Why You Should Support Woody’s Home for Veterans during Give for Good

The Community Foundation's annual 'Give for Good' day is Tuesday, May 7 and this is why I thing you should support Woody's Home for Veterans.

If you're not familiary with the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, it's a philanthropy that was established in 1961 with the express purpose of bringing people and resources together to solve problems and enhance our community. Since they're inception, the foundation has awarded over $80 million in grants to local non profit organizations.

One of the ways they secure the funds to help our community is through their annual Give for Good Campaign. The day is truly an event... In the span of just 24 hours, they raise record amounts of money. Last year alone, $1,876,807 was raised through 9,023 donations that were in turn given to 205 local organizations. This year's event is Tuesday, May 7th, 2019, but you don't have to wait, you can schedule your donation now by clicking here. 

So why am I asking you to consider supporting Woody's Home for Veterans during Give for Good? As a media personality, I come in contact with a ton of different non profits and other community organizations. Leading up to Give for Good this week, I've decided to highlight some of the programs I am really passionate about.

There are two ways to Give for Good. You can either select the specific organization you would like to support or your donation can go into the 'Langiappe' fund, which will then be distributed to the participating groups.

The mission of Woody's Home for Veterans is to help as many veterans as possible who suffer from mental health issues and give them a place to call home. Woody's was founded by Dr. Ronald Key in honor of his late father and other veterans like him in 2003.

Here's what Dr. Key has to say about Woody's:

Our veterans are the forgotten ones. Most remember and support the veterans who return from overseas with an obvious handicap. Our residents came back from their time of service with deep wounds not necessarily visible to the naked eye. Conditions such as (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression, both brought about by the horrors of combat, can be devastating and permanently alter a person's life.

We provide a home and safe haven for our veterans. They can interact with one another, feel safe, and continue to receive the care they need and deserve. In 2008, we opened the doors to our second home and currently stay 90% or more.

We are accredited with the VA hospital. Locally, the VA has over 300 registered homeless veterans in our area and unsure of nonregistered. The numbers continue to grow in every town, city and state.

As the daughter of a retired Lt. Col in the United States Air Force who served two tours in Vietnam, I know how important our veterans are. I grew up around military bases surrounded by men and women who dedicated their careers and lives to serving our country. While my father didn't show the scars of his service during war time, they were there. His time in Vietnam was the one thing he wouldn't talk about with me, ever, before he passed. Combine that kind of trauma with other issues like mental health issues, homelessness, etc... and you have the sad state of affairs that a lot of our veterans are living with today. Thankfully, my father was never in a position to need an organization like Woody's, however, had he needed it, I would hope that there was room. Every veteran should have a safety net. They've earned it.

All veterans deserve our respect and we owe it to them to provide a service for them, as they put it ALL on the line in service to us. As Dr. Key says, 'If not now, when? If not us, who?' Indeed.

I can go on, but this video can explain what Woody's does so much better. May God bless Dr. Key and the folks that make Woody's possible.