Empowering the Blind Community: Amy Wilson's Journey to Safety Advocacy
Episode 31
In this episode we speak with Amy Wilson, founder of the Safety Positive Foundation, who shares her journey from being a tomboy growing up in Missouri, diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration at age 10, to accepting her blindness and launching a nonprofit.
Amy's foundation addresses personal safety needs in the blind community, offering services such as peer support groups, verbal advocacy training, and self-defense courses, all accessible virtually. She emphasizes the importance of personal safety, mental health, and dignity for the blind and visually impaired.
Amy also shares her personal passion for self-defense, influenced by her wrestling and judo background, and highlights the impact of her work on individuals in the blind community. The podcast concludes with details on how listeners can support the Safety Positive Foundation through donations, awareness, and getting involved.
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Luisa Recchia (00:02):
Well, welcome everyone to another captivating episode of Through Our Eyes Podcast, brought to you by the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation. I'm your host, Luisa Recchia, and I'm joined by my favorite colleague and co-host Breyanna Willitt. In each episode, we explore the inspiring stories and innovative breakthroughs in the unwavering spirit of individuals and families who face the challenges of retinal diseases head on. We'll dive into the world of research, cutting edge technologies and the compassionate hearts of the people who make it all possible. But before we embark on today's compelling adventure, let's take a moment to thank our incredible sponsors at the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation. They are the driving force behind our mission to spread awareness, foster hope, and shed light on the invaluable work happening in the field of pediatric retinal research. Together we strive to make a brighter, clearer future for children and families affected by retinal diseases.
Breyanna Willett (01:01):
Alright, so we are here with Amy Wilson. If you wanna just kind of get us started and just kind of tell us a little bit about yourself and kind of your vision journey, how it all started and everything, and we'll go from there.
Amy Wilson (01:14):
So, yeah, my name's Amy Wilson, or Amy SP Wilson if you're trying to find me on social media handles. Um, I born and raised in the Midwest, you know, the great show me states as I like to say, whether people are, you know, a fan of the state of Missouri. I was born and raised a biker girl. I was riding motorcycles at the age of four and, you know, dirt bike riding, uh, very much a tomboy type of type of thing. And, but I also loved, you know, the frilly dresses and which would probably speak to my aesthetic now, and which some people would probably say I'm like the, the, the mix of like if the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins had a love child type type of situation.
Amy Wilson (02:12):
But, and my, my goal really at the age of 10 was I was gonna join the Navy and work on motorcycles, and that came crashing down when I was 10 and I got diagnosed with Stargardts, which is a juvenile form of macular degeneration. And I spent, I spent some time going through that grieving process where I was in denial. I spent time really feeling sorry for myself, but it, it, it, it, it took me, took me some years to really come to that acceptance stage where, and I, I'd say it honestly, it took, took a long time because I, I spent years just, I didn't want to be the noticed. I just, I was too busy trying to fit in with everybody else. And I, I'd say about over 20 years and then I was like, you know what? I am blind. This is who I am and I'm fully gonna accept it.
Amy Wilson (03:25):
And yeah, so that's, I guess that's me now, I guess currently I'm married. I have two children. Still live in the, the show me state, although I've moved to a couple other states and ended up back in, back in Missouri. And, um, yeah, so that's, that's the personal side of me.
Breyanna Willett (03:51):
Nice. Where kind of, how did you get diagnosed? Like were you showing symptoms or, you know, was it just kind of random?
Amy Wilson (04:00):
They had me, yeah, I, I was wearing glasses and I went for the yearly checkup type of situation. The, the doctor was doing the thing. Um, it's one of those experiences where it kind of lives rent free in my mind, but small town, um, where the, the doctor was, had my eyes dilated and I can, I can still remember the, the big magnifying glass looking in my eyes, looking in my eyes.
Amy Wilson (04:34):
And I could see the orange and blue and purple, um, out, out of my peripheral. They were looking so long they could not figure out what was going on with my eyes. And they, you know, after an hour of this <laugh> I, you know, my parents didn't know, you know, they're just like thinking, okay, let's, let's not talk about, you know, permanent damage or anything with a big bright light or magnifier or anything. But, you know, after an hour the doctor's like, we don't know what's going on here and we are gonna recommend you going to a specialist. And then that specialist recommended another specialist, and then that's when I got the, the diagnosis.
