Episode 111
Empowering Our Heroes: A Conversation with Gib Bosworth from the Gary Sinise Foundation
The central focus of this discussion revolves around the commendable initiatives undertaken by the Gary Sinise Foundation, particularly emphasizing their RISE program, which endeavors to provide specially adapted smart homes for veterans and first responders who have faced debilitating injuries. I am privileged to converse with Gib Bosworth, a representative of the foundation, who elucidates the transformative impact of their work, including the construction of mortgage-free homes that cater to the unique needs of these brave individuals. Our dialogue also traverses the broader spectrum of support offered to veterans and first responders, including essential equipment grants and community outreach programs. We collectively underscore the significance of expressing gratitude and support for those who have selflessly served our nation. This episode serves as a poignant reminder of the imperative to contribute positively to our communities and recognize the sacrifices made by our heroes.
The Boxcar Universe podcast presents a compelling discourse featuring Gib Bosworth from the Gary Sinise Foundation, an organization dedicated to aiding veterans, first responders, and their families. The discussion delves into the foundation's various initiatives, particularly the RISE program, which emphasizes the creation of specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded service members. These homes incorporate innovative technologies designed to enhance the independence and quality of life for their occupants. The episode further explores the personal motivations of Gary Sinise, whose familial ties to military service have profoundly influenced his commitment to supporting this community. Through the lens of personal anecdotes and tangible examples, listeners are invited to appreciate the transformative impact of the foundation's work on the lives of those who have made significant sacrifices for their country.
Takeaways:
- The Gary Sinise Foundation is dedicated to providing support for veterans and first responders through initiatives such as specially adapted smart homes for those with severe injuries.
- Our discussions today highlight the importance of community engagement and gratitude towards those who serve, particularly in the context of veterans and first responders.
- The RISE program, which stands for Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment, focuses on creating mortgage-free custom homes for wounded veterans and first responders across the nation.
- The foundation's emergency response initiative emphasizes immediate support during natural disasters, showcasing the commitment to assist those in dire circumstances.
- A significant aspect of the foundation's work includes providing equipment grants to volunteer fire departments and police departments to ensure they are adequately equipped for emergencies.
- Community involvement is crucial; individuals are encouraged to reach out and contribute to initiatives that support veterans and first responders in their local areas.
Links referenced in this episode:
- garysinisefoundation.org
- stardustbuilding.org
- iFoam.com
- idealhomeimprovementaz.com
- steve@IHImediaaz.com
- steve@boxcaruniverse.com
- mrelectric.com/phoenix-metro.com
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Gary Sinise Foundation
- Amazon
- Ideal Home Improvement, LLC.
- Boxcar Universe
Transcript
Hey everyone, welcome back to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:You know, I'm really looking forward to today's episode.
Speaker A:We've got a special guest joining us, Gib Bosworth from the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Speaker A:Now, if that name sounds familiar, it should.
Speaker A:Gary Sinise is not only a well known actor from Forrest Gump where he played Lieutenant Dan and CSI New York, but he's also the driving force behind this incredible, incredible foundation that supports our veterans, first responders and their families.
Speaker A:Gibbs here to talk about the amazing work they are doing from building specialty adapted smart homes for the wounded heroes to programs that truly change people's lives.
Speaker A:It's inspiring stuff and I can't wait for you to hear it.
Speaker A:So let's jump right in.
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Speaker A:Hi, I'm Steve Dubell, host of Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:And here's what's coming up on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:Gib Bosworth, representing the Gary Sinise foundation is here with us.
Speaker A:They are a national organization committed to supporting veterans, first responders and their families.
Speaker A:They are creating smart homes for families of the disabled, veterans and much, much more.
Speaker A:And as you know, I am a big supporter of veterans in giving back to the sacrifices that they do for all of us here in this great country.
Speaker A:So we're going to be talking with Gib and all that and more on this week of Boxcar Universe, your home for remodeling and renovating your world.
Speaker A:And I want to welcome all our listeners to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A: ing back to the early days of: Speaker A:But the veterans do so much for us and it's so gratifying to see that the recruitment is up the this year now more than it's ever been.
Speaker A:People are taking the sacrifices very wholeheartedly to go out and defend our country and support our country.
Speaker A:And a lot of us need to be able to turn around and just give thanks to those people that are out there on the front line in different parts of the world, away from their families.
Speaker A:And it's the least we can do to be able to, to give back to them.
Speaker A:One of the things that I have always seen and what got me interested in reaching out to the Gary Sinise foundation was some of the work that I saw that they do on television, on the news shows.
