Transcript:
This podcast was transcribed through a third-party application. Please disregard any misrepresentations.
Brad Caruso:
Welcome to Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. On this podcast, we bring the conversation to you, sharing, engaging stories that motivate and build consensus in the nonprofit community. This podcast is about the innovators, the leaders on the front lines of adversity, guiding lights in the nonprofit industry affecting change. And through their stories, we can all join forces to become civic warriors.
Brad Caruso:
Hey, warriors. Welcome to today’s episode of Civic Warriors. Brought to you by Withum, I’m your host, Brad Caruso, leader of rhythm’s, not-for-profit practice. Our guest today, Tom Tice, chief Executive Officer of Warrior Strong, Warrior Strong, helps veterans, veteran family members and first responders, find community and comradery through health and wellness so they can overcome the sense of detachment, disconnection and isolation. They often experience in civilian life. Warrior Strong serves veterans, veteran family members, active duty military members, and first responders, and they offer many programs to those seeking a community. Exercise, mental health for relief, and adaptive fitness and sports. We’re as strong as two physical locations in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Morris County, New Jersey, and they also offer some virtual programming for members wherever they live or serve. You know, me and Tom initially met through a connection in our veterans Resource group here at Ham and was really happy to hear the Warrior Strong story and hear more about how the organization operates, how they help. Really happy to share that with you. So with that, Tom, welcome, uh, welcome to the show.
Tom Tice:
Thank you for having me. I’m excited to share, you know, our, our organization and mission and how we help veterans and active duty military and veteran family members and first
responders get back into health and wellness and achieve their whole life goals.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, and I think as all we all can agree, and we all experience, you know, physical fitness helps mental fitness, and, you know, all of us in the, in the veteran and first responder community, I mean the first responder community, and certainly, uh, I’ve found that, you know, it is definitely a road to healing as well as a road to a better life and a and a more focused life. So, you know, what you’re doing in your mission is certainly driving towards that and helping many, and, uh, you know, everyone here I’m sure is gonna be happy to hear how you’re doing that. And those that are veterans out there, those that are first responders out there, you know, Tom’s gonna share a little more about how you can, if you wanna get involved, how you can get involved with his organization. So it’s gonna be great. How did you arrive at Warrior Strong? You know, how did this, this idea, you know, generate and and how’d you get going?
Tom Tice:
Yeah, so, you know, I was working at Picatinny Arsenal, small military base in New Jersey, and, um, started to work with men and women in uniform veterans. I’m not a veteran myself, so it was a big learning experience for me. And, you know, I, I really saw how men and women, you know, go about their business on active duty side and then not, and veterans, you know, how they live their life post-service and, and what obstacles are in front of them when they transition out of the military and their service. And, uh, was able to get firsthand experience working with these great men and women that serve our country. And I wanted to give back and I wanted to see, you know, how I could get involved on the civilian side, um, outside of the military base, and how I can support and help these men and women not only heal, but continue to serve and be part of something bigger than themselves after service.
Tom Tice:
And, you know, I found myself, you know, in the health and wellness field and, and working at MWR with their gym and outdoor recreation programs, and I realized like, you know, some of these resources that I’m doing on base aren’t available off base. And that’s kind of how I came about this organization, warrior Strong. And the veterans that I was working with at the time were a few Marine Corps veterans, and I was approached ’em like, Hey, I got this great idea, you know, it’s something you guys would want to get involved in, help, support and grow. And, you know, back in 2017, we launched this thing, and I never would’ve thought, you know, that I would be doing this full-time, grassroots, no seed funding. And here we are helping veterans and first responders and veteran family members almost every single day all across the world.
