Marine veteran Tim Hatcher still remembers the initial motto that propelled him and a group of veterans to serve and honor wounded and disabled North Texas service members.
“We might not be able to change your life, but we’ll help your life suck less for a little bit,” Hatcher said.
In 2013, Marine veteran Jeremy Spann — along with a group of servicemen like Hatcher — began Cowtown Warriors, a nonprofit aimed at helping wounded and disabled veterans across North Texas by offering financial emergency relief. Composed solely of volunteers, the organization hosts annual balls, skeet shoot events and other fundraisers to help local veterans coping with service-related disabilities.
“A lot of what Cowtown finds itself doing now is, ‘Stop the bleeding, restore the breathing, treat for shock,’” Hatcher said, who served as the organization’s previous president. “It’s just triage. How do we get you stable? How do we get you to where you can get your blinders off and try to find the next job opportunity that’s going to be good for you and your family?”
Since its inception, Cowtown Warriors has raised over $2.6 million for its cause and has helped over 150 local veterans, according to its website.
Cowtown Warriors serves veterans of all branches who have a service-connected disability, honorable discharge and reasonable quality-of-life request, Hatcher said.
When the nonprofit first began, volunteers focused on improving a veteran’s well-being at their home through a new bed, new furniture or getting their home modified to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Hatcher said.
Today, members of Cowtown Warriors find themselves serving veterans in a different way — financial planning and wealth management, Hatcher said.
“Oftentimes now they are in a state of despair, where rent has not been paid, mortgages haven’t been paid, water, electricity is being cut off, the wheels have fallen off for some reason or another,” Hatcher said of veterans they serve.
The nonprofit stabilizes a veteran’s financial situation by assisting with rent, mortgage or other bills.
Cowtown Warriors also serves as space to refer veterans seeking mental health support or additional help to other local organizations, Hatcher said. The nonprofit has become a way for Marine veterans like Hatcher to connect with other service members looking to make a difference in their communities, he said.
Bart Lesniewicz got involved with the nonprofit in 2017 by volunteering at the organization’s annual Cowtown Warriors Charity Ball.
Lesniewicz has been a part of the group since, rising up to serve on the organization’s board of directors and responsible for vetting military veterans in financial need.
A majority of veterans Cowtown Warriors serves come through a vetting process by Combined Arms and the Texas Veterans Commission before being screened by the nonprofit, Lesniewicz said.
The organization verifies the potential recipient by looking over military paperwork, their financial need and visiting the veteran’s home to see the situation firsthand, Lesniewicz said.
“We have a huge fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the money goes to what it’s being said it’s going to do,” Lesniewicz said.
As Hatcher thinks about the future of Cowtown Warriors, he hopes the organization will be able to move away from an entirely volunteer force and have its own space with a small group of employees available to help the nonprofit grow, he said.
In the meantime, Cowtown Warriors will continue to do its main function — serve veterans who need it most, Hatcher said.
“Cowtowners are still needed,” Hatcher said. “It can be a tough thing, but it needs to be done. If we’re not doing it, who else is going to be doing it?”
Marissa Greene is the faith and fellowships editor at the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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