Bruce C. Bryan: My guest today on Naturally Curious is Karen Pillis. She's been in her leadership position at the West End Center for almost five years now. With summer fast approaching, it's the perfect time to hear about the work her organization does and how the West End Center for Youth is making a difference in our community.
We'll talk about the after-school and summer programs, the work they're doing with kids, and the changes she's seen during her time with the organization. We'll get to hear about the way the West End Center is wrestling with all the government turmoil and unrest. This is an interview that has relevance throughout the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.
Each community has organizations working on solutions and ways they are addressing these challenges. Today, we'll talk with one of those nonprofits that's making a difference. I'm interested and excited to talk about kids these days, the people who are spending all their time with them, and why the future is brighter than some of you may think.
Join me for a one-on-one session with Karen Pillas from the West End Center coming up next on today's episode of Naturally Curious.
Pillis Segment 1
Bruce C. Bryan: Karen Pillis, thank you for being my guest, and welcome to the show.
Karen Pillis: Thank you for having me, Bruce.
Bruce C. Bryan: So first, let's talk about summer. Do you remember what you used to do during your summer breaks?
Karen Pillis: I was a big book nerd, and I loved the pool. So I read when I wasn't at the pool, and I swam a lot of days.
Bruce C. Bryan: Swimming and reading.
Karen Pillis: Mm-hmm.
Bruce C. Bryan: Do you still read?
Karen Pillis: I do. I read a lot. Okay. I'm in a book club, and I really enjoy that, and then I read for pleasure and fun too.
Bruce C. Bryan: You know, so this is about the 15th, 16th episode, and I'm just gonna mention that I have a book if you wanted to read it. Just anyway, that's a whole different show.
Karen Pillis: Might you have two books?
Bruce C. Bryan: I do. Wow. That's... And we also talked right before we went on the air that, um, you were the first guest on this show, Karen, that was a guest of mine a decade ago. Yeah. So that's kind of fun too, so. I've been
Karen Pillis: around a while. It just shows how old I am.
Bruce C. Bryan: We've both have been, we've both been doing what we do for a while.
So we were talking about summer breaks, and times are a little different now, and that means different solutions are needed, right? Um, what are some programs you'd like to highlight as it relates to the summer with the West End Center?
Karen Pillis: You know, it's funny because West End started because of a summer program.
Okay. That's how it really got its beginning in 1979. The, um, Methodist church that's in the neighborhood had a, had a Su- a Summer Bible school, and they, all of a sudden, all these neighborhood kids came, and they said, "We need to keep this up because we see there's a need." There's a big gap,
Bruce C. Bryan: right?
Karen Pillis: And it was at the beginning of kind of the latchkey kid phase, and parents didn't have time to occupy their children in the summer like they used- had previously.
So West End Center began about that time, and, you know, the after-school program's pretty cut and dried. We can go into that later, but the summer program, that's really where we can be creative and fun and kinda step into the, the brink k- so to speak because that learning gap is real, and in times, uh, since COVID, I think it's even more so needed.
So we- E- we serve kindergarten through high school.
Bruce C. Bryan: Okay.
Karen Pillis: And it looks different no matter what grade you are in. Kindergarten through fifth grade, the morning is spent learning. It's... You're still reading, doing STEAM activities.
Bruce C. Bryan: So I was gonna ask you, is it possible that they're learning but they don't know they're learning, or are they, they know they're learning?
Karen Pillis: Well, some days they know they're learning, some days they don't. We have a really creative STEAM and literacy, uh, coordinator, and he does really fun things with them. They use, like, keyboards, like old typew- writers to spell, and so they think that's fun, an old typewriter.
Bruce C. Bryan: Makes great noises.
Karen Pillis: And, um, they don't know that they're learning spelling-
Bruce C. Bryan: So I wanna-
kind of thing. Oh, go on. I'm sorry. Keep
Karen Pillis: going. That kind of thing.
Bruce C. Bryan: So I wanna go back to the late 1970s 'cause we were joking about what we did, and we, uh, you know, the, the, the reality is up until 60, 55 years ago- Mm-hmm ... um, parents, a mom or a dad, was home with the kids during- Yeah ... the summer, so they could go to the pool, and they could read, and they could do different things.
