Ms. Christian was previously named Volunteer of the Year, Therapist of the Year and Woman of the Year by the reactivated Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary.
TYLER, TX, September 22, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Debra D. Christian has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. Ms. Christian is the Commander of the Disabled American Veteran Auxiliary (DAVA), Unit 6, Woodrow Wilson in Tyler, TX—as well as the Past Commander of District 2. She was also the first graduate of the State of Texas of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans' Families (EBV-F).
Debra graduated from Texas College with a business degree, the same college her grandmother graduated. She retired from Goodyear (Kelly-Springfield) after 34 years as a supervisor and lab technician. She operates the Christian Wellness Center—a holistic care facility that includes colon hydrotherapy. Ms Christian is the Regional Representative (TX, OK, NM) for the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy (I-ACT) and was voted I-ACT Colon Hydrotherapist of the Year in 2011. Debra has been an owner of five booths at the East Texas State Fair—a recurring seasonal job since 1994. She has lived in Tyler for her entire adult life and attends and sings in the choir for Miles Chapel Christian Methodist Church (CME).
In 2007, she was inspired to develop the Christian Restoration Community Residential Care Program (CRC) in the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, where she has since served as director. The CRC provides access to adult education courses and veteran housing arrangements on a vast swath of land in Tyler, Texas. They boast more than 1,000 acres on which the programs continue to develop. This land has been within her family since WWI, and it has become her legacy. The CRC builds tiny homes and three-bedroom houses on the USDA-approved land and has further plans to develop more extensive affordable housing down the road.
She was inspired by her father, who was a combat soldier in Korea at the age of 18 when the military was still segregated. He left Korea with stratenal inflictions. Her father later died from being exposed to Agent Orange during his time in Vietnam. Although her older brother also joined the military, and served 36 years with five theaters, Ms. Christian was discouraged from doing so because she needed to take care of her father. Ms. Christian learned early on that many veterans needed extensive care services after returning from deployment, which led her to develop her current program. In a year, the program would launch with 10 top female candidates who were in need of counseling services.
Ms. Christian began her program with her brother who was a reverend. They began offering their services to homeless veterans with the objective of giving them shelter and food so that they could receive government benefits, such as food stamps and other available resources. Today, the program is about to reach capacity and will soon enter phase two. They will be working with young women who will live domiciliary style and be paid to work on property that Ms. Christian's family has owned since the 1800s. The program will provide housing for two years and offer STEM courses so that veterans can develop sustainable careers. They also offer free transportation to VA hospitals.
For her efforts throughout her career, Ms. Christian was previously named Volunteer of the Year, Therapist of the Year and Woman of the Year by the reactivated Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary. Ms. Christian has most recently completed her first book, "From Slavery to Bravery, 1850 to 1920," published by Daryell Palmer on Amazon. In the Fall of 2020, she endeavors to write another book, titled "From the Cotton Patch to the Oil Patch." She would also like to continue expanding her work with the Christian Restoration Community Residential Care Program as a nonprofit, veteran-friendly and veteran-owned business.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #