Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Good morning and welcome to the community
connection.
My name's Skip Clark.
Uh another uh very interestinguh show for you this morning for
the next 20 to 30 minutes.
Uh we're going to be talking toScott Cox, who is the founder
director of 22 Until There'sNone.
And uh first of all, I just wantto say good morning, Scott.
Thank you for being here.
(00:21):
Good morning.
Thank you for having me.
Absolutely.
Scott, uh, let's talk about whatthis is all about.
Uh a little bit about yourbackground and what led you to
found uh 22 until there's none.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
So I served 10 years in the military, um, got out.
Uh I also went to Iraq in 2003,came home in 2004, had PTSD, but
didn't know it.
Uh so in November of 04, when myex-wife said, Hey, you need to
get help, or we're over, uh, Iwent and got help, found out I
had PTSD.
(00:53):
So um our marriage fizzled outfrom there.
Um, we ended up uh uh separatingand getting divorced.
I was homeless for a short time.
Uh during that time I tried tocommit suicide twice and then um
went into inpatient uh toSamaritan, got some treatment,
(01:14):
put me on some meds, and uh Iwas pretty uh stable from there.
Then a couple years later, Iended up having my uh third
attempt.
So uh I ended up uh deciding,you know, what can I do to make
myself whole?
Uh so I ended up moving toSyracuse in 2012, I believe it
(01:34):
was, and uh putted around with abunch of different veterans
organizations in the area, andthen I was still missing
something.
So I was like, all right, I'mgonna start 22 until there's
none.
So I grabbed a bunch of people,said, Hey, would you guys be
interested in being part of theboard?
Were these people that youserved with or these are just uh
(01:56):
like my girlfriend, for example,is one of them.
She's she's on it.
Um a couple other people.
We have uh several veterans onthe board, we have uh several
civilians on the board, we havea couple first responders,
former first responders on theboard as well.
So um, so we've been around forabout four years, five years
(02:16):
officially, but uh on paper as anonprofit, it's been a year and
a half, almost two years.
Um during that time, we've saved10 veterans from suicide.
Um we go out, we do publicengagements and stuff like that
uh to raise awareness forsuicide prevention um and the
need for what we do.
(02:37):
Um we have to be very carefulwhat we do because there's a lot
of um medical stuff that wecan't do.
But we will go out in a crisisand we will help these veterans
and first responders that needto help immediately to get them
to an inpatient, uh notinpatient, but uh to somebody in
emergency status that can helpthem.
SPEAKER_01 (02:57):
Right.
And I want to talk about thathere in a little bit, but if we
could back up just just a littlebit, uh when you talk about
finding out that you had PTSD.
What are the symptoms?
What was going on?
I I know you know there wereobviously there was a lot
because your marriage broke upbecause of that.
So what were the symptomsthough?
SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
If somebody that doesn't know So uh PTSD, um back
during World War II, how howPTSD came about was World War
II, it was called Shell Shock.
So the World War II vets wouldgo to the VFWs, American
Legions, drink, smoke, and theywould get, in a way, therapy by
just being around other veteransand talking some of their issues
(03:38):
out.
Um as time grew on that nameShell Shock changed to PTSD.
So um some of those symptoms areuh depression, anxiety, um,
withdrawing from people, uhsociety, um anger.
Maybe just not caring aboutanything, worthlessness, you
(03:59):
know, uh or hopelessness.
Um so those are some of thesymptoms.
There's a lot more, but thoseare some of them.
Um and you don't have to haveall of them to have PTSD.
Uh I'm not a shrink, I'm notmedically certified or anything.
But if you see somebodyexhibiting those symptoms,
especially somebody who's comingback from a foreign soil, um,
(04:20):
that's uh those are clues thatuh something's not right.
What branch?
I was I was in the army.
Army.
What did you do?
So I ended up hell holding threeMOSs.
All right, explain that.
So my first one when I firstjoined, I was what was called a
fabric repair specialist.
I sewed tents, parachutes, uhstuff like that.
(04:40):
Um I didn't like it.
Wasn't very I wouldn't be ableto hem a pair of pants.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_01 (04:44):
I go to my mother-in-law for that.
SPEAKER_00 (04:45):
I still can't have them now.
So then my uh second MOS was isa was a truck driver.
So uh we reclassed uh to becomea truck driver, and then when I
got stationed at Fort Drum, umwe were put in an engineer
company.
So you were part of the 10thMountain?
Correct.
Nice.
Um so we ended up doing umgetting crossed over uh to be
(05:08):
able to do engineer equipment.
So we're sitting in, I loved itbecause when we were in Iraq, I
got to go on the airfield.
We were we had to fix, we had tocompletely break it down to
nothing and uh rebuild it to anairfield, and I'm on a dozer out
there freaking ripping thisconcrete up, and it was just
awesome.
It was a really good experience.
SPEAKER_01 (05:26):
Do you feel safe?
I mean, you're like on a dozerin the middle of an airport,
it's like you're in a wide openspot, and who knows what's gonna
happen.
SPEAKER_00 (05:32):
You never knew.
Yeah, uh you know, rockets andmortars came in all the time,
but you just never knew.
SPEAKER_01 (05:37):
Yeah.
Was there a uh Scott Cox is whoI'm talking to right now.
He is the uh director andfounder of uh 22 Until There's
None.
Was there a particular moment orexperience that really inspired
you to take action on veteransuicide awareness?
SPEAKER_00 (05:53):
Yes.
So um I told this uh I lovetelling the story because um
this is the first person I eversaved, and you never forget,
you'll never forget that personuh that you saved.
So anyway, I ended up um was ata veteran resource fair that we
were hosting with um one of ouruh local um politicians and a
(06:14):
local uh organization, and I wassitting there at a table and I
had all this stuff out there,just you know, I had wasn't
really part of our organization,it was just uh a veterans
organization in general.
So this guy comes in, he's got a10th mountain patch on his um
polo.
So I was like, hey, are you 10thMountain?
He goes, Yeah.
I said, uh um, when you getdone, come back and let's talk
(06:38):
for a little bit.
So uh he went around the room,came back, he sat down next to
me at the table, and um got hima bottle of water, and within 30
minutes of having a conversationwith him, I knew everything
about him, uh, what he was goingthrough, uh, how suicide was uh
uh always in his mind, and hewas getting discharged from the
(07:00):
army and he was moving toEriePA.
So um I he had my card, had mynumber, everything, and I said,
listen, I said, I'm always herefor you no matter what.
And um he goes, I appreciatethat.
So uh fast forward a monthlater, I get a text message out
of blue from him.
He goes, the conversation thatyou had with me saved my life.
(07:24):
And that was like give megoosebumps immediately.
