The property on Clark 
& Pearl will soon be cleared and a fence put up!
The picture below was before the first clean up. The finished results of 1st clean up & mow.
This will be phase one of our Pauper Cemetery project. Plans have been drawn. Meetings are taking place to get this project underway. This is where over 75 Veterans, (many homeless) are interred. We want to honor and give respect these veterans as well, because they served and fought for our freedom also.
Home for Freedom lost a valued member of our board last month. James (Jim) Presley, a veteran himself, was a great supporter of Home for Freedom and was always enthusiastic about our goals and an active participant in all our activities. He contributed so much to Home for Freedom from it’s very beginning until his health prevented him from attending meetings. Even then he still offered support and encouragement during online group chats. He will truly be missed by all.
A HOWF team and volunteers from Sheppard Air Force Base conducted a Salute to Service ceremony
Honoring Veterans at Church
James Ralph Presley passed away on June 17, 2024, at the age of 74 in Wichita Falls, TX due to a lengthy illness. He was born on September 14, 1949, in Lansing, Tennessee.
Jim was the most laid back, fun and caring man you could ever meet. He married the love of his life, Valerie on November 1st, 1968, and they shared 55 happy years together.
Jim joined the United States Air Force in January 1969. They had a son David and about 5 years later had a daughter Brandi. Jim served at many duty stations from Vietnam to Arizona,
Louisiana, England, Texas, Florida and back to Texas where he retired as a CMSGT after 30 yearsand 24 days in January of 1999. He was decorated with several medals and ribbons and received
many awards. His wife and kids were proudly by his side through it all.
He then began working at Sheppard AFB with Civil Service and retired again in 2017.
He was a member of First Church of the Nazarene for 24 years. He had a love for music and played the bass guitar on the church worship team. He was also an avid golfer until his health took over and he just loved life and people in general.
Home for Freedom is excited to be hosting our 2nd Golf Tournament! Everyone had a great time last year.
The 4 Person Golf Scramble will be held Thursday, April 18, 2024 .
River Creek golf course, 1605 FM 1177, Wichita Falls, TX. 76305-6034
1 PM Tee Off
$75 per person/$300 per team
Prize money will be awarded to the Top 3 teams
First Hole in One (on designated hole) special prize, car donated by Foundation Auto
Lunch will be served at 11:30 am (included with registration)
Register today!
Golf Organizer: Kenny Reynolds 940-249-1657
Home For Freedom had the privilege to see the sunrise and speak to the Resource Group Centennial Hall Midwestern State University this morning. Beautiful sunrise, spectacular building, and an amazing group of business owners!! What a beautiful city we live in with many kind and generous people!
November 2022, Home for Freedom was given a grant from the Greenbriar Walmart. The presentation of the grant was given at the store celebration at the completion of the store remodeling. Receiving the giant check from the store manager was Lisa Lothenore & Bob Stivers. Thank You Walmart. It was very much appreciated.
The Veterans’ Appreciation Ceremony at the Wichita Falls Courthouse was where the Sheppard Spouses Club awarded a check to Home for Freedom. Members of Home for Freedom set up a table with information about our organization to give to the public attending the ceremony. Many thanks to the Sheppard Spouses Club for their donation.
May 2023 a golf tournament was held to raise funds for upcoming projects. The weather was great and all participants had a good time. We really appreciated all the sponsors who donated for this event and all the golfers playing. Thank you to Kenny Reynolds for organizing this event and for all who helped.
One of our first projects is the restoration of the Wichita County Cemetery, where many homeless Veterans are laid to rest and give them the dignity they deserve. Part of that restoration is building new entrance gates. We’ve had a rendition competed of the proposed new gates to be constructed. All of the proposed work has been approved by the County.
October 2023, the City of Wichita Falls donated a property to Home for Freedom. The plans are to build two “tiny homes” on this property for local veterans. We are grateful to the city for the donation of this property. Of course, more fund raising and donations will be needed to complete this project.
October & November 2023, Home for Freedom had booths at the Home & Garden Show and Hanger Holiday, again to give information about our organization to those attending. Red, White & Blue rubber bracelets were also given out and T-Shirts with the Home for Freedom logo were available for a donation. Many people expressed interest and appreciation for our desire and plans to help local veterans. Thank you to all who visited our booth, donated or expressed interest in helping. We are looking forward to working with everyone in 2024.
As our veterans battle, so do their loved ones. Families are left to mourn when they have lost their soldier in battle. While the rest of the world simply carries on, that wife, husband, mother, or child, is handed a folded flag, in honor of their loved one’s service. Most of us will be fortunate enough to never know that pain of sacrifice. Often times, family members left behind after losing their loved one are simply forgotten because, for everyone else, life goes on. They truly sacrificed for our freedom also, supporting the Armed Forces as their spouse, child, mother, or father was called to serve.
A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”
~Joseph Campbell
At Home for Freedom, we believe in respecting our beloved veterans whose lives have been lost. We can honor those vets by taking great care of their gravesites. A simple act of generosity like this, can mean the world to the loved ones left behind.
Not all soldiers are lost through losing their life in battle. Some simply come home different than they left. During the Iraq/Afghan wars, there have been over 1,645 limb amputations for our American soldiers. Can you imagine the drastic life changes for that soldier and his or her family… physically, emotionally, and financially? For a veteran or their family members to go without a home or the best medical care is simply unacceptable; we will not stand for it. Home for Freedom is a non-profit charity whose goal is to make sure this never happens. Our sacrificial veterans and their families deserve the highest respect and a life of great dignity. As you bow your head at dinner this evening or close your eyes to sleep, please consider the sacrifices made by these American men and women.
Home for Freedom
2000 Granada Dr.
Wichita Falls, TX 76308
Phone
(214) 405-2990