Dunn’s Valor Support Project focuses on Sauk Valley veterans’ needs

ROCK FALLS – Answering the call to help others is a core value in the military, but sadly, some veterans have trouble receiving the same help after coming home.

Retired Army Sgt. Floyd Dunn of Sterling can relate.

Dunn served for eight years as a cook feeding hot meals to grateful soldiers before coming home to find gaps in support services for his fellow veterans. He quickly began working with other veteran-led support groups before deciding to start one of his own – the Valor Support Project. Dunn said the nonprofit received its 501(c)(3) status in July.

“There’s plenty of national veterans organizations around, but we need one focusing on veterans in our area,” Dunn said. “It took me a month to become legit and then we hit the ground running. We’ve got six board members; three of them are still active military.”

The project takes requests for assistance from veterans in the Sauk Valley, who are then considered by Dunn and the review board. Dunn said initially, the project focused on those who for one reason or another were without a Department of Defense Form 214.

A DD214 contains information needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment and membership in veterans’ organizations.

“If you’re in the Reserves or you didn’t get deployed, or go active duty, when you get done, you don’t get a DD214,” Dunn said. “Those people need help too. However, I will not help if you have a dishonorable discharge. I understand there are circumstances, but it’s really hard to get a dishonorable discharge. You usually have to do something pretty bad.”

The Valor Support Project raises money through grants, donations and fundraisers, such as the recent Darts for Valor dart tournament held Sept. 7 at The Cooler in Rock Falls. The group is also hosting a Veterans Day dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Harvest Time Bible Church in Rock Falls. Dunn said he is still looking for more volunteers for the event.

“We don’t have a lot of finances coming in yet but we’re trying,” Dunn said. “I’ve been told multiple times, ‘You can’t help everybody,’ and it kills me not to be able to. I have so much support in the community and they’re relying on me to use their donations to help as best I can.”

Part of doing his best means that Dunn expects the same from those he helps. His rules for helping veterans are simple: They have to want to help themselves, and all he asks in return is a testimony.

“The last two veterans we helped were on the verge of being evicted from their home,” Dunn said. “Because they were in low-income housing, they had trouble getting extra assistance. Unfortunately, for them to acquire employment through another organization, they had to have a secure home. So, we covered their rent for a few months. By securing their home for them, they were are able to get the employment they needed to help themselves.”

Dunn’s wife, the former Ember Gonzales, is working toward her master’s degree in psychology and is studying to become a board-certified behavioral analyst. She plans to add mental health services to the project when she is finished, and said their help goes beyond just the veteran.

“If someone has a soldier who is deployed, doesn’t have to be a veteran, and they need somebody to talk to, they can reach out and we’ll help any way we can,” Ember said. “It can be easy to focus on the soldier and forget that their spouses and families are also struggling. We’re here for you.”

Veterans can request assistance by filling out an application online at valorsupportproject.com.

Interested in becoming part of the mission? Sign up through the Valor Ambassadorship program to volunteer your time and learn more.