SPEAKER_01 (07:26):
Well, it's giving me the goosebumps right now.
Wow, how do you hold it togetherdoing that?
I mean, seriously.
I mean, we're all grown men, buthow do you hold it together?
SPEAKER_00 (07:37):
It's tough sometimes.
Um it's not easy because you'redealing with somebody's future,
yeah.
Um, and you just don't know ifthings are gonna go wrong.
Uh it's about uh picking yourwords wisely to under make sure
that they understand they theydo that you understand what
they're going through, but alsoyou know, being stern with them
(08:00):
and saying, hey, look, you know,making this decision is a
permanent end to a temporary uhproblem, you know, and those
temporary problems we can helpyou with.
We can find resources to helpyou.
Um you know, the hardest part isdealing when there's with kids,
you know, there's no having kidsinvolved.
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (08:18):
Yeah.
Where did you um come up with 22until there's none?
What's like the 22 must meansomething?
SPEAKER_00 (08:25):
So good question.
22.
Um, if you look at all thestudies that have been put out
by the VA and uh the NationalSuicide Uh Prevention Um
Coalition and stuff like that.
22 is the average number ofveterans that commit suicide per
day.
Um, the other factor is also uhfor first responders is 17 to 20
(08:48):
first responders commit suicideper month.
So what we did is we kept the 22because it already resonates
with everybody.
And we always tell I tell peoplethose facts, and that's what
they are.
Um right now the numberaccording to the VA is 17
veterans uh per day commitsuicide.
So the number's down um a littlebit, which is great.
(09:10):
Um still too many.
It is one is too many.
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (09:14):
Should be none, but go ahead.
Sorry.
I'm also it's like wow, youknow.
Um this is a very tough subjectto talk about.
And I give you credit for comingin here and doing that.
But uh, for those hearing about22 until there's none for the
first time, how would youdescribe the mission and the
(09:35):
purpose of your organization?
SPEAKER_00 (09:38):
So our mission is, and I'm glad you asked that
question because I was uhactually thinking about how I
could better define it uh beforeI got here.
Um, so our main focus isveterans, military, and first
responders to help thatcommunity.
Uh what if whatever resourceswe're able to give them uh to be
(10:00):
there in their time of need.
Uh, we do not turn anybody away.
So if somebody off the streetcomes to us and says, hey, look,
and they have no affiliation,uh, we will get them to the
resources that they need andhand off, give them what's
called a warm handoff instead ofjust here's a number, call it or
whatever.
Um, because that's not whatwe're about.
Uh so that's our main mission isto ensure that our first
(10:23):
responders, whether they'rehomeless or um our veterans are
homeless, we can get them theresources that they need.
SPEAKER_01 (10:29):
Well, what are some of the core programs, services,
or the initiatives you providefor veterans, first responders,
their families?
What are some of those?
SPEAKER_00 (10:38):
So the first one that we offer is uh our motto,
you never have to walk alone.
So, with that being said, youcall me, you text me, or
somebody refers you to me uh orthis organization.
Uh, we reach out to you withinhours, uh, if not immediately.
Um, some places they have a timeframe, like one or two days.
(11:00):
We do it immediately because weunderstand the fur, you know,
there's a there's a window ofopportunity to get capture that
person, and we have limited timeto work with that.
So um what we do is from startto finish, we walk with them.
So uh a couple of the veteransthat we've helped, we walk them
to the VA.
We stay with them while they'regetting evaluated by uh mental
(11:22):
health professionals.
Um, some of us have asked us tostay in a room with them so they
feel that there's somebody ontheir side.
Some have asked us to step out.
That's totally up to them and wedon't push either way.
Um, but once they're either uhplaced in inpatient or they're
referred to outpatient, uh thetreatment, our um services don't
(11:42):
stop.
We stay with them, we monitorthem.
Once they are discharged uh fromuh the facility, we still walk
with them.
Uh we'll take them, go get themto something to eat.
Um we'll take them to if theyneed you know food, we'll go get
them food, whatever the casemight be to help them de uh to
get more space from the timethat they were uh thinking they
(12:05):
were suicidal to the time youknow uh they actually re-enter
the home or uh whatever.
So that's one of the things thatwe do.
Uh and it's worked veryefficiently uh with the time
that we've saved.
Um the other thing is is we havea grant for first responders.
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
I was gonna ask about a grant if there was any
of that available to what you'redoing.
SPEAKER_00 (12:26):
So we do a lot of fundraising on our own right
now.
We have we don't ref receive anyfederal funding yet.
We're still trying to get grantsas they come available.
Um, but being new, um we don'treally have we haven't worked
with a grant writer.
But anyway, we have a grant thatwe started, it's called a
strength and service grant.
Um, what we will do is for firstresponders and for veterans and
(12:51):
the military, even though theygot health care, um, we will
work with them to get them thetreatment that they need for at
least the first two um uhtherapy sessions.
So they can so then that waythey have no out-of-pocket
costs, whether we pay theirdeductible or we pay the full
monthly of what the first twoexpenses are, uh, so then that
(13:13):
way they are getting thetreatment because a lot of
people don't know this.
Um, but with first responders,uh volunteers in particular,
there's really not a mentalhealth um service that really
helps them.
Really?
Um, so if they go to a masscasualty incident and then they
bring in the full Monty, butthen once that the therapist,
(13:34):
doctor, and all and are gone,there's nothing there for those
uh that are there to be helped.
So that's where we try to stepin.
SPEAKER_01 (13:40):
Wow.
Um veteran suicide.
It's heartbreaking.
It's a heartbreaking crisis fromyour perspective.
What are some of the biggestchallenges that veterans face
when returning back to civilianlife?
I mean, you did it.
You're in for 10 years, you hadto come back home and didn't go
as planned.
Um, but uh what are some ofthose challenges?
(14:01):
Just everything we had talkedabout?
SPEAKER_00 (14:02):
Just it's it's a multitude, it's not just one
thing.
Um when I deployed and then camehome, they always told you when
you come home, you're gonna bein a reintegration period where
they kind of teach you torelearn to be a civilian again.
Well, that didn't really happen.
Uh we were thrown back into ourfamilies where now mom and uh or
(14:23):
the wife or the spouse, I shouldsay, um, was taking care of all
the bills, the house, the kids,this and that, and everything
else.
Now suddenly here comes thesoldier, if you will, uh, back
into it and hadn't just startedto take stuff back over, like it
was not he would never left.
So you find that you know uhthat was part of the issue.
(14:43):
Um, you have the issue access tohealth care, uh, the stigma.
Um, and that's the biggest oneof the biggest things that you
could find is people don't wantto be labeled as somebody who
has a mental health problem uhbecause they're afraid of their
job, uh, their status with theirfriends or family and stuff like
that.
