Vet on a mission: To help homeless veterans any time, any place

Oct. 08--Local supporters of veterans and the homeless are looking forward to the next visit of Lisa Groves, an Army veteran who made a pit stop in Mercer County on her way to advocate for veterans in Canada late last month.

Mercer resident Frances Foster-Austin hopes to set up one or more charitable events locally with Groves' help.

Groves has become something of an unsung public hero within the past few years as she travels the country to assist and advocate for veterans, whether dead or alive, homeless or impoverished.

"I'm always meeting homeless veterans," she said. "Vets have so many plights. I defend all veterans and their families."

Traveling in a weathered Jeep covered front to back and inside out with the signatures of veterans and supporters, Groves says she's reached 49 states as well as several parts of Canada and Mexico.

In addition to meeting veterans at their homes and on the streets, she also visits military posts and Veterans Affairs offices, she said.

Foster-Austin said met Groves after connecting on Facebook. They coordinated a meeting with Rising Above the River, what Foster-Austin referred to as a "new organization" reportedly assisting the homeless in Youngstown.

"I think we need a lot more veterans like Lisa," Foster-Austin said. "Too many vets are not getting help from the government."

Foster-Austin put Groves up for a night after their appearance in Ohio. The next day, they visited America's Cemetery in Hermitage and Groves continued on her way to Canada.

"You have to fight for your benefits," Groves said of the average veteran. "Our vets are not being taken care of."

Groves said she made quite a few stops and U-turns en route to Mercer County -- typical of her journeys. Reasons for her beelining to locations include requested visits, attending funerals, performing acts of kindness and generally seeking out veterans to support.

She hopes to return to Mercer and Mahoning counties to reach more veterans and possibly coordinate some kind of charitable support event like a Stand Down. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs classifies Stand Downs as community-based events, generally one to three days long, providing supplies and services to homeless veterans.

"I have to go help vets," she said. "People say, 'You can't do it by yourself.' No I can't, but I do my best. I'll keep doing this as long as I can."

Groves' Jeep was once again packed to the brim with extra clothing, nonperishable foods, blankets and other donation items to help fulfill her second unsponsored humanitarian mission as she makes another pass around the continent to help out any and all needy veterans she can accommodate.

"God has never let me down," she said. "I've been thrice around the U.S. and to two different countries in this car."

Groves says she makes it day-to-day on handouts and small donations from the supporters she encounters. Aside from paying for her own gas and food, the only lodging she affords is for homeless veterans she meets.

The mission's not all about driving, however, but "no vet left behind," Groves declared, claiming to have driven through several nights just to reach people who doubted she'd arrive to meet them face-to-face.

She said many veterans have thanked her profusely for her efforts, remarking that no one else cared for them. She's even inspired other veterans to take the same charitable approach to helping others.

"Sometimes all I need to do is listen," Groves said. "Some people just want to bend my ear."

She's found other veterans and their families in much more desperate states, however. Veterans claimed she inspired them to rethink attempting suicide.

"People just see the car and they get some hope," she said. "I'm not here to judge anybody, I just do the best I can to help."

Groves has offered emotional support over the phone as well, reading from her copy of "14,000 Things to be Happy About."

"This mission's about exposure, breakthrough and healing," Groves said. "I told (a veteran) 'Don't give up.' If you give up, then I'm going to give up. If any vets get left behind, what was the point of the mission?"

INFORMATION ABOUT Rising Above the River can be found on the organization's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RisingAbovetheRiver. For information about Groves' mission and contact, visit theveteransconnectioninc.biz.

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