Tom Tice:
Plenty of different time zones that we’re serving is truly unbelievable. Looking back on the business model and the plan that we, we started with to the things that we’re doing today. So that’s kind of how I came about doing all this and seeing how important mental health and physical health is to, to the human body and, and each and every individual. And I wanted to get that out there specifically to the veteran and first responder community, and to show them, like, just because one career comes to an end doesn’t mean your journey comes to an end, you know? And, and those things that you had in service shall continue outside of service, like physical fitness and mental wellbeing and community and comradery. So that is, that’s kind of the reason, you know, behind what we’re doing and, and why we’re doing it at Warrior Strong.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, I love that. And, you know, sometimes the simplest solutions are, are the best ones when it, you know, just saying, Hey, this, this existed here, but it doesn’t exist here. I there’s a need, there’s a void and, and I can help fill that. And I have a desire to do that. You know, that’s, that’s what makes good ideas great. And it doesn’t, you know, have to be this crazy idea. We’re gonna do all that. You know, it’s very, very straightforward. And, and, and that’s why probably why it works. And, you know, you saw the exact thing that I think a lot of us clinging to, which is, we like the community, we like the camaraderie, we like people around and, and you know, let’s be honest, I know, you know, me personally, like I always like being stronger and it’s always, everything’s a competition, you know, especially in the military. Everything’s a competition <laugh>, so,
Tom Tice:
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And I think, you know, to just a complete things together as a sense of community feels so much better than doing it alone. And to share those experiences and those accomplishments together, like you did in service. Same thing goes with our programs and what we do. No one does anything alone. Everyone co completes goes through our program together and, uh, it’s just motivating and inspiring seeing veterans and, and first responders and their families come together to achieve the ultimate goal of a healthy wellbeing together.
Brad Caruso:
Awesome. Yeah. And, and may, uh, expand a little bit on some of the programs you have. I know you, there are a couple different things that you’re doing, you know, all interrelated to a degree, but, but can you give a little more background on some of the programs you offer?
Tom Tice:
Definitely. So everything we do is offered in person and online, which gives us the capability to reach our members from all across the country and world. We actually do service veterans in the Philippines and Panama at obviously the United States, but we offer yoga, meditation, breath work, social networking hikes, stretch programs, fitness certification programs, a wellness retreat, and then, then that just sense of community comradery you get with all those programs. But everything we do is free veteran, their family members, first responders, never spent the dollar to be part of what we do to just join the community. There’s no member fee, there’s no cost to them. Donate yoga mats. So if you’re a veteran who’s never done yoga before and you’re scared to do it because it’s something that you normally don’t do, you know you’re not gonna have the equipment. And we have the equipment, we have the yoga blocks, we have the bolsters, we have the yoga mats, and we encourage you to join us.
Tom Tice:
And we have a combat veteran who teaches our yoga classes. We have a spouse of a veteran teaching our classes. So we have members who are instructing and leading these classes that are also in some of these individual shoes and know kind of the experience that they’re going through to get to this point of healing. And within our programs, there’s different impact and different things that happen in each of our programs. And you know, that’s the great part about it is you never know, like, oh, you do yoga, it’s just not yoga. You know, like meditation, breath work. There’s so much more that goes into what we do and how we help people. And I think, you know, when people experience our programs and they get involved and they take our classes or our certification program or, or join us on a hike, they see the benefits, they feel the benefits.
Tom Tice:
But the unique part about it is the benefits are different to each individual. You know, like you might be someone who’s trying to get back on track and start working out again. Again, you might be someone who is looking for that sense of community to have that conversation about service. Uh, again, with like-minded individuals, you might be that member who, you know, may not be able to afford a yoga membership. So they’re taking advantage of our free services, which they deserve and they earned of taking yoga classes with us. So you’re talking about not only the same program, but different kind of impact at each level, uh, which is unique. Uh, you know, we don’t say we serve veterans or first spotters of PTSD, um, we don’t like putting labels on things. You come to our programs, you feel the impact however you would like, these are the benefits. These are things that you’re gonna get out of it. You may feel all of them, you may feel one of them. Yoga may not be for you. You might love the breath work, the meditation, the stretch class, the hiking. But there’s definitely something in our pro in, in our programs that, you know, individuals will definitely feel some sort of impact from. And they’ll find their way to get to that.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And do, and do you find that, you know, someone may sign up in one area or try, you know, one particular program and then they realize like, Hey, maybe this other one’s, you know, like, I think about yoga, right? Like maybe as you said, like, maybe that’s not the first thing I’m going towards, but at the end of the day, then you’re like, you know, then, then you’re with, you know, a group of people and they’re like, man, how much more flexible I am now that I did that? This feels great and, and this other part of my life is great, like now I’m gonna, do you find that with, with some of the folks that they’re
Tom Tice:
In? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, for example, breath work and meditation have, you’ve never done it before and you’re not kind of in the community of like this free spirit kind of thing. Um, it’s definitely new, right? And some people come to yoga and they’re like, they love the last 10, 15 minutes of class because the meditation part and how it makes them feel leaving that studio where after a class and it encourages them to go, Hey, you know what? I’m gonna take these meditation classes now, you know, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday night with the warrior strong because it’s really what I love to do besides the yoga, but just a half hour of this in the comfort of my own home, in my bed, on my floor with my dog meditating, breath work, breathing, and using these coping mechanism, you know, if you’re struggling with sleep apnea or, or you know, have high anxiety or stressful environment, but you can take these breath work techniques and meditation techniques and put them to work in your daily life and use them for your advantage. And, and that’s what we always say in our programs, in our classes. You know, if you think these programs can benefit you outside of our classroom, please use it. We’re, we’re giving you tools to be successful outside of this session. And um, like I said, every each, each individual is different, the benefits are different. But yes, we do have members who come in for one specific class or one specific program, then branch out into other programs ’cause they see the benefits and they want to get more involved.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. Love it. Yeah. On, on that topic too, just to provide a little more, you know, frame of reference for those listening. If you know you’re interested in the programs or you want, do you, do you have any personal stories you could share? Any individuals you’ve helped that you know, you feel comfortable sharing kind of what their journey looked like on that road to help? ’cause some, sometimes that also puts a little frame of reference to going from, Hey, here’s how I started to, here’s where I am now. And oh that’s, you know, here’s how I pick up the phone and do that. It’s helpful sometimes too.
Tom Tice:
Definitely. Definitely. I mean, we had, you know, if we’re going from the very beginning, about six, seven years ago, um, we had an army combat veteran who just never did yoga before, was looking to get loved health and wellness, love fitness, never did yoga before. Was like, you know what, this new organization in town word is strong. I’m gonna check ’em out. I’m gonna do this. I never did yoga before, before came with this spouse is three kids. ’cause we’re family oriented organization, you know, we don’t wanna have a reason why an individual can’t participate in our program. So brought the family, loved it, took one class with Warrior Strong, probably was a member for about six, seven months. And then after that, decided on his own to get his yoga certification so he can teach other veterans yoga. Uh, which is, which is remarkable, right?
Tom Tice:
Went on his own money. We didn’t even have our fitness certification program up yet. Went spend his own money, got his certification in New York, was going every other weekend or every weekend, and he made it happen. And, and now he is our full-time, you know, yoga instructor teaching majority of our yoga classes. So that, that, that’s a great story because, you know, you put that veteran into leadership role again inside a yoga class or studio, and you’re leading a group of veterans and first responders and their families essentially in pt, but on the civilian side after service. And you’re, you’re feeling that sense of community again. So that’s one great story. You know, our fitness certification, we’ve been able to help that about 16 to 17 servicemen and women since we launched it back in September of 2022. So it really hasn’t been that long, uh, that we’ve had this program going and we’ve been able to help, you know, men and women get into the certifications that are just ins, you know, inspiring to them to learn about, um, health and fitness and personal training, yoga, meditation, whatever it may be, nutrition.
Tom Tice:
And then empower them to get a certification and believe in them that they’re gonna get it done. And then have them come back into our organization or help them find a full-time job or part-time job, supplement their income and then get them to a place of success within our organization or outside in other organizations. So those are some cool stories that we have empowering the community through these fitness certifications. You know, just, just veterans, you know, a couple months ago we had a new veteran join our organization and, and had no idea that he served with our yoga instructor in Iraq, you know, between 2003 and 2005. They actually were detached to the same unit and, um, they had no idea. And you know, one day they’re just reminiscing and talking about their service and they’re like, wait a second, you were here. I was there. And they’re pulling up pictures and they’re like, yeah, there I am. There you are. And like, yeah,
Brad Caruso:
You’re in the back of the picture, <laugh>.