But as families started to have two-income needs, that really shifted, and it sounds like that gap's been around for a while, and this is one of the ways that that, that that solution is addressed.
Karen Pillis: Yeah, my own kids, they went to summer camps. They, they did a bunch of stuff during the summer. I- it was like, "Quick, let's fill it up."
And then sometimes they just sat home. But I was home with them.
Bruce C. Bryan: Right.
Karen Pillis: And I, I had that, that ability to stay home with them. And so these kids, a lot of times they don't. Their parents have to work. They... I mean, these days we all need all that income- That's
Bruce C. Bryan: right ...
Karen Pillis: that we can get. So I think the parents really appreciate it.
You know, West End, I can talk to so- one group of people and it's all about literacy, and it's all about, um, helping our children graduate with the skills that they need for the next generation of working and all the things that they will need in the future. But m- the other thing it is is a, is a work program for, for adults.
It allows them to work and c- and to, to fill their family's needs because how else would they do it? Not everybody has... It used to be grandparents live with you. Mm-hmm. That doesn't happen anymore. So you need trusted childcare.
Bruce C. Bryan: Well, you're listening to Naturally Curious. I'm Bruce Bryan. That's Karen Pillis.
She's with the West End Center, and just even in that first segment, you've shared some things that lead me to two other questions. Our listeners are everywhere from Richmond and now with the... and, and to almost Tennessee and North Carolina, but now with the internet they could be anywhere. Mm-hmm. The West End Center is where?
West-
Karen Pillis: Like,
Bruce C. Bryan: generally.
Karen Pillis: The West End Center is in Roanoke City, and about 145 to 150 kids on any given day or week, and m- the majority of those students attend Roanoke City Schools because Roanoke City Schools is a great partner and buses the children after school to us so that we don't have to figure out how we staff our center and staff buses.
Bruce C. Bryan: And the transportation, sure.
Karen Pillis: So that makes it affordable for us to be able to provide this program because Roanoke City Schools is helping us out.
Bruce C. Bryan: And, uh, the other question is you talked about STEAM, and I've heard of STEM, but maybe a lot of our listeners may not be familiar with STEAM.
Karen Pillis: What- Well, the A adds arts.
Perfect. So computer-generated arts and arts that have to do with technology and, and science.
Bruce C. Bryan: So you were alluding to some of the things that happen in the summer and keeping things fun and learning in the morning and maybe more a- Outward or play-based activities in the afternoon. Talk a little bit about the summer programs.
Karen Pillis: So no afterschool center, I think, no community-based afterschool center can do what they do without partners, and we are very fortunate that Roanoke City Parks and Rec partners with us to be able to take our kids to the pool every day.
Bruce C. Bryan: Oh, that's great.
Karen Pillis: Now, not every child goes every day, but every child goes two da- two days a week.
And we go to the two public pools, and they have a great time. We have, through a private donation, are able to take our youngest children in the late s- r- late winter, early springtime to the Y to get them swim lessons so that when we start to swim at the, at the public pools, we... They already have been in the water.
They're more comfortable.
Bruce C. Bryan: That's great.
Karen Pillis: We appreciate our, our family that donates those swim lessons every year. And then tw- And the... And I think that if you interviewed our kids, they would tell you that going swimming is one of their favorite things we do. We have a couple other partnerships that are amazing that I can highlight.
Bruce C. Bryan: Sure. - Do
Karen Pillis: ... they... So t- four times in an eight-week summer program, we walk the mile from our center to the Grandin Theater, which is located on Grandin Road in Roanoke City, and we, um, with the, with the help of Roanoke Sheriff, City Sheriffs, the police, and running volunteers from the, from the community, and we watch a movie.
Our kids watch a movie. They get popcorn. How great. They get some water, and then we walk back, and about h- a little over halfway back, we have a popsicle station under the, um, the porch at Black Dog Salvage. So we, with the help of our partners, are able to provide them this, our kids this, this ability, and huge support from the Grandin Theater.
They do most of the financing.
Bruce C. Bryan: That is, that is really fun, and it makes me wonder if Big Jim and I could come to the summer program.
Karen Pillis: It... Tuesday mornings every other Tuesday. Okay. We'd love to have you
Bruce C. Bryan: That's a good, that's a good program and, and a fun thing. And how... If you happen to be driving through whatever the neighborhood is and you see all those kids with popsicles, that's gotta be kind of exciting.
