How a Teen's Piggy Bank Changed Soldier Communication Forever

Welcome to the "Militarily Speaking" podcast with Tom McLean and Jodi Vickery.

 

In this episode of “Militarily Speaking,” Tom and Jodi sit down with Rob Bergquist, co-founder and Executive Director of Cell Phones for Soldiers. Rob shares the inspiring journey of how he and his sister Brittany started the nonprofit organization at the ages of 12 and 13 to help military members stay connected with their families. Find out how they’re continuing to innovate and serve the military community through programs like Minutes that Matter, Helping Heroes Home, and future plans, including the launch of their Soldiers Mobile Program.

“Militarily Speaking” is a podcast produced by Armed Forces Bank that is dedicated to the military lifestyle and all the things that makes the military community who they are.

 

Ep. 80 – How a Teen's Piggy Bank Changed Soldier Communication Forever

In today's interconnected world, access to communication is a fundamental necessity. Yet, for many of our service members and veterans, this basic need can sometimes be out of reach. This episode brings us an inspiring story of how two young siblings turned a moment of empathy into a transformative movement with their nonprofit organization, Cell Phones for Soldiers.

 

The Mission to Help Soldiers Call Home

 

In 2004, Rob Bergquist and his sister Brittany were just 12 and 13 years old when they felt moved by the plight of a soldier burdened with an $8,000 phone bill upon returning from Iraq. Motivated by a personal connection—two cousins actively serving overseas—the siblings decided to act. What began as a small fundraiser with a modest $21 collected from their classmates blossomed into a nationwide initiative. Encouraged by supportive parents and a local bank that believed in their mission, Rob and Brittany quickly garnered $8,000 to pay off the soldier's debt. Their swift success catapulted them into the national spotlight, forming the foundation of Cell Phones for Soldiers.

 

Expanding to Help More Service Members

 

Initially focused on providing calling cards to service members, Cell Phones for Soldiers has since grown exponentially. Through innovative methods like recycling used cell phones and electronics, the organization has funded over 450 million minutes of free talk time for deployed troops. As technology evolved, so did the nonprofit. With increased connectivity becoming available globally, the demand for calling cards diminished, prompting the Bergquists to adapt their services.

 

In 2012, they expanded their mission by establishing the Helping Heroes Home program, offering emergency assistance grants to veterans in need. More recently, the launch of Cell Phones for Soldiers Mobile furthers their reach, providing free smartphones and a year of service to veterans. This initiative aims to connect 30,000 veterans over the next three years, helping them access vital resources and maintain ties with loved ones during their transition to civilian life.

 

Partnerships and Future Goals of Cell Phones for Soldiers

 

Rob emphasizes the importance of partnerships in the organization’s success. Collaborations with third parties like logistics specialists that help manage the influx of donated phones, help ensure maximum resource efficiency. Additionally, partnering with local organizations and service officer networks allows Cell Phones for Soldiers to target veter

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Militarily speaking, episode 80.
Cell Phones For Soldiers.
This episode we talk with RobBergquist, co-founder and director
with Cell Phones for Soldiers.

(00:23):
Welcome to Militarily Speaking.
Brought to you by Armed Forces Bank.
This is Tom McLean and Jody Vickery.
I'm the military retail executivefor the company, and Jody is
the Chief Digital Officer.
I am.
I am.
Again, welcome to our show.
We're excited to have youlistening and learning all
about our guest, Rob Bergquist.
Before we get going, Rob, I do wannatell our audience a little bit about you.

(00:45):
Hopefully it is all true.
If not, feel free to interrupt.
We didn't get thisdirectly from him, so No,
it did come from a sibling.
I think so, yeah.
That's very brave.
He, he trusts his
siblings after all this time together.
Very brave to let your be, provideyour bio, I would have to say,
so I'm gonna read it as provided.
So, Rob Bergquist is the co-founderand executive director of Cell Phones

(01:06):
for Soldiers, a national nonprofitorganization dedicated to providing
cost-free communication servicesand emergency funding to active
duty military members and veterans.
The organization's origins trace back to2004 when Rob and his sister Brittany,
then were just 12 and 13 years old.
Were moved by a news storyabout a soldier returning from
Iraq with an $8,000 phone bill.

(01:29):
Motivated by the belief thatno one serving their country
should be unable to call home.
The siblings pooled their savings andbegan fundraising in their Massachusetts
community, ultimately paying off thesoldier's bill and launching what will
become a transformative nonprofit.
From a humble beginnings, with just$21 cell phones for soldiers has grown
into a family run organization that hasprovided more than 450 million minutes.

(01:52):
A free talk time to servicemembers deployed around the world.
The nonprofits core programs includeminutes that matter, which supplies
international, calling cards todeployed troops, and helping Heroes
Home, which offers emergency financialassistance to veterans and their
families during times of crisis.
I. The organization's impactis made possible through the
collection and recycling of usedcell phones and electronics.

(02:13):
A model that not only funds its services,but also reduces electronic waste.
Over 25 million phones have beenresponsibly recycled, credible to date.
That's a big number Under Rob'sleadership, cell Phones for Soldiers
has continued to evolve to meet thechanging needs of the military community.
Most recently, he spearheadedthe launch of the Cell Phones for
Soldiers Mobile Program, whichprovides free smartphones and a year

(02:35):
of paid service to veterans in need.
The initiative helps veterans stayconnected to vital resources, seek
employment, access, healthcare, andmaintain ties with loved ones as
they transition to civilian life.
The organization's goal is to connect30,000 veterans in the next three years
through this rapidly expanding program.
His commitment to service and innovationis rooted in his own background.

(02:56):
Growing up in Norwell, Massachusettsin a family of public school teachers,
he learned the value of communityand giving back at an early age.
His experience founding and running anonprofit as a teenager inspired him to
pursue a business degree at the IsenbergSchool of Management at UMass Amherst,
equipping him with the skills to lead cellphones for soldiers into its third decade.
Today, Rob remains at the helm of cellphones for soldiers driven by a passion

(03:20):
for supporting military families and avision for sustainable impactful service.
And his work continues to bridgethe gap for those who serve ensuring
that no service member or veteranis left without a lifeline to home.
Welcome, Rob.
It's an honor to have you on our show.
Thank you for being with us.
I'd love to have you tell our audience alittle bit about your organization, just
big picture, maybe the beginnings of it.

