Making a House a Home

As I pull my legs up beneath me in the recliner and tighten the warm, soft fleece blanket around me, I look around our house and cherish all the things that make it our home. The fluffy furball named Odie, stretched out on the woven rug by the fireplace, crackling with a warm, orange glow through the glass front, radiating heat across the room. The grandkids toys still scattered across the living room floor. The love and memories we've made inside these walls, of this house and the transformation it has taken over the last thirteen years.

See, when we moved here, we had bare, ugly walls strewn with the previous owners dried up silly string, carpet saturated in dirt, broken doors, and leaky pipes. Outside, I had to trudge through the grass like swimming through a waste deep puddle. Overgrown bushes blocked the windows and garden pavers created an uneven path from the porch to the driveway. The sidewalk was a long-forgotten patch of concrete beneath the vast overgrown vegetation that barely resembled a yard. But all I saw was potential. It took years to make this house all we dreamed of. Countless weekend projects, Brian and I shooting nails through each other's fingers, sweat, tears, and laughter. Memories.

Can you imagine the night that Brian left for work, walking out of the kitchen that looked like this...

driving a semi all night long, dreaming of coming home to a warm, soft bed for a few hours' sleep, then relaxing with the kids and I for the weekend, only to be greeted by this....

It was dramatic, weekend projects like building our own kitchen cabinets that make this our forever home. It is perfect to us. The coziness, the warmth and comfort I feel walking in the door each evening, a cup of hot tea waiting for me on the counter, knowing I can leave stress at worry at the door, take a deep breath, and just relax. All the things that make our home my safe haven.

These feelings are what I want to give to our veterans when they obtain new housing. It's not just about not sleeping on the cold, hard ground under the wind, rain, and snow. It's about giving them more than 4 bare walls and a patch of carpet to walk into. It's about creating an environment that is welcoming and can be transformed into their home. It's about creating a safe haven for those that have slept in war zones, on city streets, in ditches, and military cots without having a place to call their own. It's about love and dignity. This is the gift that I hope veterans value most from Tri-State Veterans Assistance Network.

"Having a place to go is home. Having someone to love is a family. Having both is a blessing." - Donna Hedges

When No One Else Was There: How Tri-State Veterans Assistance Network Was Born

Have you ever been traveling down a path, a vivid vision of your destination in your mind, only to realize you on traveling down the wrong road?  That moment of realization, when you know you must change direction, is exactly how Tri-State Veterans Assistance Network was born.

Our youngest son, Garrett, joined the United States Marine Corp upon graduation from high school in August 2022.  It was one of this mom’s proudest moments.  Seeing my little hellion, the one who was determined to put me in an early grave, the one I joked would one day run the world or a prison gang, stood in front of me wearing the pressed and distinguished uniform of a Marine.  Emotions overwhelmed me as his platoon stood before us, a group of young men and women, just kids in my eyes.  These were the brave individuals willing to defend our country, to fight for my freedoms, to ensure I continue to live in the greatest country on earth. 

That pride didn’t fade when I returned home, it simply transformed into a responsibility to act.  I began writing letters and sending care packages to veterans, their care-givers, and those active duty members deployed.  Not long afterwards, I accepted an in-person position with them, volunteering at the local VA.  I made many great connections and built lasting relationships with those that work closest with our country’s veterans each day.  The more veterans I met, the more needs I saw being unmet.  I met veterans who had selflessly and honorably served our country, yet lacked basic necessities – warm clothing, reliable meals, and sometimes even a safe, warm place to sleep.  This tugged on my heart strings and left me searching for ways to make their situations brighter.

Before long, I was dreaming of starting my own organization to address these concerns.  Homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of clothing are huge obstacles many of our local veterans are facing.  Alongside fellow volunteer and co-founder, Kathy Nevins, we jumped in feet first; helping veterans immediately while navigating the paperwork to become a legal entity and earn 501©3 status.  What we were able to accomplish in a short time was nothing short of a miracle driven by urgency and determination.

Now, almost two years later, I am able to see the differences Tri-State Veterans Assistance Network is making.  We strive to ensure no veteran faces life’s challenges alone.  There should be no place in our community where a cold, hungry, and unsheltered veteran is overlooked and forgotten.  Until every veteran has a comfortable home, a warm, dry place to sleep, and a full belly, we will be here.  We invite you to stand with us, because no veteran should ever be forgotten.

Garrett Weineljordan 2022

Parris Island, Oct. 2022

Ft. Sill, Nov. 2022