Breyanna Willett (05:23):
Yeah, that's crazy. Our, our vision journeys are very similar. You know, I was diagnosed, I didn't really, you know, know what was going on and I was diagnosed at 10 and it was kind of the same thing of, you know, I have no idea what this is, but let me try to refer you to someone that may <laugh> Yeah, yeah. <laugh>.
Amy Wilson (05:45):
Yeah, all of 'em were a little bit, little bit different, but definitely similar. Oh yeah, <laugh>.
Breyanna Willett (05:52):
So where are you at now as far as, you know, a career or, you know, where are you kind of at?
Amy Wilson (05:59):
So, career wise, as of March 3rd, 2023, I launched my very own non-for-profit called Safety Positive Foundation, where we are dedicated to problem solving the personal safety needs of the blind community. And we offer services nationally. I spent, or I've spent collectively 10 years of my life either training or teaching in the personal safety space. And I got, I got tired of, you know, the lack of choices in our, our community. And I just, I kind of had enough. I decided, you know what? That's it. We're, we're starting, you know, I'm gonna start my own. And so that's, that's, that's what it, that's what we've been, you know, that's what I've been doing, my team's been doing, and I've, I've not looked back.
Breyanna Willett (06:59):
That's crazy. That's such a big thing to be like, yes, I am going to do this and I am going to make a difference and do it the way I want to do it. That's, that's amazing. Especially for something, you know, like personal safety and stuff, which I feel like, is it, I mean, it's talked about, but not in regards to, you know, the blind community or really the disabled community in general. So it's incredible that you have decided that you are going to do this and you are going to do it the way you want. And, you know, I'm sure that people, you know, really need to it and take a lot of what you have to say and, you know, put it into good use.
Amy Wilson (07:38):
Yes. Yeah, like I said, historically, like there's not been, there's not been many choices and, you know, we're, we're in 2024 and I've been involved with, you know, two, what I consider two of the major players, um, in, in the self-defense space.
Amy Wilson (08:04):
And it, it really was limited and in the choices, like, you know, we're doing this one thing and I'm like, one thing. Like that's, that's it. Like, no, like if, if the sighted community can have all these choices for their personal safety, why can't we? Like this, this is BS and we, you know, we, we need, we need these choices. Um, because it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when that, that people are gonna come up and grab us. People are gonna say inappropriate things and we need to have the skills and training to be able to back it up to, to be able to protect ourselves. So that's, and we need to be able to do it in a safety positive manner. So that's, we, we, I was very intentional in the, in the naming 'cause we're, there's already enough fear out there and, and I wanna bring some hope and positivity, uh, to, to the, to the space.
Breyanna Willett (09:11):
Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I think just bringing more awareness to it as well, just because I feel like a lot of people, you know, have the, well, it'll never happen to me mentality. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, which obviously is not good. <laugh>.
Amy Wilson (09:25):
Yeah. Unfortunately it is not. Yeah.
Breyanna Willett (09:29):
Yeah. So what kind of, you know, what kind of things do you offer through your non-for-profit and stuff?
Amy Wilson (09:37):
So we, we offer things what we call our tea times, which are like peer support groups that focus on personal safety, education and trainings. Each month we do a different topic, um, and we associate that with like a newsletter where you get the, the, the Zoom link with that. We also do monthly tea times where it's like, you're new to blindness and you have safety stuff, and we have our blind survivors tea time.
Amy Wilson (10:15):
We also have a training called Verbal Craft. And so many times people in the blind community are told to advocate for themselves, but are often not given the formula. And Verbal Craft is, is that formula. And, uh, what I mean by that is when people are coming up and, and grabbing you, this helps you in that formula. If people are not helping, you know, to assist you in a store, they're denying you accommodations at school or work, the formula works in all of those situations. It doesn't mean that you're gonna take the training and magically you know how to work the formula in every situation. It takes time and practice. And that's one of the other things that we offer in, when you take that training, we offer a verbal craft club where you can come and practice it on a monthly basis.
