My Childhood Made Me Feel Invisible: Charles & Diana Vuolo on Trauma, Healing & Gospel Ministry

Summary

The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast: "My Childhood Made Me Feel Invisible: Charles & Diana Vuolo on Trauma, Healing & Gospel Ministry"

Release Date: July 16, 2025
Guests: Charles (“Chuck”) Vuolo and Diana Vuolo
Hosts: Jinger Vuolo and Jeremy Vuolo

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I. Introduction of Guests

In this heartfelt episode, Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo welcome their parents, Charles and Diana Vuolo, to discuss profound topics surrounding childhood trauma, healing, and their impactful gospel ministry. The conversation delves deep into their personal histories, faith journeys, and the creation of their nonprofit organization, SWAN for Kids.

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II. Childhood Trauma and Coping through Music

Diana Vuolo opens up about her tumultuous upbringing, detailing the abuse and trauma she and her children endured. She shares how music, specifically playing the violin, became her sanctuary and a source of empowerment.

Diana Vuolo [00:50]:
"When you experience abuse and trauma, it takes away your voice, your power, and your relationships. I didn't have a voice, and I didn't have power, nor did my mother have power. So the violin was supposed to give me power, which it did, and I never looked back."

Diana recounts practicing the violin obsessively as a means of survival, often sacrificing her health in the process.

Diana Vuolo [01:10]:
"I would practice so many hours, I had an infection in my neck. I would put that violin next to that and practice 10, 12, 15 hours in a day."

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III. Overcoming Fear and Finding Safety

Chuck Vuolo shares a poignant memory from his childhood, highlighting the fear he experienced at home and the lengths he went to protect his family.

Chuck Vuolo [01:32]:
"I thought the old man was gonna hit me. I took my glasses off."

In a critical moment, Chuck and his siblings escape a potentially dangerous situation with their parents, emphasizing the constant fear they lived under.

Chuck Vuolo [01:55]:
"10 and 8 years old. Yeah."

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IV. Faith Journey and Conversion

The Vuolos discuss their parents' transformative faith journeys. Chuck details his gradual disillusionment with the Catholic Church and eventual conversion through genuine, heartfelt interactions with Bible-believing friends.

Chuck Vuolo [22:00]:
"The Lord just, well, radically changed me and converted me."

Diana elaborates on her own path from a troubled Catholic upbringing to finding solace and truth in a more personal relationship with God.

Diana Vuolo [30:29]:
"I prayed my first prayer ever in second grade. I said, Jesus, or I said, God help me never to lose my faith in you... And the Lord answered that prayer."

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V. Meeting and Marrying Chuck and Diana

Jinger and Jeremy explore the story of how Chuck and Diana met through their shared faith and ministry work. Chuck humorously recounts an early interaction with Diana that initially led to an awkward encounter.

Chuck Vuolo [37:53]:
"He put me on the spot. I so embarrassed her."

Despite initial embarrassment, their relationship blossomed through mutual respect, shared values, and faith.

Diana Vuolo [39:55]:
"You have a great sense of humor. He was serious... He had thought this through."

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VI. Founding of SWAN for Kids

The conversation shifts to the creation of SWAN for Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children affected by trauma, particularly those with incarcerated parents. SWAN stands for "Scaling Walls A Note at a Time," reflecting its mission to use music as a healing tool.

Diana Vuolo [51:07]:
"SWAN is an acronym that stands for Scaling Walls A Note at a Time."

Chuck and Diana share their inspiration behind the organization, emphasizing the combination of music, mental health support, mentoring, and Bible study to foster healing and personal growth in traumatized children.

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VII. Impact of SWAN

Diana highlights the tangible results SWAN has achieved, showcasing how music and structured support can transform the lives of young participants.

Diana Vuolo [53:54]:
"It's life changing. We've had very quick results that were astounding."

Personal stories illustrate SWAN's effectiveness, such as a child overcoming selective mutism through dedicated mentorship and music therapy.

Diana Vuolo [55:16]:
"A child who had experienced such trauma that he became selective mutism... within weeks, that child started talking."

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VIII. Personal Stories and Anecdotes

The Vuolos share touching anecdotes that underscore the profound impact of their work. From Chuck’s mischievous childhood antics to Diana’s unwavering dedication, each story paints a vivid picture of resilience and faith.

Diana Vuolo [48:00]:
"I thought, there's nobody's going to treat me like that or my children like that."

Chuck adds humor and depth with stories like accidentally putting an entire bulb of garlic into a dish, illustrating the blend of serious ministry work and lighthearted family life.

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IX. Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

In their closing remarks, Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo encourage listeners to support SWAN for Kids through donations and monthly sponsorships, emphasizing the lasting impact small contributions can have on children's lives.

Ginger Vuolo [60:38]:
"Sign up for, like, five, $10, $12 monthly makes a huge impact for these children."

Diana reiterates the organization's commitment to serving fatherless and distressed children, urging the community to be part of the journey toward healing and empowerment.

Diana Vuolo [62:32]:
"True religion is helping those widows and orphans in distress... we have a lot of fatherless children in distress."

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast offers an intimate look into the Vuolo family's struggles and triumphs. Charles and Diana Vuolo's stories of overcoming childhood trauma, finding strength in faith, and dedicating their lives to helping others through SWAN for Kids provide inspiring insights into resilience, love, and the transformative power of music and community support.

Listeners are left with a profound appreciation for the Vuolos' dedication and a compelling call to support their mission, highlighting the significant difference that compassionate mentorship and structured programs can make in the lives of traumatized children.

Transcript

[Chuck Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

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[Chuck Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

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[Diana Volo]

You know that one friend who somehow knows everything about money?

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah.

[Diana Volo]

Now imagine they live in your phone. Say hey to Experian, your big financial friend.

[Jeremy Volo]

It's the app that helps you check your FICO score, find ways to save.

[Diana Volo]

And basically feel like a financial genius. And guess what?

[Jeremy Volo]

It's totally free.

[Diana Volo]

So go on, download the Experian app. Trust me, having a BFF like this is a total game changer. When you experience abuse and trauma, it takes away your voice, your power, and your relationships. I didn't have a voice, and I didn't have power, nor did my mother have power. So the violin was supposed to give me power, which it did, and I never looked back. And it gave me relationships and a voice. It was my way of survival. I would practice so many hours, I had an infection in my neck. I would put that violin next to that and practice 10, 12, 15 hours in a day.

[Ginger Volo]

How does abuse take away your voice?

[Diana Volo]

Well, you know, you're. Wow. I survived in my house by being invisible.

[Chuck Volo]

I thought the old man was gonna hit me. I took my glasses off.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, not corner, but he was up against red face.

[Chuck Volo]

I was trying to tell him the.

[Ginger Volo]

Gospel you're sharing about Jesus. And then you just calmly came in the kitchen. I'll never forget you asked, mom, does your father have a gun?

[Chuck Volo]

Because he had stormed upstairs. She said, yes, we're out of here.

[Ginger Volo]

So we all jumped in our station wagon and took off. I'll never forget that.

