About

Shanarik graduated high school and joined the US Navy while he was still 17, getting shipped off to boot

camp right after his 18 th birthday in 1999. After his grandmother and primary caretaker passed when he

was 13 years old, he found himself in a back and forth between various homes among family and

friends. Throughout this tomoltuous time, he was still able to graduate high school a year early, which

helped lead his decision to join to join the US Navy. Unfortunately, in 2003, he was medically discharged

and unable to re-inlist due to injuries sustained during his time in service. In 2007 he and his future wife

moved to Alabama, where he found it increasingly difficult to find adequate resources for help and

sustainability. His medical conditions made it extremely hard to maintain consistency in scholastics and

employment. When his pains rendered him unable to attend class or having to call out for work, he

found himself consistently losing the ability to provide for himself and his family. Throughout the years,

his conditions and pains worsened, which caused him to miss out on opportunities for career

advancement and resulting in either underemployment or completely losing employment. He found it

increasingly difficult to obtain employment because when he applied for jobs he was often told he was

over-qualified because of his Naval experience and his certification as a Computer Technician Specialist.

If he was able to get hired, his conditions eventually led his employers to let him go. Even when he

applied for increases in his disability benefits he was denied due to miscommunication and/or

information not being updated in the VA system within the necessary timeframe before a decision was

made. These circumstances led to he and his family constantly scrambling to afford basic needs.

Eventually in 2017, they found themselves homeless for a few months. These experiences showed him

gaps within the VA system, as well as the disconnect of veterans from resources that will help them

receive the benefits that they have earned and deserve. This became even more of an issue during the

Pandemic, because most services moved online. Displaced, homeless, and elderly veterans were

expenentially left behind because of lack of knowledge of benefits, lack of internet savvy, and/or lack of

access to a computer and internet services. In 2023, after going through and overcoming denials and

blocks, he decided to make a difference by providing information and assistance -free of charge- to

people who were in a similar situation as he was a few years prior, especially those who fulfilled their

duty to the country in the military and were denied or weren’t even aware of the services and benefits

that are provided to them. S“I want to help as many people who were or are in my prior situation get

the help they earned. I find it an honor and a duty to reach as many people as I can, especially if they

served in our country’s military. NO ONE should be left behind.”