The Barry Family Win Our Team’s Choice HERO Award!
Last year, with your help, our team aided thousands of pet families across the state Arizona! And when the time came to choose one of those families to honor at this year’s HERO Awards, in unison, two of our counselors chimed, “The Barry’s!” We giggled through the echo in the room, and then it hit all of us, in that moment…yes, everyone needs to learn about how they helped The Barry Family at The 21st Annual HERO Awards!
Kristin Barry and her four children share their home with their furry family members: a rabbit, a cat, and two dogs!
Kristin is a naval veteran who works for a defense attorney, goes to school full-time, and is a single mother raising her young girls with a house full of animal companions! Their rabbit named Bjorn, their cat, Tommy, and their dogs, Bear and Cece, are their best friends and the source of much of their emotional support!
TRIGGER WARNING (SA):
While this is an important part of Kristin’s story, and one she bravely shares to help others who have gone through similar experiences, we know not everyone is in a place to read about it.
While in the Navy, Kristin was sexually assaulted, which is tragically not rare in the military. Particularly so for our female service members (though it affects everyone, and it’s believed men underreport their abuse). These assaults are rarely reported at the moment, and when they do, they are often not investigated or brought to tribunal.
After her assault, Kristin struggled with how to continue her service as her mental health declined, and she eventually sought discharge before returning home.
As a survivor, Kristin bravely speaks her truth and shares her experience with others in order to inspire others and raise awareness of assault in the military. She was so moved the first time a fellow soldier thanked her for sharing her story during one of her college classes and told her that this inspired them to speak about their trauma and their story of survival.
Kristin shared with us that since then, she has tried to talk about her experiences as much as possible in hopes of making others feel seen.
How Your Support Aided The Barry Family
Along her journey as a veteran, she became a mother to both human and animal children and began her career in criminal justice!
Among the countless families right now struggling to make ends meet, Kristin is doing her best to care for herself and her family and get by with the resources she has available to her.
But a couple of bumps in the road left Kristin, her four children, and their menagerie of pets homeless.
