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<v Speaker 1>Ben Albright, everybody, and it's time to talk about the heroes.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you, which I keep calling a heroes welcome for

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<v Speaker 1>some reason. And I don't know why.

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<v Speaker 2>People have long compared me to a younger son.

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<v Speaker 1>Ever, not one time compared you to a younger hotter, Enrique,

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<v Speaker 1>except you you're looking in the mirror. You're like, am

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<v Speaker 1>I a younger hotter?

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<v Speaker 2>In?

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<v Speaker 1>Actually?

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<v Speaker 2>But does that mean he's saying he's better on a podcast,

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<v Speaker 2>but when he's live he's gone awful? Is that I'm

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<v Speaker 2>saying I also dated Anna Krdkova?

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<v Speaker 1>You wish let me come on.

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<v Speaker 2>Nobody buying that one either, No, nobody's buying that.

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<v Speaker 1>You're not laying that down now. Ben Albright, who he

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<v Speaker 1>love to tease because he well all, he's created something

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<v Speaker 1>of a reputation for being that guy who likes to

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<v Speaker 1>argue and complain about things.

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<v Speaker 2>M don't call me Tony Hcliff.

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<v Speaker 1>But by the way, and what they don't know about

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<v Speaker 1>Ben Albright is his softer Inny goose Guey Center, the

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<v Speaker 1>part where you actually on occasion gets his little teeny

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<v Speaker 1>tiny heart to come up three sizes too big. And

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<v Speaker 1>then he does something super nice every year and that

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<v Speaker 1>is a Heroes thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you know. I mean I think most people who

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<v Speaker 2>know me know I'm a veteran as well, and I

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<v Speaker 2>try to involve myself in a lot of veterans causes.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm actually gonna be mceing the Denver Veterans Day Parade

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<v Speaker 2>this year.

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<v Speaker 1>That's very exciting for you.

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<v Speaker 2>So super yeah. I am super honored by that. Like

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<v Speaker 2>I'm actually like super yeah. Talked about it's like this

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<v Speaker 2>is like throwing out the first pitch for.

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<v Speaker 1>Me, you get to Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>But yeah, so Heroes thank You with something that it

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<v Speaker 2>was actually created by Jeff Johnson here and Jeff had

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<v Speaker 2>approached me about it when I first came on at

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<v Speaker 2>KOA because the first year had been done with some

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<v Speaker 2>other people and he knew as a VET, and I

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<v Speaker 2>was only like right away, yes, let's do this, let's

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<v Speaker 2>do this. And we have managed to expand this thing.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean like from the second year we did objectives

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<v Speaker 2>like triple We now give I think four times the

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<v Speaker 2>beneficiaries now because we get great sponsors for this stuff

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<v Speaker 2>every year. But basically we're handing out a couple of

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<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars checks twenty five hundred depending on the year whatever.

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<v Speaker 2>The sponsors are willing to get in there too, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>veterans and first responders to families in need around the

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<v Speaker 2>holiday season. And man, we love doing it. We get

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<v Speaker 2>some get to be some great people doing this and

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<v Speaker 2>surprise people. It's great. This is the surprise and the

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<v Speaker 2>people and just the emotional reaction they have.

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<v Speaker 1>And let me ask you a question. How many of

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<v Speaker 1>the veterans that you have had a chance to go

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<v Speaker 1>give the giant check to and do we have an

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<v Speaker 1>account with a giant check?

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<v Speaker 2>Do we have a giant to have check? We don't.

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<v Speaker 2>By the way, you can't take those giant checks to

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<v Speaker 2>the banks. They will not care, just ignore you.

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<v Speaker 1>Look at why din't you just ride out on that

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<v Speaker 1>giant check? He wrote in ont Forge one of the

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<v Speaker 1>giant knobs kids. Not this year anyway, those charges have

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<v Speaker 1>been expunded. So how many of the guys or gals

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<v Speaker 1>that you've given checks too have said something along the

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<v Speaker 1>lines of, you know, somebody else should get that, because

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<v Speaker 1>that's my issue? And I say issue or with air

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<v Speaker 1>quotes with veterans is they always think somebody deserves it

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<v Speaker 1>more right.

