Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you just have to kick your husband to the curb.
And that's what I did right now. I'm just kidding.
He graciously said, let me get up and give this
microphone to Benja and Ben, we have known each other
for how many years now?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Going on eighteen years now.
Speaker 4 (00:15):
I can't believe you actually knew the actual number. That's
how smart he is.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
So Benjay is the President's CEO of WARM the Western
Area Resource in Ministry. But we go way back when
you had your job with the Ohio State's Athletic Department.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Yes we did. We got together a long time ago
to start doing some good things.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
We did. It was Ben's mission. It was really his idea.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I can't take any credit for it, but Ben wanted
to help as many people as he could because he
knew firsthand what the experience was like for people who
for the very first time could go to an Ohio
State football game or the electricity inside the Schottenstein Center
to go to Ohio State basketball game, and of course
I would say Buckeye Field to watch Kamie Joe Qurtacracks
(00:57):
as the shortstop.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I had to throw that in there.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I know you did, but you know, hey, I'm still
proud of that field. I'm proud of that stadium.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Yeah, because you built that.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yes I have been built, Yes I did so.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
But that was important for you to embrace Ohio state
and what it means to central Ohio.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
It's it's an incredible experience when you come to anty
Buckeye game, but especially in Ohio Stadium. You know, when
you know, for six years working with Geen Smith like that,
I oversaw Ohio Stadium, game day events, everything around the
stadium and football games, and and I know what it's
like to sit there and watch the band come down
(01:35):
on the field before the game, to watch, you know,
a great football team, one hundred and five thousand fans
and just in really enjoying the atmosphere that we have
there in Ohio Stadium. And and so I was really
proud of it. But I realized that there are folks
who don't always get the opportunity. They can't afford the tickets,
so they don't have access to tickets and and things.
(01:57):
So you know, we concocted this little thing about Buckeye
experiences so that you know, certain fans that we selected
who were deserving to go, would be able to experience
their first football game.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Absolutely. So he's like, Mindy, here's your job. Also ply
the tickets. And at first you had to stay anonymous.
We couldn't tell everybody where these tickets were coming from.
But he's like, you just use your media power to
find people who really need or deserve this experience. So
I want you to introduce our guests, this awesome family
(02:31):
who drove down from Cyrus to be part of this
show today. So tell us about Sydney and her family.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Well, I may have Sydney in the studio today like that,
and her her mom Anne, and her father Scott here
today like I was fortunate to meet this family when
Sidney's wish was to tour Ohio Stadium and so you know,
Mindy kind of looked at me and said, hey, can
we do this? And I said yeah, sure, like god'
(02:59):
So I made a few calls and got them in
on the tour, and you know I got to have
Cydy and talk about the experience of the day.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Sidney.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
We'll start with you first of all, how old are you?
I am twelve years old?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Twelve years old and you got to go and experience
the Buckeye feeling.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Yeah, it was awesome. What'd you think?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I thought it was a very cool experience. It's an
experience that I'll never forget. And being able to see
like the stadium empty and being that close to the
field and on the field, it's very cool.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
It's almost better to see it empty in a way,
because not a lot of people get that experience, right,
you know. It's one thing obviously to be there on
game day, nothing like it, but to sit there and
see the shoe empty when you're the only one there,
that's pretty special.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Mom. I want to turn to you.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Why was this so meaningful for Sidney? And what's she
going through right now? So we let our listeners know, Well,
she has.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
A brain tumor and she's a big Ohio State fan.
Her love for the buck Guys started right after her
brain surgery. She was invited to go to a basketball
practice with the women's basketball team, and so her love
for the buck Guys, you know, just grew even bigger
(04:22):
than and one of her friends had gotten to do
this tour and.
Speaker 6 (04:30):
She's like, how cool would that be?
Speaker 5 (04:32):
She was like to be on the field of you know,
the Ohio State buck Guy football team too, and so
she just loves to go to any buck guy you know, games,
and we went to some volleyball games and baseball and
just they're always a fun experience for the kids and
families in general.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So this whole idea came to be because our mutual
friend Julie Fickner, who hopefully is listening right now now,
reached out to me and she said, Bendy, I know
you partner with this awesome guy Ben to do something
for other people when it comes to Ohio State. Is
there any way that they can do this experience? So yeah, Ben,
when I reached out to I don't care.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
What it is and how many years. We've been doing
this for eighteen years.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Somehow this guy next to me, Ben is able to
pull some punches and make things happen.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
It's been eighteen years of having fun watching these people
coming and being able to experience what Ohio State is
like all of our athletic facilities, and we have phenomenal
facilities there at Ohio State. And to be able to
get that inside tour of the stadium, to see the
(05:44):
locker room, to be in the press box, to be
in all the space is there at Ohio State. It
was this incredible and not a lot of people get
the chance to do that.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Yeah, not at all.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Yeah, so that what was fun.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So Sydney's dad is also here. It's so funny because Sydney,
your pairs like, I don't want to be on the microphone.
