I can’t believe it’s the end of the year already, and what a year it has been!

We started celebrating our 30^th anniversary in the spring, with the rededication of our Veterans Community Center in honor of our first full-time CEO, Colonel Donald W. Moreau. We continued with a special anniversary concert, Music at the Memorial, which included a poignant recognition of our founders, Louise Loyd, Russell Cox, and Rick Schwartz. This year has been a reminder of the legacy of these four individuals, who dedicated so much to serving others, especially vulnerable veterans in Indianapolis. Simply put, we would not be here without their tenacity and dedication to the mission of ending veteran homelessness.

Our founders, all volunteers, worked hard to open the first transitional housing property for veterans in Indianapolis. They recognized that no hero should be homeless, rolled up their sleeves and did something about it. With Don’s experience in the military and state government, he started his third career helping establish a full-time workforce and set the tone for the agency we grew into.

I’ve said a few times this year that you only turn 30 once, and we have taken every chance to celebrate and have fun. We hosted volunteer groups, held an Easter Egg hunt and Back to School Carnival with veteran families, competed in a harness race as part of the Breeders Crown Charity Challenge, and had a blast at the 10^th Annual Operation Alpha.

We will be celebrating our annual 12 Vets of Christmas at the end of the year, and there’s one story I want to highlight for you. You won’t want to miss the story of US Navy veteran Sherry. She received assistance at HVAF, including living in one of our transitional houses, utilizing the food, clothing, and hygiene pantries, and more recently participated in VetWorks. VetWorks is a 3 phase work, learn, and earn program designed to help veterans obtain the skills necessary for good and promising jobs.

In her story, you will read, “I’m super excited. It’s my season! God has truly been good to me so I’m just trying to embrace it.”

I’ve been reflecting all year on the incredible impact that HVAF has been making for 30 years, and I’m convinced that this is our season too! There’s something special about this team at this moment in time! We are on track to serve over 1,300 veterans this year, offering life-changing assistance through our housing, employment, therapy, and basic needs assistance programs.

We are as focused on the mission as ever and ask that you join with us to celebrate, one last time, our 30^th anniversary. Happy anniversary Team HVAF! Here’s to the next 30 years of serving veterans!

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