Local REALTORS® raised over $3,000 for veterans this week at the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® “Home for the Brave” concert benefitting Veterans Community Project (VCP).
VCP was founded in 2016 by four combat veterans, including KCRAR member Mark Solomon. The 49 tiny houses in the Kansas City VCP Village offer a home to veterans experiencing homelessness, and the VCP Outreach Center provides a variety of support services to veterans in the Kansas City metro area.
“21.5 years ago, I raised my right hand and took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic,” Solomon said to the “Home for the Brave” audience at Callsign Brewing. “Anyone who’s ever taken that oath knows… we do that understanding that we may have to give our life in order to uphold that oath. We are willing to write a blank check with our lives to ensure that we hold up that oath. Any given night in America, there could be up to 40,000 veterans who served in uniform who are sleeping on the streets.”
To support VCP and the work it does to end veteran homelessness, KCRAR hosted the “Home for the Brave” benefit concert on Nov. 5. Local band Suburbans, featuring KCRAR Industry Partner Keith Sauro, took the stage to perform high-energy covers from “Thriller” to “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.” The audience raised funds for VCP not only through the cost of their admission, but also through the on-site “temporary tattoo parlor,” the veterans honor wall, a signature drinks menu and direct donations.
“KCRAR has been a great partner with Veterans Community Project from the beginning,” Solomon said, “and this is just another example of an opportunity where they said, ‘Hey, how can we make sure that men and women who are willing to give up their life for our country are housed?’”
Since VCP’s foundation in Kansas City, it has grown to six locations serving veterans across five states. Private donations such as the ones raised at the “Home for the Brave” benefit concert allow VCP to assist any veteran, regardless of their discharge status.
Those interested in donating or volunteering with VCP can learn more at vcp.org. The “Home for the Brave” benefit concert was supported in part by the sponsorship of the Real Estate Book and New Home Guide of Greater Kansas City.