Tom Tice:
Yeah. Yeah. It was, it was really remarkable. And that’s that sense of community that you get and camaraderie, like it’s a really, a small, small world that you live in. So yeah, we’ve had some, some great testimonials. Some great people come through our organization and, and when you join our organization, you’re a lifetime member. Uh, you know, and, and if you’re someone that is in a wheelchair or have prosthetic arm or leg, it doesn’t mean you can’t participate in anything that we do. Um, there’s an option for you everywhere in our organization. We have a adaptive fitness program led by, uh, United States Marine Corps veteran Kenny Keith, who is paralyzed from the chest down, who leads that program, works out like a beast. Um, we just help, uh, a gentleman, a Marine Corps veteran, Tyler Vargas Andrews get his personal training certification. He’s missing a one arm in one leg and there’s nothing stopping him, which we’re about to help him get his adaptive fitness certification as well to help continue his journey in health and wellness.
Tom Tice:
You know, he’s a young marine, he’s 25, I think, and he’s continued to pursue, pursue things that he wants in life. And that’s the greatest thing about our organization is we’re not, we’re not, I don’t think we’re inspiring anybody. I think we’re empowering them to do and go after those lifelong dream that they set out well before their injured. Hey, we’re going back to that route and say, Hey, we don’t see you as someone who’s missing an arm or a leg. We see you as an individual that has a bunch of goals and dreams that you want to get done, and we’re gonna be there and support you no matter what, what it’s gonna be. And, uh, I think that’s what our organization does so well. And you know, just off of those couple stories and journeys, you know, we’ve seen a lot of success because you know, those individuals, when you’re a part of the community, when you’re part of something bigger than yourself, those individuals inspire those people in our community.
Brad Caruso:
It’s wildfire. Definitely. And, and I love, I love, um, where, you know, you could tell you’re having success is when you’re getting individuals that pay it forward. And you can tell that your programs aren’t, you know, Hey, we show up and then we leave it. It’s, it’s successive. So you come, you can do multiple things. Uh, you talked, you know, and we’ll get into this a little bit, you talked about your fitness certification, obviously that opens up doors in other avenues and brings people back to then increase, and then they probably have friends that they invite. And so I, I think the, the platform and the programs you’ve created, as well as the model you’ve created certainly lends to a successive increase in the people that are being helped in a very grassroots, like, natural way, which is exactly probably what everybody wants. You know, it’s, it’s not in your face, it’s not pushing anything, but it’s, people say, I I gravitate towards this and I want to keep expanding upon it.
Brad Caruso:
And you’re giving them that opportunity too, and you’re, you’re creating opportunity for people to expand upon that, which I love to hear. And you know, even some of those individuals, I’ve heard them on, on other, other, uh, some other podcasts that I’ll say are bigger than mine, but <laugh> and, uh, their stories are incredible. And, um, I love hearing it and I love hearing, you know, you helping them further and, you know, these are some definitely some incredible individuals and it’s awesome to hear what you’re doing, and I love hearing how they’re receiving the benefit from it. That’s, that’s the, that’s the meat and potatoes of it.
Tom Tice:
We go after the veteran community. We don’t sit back and wait for someone to walk through our doors. We approach them and make sure that, hey, just so you know, because a lot of veterans don’t know what their benefits or resources are out there for them. You know, we try to do as best as we can to go to the community, say, Hey, this is what we offer, this is what we do, you know, please check us out. Please take us up on some of these things. And, uh, you know, we’re willing to get involved. We’re willing to have you people in our organization, and we’re willing to just see you grow as an individual.
Brad Caruso:
And maybe you could share, I know you’ve mentioned it a couple times already, and, and I think it’s a, you know, it, it’s a very important program, it sounds, and or a very important aspect of what you do is, is you’ve created a fitness certification. Can you just elaborate on what, on what that means, fitness certification, you know, what, what does that entail, I guess, in the bigger picture? And, and, you know, you’ve shared a few stories about how it’s helped people, but I guess provide a little more information about that, about the certification itself, I think would be helpful.
Tom Tice:
Definitely. Yeah. So over the years since we’ve been doing this, we realized veterans want to get more involved. You know, the community wants to get involved more involved, and how can we get them, how can we get our members more involved than just attending classes for being part of it? And, you know, we had this mindset of getting our members certified, um, from the very beginning. We just didn’t know how we were gonna do it and how we were gonna go about, you know, getting this done. And to be honest, our grant writer, um, Robert Yarnell, he’s master retired, master gunner, sergeant, the Marine Corps helped this, you know, this program get off its feet and want us a few grants to get this going and get this done. And you know, what we do is we empower. So you have a veteran who’s a member of our organization for two, three months, and they say, Hey man, I’m,
I’m really excited.