Speaker A:And I had reached out to them and Gibb Bosworth, who is here with us today, is going to be telling us all about that and what they're doing for our veterans and first responders and all those people that support us and allow us to have the freedoms that we have in this country.
Speaker A:And Gibb, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule.
Speaker A:And I know that you're, you're a man on the move.
Speaker B:Good morning.
Speaker B:Great to be here with you, Steve.
Speaker A:Great to have you here.
Speaker A:And you know, for, I mean, I, I don't think there is an anybody out there who hasn't heard the name Gary Sise, but if by some chance they don't know about his, the foundation, why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about the foundation.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Happy to do that.
Speaker B:So we are thrilled to be a part of the Gary Sise foundation, which of course was founded by actor humanitarian Gary Sise, aka Lt.
Speaker B:Dan from Forrest Gump.
Speaker B:So for those of you who are movie buffs out there, he is also obviously a very accomplished actor.
Speaker B:CSI New York and many other movies and films and credits producing, etc.
Speaker B: the Gary Sinise foundation in: Speaker B:Early on, you know, his whole family, the family origin story is very inspiring.
Speaker B:You know, Gary's grandfather was In World War I, his father was in World War II, and then his brother in law, sister in law, served in Vietnam.
Speaker B:So the experience of the veteran community was very personal to Gary.
Speaker B:And he had a lot of interaction with them and obviously loved them dearly and looked up to them.
Speaker B:And that was a part of the inspiration that really mobilized him in his early acting career when he founded, co founded Steppenwolf Theater back in Chicago.
Speaker B:Gary's from Illinois, from the Chicago area.
Speaker B:And he saw what was happening and he, and he really used the Vietnam War experience that he saw from his family when they returned as an opportunity to give back, to lift up this veteran community and to really start to encourage them and thank them and express gratitude.
Speaker B:Because Gary, as he Calls himself.
Speaker B:He's a grateful American.
Speaker B:And so for over 40 years now, he has made it his mission in life, one of his many missions.
Speaker B:He has many to go out and serve, thank and express gratitude, profound gratitude.
Speaker B:And he does that through a variety of different ways.
Speaker B:And prior to the launch of the Gary Sidney's Foundation, Gary went out and he supported 30 to 40 other veterans service organizations.
Speaker B:He would travel the world, started the Lt.
Speaker B:Dan band over 20 years ago to serve and lift up and encourage and share some rock and roll with the troops all over the world, as he wanted to make sure they felt a little bit of home as they were abroad serving, whether it was in Afghanistan, Iraq, et cetera, and other stations throughout the country and around the world.
Speaker B: foundation, he launched it in: Speaker B:And he started with this flagship program we're going to speak about today, Steve, which is the Rise program.
Speaker B:That acronym, R I S E stands for restoring independence, Supporting empowerment.
Speaker B:And that has four segments to it.
Speaker B:The largest one is what you just noted, which is the Sash program, specially adapted smart home program, which is where we build mortgage free custom smart homes for the most severely wounded men and women who have served our nation, both veterans and first responders.
Speaker B:The second largest segment is our mobility home modification program, where we'll go into an existing home and put in a ramp, grab bars, expand a bathroom, remodel it so it's wheelchair accessible.
Speaker B:Third segment of the Rise program is what we call specially adapted smart vehicles.
Speaker B:So these are vehicles that are, you know, ramp enabled.
Speaker B:They have hoists, they have hand controls, power seats, gull wing doors.
Speaker B:That enables the veteran or the first responder to actually get back in their vehicle and drive with hand controls, et cetera.
Speaker B:And then the fourth one is mobility devices.
Speaker B:So these are high end wheelchair custom mobility devices, if you will, that enables them again to enjoy a little bit more freedom and regain some of their independence.
Speaker B:But the largest one, as we've talked about or going to talk about, is the sash part of the Rise program.
Speaker B: So Gary started in: Speaker B:He was very active in New York City.
Speaker B:When September 11th happened, that was a very big turning point for Gary.
Speaker B:And he used that as a catalyst to get back to New York City and really start to engage that community after the tragic events of September 11th.
Speaker B:And he really wanted to help the FDNY and NYPD and the commissioner of the FDNY reached out to Gary and said, hey, we know you're a big supporter of the first responder community here in New York City and we'd love to get your help to raise money to build a home for a severely wounded veteran.
Speaker B:His name was Brendan Morocco.
Speaker B:Brandon was one of the first quadruple amputees to come back from combat.
