HOUSE, THE STATE SENATE CITY COUNCIL. WE WILL TALK TO OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE COUNTY, SOMETHING THAT WORKS THIS WELL WITH SUCH A LITTLE BUDGET. JUST AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT FROM YOUR STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES. NOT TO MENTION THE PHILANTHROPIC. SO, AS I SAID, THE FURNITURE BANK WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. WE NEED TO SPREAD THE WORD WITH THE NUMBER OF MATTRESSES THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT ARE GOING INTO LANDFILLS. IT IS EASILY AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S A HUMAN, SO HUMAN QUALITY ISSUE. THERE'S NO REASON FOR FOLKS IN HARRIS COUNTY NOT TO HAVE A PLACE TO LAY THEIR HEAD ON A MATTRESS OR SIT IN A CHAIR. THERE'S JUST SO MANY GOOD THINGS THAT ORIGINATE RIGHT HERE. SO I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE, JOAQUIN. HE CAME UP TO ME FRIDAY. WE WERE AT ANOTHER BENEFIT. WE SAW A DOCUMENTARY, A DOCUMENTARY ON THE FURNITURE BANK. AND JOAQUIN SAID, WILL YOU GO SEE IT ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON? AND I COULD BE AT A HUNDRED PLACES RIGHT NOW AS A MAYOR OF HOUSTON, I HAVE DEMANDS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M A BETTER MAYOR BECAUSE I CAME OUT HERE TODAY. A BETTER MAYOR WILL LEAVE HERE THAN THE ONE WE GOT HERE, BECAUSE THIS OUGHT TO GET US ALL FIRED UP. I'M FIRED UP. I'D LIKE TO GO BACK TO CITY HALL WHEN I LEAVE HERE TO GET SOME MORE WORK DONE, BECAUSE NOW YOU'VE INSPIRED ME. SO THANK YOU. LET'S KEEP IT UP. LET'S WORK TOGETHER. SOMEONE TOLD ME A LONG TIME AGO, IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU GET DONE IF YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHO'S GONNA GET THE CREDIT. SO LET'S JUST LEAVE HERE IN OUR OWN SPECIAL WAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU MAYOR. WANNA SAY SOMETHING? YES. THANK YOU, LARRY. UH, AND JUST FIRST WANNA START OFF BY SAYING THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR. UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR COULD BE ANYWHERE TODAY, UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DEALING WITH AT CITY HALL, BUT UM, AS YOU MENTIONED TODAY, TODAY BRINGS YOU, UH, SOLUTION ORIENTED, UM, CHALLENGE, RIGHT? AND SO WE HAVE PARTNERS HERE AT THE FURNITURE BANK, UH, THAT ARE NOT ONLY, UM, THINKING ABOUT FAMILIES OUTSIDE OF THEIR OWN. AND ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, WHAT'S WHAT'S TOUCHED ME SPECIFICALLY IS I GREW UP IN A FAMILY OF 12 MM-HMM . AT 1.9 OF US IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT. SO YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW, HOW MANY OF US SLEPT ON THE FLOOR OR ON THE COUCH. AND SO WHEN WE CAME TO VISIT THE FURNITURE BANK, IT HIT HOME FOR ME. AND IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUNG KIDS FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, FOR THEIR SOCIAL, UH, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH, THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THEM AS WE TAKE CARE OF THEM HERE, THEN WE CAN TAKE CARE OF THEM IN SCHOOL AS WE TAKE CARE OF 'EM IN SCHOOL, THEN THEY TAKE CARE OF THE WORKFORCE, AND IT'S A TRICKLE EFFECT. AND SO, AS, UH, LARRY WAS SAYING, THIS IS TWOFOLD. WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE KIDS DO NOT SLEEP ON THE FLOOR. AND THAT'S THE CAMPAIGN. NO KIDS SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR. BUT THEN IN ADDITION, HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE, THE LANDFILLS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON? AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW IN POPULATION, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES WHERE FOLKS CAN RECYCLE. AND TODAY IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SOUNDING THAT ALARM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE'RE, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING, BEING A, UH, MEGAPHONE FOR THE, FOR HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. AND SO I'M, I'M VERY HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO BE HERE, ALONG WITH MY COLLEAGUES, STATE SENATOR CAROL ALVARADO, STATE REP, UH, CHRISTINA HERNAN, UH, CHRISTINA MORALES, BUT ALSO, OF COURSE, WITH THE MAYOR, AS HE'S