Tom Tice:
I love yoga. You know, I have a, I have some time on my hands. I want to give back. I want to give back and teach yoga to the veterans. I want to give back and, and teach a local class in my community. I want to give back and I want to get involved with health and wellness. And we have an application process where they fill out the application, you know, we sign ’em up for an online certification program that best suits their needs. So they’ll have the option to go through NASM, international Sports Science Association, whatever kind of, uh, credible certification programs out there. We’ll enroll them and we’ll sponsor them to go through, we’ll pay for them once they finish their certification, they’ll have the option to come back with Warrior Strong and help make impact within our community. Or they’ll say, Hey, listen, I need help getting a job.
Tom Tice:
Sometimes we have veterans who are part of our, our organization who have jobs lined up. They just need the certification. So we empower them, Hey, all right, cool, you got a job lined up? No problem. We’ll get you certified. We’ll help you, we’ll help you make supplemental income and, uh, get, get, you know, get your feet going and start teaching in leading classes outside of our organization and give them more of that leadership role that they’re looking for. So he’s cool because I didn’t know how exactly how we were gonna go about doing this. And the guidance from our grant writer, Robert Arnell, master Gunnery, uh, sergeant in the Marine Corps, he really led the way, paved the way and, and we’re getting these members certified and getting them back into either our community or their communities that they’re, they’re invested in already at their local gyms or YMCA, stuff like that.
Tom Tice:
And seeing them create more of an impact inside their own community, which is, which is good. You know, I have, we have, we just signed up, uh, uh, one of our longest members, um, she’s been with the organization for probably close to five years. She’s a, she’s an Air Force veteran, but she’s also a nurse and they want her, they, all the nurses there, they wanna do yoga, but they don’t, you know, they’re like skeptical. They don’t know this, that, and the other thing, you know, typical people don’t, they get worried about yoga, and it’s a, it’s a tough practice, and if you’ve never done it before, it’s scary. But they said, you know, if you get your certification, you know, we’ll, we will be able to, we’ll, we’ll take you up on doing yoga. Right? So she applied, she’s working on her certification right now, and not only are we empowering her to teach other people in healthcare and, and, and, and to give back and to just show them the light of doing yoga and all that good stuff, but now she’s making impact and she’s leading a group of people that respects her and she feels good about herself.
Tom Tice:
And now she’s got that sense of purpose, even though she might already have it inside her own community already, especially with us and, and being a nurse, I know she does. But now that those fellow nurses, she knows that this is gonna make them feel better and, and the benefits are gonna be endless. You know, that’s impact. Creating a member, having them become a leader, and then drive more impact in their community.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. That, and that’s why it’s such an effective model that you’ve created. Uh, I think it’s, it is that pay forward concept, and it is the increasing the breadth and, you know, people appreciate it and then share it. And I think that’s how, you know, someone who otherwise would not have gotten involved, got involved. And it, you know, as we said in the beginning, I mean, it definitely is helping people in various ways. Yeah, I love hearing that, and I love hearing how people are taking it and then doing something with it and then expanding upon it, and then you’re learning from it, from how they’re expanding upon it. And it’s just, it continues, continues to increase the impact that Warrior Strong itself is having and continues to have.
Tom Tice:
It’s contagious, you know, it’s, it really is. It’s contagious, and you can see people are enjoying themselves and they’re, they’re really having a fun time just being part of it.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, yeah. No, I know. We, uh, we about, in my firehouse, we, about a year and a half ago, I introduced, uh, the Murph Challenge, which, uh, is an honor of Lieutenant Michael Murphy. Uh, if you, if you read the book Lone Survivor or see the movie, you’ll hear more about it. But incredible story. But we, we took that challenge and I brought it back and, you know, a lot of us at the firehouse, you know, it’s fitness is variable <laugh>, uh, among the crew. And, uh, we got a good crew of people now where there’s about five or six of us that now are on a regular regimen of, you know, meeting at the gym, you know, doing pull-ups with a weight vest on, getting more involved in it. And just that sense now more people hear about it, like, I wanna be a part of that.
