CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 25 When it rains, When it rains, IT DRAINS! IT DRAINS! (910) 433-1613 www.fayettevillenc.gov/stormwater Medical Center in bad shape. She had a traumatic brain injury, had to use a wheelchair, told she was paralyzed, and her speech was also damaged. She says she has "recovered miraculously from (her) devastating disabilities," but that it was during that time she realized how difficult it is for veterans to find "meaningful employment." She also saw how other veterans were being treated for multiple other health problems as well. Later in 2015, Buckner got a job through the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services Vocational Rehabilitation Division and started working with other veterans. at led to opening Off-Road Outreach. From 2015 to September 2023, they have had fiscal partners in the community, most recently ServiceSource of the Veterans Affairs Department, a community resource for adults with disabilities. Filling the gaps "With my (traumatic brain injury), according to science, I should be dead, but God's glory said, 'Nope,'" Buckner says. "I saw a gap in services for homeless vets and did something about it." To ensure that veterans receive help when they need it most, Buckner's outreach agency — which gained nonprofit status on Sept. 11 of this year — responds 24/7 whenever its volunteers can. "For many of her vets, Stacey is the only family they have. ey love her and light up when they see her coming," Stern says. Buckner is certainly revered in the veterans community in Fayetteville. Army veteran Joyette Cole met Buckner aer Cole had been in a major accident and had several surgeries. She needed services the VA did not provide. Because she had no transportation and she and others in her senior apartment complex needed food, Buckner would take them fresh produce through the Veggies for Vets program. Cole has become a liaison for other veterans in the community. When she is riding a city bus, she looks for veterans and tells them about the help Buckner can provide, then passes Buckner's phone number to them. "She doesn't mind, and she makes life a lot easier," Cole says. "Veterans don't trust a lot of people, but she's made life a lot easier, and that's hard to find these days." ServiceSource is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to facilitate services, resources and partnerships to support people with disabilities and others we serve, along with their families, their caregivers and community members, in order to build more inclusive communities. NC Regional Office in Fayetteville, NC Serving 45 counties in NC Job Placement Services Administrative Support Services Benefits Counseling Youth Pre-Employment Transition Services Transportation Assistance Affordable Housing Friendship House Fayetteville Warrior Bridge - Disabled Veterans Program Community Inclusion Day Program For more information on resources or to donate, visit www.servicesource.org or call 910-826-4699 600 Ames St. Fayetteville, NC 28301 Creating More Inclusive Communities Serving Fayetteville and North Carolina for over 20 years

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