Karen Pillis: We're, like, waving. Yes. And we get lots of beeps, and it's very visible
Bruce C. Bryan: So you mentioned the, the sponsors, the underwriters, the partners. Those are all great, but it has to also take a lot of people to drive this work- It does ... that work with you. Describe some of those people to us.
Karen Pillis: Well- W- I think in childcare in general, one of the biggest problems these days , i- is, is attracting and maintaining and retaining a staff.
We are so fortunate at West End Center. Our director of operations will have been there 20 years. Wow. He started as a program guy and has been with us all these years. The kids and the families have, you know, generations of kids and families have come through there, and they all know and love Danny. Our director of education was actually a West End child.
She went there in high school and I think middle school and high school, then went to Roanoke College, came back and worked there for a while, then went on to a, uh, another organization and then came back to West End Center and has been there for almost five years. So those, the families know her and trust her.
Bruce C. Bryan: They trust them,
Karen Pillis: right? Even when she was not working at West End, she was assigned at West End through her other job. She worked at Family Services and was a community counselor at West End Center. So those families and kids have been a part of Desiree and Danny's world for many years. Our other main lead staff people have been there for five...
We have two that have been there for five years, me, who've been there for five years. And so, and a lot of our summer help are college kids who started as elementary school kids at West End.
Bruce C. Bryan: I was gonna ask you, do you, you have some kid... And you're listening to Naturally Curious. I'm Bruce Bryan. This is Karen Pillis.
We're talking about childcare and summertime, summer programming, and things like that. So I was gonna ask if there are kids that have grown up in the West End Center environment that now, you know, either help or come back and bring their kids even. Yeah.
Karen Pillis: So four years ago, we started a program for our high schoolers because we've had a lot of, of the, of the program thing, uh, programming that you can imagine, the, the reading and the STEAM programming for our elementary school kids, but we've kind of struggled in the last five years anyway to, to form a program for our middle and high school kids.
So four years ago, I started a program where our rising juniors and seniors in high school could have a 10-hour paid internship a week at West End. They filled out an application. They had to interview for the job. They got a job evaluation. They could work 10 hours, which meant most of the time they stayed the whole day.
They'd work in the morning, and then they'd s- come across the street f- to the middle and high school part and hang out with the middle and high schoolers because, so it really, it really attracted them. And so we have our high schoolers working over there, but we also, on any given summer, we'll have five Hi, former West End students who come back to work with us in the summer
Bruce C. Bryan: That, that is great.
Do you ever hear from past West End students that are out in the professional world or about, about the impact the organization's made on them?
Karen Pillis: it's, we just had our biggest fundraiser of the year, Spring Bling, and it's includes a fashion show. And one of our models this year was a 25, almost 26-year-old student from West End Center who had graduated and went to, um, college to be a nurse, and she is an RN at, at Roanoke Memorial.
And she will tell you that, you know, she had a great mom, but we were the ones... Her mom worked all the time. We were the ones who helped her- Helped ... with science fair.
Bruce C. Bryan: Sure.
Karen Pillis: You know?
Bruce C. Bryan: Yes.
Karen Pillis: As parents, science fair is the, the worst. We helped her with science fair. We helped get her to all the different activities that she wanted to do, but there was no transportation because her mom w- might be at work.
Bruce C. Bryan: Right.
Karen Pillis: So we really stepped in and enabled her to live the life that she wanted to live at an early age, which I think really built her confidence and gave her the, the ability to dream big, and now she's doing a great job. So we, we hear that on a regular basis.
Bruce C. Bryan: That must be so interesting and so rewarding for not just you, but for the people you work with at the West End Center.
Karen Pillis: It really is. To see them all is really great.
Bruce C. Bryan: So when we come back, I wanna talk to you a little bit about the challenges facing kids these days, um, and what kind of misperceptions. I think a lot of people, maybe people like me, have lost touch a little bit with the challenges and misperceptions of things that the kids are facing- Mm-hmm
these days. When we come back to Naturally Curious, we'll talk with Karen Pillis.
Pillis Segment 2
Bruce C. Bryan: Welcome back. We're talking with Karen Pillas from the West End Center. And Karen, I, I have a sense that being a kid was somehow easier back 50, 40, even 20 years ago. It's tough work always, but somehow it feels like it might have become tougher. Is that my perception or, or do you see that?
