A letter from Jennifer
Dear Friend:
The holidays are a great time for reflection, and I’ve been thinking about all the things we’ve accomplished this year with your help.
We leaned into our veterans’ services this year, notably by featuring Army veteran Mike Johnson at our 17th annual Power of 1 Breakfast. Mike gave a heartfelt speech about overcoming substance use disorder, repairing his relationship with his son Caiden, and finding a career that he loves. VOA helped him find a home, get stable, and build on his sobriety to start a new life.
We made progress this year on our Veterans Hill Village, a 10-acre development in Southwest Louisville that will provide 25 single-family housing units for veterans. And we hosted our second annual Salute to Veterans Dinner in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Our other programs grew as well, as we expanded offerings across Kentucky. VOA now offers Family Recovery Court in 9 locations, Recovery Community Centers in five communities, workforce development in 18 counties, and restorative justice services in 28 counties.
And VOA’s Freedom House, a nationally recognized residential treatment program for pregnant and parenting women, is adding capacity in Manchester and expanding to Owensboro, Stanford and Covington.
In Louisville, our Community Care Campus and Monarch Station developments are progressing quickly, and we just opened The Chancery, with 34 brand new homes for individuals. It’s all part of our goal to provide individualized case management and wraparound supports to people who need it.
And now, as the holidays approach, we’re focused on making sure all of the individuals and families we serve can enjoy the season. With your help, we can make sure everyone who relies on VOA can experience the gift of hope.
Thank you for everything you have done to support VOA and our mission. I look forward to all we’ll do together in the New Year.
Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO
Our kids are looking forward to the holidays. With your help, last holiday season VOA supported nearly 500 families in need.
This year, help kids like Joanah, and so many more.
NEWS BRIEFS
CLAY COUNTY FREEDOM HOUSE RECEIVED SPECIAL SOAR AWARD
We were deeply honored to receive the Appalachian Recovery Award for our work at Freedom House in Clay County at the SOAR Summit in Corbin, KY. This recognition uplifts not just our organization, but the entire Clay County community, where resilience and hope shine through every day. We are grateful for this recognition and remain committed to advancing opportunity, recovery, and hope across our region.
VOICES & VISION
We were proud to host our first Voices & Vision: Suicide Awareness & Prevention event in London, KY, in partnership with Whitney/Strong. Senator Brandon Storm provided opening remarks, and the day featured a powerful keynote from Dr. Sabrina Brown and two impactful panels highlighting expert and lived experiences. The event concluded with a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training led by Whitney/Strong, equipping attendees with life-saving tools to recognize and respond to those in crisis.
UNITY POINT OPENING
We celebrated the ribbon cutting of Veterans’ Unity Point at Kenwick Community Center, a safe space for veterans to gather. This new space offers veterans in Lexington a welcoming place to connect, access support, and enjoy events like cookouts, pancake breakfasts, holiday parties, and more—all designed to build community and connection. A special thank you to Mayor Linda Gorton, the Lexington Commission on Veterans Affairs, and Lexington Parks and Recreation for their support in making this project a reality.
KENTUCKY SPORTS RADIO LIVE REMOTE
We were thrilled to host Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) live on-site at our Community Care Campus, alongside Mayor Craig Greenberg. Thanks again to our sponsors Dean Dorton, The Dave M. Flanery Veterans Support Fund, and First National Bank of Manchester. Matt Jones and his team spotlighted that this campus will be a central hub for unhoused individuals to access critical services—including a family shelter, permanent affordable housing, and more. In partnership with Louisville Metro, VOA is honored to lead campus management, master planning, and community engagement to bring this vision to life.
VOA VOICES
Chase Sanders, VOA Board Chair
Chase Sanders first encountered Volunteers of America 17 years ago, as a college student, when he volunteered to help paint a mural at VOA’s Unity House. As his career progressed, VOA continued to show up as a partner everywhere he went, and he has served on our Board for the past 9 years.
“I’ve been proud of VOA’s focus on veterans’ services this year,” Chase said. “Like all of you, America’s veterans hold a special place in my heart. My grandfather, John Barbour, was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. My uncle Ishmon Burks retired as an Army colonel, and my lifelong next door neighbor, Will Thomas, was deployed in Operation Desert Storm when I was a child in the early 90s.”
