Bruce Fisher served as a specialist in the U.S. Army National Guard from 2005 to 2013. During his military career, he was mobilized to Yuma, Arizona for border control and another time to the Low Country of South Carolina for hurricane relief.

Bruce connected with Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) in 2020 through their community partner, Purple Heart Homes Golden Corner Chapter. The UWS Anderson County Warrior Advocate Elizabeth Hiott helped Bruce enroll with the VA. Thanks to community sponsorships, the UWS team was also able to support Bruce’s children through Operation Christmas Blessings, a holiday event to donate toys and grocery gift cards to Upstate veteran families in need.

In addition to enrolling in the VA and assisting his children at Christmas, the UWS team was able to help him obtain a grant for $1,750 from the Anderson County Elks Lodge to fund critical home repairs which will be completed by Purple Heart Homes Golden Corner Chapter. UWS continued to assist this veteran as we utilized our partnership with Vets Helping Vets of Anderson. Through this partnership, we helped him obtain funding for his car payment and insurance so he could get to and from work.

Hiott said, “Bruce Fisher and his family fell on hard times due to COVID. The Anderson team is grateful for the opportunity to help this great veteran and his family get their lives back on track, including to help get their home repaired [and] ensure they had Christmas and funds through the Anderson County Elks Lodge grant program to assist with bills.”

Upstate Warrior Solution believes that community collaboration makes the biggest impact because the struggles facing many South Carolina veterans are multifaceted. As with Bruce Fisher, finding solutions requires a collective approach from government agencies, local chapters of national organizations, such as Purple Heart Homes, and community-based nonprofits like Upstate Warrior Solution. Together, we can create meaningful change and improve outcomes for our veterans.