Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rally pointers fun.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
In, good afternoon and morning wherever you're going to be
in the world today across the world. This is James
the Sarchim Mary with Amena Malachiato Lecano here with you
at the rally point.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
And of course we have the man behind the microphone
day in the brain. How are we doing today, folks.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm good, loving life and folks.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
We have an outstaying show today.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Our first segment on today's show, we have Nathan Long.
He works for the City of Northport, but he's also
a veteran and a big brother with big brothers big
sisters of the Sun Coast. So welcome to the show. Nate,
Good morning, Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Good morning, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Well. So let's talk about your military service first, because
you come from a military family, right, and then you
ended up joining the military yourself. So tell our listeners
about that.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Okay. I grew up in the Air Force. My father,
my father was a security police. I grew up in
Ellsworth Air Force Base and out Dakota. I was planning
on joining the Army. Are not the Army the Air
Force my whole life, but I ended up joining the Army.
I actually joined after nine to eleven happened. That was
(01:14):
my deciding factor. I already figured I was going to join,
but that was kind of my deciding factor. I served
from two thousand and two to twenty ten in the Army.
I have a little different kind of background you want
me to go into, please, So, like I said, my
father was in the security police, and that's always what
(01:37):
I wanted to do growing up. When I went to
test and everything for the military, I tested partially color blind,
so I had to My choices of jobs dwindled down dramatically,
and so I took a job of administrative and administrative position.
(02:00):
But thankfully when I joined I they put me into
a military police unit so I could be involved with that,
and we we ran our Our main objective was a
prisoner of war camp. So I was deployed to Iraq
(02:22):
and two thousand and four, two thousand and five, well,
I'll take it back a little bit. I was deployed
supposed to deploy the first wave two thousand and three,
but our Michigan got canceled two days before.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Wow, And so that's a mind messer right there.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So then we came home. I actually finished a quarter
of college when I came home. I was in the
Army reserves, and then we deployed again. And for everyone
that's been in the military, I was deployed to the
infamous Abu Grabe.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I was wondering when you said prisoner of war campsulls.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
Yeah, so I always like to put out there that
we replaced the unit.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
The infamous unit.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Got it, famous unit, we replaced them photos yep. So
that was made me grow up quick. I'm sure made
grow up quick. So I was, Uh. I spent my
twenty first birthday over in Iraq, So it was, uh.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So you're you're kind of like that song in a way.
You spent twenty one turned twenty one years old in
a prison, do you just weren't the prisoner, right?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
So yeah, I met you know, all kinds, all kinds
of people, you know, in process to Dam's bodyguard, in
processed out, processed over ten thousand you know inmates there.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
So yeah, it was quite the experience. So that was
definitely my you know, most experienced. When it came to,
you know, the deployment, I was going to deploy again.
I was getting very close to getting out and was
deploying again. My wife was pregnant with our first child.
(04:12):
So I was lucky enough to be able to stay
back finish out my time. And you know, so that's
that's my experience with the with the military there.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So then when you got out of the military, were
you serving with the reserves here in Florida.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
No, up in Ohio, Oh Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So then how did you find your way down here
to Florida the vacation.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
So actually, when I got out of the military, I
actually went into corrections. I was I worked in I
worked sheriff's department for a while, then I went state
prison and then we moved. When vacation down here, I
was going to continue down here. My wife was like,
(05:01):
why don't you try try to find something different, so,
you know, and I I actually, you know, I had
my college and my degree is in criminal justice as well,
so it was kind of you know, it was a struggle.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Trying to find something different.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Something different. I possed around at only trying to find
something and finally I found my way back to government,
and uh, that's where I am, and you know, it's
where I'll stay. But but yeah, just vacation down here
in Florida, and I was like, Okay, no gloomy winters,
no cold, no snow.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I would say, no shoveling, sne you can't shovel selling point.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yeah, so yeah, that was a that was a huge
selling point. My wife just told me if I could
find a job making what I made at the prison,
that I could come down to move down here.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
So we did it.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Oh wow, So how then did you find your way
to the path that led to getting involved with Big
Brothers and Big Sister.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
So the city of Northport actually has a program with
Big Brothers Big Sisters where we are you know, have
a program and they get to come and we do
different things each month where we tourur different facilities and
learn different things for the kids. Because you know, now
(06:17):
everyone's path is college, not everyone's path is military stuff
like that. So we always want to give these kids
an opportunity to see what is out there for the city.
And also if you do go to college that you
can still come back, go to the military, you can
still come back. There's jobs there too. Uh, you know,
get involved with the city and have a nice you know,
(06:40):
career and make decent money. I when I when I hired,
when I hire back, the city here. They they asked
me if anybody was interested and with their the program
they have of being a kind of a mentor, and
so I kind of looked into it because I coach
a lot of travel basketball for you know, middle school boys,
(07:04):
and I also did I've coached middle school girls and
boys at Sky Academy in Englewood.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Nice regulations.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
So that was.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
That in its own is almost a mentoring also, so
I was like, yeah, I'd like to, you know, to
be involved. And that's where that's where I got got
into it.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
And uh, how long have you been working with Big
Brothers Big Sisters?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Almost two years now? Okay, almost two years now.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
So well, first I want to start off by saying
thank you for your sacrifice as a fellow brethren, MP
and Army hook.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You just want to remind me that I'm out for
today in America.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So don't you know, usually while I'm sitting behind the microphone,
I'm out number by the Air Force or the Marine.
So today I'm taking around that there's more army than
anybody got starting.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
To happen more frequently, if you notice.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I'm starting to figure that out. But one of the
things I wanted to plot our guests about is his
transition back home though you had family and developing family
along the way, you kind of transition that and parlayed
it into a good life with your family and your community.
Not to mention one of the things coming back from
(08:26):
being an MP in the army or whichever branch, you
have a certain skill set and it's kind of hard
to broker that once you transition out of the military
because either law enforcement first responder or fireman E.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
M s.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
And then some derivative administration of that. Myself, MP came
to Florida straight the state prison because it was a
natural fit because you have that mindset, you know, and
to parlay that in transition that excuse me into children.
We have a depending on our back concerts are differently different.
(09:02):
We're able to educate our local kids that, you know what,
you may not be college bound, but there's a pluth
throw of things you can do without that college education
as just that's plentiful to have a good, successful life
and without even taking second guess about it, you just
became a mentor. And Big Brothers Big Sisters has been
(09:22):
a big part of the Charlicke County mentorship program that
we're trying to get off the ground whereby we can
give our vetans something to strive for while educating our youth.
And I want to say thank you for kind of
putting that in emotion before and is actually organized. So
thank you very much. And my first question would be
is for yourself, do you find the mendorship program of
(09:45):
rewarding action for yourself and what do you what do
you feel that you get out being a mentor for children.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Yes, it's very rewarding because well, you got to take
every situation differently because every child has a different story. Yes,
so you have to approach it differently. And I think
it's very awarding, just not just for them, for for
myself as well, because making an impact and they're in
(10:14):
these uh children's lives the breakthrough, I think is what's
the best because you know their stand office at first,
and you know and then also you also have the
new era of technology that you have to try to
compete with of cell phones and everything else. Try to
get them to socialize as well. But trust and like
(10:38):
my my first my first little you know, I I
told him, I kept telling him, Hey, I'm going to
come to one of your football games, and he, uh,
he was just like yeah, yeah. I kept saying, you
got to give me a schedule, he got to give
me a schedule. So finally I got a schedule and
without not from him, but I got it and I said, Hey,
(10:58):
I'm going to be there this this Friday, and he
just kind of like okay. Well then the look on
his face when I kept calling him out when he
was walking off the field was like, you know, actually
like holy crap, you just you just came and you
really did do what you said. And so you know that,
(11:20):
I think that was the breakthrough with us, because then
he was like he really does care. And that's the
biggest thing, like I've noticed even coaching. You know, these
younger kids, Uh, they have to know you care before
they will open up. And you know, and you have
(11:42):
to you have to work at that and sometimes it's hard,
and but uh, at the end of the day, it's
so rewarding to see now my my first little me
and him can sit down and we can have full
on conversations and it was used to be one two
words and it's like trying, you know, to pry things
(12:04):
out of him. And I think it went so well
that they they gifted me with another and now I
have to to this year. And you know, the nice
thing is why we were they big brothers, big stitches.
They try to they do their homework and see who
will fit best with who. And I think that was
(12:28):
that's really that's really good because you know, I have
a lot of athletics that I do and stuff like that.
And the first one I the first little I got,
he was and he's a wrestler and he did football,
and so that kind of put us together and kids
smart as a whip man. He's I think he was
(12:50):
either class president or vice vice president this last year.
He's looking to be an engineer, wants to go to Florida.
So it's cool to to mentor these young, you know
men and just get to see having goals so goal
(13:11):
oriented and some of them aren't. Some of them need
you know that, you know, just you know, guidance. And
I guess I guess I shouldn't said they're not goal oriented.
They are goal oriented, they.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Just don't know what their goals are. So they need
a little bit of direction from somebody. And that sounds
like what you're doing by going around and showing them
all the different avenues and opportunities that are out there,
because I will admit I'm in my forties now and
I still sometimes feel like I don't know what I
want to be when I grow up. Like doing this show,
this is one of the first things that I've ever
(13:43):
been like, Yeah, this is what I want to do.
