Our Founder

Jeff Ingalls was a man of honor, courage and commitment. Jeff was always thinking of others, particularly other Veterans whom he welcomed into part of his extended family. Jeff was a 20 year Veteran in the US Navy and attained the status of Master Chief Petty Officer.  In 1985 Jeff was held captive for 17 days as a result of a hijacking of an American plane by the terrorist group Hezbollah in Greece. As a result of the torture, interrogations and beatings he suffered in his captivity, it had a major impact on his psychological well-being.  Upon his return home, he was diagnosed as suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by the VA. He recognized that as part of the healing process, he needed counseling through the VA. He realized that he was not alone on his journey to get well. He interacted with many of the Veterans and realized the north country was severely lacking support for fellow Veterans. He would attend weekly counseling meetings and he would listen to their stories and complaints about the lack of services here. After a heart-breaking event of a suicide of a very close friend, a Navy captain who was also suffering from PTSD and TBI, Jeff made a commitment to himself to assist other Veterans who were suffering as he was.

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He had an awareness of the needs of other Veterans in the area. He assisted other Veterans by driving them to medical appointments, providing food on their tables and supplying financial assistance out of his own pocket, acting as a quiet confidante and lending a friendly ear.

 

His vision was to create a local community of tiny homes for Veterans and their families that contained  a community center for site based services. Jeff’s motto was “a hand up not a hand out”.  To validate his goals, he created a 501(c)3 called VET’s REST STOP in 2016 whose mission statement is:

 To assist Veterans of the US Armed Forces who are in need of counseling and mentoring due to facing issues such as addictions, underemployment, medical issues, homelessness, domestic relations issues, personal issues and the like.

 

Sadly, Jeff Ingalls passed away at the age of 59 on March 28, 2020 due to a massive coronary. His vision is carried on by the current board, his family and the support of the local community and Veterans far and wide.