[Chuck Volo]

10 and 8 years old. Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

Today we have some very special guests on our podcast. For you guys, it is Jeremy's parents, Charles and Diana.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. We talk about some childhood memories. They share some embarrassing stories. Of course, we also get into my mom's difficult upbringing. Some of the trauma and abuse that she endured and witnessed and how that has driven her to using her skills, her gifts as a professional violinist to serve the most vulnerable people in our society. You won't want to miss this episode. It's very powerful. Let's get into it. What's going on, guys? We're Back for another episode of the Ginger and Jeremy podcast. And we've got my favorite guests.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, we have some very special guests. We have Jeremy's parents, dad and mom, Volo. Chuck and Diana.

[Chuck Volo]

Volo, or Charles and Diana, as we sometimes identify ourselves as.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, there's a certain generation that. That rings a bell for. Then others, they look at us and say, so.

[Chuck Volo]

No, no, no. Don't you get it? Charles and Diana.

[Ginger Volo]

It is a easy way to remember your names.

[Chuck Volo]

That's why we originally did it, to give people a handle. Now it helps sometimes. It's an age related thing.

[Jeremy Volo]

I love it.

[Ginger Volo]

Well, welcome to the podcast.

[Chuck Volo]

Oh, great to be here. I enjoy every one of your podcasts. Listen to them every week.

[Ginger Volo]

Are you going to listen to this one?

[Chuck Volo]

We'll see how it goes.

[Ginger Volo]

You'll see how it goes. If you're anything like us, we don't really like the sound of our own voice. Ginger. I'll be playing something for the podcast.

[Jeremy Volo]

He's like editing something or putting a.

[Ginger Volo]

Clip up on social media. And she'll be like, oh, what is that? Like, it's.

[Jeremy Volo]

You can't listen to it. Can't listen back.

[Ginger Volo]

Remember when we used to have voicemails, like in the. In the answering machine? Answering machines.

[Diana Volo]

Right.

[Jeremy Volo]

I know what it is.

[Diana Volo]

With the landline.

[Ginger Volo]

Answering machine. Yes, with the landline. And I remember when. When I got my first cell phone, I was 14, Chuck and I shared one and I had to do a voicemail and I could not do it. I hated how it sounded. And then I would hear my own voice and be like, that's not me. That's not what I sound like.

[Jeremy Volo]

So fascinating.

[Ginger Volo]

Did you ever go through that?

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, yeah, totally. Hearing your own voice is just. It's weird. So that's why we don't listen back, right?

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Volo]

So we'll see if you listen back, dad, after this. After this podcast, we'll see how it works.

[Chuck Volo]

At least start listening. Whether I turn it off.

[Ginger Volo]

We'll see. Thanks for hanging out.

[Chuck Volo]

Great to be here.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, mom and dad Volo are so great about coming in to visit us. You guys come in every.

[Ginger Volo]

Well, they don't come in.

[Jeremy Volo]

Let's be honest.

[Ginger Volo]

They don't come in to visit us.

[Jeremy Volo]

We know, but they come in to visit the kiddos and us, and it's kind of great.

[Ginger Volo]

But we're here as a byproduct.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, for sure. No, we really enjoy hanging out with mom and Dadvalo. They make it such a point to come all the way across the country. To visit us and to be present. The kiddos, adore them, love them when they come, and we're all sad when they have to go home, so.

[Diana Volo]

Well, we think it's pretty awesome that you'll actually have us in your house for 10 days, overnight, all the time.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah. We're so thankful you guys make it a point to do that until we can get you to move to la. That's the best, you know, we can do.

[Ginger Volo]

We're working on it.

[Diana Volo]

Wish we could. Yeah.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. It's funny, it throws off our mornings because sometimes some mornings I'm up before the kids, but some, like the other day it was Saturday or Friday, Saturday, which is a normal sleep in morning, and the girls come in and watch cartoons. And I just kept sleeping. And every 30 minutes I'd check my phone, like, when are the girls gonna come in? And then it's like 8 o' clock.

[Chuck Volo]

And I'm like, this is so late.

[Ginger Volo]

So I get up, like, the girls are asleep? No, they've been with Grandma and Grandpa for like an hour and a half. It's crazy they ran into your room.

[Chuck Volo]

Well, mom set precedent years ago that virtually every morning she has something under our pillows for each of the girls. And they are trained. I mean, she's got to live up to it. Now, every morning, whenever they get up, knock on the door, come in. What's under the pillow?

[Diana Volo]

There's a surprise under the pillow.

[Jeremy Volo]

It is so special. And it helps them.

[Chuck Volo]

She's keeping the dollar store business.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yeah, for sure. And it actually is something that they look forward to so much and it helps them get to bed most of the time. Helps them get to bed easier.

[Ginger Volo]

It's true.

[Diana Volo]

So.

[Jeremy Volo]

So it's kind of great.

[Ginger Volo]

Well, it helps them to get to bed easier because you get to tell them, hey, you get a surprise in the morning.

[Jeremy Volo]

In the morning. It's so sweet.

[Ginger Volo]

They love having you guys here. You guys are the best grandparents. We want to hear. Well, we want to go through your journey, so we want to hear how you guys met. I think both of your stories of how you came to know Jesus, how you came together. Dad, you've been in ministry for over four decades.

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah, yeah, that's safe to say, for sure.

[Ginger Volo]

And so I know there's a lot of lessons there. Mom, you have a passion for, with your nonprofit SWAN for Kids, for serving children whose parents have a history of incarceration. So we want to hear from you on all of that and get that background. But we do want to start with raising me and My brother and sister.

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, yeah. I'm actually kind of curious because now that I'm raising three kids, we have a little boy who's now our number three. And I have to know, are there any, like, crazy stories of raising a little Jeremy or any of the siblings.

[Ginger Volo]

Anything we can expect?

[Jeremy Volo]

Like, what do I prepare myself for?

[Ginger Volo]

I'm nervous.

[Jeremy Volo]

Baby Finn.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah. Well, first of all, baby Finn looks identical to baby Jeremy. It's really. It's like a deja vu for me as mom. Cause I look at him and go, that's Jeremy.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's crazy.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah. So. But Jeremy was a real happy go. Lucky kid, as he still is. I mean, you're a happy, you know, fun loving guy. And we saw. I mean, we saw that in him when he was really little. That's so sweet. Very fun loving. But I scared him to death one time. He was also, you know, like most boys, they're gonna explore. And I used to teach violin lessons out in the country. Some of our friends had a country home. And so it worked out well. I taught the girls violin while all the guys played out on the pond. They were able to.

[Chuck Volo]

What was that family's name?

[Diana Volo]

Terrell.

[Ginger Volo]

Terrell.

[Chuck Volo]

Yep.

[Diana Volo]

I remember they had a boat, like a little boat. So for the guys at a young age, to be able to get on that boat and go in the pond was like an adventure. So they had a lot of adventures there while I was teaching violin. And one time I came out and Jeremy was so excited, he had something to show me. So I go to the shore of the pond, and there's this bat laying on its back. And it's.

[Ginger Volo]

That's a big bat.

[Diana Volo]

It's hissing and foaming at the mouth, making hissing and foaming at the mouth. And it was all obviously sick. Looked like rabies to me. And he goes and picks it up by the wing. And I freaked because I'm going, jerry, don't do that.