(03:41):
I know we've just gone through your bioand shared some of that as well, but
I'd love to hear that in your own words.
I.
Jody and Tom, thank you for having me on.
It's always a pleasure to, tojoin a podcast that's interested
in learning about organizationslike Cell Phones for Soldiers.
So I'm, I'm proud to be on the showtoday and, and thank you for having me.
So, cell Phones for Soldiers really wasI. Kind of started at our kitchen table.

(04:06):
My sister Brittany and I were 12 and 13.
I was 12.
Brittany was 13.
We were getting ready for middleschool one morning, and every morning
that we got ready for school, myparents would have the local news
broadcast just playing the news.
And we're going about our morningand we hear this story of a
soldier serving in Afghanistan whowas calling home to his family.

(04:29):
And before he knew it, he hadrung up an $8,000 cell phone
bill through roaming charges.
He just, he didn't know thatthere was roaming charges.
He was connecting to a locallandline, and then the roaming
international charges just piled up.
So he was getting phonecalls around the holidays.
It was right around the Thanksgivingthat he was getting these phone calls.

(04:51):
From the carrier telling him topay this large cell phone bill.
And he went to the newsand we heard that story.
So I had two cousins who wereactively deployed at the time.
One was in Iraq, one was inAfghanistan, and we hadn't heard
from them in over two weeks.
And so combined with this story of asoldier with an $8,000 cell phone bill and
not being able to hear from our cousins,we just stopped in our tracks and we're

(05:13):
like, what the heck is going on overseas?
And.
We initially just wanted to, to doour small parts, so we ran upstairs,
we got our piggy bank money, webrought it down and we went to school.
That day we asked our, our classmatesfor some additional cash that they
might have had for school lunchmoney, and we came up with $21.
After that first day, wentto our parents and said, Hey.

(05:35):
Here's $21 for this guy and my parentsbeing school teachers and being the great
mentors that they are really harnessedthat we wanted to support and, and
got us connected with our local bank.
We opened up a bank account.
The bank thought it was such a great idea.
They gave us $500 and waived all ofthe account fees for us to get started.

(05:56):
We were off and running.
We held car washes and bake sales inour hometown of Norwell, Massachusetts.
And our, our community reallygravitated around us to, to, to
help us with this initiative.
And after the car washes and thebake sales, we were successful in
getting over $8,000 in donations topay off this phone bill when we were

(06:16):
successful in, in raising that money.
The story really.
Took off and, and what I liketo say is we went viral before
viral was even a thing, 2004.
Viral wasn't, wasn't even coined yet.
But, but that's what happenedbecause we had a great story.
I mean, we were, again, a brotherand sister, 12 and 13 years old.

(06:37):
We're solving this really uniquechallenge that is facing our active
duty service members and, and obviouslythe Iraq and Afghanistan wars we're
gravitating the news cycle, so anypositive news story really took off
and, and we're very grateful for that.
So we were featured on some majornational broadcasts and we announced
our initiative and we started tocall ourselves cell phones for

(07:00):
soldiers because we were helping asoldier with his cell phone bill.
We did not know when we named ourselfthat that other branches of the
military would feel isolated that,that we were only supporting the Army.
But we do support allbranches of the military.
But we, we, we just saidcell phones for soldiers.
'cause again, it was simple and we werehelping a soldier with a cell phone bill.

(07:22):
People took that name.
They associated it with donatingtheir cell phones 'cause they thought
we would put service onto the cellphones and we'd send them overseas.
Well, we announced that cell phonesfor soldiers was going to take
donated cell phones and put minuteson them and send them overseas and.
When we announced that, I think we wereon CNN, and when we announced that,

(07:46):
before we even got home from the studio,my dad got a call from the Department
of Defense, a general called my father.
Wow.
And said, sir, your kids need tocease and desist their operation
to say Nashville Security Hazard.
Oh.
And so my dad thought it was hisbrother-in-law and told the guy that,
and the general certainlyreassured my father that he

(08:09):
was indeed who he said he was.
And of course we complied and wewere like, well, what are we gonna
do with all of these cell phones?
We had a couple thousand at the time, andwe decided that we would recycle the cell
phones in order to generate revenue tothen go and buy prepaid calling cards that
we could send overseas around the world.
The calling cards.

(08:30):
Were 60 minutes of true talk time,and they were used with a landline
to ensure that all phone calls wouldbe securely made back to, to America.
So, so that's really, you know, cellphones for soldiers is very much a story
of like not having a business plan andjust kinda launching and, and pivoting
as like different things came about.
And, and, and that's certainly trueof, of what happened in the beginning.

(08:52):
And we really created throughkind of trial and error
and just stumbling upon it.
That's recycling and, and sellingcell phones in order to generate
revenue was, was a brilliantway for us to differentiate
ourselves in the nonprofit world.
Basically, where one man'strash is another man's treasure,
we're able to create value and.

(09:12):
What a lot of people and a lot ofcorporations don't want or need or
know what to do with anymore, whichis their old cell phones, and, and
we're able to convert those cellphones and, and put them to, to
good use and, and use those funds toultimately subsidize phone calls home
and, and we can get into it later, but.
Subsidizing phone servicefor, for veterans.

(09:34):
So it was really, you know, those,those early days were, were wild.
For, for my sister and I, wewere very much like child stars.
I mean, we were balancing goingto school and then flying to New
York to do like major press events.
Oh wow.
And, uh, in conjunction with at and At&tlaunching this national campaign for.
For cell phone collection and,and really getting the story out

(09:57):
there of what we were trying to do.
So those early years,they, they were crazy.
They were fun.
And we, we've been around nowfor 21 years, which is crazy.
So I'm 33 now.
I've been doing this my entirelife and it's still very much
a family run organization.
But, uh, yeah, those earlyyears were a lot of fun.
I would love to be a fly on the wallwhen the general called your dad.
I know, but you know when they're 12and 13, then they're 14, 15, 16, 17.

(10:20):
Still thinking about the business.
Yeah.
Still going to school, still beinga good kids and a, a great family.
I mean, that's, that's awesome.
And so when you had to go back toa, I'm gonna go off script here.
Imagine that when you had to goback to like phone cards, right?
Or.
And you put 60 minutes on it.
Did Then at some point, did it come backto say cell phones for soldiers is okay?

(10:41):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So cell phones for soldiers was,was fine as long as we didn't send
those cell phones overseas andwe turned it into phone cards.
Yeah, that, that, that became our, ourbread and butter and we sent over 8
million prepaid calling cards aroundthe world, over 450 million minutes.
So that actively deployedservice members could, could
make phone calls home for free.

