New “Everyday Heroes” Series Debuts in Saturday Evening Post

I’m happy to announce that I’m writing a new department for The Saturday Evening Post called “Everyday Heroes,” which will focus on the amazing stories of real-life Americans who are improving their communities and the world. The first piece, titled “Paws and Effects,” looks at Clarissa Black and her organization Pets for Vets, which matches shelter animals with veterans suffering from conditions such as depression and PTSD.

The piece tells the story of veterans such as Blade, who was considering suicide until he was matched with D.D., an abandoned pit bull/Labrador mix. The bond was instantaneous, and D.D. helped to ease Blade’s nightmares. Life-changing partnerships like these are the goal of Pets for Vets, which has matched nearly 300 veterans with animals, creating a unique win-win situation: The vets are rescued, but so are the pets.

The debut Everyday Heroes story appears in the January/February issue of The Saturday Evening Post.