Transforming Today's World Magazine - JAN 2014 Special Edition Vol 5 Issue 3 | Page 39

home from war by providing them with interim housing
that would NOT separate them from their families!
The wounds of our warriors are obvious; but it is the
un-seen portion of recovery that has to be addressed
if America is to truly honor the service of our
veterans! WHY would a wounded warrior have to be
subjected to the absence of their family members as they
endure the recovery process alone and isolated!? Darlene
experienced life in the military first hand as she was
blessed by a long and loving marriage with her husband.
Sadly Mike passed away in 2012; and since that day
Darlene has dedicated her entire life to honoring
his legacy by launching his dream: EMPOWERING
WARRIORS. God works in mysterious and great ways…..
and always works all things for the better good of all. In
this case, He has taken a tragic loss and turned it into
an empowering, loving instrument of restoration that will
help hundreds of veterans return to loving and productive
lives. We all know that true and effective change requires
heart, dedication, experience and a great deal of faith.
Darlene Gleason has a plethora of attributes required to
launch such an extraordinary project of this magnitude.
But to understand this great woman, we must go back
to where the depth of her character and vision began.
Darlene’s roots were formed in the farm country of Iowa
where she was captivated by the farming process, growing
plants and gardening. Her childhood was engrossed in this
process and has become one of the fundamental elements
necessary for the Empowering Warriors program to help
sustain the family with organic foods through aquaponics.
To describe Darlene’s life as “eclectic’ is an understatement!
Besides being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great
grandmother and a beloved aunt to many nieces and
nephews, Darlene has been a stellar career woman as well!
She has been a professional commercial and residential

real estate investor for over 35 years. Her extensive real
estate experience is a fundamental requirement for
having the expertise to develop the Empowering Warriors
housing programs and bring this aspect of the program
to fruition. Darlene’s business acumen and experience is
astounding as she originally started working at the
Bell System at Northwestern Bell at an entry level
position! She was quickly transferred to Southwestern
Bell where she became project coordinator of many large
telecommunications projects that ultimately included
NASA, mission control at JSC, many large oil companies,
the University of Houston, The City of Houston, E911 and
many others that were ALWAYS completed on schedule!
Coming full circle, it is interesting to note that these Bell
System companies became AT&T once again! Darlene
attended Lone Star College and attended many continuing
classes with AT&T as she evolved into today’s modern
woman; possessing ALL of the qualities needed to lead
Empowering Warriors to victory! Darlene Gleason IS
the American Dream and Empowering Warriors IS the
change America has been waiting for! Please support
the change by contributing to this extraordinary nonprofit. By doing so, you will show your support to our
veterans who have risked and sacrificed their lives for
your freedom. America must stand strong and united
and do whatever is needed through the private sector
to support our military. With your help and with a
great woman leading the cause, we can EMPOWER
our warriors as they begin a new and productive life
in their new homes. May God bless Darlene Gleason
for her amazing courage, strength, love and dedication
to our veterans. May God bless America and may God
bless us all as we begin this journey of transformation
to forge a new path leading America back to greatness!
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