(11:01):
And those, those phone cards wereused to connect on the major holidays
that we all enjoy here at home.
I mean, it allowed service members to sitdown at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
It allowed service members to open up.
Christmas presents on Christmas.
They heard their child's first words withour phone cards and we heard from Gold

(11:21):
Star families that it was the last timethey spoke to their son or daughter or
husband or wife was with our phone cards.
So just crazy impactful stories of, of.
Just connection, communication,how important that is a phone call
home when you're actively deployed.
It is a game changer for your overallmental health and, and ability
to, to connect with home and justfeel that home is right there.

(11:44):
It can make all the differencewhen you're actively deployed.
I think whether it's a care package,whether it's letters sent, I mean the
phone calls, that's another part of thecommunication and connection process.
So you, you've, it's almost likeyou filled the void and to pivot
your business at, in a tea as ateenager with no business plan,
I. After a cease desist call.

(12:05):
It's pretty, it's pretty cool.
So, yeah, for 20, 20 years it's,it's, I guess it's who you are, right?
You, this is your career.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I, I think, obviously my parentsplay a major role in, in being there
to, to guide us through those difficultfirst few years of trying to establish
like who we are and, and allowing us topivot and be successful in, in the pivot.

(12:29):
My, my parents really are,are owed all the credit.
I mean.
Really early on, my, mysister and I didn't have any
business knowledge or sense.
And so we were, we were the,the show ponies as like, we
like to say and go to New
York.
Go to New York, go to California.
Yeah, go.
Exactly.
Yeah,
exactly.
And my parents were really theones that were facilitating on,
on the back end, making surewe had the correct partners to.

(12:52):
Responsibly recycle these donationswith the correct calling card
partner to, to negotiate the,the best rates for the charity.
And my, my parents were the onesthat were making those deals
all while being school teachers.
I mean, they were going to school.
And I remember my parents, as soon asthey had a free period, they were making
calls to the calling card partner.
I mean, they were truly balancing,fulfilling their role as a, as

(13:15):
a, as a teacher and, and runningthis NA national nonprofit.
We'll get into the family business later.
There's a question I'm gonna askhim about that, but let's talk.
Let's talk specifically sortof the logistically about the
phone donation process itself.
Rob, do you wanna go through thatlogistically with our audience?
Yeah, so cell phones for soldiers solicitsdonations of cell phones, tablets.

(13:39):
We really don't go above a tabletbecause if you tried to ship a laptop
to us, it, it actually literallyoutweighs the revenue that we
could generate off of that laptop.
So we really, our bread andbutter is cell phones and tablets.
We also accept any of theaccessories that come with the
cell phone, so Chargers cases.

(14:00):
We'll take it all.
And even if we can't repurpose theaccessories or the chargers, we
will responsibly recycle those.
And in terms of the cell phones, sowe have over 3000 drop off locations
where people can either go and dropoff their cell phones at a small
business, libraries, police stations.
That have come on board and, and saidthey would donate or or accept donations

(14:24):
of phones on behalf of the charity.
So you can go and drop off yourphones at those locations or you
can mail 'em right to our facility.
Our facility is based in Austin, Texas,and so that's where we receive all the
donations of cell phones and tablets.
Basically, we'll, we'll open upthat package based off the make,
model and condition of the phone.
We will either do one of a few things.

(14:45):
We will either responsibly recycle,that's if it's an older phone that
can't be put back out onto the networks.
That's just, what's it?
It's an old flip phone.
We will responsibly recyclethat and based off the weight.
Is how we generate revenueoff the scrap value.
So those phones will be responsiblyscrapped, or if the phone can
be refurbished and resold,we will also try to do that.

(15:09):
So if we get donated an iPhone 14or an iPhone 15, we're gonna try to
refurbish that phone and resell itfor the most amount of money possible
so that we can go out and then buy 10or 15 entry level smartphones that we
ultimately distribute to the veterans.
So, you know, we're never gonna refurbishand repurpose an iPhone 14 or 15.

(15:30):
It just doesn't make sense toput them in the hands of a low
income or homeless veteran.
We're gonna try to do the most goodwith the donations that come in.
So an entry level smartphonegives the veteran everything that
they need to be successful andconnect with their community.
They don't need an iPhone 14 or 15.
So we'll responsibly, refurbish and resellthat I, that, that newer model phone,

(15:50):
or we'll try to repurpose the devices.
So if there's an iPhone.
Eight that is donated tocell phones for soldiers.
We'll try to refurbish that and putthat directly in the hands of a veteran.
That's kind of our sweetspot is N minus four.
So N being an iPhone 16, so backto an iPhone X or an iPhone eight.
Those are the kinds of phones that wetry to repurpose and put directly in

(16:12):
the hands of low income and homelessveterans so that they can stay connected.
So either.
Recycle.
We'll try to resell or we'll tryto repurpose and put directly
in the hands of the veteran.
Right now we're receiving about 10,000phones per month in Austin and looking
to obviously increase the amount ofdonations that we receive by partnering

(16:33):
with corporations and individualsthat, that have those donations.
And the more phones we collect,the more veterans we can connect.
Yeah, I have to believecompanies are a good target
audience for what you're doing.
So de definitely.
Yeah, it just feels great.
And my brother just got rid ofhis slip phone not too long ago.
Just interesting fact for you.
I appreciate that.
Thank you.
Yeah, I couldn't even tellyou what version phone I have.

(16:55):
I know I've got likean iPhone six or eight.
So Rob the cell, the website iswww.cellphonesforsoldiers.com,
and if they want to find out.
We're one of the 3000drop locations there.
They can go to your site right?
And pull that up?
Exactly.
Okay.
Yep.
Go to our website.
We have a, a drop off locator whereyou can plug in your zip code and
find a location that's nearest to you.

(17:17):
If there's no convenient locations, theycan print out a prepaid mailing label.
We will subsidize the shippingto get those phones to us.
So all they gotta do is just putthose phones into a sturdy shipping
container, an old Amazon box.
Tape it up, get that label on there,and then UPS will scan that label and
it ships directly to our facility.
Very good, very
good.
So I'm curious a little bit about you.

(17:38):
You've shared a lot about the history ofthe organization, which, which is really
interesting to hear from the beginnings,but how has it continued to evolve?
I mean, you've talked about where thegenesis of it is from then, how the
name of it came to be, but you've alsomoved into your Helping Heroes Home
Program, opportunities to help withother financial needs that a family
might have outside of something relatedto cell phones or communication devices.

