Mon, 2021-04-19 16:50 david morris
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
Operation Stand Down Central Texas has enlisted the services of Coyote Design and Build for the construction of its own facility to be located on Carpenter Street.
Coyote Design and Build broke ground and began construction on the site last week. The Copperas Cove city council approved an ordinance for the rezoning of the property back in January 2020.
Operation Stand Down Central Texas was founded by Joann Courtland and her mother, Trudy Bolton, in 2015. It started in the 500 square feet in Courtland’s garage, and it was “a few ladies with a dream of helping homeless veterans and their families in this community of Central Texas,” Courtland said.
COPPERAS COVE â The 5th Annual Mommy/Daddy & Me Sweetheart Tea teaches children manners and etiquette in a fun and interactive setting. This year, homeless veterans will also receive support from the event that benefits Operation Stand Down Central Texas.
Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Hayley Sawyer chose the charity as the beneficiary as her father is retired military and her brother is an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
âThere are many people struggling after getting out of the military, and service is still something that our family feels needs to be done,â Sawyer said. âIf there is a need, we should be there.â
Despite the rainy, dreary conditions, Copperas Cove Five Hills Junior Ambassador Hayley Sawyer smiled, greeted shoppers and asked them to provide a blanket for homeless veterans for the holiday season.
In partnership with the Copperas Cove Walmart and the Miss Five Hills Scholarship Program, the 10-year-old Sawyer spent nearly eight hours handing out flyers and collecting blankets from shoppers.
âIt is freezing cold in the winter and the homeless veterans do not have the money to buy a blanket or jacket,â Sawyer said. âI want to help keep them all warmer this winter and I think it is crucial to donate blankets to the homeless, especially this year to help keep them safe during the pandemic.