Good News - May 2019

been opened where veterans and families can receive services while arrangements are made to get them in an apartment. And according to Broward County’s Point in Time Count, the homeless population in Broward has de- clined slightly from 2,800 in 2013 to about 2,300 at the last count. It has been a commu- nity-wide effort with Andy as one of many catalysts, and Jim Robertson, vice chair of Operation Lift Hope and founder of Allegiance Crane, points out sustaining the effort over the long run will be a challenge. However, Repre- sentative Chip LaMarca, who has walked along side Operation Lift Hope in the process, said, “Andy has the unique combination of relentless determination to bring a project to success and the passion to make a differ- ence in someone’s life cir- cumstances. I am proud to call Andy a friend and I know that he is the success- ful business and commu- nity partner that he is because of his tremendous family, from his wife Kathy to his daughters Kate and Kristen, and the rest of their loving family.” After what Andy calls a desert experience earlier in his career, he is quick to say, “It is never, ever, ever going to be about me again. No matter what.” Starting with Armstrong in 1974, Andy was promoted within Thomasville Furniture In- dustries. “I loved it because I was in touch with people. We’d win together… I be- came vice president, then executive vice president; I’m hopping over every- body then I got into sort of a challenge with the pres- ident who was there. I lost and I was out… At the time it was all about me thinking I’m a hot shot” but he said, “The pain is real. You have failed.”After five months of deep soul searching, Andy said he got very close to God. When he felt all the energy had been zapped out of him, Andy received a call from Ron Jones, presi- dent of Masco. As Andy was sitting in the car await- ing his final interview in a downpour, Kathy encouraged him to read Proverbs 3: 5-6, but Andy recalled the Psalms: “I will awake again for the Lord sustains me. I will not fear… from the Lord comes deliverance.” Fired up for his interview, Andy said he looked at the Masco building and the clouds opened up above it. He was given the job and Andy said, “Every day I went in, asked forgiveness and asked God to please guide me in the right direction and help me make the right decisions.” It was transformative. “When you feel you are in a situation where you are at the bottom of the heap and you see no way out, if you finally get connected with God, you’ll feel him grab the bars and take them off your chest, and the weight coming off of you is so significant you sleep like a baby. You don’t worry about anything,” he explained. In keeping with their faith, Andy and Kathy buried a family Bible in the foundation of Auberge building, and it is open to the verse God gave him that day in the parking lot. “For a moment the entire construction site stopped. People took their helmets off. People were on their knees praying. We blessed the workers. We blessed their families. And we blessed the people who would make Auberge their home,” saidAndy. “There was a time when I had the rug pulled right out from under me, but now God has me down here for a reason. With five flat stones and a slingshot, you can accomplish anything if you will believe and trust in Him.” Burying the family Bible in the foundation of the Auberge building World-Class Developer Champions the Cause of Homeless Veterans and Families (Continued from page 25) During the Operation Lift Hope Gala, Admiral Vern Clark is presented with an American flag in honor of the 22 veterans a day lost to suicide.