Brad Caruso:
Like, I wanna join that and yeah, sure, join small. It doesn’t matter if you can do a pull-up or not. I mean, eventually you need to be able to, but, but you gotta start somewhere. And it’s that putting one foot in front of the other, and it’s having the platform in my opinion, or having, having a place that people can go to do that, then they see others doing it, then they want to do it. And, uh, it’s had a, you know, a significant impact. And we got fortunate in our firehouse. We had a, uh, fitness instructor who’s an associate member who fitness instructor outside of the fire, and she’s like, oh, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll run classes twice a week for you guys. I’ll give, I’ll make you work out programs. And, you know, not everyone has access to that, but your programs are the access to that, your programs are what are putting people on that path. So, uh, just sharing that, I know, I know how powerful it is even in, in, in, in that way. So, yeah,
Tom Tice:
I mean, and there’s science behind it, you know, the, the power of moving your body, exercising your body, what it does, you know, not only for your physical health, but your mental health, your mental clarity. I mean, it’s unbelievable. You, you can, when you exercise, you really access a different part of the brain that’s gonna help you be a better version of you. And, you know, we work with veterans that come from all and first rounds, all walks of life, but at the end of the day, they’re a warrior strong member, and they’re either a veteran or first line or a family member. And it doesn’t matter what they’re going through, what they went through or what challenges are in front of them, we’re all here and we’re all getting better together.
Brad Caruso:
You talked about this a little bit, but you know, when, when you look at, you know, unique things that you do and, and how you make them happen, you know, how do you, how do you continue, you know, we talk a lot about mental health, like, you know, a lot of fitness does counteract that effect of mental health. And, you know, part of that is creating a sense of community and comradery. What, what do you feel that you do that, that you’d say would be unique to kind of create that sense of community and comradery and really kind of help people feel that stickiness that, that you’re talking about?
Tom Tice:
First, I would say it’s, it’s definitely natural. Um, there’s a natural positivity community around us that took some time to build. Um, and then once we built that solid foundation of that natural sticky feel good kind of feeling, and people, it’s contagious. You know, people, you know, you’re around a great group of people who are fun, who are positive, who are all there for the same reasons, trying to just physically and mentally feel better and enjoy doing these exercises as a community. People latch onto that and they, people start to see that. And then what sets us apart maybe is we’re very community based, so a lot of veterans join because they’re veteran buddy or girl or guy is part of the organization already. So to refer, you know, members are referring members. It’s not like we’re out there trying to pull teeth and get members and veterans and first responders to come.
Tom Tice:
It’s very natural. It’s very organic. I think when they come and, and experience one of our classes, they see like, wow, this was a lot of fun. Like, meditation was fun. These guys and girls are funny. Um, there’s a different, you know, there’s a different touch to it. You know, you have a group of men and women that, um, did hard things in life, and they know that not everything has to be taken so seriously. And, you know, it’s, that’s important to have in your community. It’s like you can joke around and it’s gonna be okay, and you’re gonna, you’re gonna get, you’re gonna, you know, you’re gonna get the positive things out of it, and it’s gonna be fun. It doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. And, you know, I think that’s what the community is looking for, is that sense of positivity.
Tom Tice:
But, you know, seeing those familiar faces and say like, wow, I really want to be around these people because they’re gonna bring out the best in me. And, uh, I think that’s what makes us a little bit different than other organizations is if veterans, you know, the veterans said it to me the other day. It’s like, I enjoy coming to these classes and programs. One, obviously for the exercise, but the positivity and just the people busted on each other. But it’s always positive and it’s always fun, and it’s always, it’s good and healthy for the individuals. And it, and, you know, you, you never feel like you’re alone when you’re in the warrior strong studio or online programs. You know that you have a team behind you that’s supporting you that will help you no matter what.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. Love it. And, and I think that’s what a lot of us, uh, yearn for is that we we’re around like-minded or, or people that have like, experiences to us that we, you know, our jokes do resonate with each other. ’cause Yeah. You know, if, if you’re not in with the right crew sometimes, you know, your jokes may not resonate with everybody. <laugh>, you know, and you have to be careful. You’re walking on eggshells and no one wants to live their life that way. I think people appreciate, Hey, I went through the same things that these folks went through. I bet the things that I say are gonna be the same level of funniness, you know, I’m gonna make an inside joke that everybody’s gonna get. And, and we’re all in it together. You know, we, we are, we are in that same place. We are in that same mindset. We are working towards the same goal. You know, all of those things is what, you know, I, everything that you just said there, I think is awesome. And if you build it, they’ll come and, you know, it’s, it’s definitely true in your case.