Breyanna Willett (11:27):
That's what is, is that all remotely?
Amy Wilson (11:30):
Yes. Every, all, all the things that I said are all, all virtual, which is a, a beautiful thing because a lot of times people are like, well, you need to, you know, come to us in person. And, and that was no, no bueno for me. I'm like, no, we, we wanna make sure that that everything is, is as is as accessible as possible.
Breyanna Willett (11:55):
Yeah. And you also, you know, I'm sure you reach a lot more people offering it virtually, you know, instead of having everybody, you know, come to, you know, certain locations and everything. So it's nice that everyone has the opportunity to become a part of this and learn, you know, how to advocate for yourself and have some sort of framework to, you know, work with and, you know, create and make your own, I guess <laugh>.
Amy Wilson (12:21):
Absolutely. We also, me and one of my team members, Nathan Green, just became the first blind Sabre Pepper spray instructors in the country.
Amy Wilson (12:33):
So we're able to, you know, have that perspective where, you know, if people wanna learn how to do pepper spray, it's that instructed by the blind for the blind situation, which we were able to bring that perspective to Sabre on how they can work with the blind, which was a, a beautiful situation. And we are also rolling out here very soon, our own self-defense program called Shield, and which is a unique program where you can get training before you, we get to you in person, then there's the one day training in person, and then there's additional training afterwards. And the beautiful thing about all the stuff that we offer is, it's rolled up in our Safety Positive Guide, which gives you 24/7 access to our personal safety training and resources.
Breyanna Willett (13:35):
Oh, wow.
Amy Wilson (13:35):
Which has never been done before.
Breyanna Willett (13:37):
That's incredible.
Amy Wilson (13:39):
Yeah. Yeah. Ultimately we're, we're pioneering new paths and trying to make sure that everybody has those kinds of, uh, resources no matter where they live in, in, in the country and ultimately someday in, in the world.
Amy Wilson (13:59):
That's, it's a, it's a large goal, but again, I'm, I'm dedicated to the, to what we're doing.
Breyanna Willett (14:06):
Oh, yeah. And I can definitely tell just from speaking with you from this short amount of time, your passion for it, you know, I can tell that you really are honestly, you know, wanting to make a difference and help people, which is always, you know, good to have.
Amy Wilson (14:20):
But yes, well, from my own lived experience and when I hear people sharing their own stories with me, it gets me on fire to, to do more of the work. But what's, what's been the paycheck for me is when I start hearing the testimonies of, of our students, that's, I I actually have gotten emotional and been, it's made me cry because I know how much, you know, how we're changing lives and, and we're only, we're only getting started.
Amy Wilson (14:56):
So that's, that, that's the real paycheck for, for me. So I, I'm even getting emotional just thinking about here, you know, the, the testimony <laugh> because just those, just those tea times for people. 'cause our tea times are absolutely free. Anybody can do it. And, uh, you know, our, our verbal craft, our our pepper spray training, you know, those, those classes we charge for, but our tea times absolutely free for anybody. And we try to as offer as much of our trainings for people for, for free. 'cause we don't, I, I don't want to gate keep information in, in the personal safety space. But, you know, and, and we do try to make sure that with, with our stuff, that it's, it's affordable whether, you know, people wanna pay a yearly subscription or monthly it, we we're, we're figuring out ways to where anybody can, can afford what we're, what we're offering.
Breyanna Willett (16:01):
That's awesome. So, kind of, you know, going back a little bit, what do you think are some of the biggest risks as far as, you know, personal safety for people in our community?
Amy Wilson (16:14):
I think the biggest thing is, it'd probably be a twofold thing, is isolation and lack of education slash awareness. If you are not getting out there and meeting people, if you're isolating yourself from others, it takes a detrimental toll on your mental health. I've watched it time and time again from the personal safety side, if you're not being proactive about your personal safety, if you're not doing ongoing education and learning, it becomes problematic. Even for those who, you know, like let's say, oh, well I did that self-defense class five years ago. That's, that's not good. You, you gotta keep up. You gotta, you gotta stay sharp and, and keep learning about those things. Just because you learned about it five years ago doesn't mean you're gonna remember it in that moment when you need it.
Breyanna Willett (17:25):
Definitely.
Amy Wilson (17:26):
And so those, between those, those two things, but that, that mental health piece is, is so crucial.
Amy Wilson (17:38):
Um, and, and I and I watch it pop up time and time again.
Breyanna Willett (17:42):
I think especially, you know, for people who are newly diagnosed, I think, you know, we have a tendency to kind of self isolate and just until we can kind of accept where we are, and I feel like that's the biggest time to have a good support system. You know, have people that you can reach out to, to not isolate yourself. You know.
Amy Wilson (18:05):
I would probably add the other piece that I see, and, and I'm gonna try to tread carefully here, is with as much good intention as our friends, our loved ones have is they, they can sometimes be detrimental in, in that safety aspect where they might be the ones isolating us or gate keeping the information, or where they might be the ones that are coming up and grabbing us, or we're trying to advocate for ourselves to them, and they're not listening.
Amy Wilson (18:51):
Those are the things that can be, be the toughest. I've heard those stories time and time again, I've dealt with it myself and past relationships I've had where I've tried to say to a significant other, I, I don't appreciate you doing this. This is not okay. And they don't, they don't want to listen for x, y, and z reasons. Uh, and, and, and it's hard because in your mind you're like, well, they're supposed to care about me, but they're doing this. And as a newly blind person, that's tough to wrap your head around. And it's even tougher when you are new and people can't handle it and people will walk outta your life and just go, well, you're blind. I'm, I'm not dealing with that anymore. That is, that, that is truly, truly tough. I, I've been there, I went, you know, when I, when I was first diagnosed, I, I was a fairly popular kid.
Amy Wilson (20:03):
I did all the sports and, you know, cheerleading and this, that and the other, you know, on top of the dirt bike riding. And I went to having a friend, nobody wanted to talk to me. It was like, I was contagious. And, and, and it's, it's a, it's a very hard pill to, to swallow. And that's where, I guess I kind of go back to that, as tough as it is there, it, it's, I'm so glad we have technology now to where you could reach out. There are blindness organizations. There are tons of people in the blindness space that, that want to help you. Uh, it, it's just a matter of connecting with the, the right people. That's what I would say on that.
Breyanna Willett (20:53):
Yeah. Especially, you know, I feel like connecting with people who also can understand what you're going through is also important.
Breyanna Willett (21:01):
You know, have the actual experience of having gone through, you know, what you're going through helps a lot as well.
New Speaker (21:09):
And, and if they're not connecting with you, like say you're talking to somebody and you're like, you know what, I'm not connected with this person, then move on, find somebody else. Like, don't like, 'cause they're you, you will find your tribe that I struggled for so long trying to connect with people. And it's like, and I was getting upset because I was so eager to like people please or to find my tribe. And now I'm to the point where I, I, I feel like I've, you know, found my, my people or created my, my tribe. But you know, when, when you are in that space where you do feel isolated, you keep wanting to hang on to people that are, are not necessarily good for your safety because you, you feel like you need those people. So, yeah.
Breyanna Willett (22:05):
So kind of <inaudible>, I guess my next question is, you know, what advice do you have for people in our community that, you know, have to travel alone, you know, especially at night? Do you have any advice for people that do that?
Amy Wilson (22:23):
When it comes to traveling alone at night, I would say there's probably a, a few, few different things. Uh, rapid fire things that I tend to say, just in general traveling purposes would be to always have a backup battery pack. Because you never know when your phone's gonna die. Traveling with a backup cane. They have these great micro mini canes that, that you can have. Telescoping canes are great for backup canes 'cause they can slide into backpacks, things like that. Um, the micro minis will actually even slide into small purses for, for the ladies out there, or even pockets for the, for the gentlemen.
Amy Wilson (23:17):
Then having small, small amounts of cash on you is, is ideal too. You can put 'em in the, in in your phone case if you don't, if maybe you don't have like a see through case or something like that. Or keeping 'em, keeping it somewhere on you, then those are my three.
Breyanna Willett (23:36):
Always be prepared.
