Trey and Pearson have been best friends since first grade at Woodland Presbyterian Day school in Memphis. Their families taught them to work hard for what they earned and always give back when they could. Watching their parents run local soup kitchens or act as second parents to countless young students in need of guidance, impressed upon them from a young age the importance of serving others. Trey and Pearson both have grandfathers who served in the military in WWII, and they grew up admiring the bravery and honor of their service.
As children, Trey and Pearson imagined wild adventures together. As adults, their adventures became business ventures and community projects, always inspired by the idea of doing good in the world.
So when Trey’s college roommate returned from Iraq, he watched him coping with his experiences and his transition to civilian life, and he wanted so desperately to help. He started bringing Sean to his family farm, Oak View Stables, to let him groom and ride horses. Trey and Pearson watched as Sean would use that time to escape, to relax, and to connect with the horses. Slowly he seemed to heal. The time at the farm working with the animals somehow helped him work through the intense experiences and memories that had followed him home from war.
This gave Trey an idea. Maybe the farm and the horses could help even more veterans in the same way. And so WarHorses for Heroes was born. Trey and Pearson founded it as a nonprofit organization in the summer of 2015 and by Christmas of the same year were able to partner with the VA to invite the first veterans out to meet the horses and begin the program. As the organization grows, Trey and Pearson are thrilled to be helping their nation’s heroes and to honor Dr. Pep and Big Dad’s memories. Their mission with WarHorses for Heroes is to ensure that there is help waiting for veterans when they return home and assist them in rejoining the world.