Your mental health care is yourmental health care, it's
private.
(15:04):
Um I'm open about mine becauseI'm a you know I'm a pretty
decent sized guy, and peoplelook at me and go, I can't
believe you had issues.
SPEAKER_01 (15:11):
You drive a pretty decent sized truck, too.
So I'm just saying, when hepulled into the parking lot this
morning early, um, it's like,who's this dude?
Number one, he got out of thetruck, and I felt like a midget,
even though I'm not, like I wasshort and skinny.
And this dude gets out and he'sgot a truck that's just super
huge, and but you have itdecorated for your purpose,
(15:31):
which is really cool.
I know I see the decals, and ifyou see it out and about, you
know, just give them a took,give them a wave, and say thank
you.
Thank you for your service andall that you've done.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (15:40):
We tell we tell people hey, if you see us out
and about, take a picture of it,put it on our Facebook page.
Let us know people you've seenus, you know, because that's uh
knowledge's power and sharing ispower too.
100%.
SPEAKER_01 (15:49):
100%.
What partnerships, talking aboutthat, partnerships, community uh
connections, and local resourceshave been most important to your
mission.
SPEAKER_00 (15:58):
So we've been working with uh St.
Joe's crisis team.
Okay.
Um Nicole over there has beenreally great.
She's come to a couple of ourevents and we've gone to a
couple of hers.
Um, because if we can't, if it'ssomething that we can't handle,
uh we go to her, we we call herup and say, hey, look, I got an
issue uh and I need to hand thisoff to you.
And so their response has beenreally cool.
(16:18):
Um we work a lot more with theVA in the outpatient clinics um
in the um Onadaga County areaand the counties surrounding
Onadaga County.
Gotcha.
Uh we do cover all of New YorkState, but we're so small right
now that we can't really go allof New York.
So we picked and you know tostay locally.
(16:39):
Step at a time.
But we will go wherever somebodycalls in a crisis, we will go
there if we can make it there.
Um, so yeah, so the VA has beenreally good.
We work with the homeless team,uh, we work with mental health,
uh, we work with the primarycare team as well, um, of that
individual um and the ER aswell.
SPEAKER_01 (16:55):
So how can uh communities right here in our
area get more involved insupporting the veterans through
your organization?
SPEAKER_00 (17:04):
So I know it's like uh everybody says it's the same
cliche, you know, donations arethe biggest thing.
They are, they are, um,especially when it comes to what
what what we what what we do,but on the same token, it's also
volunteering.
You know, we could always usevolunteers for events, uh, we
could always use more members ofthe organization that want to
come in and be a part of theorganization, whether they're in
(17:26):
the board, uh excuse me, on theboard or uh just a member in
general, um, because you'regonna find out that that's what
where we where we do things ishandled right there.
And then events that we go out,sometimes we don't have enough
people to cover multiple events.
So that those are the twobiggest things.
But the biggest thing and theone of the biggest things that I
could say next to donations isgonna be um if you know somebody
(17:52):
who is uh struggling, referthem, call us, call, have them
call us because for everyveteran that we do help or first
responder, there's two or threeveterans or first responders we
we have not touched.
SPEAKER_01 (18:05):
Are there those that are afraid to step up?
Those that keep it in the backof their mind um that will not
go and get help just becausethey maybe they feel I don't
need it, but they need it.
Is that the right thing to say?
I don't, you know what I'mtrying to get across.
SPEAKER_00 (18:20):
No, absolutely.
You know, um when I first um gotout, the VA wasn't in Laudertown
per se.
They had a clinic, but it wasn'tthe greatest.
So I was one of those people whofell through the cracks.
Um, a lot of people now whereeven though there's health care
or um what have you in place,they're worried about the
(18:42):
stigma.
They're worried about, you know,how do I handle this?
You know, um, and one of thethings that I would really,
really push is if you're afraidto have that conversation with
somebody, call somebody, call988, call us, reach out to
medical healthcare providers.
Um, because once you have thatconversation, you're not putting
(19:05):
a seed in somebody's head thatthey're gonna kill themselves.
It's already there, and it's notgonna change the size of it.
So it's there.
Don't be afraid.
SPEAKER_01 (19:15):
What are some of the biggest misconceptions?
Um, uh pretty much everything isuh right out there.
I mean, it's about veteranmental health, suicide
prevention, uh, any of thatmisconceptions that you like to
clear up.
I mean, I'm seeing you face toface here.
I this is just makes me want togo, yeah, brother, I'm there for
you.
(19:36):
I have never served, you have,but what can I do to help you?
That's right, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
So some of the biggest misconceptions uh is
people feel that you know, basedupon you what you look like, you
you can't hurt, you can't havemental issues.
And just because you have a um amental health issue or you're
suicidal or whatever doesn'tmean you're a bad person.
You know, life hand giveseverybody different lemons.
(20:04):
And sometimes those lemons arebig, sometimes they're small.
And what you do with thoselemons is gonna depend on how
how you leave your legacy.
And so, you know, leaving apermanent solution to a
temporary issue, you know, how'syour family gonna react to that?
Because say you got little kids,and no, and then all of a sudden
(20:27):
now mom or dad's not there.
Uh, they got it, you have tolive, they they have to live
with that the rest of theirlives.
And so reach out because that'swhat uh this is all about.
SPEAKER_01 (20:37):
You know, it's raising awareness.
We're chatting with Scott Cox,who is the founder and director
of 22 Until There's None.
Where do you see theorganization in the next five
years?
SPEAKER_00 (20:48):
I see this organization going uh bigger.
Uh I won't I don't want to usethe word exponentially, but it's
gonna be bigger than what it is.
Uh whether we expand ourservices, we double the manpower
that we have, uh, whatever thecase might be.
Uh, you know, we tote our hat onhow many people we saved.
You know, we have not had it gothe other way yet.
(21:11):
Uh, but we want to keep it thatway.
But the biggest thing is makingsure that we're being engaged in
the public.
We're continuing to push themission of suicide prevention.
Uh, because suicide preventionisn't just a one-person job,
it's everybody's business.
Because if you if you a lot ofpeople will be like, well, I
(21:32):
missed the signs, and all of asudden now they're gone.
All the cues are in place allthe way up to that point.
And then they're like, Well, Ididn't know he was suicidal, and
so now he's gone.
It's too late.
SPEAKER_01 (21:42):
Yep.
Way too late.
Uh, if there's somebodylistening right now and they
feel inspired to help you out,Scott, what's the best way to
get involved?
Is it donations, volunteering,spreading the word?
I know you mentioned donations,you mentioned volunteering,
volunteering.
