People You Should Know-Toby Thomas- In Being a Good Dude that’s Changing Lives

Entertainment, News — By Buddy Sampson on July 23, 2022 at 8:00 am

By Buddy Sampson

In today’s media blown world, philanthropy, for those that have means, are part of the world of publicity, showing up at missions across the country on Thanksgiving and Christmas with cameras clicking, and the swirl of attention on them, enhancing their public image with peripheral care about the disadvantaged. Those celebrities abound in the entertainment and financial industry. And then you meet a true philanthropist, a real hero, just a good dude, that even without means, would go out of his way to help a stranger, just because it’s the right thing to do. Those philanthropists, the unheralded ones, that dare to defy convention are the real heroes in our communities, because they operate mostly in anonymity, only getting attention when prodded. Toby Thomas is one of those guys, a good dude, that if you meet him on the street would greet you with a handshake and a smile.

Toby Thomas, sometimes donned in much of the attire of his area in Oklahoma, with a cowboy hat and boots, is not your typical or average philanthropist. He continually gives back to his and other communities by holding events for veterans, children, individuals and disadvantaged youth at his ranch in Oklahoma, Battle Springs Ranch. As far as him helping the human condition in Oklahoma? “Here’s what’s funny, I didn’t realize we were doing that,” laughed Toby Thomas, always unassuming.

He recounted the story of growing up in a little small town in Texas, where racism wasn’t tolerated. “In my town, if you were a racist, bully or an idiot, you didn’t have any friends. There was no room for that.” So, for Toby Thomas, crossing racial lines to help others is no big deal for this good dude.

In an episode of a new exciting series, “Changing Lives,” with the assistance of Associate Producer Joy Parris and Producer Suzanne De Laurentiis, Toby reached out and brought a man from Compton, California, Kenneth Slack, to his ranch, for healing after he lost his family home and five family members (his mother, two brothers, his niece and his sister) in a tragic fire in October of 2021. The episode, a tear-jerker, bridges two radically different communities together in a poignant manner and is a must see.

The show, a pilot, is in the early stages of distribution, but it is a groundbreaking show that will capture hearts and minds. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, he led a rescue team during Hurricane Harvey and donated a slew of resources for rescue and humanitarian efforts. Working on that effort, he even had members of the armed services working with him. His family was astonished. “Toby’s on CNN,” he laughed, recounting what his family said about him.  He had saved 300 people in one day. Impressive. His leadership on the project garnered him a bigger role. “We ended up taking over all the operations for Hurricane Harvey,” he said. “It was me and three buddies.”

As a child he lived in several cities in West Texas, including Austin, San Antonio, Abilene, Luling, Dallas and Silver Springs, among others. His dad, who was in government, had a position that required his family to move frequently. “Some of the towns I grew up in were pretty rough,” said Toby. “A town I moved to at the time was a drug hub in Texas, right between Austin, San Antonio and San Marcus, close to I-35, so in terms of coming from Mexico, there were three towns, Luling, Cuero and Gonzales. Cuero and Gonzales were run by the Bloods and Luling was ran by The Crips. Those organizations were very powerful. So, here’s this little white kid going into an area that was gang infested. And all my friends were in gangs.”

He recalled an incident at a school where he assumed, as a white kid in an area of color he’d be attacked. “I walked up to school and a big circle gathered around me and I said, ‘here we go,’ I’m about to get beat up,” he remembered. “A guy walks up to me, got real close to me, gave me a hug and walked off.” He found out later that the guy was the head of the Crips and he was protected. Puzzled, he asked why. “It was because what you and your family do,” he said.  Turns out his father was respected in Luling because instead of taking great jobs in better areas, his dad wanted to make a difference and help rough cities to improve as City Manager.

So, although he grew up in a middle-class family, he learned quickly how to adapt to various environments, cultures and ways of life, which rounded him, and shaped his desire to help others because he knows communities, not looking from the outside, but from the inside. Later, he attended Baylor University, where he not only studied, but worked as a bartender. He ran several businesses in managerial roles, and was soon recruited by several corporations because of his tremendous business acumen, turning around companies and making them profitable. He later became a widely respected advisor on acquisitions and mergers, which helped him to amass his considerable success.

Recently, Toby Thomas has gotten involved in the effort to help Ukrainian refugees, helping women and children affected by the crisis, constructing a village for them. “There’s some very good people there,” he said. “The trauma these children are having- if we can put them in a safe place and we can have child psychologists that can help them through that, you’re stopping some of that progression of trauma.”

Toby Thomas serves on several boards and committees and has been an advisor on businesses, which include mergers and acquisitions. But despite being accomplished and successful, Toby always looks for ways to grow. “I’m still working on things every single day to improve myself,” said Toby Thomas. But in terms of giving, Toby has a simple philosophy. “I teach people how to fish,” said Toby. “I think we can make a difference, if we can bridge one gap, if we can get families talking, we can change things. I’m a vessel and I just want to do what God wants me to do.” Yep, just a good ‘ol dude.

Because Toby Thomas truly cares about helping others, no matter what their background, his positive impact on Changing Lives and him just being a good dude, Toby Thomas is One of the People You Should Know.