Karen Pillis: You know, I do think it is tough.
I think the world's tough for everybody right now, and I think that the kids... You know, as adults, we don't really always see the impact that our angst has on our children. Has on the kids. Yeah. And I think, you know, living through COVID, I think has affected all the different j- ages in kinda different ways.
We see that our middle and high schoolers may have fewer social skills. They, they just were home during those really key times where they built how to create and, and keep friends. And so, uh, places like West End are so important because they're in person, they're face to face, and it's a little bit, a little bit more relaxed, so it's not like school- Not like school
where you sit in desks.
Bruce C. Bryan: It, it's in between. Yeah. There's a little more fluidity
Karen Pillis: Right. So you have to... You know, friends make it or break it at- Mm-hmm ... at West End Center. So they really are tasked with, with building some social skills, which I think is really important. And then our middle schoolers are the, are now the ones who were in COVID online school or whatever situations like that.
Like in kindergarten or first grade. When kindergarten. They really have some academic challenges. You know, reading is difficult to learn- Over a computer.
Bruce C. Bryan: Yeah.
Karen Pillis: And so they really need, uh, a little more enrichment than you would typically have found, I think, with middle schoolers. But I think everybody would agree that the internet has, has created challenges that were not there for any of the previous generations.
Bruce C. Bryan: So back to what you did as a, as a kid. You were a reader and a swimmer and enjoyed being out and about. What are your summers like now, now that you're on the grown-up side of things? Ugh. Is it hectic and crazy over there?
Karen Pillis: You know, I think that if you, if I had my staff team with me today, it is hot, and it is tiring.
We have 140 kids who are the nearest and dearest, the bestest of friends, and the worstest of enemies- ... on any given minute or day, and so it is a lot for them. For me, who loves to be around children and loves the chaos, and can choose when I can go and- You can walk away every once in a while, yeah. It's amazing.
I get to go to the pool with the kids. I get to go on the West End walks. I watch the... We have a running group with, uh, our local law enforcement called Badge Buddies. I get to go down there and watch them do that. So I love the summers at West End Center. They are, they are 145 of the best kids in Roanoke, and they keep you on your toes, and they're so much fun, but it is tiring.
Bruce C. Bryan: Don't you think we should all have recess and rest times? I think that'd make the workday so much better, right? Yes,
Karen Pillis: yes.
Bruce C. Bryan: Excuse me, I gotta go take my- Yes. Uh, wake up, Jim. Okay? Wake up. We need you.
Karen Pillis: Well, and, and it should never be taken away, right? Oh, you were, you were fidgeting. You've gotta sit at your desk some more instead of doing your recess time.
So yes, we all need recess.
Bruce C. Bryan: Uh, you're listening to Naturally Curious. I'm Bruce Bryan. This is Karen Pillis. We're talking about the West End Center and kids these days. And, and Karen, I was just, kind of a two-part, uh, two-part question. Uh, where do you get your personal energy from, and can you transfer that to your team sometimes?
Karen Pillis: Wow. You know, I don't, I, I think that in the past w- people would describe me as passionate, and I think that most of the time they would say that the passion is about children, and that really drives me. Um, and I think that my, I'm very lucky that my staff feels that same passion. So they, even though they are doing the much harder work of being with them, our, our kids day in, day out, every minute of the day, and not getting the breaks that I can take, they still retain their passion.
And our high schoolers and our college kids, it's surprising how much they energize the staff. When the staff gets to watch the high schoolers and the, and the college kids running around with the kids-
Bruce C. Bryan: That fires them
Karen Pillis: up a little bit. It fires them up. They see, you know, the, the results of what they're doing, so that's, it's a great full circle moment.
Bruce C. Bryan: Sounds like everybody feeds everybody. Do you ever put yourself in time-out?
Karen Pillis: I, yes, I do, and sometimes I don't do it when I should.
Bruce C. Bryan: So I know you started in retail, and then I know you had some challenging positions at Family Service of Roanoke Valley, where you supported youth and mental health work. Did all of that lead to where you are here now, Karen?
