Journeys of Hope Podcast - Episode Seventeen

What does it take to turn hustle into success and success into meaningful impact? Tony Pec joins Journeys of Hope host Rebecca Solomon to talk about growing up in the Bronx, building an entrepreneurial career, becoming a social media expert, and the importance of staying authentic and investing in genuine relationships. 

Tony also shares the story behind his Impact Golf Outing, his connecting to Blythedale Children's Hospital, and why he believes community has the power to create lasting change. Most importantly, he reflects on what hope means to him and why it matters so deeply to the children and families Blythedale serves. 

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Key Takeaways:

1. Believing in your potential is the first step toward achieving your goals
2. Being genuine in your online presence fosters deeper connections
3. Take the time to follow up and show appreciate for your network, as it pays dividends in the long run

TRANSCRIPT

Rebecca Solomon (00:05)
Hello and welcome to Journeys of Hope, a podcast from Blythedale Children's Hospital, inspired by the strength, resilience, and unshakable spirit of medically fragile children. My name is Rebecca Solomon, and today I'm excited to welcome entrepreneur, social media expert, and philanthropist Tony Pec. Now, while many know Tony for building a successful business and an incredible network, we're especially grateful for his unwavering support of Blythedale Children's Hospital.

Through the annual impact golf outing, which has brought together thousands of people to help children and families in our community. Tony, welcome to Journeys of Hope.

Tony (00:43)
Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be on here with you today, Rebecca.

Rebecca Solomon (00:46)
We're so happy to have you and we have a lot to get to. Let's go back in time to when you were a kid, right? You grew up in a blue collar family in the Bronx and your father told you you can achieve anything you put your mind to. How has that message shaped the way you've built your career and your life?

Tony (01:06)
You

know, it's so interesting because as you get older, you start to realize certain things. And one of the things I didn't realize in that moment was my father telling me that line every day, you know, before he dropped me off for school, right before a basketball game, whatever the case was, he was saying it to me, but I don't think he fully believed in those exact words. As if, you know, want to be a good father? Motivate me. You can't achieve anything you put your mind to. But if I told him, I want to be the president or an astronaut, he might have been like, Tony, taper your expectations a little bit, right?

So it's such an interesting thing that I was raised with that mentality, but I took it to heart that I actually could achieve absolutely anything I put my mind to. And coming from that background of my father being in union his whole life and my grandparents being immigrants here from Italy, I wasn't brought around people that are entrepreneurial or business owners. So I had to go carve that path out for myself. And I had to dream bigger for me and for my legacy. And that's not something.

I think you're just able to have, it's something that you're brought up around and it's a mentality shift. And that sentence, that really changed my life. It's gotten to me to where I am and to where I'm going because I truly do believe I can achieve anything I put my mind to. You know, growing up with the Italian immigrant parents, I only spoke Italian until I was four years old, believe it or not.

Rebecca Solomon (02:16)
wow.

Tony (02:17)
Yeah, and because of that, I had a speech impediment growing up. So

Rebecca Solomon (02:19)
Mm-hmm.

Tony (02:19)
I was made fun of for speaking. Since then, I am now a national keynote speaker. I've given a TED talk and it's just a testament of you can't achieve anything you put your mind to.

but you're have to put the work in to do it and you need to dream big enough that there is an opportunity to make that outcome possible.

Rebecca Solomon (02:34)
Yeah, put in the work, work hard and it all it all plays out, right? All right, so that business mindset. What sparked that mindset so early and what did those early successes and even failures teach you that still guide you today?

Tony (02:49)
I

was an entrepreneur as a kid before I knew what that word was. You know, obviously I would say in the last decade or so, it's become a little sexier because of social media. Like entrepreneurship's the cool thing to do. You work for yourself. It's not all glitz, it's not all glamour, it's a lot of hard work. But I've been that entrepreneur since before social media was a thing. You know, I was a kid shoveling snow when I was 12 years old. I never had a snow day. I would go door to door in my neighborhood to make a few extra bucks. It was an opportunity for me to capitalize on. My grandfather, Italian immigrant, he...

