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Spandex & Wine
Spandex & Wine is a podcast for finding balance between being healthy & living a happy life. Hosted by Robin Hackney, a 23-year veteran in the fitness industry & wine consultant, this is a place to be our authentic selves as we have real conversations exploring wellness and all things wine! Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode.
Spandex & Wine
Answering the Call: Supporting the Lives of Those Who Protect Ours
LEARN MORE: Charity for First Responders - Answering the Call 911
Nothing prepares you for the moment when your everyday heroes need heroes of their own. When Ronnie Doumitt watched his police colleague and friend Josh contract a flesh-eating bacteria that nearly claimed his life, he discovered a shocking truth: despite swearing an oath to protect our communities, first responders have virtually no safety net when catastrophe strikes their own lives.
What followed was a harrowing four-month journey that changed everything. As Josh underwent 27 surgeries and repeatedly "died on the operating table," Ronnie witnessed his friend's wife Melissa balance hospital vigils with homework help for their children, all while facing potential financial ruin. The community rallied, raising $100,000 to save Josh's life—but the experience revealed a systemic failure that Ronnie couldn't ignore.
From this crisis emerged Answering the Call, a nonprofit that has since donated over $1.4 million to first responders facing medical emergencies both on and off duty. Through whiskey raffles, ladies' nights, trivia events, and their upcoming Resiliency Gala, they've created a powerful safety net for those who protect us every day.
"It's our duty to lighten their load," Ronnie explains with palpable emotion. "I want to give it back to you because it's extremely heavy. It's a heavy damn pack. But let me lighten your load for just a little bit."
The most powerful part? How little it takes to make a difference. Through their 9-11 program, community members donate just $9.11 monthly—less than a fancy coffee—creating sustainable support that allows injured first responders to focus solely on healing.
Ready to answer the call for those who always answer yours? Visit act911.org to donate or learn about upcoming events. Because without the safety and security first responders provide, nothing else matters—and it's time we showed up for them the way they always show up for us.
Thanks so much for listening!
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Hello and welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. I'm your host, robin Hackney, and I'm so happy that you're here. This podcast is a place for conversations about balancing a healthy lifestyle and being happy more specifically, happy hour. Together we'll explore all things wellness and wine. I hope you learn a little, laugh a lot and, along the way, know you're not alone on this balanced wellness journey. Ready to jump in? Pour something in your glass that makes you happy, because it's time for Spandex and Wine. Hey everyone, welcome to the Spandex and Wine podcast. I'm your host, robin Hackney.
Speaker 1:This episode is one that hit me straight in the heart. As a mom to a firefighter, I've always known the courage and sacrifice it takes to answer the call, but after talking with Ronnie Dumit from answering the call, I felt it on a whole new level. I'll be honest with you I needed a tissue while recording this and might now I don't even know Ronnie's words. The mission behind their work and the lives they're impacting left me speechless and deeply moved. Answering the Call is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting first responders during medical crises and injuries, whether on duty or off. They step in when our everyday heroes need someone in their corner Because while first responders are there for us. They deserve someone to be there for them too. I hope you'll listen closely, I hope you'll feel what I felt and I hope you take a moment to visit act911.org to learn more and donate. These brave men and women protect us. Now it is our turn to show up for them. Here is Ronnie. Well, hey, ronnie, nice to meet you.
Speaker 2:Nice to meet you.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate you being on the podcast today. My husband heard you on Pete the Pete Mundo show and he's like you have to have him on.
Speaker 2:It's very kind. It's, yeah, of course, great. I'm glad he listened.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of people listen to Pete, so yeah. Yeah, and I was looking on your website. It looks like you do so many incredible things and, as a mother of a first responder, I really appreciate that, so thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course. Yeah, I mean, you know it's what they even hear about. So, yeah, it's the least we can do is just to give back and serve them when they are in need themselves.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a lot of times they are silent heroes, you're right.
Speaker 2:Oh, without a doubt, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, my husband, dave, was telling me just how moving your story was. So if you don't mind, can we start there?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'd love to. Yeah, I served in our community with the Lisawood Police Department since 2001. Wore many different hats, enjoyed my job, loved it, just like your son. It's the greatest job in the world. It really is. You have some skeletons in the closet, for sure, because you see the worst in the community, but the good outweighs the bad, without a doubt, and the impact you can make is just incredible on not just one, but so many lives. Yeah, I was. I got my dream job in 2007 and I was moved into the investigations division of our police department and I worked in a narcotics unit. It's called the special investigations unit. Absolutely loved it.
Speaker 2:Drew, the big, beautiful beard that you see them all wearing jeans and a t-shirt every day. It was great, um, but April 16th actually shoot. That was yesterday, 10 years ago. Yesterday, um, 2015, was when a partner and colleague of mine and friend, detective Josh Ward, suffered a medical emergency something we didn't really know was going on and he was rushed to the hospital. And when he got to the hospital, they rushed him directly into emergency surgery. He had contracted a virus, a flesh eating bacteria. He was later diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis. Flesh-eating bacteria. He was later diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and it was probably the most brutal thing I've ever seen happen to the human body. In a very short period of time, josh was placed in medically induced coma.
Speaker 2:Day two, which was Friday, the following day, I beat his wife, melissa, down to the hospital. The surgeon who was performing the surgeries and taking on Josh stepped out of the OR and found me and, taking on Josh, um, stepped out of the OR and found me and said hey, just so you know, josh isn't going to survive this current surgery. And I was heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken. Um he, uh, his body was just literally being eaten from the inside out and his wife showed up and I made the executive decision, with some of our commanders that were there, that we were going to keep that information from her, because I knew, I knew in my heart that if Melissa believed that her soulmate and her partner would survive, something told me he would.
Speaker 2:I just knew it. And so we sat there for three grueling hours. I had this pit in my stomach in the waiting room and there was this sweet little nurse that kept coming in and out and giving updates to all the families, and every time she would come out my heart would sink because I didn't believe that he was going to survive. Because I didn't believe that he was going to survive. So every time that door swung open, I was in fear. Yes, and then eventually she came over to us and she told Melissa he survived.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So that started a four-month period of Josh fighting for his life and it changed my life forever. I was reassigned to Melissa and the kids to take care of their needs and meet their needs. I was just kind of waiting. I was waiting around because I was naive to think that there was something in place. I just thought Josh had served our community for 10 years of his life, his wife and kids had served their community for 10 years of his life and their lives as well, and I just thought, man, there has to be something that will step into their lives and support them in this time.
Speaker 2:And I was wrong. There was nothing. There was nothing set up through our state, our cities, our counties, and there was not a foundation that was set up to step in and support them. So we started to get the word out. We just started to market, we started to push Josh's story. The media, the local media, was incredible and it took wind and it took off and it became a national story and this community surrounded that family and Josh survived the next surgery and the next surgery and the next surgery. His body kept failing. I don't know how many times he died on the OR table.
Speaker 2:But he did, and he just kept fighting and he awoke after six weeks of medically induced coma. And you know, four months later, $100,000 fundraised and 27 surgeries later, Josh walked out of the hospital.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh it was incredible.
Speaker 2:It was incredible. So June came around and I was sitting around with a good friend of mine having a very much needed beer and he's a CPA in Blue Springs, close friend Brett Reinhardt and we were discussing how we could not allow this to happen ever again to a first responder in Kansas City. I was pissed to be real honest with you.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I got a unique insight into what happens behind closed doors, into the ward family. You know, every single day, Melissa and I were at the hospital eight, 10, 12 hours a day making literally making life and death decisions for Josh, and then I would drop her off at home and she would have to do homework with her twin daughters, bathe dinner, put them to sleep and then cry herself to sleep every single day for four months. So we decided to start a nonprofit to do exactly what was not being done, and that was to step in and support them within hours of a critical incident that they survive, or a diagnosis, a rare and aggressive diagnosis. And here we are, 10 years later and we're over 1.4 million donated back. And it's just, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2:God's been leading this thing since the beginning and I'm grateful for him for that. I had asked for many years why he chose me and I don't really know why still, but I'm just trying to listen finally, after 49 years on this planet and listening to him. So this is a hundred percent God led organization that steps in and supports the warriors that he put on this planet to serve and protect his churches the way I describe it.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, my gosh. Okay, first of all, Dave didn't tell me I needed a tissue.
Speaker 2:Sorry.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, when I start talking about it.