Uh, but is there any other way?
Just help spread the word.
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
Keep spreading the word that we're here for you.
Um, we do what we do because ofyou.
Um, we love working with thelocal um um radio stations, news
outlets, stuff like that to getthe our message out, but also to
build that partnership with themas well.
Because um, you know, suicidemonth just ended, suicide
(22:23):
prevention awareness month thatjust ended.
But just because it endeddoesn't mean that suicide goes
away.
Um it's there every day.
SPEAKER_01 (22:31):
Yeah.
Wow.
Uh Scott, if you don't mind measking, I'm sure you still have
certain tough days.
Right.
A lot goes through your mind.
Oh, what keeps you motivated tocontinue this mission?
Just knowing what you've done?
SPEAKER_00 (22:44):
So I look at I have an eight-year-old and a
12-year-old, and I'm gonna uhbounce on that just for a second
if I could.
Um I went out and I did uh awatchfire speech uh for our
organization in Fulton.
Never once thought about mychildren hearing this
conversation.
(23:05):
And my 12-year-old heard me umheard my speech.
He looked up at my girlfriendand he goes, You mean to tell me
I almost didn't have a dad?
That right there kept me going.
Uh that was more of a recentone.
But that, you know, my childrenare my my um are your legacy.
And um I want them to look whenI'm gone to say, Dad, I want to
(23:31):
continue this for you and makethings right.
So, and when my little boy saidthat to uh my girlfriend, I I I
had to go over and talk to him.
I never once thought about um mykids being in a room when I had
that conversation.
SPEAKER_01 (23:45):
If you don't mind me asking, how was that when you
talked to him?
I'm just gonna tell you, I'd beballing my eyes out.
SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
I teared up uh really good, uh, to be honest
with you.
And I went over and I asked him,I said, Do you want to talk
about anything?
And uh I said, You heard myspeech.
Then he said you made a couplecomments.
Would you like to talk about it?
And he said, I'm okay, Dad.
I'm okay.
He said, Can I go watch thefire?
So to him, I guess it justrolled right off.
(24:12):
But to me it did, but it didn't.
SPEAKER_01 (24:14):
I'll be I mean, I've watched my kids grow up, uh,
they're all adults now, butstill knowing they heard that,
they know that it's in theirmind, and uh and that's one of
the things that I tell them.
SPEAKER_00 (24:27):
I love you forever.
I am not mentally like uh I'mnot a therapist or social worker
or doctor or anything.
But we know our kids.
And the one thing I told my kidsis listen, if you're having a
bad day at school and you'rethinking about other things,
come talk to me.
SPEAKER_01 (24:44):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (24:44):
And he's like, I will.
And my my eight-year-old, uh, myeight-year-old, well, he's he's
just yeah, he's that he'll getthere.
SPEAKER_01 (24:52):
It's all about the age.
Um so again, how can peopleconnect with the organization?
They know somebody that needshelp, or how can you know they
want to connect themselves, ormaybe there's uh a local um uh
somebody locally that wants toget involved with the
organization.
How can they connect with you?
Find out more about 22 untilthere's none.
SPEAKER_00 (25:13):
So we have a website, um, it's 22ontiles
none.net.
Okay, and uh all our contactinformation is on there.
Well, my contact information.
And so uh you can email me, youcan text me, you can call me if
you need help or if you want tohelp out.
Um, if you're looking for moreinformation or you want us to
come to an event, stuff likethat, um, send us an email so we
(25:35):
can get it uh sorted out tofigure out what if we have the
staffing to build, includingfirst responders, right?
SPEAKER_01 (25:40):
So with all our fire companies in the area, uh the
police departments, uh so on andso forth.
Just it's it's not onlyveterans.
SPEAKER_00 (25:46):
And I know we touched on that before, but and
that's I used to be a firstresponder for 10 years.
I was in for I was a captainwith the uh Calcium Fire
Department for 10 years.
Chief of Fairmount.
And I'm like, I'm going, this isgreat.
You know, I you know, I have it,I have uh a bond already
established with uh the localfire and EMS departments, you
know, because of my criteria.
And I've actually found thatactually not to be the the case
(26:09):
because it's harder to get intothe fire departments and EMS to
talk about this um and let themknow there's somebody there for
you.
And we sent out numerous youknow stuff to them to try to get
them to engage.
Um uh but it's been it's beentough.
We're not gonna we're nevergonna give up, but it's just
been tougher.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:27):
Scott Cox, uh, the director founder of uh 22 until
there's none got up early, come,came in, and uh here we are.
We're chatting about it.
Just a it's a kind of asensitive subject, but then
again, it's an important subjectwhere the word needs to get out.
I can say if you or someone youlove is struggling, know that
you're not alone.
(26:47):
22 Until There's None is here towalk beside you, to support you,
and to remind you that yourservice matters.
And to learn more, get involved,or connect with Scott and his
team, just go to 22untilthere'snone.net.
And together they can ensurethat every hero gets the care
and compassion they deserve.
And Scott, thank you for yourservice.
(27:09):
Thank you for being you.
Um, I feel like I've known youforever just after this
conversation, dude.
It's it's cool.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming in.
And uh please, because uh hereour radio stations in this
cluster, we're all locally ownedand operated.
And we always say we'rehometown.
And we're not just saying that,we are hometown.
Everybody that works here prettymuch is from the area, one way
(27:30):
or another.
So it's kind of cool.
So and we all have thoseconnections.
So we'd like to, you know, justput the invite out there.
Feel free to call on us,whatever you need.
Um, you know, me personally, I'dlove to come out and do
something for you.
Are there any events that youhave coming up for fundraising,
or everything's kind of, youknow, because of the seasons are
changing?
SPEAKER_00 (27:48):
As um, obviously, as the seasons change, um we're
winding down because it'sgetting colder.
Uh, but we do, if there'ssomething that somebody wants us
to come to, we will come to youum do an event.
Uh, we're actually um setting upa uh a BA saves uh training uh
at uh community bank in uhCicero.
(28:12):
And it's gonna be on aWednesday.
I believe it's gonna be aWednesday night.
Um but you'll be able to go onour website.
We're gonna put it up on thereif anybody's interested in
coming to it.
It's free to come uh for uhfirst responders or veterans or
a vet organization wants tocome.
Um we just ask that you are SVPto it to let us know.
So we have a headcount.
(28:32):
Um, but the flyer will be up onour website, on our Facebook
page uh as soon as we confirm itat the actual time of the uh
event.
SPEAKER_01 (28:39):
Love it.
22 until there's none.net is thewebsite.
Scott, thank you for being heretoday.
Thank you so much for having me.
Good morning and welcome to the community
connection.