[Jeremy Volo]

You're gonna.

[Diana Volo]

You know, because, I mean, it was just pure fear went through my body because he's now touching a rabid bat.

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, great.

[Diana Volo]

Right.

[Ginger Volo]

So I remember this.

[Diana Volo]

Like, it was just like, oh, well, yeah. Because I impressed. I probably traumatized him, right?

[Jeremy Volo]

Yep. It's good.

[Diana Volo]

So I don't need it. And I. You can't. You know, And I was really scared because it was definitely rabid. Right. So then. Okay, we got over that. He had his life lesson on rabid bats. And then that night, I put him to bed. And then I heard this big crash, bang. I ran up Jeremy had this lightweight table near his window next to his bed that had. He loved plants. So it had little cacti, you know, and other little plants there. And in his.

[Ginger Volo]

I love dangerous plants.

[Chuck Volo]

The cactus is.

[Diana Volo]

And in his sleep, he woke up, and I had scared him that day. So he has some sort of nightmare or something, right? Cause I had traumatized him from the bath story. And he got up and he flung that lightweight table, and I came into the room, and there were potting soil, and the whole table was over with potting soil and plants and cactus all over the floor. And he was in his sleep. Yeah, he was still in his sleep. And I knew I had done that to him.

[Chuck Volo]

So can we talk about it the next morning or what?

[Diana Volo]

We must have, but I was looking for the. I felt so bad. You probably were a little bit better.

[Jeremy Volo]

But he's a sleep talker and a sleepwalker. We know that about him. So he will constantly talk in his sleep. And here and there, he's gotten a little bit better the more tired he is. He doesn't walk around in his sleep as often, but whenever we were first married, he did. He would, like, get up and walk around. Especially after we had Felicity, he was sleep deprived, and he would get up and walk around. Where is she? Where is she? And I was like, go back to bed. It's okay. Everything's taken care of. But it scared me because I was like, I don't want you to grab the baby when you're half asleep or you're sleepwalking.

[Ginger Volo]

Hey, guys, we're gonna take a quick break from the episode to talk to you about Cozy Earth.

[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

And our love for these sheets is infectious. Not just to you guys, because I know a lot of you guys are buying them and have bought in to these sheets, but to our daughters. Now our girls sleep on them and love them.

[Jeremy Volo]

They have to have their Cozy Earth sheets on. And also any of our guests who come stay in our guest room, they always ask us, where did you get the sheets? One of our last guests that came and stayed, I actually sent them home with a set of the sheets because they were so nice.

[Ginger Volo]

It's a little upsetting for me, but I know.

[Jeremy Volo]

But I was like, yes, you need these sheets and you need them now. So I sent them home with a set, and they were super excited about them.

[Ginger Volo]

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[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

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[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, and just to clarify, these statements haven't been evaluated by the fda. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. And it's not a substitute or alternative for care from a health care provider.

[Jeremy Volo]

Now back to the episode.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, well, he had another sleepwalking adventure where I heard him get up. So because of that, I got up right away. Like I just popped out of bed. And he was having a dream that his soldiers were in danger and he had to protect his camp. So he was got out of bed, but he was sleepwalking and his big comforter was around his leg. So he was dragging this comforter. I've got to get to my soldiers. Got to get to my soldiers. And he was at the very top of the stairs. That's when I caught him. Because if he would have Started walking down the stairs, sleepwalking. With that comforter drag on his leg, he would have fallen. So I just turned him around and I said, you soldiers are safe. They're in the camp. I'll take you to them.

[Ginger Volo]

Which was a lie, Mom.

[Diana Volo]

Which was a lie. And I just played into the story. I got a.

[Jeremy Volo]

My stepmom ever lied.

[Diana Volo]

I went back to his bed.

[Ginger Volo]

They were not safe.

[Diana Volo]

Soldiers were safe. But, yeah, I always had to be, like, aware. And I would pop out of bed, like, in an instant.

[Jeremy Volo]

Wow, that was crazy.

[Ginger Volo]

Leadership gifts. Were Chuck and Val like that at all?

[Diana Volo]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Ginger Volo]

Did Chuck sleepwalk?

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, Chuck slept with sleepwalk again. I must have some intensity when I'm instructing you guys, because during the summer, I thought, okay, my boys are gonna learn how to do things. They're gonna be able to manage, you know, practical things in the house. So I said, hey, Chuck, this summer, I want to teach you how to do the laundry. So I taught him how to load up the laundry basket, take it down to the basement, did the laundry, took it outside and hung it up. I just wanted my boys to be good helpers, right? So that their wives would be happy wives. They'd know how to do stuff. So I went through this whole process that day. And so then that night, we were sitting downstairs, and I heard some commotion upstairs. Knowing my boys are sleepwalkers, I ran up the steps, and Chuck is there. The toilet is. Lid is open. He's staring at it. He's in his sleep. And I'm looking in. And our laundry from the laundry bin was in the toilet. It was in the toilet, and he was staring at him. He was confused. Now what? Now what do I do?

[Chuck Volo]

How do I turn this thing on?

[Jeremy Volo]

So, like, looking for the detergent, you know, like.

[Diana Volo]

So he'd taken the clothes out of the hamper, put it in the toilet, and he was just staring. And so I knew he was still asleep. Right? So I couldn't blame the kid for putting our laundry in the toilet. Oh, my God. So I got. I said, you did a great job. Chair, you know, come. Okay. Good job. Let's go. Go to sleep now. So I guided him back to sleep. And I'm taking the laundry out of the toilet.

[Ginger Volo]

That is crazy. Wow.

[Diana Volo]

Was I too intense when I was telling you?

[Jeremy Volo]

That is amazing.

[Chuck Volo]

Gotta tell the therapeutic putty story with Charlemagne. I'll start it and you can finish it.

[Diana Volo]

We had a great time, by the way. Brazen actor.

[Ginger Volo]

That's amazing.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's entertaining.

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah. I was playing Some basketball. And I jammed a finger. Jammed one of my fingers. And so I was given some red therapeutic putty, you know, as therapy for my finger. So we tried to make dating a fairly regular habit. And at one point, we must have been fairly hard pressed for a babysitter. So. Dear Mrs. Tompkins, who was in her 80s from our church.

[Diana Volo]

Are you gonna be able to say that.

[Ginger Volo]

He'S gonna lose it when my dad loses it?

[Diana Volo]

Okay, so I'll help you out.

[Chuck Volo]

So I'll say a little bit more, Mrs. Tompkins.

[Diana Volo]

He can't do that. That's what always happens. She was babysitting kids.

[Jeremy Volo]

We're gonna need tissues for another reason.

[Diana Volo]

Okay. So I'm gonna have to take her over. Tompkins comes, she's in her 80s.

[Ginger Volo]

I don't know why she's so pleased.

[Diana Volo]

And she puts the kids to bed. And Jeremy was like about 3 years old, and he was playing with the therapeutic putty. And so Jeremy went to bed with the therapeutic putty. He must have been like thinking, this was really great. But then somehow it landed near his head and the heat from his head melted the putty and. And bonded it virtually to a skull. Okay. But then in the morning, like, it was cool, right? So the putty got cold and hardened. So Jeremy, who's only like 3 years old, had a habit of running out of his bed, jumping in bed with mom at like five in the morning when it was still dark for a cuddle until he. Till I woke up, right? So he comes into my bed and it's dark and he. And it's cold. And he jumps in my bed and I felt his little head and it just felt like a giant scab on the top of his skull. I mean, a thick scab. Cause it had melted and spread and then it hardened.