Speaker B:Gary met him shortly after he was wounded at Walter Reed Medical Hospital.
Speaker B:And Gary was thoroughly inspired and said, I want to help.
Speaker B:And so Gary, out of his own generosity, donated the funds to pay for the Lt.
Speaker B:Dan Band and the production to come up to New York City and host a huge fundraiser for Brendan, which brought in the entire community and raised a lot of money that actually helped build what we would now call one of the first specially adapted smart homes that Gary got involved with.
Speaker B:And he subsequently saw the power of what that looked like by bringing community together, corporations together, other organizations to rally behind this incredible cause, to lift somebody up who did something extraordinary for our freedom.
Speaker B:And that's something that's at the centerpiece of what Gary does.
Speaker B:He is a incredibly grateful American and he wants to make sure the men and women who serve us never forget that and bear hug them.
Speaker B:And Gary, obviously, with all the different programmatic activity here at the foundation heavily focused on making sure that we always try to meet needs where there is a need and making sure that they feel the support, gratitude and encouragement from all over the United States.
Speaker A:I gotta believe that there are so many different areas of the country that have an abundance of veterans.
Speaker A:I mean, they're all over the country, but a lot of areas like for instance, Arizona, we've got the veteran population here is very large, obviously, because we have several different Air Force bases here in Phoenix and down in Tucson.
Speaker A:So I gotta believe that there are.
Speaker A:I know for a fact there's a big need for what you're doing, you know, in the foundation all over the country.
Speaker A:But how do organizations or communities that need help reach out to you?
Speaker B:So there's a number of ways.
Speaker B:The easiest way is to go to Gary Sinise foundation.org Gary Sinise foundation.org and on there you'll see our contact page.
Speaker B:If you go to that or your listeners go to that, they can click on that.
Speaker B:And there's a variety of different dropdowns that they could lean into it and send a message to the staff.
Speaker B:The staff will look at it and then make the connection and have a conversation.
Speaker B:That's typically the most effective way to have a dialogue with us and then try to figure out what the need is and assess and mobilize from there.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:I'm just looking at it right now.
Speaker A:Yes, it's very detailed and, and you could just really tell your story on what kind of assistance that you actually need.
Speaker A:And there are so many different organizations out there.
Speaker A:But I think the Gary Sinise foundation is something very special because it's motivated by someone who has experience, like you said earlier, the.
Speaker A:The military background in their family and the actual need and have seen people come back from war, from being overseas.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:I remember my brother served in the Navy for four years and, and he was around the world and, you know, his wife was.
Speaker A:Was home keeping, as they say, keeping the home fires burning.
Speaker A:And it's a tremendous sacrifice for.
Speaker A:For those who actually go and serve.
Speaker A:But I hope that a lot of people.
Speaker A:I mean, I think we've gone past the point of where, you know, back when the draft was around, that people used to say, you know, well, which.
Speaker A:Which branch of service do I want to go into?
Speaker A:Or which is the.
Speaker A:Which is the branch of service that I'm going to be able to survive and come back, whether it be two years or four years?
Speaker A:I don't think.
Speaker A:And I knew that that kind of thinking was out there because I saw it happen when my brother was going in the Navy and I spoke to a lot of his friends.
Speaker A:I mean, that was, you know, it's like to say the draft and it was like, oh, my God, you know, it was like a bad word back in the 60s.
Speaker A:But now people are serving because they really want to give back.
Speaker A:And it's such a great.
Speaker A:It's great to see what they're doing and the patriotic devotion that they have to be able to go and give them give of themselves to go around the world and protect our freedoms.
Speaker A:I mean, I'm sure you've seen.
Speaker A:You've seen a lot of that with the people that you've come into contact with.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Steve, you nailed it.
Speaker B:I think there's a tremendous amount of support across the country and Arizona.
Speaker B:Great example, as you just noted.
Speaker B:I just returned from Arizona yesterday and we're building actually two homes there, especially adapted smart homes.
Speaker B:And the event we just celebrated on Tuesday was what we call the Walls of Honor event.
Speaker B:This is the midway part of the build where we bring the entire community together with the veteran, their family and their friends.
Speaker B:And it's an opportunity for us to just gather.
Speaker B:It's an informal space set up.
Speaker B:The house is enclosed, has a roof, has windows, but everything else is exposed.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It's concrete slab with studs and what we do is we gather so the community and all of our contractors, our national partners who are helping us with in kind donations, which is just tremendous, get to come and meet the family and meet the hero.
Speaker B:In this case, it's Brad Evangen.
Speaker B:He's a United States Marine corporal, retired.