This is what I'm happy with. And it took me
forty how many years? Right, So, like at fourteen, I
had no clue. I didn't know. I mean, so these kids,
some of them, some of them, they just know. They're
just innately, they're born with knowing what they want to
be when they grow up, and some of us aren't.
Some of us just kind of have to meander along
(14:03):
that path and kind of come to it some way
or another. It's not always a straight line. So it's
good that you are able to be there as like
the guidance, the direction to some degree maybe even somewhat
of a buffer to kind of help influence them to
at least make good choices along the way to wherever
they're going to go right and help and give them
ideas and options. That's that's wonderful. And the fact that
(14:26):
you have too, that's pretty impressive as well. But yeah,
I would definitely say, like the breakthrough is probably I
can't imagine when like when you see that they meet
a goal or they achieve something that they've been wanting
to do, or maybe they didn't know they would achieve
it and they did. That's got to be pretty rewarding
to know that you're a part of that journey.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Yeah, it's very rewarding. Like I said, it's it's I know,
you have some some people have hobbies, and I'd say,
this is like, I don't. I guess I don't know
really how to explain it. It's not really a hobby,
but it's it's.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yeah, absolutely, passion is a good way to put it,
because mentorship is a passion because it's something beyond yourself.
With mentorship, it's not about you. It's about wanting to
help somebody else, you know, reach their goals or be
better or you know, maybe you're in a position where,
like in the military, most times your mentors are people
(15:25):
who are higher ranking than you, kind of thing. So
you're an adult, they're a teenager, and so for you,
it's a matter of helping them make that transition from
childhood to adulthood and do so successfully because maybe there
are risk factors in their lives that could potentially, you know,
thwart their path somehow, but at least you being there
(15:47):
helps add an extra layer of reassurance to help, you know,
make sure they stay on track, they do the right thing,
and that they reach their goals. So yeah, passion, I
would definitely agree with that word.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Do you feel and I hate, I hate, I love it?
Do you feel that when you're mentoring your your your
kids that the army or your military experience comes into play?
Because the way I perceive mentorship is kind of like
the basic training mentality. You're not a you, it's us.
If you fail, we fail, So we're not going to
(16:21):
fail today. How do you feel about how do you
feel that mentorship relationship works is ideal between the potential
mentor and a mente. What do you think are the
key key aspects that should be in a good mentor
e mentee relationship?
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Well, one, you have to be a role model to them,
you know, and you are correct, it's reflection. So we
go to a lot of different places and you know,
throughout the city and see a lot of different people
and so those littles are reflection of me in a
way of a squad leader's squad as reflection of them.
(16:59):
So that definitely plays a part. Military is always embedded
in y. You're always gonna have something that refers you
back to to that. And yeah, and even if they're
you know, you know, they're still kids. They kind of
get off tracks. Sometimes you kind of gotta, you know,
put them back in line a little bit and uh
(17:20):
to let them know, like, hey, don't don't be doing that,
you know, straighten up right now. And like and like
I said, I've gained that good relationship with both of
mine that they're like my bad night, you know, they
usually straighten right back up. Or if there was something
a little off that day, I had to correct them
(17:41):
more than once. Like I'll usually get a message later
that day, Hey, I apologize for so I said, I got,
I got really, I got blessed these last you know,
almost two years now with the two kids, I've I've
got where they you know, it's not always like that,
and it was part of big brothers, big sisters, but
(18:02):
coaching is somewhat of the same. And you know, I
have one boy that you know, and this this could
go with big brothers, big sisters as well. Is where
I said, yeah, each story is different, like some might
not have a father in their life or a mother,
and some will have problems with men in general of
(18:28):
saying like, oh, every man leaves my life. So they
they are very stand offish or they try to push
you away. And I have this one boy that ah,
that's what he did to me. I I got him
to play for our travel team and he he played.
(18:48):
He was very uh, he's He's taught me a lot
when it comes to just as being a mentor and
a and a coach. Like I was yelling at him
at one game, you know, trying and again, and he
waved me off during the game and I was like what.
I was like, sub you know, and he said the
rest of the game. So after he words, he didn't
(19:08):
talk to me. So I went up and talked to him,
and I was like, what's your problem. He goes, you
yelled at me. I was like, yep, I did, and
he goes, you yelled at me, but you never explained
to me why or what I could do, so I
wouldn't be making that mistake. And I said, I get it.
I said, you know if I want to correct you,
I better tell you how to do it correctly. And
(19:31):
so you know that. Then you know, after the season everything,
Then I coached football and he was on there and
he was like, I'm not playing for your you know,
trash team. He's playing you know all this stuff, and
I was like, that's fine, you don't have to and
then you know, he he finally did come through, and
it he made me realize that every kid is different
(19:53):
and you cannot treat everyone the same exact way.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
You have to figure out what makes them tick and
you have to try to figure out like it's like parenting.
I mean, I have two boys and they are polar
opposites in certain ways, like one of them same. I
have to explain like what the problem is, what can
you do differently? And the hard part is is I
have to stop myself from like talking too much, like
(20:19):
overierating the point to him, because after a while he'll
be like, I got it, MO, I'm fine. But then
the younger one takes more initiative so he doesn't need
as much guidance in that regard, but then when he
does something, he needs more of the feedback piece where
the other one needs more of the guidance. So yeah,
absolutely all kids are wired differently and no two are
(20:40):
the same. So I would imagine with you know, mentoring
much like coaching, like you kind of have to take
the time. When I was a supervisor, I did the
same thing. I would ask my hearman, like what makes
you tick? What pisses you off? What motivates you if
you really want something, what will motivate you to work
for it? To try to figure out how best to
help them get to that next level, or help them
(21:01):
reach their goal, or you know, at least make up
make it to their potential that I knew they were
capable of. You you have to know those pieces of
them to really be able to bring that out of them.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
And that brings back to your one question you said
about the military. You got to you got to figure
out your people. Yeah, and what makes them tick in
what's going to make it work for you as a
as a as a squad.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
So who's what who? Parents pair them off of their
their opposites, of the compliment one another, and go I
don't want to see neither one of you by yourself.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
Oh I see you too.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I want to see the other right next to earth
and five feet and they figure it out in between
and and that's amazing. Next question I have for you, Nate,
is when you find yourself doing like a coaching or
being a mentor, what key aspects do you think that
does for you? And what do you think prospective veterans
(21:55):
who wanted to be a mentor or a coach would
need to kind of basics to have to put themselves
in that role they are in becoming a mentor, so.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
To speak, with advice you would offer the people that
are considering, I.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Would I would first off say, take yourself back to
when you were a kid. Would you want someone that's
going to help you in your journey of life along
the way, because you know, it's you know, I was
(22:28):
blessed to have both my parents, but it would also
have been to have, you know, and I have some
you know, old coaches that I still we're kind of
my mentors. I still have those guys that I can
reach out to and talk to. So it's always nice
to have more than just that, you know. I always
(22:49):
say it takes a village, you know, so it does
another T shirt.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Yeah, I say that a lot, So yes, I agree wholeheartedly.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
But one of my biggest things, if the people that
are thinking about it is I always say invest in
our youth because they are a future absolutely and we
all know, you know, our future you know is kind of.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It can look a little sometimes.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Yeah, globbly at sometimes, and so I just feel that
these guys are a future and we need to invest
in them and you know, give them all the tools
needed to be successful in life and as when they
become an adult, and not just as an adult, as
a as a youth.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
So another question for you know, from your perspective people
that are maybe considering this opportunity, how do you feel
that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sun Coast helped prepare
you to be a mentor? Like are there orientations or
classes per se or consultations where they can kind of
(23:57):
if somebody's out there saying, I would really love to
do this, but I just don't feel like I'm equipped.
I don't feel like I would know what to do.
Are there resources that were given to you when you
volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters to just kind of
help you get started and find your rhythm as a
big brother?
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Yes, so they they do. They do their background on you.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Big background check.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, mandatory, and it's a and that's a good that's
a good thing. And but they do sit down with
you as in a one on one it's almost like
an interview. So therefore you can answer your questions. They
give you all the all your contacts information if you need,
if you have questions, and with you And I was
I was thinking it was going to be like a
(24:40):
fifteen minute thing, but it was, you know, our hour
and a half and it was it was like training.
It was an interview, but they were also going over
everything that dos and don't. If you have questions, you
have this. They were phone numbers. Yeah, they they equip
you with everything you need because you know, this is
(25:00):
what they do and it's a great thing. And yeah,
they were like in the military also, we're there people,
so we're if we put them on front street and
make them reflect on correct.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Yeah, it's and it's good to know too that they
make sure that the mentors never like roam alone if
you will, And I think that could really be something
that helps if folks are listening and they're considering being
a mentor. I think knowing that it's like the tools
will be given to you. You will have resources, you
will have people like, you'll have lifelines you can reach
(25:38):
out to if you need advice, or if you have questions,
or if maybe God forbid, something just doesn't seem to
be going right between you and you're little, you can
reach out to someone and ask for guidance, ask for advice,
try to figure that out so that you can have
a productive relationship with that little. I think that really
(25:58):
helps people to know if their things thinking about volunteering,
and then also what is the time investment like is
because some people probably think they might not fully understand,
like what is the expectation of time given to mentoring
every month?
