16 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. VETERAN ARMY RANGER FUNDRAISER The War’s Not Over When The Fighting Stops ABC Member, Army Veteran hosts fundraiser for U.S. Veterans There have been over 66,000 combat casualties since September 11, 2001. In that same period, 144,000 Veterans died by suicide who are struggling with PTSD. This outrageous stat drove Army Ranger Veteran and ABC Member Pieter Winne to answer the call to help. Whenever you see Pieter, at the beginning of any exchange, he will always share how blessed he is. Winne never has a complaint because according to him, he has it all. A job he loves, a wonderful family and a purpose to help people be better than the day before. “I know deep inside me I am doing what I was put on this earth to do. Every day in my career (as an EOS Implementer) I help professionals grow. Three years ago, I wanted to know what I could do to help my brothers and sisters who have served this great country and come home with severe PTSD. So, I started hosting what is now an annual fundraiser,” Winne said. Since the inaugural event in 2022, Winne mentioned that the profits raised have exponentially increased. This year the amount almost doubled from 2023 to 2024. In his welcoming speech at this year’s fundraiser, Winne polled the room asking how many have been affected by suicide. In a silent, chilling moment, almost every hand went up. “So here’s the deal,” Winne continued. “This (fundraiser) saves lives. If you know someone, anyone who is suffering, ask them. Life is so short, pour love into them, show them that you care and get them help. We’ve lost too many people.” Bob Sebastian, the president of Helping Out Our American Heroes (HOOAH) attended the event to spread the word about his organization’s mission, which is to lend support to veterans with a high level of understanding, compassion and empathy. “For some reason, us people in the military have it engrained in our Pieter Winne stands smiling to see the support for his mission.
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