Good News - May 2019

are the guys we send to the darkest part of the world who give us the freedoms we enjoy, who my dad fought for…” He solicited the support of then Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, and that night woke up at 2 a.m. in the morning for what he refers to as an appointment with God in which he was chal- lenged to “think more broadly.” Andy was on the board of Hope South Florida, a ministry that assists homeless veterans and families, and the need was great. The next day Andy agreed to give the Navy SEALS full reign to train on his property, if they would help him get homeless veterans off the streets. Operation Lift Hope was formed and it was the beginning of his rally cry to business leaders and the community to join forces and meet the challenge. Inviting businesses, service providers, government officials, law enforcement, foundations, educational institutions and faith based organizations to the table for an inquiry process, a synergistic team worked for six months at Broward College to develop a com- prehensive plan that would fill the gaps in the con- tinuum of care for the homeless. “This was instrumental in grasping a little bit of the fire hose of how we can put the pieces together and connect the dots. And my strength is connecting dots,” said Andy. The resulting plan simplified the Continuum of Care to four categories: Engage - Serve the homeless in their time of need through prevention, outreach and support serv- ices. Empower - Stabilize housing and provide sup- portive services through emergency, transitional and permanent re-housing. Educate - Develop skills necessary for living and succeeding through formal and in- formal educational development and im- provement, and Employ - Expand income opportuni- ties and facilitate career advancement through support and aftercare services to foster job readiness and self-sufficiency. The next challenge was to fund it. While going through Lifework Leadership, Andy met Admiral Vern Clark, the retired Chief of Naval Opera- tions, and invited him to speak at Opera- tion Lift Hope’s inaugural fundraising event, which would be a spectacular gala attended by 1,600 people in the Broward Convention Center in the fall of 2015. The first floor of the convention center was transformed into a flight deck with military equipment, SEAL team and military dog demonstrations, and SWAT vehicles. Upstairs, a pro- fessionally-produced dinner show featured a full American Legion orchestra with military regalia, presentation of the colors and a skit in which Admi- ral Vern Clark communicated with SEAL Teams in the field, indicating with authoritative steel that they would get the resources they needed to complete their mission. Guests received challenge coins invit- ing them to join the cause, and after sharing his own experience with his brother’s homelessness, Admiral Clark led the charge by personally contributing $10,000. More than a dozen business leaders also became “Joint Chiefs” in Operation Lift Hope’s mis- sion by committing $50,000 a year for three years to help fill the gaps in the continuum of care. Peggy Nordeen, CEO of Starmark, helped by branding his efforts and providing an online dona- tion site. “Andy has opened many of our eyes to the possibilities,” said Nordeen. “And when the Broward Business Council on Homelessness led by Mike Jackson, Auto Nation CEO, James Donnelly, Castle Group CEO, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Al- liance, United Way and Broward County was formed last year, Andy joined the council and matched Mike Jackson’s $300,000 support donation with Operation Lift Hope funds.” Operation Lift Hope was also instrumental in creating the Crisis Bridge Housing Test Pilot Pro- gram that places homeless veterans and families in hotel rooms temporarily while more permanent housing can be arranged. Through Operation Lift Hope, Andy challenged the city, the county, and the Broward Workshop to help fund the program at $20,000 each, with the Alliance kicking in $5,000. This was the first time all of the stakeholders worked together in a collaborative way. Since Operation Lift Hope was established four years ago, the plight of the homeless has been brought to the forefront and people are working to- gether like they never have before. Stranahan Park where they used to congregate is now empty, shared meals sites are now available seven days a week at a variety of locations, and a day respite center has Auberge Beach Residences and Spa on Fort Lauderdale Beach Lillian Ireland, Kathy Ireland Mitchell and Jack Ireland (Continued on page 26) Navy SEALS training on the Ireland's Inn property prior to construction