Co-founded by two Boca teens, Derek Fletcher and Jonathan Chidiac are proving that it is possible to do good things while keeping a safe distance when they started a window washing organization earlier this year known as Washing Windows For Warriors.
Washing Windows For Warriors strives to assist U.S. military veterans and service members by donating 100 percent of the funds made from washing windows to the civilian 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Hope For The Warriors.
Hope For The Warriors, provides comprehensive support programs for service members, veterans, and military families that are focused on the transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources.
Both having family members who served in the military,16-year-old high school students Fletcher and Chidiac felt a strong desire to give back to their community and service members.
Two years ago, Fletcher started washing windows to make extra money but recently decided to use that to fuel his passion for Washing Windows For Warriors.
“My uncle was in the Brazilian Marines, and Derek’s Great Grandfather flew for the Royal British Air Force,” Chidiac said. “So we decided why don’t we wash windows and donate all the funds to Hope For The Warriors, a charity that helps out our U.S veterans.”
Fletcher and Chidiac took it upon themselves to research and partner with Hope For The Warriors who began assisting them with their small non-profit start-up through social media and other resources.
“We strongly believe in how they (Hope For The Warriors) go about supporting veterans and have always been the charity that we have worked with,” said Fletcher.
Many military veterans struggle to find resources and support systems to address issues such as combat, fear, depression, isolation, and other psychological issues.
Founder and CEO of Hope For The Warriors, Robin Kelleher is proud to serve the diverse and honorable people in our community to help provide those resources. She understands the importance of delivering programs to those military and service members, as she is also the wife of a Marine and works extensively with military families, caring for family units during multiple deployments.
Kelleher saw how the Washing Windows For Warriors duo put the needs of others above themselves in the midst of a pandemic and was more than willing to help them achieve their goals.
“It is so critical that our services aren’t paused or shut down because of the diversion of funding to other areas,” said Kelleher. “These boys are reminding people that their needs did not stop when COVID started.”
The stay-at-home order to help fight COVID-19 in South Florida did delay the Washing Windows For Warriors mission for about 3 months. But this delay did not deter the teens from helping more veterans when the order was lifted.
“Many people are hesitant to let us come wash their windows because of the social distancing guideline. We are also seeing that many people are struggling due to economic hardships and do not have the means to make a donation of $100 because they are struggling,” said Fletcher. “We feel for those who have been hit by this pandemic and realize we just need to keep trying to help our veterans while social distancing and keeping everyone safe.”
So far the Washing Windows For Warriors duo have earned over $6000 of their $10,000 goal to achieve by the time they graduate high school.
In addition to Hope For The Warriors, Fletcher and Chidiac got assistance from their friends, Lucas Harris, Griffin Smith, Jake Gang, and Ryder Gang. The teens are washing approximately 2 houses a day and seeing about $200 donated each day.
All payments to Washing Windows For Warriors go directly to Hope For The Warriors and are tax-deductible. The cost of the teens’ professional-grade window-washing services begins at $50.
The two teens urge everyone to get involved by booking jobs to get their windows washed, send donations, and spread the cause.
Hope For The Warriors will be hosting their “30×30 Mindfulness Challenge” to help all veterans and supporters build healthy habits and create a sustainable practice over the course of 30 days.
The challenge focuses on the mind-body aspects of wellness including breathwork, yoga, mindfulness, and other aspects of mental wellbeing for 30 minutes a day. Sign up is free to all who wish to participate and donations are strongly encouraged.
The challenge runs from August 4 to September 11.
Although the challenge ends on September 8th, HOPE will use those mindful practices from the challenge on September 11 by remembering how the lives of our neighbors and country were forever changed on that fateful day.
“It’s truly heartwarming to see young people like Jonathan and Derek with such respect and passion for our veterans,” said Robin Kelleher, “There are so many other things they could be doing in their free time, but they understand what the military and its service members and veterans mean to this country and the importance to support them.”
To book an appointment and support “Washing Windows for Warriors,” you can email washingwindows4warriors@gmail.com or call (305) 833-2611. To stay updated, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
To learn more about how to donate and support Hope For The Warriors, you can visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.