BRADENTON, Fla. — A Florida teen has raised $30,000 for homeless veterans.
Lorenzo Liberti said he was compelled to do something after volunteering at his local church and realizing how many veterans are homeless.
"Of course I had a heart for our service, but I never really understood what service meant," he said.
Through his project Heroic Flags, Lorenzo's goal has been to restore honor and help homeless veterans who have fallen on their luck and slipped through the system.
Working from his garage, Lorenzo began making rustic American flags honoring veterans, but amid the pandemic he began to honor those battling on the front lines at hospitals against the war on COVID-19.
"These people are serving especially during this just like our veterans do…you see these people behind masks but you never really see their face," he said. "Not only that you don’t get to see their face, you don’t get to know their story."
Lorenzo made it his goal to create handmade wooden flags and send them out, placing a heroic flag in one hospital in every state, honoring his mother, Martha Liberti, and other front line health care workers.
"I can’t even explain. Words can't even explain how proud I am of him," Martha said.
Lorenzo was able to raise and donate $30,000 of his $50,000 goal and gift it to Turning Points Yellow Ribbon Program, aimed to help end homelessness among the veteran community — a cause this young teen says is his calling in life.
Lorenzo said he plans to turn the Heroic Flags Project into a non-profit and continue to donate all proceeds from the flags back to Turning Points. To order a flag or to make a contribution visit heroicflags.com.