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Lawyers in the House with Montlick - Your Legal Podcast
058 Helping Homeless Veterans with HOPE Atlanta

058 Helping Homeless Veterans with HOPE Atlanta

Lawyers in the House with Montlick

Montlick is proud to partner with HOPE Atlanta to provide move in kits for veterans and their families in need. On this Veterans Day, hear from Monica Kaufman-Pearson on her and Montlick’s commitment to supporting military families.

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Read the Episode Transcript

00:04	Welcome to Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Wish you had a lawyer in the family? Now you do. Here’s your host, Veronica Waters. VERONICA: Hey, hey, hey, everybody. Welcome to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m your host, Veronica Waters. And I’m so happy to welcome you back into the House for another fantastic episode with us.
00:30	VERONICA: Today, it is a special episode. We’ve got some return visitors, their faces you know and love, and we have a very special subject on tap today. We’re talking about honoring our veterans. You probably already know that World War I was known as the Great War at the time, and it officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France in June of 1919. But the fighting had actually stopped seven months before that in November.
01:00	VERONICA: And that became known as Armistice Day. And it was in November on the 11th day at the 11th hour. Fast forward to the holiday that we now know as Veterans Day, which we celebrate each and every year on November 11th. But each and every day, Montlick Injury Attorneys makes it part and parcel of the fabric of who they are to honor our heroes and salute our veterans. And that’s what we’re talking about today.
01:29	VERONICA: So, Veterans Day is far more than just a day when you think in your heart that we can honor them all year long. Today we are talking about honoring our veterans with two special people whom I’m honored to share some airtime with today. Let’s start off with Monica Kaufman Pearson, who is… I don’t even know how to describe her. She is the queen of all media. Is that fair to say? MELINDA: I would definitely agree with that.
01:59	VERONICA: And that’s… that’s Melinda Jeffress, Director of Media at Montlick Injury Attorneys. Monica started her career when I was- MONICA: -a baby. VERONICA: I don’t know if I should say that. But yes, I was just a baby and she came to Georgia from Kentucky, having already made inroads in print and radio and TV media. And Monica became, here in Atlanta, the first black person and the first woman to anchor a nightly newscast on television.
02:30	VERONICA: And that was history making. Since then, she has not looked back. She has blazed trails. She has won awards. She retired, but you’d never know it to look at her resume or her calendar. And today she’s here joining us in studio because you already know she’s got an amazing partnership with Montlick Injury Attorneys, and we’re going to talk about how she got there and where she’s going with it. Sitting next to Monica is Melinda Jeffress, as I said, the Director of Media at Montlick, also a longtime media veteran, but who spent a lot of her time on the sales side.
03:04	MELINDA: That I did. VERONICA: And came to Montlick and has launched an incredible department, full of outreach to the community and messaging to let everyone know how Montlick Injury Attorneys can be there for you in your time of need. So welcome to the House, Melinda Jeffress and Monica Pearson. MONICA: Thank you. We’re M squared today. MELINDA: We are. Thank you for having us. VERONICA: You know, I love having both of you in studio. We had such a good time the last time we all got together. And it was honestly one of the best episodes, I think.
03:36	VERONICA: One of the ones that’s closest to my heart. We had such, you know, such heartfelt messaging there. But what really touched me was that it was heartfelt for all of us. And I know that from our histories and our conversations. And I know that part and parcel of what Montlick does is not just for show. MONICA: It’s true. VERONICA: It’s very real. MONICA: Very real. MELINDA: Very real. MONICA: That, I think, is the reason you know people ask, why did you go to Montlick?
04:08	MONICA: Why did you decide to work with them? And it became important to me because I looked at everybody. But what I loved about them was their commitment to the community, and particularly to veterans, because women veterans often are overlooked completely. You know, when people think of veterans, they automatically think of men. But we find so many women veterans also being homeless and in need.
04:36	MONICA: And Montlick has always jumped in, particularly with Hope Atlanta, to work with women veterans to help them get back on their feet. And what I loved about Montlick was that it wasn’t about just making money here. It was about helping people get their lives back in order to give them that feeling of belonging, to give them that feeling of worth that they sometimes have lost because it’s so hard for many veterans just to come back into society.
05:10	MONICA: But unfortunately, many of them end up homeless because of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Again, Montlick, through their sponsorships, has done so much to say we’re here to help you get your life back together. VERONICA: I would say that sort of is part and parcel of who you are too, Monica. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been dedicated to the community. You have been a volunteer for so many people.
