Page 32 - Suburban Living Fuquay-Varina

Fuquay-Varina HerosMike Dorman & MMIAMilitary veterans rarely call themselves heroes. No matter their experience, a veteran usually argues that he or she just wanted to serve their country. Fuquay-Varina’s own Mike Dorman is no different. Despite his service in the Coast Guard and his service to fellow veterans, he stubbornly denies that he is a hero. The truth is, Dorman is a hero by anyone’s definition, and not just because he protected and defended America’s maritime environment for 20 years.Dorman enlisted when he was 19 years old. “I thought maybe I would do four years and move on,” he remembers. He was seasick at first but that improved as his rank and time in service increased. Dorman spent a total of 10 years afloat, participating in numerous drug interdictions, search and rescue missions, and other operations around the world. When he retired as a chief warrant officer, he returned to Fuquay-Varina, where some of his family still lives.Mike Dorman’s life changed in 2008 when he founded Military Missions in Action (MMIA), a nonprofit located in Fuquay-Varina that assists North Carolina veterans with disabilities, members of the Armed Forces, and their families. Dorman and his team of donors and volunteers work to improve the quality of life for veterans and service members overseas.“When I first started, I had one $14,000 construction project, but only $2,000 in the bank,” he says. Dorman lacked funds, but not motivation. He met with Veteran Service Counselor Tim Virgilio about disabled veterans in North Carolina. Dorman was told that if he created 100 home modifications a month for 12 months, he would still not reach all those in need. A spiritual man, Dorman was not intimidated. He quickly began partnering with volunteers and donors, forfeiting his own salary until MMIA was on solid ground.“We completed our project, and MMIA still had that $2,000 in the bank,” he says.Today, MMIA assists veterans through five major initiatives: 1) Operation Building Hope (provides home modifications to ensure veterans with disabilities can live independently); 2) Homes for Healing (assists veterans with traumatic brain injuries and PTSD with home repair and resources to alleviate personal stress so they can concentrate on healing); 3) Military Child Access Assistance Program (helps veterans who have children with special needs make their homes handicap-accessible); 4) Fill the Footlocker (collections of items that bring comfort to active duty servicemen and women in combat zones, and homeless veterans); and 5) Operation Warrior Golf (a program that teaches veterans with disabilities how to overcome their limitations through the game of golf).This year, Military Missions in Action has sent 5,000 care packages abroad, donated household products to 40 families, assisted over 4,000 homeless veterans and completed 28 construction projects. These are significant accomplishments for Dorman’s small nonprofit, which has often overcome shortages in funds and resources.Although there are organizations out there that build entire homes for veterans, Dorman stands firm in his desire to assist with smaller projects. For instance, a former Marine with a brain injury may not be able to fix a leaky faucet. Dorman believes these seemingly insignificant repairs can improve a veteran’sBy Brandi Swopespersonal and family life. This attention to the little things has helped MMIA gain notable recognition.In 2010, Dorman received the Distinguished Service Award from the Fuquay- Varina Chamber of Commerce at their annual banquet. It turns out that 2013 was a huge year for Mike Dorman. On February 15th, Dorman received The Presidential Citizens Medal, which is the second highest civilian award given by the federal government. As an organization, MMIA received the Small Business of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce in 2013. And later that year, Dorman received the Key to the Town of Fuquay-Varina by Mayor John Byrne.Page 30 Suburban Living Fuquay-Varinawww.suburbanlivingmag.com