Operation Therapy

Hi my name is Dallas Short, I'm the Executive Director for Operation Therapy. On September 27th, 2024, Cocke County and surrounding counties in East Tennessee and West North Carolina were hit with historical catastrophic rainfall which led to devastating floods. The Pigeon River, French Broad River and the Nolichucky River crested over 30+/- feet above normal levels after Tennessee and North Carolina received record rain fall from Hurricane Helene. Many people have lost everything, and some have lost their lives.

Operation Therapy is located here in Cocke County Tennessee where many have witnessed property devastation and some of those affected are Military Veterans. We here at OT want to make a direct impact by helping 4 Military Veterans that live here locally and have been severely impacted from Hurricane Helene. They are our neighbors, our friends, business owners, and Military Veterans. With the help of you and many others we can get them back to some kind of normalcy prior to Hurricane Helene. All proceeds donated will be divided equally between the 4 Veterans and their families.

We would like to introduce you to the four Military Veterans and their families we are helping. First, we have Ed & Marie who lost their home and all their household items. Ed is a decorated Vietnam Navy Veteran who is 100% disabled and a cancer survivor. Brandon & Alex lost their home, their farm, and Alex’s dance studio in town. Brandon is a US Army Veteran, served 2003-2013. Jessy & Brittany have lost their home and all their household items. They are a young family with two boys. Jessy is a US Army Veteran who served from 2008-2019. He is also a local Police officer. Last but not least is Van & Francis, they too have major damage to their home. Lost all their contents to the flood and will need to rebuild. Van is a decorated Vietnam Navy Veteran. His wife Francis is a cancer survivor. They are living out of a school bus while waiting for help to build back their home. We are coming into the winter season here in the Smoky Mountains and time is of the essence.

This Veteran’s Day let’s all come together to help these amazing Veterans in a time of need. The holiday season is upon us and what better way to give back than to help these four Veterans who have lost everything. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God Bless You!

We want to give a big thanks to our team. Chelsea Bryant, Anna Dorroh, and Rob Watkins. They have been instrumental helping to get information on the vets and getting the Veterans and their Families supplies they need while working through the rebuild process.

UPDATE (11/13/2024): We have been given 4 generators and 3 generators have been gifted to 3 of our Veterans. These generators have been donated by Empower - Newport TN, and Newport Rescue Squad - Newport TN. Please stay tuned for updates. Thank you.

If you would rather mail in your donation you can send a check to:

Operation Therapy, 501c3

P.O. Box 91

Bybee, TN 37713

NOTE: Please put in the check description, "Veteran Flood Relief."