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Georgia CHEP, Inc. Georgia CHEP is a member of the American Evaluation Association & The American Society for Training and Development
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Soldier On A Project for Homeless Veterans Founded by Pace Tyson, August, 2009
During the summer of 2009 a young man had the opportunity to volunteer at his local VA Medical Center. He grew to better understand the sacrifices these men and women had made for their country and wanted to learn more. He attended a training session in New Orleans aimed at equipping staff at homeless veteran shelters to better serve our nation’s heroes. Here he learned a great deal about the complexities of homelessness among our nation’s veterans, and he searched for a way he could help.
When he returned home he founded a program called “Soldier On” to benefit these men and women. With only an idea on a sheet of paper, he began. He challenged his friends and neighbors to search their attics for items they no longer used. Using his own money, he rented a storage building and began collecting used furniture, clothing, linens, dishes, appliances and other household goods. In less than two years he has created and distributed flyers, recruited volunteers, and collected over $17,000 in goods and donations. Pace spends many weekends picking up items, cataloging them and taking them to the storage facility. He is working with veterans’ groups to distribute the items to homeless veterans in his area.
Pace believes that the VA is doing an excellent job in getting homeless veterans off the streets and into transitional or permanent housing. His goal is to help the veteran who has completed a VA program, found a job, and rented a house or apartment by providing household goods, thereby giving him or her a boost as they learn to live on their own again.
He is available to speak at churches or civic groups and would welcome your ideas or donations. If you are interested in this project, please contact us at mtyson@progressivetel.com. All donations are tax-deductible. |
Last modified: 04/28/11 |