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, that's so funny.

[Diana Volo]

And I freaked out. I went. I immediately jumped out of bed and put on a light. And I couldn't believe my eyes. I mean, this red putty had melted. It was like a skull cap all over his. But I couldn't move it. I mean, like, I was thinking, okay, how do I get this off of his head? Because there wasn't room between his. Where it was. Yeah, I couldn't give him a buzz cut. It was bonded. And I virtually didn't know. I had no clue how to get this off of a three year old's head. And it was like the complete skull cap. Oh, my goodness. So I called one of the guys at our church who was really good at like, solving problems. I said, jim, what do I do? I said, do I put alcohol on it? He said, no, no, no, don't do that. It'll harden it. He said, use oil. So I proceeded to use oil to soften the putty.

[Chuck Volo]

Olive oil.

[Diana Volo]

Right. Olive oil all over. This Chai was anointed, totally anointed.

[Chuck Volo]

That explains his calling.

[Diana Volo]

I guess he was anointed. I mean he was dripping and mind you, I was at his head all.

[Jeremy Volo]

Day as three year old. That's the part where. How did you get him to sit still? Because he's an active little boy.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, he is. And so I was at his head, picking at his head all day. So I finally got it out. But now this guy is like drenched with oil and the next day is Sunday. So I got to give him a bath. So I go give him a bath and I went to wash his hair. He just freaked out. Like he never freaked out like that. He had freaked out like, you may not touch my head again. You know, but this time I actually had. I actually had to because I had to wash him because he was like covered with oil. So I don't know. Do you remember that?

[Ginger Volo]

I don't know if I remember or if I've just heard the story told, you know.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, yeah. But whatever it is, you've had some of these experiences that will mold and shape your personality.

[Jeremy Volo]

Mold and shape.

[Ginger Volo]

Mold and shape.

[Diana Volo]

So maybe it explains who you are today. I love it in my head. But you're still a fun loving guy.

[Ginger Volo]

Hey, we had a great childhood. You homeschooled us, mom. And actually that's part of the story is we'll get into. Because you were a professional violinist.

[Diana Volo]

I am.

[Jeremy Volo]

Yes, she still is.

[Ginger Volo]

But I'm saying past tense because in the origin when you met dad, but you were trained by Dorothy Delay, you trained in Aspen, Colorado, you're in the St. Louis Symphony. And you meet and fall in love with this pastor in inner city Philadelphia. So let's start, dad, actually with your origin story a little bit.

[Diana Volo]

I'm crying. Just allergies.

[Ginger Volo]

Your origin story a little bit. Everybody's falling asleep.

[Jeremy Volo]

It's okay.

[Ginger Volo]

So let's start with your origin story a little bit from New Jersey. Tell us how you came to meet Jesus.

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah. Raised in a nominal Roman Catholic home, by my mid teen years we weren't a church going family. After my first Holy communion. By mid teen years though I was a little bit more serious minded. Looking for answers. I would walk across town alone on Sunday morning to the Catholic Church 45 minutes it's rather humorous. I would say that the mass would end by the priest saying, the mass has ended, go in peace. And the congregational response was, don't get him laughing again. Thanks be to God. And it was like, thank God it's over. I've done my religion for the week. Everybody took off for the parking lot and they were gone. And I'd walk back with no answers. But in God's good providence, I met some guys that became fishing buddies and they were part of a Bible believing church. They introduced me for the first time in my life to people who really knew God in a personal way. Born again people. And I was impressed with their lives. And God didn't turn the lights on right away. I actually ended up going off to college. And it was after my second year of college that the most depressed year of my life where I was actually thinking of running to California on my motorcycle was the hit and run. Here you are and I am in California now. Ended up going to California that summer to a campus Crusade for Christ conference. But it wasn't going in. Just wanting to escape life. Anyway, Circumstances happened and first week of May, 1970, 55 years and change ago, the Lord just, well, radically changed me and converted me.

[Jeremy Volo]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about function.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, function. Health is something that we're very passionate about and here's why. I have a good buddy. He's a professional bodybuilder. He runs a gym and recently I asked him if he could kind of help me get into a workout routine and he said he would if I took blood tests. He will not help me if I don't know what's going on inside of my body. He has seen far too many guys who look healthy, women who, you know, you feel good, but inside you're a mess. You need to know what's going on inside your body.

[Jeremy Volo]

We chose Function because it's the only health platform that gives you access to the kind of data that most people never see in the insights to actually take action.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, Inside Function. You can test over 160 biomarkers from heart and hormones to toxins, inflammation and stress. You can access multi region MRI and CT scans, all tracked in one secure place over time. I'm telling you, we need you guys to get on this. It's a near 360 view to see what's happening in your body. That's why top health leaders like Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Dr. Jeremy London are all behind Function.

[Jeremy Volo]

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[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. You can learn more and join by using our link. The first 1,000 people will sign up will get a hundred dollars off of their membership. Visit www.functionhealth.com ginger and use code GINGER100. So go to functionhealth.com ginger and use code ginger100 at sign up to own your health.

[Jeremy Volo]

Now back to the episode.

[Ginger Volo]

And then he took you into ministry pretty soon?

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah, yeah. Did another year at the secular college as a psychology major. Had more fun teaching the Bible with what little I knew. Transferred to a Christian college, went off to seminary, and then I got involved in the Navigators, a good campus organization. That's what brought me down to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

[Ginger Volo]

And then was it the Navigators that had you serving with the Cambodian refugees who were.

[Chuck Volo]

No. After two years with the Navigators, wonderful organization, but came to the conviction that, you know, studied the church parachurch issue, realized that Jesus had established a local church. I needed to be in a local church. I was already in Philadelphia, down at University of Pennsylvania, and I learned about an inner city church in North Philadelphia. And so I was already there. I was single, and I just transplanted myself to North Philadelphia and joined that church, became an elder there. And that's when about a mile and a half north of us, Asian refugees were coming over from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam. And I got involved in a Cambodian ministry, ministering to Cambodian refugees for five years, preaching to them through an interpreter and helping them get established. It was a wonderful privilege.

[Ginger Volo]

Is it true you were making $9,000 a year? Yeah, yeah.

[Chuck Volo]

I was a parking lot attendant.

[Diana Volo]

Then we got married. So it was 1982, which it was below popping. Yeah.

[Chuck Volo]

Mom was supplementing with her income. I was a parking lot attendant. I like to say I was a shepherd of cars, you know?

[Ginger Volo]

But you lived with before mom your bachelor pad with a couple buddies. Yeah. That's when you threw the clover or the garlic?

[Chuck Volo]

Oh, yeah. Well, we had assignments. One guy would clean that week, another guy would cook that week. And so it was my week to cook. And, yeah, I was gonna make a pasta dish. I was just a technician going by the cookbook, and it came to putting in garlic, and it called for a clove of garlic. Now, what's a clove? Is it one of these segments or if it's the whole thing? I was gonna call one of the single ladies from church, but I was probably too proud to. So I put the whole bulb of garlic in. Guys had garlic pushed to the side of their plate.

[Jeremy Volo]

I bet everybody who was, like, smelling.

[Chuck Volo]

For weeks, I just smelled after that. But anyway, I needed a wife.

[Ginger Volo]

You needed a wife. So there you are, you're serving Cambodian refugees. Which, by the way, has been really cool to see. This is so classic. My dad, he invests himself in people, and you just give your whole self to people so faithful and make such a big impact years later. I mean, there have been people from that ministry who they themselves or their children have contacted you decades later, and you've gotten back in touch even out here in California. Yeah, it's been amazing to see the impact.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah. Well, you know, it's interesting. So once Facebook came on, you know, we had the Internet, because in the 80s when we were doing that, we didn't have it.

[Jeremy Volo]

Otherwise you wouldn't have thrown a bulb of garlic.

[Ginger Volo]

Oh, yeah. If you had had cereal, how much garlic?

[Chuck Volo]

What's a bulb?

[Diana Volo]

Right. So once they. They were on Facebook, the Cambodian refugees, they looked him up and they said, we found Chuck. We found Chuck. And then they came to visit us. And down in. Because back then you would lose touch with people, you know. Cause you didn't have. You just had landlines.

[Chuck Volo]

I felt like an archeological relic, you know, we found Chuck. We reconnected 30 years later. And it was very sweet.

[Diana Volo]

It was. So no time at all had passed because we had gone through a crisis with them. When they came over as boat people, as refugees, they had nothing. And they had just survived the killing fields. And hardly any family was intact. They were weak, they were sick, they were near starving. And they came and he was helping. Chuck was helping them find clothing and get established with food, clothing, shelter, and then started teaching Bible. Teaching English and teaching Bible. Right. But you go through a crisis, time of a person's life, and you meet their needs, and then if they're converted, that's another crisis. But a wonderful crisis where he was meeting spiritual, eternal needs. And people will not forget you. And when you come back 30 years later, the love and the bond is still there. So, yeah, that's very special. Our Cambodian friends are still very special.

[Chuck Volo]

Yes, Gratitude. We were known as Mr. Chuck and Mrs. Chuck.

[Diana Volo]

That was Mrs. Chuck.

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh, that's amazing.

[Ginger Volo]

So, mom, tell us a little bit about your origin story.

[Diana Volo]

You mean when I grew up?

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, where you grew up, how you came to know the Lord. Because that's a very cool story in Interstate vlog.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, I'll try to give a real short version of that. I grew up in the city of Wilmington Delaware, in a row home and brought up in a Roman Catholic church, went to Catholic school for 12 years. It was actually a traumatic experience going to Catholic church school at that time. It would never. It couldn't happen nearly as much now, I don't think. But back then there was a lot of abuse from the teachers. But anyway, I probably prayed my first prayer ever in second grade. In Roman Catholic church, we always memorized a prayer. So we just memorized the Hail Mary or, you know, Apostles Creed. That's how we prayed. It wasn't really talking to God, but I was in second grade, so a teacher, one of the nuns said that if we didn't go to church on a Sunday, but we could, like if we weren't sick and we skipped church, it was a mortal sin, a sin that you could never be forgiven for and you would be in hell forever. So as a seven year old, it was terrifying because some of our parents didn't go to church every Sunday. And so some of the kids said, well, my parents don't go to church every Sunday. And then the thought of them, this nun was saying, they'll go to hell forever. So I put my head down on the desk. I remember it was his desk with the little ink wells. That's how old I am. And I prayed my first prayer ever. I said, jesus, or I said, God help me never to lose my faith in you.

[Ginger Volo]

Wow.

[Diana Volo]

And he answered that prayer. But the way he answered that prayer was he disillusioned me over the years with the Catholic Church because I was always taught the Roman Catholic Church was the one true church. And I solidly believe that. And it's very impressive from a little girl in a row home. There you see the Pope and all the millions of followers, and you would see him on television with all these followers at the Vatican. And he was wearing these beautiful vestments and had all this power. He was a world leader. And so I thought, wow, this is the one true faith. But what happened was over the years, because of the cruelty of the priests and nuns that we did experience, I became very disillusioned with it. And there was this one priest that was my orchestra conductor that used to throw things at us in anger, curse and swear. But then before a program or a concert, he would want to hold a Mass before the concert. And before the Mass, we always had confessions. So we could have communion during the Mass. And everybody, like 120 kids, you know, involved in the theater, and they would line up like little robots to tell their sins to this priest. And I went, that's crazy. There's no way I'm going into that little confessional box with this guy and telling him my sins. When he just cursed and sweared at me and nearly hit somebody with something that he threw. I said, there's no way. So as a young adult, like a 15 year old, you know, I started really questioning, this can't be true. And I saw a lot of abuse. So I think the first step in God answering that prayer was to disillusion me. And then when I was in college, I went to college in Philadelphia. A lot of my friends were born again Christians. And I saw how they loved the Lord. And they would talk about him all the time with joy. And they would talk as if he was. They had a relationship with him. And I hung with these people because they were really serious about school. But they didn't party and do things that made me feel unsafe. So I hung with them. And one day during an orchestra rehearsal break, I sat there and I was seeing them fellowshipping again. I went, how? They were always talking about God as if they know Him. And I thought, that's either true or it's not. And I went, yeah, but these people really know what they're doing. If they're saying, if they have this relationship, it's probably true. And when I said that to myself, I immediately got jealous. Why do they have a relationship with God and I don't have a relationship with God? And that led to my salvation because they would start inviting me to church and I started going. So, yeah, it led to my salvation.

[Ginger Volo]

And how did you go to James Boyce's church?

[Diana Volo]

Well, I lived in center city Philadelphia, because I had received a full scholarship actually to study with one of the world's finest teachers, Dorothy Delay. She was the top teacher at Juilliard. And she was also going to be teaching in Philadelphia. And she chose like a handful of us to study with her. And those were the people, the scholarship violinists were the ones I hung with. Cause we were really serious about what we were doing. So we hung together and they were the ones born again. So they'd invite me to church. I lived just blocks from 10th Presbyterian Church, where he was the pastor. And I was so impressed the first time I went there, just because I could understand what he was saying. He was organized, he was intelligent, he was articulate. Because the parochial. The parish that I grew up in, we would have one monsignor that would always say the Mass. And that was your assigned priest and the monsignor. We had Was old and he had dementia. So he would start to preach and then he would just fade off and then just be silent for a long time, and then he'd start to talk again. But it had no connection to what he just said. And that's what I grew up with. So when I heard James Montgomery Boice get up and preach, I was like, you're kidding me. I mean, this is phenomenal. I understood what he said, and it was very credible.

[Ginger Volo]

Wow. Did you play for his annual conferences?