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<v Speaker 2>There's a lot of that privately, you know, that kind

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<v Speaker 2>of stuff. But to these nominations come in from their family,

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<v Speaker 2>so I don't want to do that, they don't want

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<v Speaker 2>to be so it kind of it kind of works

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<v Speaker 2>out that way, a little bit that we have to give.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, you can't give this away buddy your family. Yeah, exactly,

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<v Speaker 2>but there has been that. A matter of fact, we

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<v Speaker 2>did have one winner turned down their award and have

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<v Speaker 2>it donated somewhere else. We did have that.

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<v Speaker 1>That's awesome. Don't get me wrong when I say that.

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<v Speaker 1>I always feel like I don't want to be the

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<v Speaker 1>person who makes a person who gets one of these

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<v Speaker 1>checks feel like, well, I have to donate it. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to keep the money and spend it

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<v Speaker 1>however you want to spend it. But if it makes

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<v Speaker 1>you feel good to donate it and you can do that,

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<v Speaker 1>that's wonderful too. I never want to make someone feel

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<v Speaker 1>bad about getting one of these checks, because I think

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<v Speaker 1>that everybody that you've given them to. The stories are

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<v Speaker 1>heart wrenching.

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<v Speaker 2>We do video of it.

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<v Speaker 1>We put it on the blog later so you can

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<v Speaker 1>see it. It's just it's nice to appreciate people who

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<v Speaker 1>did most of them did their service and they just

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<v Speaker 1>are quietly going about their lives and not making a

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<v Speaker 1>big deal out of it and not you know, expecting anything, right,

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<v Speaker 1>And those to me are the people that deserve it the.

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<v Speaker 2>Most absolutely and get being able to be able to

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<v Speaker 2>do that and see you know, the faces. It's I

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<v Speaker 2>think it's a ve like. You don't want the constant adulation, right,

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<v Speaker 2>or at least I don't want to speak for all its

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<v Speaker 2>I don't want it, but I do as much as

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<v Speaker 2>I ham it up, you know, all the time. I

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<v Speaker 2>really don't and and but you do. It is nice

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<v Speaker 2>to be appreciated every once in a while and remember that, hey,

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<v Speaker 2>these people appreciate that I did this or that I

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<v Speaker 2>you know, those kinds of things, and it.

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<v Speaker 1>Is certainly is nice.

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<v Speaker 2>And then the addition, you know, especially for the ones

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<v Speaker 2>that really needed it, there's been some just I mean

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<v Speaker 2>some gut wrenching stories on Some of these family lost

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<v Speaker 2>their home. This was able to float them. So this

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<v Speaker 2>money was able to float them through tell their insurance

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<v Speaker 2>came in because their home had burned in a fire.

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<v Speaker 2>There was a young lady whose husband had was the

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<v Speaker 2>hero who was nominated, who had unfortunately committed suicide. Gone

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<v Speaker 2>for US health time committed suis I'd leave a ham

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<v Speaker 2>and their young daughter alone, and this is you know,

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<v Speaker 2>to help them, help get them through, you know, get

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<v Speaker 2>through these There's been some gut wrenching stories with some

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<v Speaker 2>of this stuff. We're glad and I you know, for me,

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<v Speaker 2>it's not just about this. I try to follow up

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<v Speaker 2>with these people as much as I can. You're after year.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of them I've been unable to. One of them

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<v Speaker 2>passed away shortly after they got the award, but but

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<v Speaker 2>following up, try to follow up and see where their

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<v Speaker 2>lives would go on and see what I can do

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<v Speaker 2>to help, you know, if there's anything else I can

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<v Speaker 2>do to help, you know, kind of behind the scenes,

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<v Speaker 2>and it just connects. I think it just connects people,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think that's great. One of the.

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<v Speaker 1>Things that you know, we we have here in Colorado

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<v Speaker 1>that I think in many cases, I've talked to so

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<v Speaker 1>many veterans' charities and there are so many veterans' charities

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<v Speaker 1>that do different things and they help different people. And

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<v Speaker 1>one of the things that you know, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>do a better job about. And I try to set

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<v Speaker 1>a show goal for the next year. So I'm already

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<v Speaker 1>looking at twenty twenty five, and I'm going to try

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<v Speaker 1>and feature a veteran's charity every month, just letting people

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<v Speaker 1>know what's out there, not necessarily so you are forced

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<v Speaker 1>to give them money. They all need money, trust me,