Karen Pillis: You know, I- I... It's funny because I, you know, as parents, we all, you know, think if we are perfect, our kids will be perfect, and I, I really think that a lot of times we're born who we are, and it's parents' job sometimes just to get the heck out of the way and, and let us to become. I majored in college in American government and psychology, and what I do today has so much to do with both of those majors that I was already interested in, and everything I've y- done since then, you can just see a progression of, oh, maybe this is a little more government-related.
Maybe this is a little more psychology-related. And so yeah, I think that everything has built to the, you know, this is probably, I'm 66 years old, it's probably my last paying job, to a job that is perfect for my interests and
Bruce C. Bryan: skills. Isn't it interesting how things work that way? Mm-hmm. And that's one of the themes I think that we hear about on Naturally Curious, is how people have been led to where they are now through their career without even knowing- Right
they kind of end up where they are, so fascinating that that's been the case for you as well. Um, what's it like, Karen, on the front lines of early and post, I guess, school bell education?
Karen Pillis: You know, it, in some ways it's, uh, in some ways it's sad. You see the children that are... You know, we have children at West End who do face a lot of disciplinary issues at schools, in the schools, and so you feel like they're not getting, the schools are not able, and the schools are trying.
They're just not able to fill the needs of the child to get them to the point where they can learn, and that's where we can s- sometimes help. And so you see this, the, the early, the beginnings of s- of children who aren't always gonna succeed and love school, and you hope- You
Karen Pillis: You hope that, you hope that you can help make a difference in that. You hope that, oh, it's English that they ha- You know, they say third-grade reading is so important and, and, um, is it seventh grade math? Reading is, is a challenge for our kids, and I think it's a challenge in the school system as well.
Though I do think that post-COVID, I hate to keep talking about COVID, but it's really so important- No, but it's a part of it. Sure ... in education. The schools have really taken a look at how they are teaching reading and how they're teaching early, th- or those early grades, and are really, really strategizing and intentionally trying to fill the kids' needs in the best way they can, and have been such lovely partners to include us on that ride, that I think that it gives me hope that there's this hiccup.
There's been a hiccup, and it's called COVID, that maybe there's- Couple of, couple of kids, couple of ages of kids that might ha- face some challenges. But I do think the schools are back on track, and that the kids are gonna be back on track. And the interest of the children, and the passion of the children, and the joy that children have bring, I think will really bode well for our future of, of the world.
Bruce C. Bryan: So I think we're getting the picture, but I, I wanna go just a little bit deeper and, and just, do you hear what I would call heartbreaking things- Yes ... on the front lines?
Karen Pillis: Sure, we do. You know, the, everybody is struggling now. The, the government, the refinancing of the government, and the, um, the grants that have been stopped, and the funding that's been stopped.
Our families are struggling. They are, they are not getting the assistance that they may have gotten in the past, and the schools aren't getting the funding that they may have gotten in the past. And so everything's coming together. I think that people are, are taking advantage of food pantries and, and food services more now than ever.
How can you learn if you're hungry? If, if my kids are hungry, how can I learn? And, and that's, uh, that's a problem. And I think housing is not as stable as it used to be, and if you don't know where you're gonna put your head that night, that's very, very difficult for a child coming to school
Bruce C. Bryan: Thank you, Karen, for sharing that.
You're listening to Naturally Curious. I'm Bruce Brian. This is Karen Pillas, the executive director of the West End Center for Youth. And I think the needs for kids have been changing through the decades as well. How have you and the West End Center shifted to kind of address those needs? And I'm sure people in other parts of the state are doing the same kind of shifting.
It's a universal challenge.
Karen Pillis: Well, you know, we were talking about me having my career, how it kind of built to where I am, and I think the West End has done the same thing. They were a, uh, their original goal was an, a place to, to be a nurturing, safe place for kids after school while their parents worked.
And then I think the next kind of iteration, the next really focus was, we're gonna build a community. The next focus was, we're gonna build our, our educational programs. And now I think that West End-- So we're benefiting from all of that. It's, you know, we have- The evolution of it, yeah ... the safe and nurturing.
We have the, we have a real community feel. We have great educational assistance kind of programs. And I think that we are, um- Now kind of focusing on those that, those older children, on workplace readiness and on becoming the employees of the future. And so it really has been a, an evolution of, and a growth within the agency, and I think every generation of leader and staff team should be proud of what they've left behind.
