KINGMAN, Ariz. – Heavy drinking, one night in jail and a bout with cancer turned Army Special Forces veteran Don Reynolds’ life around. Now, he’s giving back to his community.
“I drank a long, long time. My mother was a drinker. In 2019, I was arrested for being drunk in public and had to spend the night in jail. I knew I didn’t want to go to jail anymore, so I went to Veterans Treatment Court with Judge Singer,” Reynolds said.
“I finished it in 7 1/2 months, quicker than anyone else because a light bulb came on.”
While in the program, Reynolds was chosen by Judge Singer as Knight of the month and Ambassador of the Month, where he talked with other veterans struggling with similar problems.
After he finished the program, he needed a car and a place to stay.
Pat Farrell, former Executive Director of the Jerry Ambrose Veterans Council (JAVC), said they gave Reynolds both.
“He went through a lot of hard problems, but never got down and never quit,” Farrell said. “It’s a pleasure helping someone like that.”
Farrell’s wife Casey added, “He was really trying hard to better himself.”
Reynolds said Charlie Stutts, a retired Air Force Chaplain was his mentor.
“I used to call him Charlie Chaplain because his name was Charlie and he was a Chaplain,” Reynolds said. “I couldn’t have done it without him and the Lord.”
Reynolds said he spent three months in the Cornerstone Mission drying up. The Cornerstone Mission is a faith-based, non-profit organization that helps people with emergency housing, hot meals and basic supportive services. They sent Reynolds to interview for a job at the Kingman Senior Nutrition Center in the same building as the Kathryn Heidenreich Adult Center (KHAC).
“One of the counselors in Cornerstone asked me if I had a food-handling license. I did so they sent me to the nutrition side of the center and they hired me,” said Reynolds. He said he was hired by them in 2017 and has been there ever since.
He now works on the other side of the building for the KHAC, where he performs a myriad of tasks such as calling bingo, setting up tables for craft fairs, anything that needs to be done.
He said he moved over there in 2023 and 3 1/2 months later was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer.
“The cancer doctor wanted me to retire, so I took some time off to do the chemo thing, lost all my hair, lost my mustache that wouldn’t grow back.”
Reynolds said his last chemo treatment was in September 2023.
He also said he’s been sober seven years since July 9, 2019, and giving back to the community ever since.
He gives back once a month at Kingman’s Regional Medical Center’s WL Nugent Cancer Center.
Once a month, he takes donuts to the center to spread donuts and smiles. The nurses call it “Donnie Donut Day.”
Reynolds said he knows first-hand how scary it is to sit where the current patients are now sitting, so he tries to bring a smile to their faces and take their minds off cancer and chemo, if but for a few moments.
“He’s ever nice when he comes in here. He just lifts everyone’s spirits,” said nurse Kelli Sturdy said. “He spreads joy and donuts around.”
“The Lords been with me all this time,” Reynolds said. “I don’t feel any pain.”
“I sat in that very chair,” Reynolds said to one man who took a donut, “and I beat it three years ago,” as he raised his index finger and pointed into the heavens and said, “Praise the Lord.”
Judge tells of Reynolds’ journey through Veterans Treatment Court
“When Don came into the Kingman Veterans Treatment Court, like a lot of the veterans, he really did not want to be in the program,” Judge Singer said.
“There are a lot of requirements to participate in the Vet Court including mandatory counseling, random alcohol and substance abuse testing as well as being on supervised probation and having to report to a probation officer. However, after being in the program for a short time Don’s attitude changed and he saw a lot of the benefit of being in the Vet Court.
He learned that a lot of people cared about him and wanted to see him succeed, and that this was a way for the criminal justice system to repay him for his military service. Because of Don’s efforts while in the program, he was named a “Knight of the Month” which is awarded to one particular Veteran on a monthly basis who has gone above and beyond while in the VTC.
After graduation it was clear what a positive impact Don had on the other Veterans in the program so we decided to make him an ambassador of the Vet Court. In this role we would continue to allow Don to positively influence other veterans who were either currently in the program or had graduated and serve as a liaison between the veterans and the court.
He is the only individual we have put into this unique position, but it is because of the amazing person Don is as to why we wanted him as an official Kingman Veterans Treatment Court Ambassador.
The local veteran community is fortunate to have someone like Don Reynolds looking out for them as he embodies the motto we have in our program to ‘Leave No Veteran Behind,’” said Singer.