[Diana Volo]

Oh, I used to play for them before I was converted, because it was a gig for me. I got paid, and so I couldn't believe it because the church was quite large, the building was quite large. And I would just zip right up to the pop right up to the balcony as an orchestra player. And everybody's, like, trying to find parking, and it's wall to wall people. And people could. There was standing room only, and I just, like, came up, had a front row seat, like from the balcony play. There were people there. Sproul was there, you know, boys, a lot of people, big names. I didn't know who they were. But the interesting thing was I was actually hearing truth from the Bible. And so that was the first time I was. And so then when the Lord was working to convert me, he had to have something in there to work with, Right. So faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of God. So the word of God had to come in first. So then when people would start to tell me about the gospel, it would make sense because I had first heard Bible, you know. And that was in there.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. So how'd you meet dad?

[Diana Volo]

Well, I met him actually before I was converted because some of my colleagues also went to 10th Press, but they also went to this inner city. Well, it was in North Philadelphia. It was a real rough section of Philadelphia where there was this Cambodian refugee ministry where dad was a member and the pastor there. It was like in North Philly. There was a lot of gang activity there. It was this really dangerous area, but they would go there. What was attracting them was to, number one, a church that was really preaching the truth. But number two, the pastor was a Juilliard grad, and we were all musicians, and that was really attracting them. So both, you know, the way the church was a good church, and then pastor was being a Juilliard grad. So they went there and they invited me. And the first time I met Dad, I wasn't converted, and we went out to lunch together with a group of singles. And.

[Chuck Volo]

I should tell that part Right.

[Jeremy Volo]

I want to hear that part.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah.

[Chuck Volo]

Actually, it was only a short stint of time that they came from the music school to our inner city church. And the connection was when I was with the Navigators in West Philadelphia, one of the violinists who had witnessed to mom was tying in with us because he had Navigator experience from Tennessee. And I was actually taking him out on campus to witness. And he was one of the ones who ended up witnessing to Mom. So it was that Navigator connection with this Christian man, Harvey, who was one of the Christian violin students that inclined them to come when I left the Navs and went to the inner city church. So they came for a short stint of time. The first time mom came, I looked at this cute girl and I said, wow, I'm single, man. It was attracted to her superficially. And I said, I wonder if she's a Christian. Well, let's see if she takes communion. So as a Catholic, it was her habit to took communion. She took communion. I thought, ah, she's a Christian. So we all went out to lunch afterwards and I thought, well, she's a Christian. So stupid, me in the presence of all these people. I asked her for her testimony.

[Diana Volo]

I had no clue what a testimony was like. He's asking me in front of all these people.

[Chuck Volo]

He put me on the spot. I so embarrassed her. Then one of the single ladies, Rosemarie, chewed me out afterwards and she said, do you realize how much you embarrassed that girl? No. Well, anyway, the next time mom showed up at church, she had been converted.

[Diana Volo]

It was about six months later.

[Chuck Volo]

Six months later. And I was teaching an adult Sunday school class, Men and Women. She was sitting in the front row. Halfway through the lesson, she gets up and walks out.

[Diana Volo]

And I left the church.

[Chuck Volo]

And I'm thinking, what did I say now?

[Diana Volo]

But yeah, I was sick. Oh no. So I just got up. I had to. I couldn't stand it any longer. And I went and got a bus and went home.

[Jeremy Volo]

Oh my goodness.

[Chuck Volo]

So anyway, I was attracted to her. She had a stint in Italy. She was playing in an opera orchestra in Italy. And I was a pastor. I was technically her pastor at that time. And I wrote a letter that I thought was kind of pastoral, but I was interested also. And another single guy from church wrote her a letter. He got a response and I didn't. And I thought, oh, I'm dead in the water here. But.

[Diana Volo]

But he wasn't. I actually had a crush on him, but I didn't. I was very serious minded and I had been. I had grown up In a house where my father was very angry man. And it was a traumatic experience for me and for my siblings and my mother. And so the thought of, like, how do you manage all this, having a relationship with a guy and this and that, I wasn't sure. So what I had done as a young Christian, I prayed and I said, lord, I really like this man. And the Lord knew why I did. He was kind, and I always say he was kindest. I married the kindest man in the universe. He was gentle with children until that.

[Chuck Volo]

Man had a son who's kinder.

[Diana Volo]

He was gentle with children and would stoop down and relate to them. I'd never seen anything like that. His relationships in the church were all wholesome and healthy, and he had a reputation. Everybody I knew spoke well of him, whether they were in his church or outside of the church. So I was very attracted to him. And I loved his teaching, you know, because I was converted by that time. It made sense. So I was very attracted to him. But I told the Lord, I said, lord, I don't know how to manage this. So I'm not going to give any clue to him that I have a crush on him. Like, he's not gonna know it. Lord, you worked that out.

[Chuck Volo]

And this is how the Lord did it in his providence. And Diana's best friend was a violist named Lisa. And one day, I can remember where I was in the church building. She was also a member of our church. And I asked Lisa for Diana Solomon's address or contact information. And Lisa, who was sworn to silence about her attraction to me, just gushed open and said, she has such a crush on you. And. Oh, really? So at that point, I knew the coast was clear for me to, without threat to my ego, to express my interest in her, made an appointment to go down to her apartment. And at that time, in my diary, I had a list of things I was attracted to about her, from the superficial down to the more spiritual and substantial. And we sort of officially began our relationship. You like me, I like you. We started our relationship.

[Jeremy Volo]

So did you go visit her?

[Chuck Volo]

I did.

[Jeremy Volo]

What did you say, though? You made an appointment. Did you? Was it you said, I have interest, or was this a pastoral visit?

[Diana Volo]

Oh, wait, what did you say? Well, he sat on the couch, and he was serious. He was a serious guy.

[Jeremy Volo]

He's very serious.

[Diana Volo]

He also has a great sense of humor. But as you just saw, he has a sense of humor. He can laugh, but he was serious. And I know the consequence of marrying the wrong Man. And it made a lifelong impression upon me. And so the fact that he was serious and the fact that he had thought it through, and he said, I have prayed about this, and I have thought this through. I've been observing you, you know, and these are the. He told me, these are the things that I've observed in you. And he opened his little notebook. There was probably about 10 things, like, he said from the superficial. And to me, that was like gold, because this man was not just flirting, just trying to, you know. No, he was serious. He had thought about it. And I appreciated that because I wanted somebody who was spiritually minded and who was going to be thoughtful and careful about entering a relationship, because it's obviously one of. It's a relationship that I always say will impact every second of every minute.

[Chuck Volo]

Of every hour of your life in generations to come.

[Diana Volo]

Yes. In generations to come. Yes. And, in fact, I remember I had a roommate who was dating a man who was an angry man. I came home one day and she had a bronze coffee table that the bronze top lifted off, and it was across the room and bent, and it was from her boyfriend having an anger attack. And I warned her, I said, this is going to not only affect your life, but your children's lives.

[Ginger Volo]

And that's because you. I mean, yeah, growing up in the environment you did. That really shaped you, not only in choosing dad, who is the kindest man in the universe.

[Diana Volo]

Absolutely.