05:37	VERONICA: You give of your time away from the microphone and away from the camera. And you don’t ask much in return. I think just for people to pay it forward. MONICA: My mom always says, and you all know the phrase, to whom much is given, much is required. And again, that gets back to Montlick. Not only through what they do for the veterans, but I think of the driver education programs. I think of, you know, the athletes of the week. It’s a family company.
06:09	MONICA: It’s not just family owned. It is a family company. VERONICA: And it feels like it, MJ? MONICA: And it feels like it. All the time. MELINDA: It does. You know, every time… we’ve been in here a lot with our attorneys and you get a sense of family. We always welcome everyone and say, welcome to the Montlick family. It’s more than just a firm of attorneys. We are family. And we treat everyone with respect and we treat everyone like we’re family. And that’s how we treat our clients.
06:34	MELINDA: We like to say we treat every client as their own and as if they were one of our family members. MONICA: And you see that in so many ways. I think about the fun that we have, you know, at Christmas time altogether up there in the office packing stuff for people for Christmas or here at WSB. And then I remember when we were putting together those cleaning kits for the women over at Hope Atlanta. And, you know, all the attorneys are in… their coats off. Everybody’s laughing and talking.
07:03	VERONICA: And there is this commitment to doing it together to make a difference. VERONICA: And it doesn’t feel like a chore. It doesn’t seem like a mandate. It’s like something people really want to be doing. MELINDA: Yeah, it’s part of who we are. And I know I’ve said this before, but it’s part of our DNA. It’s part of our mission. You know, the first… the first pillar is to have the most successful law firm providing the best service. But the second is to do well to be able to give back to our community. And that is number two in our mission.
07:33	MELINDA: Two things, service our clients and give back to the community. And that’s what we’re here today doing, but that’s what we talk about all the time on the show as well. We’re bringing in our lawyers and we’re helping people. We’re giving knowledge and insight and information to educate them. So, if they’re ever in a situation where they are in an accident, they know what to do. But at the same time, how are we giving back and what are we doing to serve our community at large? MONICA: And you’re giving back. You know, it just hit me. Two is like one. MELINDA: Right.
08:02	MONICA: It really is. Because helping people who have been injured and thinking there’s no way I’m going to recover and for a Montlick lawyer to be able to hold that hand while still doing the legal work, that’s important. One and two are really the same. MELINDA: They really are. VERONICA: It’s interesting that you point… because I was actually thinking about how much effort Montlick spends in trying to prevent injury and also thinking that being a lawyer, handling these cases, and remember, they’re not handling just one case at a time.
08:35	VERONICA: They’ve got, I don’t know how many on their desk at once. And to make every client feel like they are heard, listened to, constantly returning calls and texts and emails, handling the legal business, and giving back to the community. That is a lot. That’s a lot. And it takes probably, I’m guessing, a very special type of person who doesn’t want to just throw away whatever commitment they have to their firm at the door when they clock out. Maybe they never. It’s like you don’t ever clock out and you don’t care because it’s part of who you are.
09:05	MELINDA: You really don’t. I think it’s in our hearts. Yeah. And you see that with what we do in the community and you see that through our attorneys, every single person has a commitment to help and the compassion. And I think that that’s what you see week in and week out when we’re here and we’re talking. Like I said, as part of our DNA, every member believes that. And we treat each other with respect that way. We treat our clients that way. And when we’re out in the community, we’re helping those people and treating them just the same.
09:33	VERONICA: MJ, Montlick does so much with the community. And there’s so much that’s done for prevention of accidents, too. But there are so many avenues the firm could go down in reaching out to help. Why is helping veterans so important? MELINDA: Well, you know, I always like to think that Montlick and our military share a lot of the same values: integrity, honor, service. And that’s what we do as a law firm, and that’s what our military does and is the embodiment of who we are.
10:05	MELINDA: And also, so often our veterans and our military are forgotten. They’re not recognized. They don’t get the recognition that they deserve. So often they’re out there sacrificing so much; and so few give back and appreciate them. So that’s one thing that we like to do is we don’t just honor our servicemen and women. We honor the families. That’s something that we’re going to talk about here today is the whole family. It’s kind of a family show, right? But it’s recognizing and honoring our military and their families.
