August 5, 2024 – On the 24th anniversary of 9/11, Americans recognize the brave sacrifice made by thousands of individuals in serving and protecting our nation.
Not only were there courageous firefighters, policemen, and others who helped – some even making the ultimate sacrifice – on that tragic day, but there were thousands of men and women who enlisted in the military following the event to protect and serve the United States.
The Jacob Matthew Foundation is an organization directly aimed towards the veterans who enlisted after the events of 9/11 to benefit their mental health and help combat the heightened reports of depression and suicide among veterans.
It officially exists as a suicide prevention group that seeks to provide community for these veterans through fun activities and outings that all started with local resident Dusty Hathaway and his hobby of creating toys on a 3D printer for his children.
When Hathaway began the nonprofit, many similar organizations were under scrutiny for how donation money was being spent, leading Hathaway down a unique route for fundraising – creating the toys to sell to interested parties.
When he posted about the toys online, they began garnering the attention of his friends, who requested specific models and designs for the toys. Not long later, veterans in the organization gave Hathaway the idea of selling them for the nonprofit.
Hathaway himself is a Marine Corps veteran who enlisted with his childhood friends, Jacob Tinsley and Matthew King.
Hathaway stated, “We were known as pretty big troublemakers, and I guess we’re a little bit too much of a troublemaker, so we all joined the Marine Corps.”
Tinsley and King both experienced becoming disabled while in the military. Not being able to serve active duty any longer, they also experienced a loss of community they once had with their comrades.
Hathaway explained this, stating, “You’re with them all day long. You go to the field together, you go to work together, these guys deploy together.” However, after someone leaves the military, “We all have different things going on in our lives and it creates a huge depression because [you’re with] someone you know for 4 years of your life and then you just don’t see them again.”
Because of that feeling of loss, Tinsley and King proposed to Hathaway the original idea of a nonprofit for post-9/11 veterans. After Tinsley and King passed away in 2020, Hathaway put the idea into action.
That action was the Jacob Matthew Foundation, named after Jacob Tinsley and Matthew King.
As time went on, the organization grew. When Hathaway first began, he was providing services for 8 veterans, which grew to 400 by the end of the year.
Hathaway explained, “I just wanted to help people, and that’s what our goal is still, it’s to help people … we don’t want to get so big or anything like that where we forget what our true purpose is.”
Hathaway says that word-of-mouth is one of the best means by which they bring veterans into their organization – if a current member informs others about a friend who is transitioning out of the military, the foundation will reach out and invite them into community with fellow vets.
This can look like a multitude of things – going bowling together on a weekend, playing video games, go-cart racing, and other activities.
The group also recently took a trip to Las Vegas and enjoyed a weekend with other veterans. Thanks to the generous contributions of donors, they were able to attend free of charge, covering the cost of their travel, lodging, and food for the weekend.
Anyone interested in supporting them can follow their page on Facebook for updates and to contact Hathaway or can visit their booth at the Sierra Vista “Food Truck Fridays” once a week or at the River Park Mall every other Saturday, where they sell t-shirts and their 3D models.