What Makes me Love my Work

Today's blog is written by Donna Reese, one of our amazing Critical Care Coordinators.  She answers the question, why do you work for Hope For The Warriors®?

On my Desk Sits:

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be encouragement to those who hear them.    Ephesians 4:29

I was always told, “if you’re going to work make sure it is something you are passionate about. “ I have always tried to not look at what I am doing as “work” or as a “job” but that I am following my love for helping others.  I started my career in the medical billing field and that led me to become a Medicare/Medicaid liaison for many people.  I have worked in the past for a nonprofit that assisted in life threatening, debilitating chronic illnesses, where I expanded my knowledge of Social Services available to the public, resources and mandates.

I joined the Hope For The Warriors® team in 2010 as a Caseworker and since then my journey with helping those in need has exploded. I have assisted thousands of service members and their families with varies issues from financial assistance, local resources, social service connections, maneuvering the VA system, connecting the service member with a OIF/OEF caseworker, financial counseling, and most importantly an ear.  As the trainer also for all our new employees and interns my first training advice is “if I don’t know the answer, it is my job to find it.”  With this philosophy I know we are doing everything and anything for our warriors and their families.

My personal journey with the military started as a child as my father was in the Army Reserves for much of my childhood, my Uncle retired from the Army after 23 years, and my oldest son joined the Army two days after 9/11 telling me “he had to do something.”  As proud as I was as a mom, I was scared. My son did two tours in Afghanistan and with God’s grace and protection he returned home safe and sound, but not the same. I knew so many were not returning home and those that did come home, life would never be the same.  Every call I take I am reminded how blessed I am and that I can make a difference in someone’s life and there is nothing more rewarding.

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