Mayor Linda Gorton, Lexington, Kentucky
Mayor Linda Gorton is dedicated to ensuring veterans in her city have the resources they deserve. VOA is grateful for her support of our VOA Honor programs and the new Veterans’ Unity Point at Kenwick Community Center. “Support of our veterans is personal and important to me. I’m the daughter, sister, and niece of veterans. My husband is a retired U.S. Army Major General, and both of our children are in active duty military families. I understand what it means to live in a military family. That’s why I’ve committed time and energy to making sure Lexington supports and honors our veterans and the people who support them. I am thankful for VOA Mid-States for being a great partner in our efforts and for driving the work of Lexington’s Veterans’ Unity Point at Kenwick Community Center. The facility is providing a supportive and welcoming setting for our veterans to stay connected to the community,” Mayor Gorton said.
Kevin Riehle, VOA’s Associate Director of Veterans Services
For more than 11 years, Kevin Riehle has been a steadfast advocate for veterans through his work with VOA Honor. He started as an outreach worker, using his experience as a proud Army veteran to help fellow veterans and their families find stable housing and connect with comprehensive resources. Now as the Associate Director of Veterans Services for VOA, he leads his team with compassion, ensuring that those who have served our country receive the support, dignity, and hope they deserve.
“The Military Police Corp’s creed is ‘of the troops, for the troops’ which emphasizes our role as servants to our fellow soldiers.” I took that statement to heart while serving in the Army and being a part of VOA has allowed me to continue to live that moto.”
Power of 1 Breakfast
Having a home provides a cushion. And you can start building on that. The stress relief that you get – you cannot put a price on it. My apartment allowed me to get a stable foundation, to build on my sobriety and gain a foothold so I could start a new life. This was beyond anything I could imagine at the time. I really thought I was destined for prison and the streets for the rest of my life.”
Former VOA Honor client Mike Johnson helped VOA celebrate our 17th annual Power of 1 Breakfast this year and shared how his life was changed when he found VOA.
Mike shared his powerful story of joining the U.S. Army at 17 years old, overcoming substance use disorder, reuniting with his son Caiden, finding a home, and working at a stable job.
We can’t serve veterans like Mike without you. We are grateful for everyone who attended and supported us at our 2025 Power of 1 Breakfast.
“If me being here today, telling my story, helps one veteran, I’ll be proud of that.” – Mike Johnson, 2025 Keynote Speaker
New Beginnings at VOA’s Unity House
Malasia, a mother of five, started the year in Atlanta, with plans to move to Louisville to attend Galen College of Nursing. But after being evicted from their home, Malasia and her children were forced to move sooner than expected.
When they got to Louisville, Malasia struggled to find affordable housing. After months of searching and relying on family and friends, she was beginning to feel hopeless. Then she was connected with VOA’s Temporary Shelter on the Community Care Campus.
The Temporary Shelter offers families the same services that VOA’s emergency shelter, Unity House, provides. Residents receive individualized case management and comprehensive resources to help them return to stability and self-sufficiency.
Through a partnership with Louisville Metro and support from the PNC Bank Foundation, VOA was able to open the Temporary Shelter on the Community Care Campus last November.
The shelter will continue serving families until the permanent site, Unity House II, is completed in the spring of 2026. Unity House II will offer a safe, welcoming environment to 29 unhoused families and is one of the many housing resources that will be available on the campus, which will serve as a central location where people experiencing homelessness can access vital services.
Malasia and her children moved into the Temporary Shelter during the summer. She started working with her case manager to achieve her educational goals and find safe, stable housing. Her children — 13-year-old Jaquan, 10-year-old King, seven-year-old Asia Rose, four-year-old Joanah, and two-year-old Layla — received shoes, clothes, and everything they needed to enter their new schools prepared.
“I love it here,” Malasia said. “The staff, they actually care.”
Today, Malasia is enrolled in Galen and working toward becoming a traveling nurse. She has her housing voucher, and she and her children are preparing to move out and spend their first holiday season in Louisville in their own home.
“I’m excited for the holidays,” she said. “I think this place is going to have great holiday spirit.”
Jaquan and Asia Rose want iPads this year, and Joanah and Layla are hoping to get scooters!
With your support, we can ensure Malasia has the essentials she needs and her children can enjoy the magic of the season. Visit www.voamid.org/HOLIDAYS to learn how you can join our Hope for the Holidays efforts and uplift nearly 500 families in need.
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Volunteers of America Mid-States