Speaker 4 (26:16):
So it's really what you put into it. They're going
to give you the city and big brothers big sister
are gonna give you like a little time frame of
what the time is you actually have to be together
because it's a program. But I'm going to say majority,
excuse me, majority of them have gave out phone numbers,
(26:40):
gave out emails, and they are communicating outside of the
work areas because I know, like I had mine one
of my littles, it was he needed wrestling shoes and
his classes were broke. So and big brothers big sisters
are so great. They have you know, they have scholarships
(27:03):
everything for for these littles, and such a great program
where they can help out with, you know, kind of
like a wish list of things you need, and they're
they're they're so great at So I was always like, hey,
you know, have you have you gotten your have you
received your uh you know, money for your glasses and
(27:23):
you know, back and forth. So yeah, it's.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Like I said, uh, it's what you put into.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
What you put into it. Yeah, And so it's not
just a little once a month, you know, like one
of my boys, he he just uh uh he played
he plays basketball. And there is someone that uh newspaper
photographer posts a picture of him. So I made sure
I took that and I sent it to him so
(27:51):
he could have that. And you know, we just decorated
the Christmas scene for when Santa comes to the city.
We decorated the tree and everything like that. So it's
like I said, it's it's all about what you what
you put into it. And most of the ones from
(28:12):
the city are pretty invested. It's cool to see awesome.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
And so for those of you listening, if you're at
all interested in getting involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters
of the Suncoast. Their website is BBB S s U
N like Big Brothers Big Sisters Suncoast dot O RG,
So that's BBB S s U N dot O r G.
(28:39):
And if you hit the little side menu, there's a
section that says volunteer. You can click that and get
more information and get started on the application process to
become a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I believe
there's a wait list of at least one hundred, over
one hundred kids for sure in Charlotte County better awaiting
(29:01):
a mentor. So hopefully by telling your story, Nate, thank
you so much for being on the show with us
today telling sign up, Yeah, absolutely, hopefully that will motivate
more folks in general, but especially veterans, to rise up
and go ahead and take on the challenge of mentoring
a little brother or a little sister.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
And always remember, you veterans, you have skills sets that
are valuable for these kids. You can teach them how
to build thosels their self esteem by justifying what makes
them tick and giving a little self esteem and making
them feel pride in themselves, and when we get old
and busted, the other one's leading us and helping us
out when we're when it's our time to.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Thank them absolutely. Thanks again for being on the show, Nate,
We appreciate you time.
Speaker 5 (29:45):
I'm Staff Stargeant, Mark.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
And Staff Stars and Samantha Cat Staff Sergeant, staff Stargant
William Lewis, and I am proud to defend my family
and our nation.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
The Air Force Reserve is part of the story of
this great nature.
Speaker 7 (29:57):
Grateful that I have a chance to wear the uniform
of the heroes that were before me.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I'm proud to be part of a team that helps
make a difference in the world.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
Every day. Men and women from communities across this nation
serve as Reserve citizen Airmen. Even as technology evolves and changes,
our commitment to defend and protect this nation remains steadfast.
We celebrate those who have served and those who are
proudly serving. We celebrate our proud history and look towards
(30:26):
an exciting and uniting future. Our mission is to fly,
fight and win in air space and cyber space.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
And I am proud to be a member, and I'm
proud to serve in the night and I am proud
to protect our country, proud.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
To serve in the US Air Force Reserve Afreserve dot com.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
All right, and our next guest that we have today
is Amanda Sasato. She is here with us from the
Women Veteran Calendar Initiative. And so, Sarge, we know that
you have a soft spot in your heart for women veterans,
so you'll love to know this. This is a grassroots
organization that's based out of San Antonio, Texas, and their
mission is to raise awareness for women veterans and give
(31:09):
back to organizations that support women veterans as well as
inspiring the next generation of women service members. And you
have twin daughters, so yes, I do near and dear
to your heart on that last end, huh, you already.
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Know, you already know.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
And by the way, Amanda, thank you for your service.
Speaker 7 (31:26):
Yes, oh, thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Thanks for being on the show this morning. We're excited
to have you talk about the Woman Veteran Calendar Initiative.
But before we get to that, tell us about your
military career.
Speaker 7 (31:40):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. My military
career was pretty pretty standard, twenty years in the Air Force.
I actually grew up in a very small town, and
so I knew I wanted to join the Air Force
and get away from my little rural town in Massachusetts.
And I was heavily influenced growing up by my grandmother,
(32:01):
who was very patriotic member of the VFW Auxiliary and
her brother, my uncle Harry, who was killed in World
War Two. So it was always my dream to serve
my country and live a life that would make my
uncle Harry proud.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Awesome, very cool. Well as far as your service, like,
what was your career field?
Speaker 7 (32:19):
Oh, yes, I was. I was in the medical field,
and I deployed twice. So those people that you see
in the cool movies in Iraq and the war movies
and stuff, carrying the patients off of the helicopter and
taking care of them in the tent hospital, that was
my job in the Air Force.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Awesome, very cool. Well, So as far as how did
you come to be involved with Women Veterancounter initip, How
did that even come into existence? Because I take it
you're probably one of the pioneering members of that group.
Speaker 7 (32:51):
Yes, so there was a group of us on Facebook actually,
and we have you know, there's several group for all
kinds of flavors on Facebook, right.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
So we're mutual members of some of those groups together.
Speaker 7 (33:05):
And yes, so I think women veterans, I think a
lot of us are looking for a community, especially when
we get out because we're such a small percentage of
the American population, but also of the veteran population. So
woman veterans, you know, we need our own community. And
(33:26):
that's not to throche at male veterans at all. It's
just that, you know, for for us to feel like
we can really have a community and talk about things
that affect women veterans, it's nice to be around other
women veterans. So the idea of the calendar actually came
up when in one of those Facebook groups, one of
the girls said, I wish we could do a photo shoot,
you know, and do it with my sisters, you know,
(33:47):
military sisters. And I said, oh my gosh, what if
we made a woman veteran calendar? And a bunch of
girls commented and said, yes, let's do this. So we
we formed a group on Facebook and now we're over
thirteen hundred women veterans strong. It's called the Facebook Woman
Veteran Calendar Community, and that is the group that really
(34:09):
makes the decisions for the calendar and decides you know,
which nonprofits we're gonna donate our proceeds too, and that's
where we make all the calendar decisions together.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Absolutely. I know I've shared your publicity poster that was
made by a member of the group recently telling some
my sisters like, hey, you need to get in on this.
You need to submit for this. Shouldn't say probably you
need to, but we love each other and have to say,
you know, to kind of tell each other about ourselves.
But can you tell us how someone can go ahead
(34:42):
and apply to be or will not apply? I guess
isn't right the right word? But how can someone submit
their information to be included in the calendar?
Speaker 7 (34:51):
Yeah, yeah, we welcome. We welcome all and any woman
veterans to be a part of this exciting project. We're
all so excited about it. So twenty twenty four was
our inaugural year. And the way it works is you
send in your photos and biography two hundred and fifty
words about give or take to a Woman Veteran Calendar
(35:15):
at gmail dot com, and I will put all your
pictures together and make sure they're high enough resolution for
printing and I'll put your biography in the format for
the calendar and I'll send it back to you and say, hey,
does this look good? And the bottom line, we want
to include everybody. We've never turned anybody away. The only
issue we've had so far is unfortunately pictures not being
(35:38):
high enough resolutions. So you do want to make sure
you send in those high quality pictures and make sure
you own the right to those pictures because if we
get sued, we won't be able to give any money
to the nonprofits that we chose.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Understand Aman is sorry Cheer. First of all, thank you
for the good work that you're doing for women veterans
in our military past and present and future. Of course,
I had a question for you on in lines of
your website. Would you mind if we could take a
link from your website and put it on our Facebook page.
(36:15):
On Facebook, we have about fifteen thousand veteran groups that
are specifically in Florida alone, and we belong to another
ten thousand that are national, and we want to contribute
to your mission on bringing acknowledgment to our women who
are veterans. Because in the early part of this show
I had spoke about I feel that the female experience
(36:38):
in the military is unique, and there are certain things
that I believe that when you have that camaraderie, A,
it feels great to be inclusive with the group. And
B if there's anything that you need is a resource.
A natural network is built from that. So what you're
doing is a natural for that for that cause. And
I was wondering if your mind, if we could do
(36:59):
something for you.
Speaker 7 (37:01):
Thank you so much. Yes, I really appreciate that, no problem.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
And my next question is what advice would you give
young women considering a career in the military.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
So a young woman considering a career in the military,
I would advise them to set their intention, which is
to say, have your goals in mind as soon as
you're signed up and joining, because your life in the
military is gonna be chaotic at times, and it's easy
to lose focus and lose track of your goals if
(37:32):
you get caught up in oh I have to get promoted,
Oh I want a PCs here or there. But some
of those things are out of your control. But what
is in your control is your own personal goals you
set for yourself. And I think at the end of
the day and at the end of your service, if
you were working towards those goals, hopefully even achieved a
couple of them, you can be proud of what you did,
(37:53):
no matter where the military sent you and what else
might have happened along the way.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
Outstanding, outstanding. And with that, do you feel that your
calendar provides like a semi mentoring group for women veterans?