(18:02):
How have you, how have you arrived atyour current mix of services and, and
do you have things that you see on thehorizon as sort of the next thing to add?
Yeah, so we've been around for 21years, so obviously that's a long
period of time to serve one community.
But we, I. We listened to theveterans, we listened to the active
duty service members and just try toprovide the service that that really

(18:24):
is required for this community.
And for the first, I would say, 18years of cell phones for soldiers.
We were really focused on the callingcards and providing free calls home
for actively deployed service members.
But we've really seen thecalling card requests go from.
10,000 a week.

(18:45):
At one point we were getting for callingcards down to about one or two a week.
That's really where the requests havegone, and that's because of, of a number
of factors, kind of macro factors, thatthere's more access to wifi capabilities.
I mean, we're having this discussionright now over, over the internet
and the infrastructure hasreally matured to a point where.

(19:09):
Calling cards aren't required as much as,as they were back in the mid to, to early
two thousands, and, and so that's great.
I mean, that's almost like missionaccomplished for cell phones,
for soldiers, like we did whatwe could, when those calling
cards were, were really necessarybecause there was no other form of.

(19:29):
Out there, so the calling cardsreally serve their purpose.
During those years and, and now we've,we added Helping Heroes Home because
we've created this great engine ofrecycling and repurposing and reselling
cell phones to generate revenue.
And so we wanted to get those funds backinto the hands of the community we serve.
And so we started helpingHeroes Home back in 2012.

(19:52):
To provide emergency assistance forveterans that are coming home and they
have a bill that they just can't affordto pay, whether that was keeping their
lights on a mortgage payment, it'sdental bills, car payments, just things
to get people by to, to the next month.
And so we've supported over 7,500veterans in their families with

(20:13):
emergency grants since 2012.
And, and now that programreally focuses on.
Delinquent phone bills.
So getting back to the connectivity,we provide emergency grants to
veterans that might be in delinquentphone bills, whether that's T-Mobile
or at and t, a major carrier thatthey've just fallen behind on.
We'll pay off their phone bill andthen get them onto our cell phones for

(20:35):
soldiers mobile programs so they canget out of that debt, out of that bad.
Phone bill and over to cell phones forSoldiers Mobile, where we subsidize
the first year of phone service.
And that's cell phonesfor Soldiers Mobile.
So we launched that about a year ago.
Cell phones for Soldiers provideslow income and homeless veterans
that apply through our website.
One year of unlimited talk text and data.

(20:58):
And a free entry level smartphone.
After that year, the veteran matriculatesand graduates off of that plan, and
we get them onto a, a paid plan, butit's heavily subsidized and discounted
for the veteran so that they neverget back into that delinquent phone
bill that costs them 50 or a hundreddollars a month that, that they just
shouldn't be on in the first place.

(21:19):
So a lot of cell phones for soldiers is,is educating the community that, hey, you
know, there are cheaper options out there.
You don't need to beon the major carriers.
There are more affordable ways toget that same exact connectivity.
And cell phones for Soldiersmobile is a great option for them.
Kind of touched on helping Heroes Homeand that Cell phone, cell Phones for

(21:40):
Soldiers Mobile that just launchedwith, like you said, recently.
I launched recently, so that's abouta year old and we have currently
3,500 veterans that are using ourcell phones and our phone service.
We are looking to scale this programand we have budgeted out to, to have
10,000 veterans on our cell phoneservice by the end of this year.

(22:03):
In the next three years, we hope to beat 30,000 veterans, and I certainly see
in the next five years that that cellphones for soldiers will not just be.
A program for low income and homelessveterans, but we're gonna get to a stage
where cell phones for soldiers will beable to have veterans that can afford
to pay for their own cell phones andphone service now have a portion of

(22:23):
their phone bill go to help the cellphones for soldiers mobile program.
So it's veterans helping veteranswith their cell phone service.
And so that's when you create a community,that's when you create sustainability.
And that's really our trajectorywith this program is to, to create
a mobile community of veterans,helping veterans by just being
connected and helping each other out.

(22:44):
So that's our five-year plan, butI, yeah, I'm, I'm fully confident
that we'll be able to get there.
WhatsApp,
he's well ahead of his time.
So the, the, you talked aboutlike an application process or
a qualification process, right?
So it's not, I'm not gonna just letmy phone bill go delinquent and think
that you're gonna be there to save me.
Right?
So there's a process you use to underwriteor qualify people that are eligible

(23:07):
either from low to moderate income orfrom a certain standard you put in place.
Yeah, so we work with a lot of differentorganizations scattered across the
country that are supporting the,the veterans on the ground level.
So we try to work with veteran serviceofficers that are, are caseworkers
that are at VAs or other militarynonprofits, just to confirm that the

(23:27):
veterans truly requiring this service.
They can validate the situationthat they're in and say, Hey, here's
their DD two 14, their honorabledischarge papers, and just qualify
them through those simple processes.
Once they submit that application, wekind of review it and just make sure that
this is an issue that we can support with.
And once that's approved, we'llwe'll make that payment to, to the

(23:48):
carrier and, and get them over tocell phones for soldiers mobile.
Thank you.
That
wasn't part of today's discussion,but you just got me inspired, so
I had to ask you that question.
You done now, Tom?
I'm finished.
Just checking.
So as we've done this podcast, I can'tbelieve we're on episode 80 already.
There are some days I could,some days I could actually
believe we're on episode 80.
You're,
you're trying to get to a certain numberwhere you can just quietly exit, right?

(24:09):
Yeah.
Is that, you know.
There's that.
There's that.
Just kidding, just kidding.
We've met a lot of really awesome humanbeings, organizations along the way.
Oh yeah.
Like-minded with everything that, thatyou're sharing about the heart of your
organization and, and I think thatwould definitely benefit maybe even from
connecting with you and your organization.
Do you have other nonprofits that youpartner with where you can plug in

(24:33):
what you do to what they do to help?
Veterans in a very holistic way.
I mean, like for example,one of our partnerships Yeah.
Is with Veterans Community Project, theybuild the tiny homes, veterans Villages,
and they have a similar philosophy,I think as you, where it's trying to
help from a lot of different angles.
Get a homeless vet back on their feet and,
and they also have thatoperation center, right?