My name's Skip Clark.
Uh another uh very interestinguh show for you this morning for
the next 20 to 30 minutes.
Uh we're going to be talking toScott Cox, who is the founder
director of 22 Until There'sNone.
And uh first of all, I just wantto say good morning, Scott.
Thank you for being here.
(00:21):
Good morning.
Thank you for having me.
Absolutely.
Scott, uh, let's talk about whatthis is all about.
Uh a little bit about yourbackground and what led you to
found uh 22 until there's none.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
So I served 10 years in the military, um, got out.
Uh I also went to Iraq in 2003,came home in 2004, had PTSD, but
didn't know it.
Uh so in November of 04, when myex-wife said, Hey, you need to
get help, or we're over, uh, Iwent and got help, found out I
had PTSD.
(00:53):
So um our marriage fizzled outfrom there.
Um, we ended up uh uh separatingand getting divorced.
I was homeless for a short time.
Uh during that time I tried tocommit suicide twice and then um
went into inpatient uh toSamaritan, got some treatment,
(01:14):
put me on some meds, and uh Iwas pretty uh stable from there.
Then a couple years later, Iended up having my uh third
attempt.
So uh I ended up uh deciding,you know, what can I do to make
myself whole?
Uh so I ended up moving toSyracuse in 2012, I believe it
(01:34):
was, and uh putted around with abunch of different veterans
organizations in the area, andthen I was still missing
something.
So I was like, all right, I'mgonna start 22 until there's
none.
So I grabbed a bunch of people,said, Hey, would you guys be
interested in being part of theboard?
Were these people that youserved with or these are just uh
(01:56):
like my girlfriend, for example,is one of them.
She's she's on it.
Um a couple other people.
We have uh several veterans onthe board, we have uh several
civilians on the board, we havea couple first responders,
former first responders on theboard as well.
So um, so we've been around forabout four years, five years
(02:16):
officially, but uh on paper as anonprofit, it's been a year and
a half, almost two years.
Um during that time, we've saved10 veterans from suicide.
Um we go out, we do publicengagements and stuff like that
uh to raise awareness forsuicide prevention um and the
need for what we do.
(02:37):
Um we have to be very carefulwhat we do because there's a lot
of um medical stuff that wecan't do.
But we will go out in a crisisand we will help these veterans
and first responders that needto help immediately to get them
to an inpatient, uh notinpatient, but uh to somebody in
emergency status that can helpthem.
SPEAKER_01 (02:57):
Right.
And I want to talk about thathere in a little bit, but if we
could back up just just a littlebit, uh when you talk about
finding out that you had PTSD.
What are the symptoms?
What was going on?
I I know you know there wereobviously there was a lot
because your marriage broke upbecause of that.
So what were the symptomsthough?
SPEAKER_00 (03:15):
If somebody that doesn't know So uh PTSD, um back
during World War II, how howPTSD came about was World War
II, it was called Shell Shock.
So the World War II vets wouldgo to the VFWs, American
Legions, drink, smoke, and theywould get, in a way, therapy by
just being around other veteransand talking some of their issues
(03:38):
out.
Um as time grew on that nameShell Shock changed to PTSD.
So um some of those symptoms areuh depression, anxiety, um,
withdrawing from people, uhsociety, um anger.
Maybe just not caring aboutanything, worthlessness, you
(03:59):
know, uh or hopelessness.
Um so those are some of thesymptoms.
There's a lot more, but thoseare some of them.
Um and you don't have to haveall of them to have PTSD.
Uh I'm not a shrink, I'm notmedically certified or anything.
But if you see somebodyexhibiting those symptoms,
especially somebody who's comingback from a foreign soil, um,
(04:20):
that's uh those are clues thatuh something's not right.
What branch?
I was I was in the army.
Army.
What did you do?
So I ended up hell holding threeMOSs.
All right, explain that.
So my first one when I firstjoined, I was what was called a
fabric repair specialist.
I sewed tents, parachutes, uhstuff like that.
(04:40):
Um I didn't like it.
Wasn't very I wouldn't be ableto hem a pair of pants.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_01 (04:44):
I go to my mother-in-law for that.
SPEAKER_00 (04:45):
I still can't have them now.
So then my uh second MOS was isa was a truck driver.
So uh we reclassed uh to becomea truck driver, and then when I
got stationed at Fort Drum, umwe were put in an engineer
company.
So you were part of the 10thMountain?
Correct.
Nice.
Um so we ended up doing umgetting crossed over uh to be
(05:08):
able to do engineer equipment.
So we're sitting in, I loved itbecause when we were in Iraq, I
got to go on the airfield.
We were we had to fix, we had tocompletely break it down to
nothing and uh rebuild it to anairfield, and I'm on a dozer out
there freaking ripping thisconcrete up, and it was just
awesome.
It was a really good experience.
SPEAKER_01 (05:26):
Do you feel safe?
I mean, you're like on a dozerin the middle of an airport,
it's like you're in a wide openspot, and who knows what's gonna
happen.
SPEAKER_00 (05:32):
You never knew.
Yeah, uh you know, rockets andmortars came in all the time,
but you just never knew.
SPEAKER_01 (05:37):
Yeah.
Was there a uh Scott Cox is whoI'm talking to right now.
He is the uh director andfounder of uh 22 Until There's
None.
Was there a particular moment orexperience that really inspired
you to take action on veteransuicide awareness?
SPEAKER_00 (05:53):
Yes.
So um I told this uh I lovetelling the story because um
this is the first person I eversaved, and you never forget,
you'll never forget that personuh that you saved.
So anyway, I ended up um was ata veteran resource fair that we
were hosting with um one of ouruh local um politicians and a
(06:14):
local uh organization, and I wassitting there at a table and I
had all this stuff out there,just you know, I had wasn't
really part of our organization,it was just uh a veterans
organization in general.
So this guy comes in, he's got a10th mountain patch on his um
polo.
So I was like, hey, are you 10thMountain?
He goes, Yeah.
I said, uh um, when you getdone, come back and let's talk
(06:38):
for a little bit.
So uh he went around the room,came back, he sat down next to
me at the table, and um got hima bottle of water, and within 30
minutes of having a conversationwith him, I knew everything
about him, uh, what he was goingthrough, uh, how suicide was uh
uh always in his mind, and hewas getting discharged from the
(07:00):
army and he was moving toEriePA.
So um I he had my card, had mynumber, everything, and I said,
listen, I said, I'm always herefor you no matter what.
And um he goes, I appreciatethat.
So uh fast forward a monthlater, I get a text message out
of blue from him.
He goes, the conversation thatyou had with me saved my life.
(07:24):
And that was like give megoosebumps immediately.