Speaker B:He's a double amputee after stepping on an ied and just an incredibly humble servant.
Speaker B:Incredibly humble and just amazing to spend time with them and see the family and meet mom and dad and his sister and his nieces and nephews.
Speaker B:It's just a wonderful day and the whole community can do that.
Speaker B:And so we do that with a small ceremony and then we grab big Sharpie pens and we walk around.
Speaker B:Everybody fans out and write a note of appreciation, encouragement, gratitude, something special, scripture, who knows all kinds of cool things just to let Brad know that we are with him and that house will be encased with that love from the community out there in Arizona forever.
Speaker B:And we call these Forever Homes.
Speaker B:That's the other moniker we love to give these homes for these individuals because we create them uniquely for their injury.
Speaker B:It's specially adapted, and that word is apropos, because it gives them the ability to recover and thrive.
Speaker B:As Brad ages and raises a family, he needs wider hallways, he needs a larger bathroom, he needs a bench in the bathroom.
Speaker B:A lot of injuries take place in the bathroom for a lot of these injured and severely wounded veterans.
Speaker B:So we make extraordinary efforts to design and create a vast open architecture, if you will, so it's wheelchair accessible.
Speaker B:They can transfer from their chair to the bench and their shower all by themselves.
Speaker B:So it gives them some of that independence that we all enjoy while making sure they can care for themselves.
Speaker B:And that way, it's a great opportunity for them to thrive.
Speaker B:And so the kitchen, the hallways, everything is designed with the injury involved to make sure they can move around, wheelchairs can rotate, easily, get through doorways, hallways without, you know, scraping their knuckles.
Speaker B:Their traditional existing homes are just not designed for that.
Speaker B:And so we have done this many, many times and we've already completed over 95 homes.
Speaker B: started with Brendan back in: Speaker B:And here we are working our way up to 100 here later this year, but just an opportunity to give back.
Speaker B:And it's a great opportunity because Gary created the foundation.
Speaker B:One of the main reasons Gary created the Gary Sinise foundation was to use it as a rallying point for the American people.
Speaker B:It Gives all of us a piece or a seat at the table and a piece of opportunity to go out and do something, but also to help not only us and what we're doing, but also maybe get inspired to go do something in your own neighborhood, your own community, which is what we always talk about.
Speaker B:And to your point earlier, I think it was, it was really apropos that.
Speaker B:You know what we get to see because we're traveling nationwide, we spend time with companies, contractors and individuals all over this United States of America.
Speaker B:And it's incredibly inspiring because people are fired up, they're excited, they're happy to see what we're doing, they're grateful and they want to help us more and more.
Speaker B:We have an avalanche of goodness is what I would tell you, Steve.
Speaker B:So it's a great opportunity for us.
Speaker B:Gary has created what I call the movement, and that is he's brought people from all walks of life, corporations large and small, contractors large and small, who want to lean into this amazing mission, to pay it forward, serve others, express gratitude and let them know, especially the men and women who serve in the veteran and the first responder community, that we appreciate them.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's so, so important and so great.
Speaker A:Just to be part of it, I mean, is amazing.
Speaker A:But if you're not part of some kind of movement in your part of the country, I urge all of you to get involved with.
Speaker A:Just find something that you'd like to give back and reach out to the Gary Sinise foundation and see how you can be an integral part in your community to be able to give back to our veter.
Speaker A:But we're going to take a short break.
Speaker A:When we come back, we're going to have more with Gibb and we're going to be talking about the RISE program a little further in those smart homes and some of the things that are going on, not just in Arizona, but around the country.
Speaker A:Because it's an ongoing effort.
Speaker A:Because Gibb, I'm sure you'll agree, the work never ends.
Speaker B:That's correct.
Speaker B:It's great.
Speaker A:And we're always here to give back.
Speaker A:So hang tight, we'll be right back.
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Speaker A:All right, we are back and you're listening to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:And with us today is Gib Bosworth from the Gary Sinise foundation, in case you joined us late, and Gib had mentioned in our first segment a lot of the different programs that the foundation has and one of them is the Rise program, which is the specially adapted smart homes which, you know, I, I speak to homeowners all the time that whether they are building new or if they have, want to retrofit their home, but they want to, they want to make their homes smart homes and they, you know, I tell people give that, you know, it's funny, some people resist innovation and they want to stay stuck in the past.
Speaker A:But you want to know something?
Speaker A:If you don't, it's like, let's tell it like it is.
Speaker A:If you don't get with the program, you're going to be left behind and you'll miss the train.
