‘Leaving no man behind’
U.S. Air Force veteran Kevin Somerville (right) is all smiles thanks to Catholic Charities’ Shakira Woodberry (left) and Veterans Bridge Home, which teamed up to assist him with dental work and housing. (Erika Robinson | Catholic News HeraldCHARLOTTE — U.S. Air Force veteran Kevin Somerville finally has his smile back, a stable home and hope for the future thanks to Catholic Charities and its community partner, Veterans Bridge Home.
Looking at him now, you would never know the difficulties Somerville has overcome in the past 18 months since moving to the Queen City and finding a mentor in Shakira Woodberry, a U.S. Army veteran who now serves as the case manager with Catholic Charities’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program.
“Since I met her I call her my angel, and she’s not even (an angel) in disguise,” Somerville jokes.
The two met in February 2020 in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Somerville was experiencing homelessness after relocating from Memphis, Tenn. He had called the local Veterans Affairs office from a hotel and they made arrangements for him to be picked up by a ride share service and taken to another extended stay hotel free of charge.
“A day or so later I went to the lobby and I saw Shakira,” he recalls. “I greeted her and she said, ‘My name is Ms. Woodberry, and I work for Catholic Charities. Is there anything you need?’ I said, ‘I’m fine, I had everything I need.’”
Woodberry then shared with him the long list of services and opportunities she could help him with.
“I realized (then) I could use some help,” Somerville says.
Woodberry, a native Charlottean, is deeply committed to assisting her fellow veterans. She says when she came home from serving in the military, returning to civilian life was difficult. The transition was made easier when she became involved with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars, the UNC-Charlotte Veterans Club and the Veterans Service Office.
She has been a local resource person for veterans over the past 10 years, now getting paid by Catholic Charities for what she has been doing as a volunteer for years.
“It’s my responsibility, as the healthcare navigator of the veterans program at Catholic Charities, to care about the medical needs and the wellbeing of all of our veterans,” she explains.
“When I came to Catholic Charities, I called every single veteran (enrolled in our program) – over 100 of them. I asked them about their physical and mental health, dental health, family needs, food needs. … I wanted to reach as many veterans as I could.”
Woodberry recalls that when she met Somerville she asked him if he was a veteran. “Helping (veterans like) Kevin is something that comes naturally to me. In the service we have different values. The strongest one that leads me to do the work that I do is ‘Leave no man behind.’ You don’t leave your buddies behind,” she emphasizes.
When Somerville started missing their appointments and she had difficulty contacting him, Woodberry became concerned. When she did finally get in touch with him, she remembers him telling her that he was having some physical issues.
“Kevin was complaining of migraines, stomach problems, sleep disturbance and had about six missing teeth,” she recalls. “He had lost 20 pounds.”
That type of issue was something Woodberry had not previously encountered, so she went back to her team and consulted with Veterans Bridge Home, a local non-profit community partner.
“Together we found a dentist that could do some work for Kevin, and she offered to provide her services for free. Catholic Charities and Veterans Bridge Home split the cost of the lab fees for Somerville’s dental work.”
“I would call it a total and full restoration,” Somerville notes, flashing a smile. “It took a lot of time, a lot of support, and a lot of funding and financing; it took several months. Beyond the physical part, being able to eat anything you want (after 15 years), there is an intangible part. Now not only can I eat a steak, I call my mom and tell her, ‘Guess what I’ve had today?’”
Somerville says along with his dental restoration he has received the gift of confidence. “Now there is an immense and an entirely new level of confidence in the personal arena,” he explains. “Just being able to look at yourself in the mirror and genuinely smile at someone when they make you happy, instead of covering your mouth.”
Woodberry is overjoyed to see the difference something as simple as a new set of teeth has made in Somerville’s life. “It has helped him gain back the weight he lost. He’s eating better, sleeping better, feeling better, even volunteering in the community. He blossomed. … It’s a whole other level of Kevin now,” she says, beaming.
“There is no way I could even tell you or imagine that I would have been able to picture this outcome,” Somerville says. “I didn’t even have much hope before I met her.”
“Shakira and Catholic Charities have given me what I needed to get back on my feet,” he adds, noting that their client relationship has developed into a friendship.
“She has told me even in my new apartment to let her know if there is anything I need.”
Woodberry says her dedication comes down to this: “Veterans take care of veterans. We understand each other. We speak the same lingo. The places he has been,
I have been. I want to be able to help people just like I have Kevin. He is my greatest success story.”
Somerville will receive keys to his new rental apartment any day. He has been able to save for and buy a car. He’s even starting his own business to assist others in need, a company he is calling AOG, an acronym for “Attitude Of Gratitude.”
“The whole intent of it is to help people, and the inspiration came from Catholic Charities and Shakira,” he explains. “I have a philosophy of ‘each one reach one.’ If you can help a bunch of people, that’s beautiful. … But there may be one or two, and you help them out if you have it, or you refer them somewhere or guide them, or maybe just encourage (them).”
Somerville says he was surprised at how much a life can be changed by something “that this big organization may say is very small. They might say, ‘We do this every day.’ But I say, ‘My God, you changed my life.’”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Did you know?
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program (SSVF) served 200 veterans and their families last year, working with community partners such as Veterans Bridge Home. Veterans have received services such as housing assistance, food assistance, help with child care expenses, referrals for physical and mental health care, and assistance with obtaining VA and other benefits.
Go online to www.ccdoc.org to find out more about Catholic Charities and how it assists veterans through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program.