America Deserves A Raise

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Ever since the age of 14, Ben has dedicated his life to helping others in one capacity or another. Mature beyond his years, he became a volunteer firefighter at age 14, an EMS provider at age 16 and began dispatching emergency calls at age 17. 

Currently he is a husband and a father trying to make ends meet. He left dispatching after 15 years to pursue an opportunity to improve public safety communication systems with development of advanced radio infrastructure. Unfortunately this company had financial difficulties and laid off many people, including Ben. He was off work for 1 ½ years when finally he found, applied for, and was hired back into his old career – 911 dispatching.

Many communities and public safety responders have made comment that they are relieved to hear his voice on the radio again. knowing he will do his best to keep everyone involved in the emergency informed and safe. Ben really enjoys being back in his old career, but the pay is not enough to support his family of 5. He is constantly taking overtime shifts to try to pay for things they need, and juggles bills each month.

Ben does all this with a smile, and always has praise for his co-workers. He works without complaint, helps cover shifts for people who need time off, and even volunteers to take on extra projects, such as interactive burn permit information databases, even though he knows this is way above his job description and that he won’t get paid any extra. He does this because he wants to help make things better and easier for others.

Ben plays music as a hobby, but for him to truly enjoy his hobby, he shares his talents with others. He Djs for all sorts of personal events, (weddings, parties, etc,) and rarely collects money for his services. He volunteers his time and equipment for the local school’s annual talent show, Father/Daughter dance, and anything else they ask him for help with. The man is passionate about helping others without expectation of compensation.

Ben not only deserves a raise for the sacrifices he has made for his community, but for the sacrifices he has made for his family. His girls miss him tremendously when he is working many hours and they even fight to stay wake until midnight just so they can catch a glimpse of their daddy when he gets home from work.

A $40,000 raise would enable him to buy that swing set he wants for his girls. He could turn down a few overtime shifts so he can spend more time with his family, replace some of his older DJ equipment so he can continue to provide quality sound support, and finally get ahead in his bills.

This man deserves that raise!