Speaker 7 (38:07):
Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (38:07):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (38:07):
We even have a page on our website with a
mentorship program, and the idea behind that is, when you
have a mentor in the military, they're going to give
you good advice, but it might be specific to whatever
their agenda is for you in the military and whatever
their goals are for you in the military. But when
you have a veteran, they're going to give you the good,
(38:29):
the bad, and the ugly right and they're going to
look at you as the whole person and ask you
what your goals are, whether in the military or after
the military. And we want to help young women with
their goals and help them navigate the hurdles and challenges
that women have in service, you know, throughout, so we
(38:50):
feel like women veterans might be in a more well
rounded position to give that type of advice.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Amanda, can you expand a little bit more on some
of the important issues that you feel are facing women
veterans today. I mean, I know I have my own,
but definitely curious to get your take.
Speaker 7 (39:08):
Absolutely, so. I was shocked. Actually I looked up some
of the statistics and according to the Veterans Administration, over
fifty percent of women veterans are not enrolled with the VA,
meaning they're not getting their VA benefits at all. And
I think that might be a direct correlation to the
statistic that a woman veteran is six times the risk
(39:32):
for suicide as her civilian counterpart. So those are some
scary statistics and I think they speak to the mental
health needs that women veterans have. And again not to
throw shade on male veteran groups, but for us to
have our own inclusive community, sometimes women veterans need a
different initiative that's going to be around fellow women veterans
(39:54):
for that camaraderie and two years.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
I know several women veterans who got out maybe in
the early two thousand's, late nineties, and for whatever reason,
when they got separated, they were separated with a specific
code that they are not entitled to veteran benefits even
though they served four years. And I'm yeah, that kind
of sounds like maybe something that needs to be taken
(40:17):
up with the Military Board or the Border Military Records
Correction or I don't know, my brain's not working this morning,
but you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
No, I agree that appeal.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
Yeah, I've seen a few. I've come across a few
female veterans over the years that had honorable discharges. They
did not have any major no non judicial punishment, no,
nothing crazy. But when they got out at four years
and they went to go apply for veterans benefits, they
were told they were not entitled to them because of
whatever code was on I guess their DD two fourteen
(40:49):
when they separated, something about their separation code. It did
not allow them access to veterans benefits.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Wow. Wow, I'd to be a service officer for when
the veterans groups here in Charlotte County. And I can
only say that there are two factors unless something happened
like a administrative judicial situation during the military. Yes, particular code,
but I do know that some people some codes change
with time. There's honorable discharges other than honorable or general discharge.
(41:22):
And the coding is critical because it could be a mishap,
a mistake, but that three digit code can either open
a door or lock it shut when you leave the mill.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Definitely, absolutely, So with issues like that, let's talk about
the goals that you're hoping to achieve through the Women
Veteran Calendar. Because you said through the sales of this calendar,
which it can be purchased through your website, which is
Woman Veteran Calendar dot com. Is that correct or is
it dot org? Yes?
Speaker 7 (41:52):
Spam okay, so.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
People can go you can go on that website and
order a calendar. But when someone orders a calendar, everybody
wants to know where is my money going to go.
So let's talk about the goals that you have for
the Woman Veteran Calendar, Like, is there a goal of
how many calendars you sell and then also a goal
involving groups that you want to help support through the
(42:17):
proceeds of the calendar sales.
Speaker 6 (42:19):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (42:20):
So one of the conditions for us choosing the nonprofits
that we donate our proceeds to is that they serve
woman veterans. So you'll see for our twenty twenty four
calendar sales, we are donating all of those sales proceeds
to four different nonprofits in four different states. One is
She's the Veteran in South Carolina, and She's the Veteran
(42:43):
is a nonprofit that services woman veterans and helps them
through any mental health PTSD issues through neuroplastic therapy, so
they'll do things like horse therapy, surfing, waveboarding, and of
course they've got that am is in community of women veterans.
So that's an example of the type of nonprofit organization
(43:06):
and woman veteran community that we're trying to serve and
help give our proceeds to. The other three that our
twenty twenty four sales proceeds went to are She's the Veteran, Sorry,
I listed that one already, the Women Veterans of San
Antonio here in Texas, the Military Service Sisters in Arkansas,
and the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Awesome. That's a really impressive list, and I'm sure it's
only going to continue growing.
Speaker 7 (43:34):
Yes, ma'am. Yeah, we've already had several suggestions for the
twenty twenty five sales, but we're still taking suggestions. And again,
all of that voting is done in the Facebook community
page and it's voted on by woman veterans for women veterans.
So again there's no decision that's made in a vacuum.
Everything for the calendar and the proceeds is decided by
(43:57):
this group of women veterans, which we invite. Any woman
veteran is welcome to join us. It's just called the
Woman Veteran Calendar Community on Facebook.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
Awesome, And then can you help us with as far
as how would a nonprofit go about being nominated? Is
it as informal as someone going on the Woman Veteran
Calendar Community Facebook page and saying, hey, this group exists,
here's their information, or is there a more formal nomination process?
Speaker 7 (44:26):
Yes, it is that informal right now, thank you for asking. So,
you know, a couple of people, you know, just nominate
a nonprofits as a comment here or there. But towards
the towards the end of this year, right around the
time we're getting ready to close off the calendar cutoff,
(44:47):
which as we spoke about as August thirty first, and
I'm really compiling the calendars and getting orders ready. That's
when I will do I'll do one more shout across
the Bow and say, hey, please post your nominations here,
talk about what the nonprofit does for woman veterans, and
then we'll have a pull and we'll vote on them
and we'll probably select four. Again. I think that was
(45:09):
a good number. Last year, we had about two thousand
dollars in profits, so we got to donate five hundred
to each of the nonprofits that we had chosen.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
That's just that's such an awesome program that really just
came out of someone making a comment in a different
Facebook community for female veterans saying, wouldn't it be cool
if it's really neat to see how this has kind
of taken on a life of its own and how
it's at The benefits are going to be tangible and
palpable for nonprofits that support women veterans. We're just thank
(45:43):
you so much for what you're doing. Like, we're very
thankful to have you on the show, and we definitely
want to have you on again when it's time. Once
you have the info on how this year's calendar went
and how those groups are going to benefit, we would
love to have you back on the show to discuss that,
as well as the plans for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 7 (46:04):
Thank you so much. Thank you, and I want to
add when a woman veteran chooses to be a model
and send her photos in biography, and that's another opportunity
for that person to speak about any nonprofit or any
organization that's meaningful to them. So it's you know, we're
not limited to endorsing just for nonprofits. But if you
(46:26):
want to be a model in our calendar and there's
a nonprofit that has done a lot for you or
that you're really excited to speak on, please include that
in your bio and that'll be published and shared across
the country. Our first calendar was shipped to over twenty
eight states.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
Woh wow, Well, thank you again for your time, Amanda. Ladies, gentleman.
That was Amanda Salceto with a Woman Veteran Calendar community.
You can reach them on Facebook through their page. They
also have their website woman womam Veteran Calendar dot com
and if you have a submission, you can send it
to Woman Veteran Calendar at gmail dot com by August
(47:05):
thirty first, twenty twenty four. Amanda, Thank you so much again.
We will continue sharing the information about the submissions up
until the time for them to be submitted. So thank
you very much for allowing us to help further you
guys and give you some visibility for this wonderful program.
Speaker 7 (47:22):
Yes, thank you so much for the opportunity. It was
great talking to you both. Thank you, Thank you, and.
Speaker 6 (47:27):
God bless our veterans risked it all to protect our freedom.
One of the best ways to say thank you is
to volunteer to support them at a time and history
where kindness is a virtue. Volunteering at a therapy bag event,
teaching a craft class, or simply helping veterans at a
hospital means a lot. For over forty seven years, Help
(47:48):
Heal Veterans, a not for profit organization, with the support
of citizens like you, has created, manufactured and distributed therapeutic
art and craft projects for our veterans at the military
at no charge to them. As a National Veteran service organization,
Help Heal Veterans supports VA hospitals, patients at home, and
(48:09):
our active military. Together, Help Heal Veterans and volunteers like
you have delivered over thirty two million therapy kits. Too
injured and recovering veterans to volunteer or learn more, visit
hel vets dot org. That's helvets dot org.
Speaker 3 (48:28):
And anything else if you get.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
About I think so. Just thanks to our sponsors, thanks
to one hundred point nine WCCFFM, thank you to reach
the Cross America Radio as well for having us on
their radio broadcasts. Appreciate all the opportunities to put visibility
on organizations that are veteran centric. You don't have to
be a veteran to listen to this show or to
(48:50):
be on this show. If you support us, if you
love us, so just thanks and please continue telling people
about our show and how they can listen, whether it's
locally in Southwest Florida on one hundred point nine FM
or on the free iHeartRadio app. If they pull that
up and they search WCCF on Fridays at nine am,
(49:11):
they can find our show. And then also we are
aired on rets Across America Radio on Fridays at three pm,
so you can find both Retes Across America Radio and
WCCF via the iHeartRadio app. Rally Pointers fall Out
Rally pointers fun.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
In, good afternoon and morning wherever you're going to be
in the world today across the world. This is James
the Sarchim Mary with Amena Malachiato Lecano here with you
at the rally point.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
And of course we have the man behind the microphone
day in the brain. How are we doing today, folks.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
I'm good, loving life and folks.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
We have an outstaying show today.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Our first segment on today's show, we have Nathan Long.
