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A Message From the Director
My lovely wife Nicole can’t watch commercials on TV that involve animals that are hurting. You know the ones that show a dog shivering in the cold while being chained to a doghouse covered in snow. She loves animals. She will cover her head and ears until the commercial is over. Marketing experts target people like my wife. Some people feel the same way when they see small children rummaging through huge piles or trash presumably looking for food. Their hearts break when they see these poor children suffering.
I heard something in church this weekend that stopped me in my tracks. It took my breath away and made me feel the same way as my wife feels when those commercials about suffering dogs come on. Except I was in church. I couldn’t turn down the volume or cover my head. I had to listen to the preacher talk and he said something that we all need to hear. He asked, “What breaks YOUR heart?”. So, for those of you who may have missed it today, what breaks your heart? What is in your life that is so powerful that it causes you to cover your head, cover your ears or get out and do something to help? For me it is seeing our military veterans suffer. Our men and women who volunteered to serve our great country then leave the service only to be treated like the dogs or children in these commercials. For the past eight years I have had the honor of working with some of the finest volunteers as we serve our veteran community. Every day I see our warriors in pain and struggling needlessly. Last week I helped deliver food to a former Marine, a young kid, who was in a very dark place. He was one of dozens of veterans who we served over the past few weeks.
But I also get to see the other side. I get to see what happens when these proud men and women who served selflessly and now need our help, gain their resiliency back, rediscover who they are and what their purpose is. As painful as it is to see them at the beginning of the journey, it is an equally powerful emotion to see them strong again. It’s hard to put into words for those who have not experienced it. If seeing or knowing that our veterans are struggling alone, in pain, with no one to help them breaks your heart, GOOD! It should.
According to the Veteran’s Administration (VA), There are over 178,000 veterans living within a 30-mile radius of Fayette County GA. The VA states that nearly 40% of them are struggling to some degree. You can help. We have many ways to volunteer. Simply click the volunteer button below and someone from our team will contact you. If you prefer to donate, please click on the donate button and it will take you to our secure website so you can help us continue with our mission.
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