Stand With Spencer
If you are local, you may have been one of the 10,000 who stood for Spencer on August 16, 2011. Spencer’s remains were flown into New Century Air Center, and a procession of Patriot Guard riders, local law enforcement, and our family and some friends rode past two of the three schools attended as well as several businesses along the 151st Street corridor. For our family, it was an incredible show of support, and it is a memory that sustains us through difficult times, even 9 years later.
One of those people standing for Spencer that day was our friend, Justin. An Iraq War veteran, Justin found himself standing with the crowd and feeling the support of this amazing community. Fast forward six years later, we had the privilege of meeting Justin and have come to know him as a man of integrity who is laser-focused on helping as many vets as possible. Justin is the executive director of The Battle Within, a program we are proud to help support through the Spencer C Duncan Make It Count Foundation. “The Battle Within provides a five-day program for our nation’s warriors to come together and begin the healing process. Each warrior is offered the opportunity to discover their traumatic injuries, begin to face those burdens head on, and develop a toolset of holistic evidence-based skills along with a community of support to begin their journey of healing.” (www.thebattlewithin.org)
Several months ago, our friend Justin approached us with the idea of a campaign to remind folks of that particular time this community stood to honor our hero, and to bring awareness to the work of our foundation. Stand With Spencer, 10,000 Strong is the result of a lot of hard work and the generosity of several people. The basic idea of the campaign is that businesses along the 15st Street corridor in Olathe offer patrons an opportunity to add a $1 or $5 donation at the time of their purchase. These donations will accumulate through August 8th. They will then be totaled and donated to the Spencer C Duncan Make It Count Foundation and used to honor and assist our nation’s veterans.
If you are local, or if you are visiting Olathe and find yourself along the route, please stop by one of the following establishments, enjoy some great food, and make a donation to the Stand With Spencer campaign.
Love at First Bite, 1021 E 151st
Culver’s, 18685 E 151st
Crazy Good Eats, 16695A 151st
The Bar Olathe, 14871 E 151st
A special thank you to our friends at Sir Speedy for printing all of our beautiful promotional materials.
Please stop by and make a donation and say a “thank you” to these businesses who are supporting our efforts. And look for the Stand With Spencer campaign again next year as we prepare for the 10th Annual Spencer C Duncan Make It Count 5K to continue to honor those who have paved the way for us to continue to live in freedom.