How It All Began
Years ago, our founder began noticing more and more people on street corners, panhandling at intersections, sleeping under overpasses, surviving on the kindness of strangers. The same question kept surfacing: who are these people, and how did they end up here? It became the last thought before sleep and the first upon waking. In a country that put a man on the moon, how had we failed so many of our own?
Determined to understand, he approached a man holding a cardboard sign. The man was a US Army sergeant who had served two tours in the Gulf Wars. He spoke of the hell of combat and the impossibility of returning to normal life afterward. A paperwork issue had cut off his VA support. He lived in a tent in the nearby woods. His only wish? A hot meal and a hot shower each day. That moment left a permanent mark.
Then came Sarah, a woman from Savannah, Georgia, who had walked to Central Florida after two brain surgeries left her with nothing. Despite everything, she smiled. She hummed a song as she walked away. Her resilience was humbling, her circumstances unacceptable. These weren’t strangers anymore. They were neighbors, veterans, mothers, and fathers caught in circumstances beyond their control.
These encounters ignited a mission. What began as a small marketing company creating brand solutions for businesses transformed into something greater. We realized our creative skills could serve a higher purpose, raising awareness and funding for those living on the margins. The V.E.T.S. Project was born, and soon after, Choose Charities Corp. came to life. Today, we carry Sarah’s hope and that sergeant’s dignity with us in everything we do.