Amy Wilson (23:38):
Yeah. Yes. Yep, yep. Because cash is king, no matter where you're at. You throw somebody a 5 or 10 or something like that, it, it definitely helps out.
Breyanna Willett (23:46):
Definitely.
Amy Wilson (23:48):
One of the things that I recommend flashlights, now people are probably thinking, you know, wait, wait a minute. She's saying flashlight, like, I'm blind. That's crazy. I actually have a flashlight that hangs off my cane. And I use it for personal safety because just because I'm blind doesn't mean that the other person doesn't, you know, you know, like you can use it to blind them until you've decided that they're safe.
Amy Wilson (24:18):
And you can, you know, be like, all right, I'll turn the flashlight off. Type of type of situation. So that's, that's something that we, we recommend. But there are probably 50 different suggestions. I've heard of people wearing a vest. People having different different things on their cane. Lights. This, that or the other. But ultimately it is whatever you feel comfortable with, safety positive foundation, we are all about choices. And it is whatever you feel comfortable in, in your choices, we can, we can give you tons and tons of different options that you can, you can choose from. And everybody feels different in, in their, in their choices. But my number one thing that I would probably scream on the rooftop says is always go with your gut. If you are traveling somewhere and you start having your spidey sense, your gut to start to, to go, wait a minute, this does not feel right.
Amy Wilson (25:34):
Please, please, please listen to that. It has been built in us for a long time and you need to, you need to listen to that. So many people have have told me where they didn't listen to it and it, it put 'em down a wrong path. And so that, that is a big one right there. Um, and another one would be, no is a complete sentence. If you're telling, you know, somebody's trying to assist you and you don't, you know, you're like, no. Like you don't have to explain to 'em why you don't want the help. You don't gotta go into the backstory. Like no is a complete sentence. Uh, and so that's, those are, I guess, yeah, all my off top thoughts.
Breyanna Willett (26:26):
I think, you know, that's important for people to both know and understand, uh, on both ends. Um, you know, on the giving end and receiving end, just in general <laugh>.
Amy Wilson (26:40):
Yes. Yes. And, and that currently safety positive. We're, we're actually our whole month is dedicated to consent and boundaries. 'cause it's such a big topic that I get very passionate about, um, on the No, as a complete sentence.
Breyanna Willett (26:58):
Yeah.
Breyanna Willett (27:00):
All right. Do you have, what do you think is your biggest piece of advice for people just generally in our community?
Amy Wilson (27:14):
Besides, my know is a complete sentence. Biggest piece of advice is you're allowed to be treated with dignity and respect.
Breyanna Willett (27:25):
That's a good one. Definitely.
Amy Wilson (27:27):
Yeah. It's something that I don't think we're, we hear enough. I know when I heard bits about a year and a half ago, maybe we're getting closer to two years now, but, uh, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I had somebody told me, I was like, excuse me. That's, that's not something that the disabled community is hearing. And it was actually a sighted individual who told me it. And, and they were like, uh, do what? And I was like, yeah, this is not a message we are hearing. And they were like, well, you should. And I was like, well, I agree, but this is not <laugh>. This is not a message we are, we are getting over here.
Amy Wilson (28:13):
And so it, it's, it's one of those that, again, since we, we launched, I, I have been screaming it from the rooftops because we're just, we're we're, we're not told. And, and, and we, we are so allowed to be treated with dignity and respect. We, people shouldn't be putting their hands on us. People should be talking to us, you know, like equals and not be talking to us like we're toddlers.
Breyanna Willett (28:46):
Absolutely right.
Amy Wilson (28:48):
And, and, and things like that. So yeah. I I I, I get very, again, very passionate on, on that, that that particular topic. But if you have not been told that for those that are listening, you are allowed to be treated with dignity and respect.
Breyanna Willett (29:09):
Absolutely. Yes. Definitely. <laugh>. So we've been talking about, you know, some pretty, you know, heavy but important things. Over the last couple days, you know, I've just kind of been scouring like your website and stuff, and I came across your little, like, I guess info bar just about, you know, your experiences and stuff like that. And I just wanted to talk about your wrestling because I, that that is incredible. So could you just talk on that just a little bit?
