Group Raises Money For Veterans Despite Recession

Group Raises Money For Veterans Despite Recession
KOAT.com - Albuquerque,NM,USA
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POSTED: 10:00 pm MDT June 13, 2009





ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Despite the slow economy a grassroots effort is speeding forward.

Veterans Integration Center, a place fueled by donations, helps former service members get back on their feet.

Ron Edwards, an advocate for homeless veterans, said, "I felt totally and completely disfranchised and invisible."

After Edwards' time as a Marine, he found himself out of money and on the streets.

"They didn't see me. They saw the clothes that I had, they saw the dirt on my face, they saw the fear in my eyes," he said.

Edwards said help was hard to find.