Speaker A:Everybody loves our train sound effects.
Speaker A:You miss the train or miss the boat, however you want to look at it because it makes our life so much easier and, and for those needing those smart homes, it's, it's important.
Speaker A:I mean, it's vital for their survival to make their life easier with, with, you know, their, their injuries and how they came back.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:It's, you nailed it.
Speaker B:It's such an important component of it and we've, we've been blessed with some amazing partners.
Speaker B:You know, like I mentioned earlier is, you know, Gary is such a humble servant.
Speaker B:He attracts corporations, organizations, other non profits that want to help us, which is just a tremendous testament to his service, you know, and he's always used that as an opportunity, as a catalyst to say, hey, look, I just want to help people.
Speaker B:I'm going to help as many veterans and first responders as I can.
Speaker B:As a result of that, Amazon is one of our amazing corporate partners that comes in and they provide some technology along with a number of other organizations.
Speaker B:Nice is one of them, which is our integrator on a lot of levels with some of that technology.
Speaker B:So those are two partners that help us to provide the ability to control, for example, the shades in the home from a tablet.
Speaker B:Lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, all from a tablet or from a watch.
Speaker B:So if you're a double or a triple amputee, you're in your home and you're shutting down for the night, as an example, you climb into bed and you go, oh, I forgot to lock the door.
Speaker B:What if I didn't lock the door?
Speaker B:Well, the beautiful thing is on the tablet, there's the ability to control the locks in the home.
Speaker B:Hit a little button, done.
Speaker B:Peace of mind, instantaneous.
Speaker B:They don't have to put their prosthetics back on, schlep all the way to the front door and lock the front door or even just check it.
Speaker B:So small little nuances like that are unbelievably helpful and powerful, especially when you're healing and recovering and when you have severe injuries.
Speaker B:And so we're just super, super grateful that corporate America has leaned in as powerful as they have and continues to do so.
Speaker B:We have other organizations providing the ability to even just the functionality of the way we design these homes, right?
Speaker B:We create the opportunity for, you know, the cabinetry to have special adaptations.
Speaker B:So, for example, if they're in their wheelchair, they can reach up from their wheelchair position, open their cabinet, grab their dishes, and it's a hinged, levered shelf that comes down so they can grab it literally from their wheelchair, transition, put it to the centerpiece of the home or in the kitchen, if you will, where they can actually operate, create, cook.
Speaker B:The ovens are put at a specific level, so when they open them up from a wheelchair perspective or if they're standing, but there's a board that's underneath, for example, the oven that can transition to hot dish, right?
Speaker B:You open the doors, take the hot dish out, you put it on this board right below the oven, turn it around, transition it right to the island in your kitchen.
Speaker B:So this functionality Detail that goes into every one of these homes is tremendous.
Speaker B:And the whole idea is to just really make sure we understand, a, what are they up against?
Speaker B:What are their challenges?
Speaker B:And then B, how do we enable them to really be able to operate independently?
Speaker B:Because we all appreciate the fact that they sacrifice their body to do something that less than 1% of our citizenship actually does, and that is surf and do something to give us the ability to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy.
Speaker B:And that's something that Gary is super energized about.
Speaker B:We are all very thankful and energized about here at the foundation, which is why it's great to share with your listeners here.
Speaker B:You know, we've got an amazing, tremendous support in the Arizona community, but also nationwide, because, as you noted, you know, there is a sense of gratitude that is swept across this country for the last five to seven years that has been just tremendous around making sure we thank and encourage and lift up not only the veteran community, but the first responder community.
Speaker A:Yeah, the first responders, you know, a lot of times they.
Speaker A:They don't get the recognition that they are.
Speaker A:They are deserved.
Speaker A:Because, you know, you make an emergency phone call for whatever, whether it be fire, paramedics, whatever it is, those first responders that are necessary and think about where we would be if we didn't have them.
Speaker A:I mean, because when somebody needs help, they're there.
Speaker A:And they.
Speaker A:They give a lot too.
Speaker A:Not.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But they give.
Speaker A:They give their.
Speaker A:Their time and their service in different ways than our troops do.
Speaker A:But I think the two just go hand in hand so much that people.
Speaker A:People need to recognize them.
Speaker A:And I think, you know, it's a shame too.
Speaker A:I think when.
Speaker A:When you're younger, a lot of times you don't think about these things that we're talking about today about maybe giving back, unless you grew up in a family that actually was doing it and you became immersed in that environment.
