DICKSON CITY, Pa. — Standing in front of the Wall of Heroes inside Veteran's Promise in Dickson City, LaVar Arrington presented the organization with a check for $50,000. Arrington made his mark on the football field but says that helping veterans and their families is a worthy path in life.
"I just want to make sure I leave a mark and leave just a moment in time where someone tried to make a difference and tried to make a difference for this community in particular," Arrington said.
"It gives you a lot of freedom and the ability to, you know, kind of pontificate the future in a sense and have a little bit of relief but also not like focus in the areas I need to focus on," said David Ragan, the president of Veteran's Promise.
Veteran's Promise helps veterans in distress and families who have lost their veterans to suicide. Ragan says four veterans have died over the last month alone. That's four more families that Veteran's Promise hopes to help.
"What we do is we pick up the pieces and try to support all those families and try to let them know that they're not alone, that they have support, and that way, they can find a place to come here and mourn and grieve and take part in things and just try to find a new way of life."
Veteran's Promise volunteers also presented Arrington with a token of their appreciation — a plaque honoring Michael Arrington, LaVar's father, who fought in Vietnam. The gesture overwhelmed the former linebacker.
"That's easily probably the best award that I've ever received, just because of the magnitude of and the weight of what it's connected to," Arrington said.
Veteran's Promise is working on community initiatives for veterans, including working with police officers who may have encounters with veterans during a time of crisis.
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