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Help Build The Ranch

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This fundraiser is to help raise money for a down payment on land to build the ranch.  

Kristin with the Houston Home Journal did such a great job covering our story that I couldn't have said it better.......

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs there are almost 40,000 veterans who are considered to be homeless every night and there are 1 to 1.5 million veterans who are considered to be at risk of homelessness.

Through those numbers and personal experiences, it has not set well with the hearts and minds of local married couple and veterans Rachel and Rick Kovach. In turn the Kovachs have begun the process in helping veterans by creating an organization and building a ranch to help them get back on their own.

Rick and Rachel served together in the JSTARS unit at Robins Air Force Base and the two met during a deployment. Rick is still full-time with the Georgia National Guard at Robins Air Force Base. Rachel is retired active duty and said she remembers how hard it was to adjust back to civilian life.

"I got out in 2009,” Rachel said. "It was really hard because I was going to be a lifer when I joined the military, that was my plan and you know God laughs while you’re making plans. So I ended up no longer being in the military. When I got out I was like ok what is my purpose now? It was such an emotional struggle for me and we also struggled financially.”

Over the years Rachel and Rick have talked about helping homeless veterans. Then this past December the two were on a road trip when the idea of building a ranch came to them.

"We had actually before that road trip talked about getting some land and moving to the country,” Rick said. "But then it was like a light bulb that hit us on the way home from the trip; why not get some land, put tiny homes on it and turn it into a safe place to help homeless veterans get back out on their own.”

Rick and Rachel are now in the process of creating, R and R Ranch. After making the announcement last week, Rachel said it’s been a whirlwind of support from the community. Currently they have their articles of incorporation and are now filing for their 501c3 non-profit application.

The Kovachs are looking to purchase around 100 acres of farmland in Houston County and put tiny homes on the property, a community center with a kitchen, recreation room, and counseling rooms. Rick said they also want to bring rescue farm animals as a way of therapy, have counseling and job training.

"These veterans signed a blank check to this country stating that they will do anything and everything to serve and protect, and they would even lay their life down for this country,” Rachel said. "So for them to come back and fall through the cracks of the system is not good.”

"I grew up with uncles and cousins who went to Vietnam,” Rick said. "A lot of those veterans from Vietnam, WWII and Korea came back home and there was no help for them. I served during Desert Storm and had a lot of friends who did as well, but didn’t have any help to transition back into civilian life. There was no psychological help for WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm veterans. Over time the Department of Veterans Affairs got better and now there is help for those veterans, but most of them don’t know how to get it. And the ones who are homeless really can’t get it unless they have a physical address and phone number. So between Rachel’s experiences and mine we have seen where this matter was, where it is now and where it needs to go. There shouldn’t be any homeless veterans. We want to build this ranch as a hand up for them to have a safe place and help get them back out on their own.”

Above Quoted from http://hhjonline.com/rachel-and-rick-kovach-creating-a-safe-place-to-help-homeless-veterans-p10999-220.htm

This story was also feature on the local news...... http://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/houston-co-couple-creating-non-profit-to-help-homeless-veterans/93-520726093

Organizer

Rachel A Kovach
Organizer
Bonaire, GA

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