Speaker 2:It just puts me right back in there and hits me and seeing your friend there going through that and thinking that man, I may never see him again. And what about this sweet little family that still has so many years together? It just it tore me up. Um, but honestly, thankfully, the Kansas city community it was a national story. We we received donations from Vermont, virginia, uh, minnesota, um, where Josh and Melissa both went to school up there. So it was, it was unbelievable $100,000 in four months. It was just incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't imagine what you went through. I can't imagine what Melissa went through. I mean, that would just be. Ah, I can't. I can't even fathom that.
Speaker 2:She is, to this day, one of the toughest humans I've ever known. Met had the pleasure of calling a friend, yes, and what amazed me the most was not just her toughness but the way she would be able to retain all the information and all the doctors that we visited with and surgeons, and then go home and update the community on the Caring Bridge. You know, hours and hours later I was just. I was reading what she was. I'm like I don't remember three quarters of this. Yeah, she's an amazing woman still to this day, just incredible.
Speaker 2:I got to see him on Tuesday. We were the highlighted nonprofit at a luncheon that they surprised me and showed up at. So it's always, it's always specially difficult to do a presentation with them in the room, but I love them dearly. Um, the sad point of all the story was that Josh lost his profession over his illness. Um and um. I broke my heart for him and family and um, but like I told him when he, when he left the hospital, you're still a father, you're still a husband, you get to hug your babies and you defy the odds.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. Oh my gosh. And you know I'm like you, I would have thought that something would have been in place too. I can't believe that. I'm just still shocked. And you know, I talk to my son every now and then I'm like, well, I talk to him often, but I'm like do you guys have some type of support, or do you have to go see a psychiatrist or something? Is that mandatory after you have a big event? And he's like, well, no, it's not. And so for something medical too, I'm just, I'm shocked. So do they know how he contracted this?
Speaker 2:They don't. And you know we try diligently, the surgeons. There's just no way. You know those guys in our detective unit, especially specifically on the criminal side, they go out to so many call outs and so many crime scenes there was no way of, unfortunately, which really altered their livelihood and really the way the city unfortunately had to proceed with him. But in his, in his employment, it really altered that for them. But you know what? That guy has never complained once to me, not once, not once. He's just thankful, grateful.
Speaker 2:He's back at the police department working in the records unit as a supervisor and I know all the guys and gals love to have him there in house and yeah, so yeah, there's unfortunately just nothing. There's nothing set up between two states and what I'm learning now, there's nothing set up in three states. The Iowa State Troopers are now coming to our events digging into who we are and what we do, and now they're recruiting us to their state. So yeah, I think it's a nationwide issue. I really do, and it's very problematic. I think it hurts recruiting a little bit.
Speaker 2:Sure, I think the violence thrown upon our law enforcement, specifically in the last five years, has really hurt employment. But I will tell you that I just received a message yesterday and I've been told this before that as more people find out about us and spouses and parents find out about what we're doing, it gives them reassurance that there is now an organization that is overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly supported by our, by our community in Kansas City. That God forbid, they are in need. We just show up. There's no questions asked. I just show up at the hospital. My board tells me, just write checks and take care of them and then we can turn into a community resource with our community partners. It's incredible.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Well, it's a wonderful organization and I see that you do so many different types of fundraisers. Let's talk about some of those.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about something happy for a second. Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 1:So I saw something about like a whiskey tasting or something like that and a ladies night, or trivia or so.
Speaker 2:Take us through all that.
Speaker 1:The good old ladies night.
Speaker 2:I've been strong armed into hosting that every year by my wife now and her friends. 2023 was a particularly violent year for law enforcement. The first couple months that year in 2023, we, across the Kansas City metro area, we had eight total police officers shot and two line of duty deaths. Officer Joan Oswald was killed in Fairway, kansas, that year. And then we also lost Jim Moldbauer and his canine champ with KCPD that year. And then we also lost Jim Mohlbauer and his canine champ with KCPD that year.
Speaker 2:And we were donating a ton of money and I was terrified, to be real honest with you. So we threw together literally threw together a ladies night event called Singo Bingo at Stonehouse Winery here in Lee summit. A friend of mine owns it and gives me the venue for free and he's incredible. And uh, we host 180 ladies, a friend of mine who's a DJ. We put together a single bingo list. Still, to this day, have no idea what we're doing, but they don't know that because they have such a good time and you know, I put I put 16 to 18 guys in nice polos like this one and we we cater to the ladies and we don't let them we don't let them get up and get anything for themselves, and I, you know, um, I think they're deserving of that, because they overwhelmingly support us, cause, you know, honestly, let's be honest, um, majority of spouses are, are female in these professions, right? So it's a night for them. It's a night for them, so, and my wife included, so we have a good time.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's really cool, I love that. And there's wine involved, so it has to be fun there is a lot of wine, a lot of man.
Speaker 2:They drink some wine. Yes, they do.
Speaker 1:And then what's the whiskey? Event?
Speaker 2:So, um, we host a whiskey raffle. I sell tickets through the month of February and then the first Thursday of every March we do a live whiskey raffle and try to raise as much money as we can. Obviously, we have between 40 and 60 allocated bottles of bourbon that are really hard to find and very allocated, and a lot of retailers in the Kansas City community reach out to us and get involved with us and get these, get these bottles into some good hands for a good cause. So we have a lot of fun. Um, drawn cherry with the Kansas City former Kansas City Chiefs, and he he runs a drawn cherry foundation is involved with this and Lydia Taylor with Q104 is, uh, uh, the face of it. Thank god her and not me um, and she draws the names and we just we have a good time, you know, and it's it's a lot of people just enjoy it.
Speaker 2:The bourbon community is very giving. I'll go to houses and drop off a bottle and they'll donate to from their own bar once they learn about us and the cause. You know the cause is a lot of people don't even know that this need exists. I think it's the biggest misconception in Kansas City, maybe even across both states that there are just things in place for our men and women that serve, and the fact of the matter is there isn't. You know, when you have an officer shot in the head laying in a hospital bed, his spouse gets a 40-hour week check to support that family. There's nothing above and beyond that through the cities that they swear an oath to give their life for, or even this great state of ours, and it's just, it's wrong, I think it's just wrong.
Speaker 2:But rather than sit and dwell on what they haven't done, I just decided to move forward and spread the message, be an advocate for them in our first responder community. Extremely underpaid, overworked, way overstressed, and then you throw a catastrophic injury with a financial burden and you'd see a family dissolve. And I refuse to allow that to happen anymore in Kansas City. I just refuse.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, good for you. You're amazing. Thank you so much. Oh my gosh, good for you. You're amazing. Thank you so much, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not really me, though, it's Kansas City. Once they hear this, they're just like how can we help? Can we come to events? If we don't want to come to events, how can we get involved? And we, you know, we do our 9-11,. $9.11 a month is something we've asked the Kansas City community to do and it's a reoccurring donation. Yeah, 9-11 is near and dear to most of our hearts. Yeah, september 11th, and we watched those heroes run into those buildings knowing they were probably going to die. So it's a tribute to them as well, and it's a minimal amount donated to serve the greater good of Kansas City. Yeah, yeah, it's doing well.
Speaker 1:So I'm assuming that's just on your website, that everyone can go in and they can click that button and $9.11 comes out of their account every month. It goes to you. It's something that people would not even notice, like it's-.
Speaker 2:You don't even notice. It's a cup of coffee, a fancy coffee it's a yes, something like that it is. It's a coffee.
Speaker 1:It's a yes, Something like that it is. It's a fancy coffee.
Speaker 2:And you know, honestly, I did it with the first responders of mine because I'm really trying to get our local first responders involved in this too, because you know your son can probably relate when, when you have somebody injured or ill within the department, you pass the boot around, you pass the pass the hat Right. I tell them I'm like fellas, you don't have to do this anymore, the hat's been passed. The Kansas City community is now taking this burden on and they're starting to recognize what's going on. When the hat's passed. You know, two or three months down the road you get a check. No, two or three hours, yeah, two or three hours, it's wonderful.
Speaker 1:And I can tell you, I've seen it because I've been in too many damn hospital rooms, unfortunately been in too many damn hospital rooms, unfortunately the last 10 years of my life, but I can tell you when those tears start to flow, they're tears of relief, yeah, yeah, well, and we've seen here firsthand we're just south of Lewisburg, kansas, and so we've seen recently, firsthand excuse me, goodness, I'm getting choked up with the Juarez family when the firefighter was in that tragic accident where, just a freak thing, where the truck went through the building and killed him and left his wife and four children. So those things happen and it's so terrible.
