Cody Vance was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease “at a very young age,” and it changed his life in some major ways, he said.
Now a professional wrestler with All-Elite Wrestling known as Pres10 Vance, that’s why he jumps at opportunities to work with children, he said, especially those who are sick.
“I was in and out of hospitals a lot as a kid,” Vance said. “Wrestling was my escape, so I love being an escape to kids that are going through similar situations or worse situations.”
So he didn’t hesitate when Melissa Cervantes, a fellow AEW star called Thunder Rosa, asked if he wanted to head to Oak Forest to be part of a Project Fire Buddies event she was organizing last week.
“I feel like we have such a large platform, so you can use it for the benefit of others,” Vance said. “I love doing this stuff.”
Project Fire Buddies is a charitable organization that sends firetrucks and firefighters to the homes of children suffering from serious illnesses, buys gifts they might not otherwise receive, and organizes special events for families. It was founded in Oak Forest by firefighter Kurt DeGroot, who’s now the organization’s CEO, and has since expanded to 10 other departments and districts in the south suburbs.
On Sept. 2, Project Fire Buddies welcomed five All-Elite Wrestling stars — including Sammy Guevara, Ricky Starks and Capt. Shawn Dean — to Oak Forest Fire Station No. 1 to meet families and firefighters, sign autographs, mingle and take photos. Oak Forest’s Doug’s Dogs and Windy City Ice Cream provided free food for the families as well.
DeGroot said the whole thing came about after he appeared on the Chicago’s Bravest Stories podcast. Steven Herling, the Chicago firefighter/paramedic behind the podcast, also is a wrestling fan. He spread word of the organization, and it reached Cervantes. The wrestler called DeGroot out of the blue one day while he was at his son’s baseball tournament to offer her support.
“It was a shocking moment but an incredible moment,” DeGroot said. “It was unbelievable.”
Cervantes said Project Fire Buddies caught her attention because worked as a social worker in the San Francisco Bay Area for roughly eight years before becoming a professional wrestler, so the youth-focused cause hit close to home.
“More than donations or anything, they needed to be seen by the world,” Cervantes said. “Working with kids, teenagers and young adults has always been something I enjoy doing, and influencing them in a positive way is just very magical. You will always leave a positive image in their lives, even when everything is really dark.”
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DeGroot said the opportunity was appealing, in part because several children in the organization are AEW fans. And Cervantes’ attitude toward the organization alleviated any doubts DeGroot had about whether or not it would all come together.
“When you hear of people wanting to help out organizations, you always have that fear there’s not going to be a follow-through,” DeGroot said. “With her, she was constantly in contact — texting me, calling me, talking to (AEW executives) Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes, Tony Khan about it. It was incredible. … She’s embraced it. Honestly, she’s our biggest cheerleader.”
During last week’s meet and greet, Cervantes’ Thunder Rosa wandered the station, meeting with families and learning their stories. She said those interactions are among the most rewarding aspects of her work.
“You get to know so many different people that you will probably never meet if you just stay in your hotel room or you just do the wrestling part,” she said.
Among the people she met was Hannah Nowinski, of Oak Forest, who painted half her face and donned an AEW shirt for her photo op with the wrestler. Theresa Nowinski said it was one of many great things Project Fire Buddies has done for her daughter Hannah.
“They’ve helped her so much,” Theresa Nowinski said.
Caleb McKillip, of New Lenox, spent the afternoon getting autographs and taking photos with the wrestlers. He listed several AEW performers among his favorite wrestlers.
“It’s honestly really cool,” McKillip said. “I never thought I’d get to meet them. They’re really nice. It’s a fun experience.”
Mike McKillip, Caleb’s father, added, “His goal is to become a professional wrestler. It’s a really nice thing for him to be able to meet the people he watches on TV.”
For wrestler Capt. Shawn Dean, who grew up in Chicago, working with the children and using AEW’s platform to boost Project Fire Buddies was the fulfillment of a promise to himself.
“I always said if I ever got to the point I’m at now, I always wanted to give back to the community,” Dean said. “With AEW, we come into the communities and do so much stuff with our talent, but it’s important to give back to the community, as well. With as much as we take away with having people at our shows and everything like that, it’s important to give back.”
His colleague Ricky Starks said he joined the group at the fire station because he shares that passion.
“I like the in-ring stuff. That’s fun and all, but actually getting to know people and the fans is way more important to me. I feel like it makes a lasting effect,” he said.
Starks added he wanted to be a firefighter as a child, so working with a fire department was particularly cool for him. DeGroot let him and the other wrestlers hop in and climb on top of a fire engine. Starks and Vance checked out the Jaws of Life tool, while Thunder Rosa and Sammy Guevara got a feel for the firefighters’ gear.
DeGroot said in addition to the appearances at the station, AEW gave Project Fire Buddies tickets to take families to its live “Dynamite” show in Hoffman Estates.
“I’m overwhelmed,” he said of the wrestlers’ support. “This is cool.”
Parker and Lincoln Alex, 1 and 3 respectively, of Oak Forest, are too young to be wrestling fans just yet, mother Ashley Alex said. But they still had fun at last week’s event, sitting on the back of a fire engine and eating ice cream bars together. Lincoln is a Fire Buddy, and the organization held a birthday parade for him right after he got out of the hospital, Ashley said.
“It’s been amazing,” she said. “It really just helps him smile, and it’s been something to take everybody’s mind off of everything.”
Fire Buddy Koen Guest also enjoyed the festivities. His mother, Noel, said she cannot say enough about the things DeGroot and his organization have done for her family.
“They are the most amazing organization,” she said. “They bring a lot of happiness in hard situations and sad situations. For families like ours that are dealing with complex medical issues, they are always bringing happiness.
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.