Speaker A:But I think as you get older and you kind of take a little more look at what's going on around the world and what your life has been like, then you find out how important it is that you need.
Speaker A:We're all here on this earth to help people.
Speaker A:And I think that's so important.
Speaker A:And if you give back to the community, to those families and first responders, um, I mean, you know, how many times did you.
Speaker A:You see on news where, you know, a first responder got severely injured or even.
Speaker A:Or even died because of an injury of a fall or something when they were trying to rescue somebody?
Speaker A:I mean, these are serious things.
Speaker A:I mean, and people should take their.
Speaker A:Their service very seriously and.
Speaker A:And give them the thanks that they deserve just as much as our veterans.
Speaker B:Yeah, I would agree with that, Steve and I.
Speaker B:Some of the activities were involved with, related to that is we have a tremendous fro program, first responder outreach, which is where we provide equipment grants, for example, to fire departments and police departments all over the country, specifically fire departments.
Speaker B:80% of the fire departments across the United States are volunteers.
Speaker B:I don't know if everybody knows that that is a big deal.
Speaker B:Think about it.
Speaker B:The very rural, smaller communities, these are volunteers.
Speaker B:These are doctors, lawyers, dentists.
Speaker B:During the the bat phone rings, they race off to go save somebody or help them with an emergency situation.
Speaker B:And if they don't have the proper equipment, I.
Speaker B:E.
Speaker B:A radio, oxygen, turnout gear to protect them from, you know, a burning building, how do they do that job?
Speaker B:So the beautiful thing is Gary noticed this, recognized it, and said, well, we're going to do something about it.
Speaker B:So we provide FRO grants now so fire departments all over the United States can apply for an equipment grant from us, which we turn around and give to them so they can go out and buy that essential equipment.
Speaker B:It's a beautiful example of paying it forward to these heroes.
Speaker B:We call them heroes.
Speaker B:They are every day they're out there and they are rising to the occasion and whatever emergency any of us face.
Speaker B:And we all know that, and many of us have stories I'm sure we could share about something that happened to us or a family member or a friend.
Speaker B:And we needed that help on 911 and they showed up.
Speaker B:And that's a really important component of what we do at the foundation.
Speaker B:Another component of it is when we see there's a lot of connection between not only the veteran community, but, as you noted, the first responder community.
Speaker B:And we've seen many members of the military who come home and transition out, and then they end up serving in a fire department or a police department.
Speaker B:So there's a lot of synergy, as you mentioned, where we see there's a lot of overlap and there's a tremendous amount of kind of collaborative interaction between the two.
Speaker B:And that's something that makes, you know, the foundation kind of unique as we support both first responders and veterans, which I think a lot of folks may not know.
Speaker B:So it's great that we're able to share that with your community here on this podcast to let them know that we do a lot of that.
Speaker B:And they can see all the programmatic activity we do on the website, Again, there's 34 initiatives that cover a variety of topics, whether it's first responders and veterans, along with the ability to help serve them.
Speaker A:You know, gim.
Speaker A:You know, you.
Speaker A:We had spoken earlier, you had said that you were in Southern California.
Speaker A:And I was out there last weekend and I actually went to visit somebody who I had on the show.
Speaker A:She was a news reporter who actually was reporting the fires in the Palisades and the other areas.
Speaker A:And while she was reporting, and then she got news at like 3 o' clock in the morning that her dad's house that he had built himself actually burnt, burnt down.
Speaker A:And I met her at the property and saw some of the remaining devastation.
Speaker A:It wasn't a lot there that was left because a lot of the areas were cleared.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But when all this was going on, was there anything that, you know, the foundation reached out and were they able to help them in any way if they did?
Speaker A:Because that was.
Speaker A:It was pretty devastating.
Speaker A:It went on obviously for weeks and it was pretty amazing.
Speaker B:Yeah, we did was.
Speaker B:You're right, it was tragic.
Speaker B:And obviously that's in my backyard here in Southern California.
Speaker B:So really, really scary, but also just heartbreaking to see the damage that fire inflicted on that community.
Speaker B:But the way the foundation responded was very beautiful.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So we have an emergency response program basically for disasters.
Speaker B:So we call it disaster response.
Speaker B:And it's our ability to think about how, when natural disasters happen, whether it's a hurricane, a fire, a flood, you know, what can we do to help provide that.
Speaker B:That's something that's always been top of mind for Gary.
Speaker B:And as we look at the landscape, you know, we have launched as of last year, this concept and this, this initiative to really help and in the face of a disaster.
