By JF Grodeska
TINTON FALLS – The Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) presided over a ceremony to honor the work of Soldier On, an organization dedicated to “changing the end of the story” for homeless vets by providing them with shelter and support in an environment that offers dignity, integrity and hope.
The award was presented by Liz Dunnell, chairperson of the Women’s Issues Committee for the Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter, in coordination with Jennifer Loeser, chairman of the Soldier On Committee.
The presentation was held at the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community at 275 Essex Road, in Tinton Falls. All Soldier On communities are named after Mansfield, the former Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs and a decorated Army veteran.
The gathered crowd was a mixture of both men and women veterans and the facility staff, but the DAR ceremony focused on the female veterans who are so often overlooked.
“We don’t think enough about you, and we should, and we shall,” Dunnell said during the presentation. “It has been said that there are three words that should never be seen, read or heard together: homeless, women, veterans. I want to present this certificate of appreciation from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the New Jersey State Society and the Shrewsbury Towne chapter of the DAR to We Soldier On for outstanding support and service to homeless women veterans.”
After the awards ceremony, attendees were directed to the outdoor patio area and the Eternal Flame Memorial. Loeser, along with other members of the chapter, hung a wreath on the memorial and gave a benediction which read, in part:
“By this honor we are paying tribute to other heroic men and women who lived with honor and devotion to the cause of freedom, as our forefathers, and who are inspired with faith and hope in their struggles for liberty and independence. It is our hope that the women who are present may emulate the achievements of former times. May we be ever faithful in preserving these freedoms for those who come after us.”
Soldier On is built on a concept of trauma-informed care and uses best-practices to engage each veteran on his or her path to a safer, more stable life. The nonprofit offers a variety of need-based, emergency and transitional housing solutions for veterans, including case management, peer support holistic wellness programs and life skills, as well as many others. The DAR and community groups provide other supportive programs as well.
As a charitable organization, Soldier On relies heavily on donations to keep its doors open and to continue the work for veterans. For more information, visit wesoldieron.org.
The article originally appeared in the December 15 – 21, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