SPEAKER_01 (07:26):
Well, it's giving me the goosebumps right now.
Wow, how do you hold it togetherdoing that?
I mean, seriously.
I mean, we're all grown men, buthow do you hold it together?
SPEAKER_00 (07:37):
It's tough sometimes.
Um it's not easy because you'redealing with somebody's future,
yeah.
Um, and you just don't know ifthings are gonna go wrong.
Uh it's about uh picking yourwords wisely to under make sure
that they understand they theydo that you understand what
they're going through, but alsoyou know, being stern with them
(08:00):
and saying, hey, look, you know,making this decision is a
permanent end to a temporary uhproblem, you know, and those
temporary problems we can helpyou with.
We can find resources to helpyou.
Um you know, the hardest part isdealing when there's with kids,
you know, there's no having kidsinvolved.
Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_01 (08:18):
Yeah.
Where did you um come up with 22until there's none?
What's like the 22 must meansomething?
SPEAKER_00 (08:25):
So good question.
22.
Um, if you look at all thestudies that have been put out
by the VA and uh the NationalSuicide Uh Prevention Um
Coalition and stuff like that.
22 is the average number ofveterans that commit suicide per
day.
Um, the other factor is also uhfor first responders is 17 to 20
(08:48):
first responders commit suicideper month.
So what we did is we kept the 22because it already resonates
with everybody.
And we always tell I tell peoplethose facts, and that's what
they are.
Um right now the numberaccording to the VA is 17
veterans uh per day commitsuicide.
So the number's down um a littlebit, which is great.
(09:10):
Um still too many.
It is one is too many.
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (09:14):
Should be none, but go ahead.
Sorry.
I'm also it's like wow, youknow.
Um this is a very tough subjectto talk about.
And I give you credit for comingin here and doing that.
But uh, for those hearing about22 until there's none for the
first time, how would youdescribe the mission and the
(09:35):
purpose of your organization?
SPEAKER_00 (09:38):
So our mission is, and I'm glad you asked that
question because I was uhactually thinking about how I
could better define it uh beforeI got here.
Um, so our main focus isveterans, military, and first
responders to help thatcommunity.
Uh what if whatever resourceswe're able to give them uh to be
(10:00):
there in their time of need.
Uh, we do not turn anybody away.
So if somebody off the streetcomes to us and says, hey, look,
and they have no affiliation,uh, we will get them to the
resources that they need andhand off, give them what's
called a warm handoff instead ofjust here's a number, call it or
whatever.
Um, because that's not whatwe're about.
Uh so that's our main mission isto ensure that our first
(10:23):
responders, whether they'rehomeless or um our veterans are
homeless, we can get them theresources that they need.
SPEAKER_01 (10:29):
Well, what are some of the core programs, services,
or the initiatives you providefor veterans, first responders,
their families?
What are some of those?
SPEAKER_00 (10:38):
So the first one that we offer is uh our motto,
you never have to walk alone.
So, with that being said, youcall me, you text me, or
somebody refers you to me uh orthis organization.
Uh, we reach out to you withinhours, uh, if not immediately.
Um, some places they have a timeframe, like one or two days.
(11:00):
We do it immediately because weunderstand the fur, you know,
there's a there's a window ofopportunity to get capture that
person, and we have limited timeto work with that.
So um what we do is from startto finish, we walk with them.
So uh a couple of the veteransthat we've helped, we walk them
to the VA.
We stay with them while they'regetting evaluated by uh mental
(11:22):
health professionals.
Um, some of us have asked us tostay in a room with them so they
feel that there's somebody ontheir side.
Some have asked us to step out.
That's totally up to them and wedon't push either way.
Um, but once they're either uhplaced in inpatient or they're
referred to outpatient, uh thetreatment, our um services don't
(11:42):
stop.
We stay with them, we monitorthem.
Once they are discharged uh fromuh the facility, we still walk
with them.
Uh we'll take them, go get themto something to eat.
Um we'll take them to if theyneed you know food, we'll go get
them food, whatever the casemight be to help them de uh to
get more space from the timethat they were uh thinking they
(12:05):
were suicidal to the time youknow uh they actually re-enter
the home or uh whatever.
So that's one of the things thatwe do.
Uh and it's worked veryefficiently uh with the time
that we've saved.
Um the other thing is is we havea grant for first responders.
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
I was gonna ask about a grant if there was any
of that available to what you'redoing.
SPEAKER_00 (12:26):
So we do a lot of fundraising on our own right
now.
We have we don't ref receive anyfederal funding yet.
We're still trying to get grantsas they come available.
Um, but being new, um we don'treally have we haven't worked
with a grant writer.
But anyway, we have a grant thatwe started, it's called a
strength and service grant.
Um, what we will do is for firstresponders and for veterans and
(12:51):
the military, even though theygot health care, um, we will
work with them to get them thetreatment that they need for at
least the first two um uhtherapy sessions.
So they can so then that waythey have no out-of-pocket
costs, whether we pay theirdeductible or we pay the full
monthly of what the first twoexpenses are, uh, so then that
(13:13):
way they are getting thetreatment because a lot of
people don't know this.
Um, but with first responders,uh volunteers in particular,
there's really not a mentalhealth um service that really
helps them.
Really?
Um, so if they go to a masscasualty incident and then they
bring in the full Monty, butthen once that the therapist,
(13:34):
doctor, and all and are gone,there's nothing there for those
uh that are there to be helped.
So that's where we try to stepin.
SPEAKER_01 (13:40):
Wow.
Um veteran suicide.
It's heartbreaking.
It's a heartbreaking crisis fromyour perspective.
What are some of the biggestchallenges that veterans face
when returning back to civilianlife?
I mean, you did it.
You're in for 10 years, you hadto come back home and didn't go
as planned.
Um, but uh what are some ofthose challenges?
(14:01):
Just everything we had talkedabout?
SPEAKER_00 (14:02):
Just it's it's a multitude, it's not just one
thing.
Um when I deployed and then camehome, they always told you when
you come home, you're gonna bein a reintegration period where
they kind of teach you torelearn to be a civilian again.
Well, that didn't really happen.
Uh we were thrown back into ourfamilies where now mom and uh or
(14:23):
the wife or the spouse, I shouldsay, um, was taking care of all
the bills, the house, the kids,this and that, and everything
else.
Now suddenly here comes thesoldier, if you will, uh, back
into it and hadn't just startedto take stuff back over, like it
was not he would never left.
So you find that you know uhthat was part of the issue.
(14:43):
Um, you have the issue access tohealth care, uh, the stigma.
Um, and that's the biggest oneof the biggest things that you
could find is people don't wantto be labeled as somebody who
has a mental health problem uhbecause they're afraid of their
job, uh, their status with theirfriends or family and stuff like
that.