Speaker B:So primarily what we do is we work with boots on the ground organizations immediately, right after to either provide water, food or medical equipment to organizations that are first in before the foundation can actually mobilize.
Speaker B:Secondary to that, for example, at the Palisades, Gary has a program called Serving Heroes.
Speaker B:This is a program.
Speaker B:The origins of that concept came when Gary was at LAX waiting for his daughter to arrive.
Speaker B:He popped into the USO at LAX and he saw a bunch of veterans eating.
Speaker B:And he walked over and started to talk with them and encourage them.
Speaker B:And of course they loved it and started taking photos of Lieutenant Dan.
Speaker B:And he said, what are you eating?
Speaker B:And they said, oh, this and that.
Speaker B:And he goes, hey, let me go buy you some food.
Speaker B:I want to take you and get.
Speaker A:You Some, you know, some real food.
Speaker B:And so Gary did that.
Speaker B:And so presto, change o Serving Heroes program was born.
Speaker B:And so since the inception of that first meal at the U.S.
Speaker B:at LAX, we've served over 1.1 million meals to veterans, first responders worldwide.
Speaker B:And so Gary was coming to Southern California back right when those fires had subsided, and there was an incident command center down by the Will Rogers State beach, and Gary was coming out.
Speaker B:So he.
Speaker B:He reached out to the entire community, with the staff, myself included, and we mobilized a serving hero chow line, if you will, for all of the incident command leaders.
Speaker B:So, you know, it was all the lafd, it was all of the lapd, it was the National Guard, it was all the first responders in the community, the utility companies, everybody.
Speaker B:So we fed like, 550 of those folks just to say thank you on behalf of a grateful community and on behalf of a grateful city and nation.
Speaker B:And it lifted their spirits tremendously because this was weeks into this experience.
Speaker B:And as you know, they had to live up there for an extended period of time to clean up and make sure all those embers and all the.
Speaker B:The damage was in a good situation.
Speaker B:So it was stable to go in to start the cleanup process.
Speaker B:But that's something that Gary always is mindful of.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:He's constantly aware, and he's got friends everywhere.
Speaker B:He calls him pals.
Speaker B:Gary's got pals.
Speaker B:Everybody's a pal with Gary.
Speaker B:And so he will constantly be monitoring, and he gets input from friends and pals all over the country.
Speaker B:So when there's a need, like down in Florida when the hurricanes hit last fall, you know, he was able to go down there and make sure to get boots on the ground.
Speaker B:And again, we provided water and some meals to the first responders who are out there working 24 7, 365 to really try to help all of us as the community to make it through those really difficult, trying times.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, I.
Speaker A:I know speaking with some other people that actually were providing, there's a gentleman I know who has a company in New York who actually provides temporary shelters.
Speaker A:And I had contacted him way back when they had the fires in Hawaii, like, what was it like two years ago, I think.
Speaker A:And even then we talked again after the LA fires.
Speaker A:You know, the one thing that.
Speaker A:It's amazing how we have all these, great, you know, organizations and your foundation and everything else, but the one thing that seems to keep getting in the way is government, because he says the red tape is just unbelievable, and it's stopping people from getting the help that they need.
Speaker A:And I think if they could, if we could help, you know, when disaster strikes, all that red tape shouldn't even be there, because the first thing that should be is, is the priority is getting the help to the people.
Speaker A:I mean, he, he was even telling me that because they had in California and Hawaii were just as bad, that they were inhibiting him from getting the temporary shelters there to help the people that needed shelter.
Speaker A:I mean, it was amazing.
Speaker A:I mean, I know.
Speaker A:And the insurance business, that's another issue.
Speaker A:I know the lady I spoke to, I mentioned earlier, you mean she's just now getting involved with getting the architecture work done for her new home, but she's not getting full replacement from the insurance company.
Speaker A:So a lot of these people, they're still going to be having problems because they have to go back out and get loans to actually rebuild what they had before the fires.
Speaker A:And, you know, I get the impression just from her discussion with her and other people that, you know, the insurance companies are just like, that is a real hot point with them.
Speaker A:You know, you know, when disaster strikes, you know, everybody goes, well, I have insurance, but sometimes it's.
Speaker A:It's not enough.
Speaker A:And having a foundation like Gary Sinise is going to be.
Speaker A:It's going to be really important to be able to get through some of those tough times.
Speaker B:We see these tragedies all over the country, unfortunately, and it's a heartbreaking scenario for everyone involved.
Speaker B:And so we're constantly trying to figure out how can we do a little bit more.
Speaker B:That's another ethos from Gary.
