Foster brothers share hope

MADISON — Ron Veazey, Jr. retired from a long career in banking to take on a passion of his, giving hope to children who are often hopeless.

As Director of Advancement at Sunnybrook Children’s Home in Ridgeland, he has a personal connection to foster care.

Five decades ago, Veazy’s mother and now late father saved Harry Liggett’s life, Liggett attests, when they made him a part of their family.

Veazey and his foster brother Harry are now telling their story of hope.

“It crosses over the genetic divide of blood relations, and it's almost spiritual,” Veazey said.

“It’s like how God adopts Christians into his family as a result of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for us. We all are orphans or foster children, and that’s just how I look at family.”

Veazey said that family has always been an essential part of his life and identity. 

The traditional definition of family included blood relatives like his parents and sisters. But then he met his foster brother Harry in 1967.

“My parents brought a boy home from the Methodist Children's Home and said, ‘This is your foster brother or your new big brother!’” he said. “Harry was eight at the time and stayed with us on and off for about six years.” 

Veazey said he was always confused at that time since Harry would stay for a few weeks and then leave for a couple of months to be with his mother, stay with him for another few weeks, and so on. He said it was not until he was in his teenage years that he truly understood the reality of the situation with parents who dealt with alcoholism and depression. 

“What I always understood is that Harry was family, no matter the circumstances,” Veazey said. “He was with us for Christmas, birthdays, and holidays. My parents helped him, raised him, and modeled life for him without chaos. He is married now with two children, a grandchild, and another grandchild on the way.” 

Harry Liggett bounced around between homes, family, and the Methodist Children’s Home in Jackson before joining the Vaezey family, and he said he didn’t experience real stability until he was eight years old and moved into their home. 

“I was in first grade and never really had positive associations with family,” Liggett said. “I had a family, but not a loving or nurturing one. The day the Veazeys took me home was the first time I had experienced home life. They welcomed me into their family, showing me the importance of faith, family, and love. 

Liggett spent the next five and a half years as a member of the Veazey family, bonding with their children, especially with his foster brother Ron Veazey. Even when Liggett eventually reunited with his biological family, the bond with the Veazeys never faded. 

It was that bond and love Veazey shared with his foster brother that made him finally decide to retire from a three-decade-long career in banking to join Sunnybrook as the Director of Advancement. 

”I’ve personally witnessed God’s return on investment in Harry’s life and I now invite our donors, sponsors, and partners to join me in changing the trajectory of future generations due to our investments today in the lives of vulnerable foster kids,” Veazey said. 

Now, in the present day, Veazey, his brother, and family members support Sunnybrook’s dedication to helping all youth in Mississippi experience the advantages that come with being raised in a healthy Christian family environment. 

According to Sunnybrook, nationwide, six percent of children are placed in the foster care system before they turn 18. 

Foster youth are seven times more likely than non-foster youth to have depression, and five times more likely to have anxiety. 

One of every five people who age out of the foster care system lack a home when they turn 18.

Seventy percent will experience homelessness as adults. By the time foster youth are 24, only half will have steady employment. The same percentage develop substance abuse. 

Veazey said that Sunnybrook works every day to improve those odds to make them as small as possible.

Sunnybrook Children’s Home was chartered as a non-profit Christian childcare organization in Mississippi on Dec. 10, 1963, just a few years before Veazey met his foster brother. 

Founders Alonzo Welch, Clark Stringer, H. J. Massie, J. C. Redd, and Robert M. Moon began the ministry to help children in rented quarters on North Street in Jackson on June 1, 1964. 

For more information about Sunnybrook and its mission, visit sunnybrookms.org/. They are located at 222 Sunnybrook Road in Ridgeland.