* Gayelord Mankowski, Retired Law Enforcement, founded Santa’s First Responders

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Live across the Great Lake State. You're connected to Michigan's
most engaging and influential radio and television program, Michigan's Big
Show starring Michael Patrick Shields, presented by Blue Cross, Blue
Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
I'm producer and creative director Tony Cuthberts.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Now in the shadow of the Capitol Dome and Lansing.
He's heard from the beaches of Lake Michigan, to the
halls of power and behind closed doors. Here's Michigan's Michael
Patrick Shields.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Michael Patrick Shields is on the air.

Speaker 4 (00:38):
Good morning world, Good morning. You're listening to Michigan's Big
Show starring Michael Patrick Shields. And my name is Scott Ellis,
executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, sitting in
for MPs today where he gets to travel the world
and have great stories for us when we get back.
This next guest I have is a longtime friend and
you know he's a hero here to many. The guy

(00:58):
is an absolute amazing former. We retired from law enforcement
from ready In Township and is now still giving back
to the community. Good morning, Gailor Mankowski, how are you.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Scott. How are you, my friend?

Speaker 4 (01:09):
Good Gaylor? Do you know I could go on for
hours about the things you do and for kids around
the around the country. Can you tell me a little
bit about your Santa's First Responders and how you started,
because I remember when we were working the streets you
were as a community police officer. We're doing it for
your neighborhoods. What are you doing now taking this nationwide
with Santa's First Responders.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
First of all, thanks Scott. Let me be a part
of this, and I will say that Michael Patrick Shield's
wife is a big supporter of us, and that does
not go without being mentioned. We started in nineteen ninety
my dad and I when I first moved down here
from Gaillard, we had a group of kids that didn't
have Christmas and I reached out to my dad, who

(01:51):
was very much a philanthropist up in Gaylord, and we
just started doing the right thing because it was the
right thing to do. And it has expanded over the
last thirty plus years and we are Sata's First Responders.
We're nonprofit five oh one C three uh. And then
I had a cancer diagnosis, which was a gift in
the sense that opened my eyes that we could do

(02:12):
a lot more, and now we do a lot of
things for kids going through cancer and chemo and all
the things that go on with that.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
You know, Taylor Dot You know, I'm gonna pivot here
a little bit because you know you said I could
mention and you've brought it up about your battling cancer
and you're winning. You're winning right now. And give me
a little bit about your diagnosis and then you know
the whole chemo cowboy. I see the post all the
time and you're an absolute inspiration and I have you know,
other friends that are are fighting this as well and
could be listening. So tell me a little bit about
what you're going through and how it's changed you.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
Well, it's made me a better person. Uh, to me,
I've looked at it. Cancer has been a gift. Sometimes
it's a difficult gift. But in twenty twenty two, I
had some stomach issues. I was not good about getting
colon aspi's. I would stress to everybody that is the
least of your issues having a colonosity. That's nothing compare

(03:05):
to what the other option is. So I get diagnosed
three years ago, you've got six months in this case,
scenario two years to live, and you know it's a setback.
You kind of take a look in the mirror and
I'm like, let's get after it. And you know there's
a stigma the chemo, and I think some people fall
into the rut and let it control them. I choose

(03:29):
to try to let it. I control the narrative. It's
not easy, I'll tell you that, but it's doable. So
I sat there and I had my first treatment, and
I'll say, this makes healthcare workers part of your family.
I don't have thirty healthcare workers. I have thirty family members.
And that's the way I look at it. And they're
actually involved in the charity. And I just sat there
and I collaborated making up these different designs that you

(03:52):
may see on our fire truck. And now we have
a police stat ho where we take kids out and about.
But you just got to have a find a fissy
versions and look at I look at cancer as a gift.
It made me a better person. I was a pretty
decent person before, but now I'm trying to find tune it.
And I've had sixty two rounds of chemo and I'll

(04:13):
get it again a week.