opened up his own pizzeria and I was able to work there from 11 years old through college. And I got to watch and learn from him as an immigrant to have this mentality of I came here with nothing, with no money, didn't know the language, didn't know anybody. And I was still able to create something that provided a livelihood for my family. And I was able to work with him alongside him to learn that immigrant hustle. You my grandfather retired when he was 82 years old. And at that point in time, he was still the one making the pizza every day. And now he's 92, this was a decade ago.

and he's still as sharp as a tack and he wishes he could open up another pizzeria. You know, and it's so cool to see that I was born around that. And that really propelled me into what I am today because, you know, from the shoveling snow, my grandfather's pizzeria through high school, I just hustled. You know, I went to Fordham prep in the Bronx. I was around kids that parents did were successful, you know, attorneys and professional industries. I never heard it before my life investment banking. What is this? They came for money. So I was able to sell them different things because they had money from mom and dad. And I was just always an entrepreneur.

Fast forward to college, I got there, I got a degree in mechanical engineering, I went to Manhattan University, but while I was in school, I wasn't satisfied with just being a student, I started my own business when I was a sophomore, as a lip balm company, Tony's Lip Care TLC for short, and through all these things that I've tried through the years, there weren't successes in the traditional sense, right? Like the lip balm company I shut down right when I graduated, but through those years, the lessons I learned from what most people would consider a traditional failure has...

propelled me to the success I have today because I had an advantage of going through those things before peers my age went through.

And that shaped me to where I am by having that hustle from such a young age. And I really believe you're born with it or you're not. It's not something you learn because again, I didn't get into entrepreneurship because it was sexy.

all I had to achieve the life that I wanted.

Rebecca Solomon (05:02)
Yeah, it was in your it was in your blood, right? And you hustled from whether it was in the Bronx to college to your business at at 19, but you've also hustled on social media. And we know social media is a huge platform for you. You are known as the godfather of Instagram. And behind the brand is a real person who we have the privilege of speaking with today.

What do you think people misunderstand most about building a personal brand and creating authentic connections online?

Tony (05:33)
think it's two things. One, how difficult it truly is. And the second part of that I would say is they don't often realize the best way to build an authentic genuine brand is by being you. A lot of times when people start they think of what can I do to gain more attention? What can I do to get an audience? What can I do to get people to like me? Don't do any of that. Be you. Plenty of people aren't going to like you, which is normal. It's impossible for everyone to like you.

But what ends up happening is by you showing up as your authentic, genuine self day in and day out online, it ends up attracting the people that end up loving you because they can relate to you. You build genuine rapport by you being your genuine, authentic self. What does this look like for me when I started back in 2016 was when I first made my first Instagram. So we're talking about a decade now, which is even crazy because

Rebecca Solomon (06:19)
Is the

Tony (06:20)
funny enough Rebecca, I thought I was behind back then. know, Instagram was like six years old. I'm like, oh my goodness, we're so behind. You know, I was so ahead of it you don't realize when you're in it.

But when I first started, I had that same question. I said, what type of content can I put out that people would enjoy? I you know what, this is not probably the best thing to think because what if I do become bigger? I don't have to become somebody that I'm not in person because of this persona online. So I you know what, I'm just gonna double down on me. And in the beginning, all I had, because I was working, didn't have this entrepreneur business yet, it was just me showcasing things that motivated me. So cars, houses, quotes, know, I'm big into motivational. I was posting motivational quotes all the time, watches, cigars.

Scotches, things that I'm passionate and enjoy. And that's how I built my brand. And then I started sprinkling myself in. And me, like you mentioned, I'm an Italian guy from the Bronx. I wear track suits. I carry cash on me. I wear my jewelry and I curse. I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm an authentic self. And in the beginning, it was an uphill battle because you have friends and family watching you and they're like, what is he trying to do? And I didn't know what I was doing. I was just on there because I there was an opportunity and I was gonna see what came from it. But I was always me.

And that's a hard thing for a of people to do and they think they need to be someone they're not to be able to maximize social media. And I'd say it's the complete opposite, especially over the next five to 10 years, when we have more AI coming out than ever, the people that are most authentic and genuine as themselves are gonna have the most success in the near future and the longterm future. I really believe that.

Rebecca Solomon (07:44)
Mm, great advice. You've developed an incredible network across business and sports, entertainment, politics even. What's the secret to building meaningful relationships instead of just collecting contacts?