Your mental health care is yourmental health care, it's
private.
(15:04):
Um I'm open about mine becauseI'm a you know I'm a pretty
decent sized guy, and peoplelook at me and go, I can't
believe you had issues.
SPEAKER_01 (15:11):
You drive a pretty decent sized truck, too.
So I'm just saying, when hepulled into the parking lot this
morning early, um, it's like,who's this dude?
Number one, he got out of thetruck, and I felt like a midget,
even though I'm not, like I wasshort and skinny.
And this dude gets out and he'sgot a truck that's just super
huge, and but you have itdecorated for your purpose,
(15:31):
which is really cool.
I know I see the decals, and ifyou see it out and about, you
know, just give them a took,give them a wave, and say thank
you.
Thank you for your service andall that you've done.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (15:40):
We tell we tell people hey, if you see us out
and about, take a picture of it,put it on our Facebook page.
Let us know people you've seenus, you know, because that's uh
knowledge's power and sharing ispower too.
100%.
SPEAKER_01 (15:49):
100%.
What partnerships, talking aboutthat, partnerships, community uh
connections, and local resourceshave been most important to your
mission.
SPEAKER_00 (15:58):
So we've been working with uh St.
Joe's crisis team.
Okay.
Um Nicole over there has beenreally great.
She's come to a couple of ourevents and we've gone to a
couple of hers.
Um, because if we can't, if it'ssomething that we can't handle,
uh we go to her, we we call herup and say, hey, look, I got an
issue uh and I need to hand thisoff to you.
And so their response has beenreally cool.
(16:18):
Um we work a lot more with theVA in the outpatient clinics um
in the um Onadaga County areaand the counties surrounding
Onadaga County.
Gotcha.
Uh we do cover all of New YorkState, but we're so small right
now that we can't really go allof New York.
So we picked and you know tostay locally.
(16:39):
Step at a time.
But we will go wherever somebodycalls in a crisis, we will go
there if we can make it there.
Um, so yeah, so the VA has beenreally good.
We work with the homeless team,uh, we work with mental health,
uh, we work with the primarycare team as well, um, of that
individual um and the ER aswell.
SPEAKER_01 (16:55):
So how can uh communities right here in our
area get more involved insupporting the veterans through
your organization?
SPEAKER_00 (17:04):
So I know it's like uh everybody says it's the same
cliche, you know, donations arethe biggest thing.
They are, they are, um,especially when it comes to what
what what we what what we do,but on the same token, it's also
volunteering.
You know, we could always usevolunteers for events, uh, we
could always use more members ofthe organization that want to
come in and be a part of theorganization, whether they're in
(17:26):
the board, uh excuse me, on theboard or uh just a member in
general, um, because you'regonna find out that that's what
where we where we do things ishandled right there.
And then events that we go out,sometimes we don't have enough
people to cover multiple events.
So that those are the twobiggest things.
But the biggest thing and theone of the biggest things that I
could say next to donations isgonna be um if you know somebody
(17:52):
who is uh struggling, referthem, call us, call, have them
call us because for everyveteran that we do help or first
responder, there's two or threeveterans or first responders we
we have not touched.
SPEAKER_01 (18:05):
Are there those that are afraid to step up?
Those that keep it in the backof their mind um that will not
go and get help just becausethey maybe they feel I don't
need it, but they need it.
Is that the right thing to say?
I don't, you know what I'mtrying to get across.
SPEAKER_00 (18:20):
No, absolutely.
You know, um when I first um gotout, the VA wasn't in Laudertown
per se.
They had a clinic, but it wasn'tthe greatest.
So I was one of those people whofell through the cracks.
Um, a lot of people now whereeven though there's health care
or um what have you in place,they're worried about the
(18:42):
stigma.
They're worried about, you know,how do I handle this?
You know, um, and one of thethings that I would really,
really push is if you're afraidto have that conversation with
somebody, call somebody, call988, call us, reach out to
medical healthcare providers.
Um, because once you have thatconversation, you're not putting
(19:05):
a seed in somebody's head thatthey're gonna kill themselves.
It's already there, and it's notgonna change the size of it.
So it's there.
Don't be afraid.
SPEAKER_01 (19:15):
What are some of the biggest misconceptions?
Um, uh pretty much everything isuh right out there.
I mean, it's about veteranmental health, suicide
prevention, uh, any of thatmisconceptions that you like to
clear up.
I mean, I'm seeing you face toface here.
I this is just makes me want togo, yeah, brother, I'm there for
you.
(19:36):
I have never served, you have,but what can I do to help you?
That's right, you know.
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
So some of the biggest misconceptions uh is
people feel that you know, basedupon you what you look like, you
you can't hurt, you can't havemental issues.
And just because you have a um amental health issue or you're
suicidal or whatever doesn'tmean you're a bad person.
You know, life hand giveseverybody different lemons.
(20:04):
And sometimes those lemons arebig, sometimes they're small.
And what you do with thoselemons is gonna depend on how
how you leave your legacy.
And so, you know, leaving apermanent solution to a
temporary issue, you know, how'syour family gonna react to that?
Because say you got little kids,and no, and then all of a sudden
(20:27):
now mom or dad's not there.
Uh, they got it, you have tolive, they they have to live
with that the rest of theirlives.
And so reach out because that'swhat uh this is all about.
SPEAKER_01 (20:37):
You know, it's raising awareness.
We're chatting with Scott Cox,who is the founder and director
of 22 Until There's None.
Where do you see theorganization in the next five
years?
SPEAKER_00 (20:48):
I see this organization going uh bigger.
Uh I won't I don't want to usethe word exponentially, but it's
gonna be bigger than what it is.
Uh whether we expand ourservices, we double the manpower
that we have, uh, whatever thecase might be.
Uh, you know, we tote our hat onhow many people we saved.
You know, we have not had it gothe other way yet.
(21:11):
Uh, but we want to keep it thatway.
But the biggest thing is makingsure that we're being engaged in
the public.
We're continuing to push themission of suicide prevention.
Uh, because suicide preventionisn't just a one-person job,
it's everybody's business.
Because if you if you a lot ofpeople will be like, well, I
(21:32):
missed the signs, and all of asudden now they're gone.
All the cues are in place allthe way up to that point.
And then they're like, Well, Ididn't know he was suicidal, and
so now he's gone.
It's too late.
SPEAKER_01 (21:42):
Yep.
Way too late.
Uh, if there's somebodylistening right now and they
feel inspired to help you out,Scott, what's the best way to
get involved?
Is it donations, volunteering,spreading the word?
I know you mentioned donations,you mentioned volunteering,
volunteering.
