If there’s one word that describes Charles, it’s sacrificial.
Not only did he serve in the military – willingly risking his life in a field artillery unit of the Army – but he sacrificed again and again for people in his life he loved.
When his wife divorced him, he gave her the condo and the car. When his mom had a stroke, he went to her side to care for her.
Just when his mom was settled at a care facility and he was coming up to the Northwest for a fishing job, he got dangerously sick himself. His blood pressure spiked. He was at risk of having a stroke at any moment.
He lost his job opportunity. He had no home. His mom couldn’t help him. He knew he had some veterans’ benefits, but wasn’t sure the best way to navigate the system.
Desperate to stay off the street, he began searching for shelters.
“I got directions for how to get to the Mission on the bus, and I came here. . .Since I’ve been here, they’ve looked out for me since day one,” Charles shares.
“They connected me with Uriel, the veterans’ counselor. He’s helped me a million and one ways . . . including helping me find a job.”
With a roof over his head, food in his stomach, his health restored, and the support of other veterans and counselors, Charles was able to move forward.
He found a ton of job opportunities and was hired at one that’s a great fit. And the people there helped him get housing right next door to his job!
Plus, he has a new-found community of friends and support. A community he wouldn’t have without friends like you making the Veterans’ Room possible.
“You get to grow, you get to learn more about other vets,” Charles explains. “We talk to each other about military, about things we did, and about our life, where we come from and so forth. And we always have that military comradery. We always have that respect for each other, and we do things together, as a group.”
That comradery – that brotherhood – is what the military is based on, and it’s exactly what people like Charles will find at the Mission if we can keep this program going.
“Give from your heart. Give whatever you can,” Charles says passionately.
“Your donation is going to help us move on to a regular life, off the street, off drugs and alcohol, off of dependency. Give so that we can get back to being participants in the community . . . We need a hand up. And sometimes, we can’t do it for ourselves. We have to rely on others.”
Veterans have done so much for us. Let’s come together and do something for them!
You can give a gift today to help these courageous neighbors at trm.org/Donate.