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<v Speaker 1>they would love a donation. But to also reinforce all

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<v Speaker 1>the veterans out there. There is so much help. A

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<v Speaker 1>vast majority of it is veteran directed. So it's like

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<v Speaker 1>you have these organizations. It pains me so much to

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<v Speaker 1>know that so many veterans are still struggling and that

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<v Speaker 1>our suicide rates are so high, when there are so

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<v Speaker 1>many people ready, willing and able. They're on the starting

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<v Speaker 1>blocks to help in any way you can. So if

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<v Speaker 1>you are a veteran or you know someone who's struggling,

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<v Speaker 1>first of all, reach out, just reach out, and there

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<v Speaker 1>aren't there are so many people who want to help you.

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<v Speaker 1>But this check would be a great way to honor

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<v Speaker 1>any veteran in your life, Old Yong veterans.

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<v Speaker 2>I think we've expanded to first responders to try to

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<v Speaker 2>help out with that. I'm aout one hundred on that,

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<v Speaker 2>but go ahead, and you know, go ahead and put

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<v Speaker 2>those nominations in any way by way at least, so

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<v Speaker 2>you know, you can go to ka Colorado dot com

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<v Speaker 2>slash contests and you'll see the little link there and

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<v Speaker 2>then you can you can put in the nomination stories.

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<v Speaker 2>This year, we're letting people do video nominations as well,

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<v Speaker 2>because somebody, you know, you don't necessarily want to sit

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<v Speaker 2>there and type out the war and piece of nomination

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<v Speaker 2>stories sometimes and sometimes it's easier just to say it,

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<v Speaker 2>you know. So we're letting people do video nominations too

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<v Speaker 2>if they want to do that, and accepting those. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>we have the money, we have the sponsors, We have

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<v Speaker 2>the ability to get this money out to people who

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<v Speaker 2>need We just don't know who needs it. So we

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<v Speaker 2>need you guys to step up to the plate and

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<v Speaker 2>tell us who needs it and we can get that

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<v Speaker 2>money out to them and hopefully make the holiday season

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<v Speaker 2>just a little bit brighter for people who need it.

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<v Speaker 1>So I put a link at the very very bottom

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<v Speaker 1>of the blog. I put the video that you and

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<v Speaker 1>Nick Ferguson did together, and it has linked to the

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<v Speaker 1>contest page. So if you can't find it, just let

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<v Speaker 1>me know and I'll make sure that you get it.

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<v Speaker 1>I have another question, can people nominate themselves.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't see any reason why not has anyone ever

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<v Speaker 2>nominated themselves, and not till my knowledge, we read all

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<v Speaker 2>of them, and I don't remember anyone read. I don't remember.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't recall in six years of doing this, recall

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<v Speaker 2>reading anyone nominating themselves. And I think that there's kind

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<v Speaker 2>of a reticence to maybe do that sometimes, feeling like

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<v Speaker 2>you know, right, but yeah, you're absolutely nominated. So if

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<v Speaker 2>you need help, man, please feel free to nominated.

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<v Speaker 1>We're not going to do that as just says ask

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<v Speaker 1>for help if you need it. Yeah, that's like the

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<v Speaker 1>new should be the new motto of the VA ask

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<v Speaker 1>for help if you need it. There's a billion people

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<v Speaker 1>waiting to help you, right, And so yeah, we're.

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<v Speaker 2>Not viewing that as there's anything on, you know, self aggrandizement.

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<v Speaker 2>If you're nominating yourself, I promise you, and I can

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<v Speaker 2>understand as a vet how you'd be hesitant to do

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<v Speaker 2>that sometimes, but no, please, if you if you need it,

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<v Speaker 2>please feel free to nominate yourself. We'd love to make

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<v Speaker 2>sure that that you know that you got the money

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<v Speaker 2>if you need it.

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<v Speaker 1>I nominate myself for stuff all the time. Most of

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<v Speaker 1>it's not stuff I'm qualified for, But you never know.

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<v Speaker 2>I did dominate that.

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<v Speaker 1>I can see true of the year. I don't know,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you might, I can dry.

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<v Speaker 2>I believe exactly been all right.

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<v Speaker 1>Appreciate you, Appreciate this. Thanks for making time for us

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<v Speaker 1>to check that out.