I don't want to be the microphone. But you know what,
so many parents can relate to things like this because
life isn't easy and there's a lot of kids that
go through so much adversity. But when you see other
people step to the plate, total strangers that reach out
(06:17):
and help children like this, it has to warm your heart.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Oh yeah, yeah, it does it.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
It's a lot of gratitude you think about, just wants
to make you like give back and.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Remember, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
What they've done for your family, you know, so maybe
you can help somebody, you know later on down the line.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
It all trickles down right, It absolutely does. So Ben
has something else. I'm gonna let you take it from here.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Well, I tell you what you know. We first of all,
Sydney make a wish, made an incredible granted you an
incredible wish and built you the kitchen in your basement
that you wanted to cook in.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
So that was your wish.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You could have anything, you could go anywhere for the
Make a Wish Foundation, and your wish was exactly what.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
A kitchen in my basement?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Yeah, and how's it look?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
It looks amazing. Of course it's Ohio State theme, of course.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
And she brought us goodies that she actually made, I.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Know, in the kitchen. Yeah, amazing. So go ahead, but
I you know, Sidney, we have something special for you
like that my daughter Olivia will bring out.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
I'm glad you guys are watching this on Facebook Live
if you can see this. Yeah, so what is Olivia
bringing out to present to Olivia.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Olivia's presenting her with a autographed Ohio State b guys
jersey of the women's basketball team who autographed their jersey
for Sydney, so that she can hang it up in
her new kitchen. And I think it'll be wonderful to
you know, for it'll be a nice addition to her kitchen.
(07:56):
And so we are really proud to be able to
be able to give them to you. I know it's
something that you really wanted and it'll be a great
addition for your kitchen.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
It looks amazing. It's gonna look so good. In my kitchen.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
It will like go, I'm very happy. You know, Katie Smith,
you know, the all time great, the all time Buckeye
was not small great. You know, she was the one
I reached out to and she was great to help
me get this done and shut such a short time.
And we are really proud to be able to present
that to you today. Katie would have liked to been here.
(08:32):
She couldn't be here today, but she wanted to let
you know how much it meant for them to do
that for you.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh, thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Isn't that awesome? Years you guys got to say something.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
This is going in your kitchen in autograph jersey number
one Ohio State with all the signatures of the players
on the team right now, done by the Katie Smith. Like,
Katie Smith knows who you are, Sydney. How cool is that?
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Yeah, she did this for you.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
I saw her at some of the games and I
did get her autograph, but then I was like, well
I want her actual like I want the whole team's autograph.
Speaker 5 (09:09):
So now I have it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, She's like, I'm Katie, You're not just you, you know,
you're you're good. I like to have you autograph, but
I want more and now you got it.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Yes, Mom and Dad, you got to talk about this.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
When she was doing her she designed her whole kitchen herself.
She met with the design team at Payne and Tompkins
in Cleveland. We drove to Cleveland and she was like,
I want an Ohio State kitchen. And she even had
on the plans a place for a jersey, an autograph jersey.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
And We're like, how is this ever gonna happen? You know,
this is never going to happen. And so I did
have Well, when she you know, went to the practice
or whatever, she got a T shirt signed by J. C. Sheldon.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
She was just in the news recently. Did you see that?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (10:03):
And I was like, well we have this, you know,
And I was like, well can we make this work?
Speaker 4 (10:10):
And of course Ben to the rescue.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Of course been to the rescue. What you got to
say something to Ben?
Speaker 6 (10:16):
Dad?
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Now I got to get my level and hammer out.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
You got to make sure you find the stun because
you don't want that thing to fall.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Isn't that cool?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Ben? How awesome that you did. You're just beaming, You're
just smiling. From ear to ear, because life so many
times is all about giving back. It's putting other people
before yourself. He's getting a straight shot to heaven when
his time comes. The number of people who he has
helped along the way, but this one, ben out of
all those people rates up there.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, it's it's one of those really special times. And
with all the people that we felt during the years,
this is definitely one of the most special times that
to be able to do that for you, to grant
you that wish. Uh, it's something that thank you for,
you know, thanks the buck Eye Nation, Thanks for who
we are as Ohio State buck Eyes and what we represent.
(11:11):
You know. Woody Hayes was always big about pay it
forward with people. You went with people and you pay
it forward, and that always stuck in my mind ever
since I was a student there at Ohio State. And
so when I had the opportunity to work in the
FLIC department twice, you know, those kinds of things stuck
with me and it has been a part of my
life since then.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Well, Sydney, we wish you the best. Keep fighting this
stupid disease, you know, but you're smiling every day and
you're such a champion already, so we are in your corner.
And if there's anything else we can ever do for you,
just call Ben.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
I'll put him on speed dial, put home spreed dial.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
We'll be right back with our ending of the show
coming up right after the break. Thanks so much for listening, everybody.
We'll be right back.