Tony (07:57)
actually

care, you know, it sounds so simple, but it's so difficult in practice, because not enough people genuinely care about the other person they're speaking to, they're always thinking, what's in it for me when I'm talking to them off the rip? And I didn't have that traditional approach when I started, because when I first started in business, my whole goal was, I'm never retiring. I love the game of business, I love building things, I love making an impact, and I love helping people. So for me, it wasn't, okay, I have you in front of me, Rebecca, you can't become a client now, you're wasting my time, I'm gonna forget about you. That's commonplace in a lot of businesses, right?

For me it was, okay Rebecca, we're gonna meet for the first time. Now you're one more person that knows who I am, what I offer. Maybe I can add some type of value to you, right? So my whole thing was if I add value to you, maybe it comes back to me in some way, shape or form elsewhere. Almost like building that good karma, right? So would take all these meetings and I would ask, hey Rebecca, who are you looking to connect with? Anyone that I can make an introduction to that'd be valuable for you to generate some business or maybe your client needs a referral for something. Like yeah, you know, I'm trying to get in touch with more mortgage professionals. Great, on the spot I would connect them to three mortgage professionals. And I got nothing out of it, I didn't care. It was building that goodwill.

that just compounded over time. And so I became the guy that always got a guy and that has value because now people come to me for anything and I'm that first layer of who they're coming to because they have that trust. But for me, one of the biggest things with relationships is staying in touch with people. I don't think enough people do that. And traditionally we're not taught at a young age to be the one that's reaching out to set things up, I think we see a lot of modern day like, you know, I see John at all the time. He tells me he wants to get together, but he never texts me to set it up. Why don't you just reach out to him instead?

I was always that person that was okay with being the person to set the thing up. And that's propelled so much success for me because so many relationships would have just died in the tracks if I wasn't like that. And something that I do wish, I think, it's kind of cool, and for those that are listening, just to hear the perspective on what I go through to build these relationships, and I know we'll piggyback into the impact golf outing at some point, to have that many people show up, it's all about the relationships, right? And what I do every Thanksgiving and Christmas, I started doing this right after I graduated college, okay? So 2016.

Because once you're out of college, all the kids you went to school with, they live in different states. You don't see them as

Rebecca Solomon (09:55)
Right.

Tony (09:56)
often. So we were driving up to my grandfather's house at the time. He was up in Fishkill. And I said on Thanksgiving, you know, I'm gonna text everybody that I went to school with that I haven't seen in a while. And all the people that I worked in my internship with just to check in and wish them a happy Thanksgiving for their family. That first year I texted maybe 40 people, maybe 50 people, no fan, just all friends, people that I'm connected to. Then I did the same thing for Christmas. Long story short, a decade has passed.

That list has grown. I now text 1,600 unique people on Thanksgiving and another 1,600 on Christmas. A lot of them obviously overlap. And it

Rebecca Solomon (10:24)
wow, wow.

Tony (10:26)
takes me the entire day. It's not a copy and paste message. There's no AI automating the send out. It's me sitting on my phone from eight in the morning till about nine o'clock at night. And I will text, go through my contact list, A through Z. If we have any sort of relationship, I've added value to you, you've added value to me, you've helped me, you've supported me, you showed up to an event, you sponsored my event, you were a vendor at the golf outing. Anything you've done to positively impact my journey in the past year.

You get a personalized text from me. And it goes such a long way now that people see how much larger I've become. Because they're like, holy shit, you took the time out to send me a message. I've been doing this for decade. So

Rebecca Solomon (10:54)
Wow.

Tony (10:54)
it's nothing new to me. It's just grown to the amount of people that I have in my fingertips that are in my actual ecosystem that I just want to show them that I'm appreciative. And it's not sure it's actual to me. I really do appreciate all the love and support that people give me. So I think that's a great way that I've been able to keep a lot of relationships through the years as my network has grown.

Rebecca Solomon (11:11)
Well, I know our relationship is budding. We just met this year. So I I maybe I'll look forward to a holiday text this year for the first time, right? Wow, just add

Tony (11:17)
There you go. Exactly.

Rebecca Solomon (11:20)
it on to the to list of you know, sixteen hundred others. That's amazing, Tony.

Tony (11:22)
Mm-hmm. 100%.