Tom Tice:
So true. And I think a lot of these people who are part of our, our organization actually love to say that they’re part of Warriors Strong, and it’s not something that they did for a month or a week or a year, something to always be a part of. And, uh, that’s what I love the most about what we’re doing.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. Love it. So how do, how do, if someone wanted to get involved, how do they, how do they do that? What’s the, what’s the mechanism for that initial contact or that initial point?
Tom Tice:
Yeah, well, you can, uh, you can go on our website, https://www.warriorstronginc.org/. Um, you’ll see an email address. You can write us an email, you’ll see, um, a chat box on the website. You can chat us. Uh, you can call or text the phone number on the, uh, website. That’s my personal phone number. So just hit me up. I mean, that’s, that’s easy enough. Last week or two weeks ago, we had a veteran write in the chat box, Hey, I’m interested, I’m learning about this, that, and the other thing. How can I get more information? And, uh, I said, Hey, nice to meet you. Here’s my phone number. Call or text me at any time. And we’ll make it happen. Texted me within the hour, got him enrolled. He is been part of our organization for two weeks now. He’s coming in person virtual, so you can access our programs.
Tom Tice:
You know, we’re in the Google Apple store. We have our own app, mobile app. You can download us in those stores and check out our class schedule. You can go on our website, like I said, social media, Instagram, Facebook, uh, YouTube, or warrior strong, or warrior strong inc. Yeah. That’s, that’s the best way to access us. And, and if you’re really looking to get involved, just send us a chat message over our website or send that phone number, a text, you know, like I said, that’s my, that’s my phone number. So you’re gonna, you know, you’re gonna be sending me a text or calling me, and I’ll have as many answers as possible for you if you have any questions.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, love it. And I know, I know just even in our encounters, you’re super responsive. It was, you know, like, like immediate, like Yep. Right away. Respond. And, and I think that’s what people, people love that. And I think, I know in my profession, people, you know, yearn for that. And I, and I’m sure you know, in this way, it’s, you know, everyone can know that, you know, you care. You, you responding right away is that, Hey, yeah, sure, love to help you. How can I help you? Let’s talk, let’s talk. And, and it, it, it’s more than just an email. I mean, it’s a, it’s a conversation. And I think that’s, that’s also a, a great way that you approach that. I love
Tom Tice:
That. Yeah. And time, time is so important. We al, you know, I was thinking about this the other day. I’m gonna drive home. We all just have a certain amount of time in this world, in our life. And, uh, take advantage of it. It’s free. It costs absolutely nothing. Take advantage of the time we have put in the work, have those conversations, send those messages. Every time I get a new email, I swear to you, I have a smile on my face because that means someone’s looking to have a conversation. Someone’s investing their time into me, and, uh, I want to invest my time back into them returning the favor.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. Love it. Yeah. And, and you know, obviously your, your, you know, organization, Warrior Strong is a, is a 5 0 1 C3, not-for-profit. You’re funded by contributions to fund the programs and and to help there. And you know, it just in what I hear and see, it sounds like all the, you know, the majority if not all those dollars are going right back into the, the programs to help everybody from that perspective. You know, what, what kind of support or what kind of help do you, do you, are you seeing, you know, in need from the public because that, you know, I know that always comes at organizations that are, you know, startup or the first couple years. There’s, there’s a variety avenues, you know, where, where if there’s any listeners out there that want to get involved with the organization or help the organization, you know, what, what would that help look like? Or what kind of help would you know? Do you, uh, do you look for these days?
