This week we’re profiling Operation Rest and Relax. Are they in your Givolio?
Created in 2008 Operation R&R has served over 1,500 military families from military bases in and around South Carolina. With the help of over 400 property owners who offer their homes free of charge, and over 90 service establishments that offer discounts Operation R&R has truly assisted those who serve us. All of this started when founder Grant Evans witnessed soldiers returning home and embracing their loved ones when they arrive at the airport. Evans found it unbelievable that everyone could go about their daily lives and not notice these families being reunited.
Operation R&R is a nonprofit organization focused on giving our soldiers the rest and relaxation they deserve after being deployed. It may prove difficult for soldiers to come home and reintegrate back into normal life, with Operation R&R a soldier will be given a vacation free of charge to unwind after a stressful deployment. Operation R&R also focuses on reconnecting the soldier’s family. After a long deployment the relationship between a soldier and their family can become strained, a vacation has proven to be a perfect way to reconnect with loved ones. Along with reconnecting with family a vacation is needed after a stressful deployment.
In 2013 “Families of Fallen” program was created where families of soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty would be given vacations. The program would benefit families whose lives have been permanently altered and would allow for them reconnect with one another.