VOA Michigan supports veterans through Ping watch

I'm your host, Sydney Little. It's a little different because you're used to me on the weekends where it happens with it, where I talk about books and everything else. But now we're kind of doing a different approach. It kind of threw me in here, but you're going to take along the ride with me. And so this is Veterans Week. Veterans Day is on Wednesday, but nowadays we're kind of expanding it to a week, which it obviously should be an everyday thing because they have done so much for us as sacrifice. Thank you. And so the Volunteers of Michigan have created a pretty cool tool they've partnered with PingCare. And they come out with a Ping Watch that is very, it's like an advanced Apple Watch, but even better. And so it has some pretty cool like attributes with it where it does like daily affirmations in a sense. You guys can check in, it checks on your mental, just see how you guys are doing. And it's assigned to a case manager that also kind of checks in. So tell us a little bit, you know, about the watch and how it has helped you, you know, throughout your time. Let me start. I was a homeless veteran at one time. And of course, I got introduced to the VO, Volunteers of America. I was there for 18 months, finished the program, got my housing. And then I was introduced to this Ping Watch. The Ping Watch is great. It gives me daily affirmations. Asked me for my heart rate, checks my blood pressure, my temperature, and give me motivations for during the day. You know, like I'm a homeless, I was a homeless veteran, but I'm not now. So it gives me some companionship, you know, because a lot of times I'd just be sitting at the house doing nothing, just doing daily activities. But I love it when it reminds me, have I taken my 2,000 steps? Yep. And you pretty much do that in the house. And it lets you know that, hey, you can did your 2,000 steps. Time to get up. And it taught me, you can put your watch on now. It reminds me of everything that I need to do. And I think it's great. The other story that I would love to share with you about the Ping product is that I got stranded in Elkhart, Indiana, South Bend, Indiana. was on the train. They misinterpreted my ticket. They threw me off in South Bend, Indiana. My phone ran out and thank God that I had this Ping phone because I could push the button. It goes to my contacts. I was able to call, still make a call, to my case manager Mr. Tim McClare and he talked me through it and it gave me some reassurance that I wasn't out there by myself. And, I mean, it was a great lifesaver for me. It just did all the things. And it still was asking me the question, how are you feeling? And, of course, I pushed, I'm upset right now. You know what I'm saying? So it monitors my acclimations, my feelings, and everything. I mean, it gave me some comfort in a bad situation. And it's nice because it also kind of gives you kind of like a lending ear, in a sense. Like, even if you're by yourself, you're not really alone. Like, all you have to do is, like, a quick tap on the watch, on the wrist, and you're good to go. Now, how fast does it typically take, you know, like, if something goes wrong and you pop it into the watch, how long does it take your case manager to, like, be able to get in contact with you? Oh, when I go to my contact? I push his name and it goes through the motions, it lets me know that he's making a call and when it does reach Mr. Clare, my supervisor, it lets me know that he's there and then it goes through and we talk. And, you know, because a lot of times I be, my phone is somewhere else and I can just go straight to it and talk to whoever I want to. And it's nice that you always have it on you. Because like you said, we don't always have our phone, you know, so it's nice when you're able to have the watch. If you happen to run out somewhere for a quick errand and you leave the phone, you're like, oh, hey. I do it all the time. Yeah. It's so much easier because the watch is attached to you. So it's very easy to keep track of things like that. It keeps you active, keeps you motivated. What is one thing that you hope a lot of different veterans and even regular people take away from such a high-tech gear like this? If it was more Ping watches out there, I think, you know, even veterans. in subthermal situations like I was in that was homeless, but if they get these watches out to these guys, at least they can have something that they can go to, and if there's an emergency or something, they can contact someone. You're never left alone right now, see what I'm saying? And this ping watch has been great for me. It's been a motivational piece, and I mean, I enjoy it. I love it. I love it. Yeah. I think in this day and time, we could all use a little affirmation when it comes to everything that we have going on in our life. But I love that you guys have this tool because, you know, like I mentioned before, you guys sacrifice so much and you guys deserve so much in return. I feel like sometimes you guys kind of slip through the cracks, unfortunately, when it comes to resources to help you guys do this. So I'm happy that you guys have this, you know, tool. And technology is so advanced nowadays. This is something that you guys should be getting, I know veterans are getting. You know, like blind vets are getting AI glasses to kind of help them through everything. And I love that you have this. You're safe. You're not stuck in South Bend anymore. So, you know, you're back home. And so before I let you go, you know, is there anything else that you would like to say as we kind of honor veterans this entire week and really beyond? Yeah, I was, you know, by me being a veteran, I now enhanced the great opportunities that I had by being a homeless veteran through the VOA. I was there 18 months. I got my ID and all my credentials that I needed, got it together and was given the opportunity to get housing. Now that I have a house, I've been in my house for four years in the same place, you know what I'm saying? Paying my bills and rent on time. I got my ping watch to let me know, hey, let's get to going today. So everything is good. So this opportunity on Veterans Day for veterans to just be thankful that we made it through it. And whatever our situations are, we can get help. You know, the VOA is a great place to go and receive that help. But it's one thing, though. You got to want it. You know what I'm saying? We can, we... All these opportunities are given to us. But if we don't go out there and take care of it, take care of our business, you'll get blessed with a pain watch, hopefully. And that's the great thing about veterans. And you get to admire. The admiration you get from the people, they really appreciate us. Because you are appreciated as a veteran, you're appreciated as a person, and I appreciate you for coming in and taking the time to walk us through the watch, especially in real time and telling us how it has helped you. But most importantly, thank you for your sacrifice. Thank y'all for having me here. I mean, my eyes are so, look, my hair is standing up on my head. I'm just so thankful to be here to represent Veterans Day and the Ping Watch. It's a great deal. Great day. You're always welcome back anytime. If you want to come and chat, get those $2,000 stuff. You can take a couple laps around the building. You know it. Thank you for having me so much again. And guys, we will be right back after a quick break.