Tom Tice:
Yeah, I mean, first of all, we have a volunteer committee. Um, if you’re, if you want to get more hands-on and volunteer, um, you have a committee you can sign up on our website. That’s, that’s important. If you, um, are looking to make a financial contribution, our biggest thing right now is looking for monthly donors. So we can build up our monthly donor base if it’s $5, $10, $15, $20 a month, whatever it may be. Um, that’s important to us. ’cause it helps us bring a little bit more st uh, stability to our organization to help continue a lot of these projects and programs that we’re doing for the community. You know, we’re small. This is gonna be our seventh year as an organization. And I started this at 23 years old, had no business background. I actually dropped outta college, then went back to school, finished my education in public health, you know, so the journey of just learning, we’re learning as we go and we’re getting things done as we go.
Tom Tice:
As you know, I tell people we are learning and, you know, we’re taking our time. But if you see the progress and impact over the years, uh, we’ve continued to grow and help many more people. So if you’re wanting to get involved, you know, volunteer committee becoming a monthly donor’s, huge, um, you know, this is gonna be our biggest year yet on Impact. And also bringing, um, our organization to life and, and sharing our mission with more men and women across this country. It was never supposed to be this, I guess, national organization, but the calling was there. Um, COVID happened. We made the pivot to go virtual, and then the phone started ringing. Um, emails started to come in. The veterans all across the country and the world want our services and need our services. And, uh, it is remarkable and I’m very proud to say that we’ve been able to do that and answer that call and provide those services to those men and women who absolutely deserve it. And, you know, all of our instructors, they deserve all the credit. I’m just someone who attends and, and, and participates in all these classes with these, with these, uh, veterans and first responders and their family members are, we have the best, in my opinion, humble opinion, the best instructors in the world, great people, they’re my friends, but they’re the reason why we’ve been able to actually help as many people as we have.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, love, love hearing that. And you know, I think you mentioned it, but if you wanna make a donation, just go to the, the website.
Tom Tice:
Go to the website https://www.warriorstronginc.org/, click on donate. Uh, you the option to make a mo one time donation or a monthly donation. If you have any questions, you know, on donations or wanna make a, a larger donation and pay for a certain program, a wellness retreat or a fitness certification, contact us. We can make something happen pretty much any way you want to give back financially, time, skill, resources, we’re here for it because we can’t do this alone and we need everybody’s help to get this, get this done.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, no, no doubt. So yeah, if you wanna make a donation out there, check out their website. Warrior strong inc.org, check them out, reach out as as, uh, Tom mentioned. And, and yeah, just, you know, if you’re in the area or you have a, you know, connection, you know, resonate with this, you know, get involved, it’s, you know, certainly a, you know, organization that’s helping a lot of people has helped and, and sounds like you’re on, on the growth trend too, where it is catching on. It is building. You are experiencing a pattern of positive success and, and based on how you set it up, it’s gonna continue to grow like that. So, you know, if you want to get involved with that. Sounds like a, sounds like a great place to get involved with, I’ll tell you.
Tom Tice:
Thank you. Yeah, I’m the only PL employee that we have. So, uh, anything that we do, um, we have one full-time staff member that’s me and I started doing this two years ago, full-time. And, uh, your dollars matters. Your skill matters, your resources matter, especially to our organization because that does go a long way and it helps us make more impact and the community needs it.
Brad Caruso:
Love it, love it. Well, you know, appreciate you sharing everything, Tom, and you know, certainly happy to have you on the show and happy to have you share more about the organization and a lot of good information. But, but obviously with all, you know, things you hear out there, go check out more. You know, there’s a lot of information publicly and, and, uh, on, on their website. But, uh, you know, we really appreciate you having you on the show today and, and sharing more about, you know, your mission, your organization and programs you have and how you help.
Tom Tice:
Awesome. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you with them. I appreciate it. And it was, it was fun. Thank you guys
Brad Caruso:
And Warriors out there. Thank you for listening. You know, as you heard from, you know, today’s episode on, uh, you know, hearing more about how fitness helps our veterans and first responders, how, you know, comradery, uh, building a community helps and, you know, certainly Warrior Strong has been doing that, continues to do that, and from what I’ve heard and seen and got a sense that they’re gonna continue to do that for a long time in the future and, and really build this, uh, build this out. So appreciate you listening, subscribing, meet us back here for another episode of Withum Civic Warriors and hope everyone has a great day. Thanks everybody.
