Van of Valor

By Dr. Kevin P. Wallace
Van of Valor

NORTH PORT, Fla. – In a powerful ceremony that turned a decade-old promise into a living legacy, the City of North Port, Fla., has officially reaffirmed its status as a Purple Heart City and bestowed a permanent home and title upon a national treasure: the Van of Valor. 

The moving event centered on the words and vision of Lauren Wallace, who, alongside her husband Dr. Kevin Wallace, brought the mobile memorial to the community after a 280-day, 48-state journey collecting stories of American sacrifice.

The original 2015 proclamation declaring North Port a Purple Heart City had, for ten years, remained a largely symbolic gesture. Lauren Wallace’s advocacy and the arrival of the Van of Valor provided the catalyst for change. 

She presented a compelling case to city officials, arguing that the van was the key to transforming “a decade-old piece of paper into a living, breathing legacy.”

“We always knew these stories needed a home. A real home. Not just a parking spot, but a community that would embrace them, learn from them, and keep them alive,” Lauren Wallace said, addressing the city’s leadership and residents. “North Port, you are that home.”

Her efforts culminated in the city’s adoption of a new proclamation. 

It solemnly reaffirms North Port’s Purple Heart City designation, but more importantly, it activates that title with concrete action. 

The Van of Valor is now officially designated “North Port’s Purple Heart Legacy Memorial,” recognizing it as an official memorial site along the National Purple Heart Trail and a public educational center for veteran stories and American history.

The proclamation commits the city to tangible steps, including permanent gateway signage, educational partnerships with local schools, and annual community recognition on National Purple Heart Day and the Van of Valor’s homecoming anniversary, which will forever now be on December 18th.

“When this city first declared itself a Purple Heart City in 2015, it made a promise,” Wallace stated. “Today, by welcoming the Van of Valor as your permanent legacy memorial, you are keeping that promise in the most powerful way. You are transforming a title into a living testament.”

Wallace emphasized the unifying power of the stories housed within the van, which contains 312 interviews with Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families, memorializing over 400 fallen heroes. 

“In a world that often feels divided, the stories in this van have a unique power,” she said. “They speak a language everyone understands – the language of courage, loss, love, and resilience… By embracing this memorial, North Port is choosing to rally around what unites us.”

With this historic decision, North Port moves beyond ceremonial designation to become an active guardian of national memory. 

The Van of Valor, a rolling archive that crossed the country to preserve firsthand accounts of valor, has found its final resting place, ensuring that the legacy of American sacrifice will be remembered, taught, and honored for generations to come.

“You have given the Van of Valor a home,” Wallace concluded. “And in return, it offers North Port a heart – a heart full of stories, of memory, and of a pride that can truly bring us all together.”

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Lauren Wallace’s Speech to the North Port City Commission

By Lauren Wallace
Van of Valor

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, CITY STAFF, AND MY NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS HERE IN NORTH PORT.

Thank you for having us here today. My name is Lauren Wallace, and alongside my husband, Kevin, I am a co-founder of the Van of Valor project.

Standing before you in this chamber, with our van – our mobile memorial, our rolling archive, now officially home, fills my heart with gratitude that’s hard to put into words. This moment is the culmination of a journey far greater than the 27,000 miles we drove.

That journey wasn’t about the miles. It was about the 312 conversations – the stories shared with Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families. It was about ensuring over 400 fallen heroes are remembered. The Van of Valor became a living room on wheels for the bravest among us, a place where sacrifice was honored not as an abstract concept, but as a personal story, a name, and a family’s love.

We drove so that their stories wouldn’t be left behind.

And we always knew these stories needed a home. A real home. Not just a parking spot, but a community that would embrace them, learn from them, and keep them alive.

North Port, you are that home.

When this city first declared itself a Purple Heart City in 2015, it made a promise. Today, by welcoming the Van of Valor as your permanent legacy memorial, you are keeping that promise in the most powerful way. You are transforming a title into a living testament. You are giving these stories a place to teach, to inspire, and to remind us all of the cost of freedom.

That is why this proclamation we present today is so meaningful to us. It’s not just a document; it’s a covenant between this city and the legacy of service.

It solemnly reaffirms North Port as a Purple Heart City.

It officially designates our van as “North Port’s Purple Heart Legacy Memorial,” an official stop on the National Purple Heart Trail.

And, most importantly, it commits to action – to signs that welcome visitors to our Purple Heart City, to educational programs for our children, and to annual days of community remembrance.

This is how a community lives its values.

On a personal note, Kevin and I began this project out of a simple, profound feeling: gratitude. It was never political. It was always human.

In a world that often feels divided, the stories in this van have a unique power. They speak a language everyone understands – the language of courage, loss, love, and resilience. They don’t see party lines; they see patriots. They don’t see divisions; they see shared heritage.

By embracing this memorial, North Port is choosing to rally around what unites us.

You are choosing to build your community identity on the solid rock of service and sacrifice.

That is a source of pride that no controversy can diminish.

So, on behalf of Kevin, myself, and every veteran and family whose story travels with this van, we Thank You. Thank you not for just honoring a project, but for adopting a mission.

You have given the Van of Valor a home. And in return, it offers North Port a heart – a heart full of stories, of memory, and of a pride that can truly bring us all together.

We are deeply honored to be part of this community. Thank You.

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To read more, visit www.HelpVoV.com.