Amy Wilson (29:41):
Sure. So when I was at Missouri School for the Blind, I became their first ladies wrestler. And that was, that was definitely interesting because this was back in 1996 when, you know, ladies weren't wrestling. It was not a, not a thing. And they, they had some, some issues around it. But I, I like to think I did, did all right. As I said, I was, I was very much a tomboy and, you know, wrestled with my cousins and did all right for myself. But that led me into where I ended up being on the United States Association, um, of blind athletes, first women's judo team in 1998. Um, I want to say I have the date right and com and competed in the world Championships for the Blind. So that was.
Breyanna Willett (30:45):
Awesome.
Amy Wilson (30:46):
Yeah, that was, that was very exciting at the age of 16. And so I've, you know, between the, you know, the wrestling and the judo background, kind of, kind of similar, you have to throw people around more with judo. But I, I love both, both sports and have, uh, you know, I, I feel blessed that I was able to, to do both of them. Unfortunately. Go ahead.
Breyanna Willett (31:14):
Do you think that, you think that's kind of where your passion for, you know, self-defense and safety and stuff kind of bloomed from?
Amy Wilson (31:25):
I think it was a combination of that. The reason I had to quit Juno is it affected my vision. And that's where, when I got involved in the blind community about 10 years ago, I started learning more about where people in the blind community didn't have access to self-defense and martial arts. Because, you know, if they took a hit to the head, you know, with it, it would, you know, could cause permanent blindness and and things. And I'm like, wait a minute. So I'm not the only one here. People, you know, people want to learn self-defense? And I think that's what really got me fired up to start learning, you know, how can you know, how can I get more training in this and how can I offer it to other people? 'cause I, I mean, I knew I had my skills, but I, I'm, I'm very much a, you know, how can I serve others person?
Amy Wilson (32:32):
And, and I wanted to, to be able to offer that. I never in a million years thought I would be doing what I'm doing. Um, apparently other people did, but I never thought I would be leading my own organization.
Breyanna Willett (32:48):
Well, you're doing an incredible job and you know, you're touching so many lives and changing so many lives. It's awesome to hear <laugh> and to see and experience, you know.
Amy Wilson (32:59):
Thank you very much.
Breyanna Willett (33:01):
So, on that note, kind of just as we're wrapping up here, where can people, you know, find you and you know more about the foundation?
Amy Wilson (33:12):
So you can learn more about us on our website at safetypositivefdn.org. That is safety positive, F as in Fox, D as in dog, N as in neighbor at.org. And we also have our YouTube channel and our Facebook page. We've got some other social media platforms created. We just haven't been posting on 'em as much, but we have claimed domains on just about everything. You can also find me on TikTok as Blind Amy and trying to think. And then of course, as I said at the beginning, you can find me on social media as Amy SP Wilson. 'cause there's tons of Amy Wilson's out there, and I just had to throw in some, some abbreviations there. But that's where you can learn more about us. You can also sign up for our, our newsletter and you can also sign up for our Safety Positive Guide, where you can get that access to 24/7 resources and training with us as well.
Breyanna Willett (34:24):
Beautiful. Luisa, do you have anything for Amy before we let her go?
Luisa Recchia (34:31):
Uh, yeah. Amy, this has been fabulous. Thank you. Thank you so much for what you're doing to the community and with the community and, and your story is just fantastic. I have a question in regards to if there's a specific moment or interaction you might have had with an audience, your, you know, one of your audience members that actually stands out to you. Uh, anything that has stood out to you on, on this journey that you can share?
Amy Wilson (35:00):
Um, so yes, that there's, there's a student who, who actually is turned into a volunteer and has, has kind of become one of, one of my favorite testimonials. I've got, I've got a few, but last year when it was after we launched, I, I actually went through some mental health challenges that I've been pretty, pretty open about.