SEEN TODAY. [00:10:01] TODAY'S, IT'S ABOUT EVERYONE HERE WORKING, WORKING FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE ENTIRE CITY. AND SO I WANNA THANK OF COURSE, LARRY AND ALI FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING, AND KNOW THAT AS AM MAYOR MENTIONED, YOU HAVE A HUGE PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS, WITH, WITH THE FOLKS HERE STANDING WITH US. UM, AND WE ARE HERE AGAIN TO MAKE SURE KIDS HAVE A HEALTHY LIFE LIFESTYLE. AND YOU DO THAT BY PROVIDING THE BED. UM, I'LL MAKE A FEW BRIEF REMARKS IN SPANISH FURNITURE BANK. UM, EXCUSE ME, SENATOR, UH, CAROL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS? FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU TO THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK FOR INVITING US. THANK YOU. SORRY. HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK, , AND TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE MAYOR, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE Y'ALL HAVEN'T NOTICED IT'S FLOODING OUT THERE. SO WITH THAT COMES A LOT OF ISSUES THAT OUR CITY LEADERS NEED TO BE TENDING TO. BUT HE'S HERE AND HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT TAKES FOR FAMILIES TO BE HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE. YOU CAN'T EXPECT A CHILD TO REACH THEIR FULL ACADEMIC POTENTIAL IF THEY'RE WAKING UP WITH A CREEK IN THEIR NECK OR ACHES IN THEIR BODY BECAUSE THEY SLEPT ON THE FLOOR A COLD FLOOR. AND THIS PLACE HERE ADDRESSES MANY PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE HAVING. IT ADDRESSES THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN POINTED OUT. IT ALSO CAN ADDRESS SOME HOMELESSNESS ISSUES. AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE MAYOR IN THE, THE BIGGER SCHEME OF THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, THANK YOU FOR PICKING UP THIS EFFORT. WE WILL DO OUR PART AT THE STATE AND URGE ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES ELSEWHERE TO DO THE SAME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, UM, REPRESENTATIVE YOU, CHRISTINA, WOULD YOU? UH, YES, I CAME PREPARED ? YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, I WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ FOR HIS LEADERSHIP TO BRING US TOGETHER TODAY. MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, FOR PRIORITIZING THIS TODAY WHEN THERE'S, UH, IT'S RAINING REALLY BAD OUTSIDE, AND I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO TEND TO SOME WORK AFTER YOU LEAVE HERE TODAY. AND NICO MADRE, IT'S ALWAYS, UH, SUCH A PLEASURE TO SEE SENATOR ALVARADO. UM, LISTEN, I WAS SHOCKED TO KNOW THAT SO MANY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THAT YOU CAN RECYCLE YOUR MATTRESS, INCLUDING ME, . YEAH. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I LEARNED TODAY WHILE I WAS DOING A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH ABOUT WHAT I WANTED TO SAY. UH, BUT IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THINGS LIKE THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT HERE. AND YOU CAN, UM, UH, RECYCLE YOUR MATTRESS SO THAT CHILDREN, CHILDREN SHOULD BE OUR PRIORITY, AND SO THAT THEY CAN GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. I REMEMBER WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE LITTLE, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE SLEEPING IN THEIR OWN BEDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE I REMEMBER MY SISTER WAS RAISING HER CHILDREN, AND THEY ALWAYS WANTED TO SLEEP IN THE BED WITH MOM. SO I DIDN'T WANNA HAVE THAT PROBLEM. AND I MADE SURE MY KIDS WERE ALWAYS SENT TO THEIR BED. SO THEY HAD THEIR OWN SPACE, AND THEY DEVELOPED THAT INDEPENDENCE THAT KIDS DO WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR OWN BED. IT'S SO IMPORTANT, AND WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT ENOUGH. UM, HAVING YOUR OWN BED IS SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED BECAUSE SLEEP IS SO IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN'S PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AS COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ WAS SAYING EARLIER, IT HELPS THEIR BRAINS TO REMEMBER, ANALYZE, MEMORIZE INFORMATION. AND THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND HAVING AN EDUCATED, UM, CITY. UM, SO IF YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH SLEEP, IT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PROBLEMS LIKE TYPE TWO DIABETES AND POOR MENTAL HEALTH. BUT IN CLOSING, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THE REALITY IS THAT OUR STATE ISN'T DOING THE BEST JOB WHEN IT COMES TO PROVIDING MEALS FOR OUR CHILDREN. AND HERE LATELY, YOU'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS, IT FEELS LIKE THEY'RE FALLING APART. BUT THERE'S ONE THING [00:15:01] THAT WE CAN BE SURE OF, AND THAT IS THAT THE FURNITURE BANK AND ALI, MY GOOD FRIEND WHO I MET BACK IN 2017, IS MAKING SURE THAT KIDS DO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S REST. THAT SHOULD BE OUR PRIORITY TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS WHAT WE DO HERE IS A REAL COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN COMMERCIAL, UH, UH, COMPANIES THAT FUR, MAINLY FURNITURE COMPANIES THAT HELP US A LOT. SO, UM, STAR FURNITURE MICHAEL'S HERE FROM STAR FURNITURE, UH, HOFFER FURNITURE. UM, SCOTT HAD TO LEAVE. UM, THE FOAM BROTHERS ARE HERE. THEY JUST MADE A HUGE DONATION TO HELP US WITH A FOAM THAT GOES INTO ALL OF OUR CHILDREN'S MATTRESSES AND, AND REDUCE THAT, REDUCE OUR COST BY ABOUT 50%, SO THAT NOW WE CAN DO TWICE AS MANY MATTRESSES JUST BECAUSE OF THIS ONE HUGE COMPANY THAT DOES FOAM. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THIS CORPORATIONS WORKING TOGETHER. AND I KNOW THERE ARE MANY CORPORATIONS OUT THERE TODAY THAT ARE GONNA HEAR THIS AND TALK ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, OR YOU AS INDIVIDUAL. YOU COULD, YOU, IF YOU WANT TO, UH, DONATE YOUR MATTRESS, YOU COULD TAKE IT TO THE RECYCLING CENTER. YOU CAN COME HERE, YOU DO HAVE TO PAY A $20 FEE WHEN YOU COME HERE. BUT IT'S A DONATION TO THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK THAT DOES US TAKE THAT MATTRESS, TEAR IT APART, SEND THE COMPONENTS IN DIFFERENT, INTO MANY DIFFERENT AREAS, AND THEN ABOUT ONLY ABOUT 8% GO BACK INTO THE LANDFILL. SO THAT'S, IT'S A BIG NUMBER EVERY YEAR. AND THE PROBLEM JUST KEEP GROWING AS OUR POPULATION GROWS. SO, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT 700,000 MATTRESSES. THAT, THAT SEEMED LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE NUMBER. IT'S NOT, YOU TAKE THE NUMBER OF, YOU KNOW, EVERY, EVERY 10 YEARS OR SO THAT MATTRESSES ARE RECYCLED. 7 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE FIVE COUNTY AREA. IT'S VERY, VERY EASILY 700,000 MATTRESSES. AND I KNOW, I SEE THESE, THESE, UH, UH, LANDFILLS JUST KEEP COMING TOWARD THE ROAD. THEY'RE JUST KEEP GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER. SO, UH, THE ONLY ONE, ONE OF THE WAYS WE WERE ABLE TO DO THIS MANY YEARS AGO, WE GOT A, WE GOT A FEDERAL GRANT, UH, REDDICK EDWARD IS HERE. THEY HELPED US A LOT IN OUR INITIAL FUNDING. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE AN OUTLET CENTER WHERE YOU CAN BUY FURNITURE AND A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THOSE PROCEEDS AND A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PROCEEDS WHEN WE RESELL, UH, UP, UP, UH, CYCLED MATTRESSES. AND THEN WE SELL MATTRESSES THAT WE MAKE HERE ALSO. SO, AGAIN, I WANT TO, UH, TELL EVERYBODY I APPRECIATE THAT. WE DO HAVE A PROCLAMATION HERE FROM, UH, AL REPRESENTATIVE AL GREEN'S OFFICE. YOU WANNA BRING THAT UP? YES. WE GOT, WE'VE GOT TWO. WE GOT A CERTIFICATE OF SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION PRESENTED TO THE HOUSTON FURNITURE BANK, UH, IN HONOR OF YOUR SERVICE TO OUR NATION. ON BEHALF OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE NINTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF TEXAS, I SALUTE YOUR COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING LIVING CONDITIONS OF CHILDREN BY PROVIDING RESOURCES TO FAMILIES ACROSS THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA. AND IT'S SIGNED BY AL GREEN, MEMBER OF OUR, OUR CONGRESSMAN IN THIS AREA. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT. WE, UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. OUR BOARD IS, UH, UH, JUST HONORED BY YOUR PRESENCE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK, YES. VERY GOOD. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.