Local companies host lunch to honor local vets

BrightStar Care of Mid-Missouri will be hosting a luncheon for 100 to 120 local veterans and their families today, November 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Columbia Senior Activity Center.

Matt and Kristine Hayes own this local franchise of the national private home care and medical staffing company BrightStar Care, and have been in business for one year. The Hayes’ are both veterans of the U.S. Navy. BrightStar Care has numerous veteran franchisees, like the Hayes’, and many of its patients are veterans.

This year, Matt Hayes co-sponsored the annual Veterans Day Celebration Luncheon with Veterans United Home Loans.

“It is very important to give back and recognize those who have faithfully served us and our country, especially on Veterans Day,” Hayes said. “They sacrificed a lot, so my wife and I are passionate about taking the time out to honor them.”

Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital represents nearly 20 percent of BrightStar Care of Mid-Missouri’s patients.

“The services and caregivers that BrightStar Care provides local veterans like myself with are exemplary,” said James Viggers, a BrightStar Care of Mid Missouri client. “Before finding BrightStar, it had been extremely difficult to get the type of care I needed as a veteran.”

BrightStar Care has more than 260 locations in the U.S.