10:37	MELINDA: And anything that we can do to give back, to show our appreciation, to let them know that we care, we appreciate. That’s what we’re here to do. VERONICA: I would like to shine the spotlight on some of those things, if it’s OK, because I think for many of us, we have no problem saying, “Thank you for your service.” So grateful for what you did, so grateful for what you do if you’re an active duty service member. But what can we do beyond that? Tell me a little bit about some of the ways that Montlick does give back.
11:07	MELINDA: Well, as Monica mentioned earlier, through Hope Atlanta and through their Veterans Program, we are helping homeless veterans get back into a home, get off the streets and back into a home. That’s a really big one that we do. We also do a most deserving military family where so often these families don’t get the time together. They’re serving. And so, when they come back, offering and giving them a trip where they can go with their family for a whole week or they get to choose wherever they want to go in the US, continental U. S., to have that time together.
11:36	MELINDA: And then we also do fallen heroes of Georgia, which we’ve been here before, where we honor our fallen soldiers and we help recognize them as well as bring in their families and let them know that they’re never forgotten. Something that we’re going to talk about this… after this is the dream room makeover. And that’s one of my also new favorites because that’s our true commitment to the children. And oftentimes the children are the ones that are just as impacted with the sacrifices that are made than the military men and women themselves.
12:09	VERONICA: Yeah, that’s such a special category of little veteran service members themselves in a way, right? Because the whole family serves when someone is deployed. Whether you are together or separated by distance, everyone is making a sacrifice in that moment. And I think, you know, a lot of the attention is put on the spouse. But who’s thinking about the kids? And what a beautiful way to tell the kids, hey, we see you. You’re special, too.
12:38	MELINDA: Exactly. And I don’t think many people do that. You don’t see much out there for honoring and helping those children. MONICA: I think about it at Christmas time, when we have a list of items that the children want, and we pack those gifts. And when we deliver them to see the reaction of the children. This is for us, you know. And the moms and the dads, the families, are usually so grateful because in many instances, they couldn’t afford the items that their children wanted.
13:13	VERONICA: Amazing that we could be in 2023 and still, we have veterans who are struggling. But what is Montlick Injury Attorneys doing to help? And let’s talk about Monica Pearson’s personal experiences with veterans and their families. That’s coming up on Lawyers in the House on WSB. You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Join us 8:00 a.m. every Sunday if you want to listen live on 95.5 WSB.
13:45	VERONICA: Welcome back to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m Veronica Waters here with some special guests. It’s Melinda Jeffress, Media Director of Montlick Injury Attorneys and Monica Pearson. I don’t even know what to call you, Monica. MONICA: A member of the Montlick family. VERONICA: A member of the Montlick family. Absolutely. And we are here talking about honoring our veterans, something that’s very close to all of our hearts.
14:08	VERONICA: Going to pull back the curtain a little bit on Monica’s life, because I know that Monica’s commitment to veterans – I don’t know if it was even phrased as such – but it was launched when she was younger and it had to do with her uncle. MONICA: A lot with my uncle. He actually was injured in World War II. And unfortunately, in those days, because he was having post-traumatic stress syndrome, they didn’t know what it was called then.
14:38	MONICA: And he ended up having what was called a lobotomy, where they actually removed part of his brain to keep him from having seizures. And he spent most of his time in a veteran’s hospital until later in life. He would come live with us, and then he would just disappear, and my mother would have to go try to find him. And homelessness was something back then that you just didn’t have. You know, you’re either in the hospital or you’re living at home with your folks.
15:06	MONICA: But I remember how he would just wander the streets, and my mother would have to find him and then put him back in the hospital. And I found that here I see a lot of homeless veterans who are still suffering from what they saw in war. And many of them are women. And we forget that women are serving.
15:28	MONICA: And one of the things I loved about going to Hope Atlanta was we served lunch to the women veterans there and we sat down and we talked about all kinds of things, from girly things to family things, to travel, to what their hopes and dreams were. And we served them and thanked them for serving us. But what it showed me more than anything is how I wish my uncle had had someone and someplace to go like that when he was going through what he was going through.
16:05	MONICA: And so Montlick, and what they do with the women veterans and all veterans – but particularly the women veterans – at Hope Atlanta, you could see the smiles to get nice, clean bedding that was really very feminine and to have the supplies you needed to clean the space you hoped you were soon going to get. For people to say we care and not just give you something, but to spend time with you. VERONICA: To see you.