He works for the City of Northport, but he's also
a veteran and a big brother with big brothers big
sisters of the Sun Coast. So welcome to the show. Nate,
Good morning, Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Good morning, thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Well. So let's talk about your military service first, because
you come from a military family, right, and then you
ended up joining the military yourself. So tell our listeners
about that.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Okay. I grew up in the Air Force. My father,
my father was a security police. I grew up in
Ellsworth Air Force Base and out Dakota. I was planning
on joining the Army. Are not the Army the Air
Force my whole life, but I ended up joining the Army.
I actually joined after nine to eleven happened. That was
(01:14):
my deciding factor. I already figured I was going to join,
but that was kind of my deciding factor. I served
from two thousand and two to twenty ten in the Army.
I have a little different kind of background you want
me to go into, please, So, like I said, my
father was in the security police, and that's always what
(01:37):
I wanted to do growing up. When I went to
test and everything for the military, I tested partially color blind,
so I had to My choices of jobs dwindled down dramatically,
and so I took a job of administrative and administrative position.
(02:00):
But thankfully when I joined I they put me into
a military police unit so I could be involved with that,
and we we ran our Our main objective was a
prisoner of war camp. So I was deployed to Iraq
(02:22):
and two thousand and four, two thousand and five, well,
I'll take it back a little bit. I was deployed
supposed to deploy the first wave two thousand and three,
but our Michigan got canceled two days before.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Wow, And so that's a mind messer right there.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
So then we came home. I actually finished a quarter
of college when I came home. I was in the
Army reserves, and then we deployed again. And for everyone
that's been in the military, I was deployed to the
infamous Abu Grabe.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I was wondering when you said prisoner of war campsulls.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
Yeah, so I always like to put out there that
we replaced the unit.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
The infamous unit.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Got it, famous unit, we replaced them photos yep. So
that was made me grow up quick. I'm sure made
grow up quick. So I was, Uh. I spent my
twenty first birthday over in Iraq, So it was, uh.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
So you're you're kind of like that song in a way.
You spent twenty one turned twenty one years old in
a prison, do you just weren't the prisoner, right?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
So yeah, I met you know, all kinds, all kinds
of people, you know, in process to Dam's bodyguard, in
processed out, processed over ten thousand you know inmates there.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
So yeah, it was quite the experience. So that was
definitely my you know, most experienced. When it came to,
you know, the deployment, I was going to deploy again.
I was getting very close to getting out and was
deploying again. My wife was pregnant with our first child.
(04:12):
So I was lucky enough to be able to stay
back finish out my time. And you know, so that's
that's my experience with the with the military there.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
So then when you got out of the military, were
you serving with the reserves here in Florida.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
No, up in Ohio, Oh Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So then how did you find your way down here
to Florida the vacation.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
So actually, when I got out of the military, I
actually went into corrections. I was I worked in I
worked sheriff's department for a while, then I went state
prison and then we moved. When vacation down here, I
was going to continue down here. My wife was like,
(05:01):
why don't you try try to find something different, so,
you know, and I I actually, you know, I had
my college and my degree is in criminal justice as well,
so it was kind of you know, it was a struggle.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Trying to find something different.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Something different. I possed around at only trying to find
something and finally I found my way back to government,
and uh, that's where I am, and you know, it's
where I'll stay. But but yeah, just vacation down here
in Florida, and I was like, Okay, no gloomy winters,
no cold, no snow.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I would say, no shoveling, sne you can't shovel selling point.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yeah, so yeah, that was a that was a huge
selling point. My wife just told me if I could
find a job making what I made at the prison,
that I could come down to move down here.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
So we did it.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Oh wow, So how then did you find your way
to the path that led to getting involved with Big
Brothers and Big Sister.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
So the city of Northport actually has a program with
Big Brothers Big Sisters where we are you know, have
a program and they get to come and we do
different things each month where we tourur different facilities and
learn different things for the kids. Because you know, now
(06:17):
everyone's path is college, not everyone's path is military stuff
like that. So we always want to give these kids
an opportunity to see what is out there for the city.
And also if you do go to college that you
can still come back, go to the military, you can
still come back. There's jobs there too. Uh, you know,
get involved with the city and have a nice you know,
(06:40):
career and make decent money. I when I when I hired,
when I hire back, the city here. They they asked
me if anybody was interested and with their the program
they have of being a kind of a mentor, and
so I kind of looked into it because I coach
a lot of travel basketball for you know, middle school boys,
(07:04):
and I also did I've coached middle school girls and
boys at Sky Academy in Englewood.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Nice regulations.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 5 (07:14):
So that was.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
That in its own is almost a mentoring also, so
I was like, yeah, I'd like to, you know, to
be involved. And that's where that's where I got got
into it.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
And uh, how long have you been working with Big
Brothers Big Sisters?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Almost two years now? Okay, almost two years now.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
So well, first I want to start off by saying
thank you for your sacrifice as a fellow brethren, MP
and Army hook.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You just want to remind me that I'm out for
today in America.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So don't you know, usually while I'm sitting behind the microphone,
I'm out number by the Air Force or the Marine.
So today I'm taking around that there's more army than
anybody got starting.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
To happen more frequently, if you notice.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I'm starting to figure that out. But one of the
things I wanted to plot our guests about is his
transition back home though you had family and developing family
along the way, you kind of transition that and parlayed
it into a good life with your family and your community.
Not to mention one of the things coming back from
(08:26):
being an MP in the army or whichever branch, you
have a certain skill set and it's kind of hard
to broker that once you transition out of the military
because either law enforcement first responder or fireman E.
Speaker 6 (08:39):
M s.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
And then some derivative administration of that. Myself, MP came
to Florida straight the state prison because it was a
natural fit because you have that mindset, you know, and
to parlay that in transition that excuse me into children.
We have a depending on our back concerts are differently different.
(09:02):
We're able to educate our local kids that, you know what,
you may not be college bound, but there's a pluth
throw of things you can do without that college education
as just that's plentiful to have a good, successful life
and without even taking second guess about it, you just
became a mentor. And Big Brothers Big Sisters has been
(09:22):
a big part of the Charlicke County mentorship program that
we're trying to get off the ground whereby we can
give our vetans something to strive for while educating our youth.
And I want to say thank you for kind of
putting that in emotion before and is actually organized. So
thank you very much. And my first question would be
is for yourself, do you find the mendorship program of
(09:45):
rewarding action for yourself and what do you what do
you feel that you get out being a mentor for children.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Yes, it's very rewarding because well, you got to take
every situation differently because every child has a different story. Yes,
so you have to approach it differently. And I think
it's very awarding, just not just for them, for for
myself as well, because making an impact and they're in
(10:14):
these uh children's lives the breakthrough, I think is what's
the best because you know their stand office at first,
and you know and then also you also have the
new era of technology that you have to try to
compete with of cell phones and everything else. Try to
get them to socialize as well. But trust and like
(10:38):
my my first my first little you know, I I
told him, I kept telling him, Hey, I'm going to
come to one of your football games, and he, uh,
he was just like yeah, yeah. I kept saying, you
got to give me a schedule, he got to give
me a schedule. So finally I got a schedule and
without not from him, but I got it and I said, Hey,
(10:58):
I'm going to be there this this Friday, and he
just kind of like okay. Well then the look on
his face when I kept calling him out when he
was walking off the field was like, you know, actually
like holy crap, you just you just came and you
really did do what you said. And so you know that,
(11:20):
I think that was the breakthrough with us, because then
he was like he really does care. And that's the
biggest thing, like I've noticed even coaching. You know, these
younger kids, Uh, they have to know you care before
they will open up. And you know, and you have
(11:42):
to you have to work at that and sometimes it's hard,
and but uh, at the end of the day, it's
so rewarding to see now my my first little me
and him can sit down and we can have full
on conversations and it was used to be one two
words and it's like trying, you know, to pry things
(12:04):
out of him. And I think it went so well
that they they gifted me with another and now I
have to to this year. And you know, the nice
thing is why we were they big brothers, big stitches.
They try to they do their homework and see who
will fit best with who. And I think that was
(12:28):
that's really that's really good because you know, I have
a lot of athletics that I do and stuff like that.
And the first one I the first little I got,
he was and he's a wrestler and he did football,
and so that kind of put us together and kids
smart as a whip man. He's I think he was
(12:50):
either class president or vice vice president this last year.
He's looking to be an engineer, wants to go to Florida.
So it's cool to to mentor these young, you know
men and just get to see having goals so goal
(13:11):
oriented and some of them aren't. Some of them need
you know that, you know, just you know, guidance. And
I guess I guess I shouldn't said they're not goal oriented.
They are goal oriented, they.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Just don't know what their goals are. So they need
a little bit of direction from somebody. And that sounds
like what you're doing by going around and showing them
all the different avenues and opportunities that are out there,
because I will admit I'm in my forties now and
I still sometimes feel like I don't know what I
want to be when I grow up. Like doing this show,
this is one of the first things that I've ever
(13:43):
been like, Yeah, this is what I want to do.
