The Dyer Difference Award Committee chose to get physical as part of the decision-making process. In addition to recognizing the Veterans Council of Indian River County with this month’s Dyer Difference Award, all of the employees at Dyer Chevrolet, Mazda, and Subaru in Vero Beach have been doing 22 pushups for the past 22 days.
The number of pushups is symbolic of the claim that every day, at least 22 veterans die by suicide. The Veterans Service Council of Indian River County, a collaboration of 25 veteran organizations, and over 45 non-veteran entities, provides support for Indian River County veterans and their families.
While there is always a need to support veterans, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the veteran population exceptionally hard, causing physical and emotional problems, housing, unemployment and transportation issues that can overwhelm even the bravest among us.
The staff at Dyer Chevrolet, Mazda and Subaru in Vero Beach are showing strength, solidarity, and support through this month’s award and by hitting the ground and honoring the veterans each day who served our country and are deserving of our gratitude.
In St. Lucie County, the Fort Pierce’s Pilot Club has long focused its fundraising efforts on brain-related diseases and disorders.
Part of an international group of powerful and caring women, the Fort Pierce Pilot Club helps sponsor John Carroll High School’s Anchor Club, provides scholarships to high school seniors and other students continuing their education, and also hosts an annual golf tournament each fall to help raise funds for GPS Tracking Bracelets.
These lifesaving bracelets are fitted with tiny tracking devices and are distributed among seniors with memory issues including Alzheimer’s Disease or Autism, two populations who might wander away from their safe places and become endangered.
Though the Fort Pierce Pilot Club is small, with fewer than 10 active members, they are a powerhouse of teamwork and passion, and this year’s 16th Annual Birdies for Bracelets Golf Tournament at Gator Trace Golf and Country Club is already sold out.
This is great news for St. Lucie County because the need for the tracking bracelets is high. Fort Pierce Pilot Club partners with Alzheimer’s Community Care, which facilitates the GPS Tracking Bracelets, and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
Because the cause, the effort, and the individuals assisted because of this tournament are important to our community, selecting this month’s Dyer Difference Award recipient in St. Lucie County was as easy as following a GPS.
The Dyer Difference Award is all about celebrating the beauty and kindness in our midst. For the Dyer family and the members of the Dyer staff, the award and the $6,000 in donations made monthly between the St. Lucie and Indian River Counties are all about helping to make a positive difference in the community.
For the recipients, it’s an acknowledgement of their tireless efforts to do the same and a much-needed financial boost to help further their missions.
If you’d like to nominate a non-profit organization for the Dyer Difference Award, please visit www.dyerdifference.org or find Dyer Difference on Facebook.