16:34	MONICA: Yes. And not only to see you, but to say, we care about you. We care about you. VERONICA: We see you, we care about you, and we’re going to be here for you. Coming up on Lawyers in the House with Montlick, we’re going to talk about a very special family, a very special winner. We’re honoring our veterans here on Lawyers in the House on WSB. Stay with us. You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Join us 8:00 a.m.
17:03	every Sunday on 95.5 WSB. VERONICA: Hey, hey, hey. Welcome back to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m Veronica Waters, your host here. Hosting two of my favorite ladies in the House: Monica Pearson, the member of the Montlick family, longtime journalist, legendary broadcaster, partner with Montlick and Melinda Jeffress, the Director of Media at Montlick Injury Attorneys. Ladies, thanks again for being in the House with us today. We’re talking about honoring our veterans.
17:33	VERONICA: As we remember that Veterans Day is celebrated on the 11th day of the 11th month every single year, no matter what day of the week it falls on. And we are remembering them, not just on Veterans Day, but every day. If you missed any of the gems in the first half of our show, don’t worry, we got you. Just subscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform. You get every new episode dropping into your inbox as soon as it hits the World Wide Web. You can also hit us up on every social media platform at Montlick Law.
18:03	VERONICA: We would love to hear from you. The Defense Department says that there are more than 1.6 million military kids in the United States and all over, people who are impacted by their families’ moves hither and yon when serving the military. And while military members serve around the world, we often forget the challenges that their families face. Military families move on average, the Defense Department says, every two to three years.
18:33	VERONICA: And you know that’s going to impact kids through all of their support networks, schools, all of the changes that they have to go through. One of the things that Montlick Injury Attorneys makes sure to do is to remember the kids with some of its own community service programs. It’s not just the heroes themselves, but the folks who are pushing the heroes and giving them roots at home. Melinda, let’s talk about that. MELINDA: Yes, well, and as I said earlier, today’s show is all about the family and serving our military families.
19:02	MELINDA: And just as you said, so oftentimes, these children’s lives are impacted. Their friends are changing, their environment’s changing, their home, their community. And I think oftentimes we forget about the impact that that has on a child. Children are very resilient, but they also need a support system. They also need to know that people care. People love them. And so, part of what we do through our KISS Wish partnership with the radio station is we supply Christmas to these families that would never have Christmas or that type of Christmas with presents and love.
19:35	MELINDA: And so, each year we go in and we surprise them, and we give them a Christmas that they would never have. And some families actually don’t want their children to know that we’ve been a part of this. But then there are other families that are like, absolutely, I want my kids to know and to see how the community is coming together and supporting them. And I think that’s what’s really special about this. And, you know, Monica’s been a part of this. She’s been in there with us delivering these presents.
20:04	MONICA: I love it. It is so much fun. I mean, we put on our Christmas hats, and normally we have a list of items that the child asks for, and we wrap them up. And it’s really funny. Some families will allow the kids to open up the gifts right then. But then there are other families that will go, no, you have to wait till Christmas. And the kids are like, what do you mean? Let me see my gifts now. But it’s so much fun to see the kids’ eyes light up knowing that, is this for me? And that’s the look.
20:34	MONICA: Is this for me? You all are giving this to me. And the parents are so grateful because I can remember one woman. Her husband was disabled, and she had, I guess, what, five kids? And she said we could have never afforded to be able to give our five children this kind of Christmas. And she was almost in tears because she looked at us and said, “Yes, I’ve served, but it never occurred to me that anyone could love my family and my children as much as I do and provide for them as I wish I could.”
21:14	VERONICA: What is incredible to me… MONICA: It is just, oh, heartbreaking. VERONICA: How many of these veterans will never say that they need the help? MONICA: They’ll never ask. They’ll never ask. VERONICA: And that to me is also rather heartbreaking. I mean, you know it’s not a trait that’s limited to veterans. Many of us are like that. We don’t want to say when we need the help. But I remember when Courtney Jones was in here, that was my first time really getting to get in the trenches with KISS Wish. And she came on Lawyers in the House with Montlick with her two sons.
21:45	VERONICA: And she talked about not knowing how to get a Christmas like that. And as you just said, being so surprised that somebody would care that much with that magnitude, with that generosity of spirit. And just before that, not having known how to ask. You come from the military. You are used to taking orders or giving them. You’re used to a certain way of doing things.
