Retired detective says Answering the Call raised $8,700 at event, aided two Kansas City–area first-responder families

Ronnie Dummit, a retired detective with the Lee's Summit Police Department and executive director of the nonprofit Answering the Call, told meeting attendees that the group’s recent fundraiser brought in "a little over $8,700" and that those proceeds were used to help two separate first-responder families.

Dummit said Answering the Call focuses on police, fire and paramedics in the Kansas City metro area who suffer severe, sometimes catastrophic injuries or who are diagnosed with rare and aggressive illnesses. "In 2025, our foundation alone donated $296,000 back to first responders in Kansas and Missouri," he said, and added that the organization’s typical donation to a case is $5,000.

Dummit described being selected as the evening’s recipient by peers and community members as "very humbling." He said the event lasted about an hour to an hour and a half and that the proceeds provided immediate assistance to families in need. No formal vote or board action was recorded in the transcript during his remarks.

Dummit’s comments highlighted the local nonprofit’s fundraising and grant activity and the direct, short-term impact those funds can have on first responders and their families. The presentation did not include details on individual recipients or a breakdown of how the $296,000 in 2025 grants was allocated between Kansas and Missouri.