Speaker 4 (04:15):
Next Monday, you know, Gail, I've I've watched every one
of your your videos and and you know, you make
your inspirational and you know, and I think of Santa's
first responders. I know you just had a big event
at mont Ice Arena just recently to help raise money.
But one that I really love is around Christmas when
you surround now you know, Sparrow University of Michigan Hospital,
kind of tell the audience what you do and and

(04:37):
how that affects the children.

Speaker 3 (04:40):
Well, I sat there and getting chemo at the Herman Center,
which is the u of N Sparrow, great place, love it,
and I thought where are the kids at? And the
kids are at a different part of the hospital, and
I just thought, why are why you know, I've seen
what they do at University Iowa where they rate wait
to the kids at the football games getting of the
fourth quarter. I was like, why aren't we doing this?

(05:03):
And so I just said through it. So that was timed.
We have a Christmas party for about four to five
hundred people. That's that was our main bread and butter
to start out with. And now I just started making
calls and you know what, Scott, Nobody told me no,
and you know, my dad always taught me, if you
ever go to Gaylor and see the Elk Park, it's
named after my dad because he thought it was a
good idea. And it was a good idea. But the

(05:24):
worst somebody can say is no. And if they tell
you no, you think of another way to ask them,
and then they tell you no again. You just do
it if it's the right thing to do. So we
just nobody told me no. So I we probably had
one hundred polas with fire vehicles. We surrounded the hospital
and then do the generous donations. We go up and
I say Santa Serca, spiders and the chief of police

(05:46):
and other dignitaries, and we visit every kid in the
hospital and I just cancer kids, every kid from the
nick you down to the er and and that's pretty
pretty cool. Now we've had the component where we do
like a healthcare festival at the same time with massages

(06:07):
and right personally massage every nurse and I spoke. We
get LCC students, interns to give back rubs or whatever
they do, donuts and give a photo booth and Santa
and comic book heroes and I am proud to announce
on your show we will now be including McLaren. They

(06:28):
want us to come over and do the parade for
their kids. Now they don't have as many kids and
they don't have a pediatric cancer ward, but we don't care.
They've got kids that are going to be in during
the holidays. We're gonna come visit them. And yeah, I'm
excited to announce that.

Speaker 4 (06:43):
Well, what do you have the dates for those yet?

Speaker 3 (06:47):
I sure do. December eighteenth. We call it the Ken
Roberts Memorial Parade because it's named after a gentleman that
used to volunteer for us and is married to one
of our board members who passed suddenly. And he was
always the first to come, the last leave for any event.
So and he worked at mclarend. So it's December eighteenth
at noon, will start out at U of M. Sparrow

(07:09):
and it's it's pretty impressive. I mean the amount of
first responders and people. We have choirs, we have kids
to get busted in that sing outside the hospital. And
I'm proud to announce. So we'll be leading the parade
with Reindeer one and Reindeer two.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
Yes, I have seen Reindeer one and Reindeer two. Great
job getting those and you know, clearly the community and
all of public safety around the Ingham County area has
been extremely supportive. You know, I see the pictures and
you know, but I think one of the things too
that people want to know that hopefully listen to this
how do they get involved with Standard's first responders and
what can they do.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
To help Will. There's a lot of things as we
get into this season. This is our season of giving.
You know, one thing I didn't mention Scott. It takes funds.
We just sent a young lady going through cancer to Tennessee.
So I have found that horses offer a lot of
dissy resilience, quiet inspiration for me, and so I hope

(08:05):
to share that with others. And kids really seem to
to lock on the thought of horses. So we're sending
kids for horse therapy down in Nashville. We're also going
to send a kid to Prank to move in a
couple of weeks, and so that takes resources, it takes money.
And we also do something called Santus Wish List where

(08:26):
we send kids on Michigan based adventures, kind of like
a Make a Wish without a lot of the red.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
Teat gaylored and we're running out of time here, so
I want to make sure real quick. How can they
get a hold of you because I want to make
sure we support this and continue work in your mission.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
Sure we're you can reach me at pickle four or
five th at Yahoo.

Speaker 4 (08:51):
All right, Thank you very much, Gaylor Mankowski, A champion
for the children and everybody. This is Scott Ellis on
Michigan's Big Show, filling in for Michael Patrick Shields.

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