Reflecting on the New Year

by Suzanne DeYoung

It seems that every January, I find myself unusually reflective and a bit nostalgic for days gone by. Each January, I choose a word to guide me for the New Year; words like "Ripple" or "Intentional" have been my choices in the past. La Soupe has undoubtedly caused a ripple in our community, and witnessing it grow and touch so many lives is truly inspirational.

This reflective feeling began at our yearly Holiday party for our amazing La Soupe staff, where I received the most incredible book assembled by La Soupe COO Emmy Schroder. From the cover statement, 'She took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees' - Henry David Thoreau," to the last page with a picture of my dear friend Michele Hanlon and her famous statement, "I am not even a drop of oil in the cog that runs this place." I flipped through photos and moving words written by friends and colleagues. Many tears flowed as each picture and remembrance brought a new wave of emotion.

So many people, from friends to total strangers, just showed up and said, "How can I help?" From an old high school friend who became the business manager/bookkeeper to a total stranger who gave up her similar dream and partnered with me during those crucial first years. I look at the Roundbottom "Soupe Shack" days as a giant swimming pool; I jumped in headfirst and learned how to get to the other side. I would like to say there was a big "business plan," a roadmap to growth and sustainability, but that would not be true. What I had was a burning desire, a voice deep inside me, pushing me forward. The world provided me with total strangers who also heard a voice, a voice calling them to Roundbottom. It was sheer passion, grit, and determination that allowed us to grow into what we are today.

Now, as I sit here being called to work on a 3-year strategic plan for the future of La Soupe, I find it challenging. It's hard for someone like me who gets an idea and makes it happen. Most of the time, the idea works very well; sometimes, they fail. But I get up every time and continue to push forward. La Soupe has grown in immeasurable ways, ways that I never imagined. Maybe because I was so deep in the day-to-day operations that I could not see to the other side; I was too busy swimming!

But I have seen my dream come to fruition in Walnut Hills, with an amazing staff and incredible volunteers who have given me so much loving support. As the La Soupe leadership team go through the strategic planning process, they are reaching out to a variety of experts, partners, and contributors for input. I would like to turn this question to all of you: How would you like to see La Soupe in the next 3 years? Email me at suzy@lasoupe.org. I recognize that each of you could have a voice that has given or received from La Soupe, have thoughts, and I would LOVE to hear from you.

To end this newsletter on a fun and delicious note, in the next few weeks, our staff and volunteers will be collaborating as teams to present to you SOUPER BOWL 2024! We are getting our creative juices flowing, creating MANY selections of various CHILI’s for your SOUPER BOWL needs! We will use what has been donated to us, so yes, our hands may be tied a bit! I am trying a riff on my pal Travis Maier’s cauliflower chili, with my other pal Jed Portman's Midwesterner version of Cincinnati Chili.

So even though our beloved Bengals will not be in this year's Super Bowl, you can have an amazing SOUPER BOWL by supporting La Soupe and trying the “Best in Chili’s” from the incredible Team La Soupe!

And as always, I say THANK YOU for allowing me to swim in my pool of crazy ideas!

And a copy of the Best Book ever written will live at our retail counter, where you too can reminisce and enjoy the first 10 years of La Soupe!