Chamber of Commerce

Fayetteville Cares I t's not often that the White House looks to mid-sized cities for ideas, but a full six years before First Lady Michelle Obama announced the national Joining Forces ini- tiative, Fayetteville established a similar mili- tary support program here. Fayetteville Cares Foundation was founded in 2007 to help local military personnel and their families by providing a way for citizens to support the troops. Started by Kirk deViere, Joanne Chavonne and George Breece, Fay- etteville Cares has been recognized by Mrs. Obama and former Army Chief of Staff George Casey and featured in Time Magazine and in The New York Times newspaper. "Fayetteville Cares was established in re- sponse to the needs of our military neighbors at Ft Bragg and the local community's desire to support them," said Joanne Chavonne, who leads the organization. "We serve as a con- nector between the two communities." Chavonne said that previous Fayetteville Cares projects include two Boots N' Booties baby showers for 1,000 military families; Op- eration Holiday Cheer, which provided holi- day care packages that were shipped to de- ployed troops; and Basics 4 Barracks, which provides soldiers returning from deployments with items that will help them get through the first night and morning back home. The organization has also: Worked to get free tickets for concerts, performances and other events for military family members; sponsored picnics for families of deploying units and for wounded warriors and their families; provided cell phones to soldiers returning from deployment so they could let their families know they were home; started a sponsorship program for single soldiers to have meals in the homes of lo- cal residents; sponsored the annual Field of Honor in Fayetteville, as well as many other initiatives. "Fayetteville Cares provides the commu- nity and the businesses a way to connect and support the military and their families," said Kirk deViere, co-founder of Fayetteville Cares. "We are a 'Community Readiness Group' for Fort Bragg. Fayetteville Cares provides an- other visible example why Fayetteville is one of the most patriotic cities in America and, more importantly, that Fayetteville cares about our military and their families." It's a simple enough idea: Create a way for people in the community to support military families, but it took the collaboration and hard work of people in this mid-sized city to show the nation that it could be done. www.fayettevillecares.org H New and expectant military mothers receive valuable gifts at a Boots N' Booties baby shower. We Want To Be "The Choice" • For Suppliers & Vendors • As A Place To Work • For Community Support • And, Of Course, As A Brand Of Tires For Your Vehicle 6650 Ramsey Street Fayeteville, N.C. Making Quality Tires In The Community For Over 40 Years. www.FayettevilleNCChamber.org | 47

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