Help improve veteran lives

Hi, my name is Joe Megivern. Those who know me are aware of my passion and goals. In January of 2021 I was encouraged by my fiancé, Manda, to take the lawn and snow equipment that I currently have and start a business providing free services to disabled veterans.

After serving my in the Army from 2008-2014, with two tours, I developed arthritis in my back and had to have a back surgery through the VA. After things were not getting better, I saw a civilian physical therapist who encouraged me to use my body and be as active as I can. After seeing a veteran amputee shoveling in a wheelchair, I was thinking that something had to change. So, lawn care was the job for me.

I started the business to see how things were going to go, and the first year I had a lot of inquiries about my services. So, the first year I was able to provide 95 free services for disabled veterans, while providing over $1200 in discounts to able bodied veterans.

This was encouraging enough for me to quit my full-time job and with $78 to my name I worked to keep the older equipment I had still running, and slowly started buying the equipment I needed to make the jobs quicker and expand the reach to those in need.

While this sparked the idea of starting up a nonprofit organization, which I like to refer to as a for impact organization, that would fight the epidemic of veteran suicide.

There are twenty-two veterans that take their lives every day, I have been unfortunate enough to personally know two of them. I believe that "Mission 143" can impact this statistic by fighting the triggers that lead up to that point, such as homelessness, professional services, and fighting for better mental health access.

The veteran community is one that is forgotten about, it is always said that joining the military is something that only 1% of the country is willing to do, however the stats that are forgotten are the 7% of the United States population have veteran status, while 29% of those have a disability. 

I developed this passion upon observing the veterans get forgotten about repeatedly. I decided that the best way to attack this issue is to show action.

While I do not like asking for things, I have finally humbled myself, and I am reaching out for support. With the funds, I will be able to cover the equipment replacement needed to keep the dream alive, as well as expand my dream, by covering the initial costs of filing and starting the 501c3. Thank you in advance for your time.