“Bill and Linda Day” at Busch Gardens

This is a New Year's resolution I was determined to keep. Thanks to you, as a Q105 DJ I get to experience some really cool moments. I get to go on stage at a packed Amalie Arena every year and introduce all those dance club legends I grew up listening to at Freestyle Explosion. I get to do loads of events with the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a kid, I wanted so bad to be a hockey player... but my lack of athleticism kind of squashed that. But a new opportunity last year that landed on my desk has become a chance for me to give back to an organization that helped me stay on the right track in life so I can experience all these cool things that come with being a radio DJ. Who are Bill and Linda? I am an only child of a single parent. My parents divorced before I got to know my father. But that was a good thing. The guy had serious demons and my mother did all she could to protect me from them... yet still didn't speak negatively about him. My mother was a great mother and father for me. When people ask what it was like to not have a dad, I always felt like it was like asking if I missed my 3rd arm. I never had one so I didn't really miss it. My mother was a great mother and father for me... she's the one who woke up at 4am to take me to hockey practice. And she was the one who'd be on my case if I didn't give 100% in a game. But she always felt an unnecessary guilt for my not having a male role model. When I was around 10 or 11, she signed me up to be a part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. I got matched with Bill Thomas, a carpenter and real salt of the Earth kind of guy. Bill and I did guy stuff - we built things, went fishing and things like that. The big thing is he was consistently there. With the BB/BS program, it's about spending that quality time and being a reliable presence. Bill was that and more. As I got older, we lost touch as I went to college in Boston and then embarked on my radio career which has taken me as far as California. But I always looked back on those times fondly... and as an adult, I realize what a positive influence Bill had on me. It's been about 40 years since then. I'm a big procrastinator. But as they say better late than never! It's time to give back to Big Brothers Big Sisters. And I'm super thankful that one of our sponsors Busch Gardens is helping me launch "Bill and Linda Day." Who's Linda? Linda is Bill's wife... who he met at a Big Brothers Big Sisters event all those years ago. She was a Big Sister. Bill and Linda been together ever since. Busch Gardens Ambassador Busch Gardens has named me as Q105's Ambassador to the park. That means I get to bring in four guests. As soon as I got my ambassador card, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program was my first thought. I reached out to the Tampa chapter. Sarah and Kate from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay worked quickly with me to launch Bill and Linda Day. Every month, they're going to set me up to meet a Big Brother, Little Brother, Big Sister and Little Sister to enjoy a day at Busch Gardens. I'm super excited to meet a new generation of Bills and Lindas to thank them personally for what they are doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjKGN13imZ0 Above is a video from a Facebook Live I did to share the news with Bill and Linda. Linda knew I was honoring Bill but I asked her to keep it as a surprise. She told him they'd be on a video conference call but Bill didn't know I'd be the one on the other end. What Linda didn't know is this is just as much to honor her too. It was great to catch up with them. Sarah from Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Tampa Bay joined us with some great insight about the program and how it's evolved since my days as a Little Brother in the 80s. I made this offer in the video. If seeing this inspires you to become a Big Brother or Big Sister, let me know. I will personally see to it that you and your little you match with have your own Bill and Linda day at Busch Gardens. Thanks to all the "Bigs" who give their time... this 6'4" "little" appreciates you!