Coastal Georgia Pageant Productions is hosting a fundraising event for Golden Isles Veterans’ Village, an organization working to provide housing and support for homeless veterans, according to The Brunswick News. The event, called the Sweetheart Ball, will be held this weekend for middle and early high school students and comes just before Valentine’s Day. The idea for the fundraiser came from Chasity Saunders of Coastal Georgia Pageant Productions who wanted to come up with a way to benefit Veterans’ Village as they are hoping to raise enough funds to complete building the homes.
The mission of Golden Isles Veterans’ Village is “to build a transitional community of 30 tiny homes where veterans can reside, and a community center to gather, while receiving the counseling, physical and mental health support and job training necessary to help them heal and become ready to reintegrate into society.”
The Brunswick News reports that twenty tiny homes are in the process of being built right now, and the organization hopes to begin working on the next ten homes in early March. Members of the mission team from the South Newport Baptist Church are building the homes. Each house is ADA compliant, so that they will accommodate the use of wheelchairs. Donor options include funding a house, donating money, materials, time, and contributing towards operating costs or lending one’s expertise. The cause has resonated throughout the community with even more groups offering their services to complete the homes including a quilting group from St. Simons Community Church that has made 30 quilts for the veterans of the village, artists who are creating original artwork for each home, and additional fundraising events such as a golf tournament.
Honey Sparre, a Golden Isles Veterans’ Village board member and coordinator for the Sweetheart Ball, shared that it is heartwarming to see their community come together in support of a great cause. Sparre recognizes the incredible sacrifice and commitment our veterans make to protect our country and our freedoms. She told The Brunswick News, “it’s great to be able to acknowledge these individuals that are so often looked over and to give them the securities that they fought to keep.”
Recognizing our nation’s heroes, the Sweetheart Ball will not only bring children in the community together in a safe environment, it will also teach them about giving back to those who fought for them and their freedom. With all proceeds going to the Veterans’ Village, the effort is sure to make an impact on the organization’s progress meeting their goal. The completion of the homes is going to make a tremendous difference in the lives of veterans who deserve the best support they can receive upon their return home.