Rebecca Solomon (11:24)
Wow. Well, and speaking of relationships, we at Blythedale are so thankful to have you on our side. Your impact golf outing has become one of the largest charity golf events in the region.

What inspired you to create it and how did Blythedale become the cause you wanted to champion?

Tony (11:43)
Two

great questions, two different answers. First part of this is I started the first golf ad and this year was the fifth one. So we're talking about five years ago. And at the time I was actually only 13 months into being a full-time business owner. I quit and worked for myself February 2019 and then very early 2020. I said, you know what? I want to host a golf outing. Now I want to put in clear perspective here. I never golfed before I set out on this mission to host a golf ad. I just said, I know a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs now. I know they like to golf.

I think I can put together a golf outing, it'll be fun, networking, great. That was the expectation I had in the beginning. I went to my accountants, they've been in business a little bit longer, they're a little bit older than me. I said, hey, you guys have a great Rolodex of all the businesses. You guys golf, maybe we collaborate on doing a golf outing. That's this idea came about. Now, we then went to Pelham Bay Splitrock, we knew the GM there. We put the deposit down to host the outing June of 2020. Now, what did we all know happened in March of 2020, the pandemic. Lockdown happened. So as this went on, the GM was like, hey guys, listen.

the event's not gonna be able to happen this year, we'll have to push it back to a further notice. It'll be sometime next year, we don't even a date yet. Okay, no problem. This is probably a good time for me to learn how to golf. So I got into golf, I'm a from the Bronx, I wasn't really a sport growing up around me. So it was me starting from scratch. And during that time of me learning, I went to a lot of golf outings, because I'm a big networker, I like to connect. And everything I go to event-wise, I always take note on what was good, what was bad, how can I make my events a little bit better from that experience. And I choose golf outings the same way.

I truly believed if I gave the golfers a better experience, I'll raise even more for the charity. And I said, I have the network to do so. So what can I do to make this different? So the first year, the claim to fame was 18 vendors on 18 holes. Every hole you went to, we wanted you to have some type of vendor that had experience from a chiropractor to hand-rolled cigars included to shots to burgers on the hole.

to different experiences of local businesses getting to expose themselves to the audience and the golfer's getting to connect to them. Everything's included, you pay for nothing. And I said, you know what? I wanna make a really cool swag bag for the golfer. So what did I do? I reached out to all my business network to get sponsors to cover different items. So even our first year, the swag bag had like 18 items in it, it was crazy. You got a cigar, a cutter, a lighter, a bag, a shirt, a hat, a mug, golf tees, towel. And it just makes it like, wow, you actually care about me. And I said, how can I take it a little bit further?

One thing I saw as a big miss with golf outings is when you pay for your ticket, wherever you paid for, let's say I'm the 76th golfer to buy a ticket, that's where my lineup in the golf order is. There's no thought about who I'm being paired with. So for me as someone that's not a great golfer, but I'm more of a networker and a connector, I'd rather have somebody that I can mingle with and have a good time, enjoy a cigar and a good conversation, and yeah, we'll hit a few balls, but it's not competitive. I was paired with sometimes with older gentlemen, they don't drink, they don't smoke cigars, they're scratch golfers, and it just wasn't a great time and you're stuck with them for four hours. So I strategically pair.

every foursome that's together on the whole with the two forces that head to them and the two forces behind them based on their golf ability, can they get along and can they do business together? And that's made the experience of the golfers bumping into each other that much better because we had the first two years 144 golfers. So that's two foursums on every hole. And the last three years we've had 288 golfers. That's two foursums on every single hole. So you're going to be hitting into you starting with two people and then you're to be bumping into them and hitting and the people will be bumping into you. So I try to think of all those little things.