[Ginger Volo]

But in the ministry that you're doing now, because you are a professional violinist, you meet dad doing inner city ministry, you really effectively gave up the pursuit of the professional side of that to raise three kids, myself and my brother and sister, which were eternally grateful. And what you did, I mean, you invested all of your discipline, diligence, expertise, skill into your kids, which is, you know, to see Chuck now and the success he's having, to see Valerie and all the success she's had. And it's. You can see how much you've invested in your kids, but you've picked up that pursuit of the violin in recent years because you've combined it with your two passions, really, which is. So tell us about. Here I am a long question again. Tell us about. So you grew up in a difficult environment at home, and so that shaped who you pursued in marriage, but it's also shaping what you're doing now with your nonprofit for Swan.

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, it certainly is. And I'm eternally grateful for the Lord having. Choosing to save me by his grace, because that was the most eternally impactful life Changing impact of my life, which guided me to dad, you know, and was determined I would marry a kind man because I knew it would impact my life, my children's lives, and for generations. Right. And the question you wanted me to get to, how did it direct me to Swan? Well, you know, I actually. I practiced my violin feverishly. I mean, like, I was an overachiever. And what I was basically doing in that as a kid. As a kid, when you experience abuse and trauma, it takes away. It takes away your voice, your power, and your relationships. And I certainly was an isolated child. Don't tell anybody. Don't. You know, and we weren't allowed to do a lot. We were. We were cut off from relationships. I didn't have a voice, and I didn't have power, nor did my mother have power. So the violin was supposed to give me power, which it did. It gave me that full scholarship to study with Dorothy Delay, and I never looked back. I had power, and it gave me relationships and a voice, but it was my way of survival. I would practice so many hours, I had an infection in my neck that would just hang out, and I would put that violin next to that and practice 10, 12, 13, 15 hours in a day, overachieving to do what I did. So it was all kind of love, but also pain. Right.

[Ginger Volo]

How does abuse take away your voice?

[Diana Volo]

Well, you're. Wow. I survived in my house by being invisible. And you don't have an opinion. It's always whatever that person wants is what.

[Ginger Volo]

That's the abuser?

[Diana Volo]

Yeah, the abuser. It gets his way. So if you're smart, you just accommodate that abuser. And I used to be able to appease his somehow. I would manipulate, like I knew how to make him switch his gears, to reset, and I would do it with humor or somehow that's not the role of a child. I took that role on. But the best way to survive the situation was to go along with whatever that person wants and to be very quiet. So you're going along with something whether you agree with it or not. And you're also invisible.

[Ginger Volo]

So you're losing your identity, you're losing your power, you're losing your voice and relationships, but you're surviving.

[Diana Volo]

You're surviving. And so the violin was a means to that end. And, you know, back then, nobody talked about trauma or abuse. In fact, when there used to be on television, my father would watch and he would see abuse. And he said to my mother, if these abuse hotlines were advertised when I was raising the kids, I'd be in jail, really. So anyway, I made that transition. So all I knew as a young single person was how to isolate myself in a practice room. Practice like crazy. Because I was going to have power by having a job. So that if anybody ever treated me like that, I could tell that person to hit the road.

[Ginger Volo]

And you thought that.

[Diana Volo]

Oh, absolutely. I thought, there's. Nobody's going to treat me like that or my children like that. Because I would ask my mother, why don't you leave him? She said, because I can't support you kids. And I said, well, I'm going to be able to support because if anybody treats me like that, that person's going to hit the road. And so I was less of a victim. I mean, I was a victim in a certain way, but it, you know, God works all things together for good. And he was giving me a calling. And I look back at that. I know what it feels like to be powerless, voiceless, and live that every moment, every day. Be scared. When dad came home, we went upstairs. We were scared. It was Dad's home. It wasn't like, let's run to the door.

[Ginger Volo]

I remember. I don't have any memories like this, but I remember the one time you were talking to Pa and he got really angry that you took off your glasses. He cornered you against the wall, and you.

[Chuck Volo]

I wasn't cornered, but I thought the old man was gonna hit me. I took my glasses off.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, not corner, but he was up against red face. I was trying to tell him the gospel you were sharing about Jesus. And then you just calmly came in the kitchen. I'll never forget. And you said, you asked, mom, does your father have a gun?

[Chuck Volo]

Cause he had stormed upstairs.

[Ginger Volo]

She said, yes, we're out of here. So we all jumped in our station wagon and took off. I'll never forget that.

[Chuck Volo]

10 and 8 years old. Yeah. But God wonderfully redeemed. This is what we look at. God redeemed all of that upbringing for the founding of Swan. Right now, she's being of help to hundreds of kids.

[Diana Volo]

Well, oftentimes that trauma does create a calling.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, well, that's the thing. It's like, if you look at. It can cause people to fold. And oftentimes people. Well, people react in all sorts of ways. But for what God's done in your life is you've not allowed it to keep you down, but you've allowed it to motivate you to be an agent of change. It's really interesting to see your story because Swan started in Philadelphia at 10th Presbyterian Church, where James Boice preached on a Sunday. You were visiting with your friend because you hadn't gone. You'd go maybe once a year. And you came out of that Sunday service years later. All your children were in college, grown, so essentially empty nesters. And you'd been inspired with a vision to use your talents as a musician to help children who come from equally difficult backgrounds.

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah. It was interesting because it was Sinclair Ferguson preaching that night. She didn't hear a word of the sermon because this whole idea was formulating. And I said to her, you should have wasted one of my sermons rather than not hearing Sinclair Ferguson. But in an hour, the whole vision for SWAN was formulated in that evening. They were doing Angel Tree during Christmas, which is providing gifts for children incarcerated once a year. But she thought, how can we do something more permanently to benefit these children? And SWAN was born.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's amazing. We want to get into swan. So what does SWAN stand for?

[Diana Volo]

Swan is an acronym that stands for scaling walls a note at a time. And it's swan4kids.org.

[Jeremy Volo]

That's amazing.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. And it provides mentoring for these kids. You've seen some children come into this program who would really remind you of yourself. Traumatized from home.

[Diana Volo]

We're serving some of Lancaster City's most traumatized children, and we serve them through music, through mental health, mentoring, and Bible. And it's a beautiful and healing powerful combination. When you put music, mental health, and Bible together. It has been life saving for some children and certainly life changing for many.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah. Some of the stories are, I mean, devastating. Children who've witnessed things that should never have witnessed would traumatize adults, whether it was their siblings being murdered, their parents being killed, drug use, overdose deaths. One of the saddest things is here you are providing opportunities. One of the things SWAN does is allows these children to perform pretty quickly. Like, you bring them in, you teach them instruments, you put them together, and then you'll have them perform annually at gala or to different events. And the children step out on stage, they're dressed to the nines, and, you know, everyone's clapping standing ovations for them. That's really impactful. But one of the most tragic things is one of the biggest fights you've had is getting whoever the caretakers are of the children to even have them show up for these events. Because the people they're living with just don't even care about bringing them to the mentorship or.

[Diana Volo]

Well, you know, we're serving children affected by parental incarceration. So sometimes their Parents, both of their parents may be in prison, and sometimes one or the other are as caring as. And it's tough. Some of them might being addicted to substances, in which case they're not so aware and involved. They might have mental health issues of their own. Sometimes it's children having children. And then there are a lot that do care, but mom might be working three jobs. And so I think there are a lot of people that do care or don't want to repeat this cycle for their children, but they're in a bind. Yeah. So life is tough and it can become hopeless. I've noticed that parents love coming to the concerts and they'll get their cameras out. They're so proud. They want to see their children succeed. It's just that they might not be able to get their kids to the classes or to sign up for things, too. Life is tough.