Speaker 2:They do. They happen, you know. The wonderful thing is that there are a ton of resources for line of duty deaths. We've seen them far too often in Kansas City and those families thankfully they're taken care of financially, as they should be. In my opinion, they should want for nothing the rest of their lives, just like our military that are killed overseas fighting for us. I don't think they should ever want for anything. That's just my personal opinion. The problem is is when they survive the incident, when they're burned up in a structure, fire over 90% of their body and they can't work anymore. And now you have that void, that paycheck that's just not going to show up anymore like it used to, that insurance, the overtime and the off duty and the extra jobs that your son probably works, because firefighters have a lot of extra jobs to make ends meet and pay the bills. You know our men and women that serve they don't pay their bills with their hourly rate, they just don't because they can't they work.
Speaker 2:That's why you just never see them, because they're always working overtime and off-duty. You take them off the job for months at a time and that off duty and overtime job doesn't pay anymore because they can't work them. And, man, they will be crushed financially almost immediately.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:That's where we step in.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh my gosh. So besides those two events and the $9.11 that people can do monthly, do you have other events, and I'm assuming there's also just a link that you can donate a lump sum?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely yeah. So we have a ton of events. This is what I do now. I feel like I'm an event planner, producer, executor, all the things. We have a great event. This is our sixth year. It's become one of the best events in Kansas City and that's our trivia night and that'll be in November of this year. Last year we had about 425 people under one roof. We raised $130,000.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's turned into a great event. So that's on our website. Those dates will come out here in the coming weeks. We are hosting our first ever Answering the Call Resiliency Gala and I had been humbugged and bullied for years about having a gala and I just, you know, I didn't really just want to have something where people just showed up and just donated money. I really wanted a theme and the word resiliency popped into my head because they are so damn resilient. Word resiliency popped into my head because they are so damn resilient With what they go through, the catastrophic injuries that they sustain, the terrible illnesses, and they survive or they fight hard and long enough to take care of their families right, and that's deep-rooted resiliency. So we're going to host a resiliency gala at the end of May, may 31st. It's our first one and we're going to tell five stories from five recipients for the last 10 years and we're going to put a face and a family with the stories that you've heard about and I'm excited, a little nervous, but I'm really excited.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm sure it'll be great. Now, where is that held?
Speaker 2:That's going to be held in Lee's Summit at the John Knox Pavilion.
Speaker 1:Where is that held? That's going to be held in Lee's Summit at the John Knox. Pavilion. Okay Okay, I remember reading that on your site. Okay yeah, nice. Ah, so, and then are you opening it up to.
Speaker 2:is there a limited number? You know that place holds 700 people. We're hoping for 300. I think we have just over 200 in attendance right now. I know there's additional tables going to be bought. There's definitely some sponsorships still available if the Kansas City community wants to get involved and get sponsors sponsorships for the event. So, yeah, it's going to be a great night we host. I hate to say this and that sounds very arrogant, but I think our events are just the blast and it's more than just about raising money. It's more than just about everybody having a good time. It's exposing the need that just so many people don't even understand exists. And it's always humbling when that recipient and or their spouse want to come back and just donate, donate their time for what we did for them or tell their story. You know you can go on our website. I don't know if you did, but you can go on our website and see their stories. There's a few there and they're pretty impactful.
Speaker 2:And so I thought about, instead of just putting a story on social media, why don't we put a face with it and and really tell that story in person over a nice dinner with? A nice crowd and maybe raise a little bit of money for our, for our cause. So that's what the resiliency gal is going to be all about.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, I'm sure it will be amazing, and there's just something so special about just the community when it comes together. I mean it's just palpable. You can feel it. Everyone's supporting everyone. So I think that'll be a wonderful event. I'm excited for you.
Speaker 2:Maybe we'll see you there.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, okay, we will have to get signed up for that, yeah.
Speaker 2:It'd be great to have you. So your son's a firefighter then.
Speaker 1:He is in Raytown, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, great. Yeah, we helped out a Raytown fire captain about two years ago he had cancer.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you, yeah, yeah, of course, yeah, so what else would you want?
Speaker 2:the listeners to know how can they find you? Yeah, you know, I just I think, more than anything I want folks to know that these men and women swear an oath and they take it very literally to serve and protect our community. And and so I really am passionate about serving them at a time when they themselves are in need. And I've said this before and I know I said a little bit ago, but it is our duty. It's our duty and if we can get the vast majority of Kansas City you know probably what 1.5 million, almost 2 million people KC Metro wide to get involved with us in some level, we can impact their lives the way they need to be, the way they deserve to be, and really eliminate that stress. You know the stress of hearing your son go to work every day.