22:13	VERONICA: And when you come into the civilian world, things are different. And where do you go? One of the best things that Courtney said that day was, I think we need basic training in reverse to teach us how to get back into civilian life after a military career. And she just talked about how, as you said, she would not have been able to do that or known how to get it done had it not been for you all, and the partnership that you do with our sister station KISS 104.1 for KISS Wish.
22:40	MONICA: It’s important for the kids because that gift, a computer, a small computer, a truck, it’s something that’s theirs. And it’s something that they really wanted. And oftentimes, I think in military families because they couldn’t afford what the child really wanted because it was too expensive… And for us to be able, thanks to the contributions of listeners and Montlick, to be able to provide a child with exactly what they wanted for Christmas.
23:13	MONICA: And not just one item. And that’s the other thing. Not just one item, but everything that’s on the list. MELINDA: It’s like a truckload! I mean, literally, a truckload of presents. VERONICA: …pictures on social media of all of the gifts that, you know, I was so lucky to be in there to get to wrap some of the gifts. It’s a lot. MELINDA: It is a lot. VERONICA: They’re like little mini mountains of gifts. MONICA: But there’s so much more that we’re doing, too, because that’s at Christmas time. But then we’ve got this project coming up where every kid wants a wonderful bedroom.
23:40	MELINDA: Exactly. You know, our dream room makeover we do with a TV station partner down in Columbus, Georgia. As you may know, Fort Moore is one of the largest U.S. bases. MONICA: Used to be Fort Benning. MELINDA: It used to be Fort Benning. It’s now Fort Moore. And there are over approximately 120 to 150,000 military members down in Columbus, Georgia. It’s one of the largest bases. And just as you said, these families are moving in and out of the city.
24:10	MELINDA: And again, children are coming into a new environment, a new city, having to meet new friends, new teachers, new schools. And so, this dream room allows them the opportunity to build a new home or to have a new space within a new home. And so that’s what we love about it. We ask for submissions from the community. And so it could be a teacher that could nominate a child. It could be a community member. It could actually be the military father or mother themselves that they recognize that their children need a little something special.
24:43	MELINDA: A little pick me up is what I like to say. VERONICA: And then once it’s narrowed down to the finalists, how do you choose the winner? MELINDA: Well, that’s the hard part. I like to say we leave that up to the television station. They like to… actually partner with Active Heroes, which is a nonprofit that they actually vet the families just to make sure that they are a veteran or military family and that they do need help. And so, we like to make sure that the family that we’re helping is one that really deserves it and is in need of that help.
25:13	MELINDA: So, they will then narrow it down to the family. And then what we do is we surprise them. The child has no idea. So, we come in with balloons and flowers and we surprise that child. And then we interview them and sit down and say, what do you want? VERONICA: Like the good old publisher’s clearing House. You get, like, a knock on the door and say, surprise! MELINDA: Exactly. And children aren’t used to that. You know, they don’t get those types of surprises. So, we sit down and talk with them and say, what would you like? What type of room? What type of theme?
25:41	MELINDA: And so we leave and then we come back and we kind of get them out of the house. And then here we are. We make over the room and then there’s a big reveal. VERONICA: All right, MJ and Monica, let’s take a peek at this year’s Dream Room Makeover winning family. Congratulations to Haley Pack, who is this winner of the Montlick Dream Room makeover. Haley Pack, 13 years old and living near Fort Benning. Is that right? HALEY’S HALEY’S MOM: Correct, in Columbus VERONICA: In Columbus, Georgia.
26:11	VERONICA: So, Haley, how did you find out that you had won such an amazing prize? HALEY: The people from WTVM just… they were at the door and then my mother told me to go open it. VERONICA: Once you realized what was actually happening, what did you feel? HALEY: I was I was confused at first, but then I realized what was actually happening and then I was excited. VERONICA: What are some of the things on your wish list?
26:44	HALEY: Definitely. I do want a desk, but that’s like all that’s on it right now. VERONICA: Having a dad who’s deployed so often and especially now that your dad is retired, you get a chance, I guess, to spend more time with him now. Yes? HALEY: Yes, ma’am. VERONICA: What do you love about your dad being retired now? HALEY: That he can spend more time with us other than, you know, doing other things.
27:14	HALEY’S MOM: Not having to FaceTime during specific times of the day only, but just him being available. I remember when we first got married, I was sitting in Germany because he was stationed in Germany, and that’s where I’m from. So I was sitting on the military installation in Germany, just waiting for them to put out the mail so I could see if I got a letter from him.