Bruce C. Bryan: So Karen, we have about 30 seconds left, and so it doesn't give you a lot of time, but we're gonna come back f- after the break for the bonus segment. How are you guys funded, and are there any gaps? And a j- quick question after that.
Karen Pillis: You know, we are community-based. We do not receive federal funding, and in this day and age, that's k- a blessing- Thank goodness, right?
Yeah ... because, you know, we haven't lost anything. But we are fairly almost 70% dependent on individual donations. So yeah, I mean, as your paycheck goes down, you're gonna donate less to your nonprofits. So that is, uh, a big, a big fear of mine is that that is... We have not seen that. We have been blessed.
Bruce C. Bryan: Well, when we come back after the show ends in the podcast segment, we will get a chance to, to, so you can learn more about how you could get involved if you wanted to get involved.
So Karen Pellis, executive director at the West End Center, thank you for being my guest on Naturally Curious this week.
Karen Pillis: Thank you for having me.
Bruce C. Bryan: To listen back to the show and to hear the full interview and links to more about education, children's programs, the West End Center, and all of that, search Naturally Curious at radioiq.org.
Naturally Curious was produced and edited by Big Jim Shively and recorded at WVTF Radio IQ Studios. I'm Bruce Bryan. Thank you for listening.
Pillis Bonus Content
Bruce C. Bryan: Karen, thanks for sticking around. And I just have a couple questions we didn't get a chance to get to during the show as it related to if people are listening or businesses are listening and they wanted to get involved, could they? Is there a way for them to get involved?
Karen Pillis: Yes. We would love to have them involved in all sorts of different ways.
We have volunteer opportunities. We have s- supply drive opportunities, and of course, donation opportunities. We also are always on the hunt for somebody who is passionate about what we do that would maybe wanna serve on our board of directors. So we are open to any or all of those things. You could probably find us on our website at www.westend.org, westendcenter.org.
Westendcenter.org.
Bruce C. Bryan: Yeah. That's a good, easy website to remember. Right. Are there, Karen, any immediate needs that come to mind for you?
Karen Pillis: You know, summer is coming, and summer is our most expensive time of the year because it's a full-day program. We have to have more staff over more time because we're doing more things.
And so dona- uh, summer donations are always welcome and appreciated. We also have supplies that we need in summer. We are feeding them. We are lucky that we, our, our meals are provided to us by the, by the food bank, and we are very fortunate for that. But our kids are hungry. They eat a lot of granola bars, and they eat a lot of pretzels and a lot of Goldfish.
And so we do have a, a list of supplies on our website as well as, um- Basketballs, soccer balls, Frisbees, chalk, jump ropes, that kind of thing. So we have a, that whole list is available on our website. We'd love to work with anybody who maybe wanted to do an employee supply drive. We have a garden if you wanted to come weed the garden.
We don't really do a lot with it, but, uh, this year we're gonna be doing a few things. If you wanna come and shoot hoops with our kids, we'd love that.
Bruce C. Bryan: Oh,
Karen Pillis: that's awesome. Or walking with the, the- To the
Bruce C. Bryan: movies ...
Karen Pillis: to the movies, or if you're a runner, our Badge Buddies program, where choosing who, kids who opt in can run.
They're training for our 5K that we hold in October, and they run, we have police who run with them, but we also love running volunteers, so.
Bruce C. Bryan: Oh, that's great. So lots of ways you could help. Yeah. Great opportunity to reach out to Karen and perhaps help with the West End Center if you're in the greater Roanoke area.
If you're in other parts of the state, um, there probably is an organization like this doing similar work, and you can nose around and do your own research and, and, uh, find out a way to help there. So you mentioned earlier about, and we talked about your background a little bit, um, how did you get to the place where you're doing this work, and is it what you expected you to be doing as you kind of do the capstone of your career?
Karen Pillis: Well, you know, I, it has, it was a, it's been a wild ride. Um, I was in retail for many years, and then I got my master's of counseling because I knew my older girls were going to co- were gonna leave and go to college, and I had been so involved in their lives that I knew I needed to do something- Something
to feed my heart because they would be gone. And I went back and got my master's of counseling and went to Family Service and was-
Bruce C. Bryan: You were there for over a decade, I think,
Karen Pillis: right? I was, 12 years. 12 years. And it was amazing. Every job I had, every task I had, I loved it. It was, it was so great, and I always said I was gonna retire and sit on the playground at West End Center and do playground counseling.