(24:54):
Yeah.
So medical, dental, or you know how towrite a resume, maybe financial help.
It's like a destination forveterans with no, no bias.
Right, right, right.
And just walk in and we'll help you.
And it almost feels like thatconnection could be with, with Rob.
Mm-hmm.
And so do you partner withorganizations like that?
Yeah, absolutely.
And so yeah, we partner with a lotof different, I. Nonprofits that

(25:15):
we just want to be the bridge.
We just wanna be the connectivity toallow veterans that are in the community
of these nonprofits that just might notknow that this service is afforded to
them, that they're looking to, to helpveterans and, and we're just trying to
create that bridge between the nonprofitsand the veteran by giving them the device.
But it's so much more than just acell phone and, and, and service.

(25:37):
It is truly a connectionto, to possibilities.
To, uh, all these resources that areafforded to our veteran community
that they just might not know about.
And so we wanna, you know,cell phones for soldiers.
Mobile is not just about the veteransconnecting the veterans, it's about
connecting the veteran service officersand the caseworkers and the nonprofits
that are trying to reach these veterans.

(25:58):
But they don't have a cell phone number.
They don't have contact informationfor these veterans as soon as they
walk out of the door of the va.The veteran service officer doesn't
know where they go and, and can'tcommunicate until they show up again.
We've heard that over and over since welaunched this program, and so, so many
veteran service officers and caseworkersare really grateful for this program and

(26:20):
looking for us to expand it so that theycan connect with more veterans and so.
We're always trying to connect withveterans, connect with caseworkers
and other nonprofits and, and just bethat communication solution for them.
So anywhere that there's a shelterproviding the cell phones to the shelter
or, or where, where they're providingother services, we, we, again, just
want to be that communication solution.

(26:41):
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Third party closing costsapply owner occupied
property only
and, and where we're headingI is kind of phase two.
Phase three is a cell phonesfor soldiers mobile application.
So we're gonna put that app onto all ofthe devices that the veterans receive.
And so when they get their phone,they're not only gonna get.

(28:07):
An entry level smartphone and oneyear of unlimited talk texts and data.
They're also going to get an applicationthat they can click on that finds
based off their geolocation, all of theservices that are afforded to them, and,
and the distance, the point of contact,it'll have all of that information,
so it's just a click of a button.
We do the legwork for the veteranand they can find real solutions

(28:29):
that get them back on their feetfor whatever they are dealing with.
So we, we truly want successstories from this community.
We, we wanna get them back on their feet.
We don't just wanna give them a cell phoneand call it a day, and, you know Right.
Transactional.
Yeah,
transactional.
We, we truly want these success stories.
We, we want the connections tobe made to, to getting these,
these veterans back on their feet.

(28:49):
I'm
gonna shift
to the family dynamic.
Okay.
We both she and I, Jody and I workfor a family owned bank and there's
a lot of great advantages to that.
The family members are all entrenchedand engaged in the daily business.
So when you have yourself, andBrittany and Courtney, right, are
pretty active in the business.
Yes.
So you wanted to talk about whatdoesn't work or not, come on, there's

(29:13):
gotta be some story you're gonna tellus about, you know, it's, I don't
wanna work with my sisters anymore,
right?
Yeah, no.
You know what, working withfamily is is always great.
I think it, it changed the dynamicof our family because we would,
we would come back from school orlike I was down in Atlanta, that's
where our previous headquarters was.
And I'd, I'd come home after beingaway for a month down in Atlanta.

(29:35):
And the first thing my mom wouldask me about was something with.
With the charity and I waslike, well, you know, I'm okay.
I'm doing great.
You know, it's keeping home mom.
I'm
your son.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's just kind of with, with your family.
You just gotta know when, when youcan talk about business and, and when
it needs to remain on the sidelines.
And so I think just setting up.

(29:56):
Kind of parameters and guidelines asto when that communication should take
place is, is just really important.
But sometimes the the saying is like, if,if you want it done right, do it yourself.
And we've gone out and tried to getcontractors and get support with
this, but when you, when you trulywant to get something done to, to
have your family involved, nobody'sgonna be more passionate about.

(30:18):
The mission that you'reon than your own family.
So I think it's really a, a, a built-inbenefit of, of working with family.
But there's obviously pros andcons, of course, with, with
every working relationship.
And you just need to have, I think,some, some guidelines and parameters.
But I absolutely loveworking with my sisters.
There're, like I say, the rec for
the record, he's gonna get that public.

(30:39):
Yep.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I gotta get that public.
But I always say they're,they're, they're smarter and
they're better looking than I am.
So it's, it's just great to, to havethem on the team and be able to lean
on them and, and their expertise.
And Brittany, she was the, the co-founderof the charity, she went off and pursued
a nursing degree and she's come back withall of this experience to really help.
A lot of the veterans that are callingin and, and looking for services,

(31:02):
she's able to provide that Oh, perfect.
That voice and speak that language thatthe veterans really are looking for when,
when they call in looking for support.
And so to have Brittany back involved,to have Courtney working for us, she,
she's just so talented and so smartthat she really helps us with all of
the veterans that are coming to us.
We're getting about a hundred applicationsevery, I would say three days.

(31:24):
So there's a lot of volume that'scoming our way and she's able to
juggle all of the applications andstill get a lot of other work done.
So yeah, working with family is,is, I think it's, it's a positive
as long as you have the, the rightparameters in place is when to talk
about business and when to be a family.
You gave a lot of praise earlyon when we started talking in,

(31:45):
in the bio about the support frommom and dad with this endeavor.
And you also have a nicememorial page out there, right?
Do you wanna.
What does, what did Dad mean to you?
Oh, my dad was everything to me.
He was a, a, a hero and a great mentorand, and, and guide to me in those
early days and all outside of cellphones for soldiers and my sports

(32:08):
career and everything that I stand fortoday, I, I learned from my father.
And so we sadly lost my dad lastyear and that was a, a major loss to
my family and to the charity, but.
I am so inspired to, to kind ofuse the tragedy of my, my dad's
passing into a positive and use itto, to I honor my dad through the

(32:29):
success of cell phones for soldiers.
I truly believe that, that the moreveterans that, that we are able
to connect with this program, Iis, is just, uh, a way for me to.
Honor my father.
So I, I never feel closer to my fatherthan when I'm doing this important
work and I'm truly motivated by that.
So yeah.
I miss my dad a lot, but, um, well said.

