His dad was killed in the Oregon District, and now he’s giving back to the community that supported him

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Green donated $1,000 to the Springfield Salvation Army and $500 to Villa Springfield Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.

“Dion’s gift has inspired others to invest in the fight,” Ryan Ray, development director of the Springfield Salvation Army said. “That’s what he was hoping for and that’s exactly what he’s accomplished.”

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Credit: Submitted

Credit: Submitted

The Springfield Salvation Army has had over a 400 percent increase in one month of individuals receiving help through the agency’s social services, Ray said.

He said Green’s donation was very timely with the increase of shelter and food assistance needed.

Ray added, “I recently got off of the phone with a gentleman who sent in a check after seeing what Dion did. He told me to tell Dion that his compassion compelled him to use his motorcycle parts money for a greater purpose.”

Green’s donation to Villa Springfield will help Thoma Vanover, the activities director, purchase a snow cone machine and a cotton candy machine for their residents.

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“Dion is a remarkable young man. I feel honored he chose Villa Springfield to donate to,” Bill Robinson, an administrator at Villa Springfield said. “Our Residents will have so much enjoyment from this. I thank him from the bottom of my heart.”

Green said he also made monetary donations to The Victory Project in Dayton and other nursing homes across the Miami Valley because those organizations help some of the individuals that have been hit the hardest during the pandemic. He said he also gave some nursing homes tablets to FaceTime their loved ones.

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“Everybody is really going through it because there is a new normalcy, but there has been a new normalcy for me since May,” Green said. “I’m just holding on. I have my days.”

Green lost his father during the Oregon District mass shooting - just after cleaning up his own house from tornado damage in May. The Dayton neighborhood where Green lives, was one of the areas hit hardest during the Memorial Day tornadoes.

“A lot of people lose their loved ones, but not in their arms,” Green said.

Every since the tornadoes and mass shooting, Green said he has been “honoring with action.”

He is currently working on publishing his first book and establishing a nonprofit. The book will be about adversity, forgiveness and faith. The nonprofit will help victims and survivors reclaim their lives and guide them through the process, Green explained.

“I’m just trying to share my story to help others during dark times and stuff like that because I understand how the darkness can be,” Green said. “If you don’t do anything, it will consume you.”

When the stay-at-home order is lifted and everything starts to go back to normal, Green hopes individuals will continue to give to organizations that helped them through this difficult time.

“This is a rough time and me donating is really to challenge others to help give, help the less fortunate,” Green said. “I just challenge people to give back if they can.”