Amy Wilson (35:25):
But I had to give a presentation and I was not, I was not on my game at least I didn't feel like I was. But for this individual, it, it was game changing for, for him. And he immediately just latched onto it. And he was new to blindness within a couple years. Didn't really feel like what he had found was really connecting with him. Was, was really looking for something and felt like the presentation I gave was just everything he was wanting for and more. And started attending our tea times and, you know, within a few months start, you know, ask, ask me like, Hey, can I volunteer with you and the foundation? I wanna be able to, to try to, you know, do something. And I'm like, well, yeah, I, I guess like, you know, maybe, maybe we could use some volunteers and has stepped up and become, you know, part part of the, you know, what we call the, um, you know, the, the internal team and now is, you know, leading some of our tea times and has just really bloomed as a, as an individual feels more confident in their, in their blindness, has learned more resources and just, it, it's been quite, quite beautiful.
Amy Wilson (37:08):
And I just feel blessed that in that moment of me feeling, you know, like I didn't have my stuff together, was able to inspire, inspire somebody else. And, and me and him have, have talked about it and he goes, you couldn't even tell you were fine. Like, you, you were so on, on your game. And I'm like, okay, like <laugh>, there's, there's a method to the madness as we like to call it's safety positive foundation. And, and there's been others that have, you know, been, been a part of tea times and have gotten involved in other ways. And this individual is just another one of those examples that, you know, started in, in one way and has just grown and evolved and become part of the, become part of the crew. So that.
Luisa Recchia (38:07):
Wow. Wow. That's, you know, we never know the life that we will touch.
Luisa Recchia (38:14):
So you were there for him and you didn't even know it until after. Right? So we never know whose lives we're gonna touch. It's, it's not about us, it's about who we're there to serve. That's awesome. Oh, thank you for sharing that story.
Amy Wilson (38:29):
And, and, and I, I, I try to remember that every time because he shared that with me. Like the days that I'm like, I don't feel like I got it with it with me. I just remember like, you don't know who you are gonna serve in this moment. So it's not about you, it's about the people you're, you're there to serve. So. Yep, exactly.
Luisa Recchia (38:52):
Wonderful. Yeah. So and on that note, how can listeners, 'cause I'm sure there's someone listening today, can support the advocacy work that you're doing.
Amy Wilson (39:04):
Um, you can get involved, you know, besides becoming a student, of course, you know, we're a not-for-profit.
Amy Wilson (39:13):
You can always, always donate that. That's pretty much primarily how we get our funding is, is individual donations or, you know, helping us to spread the word, you know, get, getting us out there, uh, with connecting us with other organizations. If you're part of an organization, you're like, man, they, they really need to learn about this organization. Like, help us to, to, to spread the word and 'cause we're, we're always happy to connect with people and, and, and, and make sure that more people can be safety positive in their life.
Luisa Recchia (39:50):
Very good. Thank you so much. Thank you Amy again for being with us. And just before we close, Breyanna, I'll let you put a close to this, uh, podcast and allow Amy to also share her website one more time or, or how folks can reach out to Amy and learn more about your services and your program.
Luisa Recchia (40:12):
Thank you so much, Amy.
Amy Wilson (40:14):
You're welcome.
Breyanna Willett (40:17):
All right, so one more time for people that may have missed it the first time, where can they find you and more about your foundation?
Amy Wilson (40:26):
So social media wise, you can find us on platforms at Safety Positive Foundation, and our website is safetypositivefdn.org. Again, that website is safetypositivefdn, that's foundation for short, so F as in Fox, D as in dog, N as in neighbor.org. You can also reach out to us via email at info@safetypositivefdn.org. You can also call us at (660) 441-1907. That number is 6 6 0 4 4 1 1 9 0 7.
Breyanna Willett (41:18):
Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on and just opening our eyes to the world, you know, of personal safety and just being able to, you know, be confident in who you are and to, you know, make sure that yourself is safe. Um, I hope to have you back, you know, I would love to talk, I'm sure there's so much more <laugh> to talk about.
Amy Wilson (41:41):
Anytime. Anytime. Absolutely. I'm, I'm happy to talk personal safety anytime with anybody because I, you can ask, ask my friends and my loved ones. I, I, I get on a, a bit of a tangent, so <laugh>.
Breyanna Willett (41:55):
Awesome. Well, thank you so much.
Amy Wilson (41:57):
Not a problem. I, I will end with my classic ending, ending statement of keep it safe, keep it positive, keep it safety positive.
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