(32:51):
Yeah,
yeah, yeah.
I want to switch, switchit up a little bit.
Not to take away from, from talkingabout your dad at all in any way.
'cause that's a, maybe adifficult transition to make.
But I wanna, I wanna switch gearsand talk about a partnership
you have with, is it Ven?
Did it.
Yes.
Did
I say that right?
Is that,
I think that might be a new deal.

(33:12):
Right?
And
did it been It is.
Yeah.
Like did I been, didn't it, are you
blaming then for it or, I don't
know.
I don't know.
I feel like I need to be whackedin the back of my head as I'm
trying to figure that out.
What does that partnership entail?
And don't make me say the name again,
so you are correct.
And I think they would bevery happy to hear you using.

(33:32):
Then did it as it is intended.
I believe it's a Latin term formarketplace, and I feel very smart all
of this sudden.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But no, that, that partnershipis, is huge for us.
And so they're the, the, the company, socell phones for soldiers has to partner.
With a three pl, a third partylogistics company that basically handles

(33:53):
all of the logistics of donations.
So I'm currently in Massachusetts.
The, the operation is in Austin, Texas.
When we get those 10,000 phones everymonth, we require some support in
terms of opening up those those boxes,identifying what the cell phones are.
It's really, it's, it's a fascinatingbusiness of saying these phones, we

(34:16):
need to wholesale because they areselling for this amount of money.
I mean, there's a matrix of decisions thathas to be made every day on the donations
that come in, and we leave that to theprofessionals that are embedded in the,
in the mobile industry to make thosedecisions for us so we can be more kind
of like out and up and they're down and inon the operations, making sure that we're.

(34:37):
Generating the most revenue.
So Ven did it is really the enginethat powers the, the cell phone
process so that we can then go and besuccessful on, on the mission side.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Yeah.
I'm just thinking as he's describingwhat they're doing for him, like
the process I had to go throughto upgrade my own phone, swap out.
Yeah.
I'm glad.
Yeah.

(34:58):
I'm glad you have people to do that.
Yeah, for sure.
And we've been, again, we've been aroundfor 20 years, so we've seen the donor
behavior kind of change as like back in2004 to 2010, we were getting thousands
and thousands of donations because peoplewere spending like $30 on their phone.
Now people are spending over athousand dollars on every device.

(35:19):
All the carriers have majorbuyback programs that you can
then apply to your next upgrade.
So we've seen kind of the,the donor behavior change.
We've seen the marketplace changefor, for where people are going
with their old cell phones of.
Course if, if you have aniPhone 14 or above, you're gonna
apply that to your next device.
So cell phones for soldiers needs tocontinue to be creative in the ways

(35:42):
that we try to attract those donorsto, to donate to our, our mission.
And one of those ways isobviously we're a 5 0 1 C3.
Tax deductible, nonprofit.
So you can write off the marketvalue of the device on your taxes.
I know we just had tax day yesterday.
If, if you have an iPhone 15 andthat's valued at $700, you can go onto

(36:04):
the internet, grab three differentkind of quotes of that phone and on
the date you donated it, and, andthat's your, your tax write off.
And so there, there's, there's greatways that, that we can still attract
donors that are, are looking toget rid of a, a really nice phone.
Speaking of the NBA, right?
We were talking about the NBA.
So you're in Massachusetts, right?

(36:25):
And Yes.
I don't know what year this was, Rob, butyou might wanna enlighten us, but you got
an award from the Boston Celtics, right?
For heroes?
Yeah, heroes among us.
What year was that?
Heroes Among Us, I believe was in 2012.
And yeah, we, we've, Brittany and I have,and my family have been very blessed
with the recognition we've receivedfrom different sports organizations

(36:48):
and, and different associations that,that really appreciate our work.
And so the, the, the NBA andthe Boston Celtics that did a
really nice honorary reception, Iguess at, at halftime, you know?
That's awesome.
We were honored with the heroes among us.
And that's a program that theBoston Celtics do to kind of
get into the community and honorwhat, what local people are doing

(37:09):
to, to assist the community.
And that was a, a, a great opportunity.
I, I, I've really been blessed.
I was able to throw out the first pitch ata Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees game.
What year was that?
I. That was, I think, similar, might'vebeen like 2013 that I was able to do that.
And we hosted 30 veterans at that baseballgame, and it, it was just a great event.

(37:29):
So there's, there's been incredibleopportunities and, and for the
charity and, and also for our family.
Jodi, I don't even
follow baseball and I know that's animportant game to get to throw the I know.
Yeah.
I
mean, theri, that's therivalry among rivalries, right.
So you
impressed that.
I knew that.
I did, but, so I'm trying tothink, was it, was it the Celtics,
like the Kevin Garnett days, PaulPierce stays or am I dating myself?
That would've been so I know the picture.

(37:51):
It's always a funny picture becauseI'm standing next to Isaiah Thomas.
Oh, wow.
I'm actually taller than Isaiah Thomas.
So it's after, it's after Paul Pierce.
So I'm, I'm taller than Isaiah Thomas.
But then I think like, uh, GORT.
Was on the,
and he might've been close to sevenfoot, so it might've been, and
he's like seven feet.
So it's a really wild picture of like,I'm taller than an NBA player, and then

(38:12):
I'm getting absolutely dwarfed by another.
You would've dated yourselfif you would've been like
Larry Bird.
I took, I even took a pictureand I took a picture next to Shaq
when he came to Walmart one year.
Yeah.
Did you feel petite?
I mean, I'm six two and I thought,am I, maybe I'm five two, maybe.
He's a big dude.
So are you, you're a Celtics fan, I takeit, since you're in Massachusetts now, so.

(38:33):
Alright, enough, Jody, stopbringing up like basketball.
Just 'cause your daughter playsdoesn't mean we have to, I can't
help myself.
Let's, let's just talk about other ways.
You've, you've, you've reallycovered a lot of ground.
You've done a great job being thebrand ambassador for your company.
You've had plenty ofpractice though, right?
21 years is enough time.
What?
Yeah.
If I can't, what if I can't get
this right?
I don't know what I can

(38:53):
Yeah.
We're gonna have to bring in Gailand she'll have to start doing it.
Right?
Your mom.
Yeah.
There you go.
Yeah.
So what other ways that people cancontribute individually or through.
Corporate, and I thinkwe've talked about that.
I think we talked about the targetaudience of being corporations
that recycle or, or upgradetheir, their phone equipment.
But other ways individuals cango, they should go to your website

(39:13):
still if they wanna look for waysto donate and support and volunteer.
I would just ask individuals, as you'redoing a, a spring cleaning, as you're, uh,
a military holiday comes around, or anytime of year, just go into your drawers,
your around your house, and just seewhat kind of phones that you have that,
that you would be willing to donate andconsider donating the cell phones to us.