This is what I'm happy with. And it took me
forty how many years? Right, So, like at fourteen, I
had no clue. I didn't know. I mean, so these kids,
some of them, some of them, they just know. They're
just innately, they're born with knowing what they want to
be when they grow up, and some of us aren't.
Some of us just kind of have to meander along
(14:03):
that path and kind of come to it some way
or another. It's not always a straight line. So it's
good that you are able to be there as like
the guidance, the direction to some degree maybe even somewhat
of a buffer to kind of help influence them to
at least make good choices along the way to wherever
they're going to go right and help and give them
ideas and options. That's that's wonderful. And the fact that
(14:26):
you have too, that's pretty impressive as well. But yeah,
I would definitely say, like the breakthrough is probably I
can't imagine when like when you see that they meet
a goal or they achieve something that they've been wanting
to do, or maybe they didn't know they would achieve
it and they did. That's got to be pretty rewarding
to know that you're a part of that journey.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Yeah, it's very rewarding. Like I said, it's it's I know,
you have some some people have hobbies, and I'd say,
this is like, I don't. I guess I don't know
really how to explain it. It's not really a hobby,
but it's it's.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Yeah, absolutely, passion is a good way to put it,
because mentorship is a passion because it's something beyond yourself.
With mentorship, it's not about you. It's about wanting to
help somebody else, you know, reach their goals or be
better or you know, maybe you're in a position where,
like in the military, most times your mentors are people
(15:25):
who are higher ranking than you, kind of thing. So
you're an adult, they're a teenager, and so for you,
it's a matter of helping them make that transition from
childhood to adulthood and do so successfully because maybe there
are risk factors in their lives that could potentially, you know,
thwart their path somehow, but at least you being there
(15:47):
helps add an extra layer of reassurance to help, you know,
make sure they stay on track, they do the right thing,
and that they reach their goals. So yeah, passion, I
would definitely agree with that word.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Do you feel and I hate, I hate, I love it?
Do you feel that when you're mentoring your your your
kids that the army or your military experience comes into play?
Because the way I perceive mentorship is kind of like
the basic training mentality. You're not a you, it's us.
If you fail, we fail, So we're not going to
(16:21):
fail today. How do you feel about how do you
feel that mentorship relationship works is ideal between the potential
mentor and a mente. What do you think are the
key key aspects that should be in a good mentor
e mentee relationship?
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Well, one, you have to be a role model to them,
you know, and you are correct, it's reflection. So we
go to a lot of different places and you know,
throughout the city and see a lot of different people
and so those littles are reflection of me in a
way of a squad leader's squad as reflection of them.
(16:59):
So that definitely plays a part. Military is always embedded
in y. You're always gonna have something that refers you
back to to that. And yeah, and even if they're
you know, you know, they're still kids. They kind of
get off tracks. Sometimes you kind of gotta, you know,
put them back in line a little bit and uh
(17:20):
to let them know, like, hey, don't don't be doing that,
you know, straighten up right now. And like and like
I said, I've gained that good relationship with both of
mine that they're like my bad night, you know, they
usually straighten right back up. Or if there was something
a little off that day, I had to correct them
(17:41):
more than once. Like I'll usually get a message later
that day, Hey, I apologize for so I said, I got,
I got really, I got blessed these last you know,
almost two years now with the two kids, I've I've
got where they you know, it's not always like that,
and it was part of big brothers, big sisters, but
(18:02):
coaching is somewhat of the same. And you know, I
have one boy that you know, and this this could
go with big brothers, big sisters as well. Is where
I said, yeah, each story is different, like some might
not have a father in their life or a mother,
and some will have problems with men in general of
(18:28):
saying like, oh, every man leaves my life. So they
they are very stand offish or they try to push
you away. And I have this one boy that ah,
that's what he did to me. I I got him
to play for our travel team and he he played.
(18:48):
He was very uh, he's He's taught me a lot
when it comes to just as being a mentor and
a and a coach. Like I was yelling at him
at one game, you know, trying and again, and he
waved me off during the game and I was like what.
I was like, sub you know, and he said the
rest of the game. So after he words, he didn't
(19:08):
talk to me. So I went up and talked to him,
and I was like, what's your problem. He goes, you
yelled at me. I was like, yep, I did, and
he goes, you yelled at me, but you never explained
to me why or what I could do, so I
wouldn't be making that mistake. And I said, I get it.
I said, you know if I want to correct you,
I better tell you how to do it correctly. And
(19:31):
so you know that. Then you know, after the season everything,
Then I coached football and he was on there and
he was like, I'm not playing for your you know,
trash team. He's playing you know all this stuff, and
I was like, that's fine, you don't have to and
then you know, he he finally did come through, and
it he made me realize that every kid is different
(19:53):
and you cannot treat everyone the same exact way.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
You have to figure out what makes them tick and
you have to try to figure out like it's like parenting.
I mean, I have two boys and they are polar
opposites in certain ways, like one of them same. I
have to explain like what the problem is, what can
you do differently? And the hard part is is I
have to stop myself from like talking too much, like
(20:19):
overierating the point to him, because after a while he'll
be like, I got it, MO, I'm fine. But then
the younger one takes more initiative so he doesn't need
as much guidance in that regard, but then when he
does something, he needs more of the feedback piece where
the other one needs more of the guidance. So yeah,
absolutely all kids are wired differently and no two are
(20:40):
the same. So I would imagine with you know, mentoring
much like coaching, like you kind of have to take
the time. When I was a supervisor, I did the
same thing. I would ask my hearman, like what makes
you tick? What pisses you off? What motivates you if
you really want something, what will motivate you to work
for it? To try to figure out how best to
help them get to that next level, or help them
(21:01):
reach their goal, or you know, at least make up
make it to their potential that I knew they were
capable of. You you have to know those pieces of
them to really be able to bring that out of them.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
And that brings back to your one question you said
about the military. You got to you got to figure
out your people. Yeah, and what makes them tick in
what's going to make it work for you as a
as a as a squad.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
So who's what who? Parents pair them off of their
their opposites, of the compliment one another, and go I
don't want to see neither one of you by yourself.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
Oh I see you too.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I want to see the other right next to earth
and five feet and they figure it out in between
and and that's amazing. Next question I have for you, Nate,
is when you find yourself doing like a coaching or
being a mentor, what key aspects do you think that
does for you? And what do you think prospective veterans
(21:55):
who wanted to be a mentor or a coach would
need to kind of basics to have to put themselves
in that role they are in becoming a mentor, so.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
To speak, with advice you would offer the people that
are considering, I.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Would I would first off say, take yourself back to
when you were a kid. Would you want someone that's
going to help you in your journey of life along
the way, because you know, it's you know, I was
(22:28):
blessed to have both my parents, but it would also
have been to have, you know, and I have some
you know, old coaches that I still we're kind of
my mentors. I still have those guys that I can
reach out to and talk to. So it's always nice
to have more than just that, you know. I always
(22:49):
say it takes a village, you know, so it does
another T shirt.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Yeah, I say that a lot, So yes, I agree wholeheartedly.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
But one of my biggest things, if the people that
are thinking about it is I always say invest in
our youth because they are a future absolutely and we
all know, you know, our future you know is kind of.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It can look a little sometimes.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Yeah, globbly at sometimes, and so I just feel that
these guys are a future and we need to invest
in them and you know, give them all the tools
needed to be successful in life and as when they
become an adult, and not just as an adult, as
a as a youth.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
So another question for you know, from your perspective people
that are maybe considering this opportunity, how do you feel
that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sun Coast helped prepare
you to be a mentor? Like are there orientations or
classes per se or consultations where they can kind of
(23:57):
if somebody's out there saying, I would really love to
do this, but I just don't feel like I'm equipped.
I don't feel like I would know what to do.
Are there resources that were given to you when you
volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters to just kind of
help you get started and find your rhythm as a
big brother?
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Yes, so they they do. They do their background on you.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Big background check.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, mandatory, and it's a and that's a good that's
a good thing. And but they do sit down with
you as in a one on one it's almost like
an interview. So therefore you can answer your questions. They
give you all the all your contacts information if you need,
if you have questions, and with you And I was
I was thinking it was going to be like a
(24:40):
fifteen minute thing, but it was, you know, our hour
and a half and it was it was like training.
It was an interview, but they were also going over
everything that dos and don't. If you have questions, you
have this. They were phone numbers. Yeah, they they equip
you with everything you need because you know, this is
(25:00):
what they do and it's a great thing. And yeah,
they were like in the military also, we're there people,
so we're if we put them on front street and
make them reflect on correct.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Yeah, it's and it's good to know too that they
make sure that the mentors never like roam alone if
you will, And I think that could really be something
that helps if folks are listening and they're considering being
a mentor. I think knowing that it's like the tools
will be given to you. You will have resources, you
will have people like, you'll have lifelines you can reach
(25:38):
out to if you need advice, or if you have questions,
or if maybe God forbid, something just doesn't seem to
be going right between you and you're little, you can
reach out to someone and ask for guidance, ask for advice,
try to figure that out so that you can have
a productive relationship with that little. I think that really
(25:58):
helps people to know if their things thinking about volunteering,
and then also what is the time investment like is
because some people probably think they might not fully understand,
like what is the expectation of time given to mentoring
every month?