Speaker 2:My mom had two sons that got into the job within six months of each other. My brother's still a detective sergeant and in the early 2000s she would sit around and listen to the police scanner and she would call me and she's like Are you going on that? And I'm like what are you doing awake, ma? You know it's 1230 at night. Yeah, the poor woman was stressed beyond belief, but they do it. They do it because it's built into the fiber of their soul.
Speaker 2:And to be able to walk into a room, a hospital room, where an officer has been shot, catastrophically injured, and see his spouse and his two young kids. It's a very somber setting. It's heartbreaking, to be honest with you, but the relief that we can bring to them almost immediately, I wish everyone in Kansas City could see it. And they don't ask for a lot, they don't need a lot and my pastor said it best it's carrying and lightening their load and carrying their pack. I'm going to lighten your load and carry your pack just for a little bit. Myself and the entire community is going to lighten that load. I want to give it back to you because it's extremely heavy. It's a heavy damn pack. But let me lighten your load for just a little bit. You get to be selfish for once in your life. The sweet little wife and those beautiful little kids are going to be taken care of by myself and this community and you get to focus on yourself. And then we want them back out there on that street and in that firehouse, because that's where we need them more than anything, and the safety and security of our community means nothing without them. I'm biased, I'm extremely biased in saying we have the best nonprofit mission in Kansas City. And, trust me, I love children I do, I have two of my own but without the safety and security and showing them that there is now an organization that steps into their life when they themselves need it the most. Man, you just can't give back. You can't give that back.
Speaker 2:And so, yeah, the community can find us at our website, which is ATC911.org. Um, they can click on the donate button and set up a one-time donation or a reoccurring donation of any amount that they would like. It doesn't have to be 9-11. It can be $20 and 11 cents, $29 and 11 cents,11, some numerical number with 9-11 in it. I think it's just kind of a cool process to have in place and then come out to our events if they'd like.
Speaker 2:You know, if there's business community in Kansas City that would like to know more about us, I will go to your front door and sit down with you across the table. I'll do it with anybody Between here, lawrence to St Joe. I just I believe in it that passionately, and one thing I always like to throw out to the donors is it's very important to me that they know where their money goes. So 99.9% of every dollar stays right here in Kansas City. It supports the men and women that drive up and down our city streets at 3 am and respond to our family's calls for help. But I have to be really honest when I say there's that 1%. When I get a phone call from Springfield Police Department that they had an officer ambush and run over the front lot and spine was severed when he was hit by a car, I just don't say no to that I won't, yeah, I won't say no to that, um, and everybody's very understanding uh, sure of that as well.
Speaker 1:So, sure, sure, yeah, uh well, ronnie, thank you so much for sharing your story, for doing what you do and helping the entire community, the whole nation. You are just amazing, so thank you so much hey for having me.
Speaker 2:I'd love to come back on sometime and maybe give an update.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. We'll have to go to the gala and then I can update.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come on out. I love it. That'd be great. It's really nice meeting you.
Speaker 1:It's so nice to meet you. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Have a good day.
Speaker 1:Okay, wow, I hope that you really felt that conversation and I want to say a huge thank you to Ronnie for being on the show, for doing what he does, helping so many families in need. It's just an amazing organization and what a wonderful man that just had this vision to help others and giving back. So now it's your turn. It is your turn to give back to first responders in a way that they will truly need it and most of us will never know the need. So I just encourage you to go to the website act911.org so A-C-T-9-1-11.org, so act911.org and either click that donation button and do a lump sum, sign up for the 9-11 monthly, look at all of their events, get involved in this organization. You're just going to be impacting so many families, and another thing that you can do that would be recommended is share this episode with a friend, put it on social media. Let's help get the word out about this wonderful organization. So thank you so much for listening. Stay safe. Thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:If you're enjoying this podcast, be sure to follow Spandex and Wine so you don't miss an episode. To do this, just go to the podcast and click subscribe or follow. Wherever you're listening, look for the plus sign or follow button. This is one of the best things that you can do for the podcast. If you'd also be willing to give a five-star review, that would be amazing and much appreciated. Lastly, please share an episode with a friend or five to keep the love going, and join the Spandex and Wine community in our private Facebook group by searching Spandex and Wine. Feel free to reach out to me at any time by emailing info at spandexandwinecom or text me at 913-392-2877. I appreciate you, thank you.