(39:33):
Either through our drop off locationsor to to mail them directly to us.
And then for corporations,we're small businesses.
If you're a small business that has arecognizable location in the community
with a lot of foot traffic, and youwould consider becoming a drop off
location, you can sign up to become adrop off location to accept donations.
We'll put you onto our website.
It's a great way to get uniquefoot traffic in the door.

(39:56):
For corporations with employeedevices, we are R two certified.
Our facility is, so if corporationsare worried about any data security,
getting off of those, those phones,as soon as we receive them, it's
our first priority to delete allthe information off those phones.
And we're held to the highest industrystandard for data destruction.
So if corporations haveemployee devices and they do.

(40:17):
Refreshes or turnovers considerwhat is your IT department
doing with those phones?
We have a lot of partnershipswith corporations that send
us all their employee devices.
We have lost and founds that afterthe, the certain cycle that people can
go and claim their devices, they'rethen sent to cell phones for soldiers
and we can responsibly recycle them.
So.
We work with a lot of airports and transitauthorities that have these laws and

(40:41):
found on hotels and things like that.
We work with a lot of funeral homes.
Funeral homes will sendus a lot of phones.
'cause as people pass away, theydon't have their, they, they have
their belongings and, and manyof those are, are cell phones.
We work with prisons and, andincarceration facilities that
confiscate the devices and theysend those phones our ways.

(41:01):
You know, there, there's, there's just somany creative ways, and it's just up to,
to the, the, the person that's listeningto this, that, that might have the ability
to, to make those decisions, to thinkabout where cell phones for soldiers
interact with their life, and if there'sold ones that they, they might have access
to, to consider sending them our way sowe can continue to connect our veterans.
It's pretty cool that when uh, yoursister reached out to me and told, told

(41:23):
me how exuberant you were to be ableto share your story, tell your story,
tell our audience about who you are.
'cause this is all one ofthose hidden gems thing that
we stumble across them, right?
And, and you think the nameof the company, you would
think, wow, they just do one.
They're just really basic, right?
They just do cell phones forsoldiers, but to go tenfold,
20 fold and probably unlimited.

(41:45):
What?
The potential is for this company andmaybe you need a branding company to
come in and figure out, wow, they're morethan just cell phones for soldiers and
let's see what they really can become.
So I think it's kind of excitingto look on the horizon five to 50
years from now when you pass it onto other family members and be cool.
Absolutely.
We, again, we've been around for 20years and I, I think once we create

(42:07):
the sustainability to, to allow us tocontinue to do this, I, I fully believe
we'll be around for another 20 or 30years and, and the, the needs of the,
the veteran community until they, untilthere's a day when the veterans are, are
across the board, fully subsidized andtheir service is free and they're able to
access affordable communication solutions.
Until that day, cell phones forsoldiers is gonna continue to be around.

(42:31):
To go out into the streets, go out intothe woods and find those veterans that
are disconnected that even though we havethe lifeline government subsidy, I mean,
that only goes so far, that requiresthe veteran to, to find that service.
And, and many of them don't.
And many of them are disconnectedin the woods on the street.
And that's where cellphones for soldiers goes.
I mean, we partner with theorganizations to go and find

(42:53):
these, these most disconnected and,and digitally divided veterans.
As you're thinkingabout a story maybe, or.
There's a lot of good testimoniesout there about how you've helped the
world and, but if there is a story thatcomes to mind about, wow, what, he's
probably got a million of them.
I know.
What, how do you find the right oneand say, wow, we did this and had this

(43:16):
impact on this person or this group,or just a story that comes to mind when
you're, when you're on your road show andyou're talking about your organization,
is there something that comes to mind?
Yeah, I mean there's, there's somany different stories and it's
hard to just pick one testimonialthat stands out from the rest.
And just simply, we've, we've hadveterans say that they were in, in a

(43:39):
position that they were consideringtaking their life and the cell phone.
Allowed them to call a family memberand, and they are with us today because
they were able to make that phone callthat they didn't make that decision.
When you're isolated, when you'redisconnected, I mean, that is when
those thoughts come into your headand when you feel like the world

(44:00):
is passed you by, that's when youfollow through with those decisions.
And so to create that connection,that connectivity to a family
member, to a resource that makesthem reconsider that decision.
That is probably the most impactfulfor me just to hear these veterans.
We lose 20 plus veterans every day.
That's the average thatare taking their life.

(44:21):
And, and we try to counter thatstatistic by providing them with the
connectivity solution to, to keepthem from, from making that decision,
provide the connection to the resourcethat is gonna continue their life and,
and an opportunity for a better life.
And it sounds like even as you thinkabout rolling out the app in the future,

(44:42):
I mean just more ways that once you getthe phone in their hand to be able to
connect them to those right resources
so that what he just said is a soundbite.
We need to like carve that out and
make a note, share it across the world.
Deal
soundbite.
Huge soundbite deal's on it for sure.
I think as we kind of winddown, so you started this.

(45:02):
At a very young age, and you've givenall kinds of credit to your, to your
parents for helping with the stuffthat you couldn't possibly know about
running a business at 12 and 13.
I knew it at eight.
I'm thinking about what my kids weredoing at 12 and 13, what they're doing it.
Yeah.
So, yeah, I'd love you.
I'd love you, Rob.
But is there any advice you'd give tosomebody that might not be 12 or 13?

(45:23):
Maybe they're a little older, butthey hear your story and they're
like, okay, I have an idea.
I have a way that I can positively impact.
Veterans, military families, some othercommunity that that is in need of help.
What advice would you give them as youlook back over 21 years of, of service?
Yeah.
I think it's, it's really just to startwith the mission that you truly believe

(45:43):
in and be willing to adapt as you learn.
We began with a simpleidea and we had to pivot.
Multiple times, especially when we learnedwe couldn't send those phones over.
Wife.
Yeah.
Cease and des the hard way.
It's a lot of trial and error.
Don't think that you haveto have a business plan in
place in order to get started.

