Woman collecting phone cards for homeless
Cathy Vadney spent Thanksgiving Day at the Waterfront Rescue Mission helping homeless people call their families.
“They were all crying, they were all so happy they had the opportunity to phone home,” said Vadney of Fort Walton Beach.
In fact, two homeless people were invited by their loved ones to come back home, she added.
That gave Vadney an idea.
“I had this brainstorm: This is pretty easy to get these people off the street.”
Since then, she has been soliciting donations of phone cards to hand out at the Waterfront Rescue Mission on Christmas Day.
She has already gotten 10 and has been given money to buy about 25 more. A squadron at Hurlburt Field has contacted her about gathering some unused phone cards from airmen who have returned from deployments.
For Vadney, who is now happily married and a successful business owner, homelessness is not just a vague concept.
Her adult son in Ohio recently spent six months on the street.
And as a young mother, she and her two boys found themselves homeless for a short while.
She had fled an abusive marriage and then was turned away by relatives she thought would help. She and the boys moved into an empty apartment building, where they lived without power for eight days.
HOW TO HELP
Cathy Vadney is collecting donations of phone cards to give to homeless people so they can call their families on Christmas Day. To help, call Vadney at Closing Day Title at (850) 226-4356 and leave your name and telephone number.