Jas Stevenson devotes herself to the aide of female veterans!
Jas Stevenson and I met in Washington, DC at a women’s empowerment conference.  I was immediately moved by Jas and her organization; Final Salute Inc.  She created an
organization dedicated to assisting homeless female veterans in obtaining safe, suitable housing and regaining their independence. Â Read her story to learn more about her and our partnership.
This mission moved me so much so that  Womanly Journey is teaming up with Final Salute Inc. to give back to female veterans of this country.
“I am the President and Founder of Final Salute Inc. Our mission is to provide homeless female Veterans with a place to call home. There are an estimated 13,000 homeless female Veterans nationwide. Even more alarming is that most of these women are single parents. I am a wife and mother of 2 wonderful boys. I have served in the United States Army for over 10 years. I currently serve on Active Duty in the Army National Guard.  Along my journey I have also experienced cancer and am a survivor of adenoid cystic carcinoma, an aggressive head
neck and throat cancer.
My family that I wake up to inspires me every day. They are the source of unconditional love that is vital to the success and happiness that anyone who wants to live a full and vibrant life needs.
I feel most at peace when I know that I am making a difference in the life of a complete stranger.
My experience with self esteem started with being born and raised in the projects of Chicago. What’s really funny is that as a child, you have no concept of what project is. As I got older, people would always tease me at the fact that we were poor, didn’t always have the best clothes or shoes, and made me feel like less than a person. I originally started to think that I wouldn’t amount to much, because of where I lived.
Throughout my life my self esteem has transformed! As a got older, I realized that self-esteem is not what others think of you, it’s how you think and feel about yourself. Believing in yourself motivates you to take risk and challenge yourself to greater heights. Also when I became a mother, I knew that I had to set an example for my children and inspire them to be their best self. But I first had to be my best self.
My personal journey is rather unique.  As a soldier, I always thought I was invincible. I was the one willing to sacrifice and help my fellow man, even if it meant putting me in harm’s way. My children would look at me and be proud of the strong woman their mother was.In 2005, I learn just invincible I wasn’t. In August, 2005, I was preparing for deployment. I remember being told by a fellow Soldier that Louisiana was being hit by a major hurricane. At that time, I was in the U.S. Army Reserves in New Orleans. I watched on the TV as my son and I were losing everything we owned. It did not register in my mind that at that point in time, I was homeless. I continued to focus on training for my deployment.
The very next month, while still preparing to deploy, I started to feel very sick. I put off going to the doctor, as I did not want to leave my Soldiers. As my pain got worse, I eventually caved and went to see the Army Physician. He ran some test and ten days later, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 adenoid cystic carcinoma. Â I was devastated to learn that the form of cancer I had was an aggressive head neck and throat cancer.
I was in denial and would not accept what the test results or the doctor said. He then said that I could not deploy and needed to be treated immediately. At this point I was broken, had zero self-esteem, and did not understand why God was doing this to me.
God had a plan for me and needed me to experience loss. He needed me to experience what it was like to feel like you are alone. He needed me to know that I wasn’t exempt from anything any other woman experiences. He needed me get to my lowest point and feel hopeless. But most importantly, he needed me to survive!  My cancer treatment consisted of 2 surgeries and 30 radiation treatments. During this time I was hospitalized for 6 months.
It took me several years to realize that the reason why God gave me a second chance, was to give other women a second chance; namely, my sister Veterans. Â This led me to found Final Salute Inc.
I find encouragement to continue to push through my struggles! If I fail, then I have failed them. I have too many counting on me to succeed and they will not be let down.
My personal triumph is vast and varied.  Surviving cancer and being able to continue my military career has been a blessing. I have side effects from the radiation, chronic pain and spasms, and some days it’s a challenge to even get out of bed. But my children are safe; they have a roof over their head and food to eat every day. So being able to help provide for them is worth every bad day.
I remember that every day is a challenge, but every day is also a blessing. Â I use prayer and unconditional love as a reminder to keep taking steps to fulfill my dream.
My strength comes so very much from my family and knowing that thousands of female Veterans are depending on me.
If I had the chance to tell myself something at the beginning of my journey I would have reminded her to be humble and grateful.  When you are living well, not experiencing trauma in life and don’t have to worry about your next meal you forget about those who do.
I wouldn’t say I would have benefitted, but maybe I could have helped someone sooner, if I had looked outside my box.
Those of you who are on a similar journey as mine remember you are not alone and do not give up. God never gives you more than you can handle. There is nothing stronger or more beautiful than a woman. Never stop believing in yourself and never stop praying.
During this process I noticed something interesting about myself; I never go into anything without a well thought out plan. But when God gave me this mission, I did not think twice about it or ask why. I just sprang into action.”
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve… You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
