Sgt. Peter Mares Benefit Show

NCCW is working with the Mares Family and Given By Corp (The Restoration Center) to help raise funds for the Restoration Center. For more information about Peter Mares, Given By Corp and The Restoration Center click on The Restoration Center Banner.

The Benefit Show

The Benefit show is being planned for toward the end of October. Tickets will go officially on sale as soon as a date is set for $10 each. Doors will open for the event at 6pm and the event starts at 7pm. NCCW is working to put together an Auction for the Event, more details will be posted as they become available. 

NCCW is working hard to get sponsors for the Benefit Show to help lower the cost of the Benefit Show to allow more of the sales from the tickets and concessions to be given to the center.

Sponsorship packages range from $50 to $200, and include your company banner being posted at the event along with the company logo posted on all fliers as well as the company website. All packages include discount tickets with some including free tickets. If you are interested in Sponsoring the NCCW Benefit Show email [email protected] for more information on all packages.

"His Brothers Hope"

On Angel Wings

Chances missed for last good byes.

Solace, for now on angel wings he flies.

Tears flow no more, and all pains cease.

Heart filled with hurt now at blessed peace.

With your path now lit, and purpose no longer amiss,

Feel the warmth of God’s love, and taste His kiss.

Hold your head high and receive His grace,

Feel his arms and the strength of His embrace.

Your dirty wings and tarnished halo now washed by His light.

Your time has come to spread your wings, Pete, and take flight.

                                                Go with God little brother

                                            ~forever your brother, Lucas

              I am not really sure how to put into words what Pete means to me, it is very difficult to convey the giving spirit he was and continues to be to this day.  I will do my best.

              In times of struggle, our country calls upon its bravest men and women to serve.  Peter heard that call so strongly that he spent the better part of a year trying to find a unit somewhere in the state of Colorado that would let him go to Iraq because his home unit was not called to go for another couple of years.  He found one in the 140th Signal Company.  His service in Iraq earned multiple medals including the Combat Action Badge, which he was particularly proud of.  There are classes in the military that teach a soldier how to walk, how to speak, how to recognize and comply with authority, how to fight, and most importantly Love for your country at any personal cost. 

              Unfortunately there is very limited resources available for these brave men and women upon their return to the states to help them readjust to life and establish a new sense of normalcy.  These battle hardened weary warriors return with a pocket full of cash, excitement to see all the people they have missed and a head full of all the things they have seen and done in a warzone.  The excitement wears off, the welcome home party music softens and turns off, and the money will run out. 

              This is where Peter, along with countless others in his shoes will benefit so much from a facility like the Restoration Center. If he was given the opportunity to receive the much needed counseling.  Not just mental help, but help with money management, and connecting with the people who love him the most, I would not be where I am today.  Pete returned from Iraq in May of 2008 showing all the excitement I mentioned above.  He had the most fun I have ever seen him have for those few months over the summer.  Money was not an issue for him and he had no problem making sure that all those around him were enjoying life as much as he was.  Like I mentioned before the money does run out.  With the economy being what it is today, Pete, along with many other veterans had trouble finding work.  He was attending community college and struggling very much to make ends meet.  The pressures mounted and built and weighed him down.  His pride and his warrior spirit would not let him show this to anyone, even those closest to him.  He screamed, but no one heard him.  No one recognized the signs, no one was truly aware of how deep his pain was.  On October 17th, 2008 Peter took his own life.  This day rocked my family, and changed my life forever.  These wounds are still very fresh, and I still have a long way to go on this rough road, but I am able to see light at the end of the tunnel.  

              If the restoration center can offer the help to just one soldier who may be in the same way Peter was, then all of this is worth it.  If one family can be spared the turmoil, and pain that these type of events have on them, then it is all worth it.  Peters name will live on, and will become synonymous with hope, help, and healing.  These three things our warriors desperately need.  The suicide rate for returning vets is higher than it has been in decades.  The divorce rate among deployed soldiers is astronomical and unacceptable.  The financial instability for these folks who risk their lives to protect all of the freedoms we love is just another piece of this trisect plaguing our troops.  With a faculty designed to help these people, intense counseling, comradely, and understanding, Peter Wesley Mares will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all those who receive the help that he never did. He was the most amazing person I have ever known.  He was giving to the point that he would go without to ensure the happiness of others.  He was compassionate, loving, and so proud.  Every life that he came in contact with was never the same.  He improved everyone he knew.  He helped them up when they were down.  Lent a hand when it was not asked.  And gave a smile where only frowns were before.  He went to great lengths to keep everyone he cared about happy.  With his death, something positive can come out of it which is fitting for the type of person Peter was.  Sacrificing something of his to ensure that someone else can be taken care of.  

Lucas Mares