Uh, but is there any other way?
Just help spread the word.
SPEAKER_00 (22:01):
Keep spreading the word that we're here for you.
Um, we do what we do because ofyou.
Um, we love working with thelocal um um radio stations, news
outlets, stuff like that to getthe our message out, but also to
build that partnership with themas well.
Because um, you know, suicidemonth just ended, suicide
(22:23):
prevention awareness month thatjust ended.
But just because it endeddoesn't mean that suicide goes
away.
Um it's there every day.
SPEAKER_01 (22:31):
Yeah.
Wow.
Uh Scott, if you don't mind measking, I'm sure you still have
certain tough days.
Right.
A lot goes through your mind.
Oh, what keeps you motivated tocontinue this mission?
Just knowing what you've done?
SPEAKER_00 (22:44):
So I look at I have an eight-year-old and a
12-year-old, and I'm gonna uhbounce on that just for a second
if I could.
Um I went out and I did uh awatchfire speech uh for our
organization in Fulton.
Never once thought about mychildren hearing this
conversation.
(23:05):
And my 12-year-old heard me umheard my speech.
He looked up at my girlfriendand he goes, You mean to tell me
I almost didn't have a dad?
That right there kept me going.
Uh that was more of a recentone.
But that, you know, my childrenare my my um are your legacy.
And um I want them to look whenI'm gone to say, Dad, I want to
(23:31):
continue this for you and makethings right.
So, and when my little boy saidthat to uh my girlfriend, I I I
had to go over and talk to him.
I never once thought about um mykids being in a room when I had
that conversation.
SPEAKER_01 (23:45):
If you don't mind me asking, how was that when you
talked to him?
I'm just gonna tell you, I'd beballing my eyes out.
SPEAKER_00 (23:50):
I teared up uh really good, uh, to be honest
with you.
And I went over and I asked him,I said, Do you want to talk
about anything?
And uh I said, You heard myspeech.
Then he said you made a couplecomments.
Would you like to talk about it?
And he said, I'm okay, Dad.
I'm okay.
He said, Can I go watch thefire?
So to him, I guess it justrolled right off.
(24:12):
But to me it did, but it didn't.
SPEAKER_01 (24:14):
I'll be I mean, I've watched my kids grow up, uh,
they're all adults now, butstill knowing they heard that,
they know that it's in theirmind, and uh and that's one of
the things that I tell them.
SPEAKER_00 (24:27):
I love you forever.
I am not mentally like uh I'mnot a therapist or social worker
or doctor or anything.
But we know our kids.
And the one thing I told my kidsis listen, if you're having a
bad day at school and you'rethinking about other things,
come talk to me.
SPEAKER_01 (24:44):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (24:44):
And he's like, I will.
And my my eight-year-old, uh, myeight-year-old, well, he's he's
just yeah, he's that he'll getthere.
SPEAKER_01 (24:52):
It's all about the age.
Um so again, how can peopleconnect with the organization?
They know somebody that needshelp, or how can you know they
want to connect themselves, ormaybe there's uh a local um uh
somebody locally that wants toget involved with the
organization.
How can they connect with you?
Find out more about 22 untilthere's none.
SPEAKER_00 (25:13):
So we have a website, um, it's 22ontiles
none.net.
Okay, and uh all our contactinformation is on there.
Well, my contact information.
And so uh you can email me, youcan text me, you can call me if
you need help or if you want tohelp out.
Um, if you're looking for moreinformation or you want us to
come to an event, stuff likethat, um, send us an email so we
(25:35):
can get it uh sorted out tofigure out what if we have the
staffing to build, includingfirst responders, right?
SPEAKER_01 (25:40):
So with all our fire companies in the area, uh the
police departments, uh so on andso forth.
Just it's it's not onlyveterans.
SPEAKER_00 (25:46):
And I know we touched on that before, but and
that's I used to be a firstresponder for 10 years.
I was in for I was a captainwith the uh Calcium Fire
Department for 10 years.
Chief of Fairmount.
And I'm like, I'm going, this isgreat.
You know, I you know, I have it,I have uh a bond already
established with uh the localfire and EMS departments, you
know, because of my criteria.
And I've actually found thatactually not to be the the case
(26:09):
because it's harder to get intothe fire departments and EMS to
talk about this um and let themknow there's somebody there for
you.
And we sent out numerous youknow stuff to them to try to get
them to engage.
Um uh but it's been it's beentough.
We're not gonna we're nevergonna give up, but it's just
been tougher.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:27):
Scott Cox, uh, the director founder of uh 22 until
there's none got up early, come,came in, and uh here we are.
We're chatting about it.
Just a it's a kind of asensitive subject, but then
again, it's an important subjectwhere the word needs to get out.
I can say if you or someone youlove is struggling, know that
you're not alone.
(26:47):
22 Until There's None is here towalk beside you, to support you,
and to remind you that yourservice matters.
And to learn more, get involved,or connect with Scott and his
team, just go to 22untilthere'snone.net.
And together they can ensurethat every hero gets the care
and compassion they deserve.
And Scott, thank you for yourservice.
(27:09):
Thank you for being you.
Um, I feel like I've known youforever just after this
conversation, dude.
It's it's cool.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming in.
And uh please, because uh hereour radio stations in this
cluster, we're all locally ownedand operated.
And we always say we'rehometown.
And we're not just saying that,we are hometown.
Everybody that works here prettymuch is from the area, one way
(27:30):
or another.
So it's kind of cool.
So and we all have thoseconnections.
So we'd like to, you know, justput the invite out there.
Feel free to call on us,whatever you need.
Um, you know, me personally, I'dlove to come out and do
something for you.
Are there any events that youhave coming up for fundraising,
or everything's kind of, youknow, because of the seasons are
changing?
SPEAKER_00 (27:48):
As um, obviously, as the seasons change, um we're
winding down because it'sgetting colder.
Uh, but we do, if there'ssomething that somebody wants us
to come to, we will come to youum do an event.
Uh, we're actually um setting upa uh a BA saves uh training uh
at uh community bank in uhCicero.
(28:12):
And it's gonna be on aWednesday.
I believe it's gonna be aWednesday night.
Um but you'll be able to go onour website.
We're gonna put it up on thereif anybody's interested in
coming to it.
It's free to come uh for uhfirst responders or veterans or
a vet organization wants tocome.
Um we just ask that you are SVPto it to let us know.
So we have a headcount.
(28:32):
Um, but the flyer will be up onour website, on our Facebook
page uh as soon as we confirm itat the actual time of the uh
event.
SPEAKER_01 (28:39):
Love it.
22 until there's none.net is thewebsite.
Scott, thank you for being heretoday.
Thank you so much for having me.
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