And then I said, you know what, what do I do? I network, I host networking events. Why not make the after dinner into a networking reception where people actually want to come to attend that didn't golf, but they want to mingle and network with other business owners. So the first year we had 250 people show up to the evening and only like six vendors. And then it's just grown and grown year over year as we both know. But the reason I picked Blythedale I actually didn't pick Blythedale the first year. I didn't know about you guys the first year.

after our outing, though, we went to another outing, the Acrisure hosted by Carmine Lippolis at Siwanoy

and you guys were the benefactor. And you guys spoke and they had a family speak. And it was me and my partner Fran and our accountants, Tim and Kenny, with us for the evening reception there. And we all started to tear through the heartfelt story that the family shared and the victory the daughter overcame. And we're like, wow, this is so amazing, the work that they're doing and it's local. And then we started learning more. We started talking to Carmine about it. Carmine put us in touch with you guys. You guys gave us a tour. And ever since then, we were pretty much sold because we were then looking for something that was a local charity.

who in our network would have the most positive effect to that charity. And most of our network are parents. So for you guys to be able to help kids, whether they have had a kid that's had an issue or not, it's still a subject that they feel passionate about making an impact with. And we said, you know what? This is the charity we wanna benefactor. And since the first year has been a great partnership and like I said, going through those halls, it's just so heartbreaking. And I really do believe I wanna give every kid the chance to be able to live as a kid, get to enjoy their childhood. That's what we do this for.

Rebecca Solomon (16:27)
Thank you, Tony. It's really great to hear. And and what would you want someone listening to this episode know about the children and families Blythedale serves?

Tony (16:40)
that

they're never expecting this to happen. You I don't think anyone in their lives are expecting their kid to have one of these situations that you guys are helping at the hospital. So the family's never prepared for it. This is not something you forecast and expect and prepare and think your kid's gonna go through it. But when their kid does go through it, the love and care and the people you guys have show up in the hospital, the professionals, just what you guys pour into them knowing this is an experience they would have never expected to have.

and you guys help them maintain a positive mindset throughout and also give them that genuine love, always answering questions. And I've had the privilege to speak to a few families and kids, you my age that have been through Blythedale at some point and every single one of them said nothing but fantastic things about how you guys care from the moment they enter to the moment they leave, always happy to answer as many questions they have, never putting any negative thoughts on them and really giving them that hope. And I think that's the biggest thing Blythedale provides is that hope that you're not alone.

We care and we're gonna be here to make a difference to the best that we possibly can. And if we can't make a difference, nobody else can. And I think that's so powerful. And that's why I'm so passionate about being able help you guys because of the difference you guys are making through the work you're doing.

Rebecca Solomon (17:51)
Thank you. Yeah, Blythedale really is a magical place, but we know it's the supporters like you that help.

sprinkle that magic along with our doctors and our nurses and our team of just amazing clinicians. And yeah, it's a pretty it's a pretty great place. And and you said you've met some of the children and families whose lives are touched by the hospital. Is there a specific moment or story that reminded you why all of the months of planning and hard work for the golf outing are worth it?

Tony (18:21)
You know, it's funny, I just didn't realize how many people in my network had some tie to Blythedale I think that was the biggest like wow moment, because like I said, I mentioned doing this because one, you guys were local, and two, for the kids. I could get a lot of my network as parents, but I didn't realize how many parents and people I knew had some story with you guys. From I have a friend whose wife works with you guys. I have a friend whose cousin went through Blythedale one of our vendors. She was a baby at Blythedale so she reached out to me after the ad in last year. How can I get involved?

the amount of community outreach we've gotten because of supporting Blythedale and the tie in the love that other people have for Blythedale that they wanna be a part of this event to be able to make a bigger impact for you guys. And I think that's what makes this partnership so special that it's that two way street of you guys have such a fantastic name locally that people want to support our event knowing it's supporting you guys. So I think that's something really cool that I've been able to see through the last couple of years of the outreach of, hey, this is great, you guys do it for them, how can I support my...

you my niece went through Blythedale for two years or I did this and it's, it's just been so amazing to see.

Rebecca Solomon (19:22)
Mm. Yeah. And it's so fascinating at your golf outing where you have over a thousand people attending and they're golfing throughout the day and they're partying in the evening and they're having a good time and they're eating and they're drinking and they're doing whatever after a long day of golf. And even some people come after the golf part of it just to attend the evening celebration. But at the end of the day, it it's going back to supporting Blythedale. What is the biggest lesson you've learned about bringing together people of all backgrounds and experiences?

Around this shared purpose.