And when their executive director, um, resigned, one of their board members came and said, "We would like to discuss maybe you not retiring," before you did that.
Bruce C. Bryan: How flattering and fascinating,
Karen Pillis: right? And right. So it, it kinda is, you know, in this case, who you know, but I had also been a partner of West End's the whole 12 years that I was at Family Service.
I had done playground counseling. I had done, you know, I'd been in their peop- the family's homes and, and helped in other m- for mental health iss- issues throughout those 12 years. So the families already knew me and trusted me, and so that was really special to be able to be brand new, but to know everybody.
Bruce C. Bryan: So you have three grown k- kids- Three grown ... children, I guess they are. Uh, talk about them a little bit.
Karen Pillis: Oh. Well, have you got a couple of hours? So yeah, they really changed my world. I, I knew, um, I've, I've always loved all my jobs and I've loved to work, but when my kids were born, I think it kinda cracked my heart wide open and I knew I needed to start focusing on my heart.
And my twins are, one lives in Richmond and is in, uh, works for Mark Warner, and one lives in DC and works for a congressman on, on the Hill. And my youngest one just got her master's of social work and is working w- in Richmond with, uh, on a crisis unit. Wow. So, and as I said earlier, I was a American government and psychology major, so you can see my children's interest and their careers have kind of followed in where my brain work is as well, so that's great.
Bruce C. Bryan: Apple tree and all that kinda stuff.
Karen Pillis: Right.
Bruce C. Bryan: So compare being a mom with being a CEO/executive director.
Karen Pillis: Well, you need a lot of the same skills, the organization, the, the task-drivenness, and the, um, you know, it's, it all falls on you. I mean, I w- I'm lucky that I ha- I say it all falls on me. I got a really great husband who most of it really falls on him.
But back when the kids were little, it, a lot of it fell on me, and so that is, it, you know, you're worried about paying your bills. You're worried about feeding everybody. You're worried about the ho- the drip in the ceiling and the, and the roof. You're worrying about your air conditioner. You're worrying about all those things, and it's very similar in, in all the skills you need as a mom- you need as a, as an executive director as well.
I think the difference is you get to walk away at the end of the night if you're executive director. Yes.
Bruce C. Bryan: So wh- so, so, um, which, so which is harder? Is it-
Karen Pillis: Uh, they're both so rewarding. There you go. Um, I mean, I, I can't even tell you. They, they work hand-in-hand. I don't think I'd be an executive director without my kids.
Bruce C. Bryan: So what would you tell parents of little kids that you've learned from your time as a leader in this industry and as a parent-
Karen Pillis: Well- ...
Bruce C. Bryan: uh, when they were little?
Karen Pillis: You know what? I was just with some friends over the weekend, and we were talking about just getting out of the way of the kids, the, the, what they're born to be, you know?
And, and, and I think the leadership component is very much like the parenting component in that there are s- there are people that you lead and programs that you lead that you just naturally, it's easy. You don't really have to think about it. It's your comfort zone. You can just do it, and everything comes up roses.
And then there are children and programs and staff members that are learning opportunities for you, like, "That's not clicking with me so great. I need to learn how to be what they need and what they, and do what they need me to do." So being flexible and being willing to open up your, your heart and your mind and grow is really crucial for both roles.
Bruce C. Bryan: Yeah, because you can do the same thing with two different kids and get different results, right? And
Karen Pillis: two different program and
Bruce C. Bryan: staff. Or two different programs. Right, exactly, exactly.
Karen Pillis: It's,
Bruce C. Bryan: it's, yeah. Um, it sounds like you're pretty good at that.
Karen Pillis: Yeah. I don't know.
Bruce C. Bryan: What's your special gift, Karen?
Karen Pillis: It might be the passion for the kids.
They used to call me Rainbow Pillis because I loved them all. And, and I, I do think the passion, being passion-driven is really important in this work.
Bruce C. Bryan: So what's left for you professionally and kind of what's on your horizon here at West End Center?
Karen Pillis: You know, I told you about all the executive directors who were there for a significant amount of time at West End had left behind, and I don't know that five years is as significant as theirs.
They, a lot of them stayed longer. So I don't know what 10 years from now people will say about Karen Pillis, but I will say that our facilities are in better shape, which is not, like, something that you would think of when you think of me.