Speaker B:Always do a little bit more to serve, honor, thank, extend appreciation, a hug, a pat on the back, you know, just a smile sometimes does wonders for the soul.
Speaker B:And so we are always mindful of that, especially as we try to, you know, lift up this very, you know, unique community, which, again, when you're a first responder, you're doing a lot of work that's thankless a lot of times.
Speaker B:And so we are constantly mindful of that.
Speaker B:And we're trying to make sure that they're not forgotten, they don't fall through the cracks, because we know they're seeing tragedy on levels that most of us will never appreciate or understand.
Speaker B:And that has an impact on them.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Their mental wellness gets affected as well, because they're human beings just like us.
Speaker B:And so as we, as we navigate that with them, we always try to walk alongside them and make sure that they know we can't solve all the challenges we can't fix all the, all the issues, but we can certainly do something which is what Gary's always been committed to, which is what we're committed to at the Gary Sneeze foundation is to rally, bring as many people with us as we can to go out there and bear hug this community and let them know we really appreciate everything they're doing for us.
Speaker A:Yeah, it is just, again, the work is, you could say that you're an army of angels.
Speaker A:I, I think that is, is very apropos for what you guys do because you can't, and you can't thank all those people that are helping the foundation too, because they are, without them, you couldn't do the work that you have.
Speaker A:So it just, it trickles down and the more people they can give back, the better your, you know, your service could be to those, those in need of the people we just described on our show today.
Speaker A:So I want to say thank you to you and thank you to Gary and everybody involved in the foundation for, for giving back.
Speaker A:And it's a, it's a privilege for me to sit here and talk with you and, and get the word out to my listeners for the show because everybody needs to hear this.
Speaker A:And no matter what role you are in life, you need to know that when you give back, it gives you something inside that you can't even, you can't even put a price on.
Speaker A:But it surely gives you a great feeling to be able to go on and take on the day and know that you, you made a difference in somebody's life.
Speaker A:So it's really important.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:And so, so appreciative of this and just the opportunity to talk to all your listeners and let them know that we're out there, we're out there doing a lot of good work and if they want to help us, we'd love to have them.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And give one more thing before we wrap up.
Speaker A:Give your contact information out one more time so that everybody can, can hear how they can get in touch with you.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:If you want to reach out to the Gary Sinise foundation, please go to Gary Sinise foundation.org or Google us.
Speaker B:You'll find it right away.
Speaker B:There's a contact tab.
Speaker B:If you hit that contact tab, there's all kinds of different dropdowns and you can send us a note, you can send us a message and you can certainly provide financial support on our main website page.
Speaker B:So garysanisefoundation.org that's really great.
Speaker A:Thanks so much.
Speaker A:And as I said earlier, anything that you need in this market that you need help with, even if it's just extra hands and stuff like that.
Speaker A:Feel, feel free to reach out to me and we will make sure that we get the boots on the ground for you and be here for you when you need us here in Arizona.
Speaker B:That sounds wonderful.
Speaker B:Look forward to it.
Speaker B:Thank you so much.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:That's Gib Bosworth from the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Speaker A:And again, I urge all of you to check out the website and see what you could do to be a useful person, to be able to help all our first responders and our troops around the world, as not just the ones that are here, as well as our veterans and disabled veterans who really need your help.
Speaker A:And anytime that you can go out and say thank you for your service, that's really great.
Speaker A:But when you could physically help them and make a difference, that, that says so much more.
Speaker A:So make sure you check that out and do what you can.
Speaker A:But thanks again for listening to Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:Remember, we are your source for cutting edge information on remodeling container homes and container pools.
Speaker A:But if you are in need of building a container home or if you're interested and want to look in and say, what in the world is a container pool?
Speaker A:We could surely tell you what that is all.
Speaker A:And it's really, really a great thing to add to your home.
Speaker A:And like I always tell people, like, why build a container pool over a traditional pool?
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because if you sell your house, guess what you could do?
Speaker A:You could take it with you if you want.
Speaker A:And if you build an in ground pool, it's got to stay with the house.
Speaker A:So it's just an option for other people who have different types of lifestyle.
Speaker A:So make sure you reach out to us.
Speaker A:And remember that we can also include solar not just on traditional homes, but on your container homes.
Speaker A:But you could always email me@steveoxcaruniverse.com and remember, Boxcar Universe can be heard every week on virtually every podcast player.
Speaker A:And always remember, let us remodel and renovate your world.
Speaker A:Have a great weekend.
Speaker B:You're a great American.
Speaker B:I love you.
Speaker A:It.
