Terry Roberts

As a teenager, Terry Roberts found himself facing two great challenges. He had become a father, and he was homeless. After serving nine years in the United States Marine Corps, Terry knew he had a mission to help the veterans in his community overcome the challenges that he had experienced firsthand.

“It’s not about me, or volunteering to feel good about myself. It’s about the responsibility that I have to invest in and help fellow veterans in need,” says Terry. To do so, he began volunteering at Welcome Home, a local nonprofit dedicated to providing a community that veterans can rely on as a resource to get back on their feet. Through his persistence and passion for this community, Terry now serves as president on the Welcome Home board of directors.

His role on the board has given Terry the opportunity to expand his personal knowledge and experience in leadership, and use this knowledge to investment back into the veteran communities in Mid-Missouri. Providing transitional housing, emotional support, and job readiness training are just a few of the ways that the funds the board allocates serve the veterans. To continue to provide these programs, Terry and the board have implemented an emphasis on strategic planning an organizational assessment.

Terry believes that one of the biggest challenges facing Columbia’s veterans today is the lack of awareness of the veteran communities within the area. As a result, one of his goals for Welcome Home is to continue to engage the community, so that any veterans who may need assistance can find it at Welcome Home.

When Terry is not serving on the board or working as a loan officer at Veterans United Home Loans, he can usually be found spending time with his wife and three children watching “The Voice.”