Walking and talking in Puerto Rico with ‎⁨@RestMission⁩  and guest Ghesi Stojanov

All right, Jess, we're in Puerto Rico. How crazy is this? It's very crazy. So, we're here for rest. And I'm I'm honored, by the way, that you let me, FWA, and everybody down here to help you uh with some of this stuff. And I'm honored you guys are here. It's awesome. So, the Tell everybody about REST, though. I mean, cuz I know I mean, this has been a wild ride the last day or so. What's going on with REST? What are we doing out here? There are so much happening with REST. We have like four moving parts that are happening at the same time. We are the first wave of volunteers coming in like getting everything ready. We have 56 other volunteers coming on Thursday. 56 56. Yes. With one of the main things being a dental medical clinic that is happening from the 3rd to the 7th. Okay. Which we're super excited about. Medical clinic. So I mean I mean this is a beautiful area. I mean what do we mean this is really cool. I mean this is really clean. It's been quiet except for uh what's going by right now for the most part since we got here. But uh what I mean and there seems to be lots of activities and things to do out here besides I mean we're like a rock throw away from the beach. They are. Yep. What's up? The people are super Puerto Ricans are super friendly by the way. They will talk to you. They will say hi to you and they will want to know your life. Yeah, I've talked to a lot of great people. So tell me about the clinic that's going on. So So we're going to be setting this thing up this week. I saw the pallets full of medical equipment that you got, which is all dentistry equipment. This is I I've been calling it phase one. Phase one. Phase one. So, it's more than just the dentistry stuff, but also you're going to set up some stuff for after school for the kids. Yes. So, there's multiple phases to what we're doing at REST because this is our first moment, our first time doing what we're doing here at REST. We're starting a bit smaller and then we're going to be building out. So, when it comes to the dental clinic, we're starting with just the dental itself, but eventually we want a full-time medical, a full-time optical um to really help support the needs of the people here in Puerto Rico. Also, we want to then extend it to an afterchool program where we're offering enrichment for the locals here. So, we want to do things like drama, art, music, STEM, just to add a different flavor and spice to show the kids that there's other things out there that'll help enrich their lives. So, there's a lot a lot goes into this because I know you've been dealing with the local government and everything down here in Puerto Rico for a while and from what I'm getting out of it is that um there is there is a high dropout rate and things like this for school and stuff because uh because of you know basically the area and stuff that you're in. So, these after school programs are going to uh actually help keep them engaged in school and keep them there, right? Yes. Yes. So right now statistically what the numbers are showing is that there's a high dropout rate about 40 to 50% from 9th grade on because you know there's a huge need and demand here right the poverty level here is about um 40 50% as well. So most people here live on an income about like 20,000 a year and below. And the cost of living as you saw it's pretty high. it is an island. So, you know, that demand is there, the cost of living is high, but what they're getting is not so much. But, you know, what I think a lot of people don't realize is a lot of our workforce comes from Puerto Rico, too, because these are US citizens. So, that means uh these this is the future of of the states even going over there. A lot of these people, they come here, they get educated, they go to school, and uh some of them, they get up enough money, they come up to the states, and this ends up being qualified uh labor force and people to come into our our fields and stuff up there, even even in professional fields, too. Not just labor, but actual professional fields. So, I think what you're doing is just completely amazing. And to start with, I mean, think about it. I mean, everybody knows that I'm I'm a big big supporter of trying to get healthcare and to anybody that doesn't have it. So, being

Able to just go get your teeth cleaned, get some dental work done, and to start off with that, and then I know you're going to try to get some stuff beyond their general practice stuff. Yes. Yes, general practice stuff. Um, we have a building relationship with Bey Vista Hospital, which is a big hospital here in my um where they're actually offering us a section of their wing there on the second floor so we can start then doing maybe cleft surgeries and um things like that. So, things are growing. this like moment in time where we are here right now to do our first mi mission trip is just the first part of something so much bigger. That's awesome. So, how do people find out more about this? How do we get involved? And more importantly, if you're in Puerto Rico or somewhere close, how can they get how can they find anything out about this event and stuff that's coming up this week? So, of course, you know, just keep on following these guys' like post here. I mean, he's a postmaster. Follow the hat around. Postmaster, I think, is a trademark thing in the in the in the fence industry. So, you can't just say, "I'm Postmaster." I am not This is not an affiliated thing at all with Postmaster. Following me. He's like, "Get it together." But you can find us at restmission.org. You can also find us at restmission on Instagram and Facebook or you can hit me up on Jesse, my page where everything just filters through that. That's awesome. And and so you can follow Jesse, you can follow Yadira, my wife, follow me. And uh let's talk about sponsorship for this thing though. So I noticed pallets and pallets full of stuff, dental equipment. Let's talk about your sponsors. Who who sponsored most of that? So I will say the best sponsor so far has been founders fence. They have poured so much into what Rest is doing. They have seen the vision. They have participated and they answered the call and the need. Without Founders, we could not have bought the dental units we needed, the chairs, the medicines. So this was all possible because of Founders Fence. So there you go. the industry, you know, our industry reaches out more than just uh beyond just, you know, doing expose and shows and stuff. It's out there connecting with the communities and these communities. And you never know, some of these people we're helping might end up working for one of our fence companies one day, right? So, uh it's important that we all stay involved. Jesse, I'm excited. Thank you for letting us all be here. I'm excited. Stay tuned for more stuff coming up from this guy right here.