GREG TORRETTA
Chairman, Village of Valor Capital Campaign
President Emeritus, FHLC, Inc. Board of Directors
Picture this: You and your family are returning home from a long trip to visit friends far away. The kids are sleeping in the backseat, and it is starting to get dark and it looks like rain. You are exhausted but soon you will be in the comfort of your own home. It may be luxurious, it may be humble, but it is safe, warm, and cozy.
Now picture this: A Veteran single mother recently discharged after completing a tour in Afghanistan is driving her four small children in an old car which barely runs. She desperately seeks shelter for herself and her children, but it is already late and she fears she will spend another night in the cramped car, afraid for her family, desperate and hopeless.
The account which I have shared regarding this Veteran who served with honor is based on a true story. The good news is that the actual ending will not be hopeless because the Village of Valor will be there to provide safe, affordable housing for this patriot and her family. The need for quality housing for Veterans is soaring. Annually, the First Stop Family Empowerment Center (an initiative of Faith, Hope, Love, Charity, Inc.) places over three hundred veterans and their families in permanent housing here in Palm Beach County. The Village of Valor will be THAT PLACE for them to begin their journey back to recovering dignity, security, and hope in a safe and dependable home. The Village of Valor will provide the foundation for building endless avenues of success for our Veterans and their families.
As the Chairman of the Capital Campaign for The Village of Valor, let me invoke the simple but complete tag line of our mission: When it comes to aiding displaced and at-risk Veterans and their families, we want “NO VETERAN LEFT BEHIND.” This is the mandate of Roy Foster, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of VOV’s parent organization, Faith, Hope, Love, Charity, Inc. (STAND DOWN). With his vision and leadership and with our Deputy Director Dr. Casimiro Crockett’s boundless energy and mission-driven attitude, we have confirmed commitments of $16.5 million to build this community of fifty-four apartments, located in Palm Springs, Florida. This is excellent progress, but we desperately need your help to secure $3.5 million in funding to provide the capacity building needed to support and sustain this facility.
Please Stand Up for Those Who Served! Help us to end the plight of our displaced and at-risk Veterans and their families. With your generosity, we can provide all our heroic military families a true “place to call home.” God Bless You for caring.