Speaker 4 (26:16):
So it's really what you put into it. They're going
to give you the city and big brothers big sister
are gonna give you like a little time frame of
what the time is you actually have to be together
because it's a program. But I'm going to say majority,
excuse me, majority of them have gave out phone numbers,
(26:40):
gave out emails, and they are communicating outside of the
work areas because I know, like I had mine one
of my littles, it was he needed wrestling shoes and
his classes were broke. So and big brothers big sisters
are so great. They have you know, they have scholarships
(27:03):
everything for for these littles, and such a great program
where they can help out with, you know, kind of
like a wish list of things you need, and they're
they're they're so great at So I was always like, hey,
you know, have you have you gotten your have you
received your uh you know, money for your glasses and
(27:23):
you know, back and forth. So yeah, it's.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Like I said, uh, it's what you put into.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
What you put into it. Yeah, And so it's not
just a little once a month, you know, like one
of my boys, he he just uh uh he played
he plays basketball. And there is someone that uh newspaper
photographer posts a picture of him. So I made sure
I took that and I sent it to him so
(27:51):
he could have that. And you know, we just decorated
the Christmas scene for when Santa comes to the city.
We decorated the tree and everything like that. So it's
like I said, it's it's all about what you what
you put into it. And most of the ones from
(28:12):
the city are pretty invested. It's cool to see awesome.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
And so for those of you listening, if you're at
all interested in getting involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters
of the Suncoast. Their website is BBB S s U
N like Big Brothers Big Sisters Suncoast dot O RG,
So that's BBB S s U N dot O r G.
(28:39):
And if you hit the little side menu, there's a
section that says volunteer. You can click that and get
more information and get started on the application process to
become a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I believe
there's a wait list of at least one hundred, over
one hundred kids for sure in Charlotte County better awaiting
(29:01):
a mentor. So hopefully by telling your story, Nate, thank
you so much for being on the show with us
today telling sign up, Yeah, absolutely, hopefully that will motivate
more folks in general, but especially veterans, to rise up
and go ahead and take on the challenge of mentoring
a little brother or a little sister.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
And always remember, you veterans, you have skills sets that
are valuable for these kids. You can teach them how
to build thosels their self esteem by justifying what makes
them tick and giving a little self esteem and making
them feel pride in themselves, and when we get old
and busted, the other one's leading us and helping us
out when we're when it's our time to.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Thank them absolutely. Thanks again for being on the show, Nate,
We appreciate you time.
Speaker 5 (29:45):
I'm Staff Stargeant, Mark.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
And Staff Stars and Samantha Cat Staff Sergeant, staff Stargant
William Lewis, and I am proud to defend my family
and our nation.
Speaker 5 (29:53):
The Air Force Reserve is part of the story of
this great nature.
Speaker 7 (29:57):
Grateful that I have a chance to wear the uniform
of the heroes that were before me.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I'm proud to be part of a team that helps
make a difference in the world.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
Every day. Men and women from communities across this nation
serve as Reserve citizen Airmen. Even as technology evolves and changes,
our commitment to defend and protect this nation remains steadfast.
We celebrate those who have served and those who are
proudly serving. We celebrate our proud history and look towards
(30:26):
an exciting and uniting future. Our mission is to fly,
fight and win in air space and cyber space.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
And I am proud to be a member, and I'm
proud to serve in the night and I am proud
to protect our country, proud.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
To serve in the US Air Force Reserve Afreserve dot com.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
All right, and our next guest that we have today
is Amanda Sasato. She is here with us from the
Women Veteran Calendar Initiative. And so, Sarge, we know that
you have a soft spot in your heart for women veterans,
so you'll love to know this. This is a grassroots
organization that's based out of San Antonio, Texas, and their
mission is to raise awareness for women veterans and give
(31:09):
back to organizations that support women veterans as well as
inspiring the next generation of women service members. And you
have twin daughters, so yes, I do near and dear
to your heart on that last end, huh, you already.
Speaker 5 (31:22):
Know, you already know.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
And by the way, Amanda, thank you for your service.
Speaker 7 (31:26):
Yes, oh, thank you.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Thanks for being on the show this morning. We're excited
to have you talk about the Woman Veteran Calendar Initiative.
But before we get to that, tell us about your
military career.
Speaker 7 (31:40):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. My military
career was pretty pretty standard, twenty years in the Air Force.
I actually grew up in a very small town, and
so I knew I wanted to join the Air Force
and get away from my little rural town in Massachusetts.
And I was heavily influenced growing up by my grandmother,
(32:01):
who was very patriotic member of the VFW Auxiliary and
her brother, my uncle Harry, who was killed in World
War Two. So it was always my dream to serve
my country and live a life that would make my
uncle Harry proud.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Awesome, very cool. Well as far as your service, like,
what was your career field?
Speaker 7 (32:19):
Oh, yes, I was. I was in the medical field,
and I deployed twice. So those people that you see
in the cool movies in Iraq and the war movies
and stuff, carrying the patients off of the helicopter and
taking care of them in the tent hospital, that was
my job in the Air Force.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Awesome, very cool. Well, So as far as how did
you come to be involved with Women Veterancounter initip, How
did that even come into existence? Because I take it
you're probably one of the pioneering members of that group.
Speaker 7 (32:51):
Yes, so there was a group of us on Facebook actually,
and we have you know, there's several group for all
kinds of flavors on Facebook, right.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
So we're mutual members of some of those groups together.
Speaker 7 (33:05):
And yes, so I think women veterans, I think a
lot of us are looking for a community, especially when
we get out because we're such a small percentage of
the American population, but also of the veteran population. So
woman veterans, you know, we need our own community. And
(33:26):
that's not to throche at male veterans at all. It's
just that, you know, for for us to feel like
we can really have a community and talk about things
that affect women veterans, it's nice to be around other
women veterans. So the idea of the calendar actually came
up when in one of those Facebook groups, one of
the girls said, I wish we could do a photo shoot,
you know, and do it with my sisters, you know,
(33:47):
military sisters. And I said, oh my gosh, what if
we made a woman veteran calendar? And a bunch of
girls commented and said, yes, let's do this. So we
we formed a group on Facebook and now we're over
thirteen hundred women veterans strong. It's called the Facebook Woman
Veteran Calendar Community, and that is the group that really
(34:09):
makes the decisions for the calendar and decides you know,
which nonprofits we're gonna donate our proceeds too, and that's
where we make all the calendar decisions together.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Absolutely. I know I've shared your publicity poster that was
made by a member of the group recently telling some
my sisters like, hey, you need to get in on this.
You need to submit for this. Shouldn't say probably you
need to, but we love each other and have to say,
you know, to kind of tell each other about ourselves.
But can you tell us how someone can go ahead
(34:42):
and apply to be or will not apply? I guess
isn't right the right word? But how can someone submit
their information to be included in the calendar?
Speaker 7 (34:51):
Yeah, yeah, we welcome. We welcome all and any woman
veterans to be a part of this exciting project. We're
all so excited about it. So twenty twenty four was
our inaugural year. And the way it works is you
send in your photos and biography two hundred and fifty
words about give or take to a Woman Veteran Calendar
(35:15):
at gmail dot com, and I will put all your
pictures together and make sure they're high enough resolution for
printing and I'll put your biography in the format for
the calendar and I'll send it back to you and say, hey,
does this look good? And the bottom line, we want
to include everybody. We've never turned anybody away. The only
issue we've had so far is unfortunately pictures not being
(35:38):
high enough resolutions. So you do want to make sure
you send in those high quality pictures and make sure
you own the right to those pictures because if we
get sued, we won't be able to give any money
to the nonprofits that we chose.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Understand Aman is sorry Cheer. First of all, thank you
for the good work that you're doing for women veterans
in our military past and present and future. Of course,
I had a question for you on in lines of
your website. Would you mind if we could take a
link from your website and put it on our Facebook page.
(36:15):
On Facebook, we have about fifteen thousand veteran groups that
are specifically in Florida alone, and we belong to another
ten thousand that are national, and we want to contribute
to your mission on bringing acknowledgment to our women who
are veterans. Because in the early part of this show
I had spoke about I feel that the female experience
(36:38):
in the military is unique, and there are certain things
that I believe that when you have that camaraderie, A,
it feels great to be inclusive with the group. And
B if there's anything that you need is a resource.
A natural network is built from that. So what you're
doing is a natural for that for that cause. And
I was wondering if your mind, if we could do
(36:59):
something for you.
Speaker 7 (37:01):
Thank you so much. Yes, I really appreciate that, no problem.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
And my next question is what advice would you give
young women considering a career in the military.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
So a young woman considering a career in the military,
I would advise them to set their intention, which is
to say, have your goals in mind as soon as
you're signed up and joining, because your life in the
military is gonna be chaotic at times, and it's easy
to lose focus and lose track of your goals if
(37:32):
you get caught up in oh I have to get promoted,
Oh I want a PCs here or there. But some
of those things are out of your control. But what
is in your control is your own personal goals you
set for yourself. And I think at the end of
the day and at the end of your service, if
you were working towards those goals, hopefully even achieved a
couple of them, you can be proud of what you did,
(37:53):
no matter where the military sent you and what else
might have happened along the way.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
Outstanding, outstanding. And with that, do you feel that your
calendar provides like a semi mentoring group for women veterans?