Tony (19:55)
I

think a lot of people focus on making events about things that they think people that they know would like and come and support because, I know Tony, I'm friends with Tony. So they always cater to, oh, if I do this, I know my friends are gonna come and support because of me. I don't think like that. I only focus on making the experience of the event so good that if you didn't know who I was or anything about me, that you're like, I cannot miss this event, this sounds incredible, I've never been to a golf outing like this. You don't have to know anything about me.

But really that compound effect from the people that show up, they spread it like wildfire. Wow, you gotta come to this. I've never been to a golf outing like this. I've never seen an after party like this. And that is what makes this spread so exponentially year over year, because it's not me having to tell you and sell you to come. It's the people that attended that are selling it themselves now. And most people don't think that way. They just think, I'll do a charity event. People gonna show up, they're gonna spend a few bucks as a charity thing. Great. I go for bigger. I don't do it at all. And I wanted to make a splash and make this something that's

unique and nobody else can put a candle to in the local or national level.

Rebecca Solomon (20:56)
Well, we're very excited to see how that impact continues to grow. And we're so thankful at Blythedale just year after year, the support that you give us. It's so meaningful. So thank you. And I think I might know the answer to this next question. But what is one piece of advice you give someone who wants to be successful while also making a meaningful impact in their community? And I think you something, and correct me if I'm wrong, but after listening to you already through this episode, it's about building those connections and maintaining those relationships.

You've kind of talked about that a little

Tony (21:25)
Yeah, I was just gonna say,

Rebecca Solomon (21:26)
bit.

Tony (21:27)
yeah, it's really relationships to me. I think that is the biggest thing I can give to most people, whether you're a business owner, you're a professional, you have a career, it's just building genuine relationships and the easiest way to do so is to only focus on how can I give that person value and not caring if you get value back. And I think that's a hard thing for a lot of people to do, but in the beginning, I didn't care. And it just compounded into me giving so much goodwill that eventually goodwill came back to me.

I'm in it to help other business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals grow and make an impact at the same time. And I think those two things just go hand in hand so great.

Rebecca Solomon (21:58)
They sure do. Looking ahead, what legacy do you hope to leave, not just through Why Not You Media or social media, but through the lives you've impacted?

Tony (22:10)
I

was a good guy. I just want people to say when I'm gone, that's how I think of stuff that Tony tried his best to help me. Tony made a difference in my life. Tony was a good dude. Tony always said the things that he said he was going to do. Tony always stayed true to his word. Tony stayed in touch. Tony was genuine. Tony was always willing to help whenever he could help, how he could help. I think those are probably the biggest things that I want to hear when I'm looking over other people one day. And I think I'm trying day by day to do my best to achieve that, both in a professional sense and...

with the philanthropy side, because I genuinely do believe if you can help people, you have a mission to do so. And I feel like that's my calling right now is to be able to make an impact in the lives of the kids at Blythedale but also all the businesses and entrepreneurs that I have in my ecosystem and my network.

Rebecca Solomon (22:51)
Mm. Well, you're certainly doing something right. So thank you for all you do. I we can't say thank you enough to you. It's just incredible and

Tony (22:57)
We'll see you later.

Rebecca Solomon (22:57)
it's so cool hearing your story how, you know, you started here and now you're here and it's just it's really

Interesting, it's admirable, and I can't wait to see where it all just continues to grow over the years. And our doors at Blythedale are always open. So come come over and say hi. I know where we we go to you at the golf outing and we see you here and there. And certainly we're thankful to have you on as a guest of our podcast. But yeah, we'd we'd love to see you back at the hospital too if you ever want to come by and say hi to some of our you know, the gang over there.

Tony (23:28)
it's just a really great reminder of how precious life is. And I think, you know, going through the halls with you guys, it puts things in perspective, you know, I'm always work, work, work. I don't do anything but work really, because I do love work. So it's not like, oh no, what was me? I enjoy my work, that's why I choose to work. But to put in perspective, like, you know, when you wake up every morning, you can walk.

something as simple as that and you see the kids that aren't able to do that and you're helping them get through that. It just puts in perspective how lucky we are and how grateful we are to have each day at full capacity. So I think you guys are doing a great thing by making a difference in helping those people and also putting in perspective to people that do get to walk through the doors how grateful you are if you are at a healthy capacity. So thank you guys for everything you guys do because I'm

Rebecca Solomon (24:06)
Yes.