Bruce C. Bryan: But that infrastructure needed to happen, right?
Karen Pillis: We've got a great new playground.
We've got a great indoor recreational space. We're getting new air conditioning right now as we speak, and I'm negotiating with, with a company to, to do new flooring. So I think that it's going to give West End facilities that will sustain them for a long time and will demonstrate visibly to the children and the families that we value them because we value the buildings that they're spending time in.
Bruce C. Bryan: Yeah, and so that they don't have to be embarrassed about where they go or where they work, but it's something they can take pride in.
Karen Pillis: Right.
Bruce C. Bryan: So does a person in your profession that's been doing the things that you've been doing for the last 20 years, um, and has given so much, do you have many regrets?
Feel good about what you've been doing?
Karen Pillis: I have loved, I, I've loved all my jobs. I loved my retail jobs, I loved my restaurant jobs. But working where I've been passion- spending my time where I've also been passionate has been such a blessing in my life, and I don't have regrets. Uh, my only regret is I didn't start doing it a little bit sooner so I could've done it a little bit longer.
Bruce C. Bryan: Longer. So a couple random questions to wrap this up- Okay ... and to finish things up. Um, are you sweet or savory? What's your preference?
Karen Pillis: I love them both.
Bruce C. Bryan: That's my problem, too.
Karen Pillis: Yeah.
Bruce C. Bryan: You have a nod?
Karen Pillis: I love
Bruce C. Bryan: both. Both. How about favorite vacation spots?
Karen Pillis: Oh. Well, I can't... I, I've... We got married, we had kids, we didn't have any money, so I'm not a well-traveled person.
I lo- So
Bruce C. Bryan: Botetourt. But I- Is that what you're thinking? Or wait, wait, we have a big listenership. Marion.
Karen Pillis: So-
Bruce C. Bryan: I mean ...
Karen Pillis: I love being anywhere where my family is. Okay. We went to Puerto Rico last year and it was amazing. W- I just got back from Chicago, and I gotta say, for anybody listening from Chicago, Chicago is one of the most magical places I've been.
It is so gorgeous. No one tells you how pretty Chicago is.
Bruce C. Bryan: It's great. And- And the architecture's great, and t's a fun city ...
Karen Pillis: it's a fun city ... we did an architecture tour. We did every- Yeah ... like I feel like we wrung everything out from the city, and there's still more, but I think we got so many of the highlights that right now I'm riding on the Chicago high.
Bruce C. Bryan: I think you alluded to this earlier, but do you prefer to listen to music, read, or have the TV on?
Karen Pillis: Oh. Well, I can't do those things together. I have to read quietly. I love TV, and I'm not one of those people who hears music in their head. We had this conversation at work, that there's people who have music always in their head.
I don't do that. I love radio. I love to listen to the radio.
Bruce C. Bryan: What was your first job?
Karen Pillis: I was a waitress in a pizza restaurant.
Bruce C. Bryan: Okay, so we've got another food service person, Jan. Yeah. There's a, there's a common thing. So the best work world lesson that you've gathered in the last 40 whatever many years.
Karen Pillis: Um, I think the best ler- uh, the...
So I've talked a lot about flexibility, I've talked about all that. But I think the one thing that I had to learn, 'cause I am a little hot-tempered, was to say, "You know what? I need to think about that. I need, I need a few minutes to think about that," and give myself time to really kind of process rather than...
'Cause I can go zero to 10. And to, to learn how to, to just be del- a little more deliberate.
Bruce C. Bryan: Catch your breath.
Karen Pillis: Yeah.
Bruce C. Bryan: That's good advice. I might take that one. I'm gonna start using that more and more. And finally, um, any other, um, advice or things you would tell other people?
Karen Pillis: I think that I've talked about my partners, I've talked that the work in nonprofits especially- If you aren't spending time creating partnerships and sustaining partnerships and valuing partnerships, you're really missing out.
To try to do it all is an impossibility, and everybody's got expertise that they can bring to you that you might not ever have.
Bruce C. Bryan: Karen, thank you for opening up your heart and also talking about the West End Center, westendcenter.org. And if you wanna get involved, then that's a great place to start, right?
Thanks again.
Karen Pillis: Thanks, Bruce.