Speaker 7 (38:07):
Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (38:07):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (38:07):
We even have a page on our website with a
mentorship program, and the idea behind that is, when you
have a mentor in the military, they're going to give
you good advice, but it might be specific to whatever
their agenda is for you in the military and whatever
their goals are for you in the military. But when
you have a veteran, they're going to give you the good,
(38:29):
the bad, and the ugly right and they're going to
look at you as the whole person and ask you
what your goals are, whether in the military or after
the military. And we want to help young women with
their goals and help them navigate the hurdles and challenges
that women have in service, you know, throughout, so we
(38:50):
feel like women veterans might be in a more well
rounded position to give that type of advice.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Amanda, can you expand a little bit more on some
of the important issues that you feel are facing women
veterans today. I mean, I know I have my own,
but definitely curious to get your take.
Speaker 7 (39:08):
Absolutely, so. I was shocked. Actually I looked up some
of the statistics and according to the Veterans Administration, over
fifty percent of women veterans are not enrolled with the VA,
meaning they're not getting their VA benefits at all. And
I think that might be a direct correlation to the
statistic that a woman veteran is six times the risk
(39:32):
for suicide as her civilian counterpart. So those are some
scary statistics and I think they speak to the mental
health needs that women veterans have. And again not to
throw shade on male veteran groups, but for us to
have our own inclusive community, sometimes women veterans need a
different initiative that's going to be around fellow women veterans
(39:54):
for that camaraderie and two years.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
I know several women veterans who got out maybe in
the early two thousand's, late nineties, and for whatever reason,
when they got separated, they were separated with a specific
code that they are not entitled to veteran benefits even
though they served four years. And I'm yeah, that kind
of sounds like maybe something that needs to be taken
(40:17):
up with the Military Board or the Border Military Records
Correction or I don't know, my brain's not working this morning,
but you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
No, I agree that appeal.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
Yeah, I've seen a few. I've come across a few
female veterans over the years that had honorable discharges. They
did not have any major no non judicial punishment, no,
nothing crazy. But when they got out at four years
and they went to go apply for veterans benefits, they
were told they were not entitled to them because of
whatever code was on I guess their DD two fourteen
(40:49):
when they separated, something about their separation code. It did
not allow them access to veterans benefits.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Wow. Wow, I'd to be a service officer for when
the veterans groups here in Charlotte County. And I can
only say that there are two factors unless something happened
like a administrative judicial situation during the military. Yes, particular code,
but I do know that some people some codes change
with time. There's honorable discharges other than honorable or general discharge.
(41:22):
And the coding is critical because it could be a mishap,
a mistake, but that three digit code can either open
a door or lock it shut when you leave the mill.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Definitely, absolutely, So with issues like that, let's talk about
the goals that you're hoping to achieve through the Women
Veteran Calendar. Because you said through the sales of this calendar,
which it can be purchased through your website, which is
Woman Veteran Calendar dot com. Is that correct or is
it dot org? Yes?
Speaker 7 (41:52):
Spam okay, so.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
People can go you can go on that website and
order a calendar. But when someone orders a calendar, everybody
wants to know where is my money going to go.
So let's talk about the goals that you have for
the Woman Veteran Calendar, Like, is there a goal of
how many calendars you sell and then also a goal
involving groups that you want to help support through the
(42:17):
proceeds of the calendar sales.
Speaker 6 (42:19):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (42:20):
So one of the conditions for us choosing the nonprofits
that we donate our proceeds to is that they serve
woman veterans. So you'll see for our twenty twenty four
calendar sales, we are donating all of those sales proceeds
to four different nonprofits in four different states. One is
She's the Veteran in South Carolina, and She's the Veteran
(42:43):
is a nonprofit that services woman veterans and helps them
through any mental health PTSD issues through neuroplastic therapy, so
they'll do things like horse therapy, surfing, waveboarding, and of
course they've got that am is in community of women veterans.
So that's an example of the type of nonprofit organization
(43:06):
and woman veteran community that we're trying to serve and
help give our proceeds to. The other three that our
twenty twenty four sales proceeds went to are She's the Veteran, Sorry,
I listed that one already, the Women Veterans of San
Antonio here in Texas, the Military Service Sisters in Arkansas,
and the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Awesome. That's a really impressive list, and I'm sure it's
only going to continue growing.
Speaker 7 (43:34):
Yes, ma'am. Yeah, we've already had several suggestions for the
twenty twenty five sales, but we're still taking suggestions. And again,
all of that voting is done in the Facebook community
page and it's voted on by woman veterans for women veterans.
So again there's no decision that's made in a vacuum.
Everything for the calendar and the proceeds is decided by
(43:57):
this group of women veterans, which we invite. Any woman
veteran is welcome to join us. It's just called the
Woman Veteran Calendar Community on Facebook.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
Awesome, And then can you help us with as far
as how would a nonprofit go about being nominated? Is
it as informal as someone going on the Woman Veteran
Calendar Community Facebook page and saying, hey, this group exists,
here's their information, or is there a more formal nomination process?
Speaker 7 (44:26):
Yes, it is that informal right now, thank you for asking. So,
you know, a couple of people, you know, just nominate
a nonprofits as a comment here or there. But towards
the towards the end of this year, right around the
time we're getting ready to close off the calendar cutoff,
(44:47):
which as we spoke about as August thirty first, and
I'm really compiling the calendars and getting orders ready. That's
when I will do I'll do one more shout across
the Bow and say, hey, please post your nominations here,
talk about what the nonprofit does for woman veterans, and
then we'll have a pull and we'll vote on them
and we'll probably select four. Again. I think that was
(45:09):
a good number. Last year, we had about two thousand
dollars in profits, so we got to donate five hundred
to each of the nonprofits that we had chosen.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
That's just that's such an awesome program that really just
came out of someone making a comment in a different
Facebook community for female veterans saying, wouldn't it be cool
if it's really neat to see how this has kind
of taken on a life of its own and how
it's at The benefits are going to be tangible and
palpable for nonprofits that support women veterans. We're just thank
(45:43):
you so much for what you're doing. Like, we're very
thankful to have you on the show, and we definitely
want to have you on again when it's time. Once
you have the info on how this year's calendar went
and how those groups are going to benefit, we would
love to have you back on the show to discuss that,
as well as the plans for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 7 (46:04):
Thank you so much. Thank you, and I want to
add when a woman veteran chooses to be a model
and send her photos in biography, and that's another opportunity
for that person to speak about any nonprofit or any
organization that's meaningful to them. So it's you know, we're
not limited to endorsing just for nonprofits. But if you
(46:26):
want to be a model in our calendar and there's
a nonprofit that has done a lot for you or
that you're really excited to speak on, please include that
in your bio and that'll be published and shared across
the country. Our first calendar was shipped to over twenty
eight states.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
Woh wow, Well, thank you again for your time, Amanda. Ladies, gentleman.
That was Amanda Salceto with a Woman Veteran Calendar community.
You can reach them on Facebook through their page. They
also have their website woman womam Veteran Calendar dot com
and if you have a submission, you can send it
to Woman Veteran Calendar at gmail dot com by August
(47:05):
thirty first, twenty twenty four. Amanda, Thank you so much again.
We will continue sharing the information about the submissions up
until the time for them to be submitted. So thank
you very much for allowing us to help further you
guys and give you some visibility for this wonderful program.
Speaker 7 (47:22):
Yes, thank you so much for the opportunity. It was
great talking to you both. Thank you, Thank you, and.
Speaker 6 (47:27):
God bless our veterans risked it all to protect our freedom.
One of the best ways to say thank you is
to volunteer to support them at a time and history
where kindness is a virtue. Volunteering at a therapy bag event,
teaching a craft class, or simply helping veterans at a
hospital means a lot. For over forty seven years, Help
(47:48):
Heal Veterans, a not for profit organization, with the support
of citizens like you, has created, manufactured and distributed therapeutic
art and craft projects for our veterans at the military
at no charge to them. As a National Veteran service organization,
Help Heal Veterans supports VA hospitals, patients at home, and
(48:09):
our active military. Together, Help Heal Veterans and volunteers like
you have delivered over thirty two million therapy kits. Too
injured and recovering veterans to volunteer or learn more, visit
hel vets dot org. That's helvets dot org.
Speaker 3 (48:28):
And anything else if you get.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
About I think so. Just thanks to our sponsors, thanks
to one hundred point nine WCCFFM, thank you to reach
the Cross America Radio as well for having us on
their radio broadcasts. Appreciate all the opportunities to put visibility
on organizations that are veteran centric. You don't have to
be a veteran to listen to this show or to
(48:50):
be on this show. If you support us, if you
love us, so just thanks and please continue telling people
about our show and how they can listen, whether it's
locally in Southwest Florida on one hundred point nine FM
or on the free iHeartRadio app. If they pull that
up and they search WCCF on Fridays at nine am,
(49:11):
they can find our show. And then also we are
aired on rets Across America Radio on Fridays at three pm,
so you can find both Retes Across America Radio and
WCCF via the iHeartRadio app. Rally Pointers fall Out
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