27:37	HALEY’S MOM: And I’m so glad that my kids didn’t experience that. That they… you know, when they were born and after they were born, technology had advanced so much at that point that there was at least FaceTime. I mean, again, when he first deployed back in 2003, he had to stand in line to make a 10 minute phone call, and he had to stand in line to talk to me for hours to make that phone call.
28:04	VERONICA: How did you know about the Dream Room Makeover contest? HALEY’S MOM: Well, I… we’ve lived in Columbus for over 15 years. So, I’ve always, you know, yearly, I’ve pretty much seen that it was just something that was being done. And we had rented for a while because we just didn’t know, you know, where we would end up. So, I never entered the girls because you have to own your home to be eligible.
28:36	HALEY’S MOM: And then I had not even thought of it, honestly, and just was on Facebook one day. And I think it was two days before the deadline. And I thought, you know what? Why don’t I just enter this? VERONICA: Did you ever think anything like this would happen to you? HALEY: No, I didn’t.
29:03	VERONICA: Let me ask you what it means to you to have Montlick… a firm like Montlick supports a program like this. HALEY’S MOM: For them to facilitate something that’s not even in Atlanta, but a little bit, you know, an hour away from Atlanta and just be supportive and make it so specific for one family, I think is amazing. VERONICA: Congratulations again. I can’t wait to see the before and after.
29:31	VERONICA: Thanks so much for taking some time to share your happy news with us. What a treasure of a moment. Love that. Thank you so much for being with us to help us honor our veterans. Most deserving family indeed. MJ with Montlick Injury Attorneys and MP, a member of the Montlick family. We’re going to be right back with Lawyers in the House on WSB. You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick.
30:01	If you want to listen to our radio show live, you can hear it every Sunday, 8:00 a.m. on 95.5 WSB. VERONICA: Hey, hey, welcome back to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m Veronica Waters, happily hosting our guests today, Monica Pearson and Melinda Jeffress with the Montlick family of attorneys. We are here. It’s what you’ve been waiting for all hours long, with the Montlick closing argument. MJ and MP, M².
30:31	MONICA: Alright, Ronnie and Monnie. MELINDA: Well, you know, the whole idea here today is about honoring and thanking our veterans. And I think we can all do that. Whether we take a moment and thank them and pray for them or we work with organizations and we give back and we are able to donate our time and our service to helping and thanking our veterans. There are many organizations across the nation here in Atlanta where you can get involved. And as we talked about earlier, there’s Hope Atlanta.
30:59	MELINDA: They are helping our veterans. There are many, many organizations. If you go to our website, Montlick.com, under our community service, you’ll see all of our military programs that we have; and you can research and get to know some of them and give back. Give some of your time and monetary donations. Monetary donations goes a long way. MONICA: And when you talk about money, I immediately think of the investment we need to make in our veterans.
31:27	MONICA: And that means for KISS Wish, we can start asking for money now. And so that we can buy the toys and the gifts because we’re supplying gifts from children, from babies, all the way up to teenagers. So, think about veterans not just today, but every day, because in their service, they take care of us. They provide us with the ability to live in a country that is free.
32:00	MONICA: And they sacrifice for us. I couldn’t do what our military people do. And when they leave the service, we need to provide them with the service that makes them whole. And Montlick provides part of that. So, I just ask everyone today on Veterans Day to think about that veteran, to see that homeless man who may be holding a sign that says, “I’m a veteran.” And instead of just giving them money, give them some hope.
32:37	MONICA: Maybe you go buy that meal and bring it back to them and find out their story. Don’t just look at them as homeless. Look at them as someone who actually fought for our freedoms. VERONICA: Human. Human. And I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Warrior Alliance, whom we’ve also hosted here on Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Perhaps the only military organization to have as its home base a military… I mean, a Major League Baseball stadium.
33:09	VERONICA: And they’re at Truist Park right up there at The Battery. And we had Joey from the Warrior Alliance. And their specialty, their mission is to help our service members transition back peacefully and well into civilian life. Thank you so much. We are honoring our veterans here today and every day. Thank you to Monica Pearson and Melinda Jeffress and the whole family of Montlick Injury Attorneys. I’m your host, Veronica Waters. And remember, we don’t know them all, but we owe them all. Have a happy Veterans Day.
33:41	You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Catch us live every Sunday, 8:00 a.m. on 95.5 WSB.

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