Serve where you are...
- By Jason Young
- •
- 22 Feb, 2018
- •
I never served in our military. On 9/11, I spent the day sitting on the floor of a Condo I had just purchased (didn’t have any furniture yet) and watched the tragic attack unfold on television. I called my Mom and with tears on my cheeks told her I was going to enlist to protect and fight for our country. She encouraged me that even though I wasn’t going to serve in uniform that there were other ways I could be of service to our country and people in general.
When I was in the process of creating Verona Villa, I had an idea before we broke ground that to celebrate our new business we could do a Hero Wedding Giveaway. I thought it would be fun to provide a “dream wedding” for a Hero and came up with the Military, First Responders and Teachers as the criteria. Since Veterans’ Day in 2017 was on a Saturday, it seemed like a perfect day to make available for this special wedding.
I put the word out looking for a couple that would be willing to have their wedding at our venue on Saturday November 11, 2017. We were blessed to receive the story of Marie and Jesse. They both served in the US Army and met while deployed in Afghanistan. They had gotten married in a courthouse in between deployments, however their family and friends were not able to attend. Jesse promised that he would give Marie the wedding she envisioned by their 5th anniversary. Well, in 2017 they were celebrating 5 years of marriage with their 2 young children and we had a blast providing an amazing day for them. It was made more sentimental when Marie’s father sadly passed away shortly after their wedding. I am grateful they were able to share that time together before he passed away.
Flash forward to the end of November and I was in the process of starting a new radio show on KVGIradio.com. We created The Gather Hour presented by Verona Villa to share information about the event industry as well as introduce our audience to the amazing people we meet every day at our venue. I got a call from the owner, Mark, who told me that he also supported Operation Rock the Troops. He was partnering with his friend Casey, the President and Executive Director of Project RELO, a non-profit that helps veterans transition to the private workforce by focusing on Handshakes not Handouts. They were thinking about doing a poker tournament with bands and stuff to raise money to support veterans. I immediately said I was in even though none of us really knew what the event would be.
Well, tonight we are hosting Casino Royale at Verona Villa. This event has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months strictly by the passion and teamwork of a dedicated group of individuals who decided to do something great. We now have a World Series of Poker sanctioned poker tournament, great music acts, delicious food and drinks as well as other fun casino games and entertainment. Also amazing this happened during the planning process. Not only have I made friendships that I will carry forward, I have gotten to meet and talk to people that served our country and hear their stories. I have spoken to Veterans with tears in their eyes as they have described their love of their service. I have learned that there are so many ways for us to give back to these heroes and how rewarding it is to be able to not only say thank you but provide support.
It was never part of my business plan to incorporate Veteran issues. But, I’ve come to realize that it is part of my mission to serve where I am. We are in the planning stages of other exciting events in the future including Frisco’s first Veteran Ready job fair. I look forward to finding ways to partner with organizations and employers to find ways to highlight the 1.2 million Veterans that call Texas home and to let the nation know that Frisco, Texas is here for them.
Like everything she says and does, my Mom was right. It 17 years since that tragic day of 9.11.01 but I finally found my post. My mission is clear and I will work hard to make you proud.
When I was in the process of creating Verona Villa, I had an idea before we broke ground that to celebrate our new business we could do a Hero Wedding Giveaway. I thought it would be fun to provide a “dream wedding” for a Hero and came up with the Military, First Responders and Teachers as the criteria. Since Veterans’ Day in 2017 was on a Saturday, it seemed like a perfect day to make available for this special wedding.
I put the word out looking for a couple that would be willing to have their wedding at our venue on Saturday November 11, 2017. We were blessed to receive the story of Marie and Jesse. They both served in the US Army and met while deployed in Afghanistan. They had gotten married in a courthouse in between deployments, however their family and friends were not able to attend. Jesse promised that he would give Marie the wedding she envisioned by their 5th anniversary. Well, in 2017 they were celebrating 5 years of marriage with their 2 young children and we had a blast providing an amazing day for them. It was made more sentimental when Marie’s father sadly passed away shortly after their wedding. I am grateful they were able to share that time together before he passed away.
Flash forward to the end of November and I was in the process of starting a new radio show on KVGIradio.com. We created The Gather Hour presented by Verona Villa to share information about the event industry as well as introduce our audience to the amazing people we meet every day at our venue. I got a call from the owner, Mark, who told me that he also supported Operation Rock the Troops. He was partnering with his friend Casey, the President and Executive Director of Project RELO, a non-profit that helps veterans transition to the private workforce by focusing on Handshakes not Handouts. They were thinking about doing a poker tournament with bands and stuff to raise money to support veterans. I immediately said I was in even though none of us really knew what the event would be.
Well, tonight we are hosting Casino Royale at Verona Villa. This event has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months strictly by the passion and teamwork of a dedicated group of individuals who decided to do something great. We now have a World Series of Poker sanctioned poker tournament, great music acts, delicious food and drinks as well as other fun casino games and entertainment. Also amazing this happened during the planning process. Not only have I made friendships that I will carry forward, I have gotten to meet and talk to people that served our country and hear their stories. I have spoken to Veterans with tears in their eyes as they have described their love of their service. I have learned that there are so many ways for us to give back to these heroes and how rewarding it is to be able to not only say thank you but provide support.
It was never part of my business plan to incorporate Veteran issues. But, I’ve come to realize that it is part of my mission to serve where I am. We are in the planning stages of other exciting events in the future including Frisco’s first Veteran Ready job fair. I look forward to finding ways to partner with organizations and employers to find ways to highlight the 1.2 million Veterans that call Texas home and to let the nation know that Frisco, Texas is here for them.
Like everything she says and does, my Mom was right. It 17 years since that tragic day of 9.11.01 but I finally found my post. My mission is clear and I will work hard to make you proud.
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