[Jeremy Volo]

I love how you say it. This is the line I've heard you say so many times. It just takes one loving mentor to turn a kid around. And like, we've, like, going to the Swan events was one of the most impactful things that we've done because you see these students up there and like, like Jer said, meeting with them before, they are beaming. They're so excited to be there. They have on, like, a pretty fancy dress, and here they are getting to perform in front of, you know, like a mayor, and they might go get invited to the governor's mansion, things that, you know, they probably never would have expected would be an opportunity for them. And here they are. It turns. It can turn that. That difficulty around, even if it's just a weekly thing where they know, oh, wow, like, somebody cares for me. Somebody's looking out for me, and gives them a vision of where they can be in 10 years from now and how somebody does see them and somebody does care. And that's a big thing that I think it's so encouraging to see what you've done and just your heart for these kids. And you call them. You even say my kids or our kids, because I think that's the level of care that you extend and your whole team just investing in these kids, pouring into them. And it's just so impactful.

[Diana Volo]

It really is. And it's life changing. We've had very quick results that were astounding. We had a little child who had experienced such trauma that he became select. It's called selective mutism, where they stopped talking, and he had not been talking for several years, and then he was angry. And understandably so. From what he was exposed to. His grandmother signed him up for Swan and we gave him a teacher, a man who was just very fatherly and kind Christian man who was his teacher and was teaching him guitar. And literally within weeks, that child started talking and he would run home from school excited and he would show his grandmother the new chords that he was learning and he started talking. You know, music is powerful. We use music because first of all, you start with what you have. I'm a musician and I know the research that says how music can help all of us emotionally. We can express ourselves without a word. Children do not have words for what they've gone through. They don't have words. And a lot of children, it's normal. And so they're expressing themselves. It gives all of us joy. Our cortisol levels, which are our stress hormones, they just drop. Our happy hormones rise within 15 minutes of playing an instrument. So that's certainly healing. But then we embed Swan for kids embeds mental health workers within our classes. So they're assisting our music classes. So the mental health workers drumming with the kids or singing with the kids. And when a child triggers, which they will, someone right there that they know and trust, a certified mental health worker is right there to help so they can take that child out of the class and help. But then we also, we have a three hour after school program and a five week full day summer music camp. So during that time, the children will get the group music lesson, the private music lesson they get. The mental health worker is in those classes assistings, but they also, the mental health worker will teach a social emotional class or a trauma management class and meet with the child one on one. And then the child also gets a Bible class, which in the 14 years that we've been running, we always have that as optional on our application because we don't force that. But we've never had a parent sign off like that. They didn't want it. And we've never had a kid that didn't love it. So in the Bible class, they're not only learning gospel lessons, but they're also being asked, how can I pray for you? And the teacher is very careful to pray for each child by name and then pray for their concern. So now a child's being listened to and they're getting their voice, you know, their relationships. They're getting relationships, their voice, and they're getting power. If a child because of trauma will often have difficulty learning, so they'll maybe fail academically and behaviorally, right? And when they perform, what happens? The whole room is smiling. Their audience is smiling, they're clapping. They get immediate success. We had one little boy who was scared to death, of course, for his first performance. Of course, we do it with groups. Makes it easier. And we just focused them. Look, your one goal is now, you know, you've been given lessons. Now you have something beautiful to give back. So we're thinking about the people we're giving this beautiful music to. And our goal is to just put one smile on one person's face. And so when they go in the room and everybody's smiling and clapping. One of our little students, his name was Noah, he said afterward, he said, I feel like a superhero. Aw. He had succeeded, you know, so we do see results right away. And they're pretty dramatic. Yeah, it's amazing.

[Ginger Volo]

Well, we love you guys. We love what you're doing. Your lives are heroic. I know. We. I want to be like you. And I grow up, dad, one day.

[Chuck Volo]

I think you've surpassed me in a number of ways.

[Ginger Volo]

No, we love how you guys have poured into our children as well. They love having you guys come. They hate seeing you guys go. But it's always a comfort knowing you'll be back soon. They really do. They have a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa.

[Diana Volo]

I can't wait till I get back. Each time. And thank you, Ginger. She's really faithful. You send us pictures and videos, and I always tell during the day, I'll just keep looking at those little pictures. They always make me smile.

[Ginger Volo]

So we just gotta get mom on an iPhone. Cause one of these days, she's the only one in the family with an Android.

[Chuck Volo]

That is a hard sell.

[Diana Volo]

But I'll tell you what, those videos come through. Really?

[Jeremy Volo]

Now they do. Now they come through. Not grainy. That's what she said. She said, start sending me those videos. Because we had to keep her in the group, the family group. Chat about normal stuff, but never sending videos because they come through Grady.

[Chuck Volo]

But now, same recharger.

[Jeremy Volo]

Now they fixed it. Look at that. Oh, that's helpful, too.

[Chuck Volo]

The bridge has been built.

[Ginger Volo]

Oh, do they really?

[Chuck Volo]

Oh, yeah, same recharger.

[Ginger Volo]

Oh, that's crazy.

[Chuck Volo]

Yeah.

[Diana Volo]

Wow.

[Ginger Volo]

All right. They're bridging the gap.

[Diana Volo]

I like it.

[Ginger Volo]

Hey, I want to tell everyone to support Swan for Kids. I think one of the best ways to support is to go to swanforkids.

[Jeremy Volo]

Swanthenumber4Kids.Org and then give.

[Ginger Volo]

Right.

[Diana Volo]

Something like that. We have a donate button.

[Ginger Volo]

You have a donate button. But then to just Sign up for, like, five, $10, $12 monthly makes a huge impact for these children.

[Diana Volo]

It really does. We need, on our best year, we can serve 200 children in Lancaster, but there are well more than 3,000 that qualify in Lancaster and in the United States. I'd love to scale it, because in the United States, 1 in 14 children has had a parent in prison at some point in their life.

[Ginger Volo]

Yeah, it's one of those things that when you sign up to give monthly, initially you put it in the budget and then you forget about it. But that money is residually making an impact. It's allowing kids to get instruments, it's allowing mentors to be paid hourly to serve the kids. And something that might be so Insignificant for us, $12 a month, 15, $20 a month is allowing a child to have the highlight of their week or a highlight of their year where they get to get out of a home where it's screaming, yelling, the TV's on constantly, they're being ignored in some instances, and to go to an environment where they're being made eye contact, they're welcomed, they feel like a hero, they're being taught music, their lives are being transformed. And for those of you giving, you know, it might seem insignificant to you, but it's making a huge impact.

[Diana Volo]

Well, if you give, you're part of the journey because it's the only way a community benefiting organization can do what we do. Right. And I see the motivation in scripture from James 1:27, where it says, true religion is helping those widows and orphans in distress. And we have a lot of fatherless children in distress.

[Ginger Volo]

Okay, well, guys, thanks for tuning in. Mom and dad, thanks for being here.

[Chuck Volo]

Thank you.

[Ginger Volo]

Love you guys. Love you, too. All right, we'll see you next week.