Tony (24:09)
a small piece of the impact you guys are making but you guys are really the ones making the true impact and I'm happy to be a benefactor and support the best way that I possibly can.

It's through my voice and my platform. that's what I try to do for you guys.

Rebecca Solomon (24:20)
Thanks, Tony. All right, one more question. How would you describe the meaning of hope?

Tony (24:27)
question.

To me, it's a feeling of

Hope to me is almost like you have a feeling where, that there's a possibility that it's going to end the way it should end, the right way, right? And I think there's different things that people do in life for any situation they have in their lifetime that either sway them to have more hope or to have less hope. And I think the work that you guys are doing with the positive staff that you guys have, the care in nature, the love,

you know, the top professionals, the doctors and everyone in the nurses, you guys are choosing to make a difference by being that positive light throughout the situation by showing that there is hope here. Where there are plenty of hospitals across the nation, kids are not hospital related, that do not provide that hope. They're a little more abrasive, they don't show that positive attitude. I think hope may be a mental or mentality of a thing, but I believe hope does manifest itself in actually

creating that positive outcome. So when you are hoping and believing you're going to feel better and not be sick anymore, I think there's synapses in your body that over time will help your body heal versus if you had that negative outlook and no hope, I think it does a little more detriment for that person both physically and mentally during that situation. So I think hope is such a powerful thing when you don't think there's any hope left, when you don't think there's a possibility it's going to work out.

And hope is one of the greatest things that I think you guys give out at that hospital that I don't think it's talked about enough because obviously you guys make an impact and make the difference in the kids' lives. But before that happens, you guys are providing the peace of mind that we have the best team possible here. We're gonna put our all into this and we're gonna make this the best situation out of what we have in front of us. And I think

Rebecca Solomon (26:13)
Yeah.

Tony (26:14)
that hope is a tremendous thing that you guys bring to the table for those families that are going through this very difficult time.

Rebecca Solomon (26:20)
That's wonderful to hear from you. Thank you very much, Tony. Anything else you want to add?

Tony (26:27)
Just on the golf outing again, just so you guys can know the perspective on the size of it, we have 288 golfers spread on two golf courses, that's 36 holes, and during the golf we had this year 65 unique vendors on the golf course,

the evening reception this year, statistically we had over 1,500 attendees, and we had another 65 unique vendors.

Cause the vendors from golf are not the same ones at the evening. So if you're a golfer, you pretty much have over a hundred different vendors throughout the day. And I think it's so cool to see that. And I want to say the stats because it's purely built through community.

I'm just so excited to see what the next five, 10, 15, 20 years hold, because if we do also get the bandwidth of larger businesses coming in at some point, we're going to take this to the moon. Because what we're able to do with just the community so far has been

Honestly, more than I thought would have been possible. To be honest, and I have big goals and big aspirations, but the amount of time that it's taken to get to where we are has been so short in the grand scheme of things. And to see that just so cool and it just shows, Tony, keep going. You can keep making it bigger. People wanna be a part of it. So, day by day, that's what we do.

Rebecca Solomon (27:27)
Keep going. Keep going. Yeah. We're all we're

all cheering and rooting for you. And it's it's going to be just great. And you're right. Community is everything. And we see that impact of a positive and a strong community at Blythedale too. So it is. That's it. You're exactly right. Community is everything at the end of the day.

Tony (27:49)
Yeah, community makes a difference. We're able to, what was that saying with the kid? You can raise a kid with a village, right? It takes a village to raise a kid. And that's kind of what I've seen this event become. You know, I get

Rebecca Solomon (27:55)
Yeah. Yeah.

Tony (27:58)
the village together for this one day every year just to make an impact, as simple as that. And I'll give you the experience. You just show up willing to spend a few bucks to help support a great cause and we'll make an impact together. And I truly believe that the more people you have together on that journey, the bigger impact you can make. And that's what we're doing day by day.

Rebecca Solomon (28:15)
Thanks, Tony. Good stuff. All right.

Tony (28:17)
Anytime. Thank you, Rebecca, for having me. I appreciate it.

Rebecca Solomon (28:19)
Of course. And if you have any ideas for future topics, we'd love to hear from you. Podcast at Blythedale.org. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like and follow us on social media. Thank you so much and we'll see you next time.