(46:04):
Just take that first stepand, and learn as you go.
But you know, if you're passionate.
And you work hard and youstay focused on your mission.
I mean, I think that's one of the reasonswe're still around is 'cause we, we
never strayed away from connectivity.
I mean, it was always about connectivityand, and that's just our, our niche.
And so we, we honed in on that andthrough many, many years and hard

(46:25):
work and the right partnerships, wewere able to really grow this program.
But, you know, listen to yourcommunity, surround yourself with.
With people who share your passion anddon't be afraid to, to ask for help.
The, the most important thing is tostay connected to making a difference.
No, no matter how small that,that first step might be.

(46:45):
So I think, you know, just, justreally just take that first step.
I mean, cell phones for soldiersis so much just a, a story of us.
I. Trying to help out one guy,and it, it's just evolved into
this, this massive program.
But had we never tried to hold a carwashor a bake sale and, and continue to
follow through and continue to listento the community that we were trying

(47:05):
to help, we wouldn't be around today.
And so it's, it's just about takingthat first step and, and, and
surrounding yourself with peoplethat align with your passion and
can support you in, in your mission.
I think when your why issolid, you'll find a way
for
sure.
Yeah.
I say we play a game.
You wanna play, youlike to play games, Rob.
Sure.
He's like, yeah, no, not with you two.

(47:26):
He talks, know smart man.
Click.
Yeah.
So I have a bad connectionall of a sudden.
But Rob talked about his passion forsports and hanging out with the Celtics.
Well, this isn't gonna be like,
how far can you throw, how?
How was your first pitch anyway?
Did you bounce it in or did you make it?
You didn't bounce it.
I made it.
Okay.
Strike.
Was it a strike?
It was a strike.
Yep.
Yep.
Do you have footage I need?

(47:46):
I need to fact check that.
That's a good question.
I know we have pictures that, well,you can always Photoshop those, right?
You could just I had great form.
I, I, I recall it being a strike.
Oh my gosh.
So we are not gonna playsoftball or baseball.
We're gonna play.
Or basketball.
Or basketball.
We were gonna play in the military minute.

(48:07):
Be the ball as they say.
Well played, well played, well played.
That's a soundbite
right there.
So,
yes, and we should make that myringtone on your phone when I call you.
So last week's five, five, five.
Last podcast, military minute, I'm justgonna talk over you, was tied to our
guest from support the enlisted troops orStep, and we haven't, I don't think ever
had a three part question, but we did

(48:29):
thanks
to Jody
because, because that's, and I thinkhe's gonna know this 'cause he's.
You might, he is in theknow with this stuff.
You might, are you a
musical kind of guy?
I wish you were.
You could only see his
face video.
Yeah.
He's like, I am hanging up now, so, okay.
So you can answer anycall A family member.
Yeah.
Any one of these three, this, thisquestion you can actually answer.

(48:49):
Which musical group singsthe song step by step.
He's so focused.
I know.
Oh, she told me to be the ball
and, and if he doesn't knowit, he's, he'll remember it
for the rest of his life.
If he doesn't know it,
I don't know it.
Oh, okay.
Let's try another one.
Gimme three steps.
Gimme a three,
please.
Don'ts, or
there's a
love of all that's holy.

(49:09):
Don't sing.
No.
Oh, Rob, I think if you heard him youmight, you might know, but I, I might.
Yeah.
What about one two Step?
I didn't know that one at all.
Is it a. A new
artist,
New York, I would say yes, because I don'tknow that I know this person very well.
She's a spouse of, she's a spouseof somebody that plays football.
She's a spouse of Russell Russell Wilson.

(49:30):
He got it.
Did Dave, I don't think anybody'sever got one of your questions before.
No, but he,
he saved himself.
Let me see you once step.
What?
Yeah.
Oh, you didn't tell him not to sing?
He's probably, well, there's a reason.
There's a reason.
So, so let's go back to,so step by step in sync.
Gimme three steps, ZZ Top.

(49:51):
Yeah, wouldn't have got that beard.
Oh, I think it is beards andgross, gross stuff in their beards.
Hear standing.
Then the song
comes
to beards and gross stuff in their beards.
And then Sierra, yougot that one, two step.
So fast forward to themilitary minute for today.
Is
it Ciara or Sierra?
I don't know.
Matter.
Let's go with Ciara.
Yeah, it does.
To Russell Wilson.
Oh,
okay.
Alright, let's go to the next one.
This week's
military minute, you cannotanswer this one, but like wave

(50:13):
at us if you know the answer.
But our audience is gonnaget a shot at this one.
Takes us to a question aboutthe history of the cell phone.
Very appropriate.
How about Tom?
Well played.
How about that?
Yeah.
In what year was the first publicmobile phone call and by what company?
Don't answer.
Do you have a clue?
Do you have any idea?
I'm guessing No by thelook at your face the year.
Okay, audience, so couple of thingson the first question set a three

(50:36):
part question from last podcast.
If you put nsync, ZZ Top and Sierra, orCiara or whatever, we decided it was as
your answer and you got all three, right?
Watch for us to drop your name asthe lucky winner of $50 for yourself
and $50 for a charity of your choice.
Which could certainly go to fiveminutes with cell phones for soldiers.
And if you know the answer to thisweek's question, what year was the

(50:59):
first public mobile phone call?
And by what company?
Drop that in the, in thecomments for this podcast.
And you two could be enteredto win $50 for yourself and
$50 per charity at your choice.
All kinds of minutes.
And by the way, it's ZZ to, no, it's not.
All right.
Wrap it up.
I think I didn't know theanswer to that last question.
Oh, you do think, don't,don't say it, but you can.

(51:21):
You can have, I won't, I won't say it.
I won't say it.
All right.
I'll tell you out there.
Okay.
G-O-O-G-L-E.
So if you enjoyed today's episodeas much as Rob did, go out to af
bank.com and subscribe to the show.
Make sure to rate us or leave us acomment on your favorite platform,
such as Apple Podcast, Spotify.
YouTube.
Yes.
Yes.

(51:41):
And if you go to YouTube, see ifyou can find some guy throwing
out a first PI or first pitch.
Yes.
The Sox Yankees game.
Yeah.
2012 ish.
And see if it was a strike.
Thank you very much.
Great job Rob.
Thank so much.
You're one in a million.
So I appreciate your passion forwhat you do and for what you've
done over a couple decades.
It's been awesome.

(52:02):
Yeah.
Thank you guys for having me on and givingme the platform to share the mission.
Thank you so much again forspending time with us today.
It's been a treat.
Absolutely.
Bye-bye.
Bye.
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